Chapter 1060: A Brittle Thing of Pain and Anger (Patreon)

The expansive bar lounge of Jason’s cloud ship was empty other than for Jason himself and Dawn, sitting beside him on a cloud couch.

“It feels strange,” she said. “Not having anything to hide. I’m so used to being acutely conscious of the secrets I was keeping and what they would cost you.”

“I understand. When we met, you were already neck deep in the agenda of Knowledge and the World-Phoenix. It’s hard to build new loyalties when they conflict with the old ones. For all that we have control of our own fates, we’ve spent our lives being pawns of some very powerful entities. We still are for all that we scream rebellion into the void.”

“That’s mostly just you. I’m happy with where I am.”

He chuckled.

“You say that, but I’ve seen your quiet defiance. I know that you did what you could for me.”

“I know that I’m a lot older than you, Jason, but I’m not used to helping one person. I grew up being taught to administer solar systems and manage planetary populations. To negotiate treaties and prevent wars. Or win them. When I came to serve the World-Phoenix, the scale grew even larger. The idea of striving on behalf of one person seemed almost negligent. Not when I could be working for millions. And intellectually, I was right. It makes more sense to work for billions I’ll never see than one person standing in front of me. But the alien mind of a great astral being could see that I was going astray. The World-Phoenix could think that way for themselves. What it needed was someone who could feel the earth between their toes. Who could see the value in that which was small.”

She reached a hand out to her side, interlocking her fingers with Jason’s.

“On Earth, I lived the quiet life of an artist. No obligations, just waiting for a strange man to return from his adventures in another world so I could start manipulating him. It was a little village in France, not that far from where your territory is. It’s long gone now, between monster waves and vampire occupation. I think about the people there. My friends and neighbours, their quiet lives.”

Jason squeezed her hand.

“That’s why I’m an adventurer,” he said. “It’s about more than just protecting lives and being able to face the bad things. It’s about protecting happiness and making sure that other people don’t have to.”

He gave her an impish side glance.

“Now, making sure that they don’t slide into poverty because of entrenched oligarchy, that’s for a warrior princess to do. Have you considered shifting the Imperium toward a system of representative demo— OW! What kind of princess flicks people on the ear?”

“I’m taking you to meet the Emperor and Empress! If I hear the words ‘representative democracy’ come out of your mouth I’m going to drop you into the sun, which is very conveniently positioned, by the way. Did you know that’s how we imprison diamond-rankers? Doesn’t matter if you come back from the dead when you’re still trapped in the gravity well of a star.”

“You realise I could just…” he started before seeing the warning in her raised eyebrows. “…be on my best behaviour, which I absolutely will.”

“Sadly, I’ve seen your best behaviour, but it’ll have to do.”

***

Empress Lumen and Emperor-Consort Orbis stood side by side in the greeting parlour of their private quarters. Although it was one of the most intimate spaces belonging to the imperial family, they were still the imperial family, meaning it was an ornate, cavernous chamber filled with art and furniture that put museums to shame. They were waiting by the massive double doors that served as the main entrance.

“Stop scowling,” Lumen told her husband.

“I’m not scowling.”

“You are scowling, so stop it. This is the first time she’s brought a boy home.”

“Why do you think I’m scowling?”

“You have to be nice.”

“I will.”

“Orbis…”

“Making it painless is nice. Compared to what I want to do.”

“You can’t kill him, painlessly or otherwise.”

“We’ll see.”

“No, I mean you literally can’t. He’s a great astral being.”

“So is the Builder. Do you want her bringing the Builder home next?”

“Husband, at some stage, you will need to start trusting your daughter’s judgement. I would have thought after the first few centuries would be enough.”

“Well, it isn’t.”

“Clearly.”

“I don’t see why this is happening. Things have gone perfectly fine without anyone trying to take my little girl away.”

“After what you did to the Princeps of Aglamar, who would?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“We’re still paying reparations to the Aglamar Senate.”

“Ugh, democracy. You know the boy wants to abolish aristocracy, right? He’ll try and bring down the entire Imperium.”

“He will not try and bring down the Imperium. Dawn promised.”

Orbis turned to look at his wife.

“You actually asked her about that?”

Lumen turned her head refusing to meet his eyes.

“She actually brought it up herself.”

“I knew it!”

“No one is going to overthrow the empire, Orbis. She promised.”

“You read the report from Lord Cazus. The man tried to extort every government on a planet.”

“You say that like you haven’t. At least he was trying to stop slavery, not get an animal off a flag.”

“It was more than one flag, and why so many nations would put that disgusting two-headed abomination on any of them is completely beyond me.”

“I will never understand why, in a cosmos full of monsters, you have such an issue with one simple creature. They are very useful animals, which is why they get introduced to so many worlds.”

“They’re creepy. In fact, I think we should circle back of the culling proposal I…”

One of the double doors swung open to admit their daughter, followed by a slight young man. He was oddly unpolished for a diamond-ranker, with sharp features and a jutting chin a neat beard could not fully mask. His clothes were a simple suit, well-made enough, if provincial in cut and design.

“Mother, Father. This is The System, Jason Asano.”

“We greet you,” Lumen said warmly, stepping forward. “I apologise for the informality, but Dawn suggested that it would be preferable to you. The Imperial Protocol office is also still working on the appropriate procedures to greet the avatar of a great astral being, since none of them have had one before. Apparently, the same etiquette protocol for a prime vessel is not appropriate.”

“We’ve also heard you’re rude to monarchs,” Orbis grumbled as he stepped forward. His scowl turned to a warm smile as he looked to his daughter and gathered her into a hug.”

“I do apologise for my husband,” Lumen said, “although I will admit some of what we read in the intelligence report about you did give us pause. Not least of which was the fact that you seemed to vanish entirely after being taken from Pallimustus by a shadow of the Reaper. Our esteemed Director of Imperial Intelligence does not take it well when someone manages to hide something from him. And now, here you are, reappearing in my daughter’s care. You will have to forgive us for holding an amount of concern.”

“Of course, Empress,” Jason said. “Your concern is more than warranted, given that trouble seems to trail behind me like the tail of a comet. Anyone in my orbit not being wary is simply asking to be caught unawares.”

“For my own peace of mind, would you be willing to share what you have been up to for the last few years?”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot. While I have shared that information with my closest confidants, there are things into which most are not permitted insight.”

“Does my daughter count amongst those confidants?”

“She does, but her position warrants her understanding in this matter.”

“Which means that I also know better than to share,” Dawn said, prompting a hurt expression from her father.

“Dawnie…”

“No, Father. It’s bad enough that Jason went and told all our friends; I’m not going to act with the same indiscretion.”

“Very well,” Lumen said. “Please take our guest to your quarters and freshen up for dinner.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

Jason nodded to the monarch respectfully.

“Empress. Emperor.”

Lumen and Ordis watched Dawn lead Jason away, remaining silent until there was a closed door between them.

“Did you hear that, Husband?”

“‘Our friends,’ she said.”

“Yes, she did,” Lumen said with a smile.

***

“What’s wrong with a horse is all I’m asking,” Jason said as he used a pair of tongs to flip the chop on the grill. “One head, beautiful coat of hair. None of those scales that always somehow look wet, even when they aren’t.”

“Exactly,” Orbis said, gesticulating angrily with his wineglass. The liquid spilled out for the dozenth time, only for the magic in the glass to once again pull it back. “Whatever lunatic seeded heidels all through the cosmos is a menace who needs to be hunted down for crimes against having sensible animals.”

Sitting at a picnic table in the private courtyard, Lumen and Dawn shared a look.

“Daughter, I think you may have done something very bad.”

***

Soramir Rimaros kept himself apart from the group when Team Biscuit returned to the Imperial training grounds. They had returned while Jason, apparently having escaped whatever prison the goddess of Knowledge had left him in, had gone to the palace. His team took the chance show off their new diamond-ranks to the Pallimustan trainees.

Of the people who had been brought from Pallimustus, only three had already been diamond themselves: Allayeth, Victor Volaire and Soramir himself. Only Soramir amongst the trio had much experience in the cosmic community. To the other two, the sheer scope and scale of cosmic power had been humbling. The greatest kings of Pallimustus were nobodies.

Team Biscuit’s return made it clear that they would not be the same. Most were diamond-rank already, and at a startlingly young age. The other Pallimustan gold-rankers did not demonstrate quite the same talent, but were still impressive. The adventurers that Pallimustus had produced over the last few decades were a remarkable generation. It was bittersweet, these newly minted diamond-rankers having never been born when Soramir had reached his current level of power.

Even with the excellent Imperial training programs, Soramir had barely advanced. He was too old, too set in his ways. Allayeth had been a surprise, moving from the early stages of diamond-rank to the middle, coming to rival Soramir and Victor in power. She was younger than they, and better able to shuck old habits for better ones. The two old dogs had gone with Dawn to Interstice, the fabled capital city of the cosmos, to pave the way for Jason to reach heights from which even diamond-rankers were looked down on. Soramir had smelled destiny on Jason Asano a long time ago, but even he was surprised at the life the young man was leading. When word came that he had escaped Knowledge’s mysterious trap, Dawn had brought them back to the empire, ready for Jason’s arrival.

Team Biscuit and the other Pallimustans came out to meet the palace shuttle on the landing platform. The door opened and a ramp deployed, Jason striding out as if he owned the whole damn place, just like usual. His face lit up as he saw the gathered crowd, his typical half-smirk vanishing as his eyes softened. These were people who had defied a god and left behind everything they had known to come here. Soramir and Victor stayed back as Allayeth left them to approach with the gold rankers.

“Oh, look,” she called out. “It’s Mister ‘sure I’ll get rid of that apocalypse beast, I just have to go down this hole and not come out for fifteen years first.’”

Jason broke into easy laughter.

“It’s not my fault that the messengers kept throwing apocalypse beasts around. One should be enough for anyone.”

Jason greeted and chatted with the others, evasive about exactly where he’d been for the last few years. Eventually, his gaze fell on Soramir and Victor and he wandered over. He shook Soramir’s hand, giving him a nod. There as a stability to his presence that hadn’t been there back in the Storm Kingdom. Soramir had seen his aura back then, a brittle thing of pain and anger, held together by an ill-fitting disguise. Now he was hard to read, but gave off a sense of solidity and calm. It was the confidence of a man who had come into himself.

Jason’s expression turned cooler when he turned to Victor.

“Asano.”

“Mirror King.”

“It’s just Victor, now. I passed the title along when I gave everything up and came here.”

“I was told you had a change of heart.”

“I need to apologise to you. We wanted to hold the gods to account, but we lacked the courage to stand up to all of them. My son did not lack that courage, and that shamed me. I’m sorry.”

Jason held out his hand and Victor clasped it and shook, relief spreading across his face.

“It’s never easy to admit you were wrong,” Jason said. “Especially about the big stuff. At least, that’s what they tell me. I assume I’ll find out if I’m ever wrong about anything. I’m almost looking forward to it at this point, just for the novelty. Hey, why is everyone walking away? Where are you all going?”

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