Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 4

Unnamed

As she walked she seemed to exude a dark aura, the same way Makers glow, she did the opposite. The only thing about her that emitted any light at all was her eyes, burning gold, but not in the same way maker light burns gold. This gold was sickly, and tained.

Angry.

Shadows clung to her body like a patina of slime clings to a rock. And in her right had she held a long black staff, similarly shadow laden, though at its top there parched a cloudy glass sphere which burned with golden Maker light. Inside her head, the chairwoman felt a rumble of soft laughter.

Or perhaps that was the wrong thing to say.

The voice didn't communicate in words per say, but in thoughts and feelings, and what she thought she heard was something similar to mirth. The voice didn't have a body or substance, but she got the distinct impression the presence was female, though she couldn't have said why. Or at least, perhaps that's what it wanted her to perceive it as.

"Not much of a body, but the power will have to do."

This time she thought she did sense words, and a cold series of tingles ran through her body.

This was it.

This was the end.

***

Kazna stepped into the chairwoman's private chambers, the end of her staff tapping against the ground as she walked, filing the air with the clattering sound of metal. The chairwoman sat slumped in her seat, weak, warless body crumpled as the new course of void sickness rolled through it. Already kazna could detect the thin whisps of golden light beginning do seep up from the charwoman's skin like steam from a volcanic pool.

Kazna didn't respect the Rundi, they were a people who took bureaucracy too far. They fought with their words, like cowards, but at the very least she could somewhat respect the charwoman, who did not cry or beg, or plead for her life as she sat there. In fact, she straightened herself, looking up and meeting Kazna's eyes, though she had to turn her head slightly to d so.

Kanzna could already see the pinpricks of void light beginning to form in her vision, and hummed deep within her chest,.

"Kazna." She said, and when she spoke her voice was even.

Even if she was afraid, she did not show it.

At least there might be some dignity here, no matter how little.

"Charwoman." Kazna said, she paused head turned to examine the glowing golden orb at the end of her scepter, "or should I say Ronna, that is your name isn't it?"

The charwoman's body went stiff, pulling straighter up in her seat. Kazna could smell the fear and shock on her, but the charwoman was far too controlled to show it so overtly, and when she spoke her voice was incredibly even, "I assume my death is forthcoming in the next few minutes, so why not tell me Kazna, how did you find that name, after all it was stricken from the records many years ago at the first thought that I might want to run for this office. It does not exist in any records on Irus or otherwise, and has been forgotten by society at large.

Kazna chuckled darkly "Not by our parents.... Or their Anima anyway."

The chairwoman went stiff.

Kazna ran her finger gently along the outside of the gowing golden orb, "yes it took a while to find them. There are thousands of Makers after all, but our agents within their ranks were able to uncover them, and then we ended up having a very enlightening little chat. Nothing useful I am afraid, except for the name of course." She tapped the tip of her finger against the glass, "But I do enjoy their company."

The charwoman's subtle fear amused kazna. She was trying very hard to hide it, but her efforts were close to fruitless.

"Anyway, I am sure you have already met my friend, Noone."

She saw the chairwoman shift uncomfortably as the presence in her head made itself known.

"I will not mince words. The void is a poor hand at creation, which happens to be one of the favorite pastimes of the makers. And since they cannot make their own bodies to wage this war, than we have opted to borrow ours. Noone will be taking your place as leader of the GA." She motioned around the room at the standing guards, just like they have taken over your guards.

Still sitting still and straight the charwoman asked, "And where are they, the Makers that used to inhabit those bodies?"

Kazna waved a hand, "Oh some of them are there. The void presence and a Maker Anima is so different eh ycan inhabit the same body at the same time without much issue, in fact, I find that that is the most powerful combination. The Void needs energy, and what is an anima if not a grand source of energy." She motioned to one of the guards, "Some of the makers are loyal to us, and those that are get to stay within their own bodies, those that are not...." She smiled grimly.

"Those that are not have the great privilege of joining us, in the capacity of a glorified battery."

Absently she ran her hand along the outer surface of the glowing golden orb, "I don't imagine you are going to be cooperative, so here is what is going to happen. We will take your anima, we will take it to an undisclosed location where we will torture it, break it, and then extract its energy for raw power which we will use to crush the rest of your miserable little galaxy. Meanwhile Noone will continue on like nothing happened,"

She paused.

"Unless that is you agree to join us, in which case you may keep your body.:

The Charwoman paused as if to think it over, and the room was silent for a very long time. Kazna could see the cogs turning in her head, and watched her mull it over for some time.

"Very well."

The response surprised Kazna, and only put her off balance before, Noone intervened, speaking through the mouth of the chairwoman herself, "She lies."

Kazna hummed humorlessly deep within her chest, "All you politicians are the same, and with that she jabbed her scepter forward the glowing golden orb making contact with the chairwoman's chest. She tried to swat the orb away, but Noone held her in place.

The little wisps of golden light that had been rising from her skin this entire time, turned from simple wisps into a torrent, and the entire room was filled with blazing golden light. The light raged like a storm, fighting against the pull of the orb, and for a moment Kazna wondered if it might succeed.

This anima was more powerful than other she had taken.

Perhaps even a Deus Anima, but the thought was quickly dismissed as the Anima swirl and passed into the orb, causing it to glow like a miniature sun in the blackness fo deep space.

The entire room was dark now except for the glow.

The chairwoman's body twitched, and jerked in its place, like an inexperienced puppeteer was tugging on a marionette's strings.

The neck moved before the head, which lulled to the side in an unsettling sort of way, a hand trying to fit itself into the fingers of a glove. Watching the skin Kazna could almost detect Noone shifting inside her new suit.

It was

Unsettling.

Unnatural.

"You must take time to work on that." She said dryly, "You must be convincing."

The charwoman's mouth opened, a voice emanating from inside though the mouth did not move, "Do not fret, by the time I am done no one will be able to tell the difference."