Cyberknight: One Path

⁕ A Turn of Events

Inside the throne room, Sniper stared at the luscious mountain range outside of the massive window behind his throne. As Mike entered the throne room, he was once again afflicted by an aura of overwhelming power. As he walked, he noticed how much more luxurious the throne room had gotten since his last visit. The shiny silver stairs were removed and replaced with steps made from pure gold. The statue of Atlas behind Sniper's throne was removed and replaced with a towering statue of Sniper himself dressed in a luxurious imperial robe. The inscription that used to be "pax est fortium" (peace is for the strong) on Sniper's throne was replaced with "imperium aeternum imperatori" (eternal power to the emperor).

Upon arriving in front of the staircase leading to the throne, Mike kneeled down and awaited Sniper's orders. Meanwhile, one detail he noticed bothered him like a sore thumb. Before Sniper, the chess pieces on the chessboard were placed randomly all over the board with seemingly no clear direction or objective. What was even the point of the game if there is no opponent or goal? Finally, as Sniper turned around, something about his expression felt different.

[Sniper] - "It's a resounding success, Mike. After 3 years of brutal conflict, we are finally wielding the key to greatness. The world shall see my vision of a greater humanity. "

Said Sniper as his voice echoed across the throne room.

[Mike] - "Indeed, uncle, our success is... "

[Sniper] - "That is 'my lord' to you, young man, but go on. "

Said Sniper as he returned to his throne.

[Mike] - "Of course, my lord. What I was saying was how quick our success was. "

[Sniper] - "Indeed, Grand Knight. We are about to bring an age of peace and prosperity never seen before to the world. You must realize how lucky you are to witness the birth of a utopia. "

[Mike] - "I do realize, my lord. "

Sniper signalled for Mike to rise up with a hand gesture.

[Sniper] - "So what brings you to visit me all of a sudden? "

Mike hesitated for a second before opening his mouth.

[Mike] - "Our empire, my lord. I happen to witness behaviours that soil the reputation of the imperial army go unpunished. I also saw the indecent and cowardly use of the godly power of the crystals by cyberknights. Unrestrained by the hands of the law or of nature, these cyberknights have brought dishonour and shame to the empire and you, yet they received no retribution for their actions. "

[Sniper] - "Hmm... I see. So what do you suggest, then? "

Said Sniper with a vindicating stare aimed at Mike.

[Mike] - "That we punish these delinquents with the appropriate sentence that corresponds to their crimes. "

[Sniper] - "So you are suggesting we must punish the entirety of the imperial forces? That we should purge the empire of all of its knights and officers? "

[Mike] - "Only those who have abused their power. "

Sniper chuckled at Mike's serious expression.

[Sniper] - "You see, Mike, no one is innocent in a war. Those who overstep their boundary will be dealt with accordingly. I'm not blind, Mike, I see everything! You accuse your comrades of immorality, but how innocent are you? I know your little love affair, despite how I prohibited you from engaging in any relationship. Yet, you not only defied my orders, but you also tainted our family blood by engaging romantically with a laboratory experiment. Does this mean I should cut off your head too? "

Said Sniper with authority.

The answer shocked Mike, as he didn't expect Sniper to find out about his secrets. Mike kept his head down and remained silent while Sniper stared at him with a vexing look in his eyes. Although Sniper remained seated with no action on his part, Mike suddenly felt a crushing weight on his back. Soon, even as Mike tried to resist the pressure using his ability, he found himself completely crushed against the floor.