"So what's your plan?"
Vera's voice was coarse and rough, akin to hot coals grating against each other. Her head had turned weakly to face her dear brother. A daunting task because she couldn't feel the soft silky sheets or the comfort of the plush springboarded mattress. But she pushed through the quakes of pain that shot up her nervous system. Her eyes shone contrary to her body, intense with the flickers of brave flames.
"I don't have one."
"They why send me away? If you're not going to stir the hornet's nest, why are you sending me away?"
"It's to keep you safe, Vera."
"But it won't make me happy."
"Why is that?"
"Because you're a fool. A fool. Kallen would agree with me. She would understand, that everything you do, you can't hide it all away, especially from those that can help you."
"Vera I'll be safe. I'll be fine."
"Liar! You always lie Otto, you always hide everything behind that smile of yours. I know that you've already formed your plan from the start. You're still when I mention her name. You're not heartless, you're,"
An unexpected knock interrupted Vera mid-speech. Even then she was already squeezing out the last drops of strength she had to speak her mind. Otto noticed the signs, the wavering lashes, and the slow turn back to the face-up position. He administered as much medical aid as he could before she puffed herself back to sleep.
Through the door came five figures. Glory and Eleanor were expected but Eleanor's friends weren't. Cathy, Alice, and .... Was it Cohline? Yes they were also in the transport he suggested for Eleanor's departure that was scheduled for tomorrow, but they weren't supposed to find out about Eleanor's revival until they were in Germany.
"Make yourself at home girls, but silently." Glory glanced at Otto's confused expression and hastily added another set of sentences. "As luck would have it Eleanor ran into them when she just awakened."
Otto's eyes flashed briefly with understanding, no wonder there were no reports of confronting the mysterious beast that appeared in the city. Even within his own house, few servants had seen a blur dashing by but made nothing of it. Besides Eleanor had escaped through the path Otto himself designed, an underground transport for various Honkai Beast corpses he experimented on. One couldn't exactly have dead beasts hustled through the cramped gates and the even more cramped doors of Apocalypse Mansion. Forget the practicality even the spectacle in it itself couldn't be seen by the public for obvious reasons.
"What matters is that all of you are safe. But you're injured. Let me treat you before we talk."
Idle minutes passed as Otto stitched up Eleanor and her friends. There was much to say but all present were enamored by his peerless skill. For Eleanor, it was a habitual indulgence, the way his hands curved and wove skin together was more brilliant than any sonata a pianist could play. For her friends, it was an accolade that bolstered his reputation as Europe's Holy Son. For Glory, it was an in-depth look into a flawed child, who at the moment seemed incapable of even harming a fly.
"Careful your shoulder. It's a shallow cut but it's reached just past the Dermis."
"The what?"
"A tissue layer. Eleanor, just what did you encounter to sustain such injuries."
"Why do you care?" Eleanor snapped, her body squirming to his touch.
Otto didn't respond but continued to treat Eleanor in silence. It was as if nothing happened but everyone noticed that Eleanor got a bit of extra care. Otto checked her condition twice, he made sure he had procured the freshest and most sterile of tools for her operation. He even offered her a glass of water. When he was finished he didn't meet any of them in the eyes except for Glory.
"Who did run into?"
"The master of disguise. You shouldn't have healed her face."
"Did she?"
"No, she didn't know who I was before our fight." Eleanor chimed in. "In our fight, I-"
Glory shot a stern look over at Eleanor, there was much to say in private but the message was different. Otto noticed the gesture and quickly moved the medical supplies to Vera's side of the bed. The Valkyries heard footsteps and quickly hid in the darkest corners of the room. Inside the wardrobe. In the shadows of the bathroom. Glory hid behind the curtains, resting on the window sill. She didn't need to hide, unlike the others.
"Open up. I was told I'd find you here. In the room of a servant girl you've adopted."
The knock was heavy, the voice gruff and loud. Otto let out a heavy breath, loud enough for the Overseer to hear and he let anger contort his expression. He got up forcefully as if he had been interrupted in the middle of treating Vera. His steps were quiet, careful not to disturb Vera's rest.
"What's the trouble? Normally, you'd send for a servant to summon me."
"Enough with your games boy. Where is she?"
"Injured and I don't want you to see her."
"Ah, so you've completed her revival? No wonder the Duchess has holed herself up in Koleston and here I thought, she was trying to strike deal with the Kaslanas."
"Hmph, walk with me, Overseer."
"You have the nerve to command me?"
"No, I'm only making a request. Innocence included. Let's go view her corpse."
Otto struck a stride and his father stumbled halfway. Otto observed this weakness with viper-green eyes. He did not comment but continued to lead his father away with authoritative steps.
"I assume you've eavesdropped on our conversation outside the library. Though, with your age, that seems impossible."
"With my age, I thought I'd have retired by now, yet all I received are setbacks."
"Is that why you operated behind my back? With less brilliant minds who know next to nothing about my experiments?"
"What are you getting at my boy?"
"The reason why Duchess Schariac is so cooperative is that I gave her leverage."
"So that little servant girl."
"I'll succeed you father. Risa will fall just like the rest of this cursed family. Only three members remain. Three."
"Protecting, hoodwinking, and hiding. Ha, killing three birds with one stone how charming."
"Charming indeed, Kallen brought her home, and asked me to care for her, and now because of certain systems, she can never use her arms again. I was lucky to have found her alive."
"You know I've made no such order."
"Yes, it must've been Risa. Overseer, she may be more impatient than I am. She's benefited so much over the course of my journey."
Otto started to descend down the marble stairs that led to his lab. The air became saturated with the smell of preserving chemicals and iron. Nikolas scrunched his nose in disgust as Otto trudged on.
"She's taken advantage of the circumstances but there's no proof of her involvement."
"But you suspect her. Looking at their achievements, only Marcus was publicly qualified to inherit the position. Will might have been able to, given the reports of his popularity among the people. Bianka, well I don't know. I don't remember her, she died shortly after I was born."
They reached the bottom of the stairwell. Nine layers of invisible gas permeated from under the cold steel doors. They were untainted by the chemical rot, recently changed after a certain unreported accident.
"Hmph, they were all worthy to some degree, even you. The Apocalypse family's divine duty is to unite and lead the people of the world against Honkai. It's why we once headed the other two houses."
"Derived from destiny huh? Still believe in the foolish scriptures?"
"As should you child. Where's your mother's rosary?"
"Safe from a cruel fate."
Otto opened the door to his lab. Releasing a flood of chemicals scents into the Overseer's nostrils. Those nose hairs twitched and his lips dried. The lab was a desolate space of sheer cold. Vats of blood were stored in one corner, and countless shreds of stained paper littered the floor. A maelstrom of madness and filth and at its center was a giant test tube that contained the spider-like humanoid. The body was detached and Otto thought there were more parts floating around in its murky depths than usual. In the darkness of the lab, where the only source of light was the faint glow of chemicals, all the two could see was the shadowy silhouette.
"She turned into a Homo-Arachnis. Quite the interesting specimen but I have no use for the corpse. I've drained all of its blood and energy. Bits of cells will be used for my new experiments, I plan to create an army of loyal Valkyries."
"It's terrible."
"It's necessary, which reminds me. I need an environment where I can test the children. Give me the old family estate. I'll work out the details at a later date."
"This is ungodly."
"So were the test on the keys. In fact, you knew they were keys didn't you?"
"How do know?"
"I tinkered with them. They're similar to Kallen's Oath. Don't be so unnerved father, you've committed worse sins."
Nikolas paused seemingly in shock, but that was not the case.
"Hahahahahaha." A crazed laugh echoed throughout the chamber. It was endless, minutes without end until finally his age took over and robbed him of his speech.
"You're right my son. I've done much worse." Nikolas wheezed. "I won't interfere with your work. The old estate is yours, two years, you have two years to finish this game of yours. That is if I don't bring the endgame down on its knees. Maybe when I'm gone I'll have some...."
A breath passed, then two.
"Are you going to finish your sentence?"
"No, I don't think I will." Nikolas patted Otto's shoulder which sent tendrils of electricity spiking through Otto's body. It was the only father-like thing he had done in recent history. Ha, what a joke to bond over the destruction of the world, the Overseer was growing senile.
Back in Vera's room, the Valkyries shivered from their close encounter with the most powerful man in all of Europe. Glory was of course unaffected but she quickly sent the Valkyries to their morning rendezvous area. They could just make the excuse of being early. Eleanor on the hand stayed behind, there was much to be said. She sat opposite her mother, skittish and apprehensive.
"It wasn't just your life at risk tonight."
"I know mother," Eleanor squeaked, lowering her gaze. Suddenly, the carpet on the floor held all of her attention. Those speckled stars and the two brightest ones in the night, separated by the Milky Way, desperately folding the rug to get together. "I risked war, I risked the lives of our citizens and more."
"It's good that you know it well but what prompted you to take such a risk?" Glory softened her voice, there were times to be stern and this was one of them but Eleanor had always been a responsible girl, she practically ran the defenses of the city of Koleston for several years.
"I tried to claim him."
"He rejected you."
"Yes and no. That's not the problem mother." Eleanor's hands covered her eyes. "I pushed him down, ungloved his hand, nearly shredded his shirt. There's nothing but scars, nothing but scars. It was self-destructive. He pleaded for me to stop, but he didn't resist. I-"
Glory crossed over the blanketed starry rug and held her daughter. Not another word was allowed to be uttered.
"You're not a monster, you've just gained two permanent aquirails. Your years here weren't for naught. You know I sent quite a few letters to Otto detailing the sorts of punishments I would dish out if he broke your heart. Though your father proofed them. We all do terrible things, it's right to condemn such actions but you can't gather spilled milk. All you can do is ask for forgiveness and grow."
"But I lost mother. I stood by his actions, blindly, those people on the streets, condolences. In the end, I could never beat Kallen. Even though she had so many faults, she was right when it counted. She would never have forced herself on him."
"Eleanor! Everyone is different. Don't compare yourself to her. You didn't have to be her to win his heart. But I think you should let it go for other reasons. Apologize and after you've cleared your head and spent some time away make your decision. Daddy and mommy will support it."
"You promise?"
"Yes of course."
"You won't throw a tantrum if I announce it?"
"I didn't throw a tantrum."
"You rushed home to yell at me. Father said we lost lots of capital because of that incident. A portion of the pie at the City of Bounty."
"Oh now stop. You know he teases me all the time."
"Haha, I guess. I'll speak to him when I get back. Father must miss me."
"They all do so just sleep tonight. Tomorrow we'll be off, if Otto comes to see us off you can apologize to him. Though I suspect he never put any blame on you in the first place."
"You understand him well. Do you think he'll ever recover?"
"I don't know. Maybe you can help him when the time comes. No one can stand strong forever. Catch him when he falls."
On the outskirts of the east gate, a loving pair met up under the moonlight bridge by a certain creek. A supposed romantic reunion was ruined by the events that had transpired that night. Instead, the pair walked side by side down a path on their shared, dusty river creek path.
"It was quite the fearful night. I nearly died."
"Was the sixth that much stronger than you?"
"No, she was weaker by a large margin. She only matched me in speed. She used chained knives, quite tricky weapons to deal with."
"Were you afraid?"
"A bit. But Fred, that's not what shook me tonight. The Duchess was there as well. She killed the sixth in cold blood before I could react. She threatened me as well. Her expression was a bit like yours before you left."
Frederick Kaslana kicked a pebble into the pound. His steps descended into a shuffle. Gravel and dirt grinding under his thick leather boots.
"I'm sorry. In the end, I couldn't even keep my promise."
"It's forgiven. I think it's just, to bring Risa to justice. But don't lose sight of what you have. Me, a family, to think in just a few days I'm going to meet your parents."
"How do feel about the prospect?"
"I'm nervous. Are they peculiar or odd?"
"No, they're just normal people. Like my siblings, they refused to sacrifice for the people of Europe. Taking up arms is more of a job than duty in their eyes. Unlike, my uncle and my cousin who are extreme in their own ways."
"Aye, your cousin was quite the force, my force of Valkyries was desecrated at the ends of the bridge. Which reminds me, how is Will's younger brother doing?"
"Otto?! I don't know. Kallen wouldn't abandon him. So she must've died. I would imagine he's beyond broken at the moment."
"Yes, he's the weakest out of them all. Do you think Will's words meant-"
"No, Will never spoke about Otto, he avoided his little brother like the plague."
"Ironic. After Otto's miracle, the streets of Paris had soared past their previous luster. Now it's rotten and riddled with filth. Your uncle has a plan for this no?"
"I hope so."
The final rings of the secret collision of the night reached elsewhere in the city. Another group was preparing to leave, having seen all that they should have seen. Risa Apocalypse got in her carriage with the usual flagrant grace she exhibited.
"The sixth was captured by the Duchess my lady."
The shadow-shrouded operative was speaking from their perch above the carriage. A carriage that was dull brown and unassuming and guarded by a light company of soldiers that looked like novices.
"I see. Then how goes our expansion into Germany?"
"It's rough as the trade paths reopen but there's plenty of opportunities to be had."
"Do you have a question?"
"I do my lady. Why leave the Holy Son alive? If the corpse is missing the Divine key is to be taken away coupled with no weaknesses, why don't we just end his life?"
"Marcus died in secret. Will died publically. Before my father's death, I can't take any more lives. Besides, he's a nonthreat, politically inept and the only thing he's good for is medicine and Honkai experiments. It's something we ought to utilize. Besides Cardigan is keeping tabs."
"Can we trust him?"
"You don't?"
"He's defected from Schicksal and followed his own justice. Even with the leverage we have, there's no guarantee he follows our orders."
"He will because he hates my dear baby brother more than anyone else. Ha but with this incident, my father may have caught wind of my ambitions. Ha, that girl paid in advance for such a low-life product. But she gave me valuable information, while also funding my business. She's a card that must be played at the opportune moment."
"Then I'll heed your command."
"Aye, run it well Kingston. I expect great things from the business that the Kaslanas are so helpfully providing."