-Priestess-

"We must make noticeable contributions in this war against Rena! You've seen how we've been treated by them after the battle for the city. If we sit idle, the Vanixians will have nothing but complaints against our people, and we'll be put to the blade."

"Those of Maar must make it plain for all to see that we stand against Rena!"

Men were shouting outside the rear infirmary—well, we had been calling it that, but truly this was just a slightly cleaner and less damaged noble estate in the Renaultian district that we were occupying.

An officer wearing a field medic's marking approached me, her hands griping a battle-staff tightly.

"Commander, please just give the order. I'll take them all out with a single spell. Or, let me bash one of their skulls to quiet the group."

What she asked was quite extreme.

But I couldn't blame her.

These morons had been bickering for over an hour now and wouldn't leave. It took all our efforts just to keep them outside and away from our injured soldiers.

I can't believe this is how their politicians are behaving in the middle of a war.

The gaggle of idiots weren't even the ones in charge of the Maarin Republic. These were underlings of underlings.

"The tribulations to come will be great… Captain Turov, you yourself saw the power of their God-Queen, no? A pillar of divine light which smites even stone."

"And not once, but twice now such a light has befallen the city!"

As the Maarin underlings continued their shouting, a staticky feeling crept up my back and a voice rang in my ear.

"Seeker-Two calling Light-One."

Oh, by the Celestials!

"Go for Light-One!" I answered Luke's call excitedly.

"Assault-Two was rerouted from VX warfront and should have crossed into RN warfront already. SI-Martia in tow. Expect them any moment."

"We'll keep a lookout. Is Assault-Two reachable on comms?"

"Negative for comms. Their communirunes were redistributed to another team active in VX."

"Okay. Thanks for the update, Seeker-Two, and an extra thanks for sending help. These guys aren't getting any better."

"Noted. I've documented everything so we can bring it up with their higher-ups later. Call me if it escalates and you need more support."

Luke's call disconnected, and the unpleasant feeling faded.

I filled in the medical officer on our support's ETA and sent a waystrider up to the roof to watch for Aisling's party.

Less than ten minutes passed.

Right as one of the scouts descended, a commotion broke out in the estate's courtyard.

I jumped up and raced to a window.

CRASH!

A green-armored knight flew through the air, crashing down on a green-clothed man who was already lying in a muddy patch of yard.

In the center of the grounds, a circular formation of red-clad knights were brandishing swords and spears at the gaggle of Maarins.

At the forefront, a pink-haired woman in full plate mail slowly drew back her tower shield, loudly slapping her blade against its face.

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

"Attention, agitators!" She yelled, "Do not approach the Matriarch of the Astral Knights. Cease all actions and remain where you are to be processed."

"Processed!?" A burly Maarin cried in alarm.

Another from the group began shouting.

"Now, listen here, lady, we're delegates of the Maarin Republic! You can't use force against us like this."

"Yeah. We're here to coordinate with your forward command post to aid in the fight. What in the hells are you doing throwing us around?"

The knights shifted, raising their shields and stepping on foot forward each. They extended their formation wider, startling the Maarins.

"Oh," I murmured, recognizing the pink-haired knight, "It's Abigail."

Now a ranking junior officer, Knight-Protector Abigail Garrett had been assigned to be the head of SI-Martia under Luke and Hanna's oversight.

It was difficult to see familiar faces like hers since we started the city assault.

I started toward the door, followed by a retinue of guard knights, and headed outside.

Attention turned my way as the door opened and I addressed the man who seemed to think this was a forward outpost.

"You've been repeatedly told that this is an infirmary. Your armored thugs also know that since they had breached patient rooms and the operating theater when they arrived. Yet you remain outside shouting, as if for the Celestial Gods themselves to hear, about how much you wish to wage war."

"Haah? Infirmary you say, I had no idea—"

The man jumped back, his voice quieting.

Abigail and the other knights took another step forward with a clang of their shields. They reconfigured their formation to look more like a T, extending a side toward my knights and I.

They pushed the Maarins out of the way.

"Soldiers of Maar willingly assisted the Renaultians traitors to capture, imprison, and interrogate our beloved Empress—though she may have been simply another archnoble without any real political standing at the time, her position as the eldest princess of House Vanixi would have been well known."

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I glared at the loud-mouthed Maarin.

"We have no desire to concede even a single victory in this war to your people. Let alone allow a single of your names be listed in any form as allies in the liberation of Axio."

Aisling and her adjutant, Champion Varla, joined me at the entryway.

"Thank you for the assistance." I greeted her with a smile.

"If only I could have arrived sooner, these brigands wish to call themselves allies? Ha. Round them all up, Varla."

"At your order, Matriarch!"

Aisling leaned over to me with an uncharacteristic smirk on her face.

"I was deployed alongside Her Holiness, Primarch Karina, when I got the call from Grand-Sentinel Mitchell. She told me to relay a simple message if the 'delegation' was unsatisfied with our resolution."

One of Aisling's aids took out a roll of parchment from a leather case and she slowly unfurled it.

A tiny sphere of aethermist formed around her fingers, and she cast a sonic spell to empower her voice.

"By Imperial Decree, orders of Her Imperial Divinity, Airis Vanixi, rightful heir to the Vanixian Empire and daughter of the Celestial Goddess Virgo, the people of Maar are to be given two choices: stand down and await the subjugation of Rena, or, if they choose to refuse or take further action, be declared enemy combatants and be charged for treason under the Humanity Unification Accords, established by the Triumvirate Republics."

I raced back to Command as fast as I could, ditching my assigned aides and attendants when they couldn't keep up.

My guard knights cleared the entry, and I collapsed on a ragged couch that had been pulled to the lobby.

"Huff! Huff! Phew!"

I caught my breath, and just as I was about to get up and rush upstairs, somebody called out to me.

"All the chaos must've kept you busy," Hanna had just stepped down the last stair and entered the lobby, "Eh~, High-Commander?"

"It's been a nightmare! The infirmary wasn't that full, then, all of a sudden, that beam of light appeared and we were overflowing with injured or ailing soldiers! By the time we got everything under control, I had a dozen Maarin representatives and a bunch of their punk 'guards' breathing down my neck demanding answers and crying wolf about wanting to 'fight the Renaultians'. Half of them wouldn't back down, so I called for Luke's help; he sent Aisling and Abigail over, and they arrested them… Ugh!"

"Oh my, so you're just now getting back?"

Hanna worried over me, ordering someone to get me water and urging me to take off my boots.

I politely declined her fussing, "Thanks, Hanna, but I've no time to rest. Julius called earlier and said something happened with Airis. He told me not to worry, but… Well, that's all I do lately when it comes to her."

"About that…" Hanna hesitated.

I lurched forward, "Huh? Did something actually happen?"

She waved me down, "No, no. I changed my mind and was here trying to bug her for feedback on my report, but she's already gone."

"Gone?" I replied, dumbfounded.

"Yep. Aeko said she was shaken off. Knight-Captain Flik chased after her with that Hawken fellow, but just returned a few minutes ago alone."

"Can't they just call her over the communirune?"

I reached toward my ear, stopping at her reply.

"Damaged in the aftermath of that divine light, I heard. Guess they forgot to swap it out, or maybe we're out of replacements."

My heart started racing, my thoughts bubbling over with worry.

"Did they say where they lost her? Maybe I can…"

"North, toward the Renaultian district, they said. But you just came from there? Well, it's a big city. Easy to miss each other."

"What about Akari? Airis wouldn't leave her behind without saying anything."

"Oh, ya' know, I never thought to ask."

I clutched at my chest.

"Thanks for the info, Hanna. I'll head out and see if I can run into her."

Once again, I raced through the streets of Axio desperately looking for any signs of Airis.

I arrived at the Renaultian palace well into the night. My path, illuminated by a simple LIGHT spell, was a mess of building debris, sundered armor, scattered weapons, and the corpses of traitors.

There was no evidence that Airis was here, and the stationed teams and few patrols denied seeing her.

But an intangible feeling drew me here, nonetheless.

A young officer escorted me through the winding halls and a hidden passage to reach the ruined throne room.

He stopped suddenly with a gasp just as he emerged on the other end.

I pushed past him, ready to draw my staff—but every bit of momentum I had stilled. Illuminated under the moonlight, Airis sat slouched on Renault's throne.

She stared up at the sky, spinning what looked to be a large black-metal ring around her fingers.

My escort dropped to one knee in reverence, loudly scrapping rubble against the marble flooring.

Airis turned toward us.

"Your D-Divinity!" The young man nearly fell over in his nervousness.

"Thank you for dutifully escorting the High-Commander," Airis responded in an icy tone, "You're dismissed."

My escort rose quickly and, after an awkward salute, disappeared through the passage.

The chamber was unnervingly quiet.

Rocks crunched under my boots loudly with every step.

"You found me."

I flinched.

I'd been staring at my feet as I approached. Not sure why…

Airis had spoken just as my foot touched the first step of the dais. I looked up, and my body froze up, my heart pounded in my chest.

Her expression was cold.

"I don't know why you all bother with it," Airis muttered, "Would've just been simpler to… Haaah. What a pain."

She turned her gaze up at the sky, the metal ring clanged against her breastplate as it slipped down her hands.

That's her…

The Crown of Retribution. One of the greatest contributors to Airis' wavering mental states.

Is that what this is about?

"Hey, look at me," I called to her, "Okay? Focus. I don't know exactly what's going on, but I do know this isn't good for you."

"What are you talking about?" She replied indolently.

Taken aback, I frowned.

Then, a thought that had been nagging at my mind since I entered chamber came into focus.

That isn't Airis.

"Ah. So that is what's going on. Which one are you, then?"

The false persona pretending to be Airis sighed.

"Of course, you of all people would see through our mimicry. Furrow not your little brows. Your beloved is fine, if not occupied with cosmic matters."

Something shifted behind the throne, and a small voice chastised the fake-Airis, "I told you she'd know you weren't Momma."

Akari fluttered into view, moonlight glistening on the ominous purple crystals behind the throne.

"Yep, she sure did, kiddo. You win the bet."

Fake-Airis flashed a smile, taking a wrapped candy out of her pocket and dropping it in Akari's open, expectant hand.

"What is going on here?" I asked, my head tilting.

"Paperwork is boring." Akari pouted.

"Paper… work?"

"We just got bored. So, I made a bet with the kid. She was sure you'd be able to find us no matter where we hid, I bet that you wouldn't be able to find us. I mean, we ditched all the tails and even left that pesky static ear-bug behind."

"Wait, wait. You've been playing hide-and-seek?"

My jaw was on the floor.

"To be fair, technically you were playing hide-and-seek too. You just weren't aware of it 'till right now."

"And you won, Momma Hailey!" Akari giggled, one cheek full.

"But where is Airis? What's going on? Akari, stop laughing and explain who this impostor is!"

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