Aetheral Space

Chapter 551 17.23: The Opening of Night

DAY 3"Many years ago…"

The woman sobbed as she clutched her child to her chest. All around her, strewn across the ground like garbage, were the corpses of those who had once been the architects of Nehr Müt's suffering -- the Foremen. Their goat masks broken, their red robes torn, they would never again demand the torment of the people in order to enforce their bottom line of profit. Slain in the Forefall, their nightmare had ended.

And yet…

Smoke rose from the blasted craters.

Bodies of friends languished in the gutter.

The city they had called home was nothing but a ruin.

"It's over!" the woman cried, looking up towards the merciless black sky. "Although our freedom is won, what freedom is it save to die?! Was our revolution against this despair truly only so we may meet its twin?! Misery! A curse upon all the world!"

She hugged her child even tighter, shivering in the cold of a hopeless future, the world turning dark around her.

Except…

"No!" cried out a bold voice from above. "This is not the end!"

Her despair snatched away by the sudden sound of heroism, the woman snapped her head up in shock. Even her child opened his eyes to see, a soft gurgling giggle echoing through the ruins. They weren't alone. One by one, more and more people trickled in from out of sight -- ragged, wounded, but looking up at the source of that sound in reverence.

Framed by an incandescent amber light, Zephyr Pandershi stepped forth as a silhouette. Tall and solid, his white-and-orange hair made wild from the long war, his white coat billowing in a newfound wind. Spreading his arms wide, he addressed the crowd below.

"With the end of the war comes the end of our story? Nonsense! This is just the beginning! The foundation of Nehr Müt's glory! The Foremen have fallen, their depravity excised from this world… what expressions could you wear, good folk, if not the brightest of smiles?!"

The crowd erupted into cheers. The woman sobbed in joy as she held up her child, letting him get a better look at the man that had saved the world. Even some of the corpses -- save those of the Foremen, of course -- rose to their knees and began to applaud.

For a moment, Zephyr Pandershi just took it all in, his arms still spread wide as if to beckon the cheering into his body. Soon enough, though, that din began to fade. It was replaced by the delicate sound of a piano…

…and Zephyr Pandershi took a deep breath.

Oh Y, no.

"What world waits for us now, you ask, you ask?" Pandershi sang from the bottom of his heart.

Dragana Hadrien looked on, deep in a despair of her own.

It's a musical?!

As the stage erupted into choreographed dancing, and Pandershi's song echoed through the grand theatre, Dragana leaned back in her seat. When the Seelie Rangers had herded the attendees into this room before anything else, she'd honestly expected Pandershi to launch right into his announcement, but it seemed he was performing a musical history lesson instead. She was pretty sure that was actually one of his bodies, too, and not an actor.

This was going to be a long night.

Hidden by the darkness of the seating section, Dragana flicked through the program she'd been given. Apparently, there would be an intermission directly after the Founding of Zepan scene, so that would be her chance. She'd break off from the rest of the audience, and begin her infiltration from there.

For the time being, though, she just had to sit here -- and endure.

"How do you like my singing?" Zephyr Pandershi smirked, leaning back in his seat, relaxing in his 'default' Extension while another performed on stage.

"It's very good," Niain smiled. "Haha."

The two of them were sitting up on an elevated platform, watching the production from on high, One Star dutifully standing guard at the door behind them. By any stretch of the imagination, these were the best seats in the house. At Niain's words, though, Pandershi's smirk faded into a frown.

"You don't like it?" he asked, voice low.

Niain blinked as he looked over at Pandershi, cocking his head curiously. "Hm? I just said it was very good, though. Did you not hear me?"

"Yes," Pandershi slowly nodded. "You did say it was very good -- but then you also said 'haha'. Why? Why did you say that? What's so funny?"

"Oh," Niain scratched his cheek bashfully. "That's just a little tic I have, haha. Not an Aether tic, of course, but just something I do. I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding!"

Pandershi's eyes were still narrowed in suspicion -- but eventually he turned back to look at himself on stage.

"Tonight is absolutely vital," he said quietly. "I'm about to unveil the very future here. The shape of this world now and forever. I need to remind everyone of the past that led us here. The ladder I've climbed for them. My whole life has led to this point. I hope you understand the importance of that."

"Of course," Niain smiled.

For another moment, Pandershi just watched in silence -- but in the end, he couldn't help himself.

"You're not wearing the suit I made you," he muttered.

"Hm?"

"I said, you're not wearing the suit I gave you," Pandershi snapped. "Why? Did you not like it? Fashion is one of my doctorates, you know. You don't seriously believe that ragged cloak of yours is more appealing than one of my creations, do you?"

Niain smiled softly to himself. Zephyr Pandershi truly was in a bad mood -- and on today of all days, on what should have been his occasion of triumph. Well, that was fine. Niain knew for a fact that he'd be in a much worse mood by the end of the night, anyway.

That beast had appeared, after all. One of his insects had seen it -- not that Niain had mentioned anything about it, though. He was no tattletale.

"I'm sorry," Niain said cheerfully, rubbing the back of his head. "Your aesthetic is so nice, haha, but it's really quite different from my own. A bright white suit just wouldn't 'suit' me. Don't you think?"

"Hmph," Pandershi snorted, looking away. "I didn't really care that much, anyway. You can do as you like. You should appreciate tonight, at any rate -- you're going to be busy starting tomorrow."

"Oh?" Niain raised his eyebrows.

Pandershi's usual smugness reasserted itself as he squirmed back into his seat. "A few minutes ago, I finished extracting the data we needed from Sagittarius," he said. "I'll keep the sample around for a while just in case, but from here on the baton is in your hands, my dear Niain."

"You certainly work quickly," Niain replied.

"People always agonize over quality versus quantity," Pandershi chuckled. "Acting as if you can't have one without losing the other. My very existence is the utmost in both quality and quantity. Please don't embarrass yourself by thinking of me like a normal person."

"I'd hate to be embarrassed," Niain smiled. "So I think I'll follow your advice!"

"I used to think that little Oé would be the one to do this for me," Pandershi said vaguely, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at his ward in the audience below. "But, in the end, your Ahura Mazda is better suited to the task than her Les Fauves. Like I said, Darkstar, enjoy the party."

He grinned, and the Pandershi on the stage broke into a thunderous crescendo.

"It's the last we're like to need."

Harry Phantasm, skipping out on the theatre production, took a healthy sip of his drink as he sauntered into his private quarters. Ever since he'd arrived back in Auberon, he'd barely gone thirty seconds without some form of liquor in his hands. It was probably a disastrously bad idea for Temperance's jailor to be so inebriated all the time, but to tell the truth Phantasm didn't seem terribly concerned with the status of Temperance at all.

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He threw himself back into the couch, arms wide as if to embrace invisible escorts. His usual companions were at Pandershi's party, so this was an unusual occasion in which Harry Phantasm was alone. Or, at least, he thought he was.

After all, Dragoon de Fleur lurked in his shadow, silently considering his next move.

This situation wasn't ideal, but it wasn't exactly terrible either. Some tiny optimistic part of Dragoon's brain had been hoping that Phantasm, being an important person, would have some business with Per Mutation and walk right up to it of his own accord. Clearly not. This man's work with automatics didn't seem to cross paths with the esoteric world of Aether much at all. There was a good chance that he'd just stay here the rest of the night, drinking himself to whimsy.

In which case, the time had come for Dragoon to abandon his vehicle.

It happened as Phantasm leaned forward to put his glass down on the table. It was the strangest thing. Most people understood that their back was naturally their weakest point, but very few were capable of extending that suspicion to their own shadow -- that which permanently trailed behind them. That fact, more than any blade, was what truly killed Dragoon de Fleur's targets.

The execution was mechanical and thorough.

Dragoon de Fleur pushed himself out of Phantasm's shadow, upper body first, and seized tight hold of the scientist by his hair. The knife came before Phantasm could even scream. It was like opening a paper bag -- the blade glided over the flesh of Phantasm's throat, opening it wide and spraying blood over the table. Droplets dissolved into what remained of his drink.

Phantasm tried to whirl around, to break free of Dragoon's grip, and Dragoon allowed it. It was a convenient position. The moment Phantasm was facing Dragoon, the assassin hopped fully out of his shadow -- and lunged forward, driving his bloody knife right through Phantasm's ribs to pierce his heart. The man's eyes rolled up into his skull as his vital functions ceased, but Dragoon de Fleur's work was not yet done.

He appreciated certainty.

With a sweep of his leg, he sent Phantasm's dying body down to the ground. Before his victim could even finish falling, though, Dragoon had already struck -- twice, fast, like bites from a snake. His blade rammed through each of Phantasm's eyes in turn, skewering them and striking his brain directly.

By the time the crash of body hitting table sounded out, Harry Phantasm was already thoroughly dead. Not a spark of Aether had appeared to save him. This man's enemies had been machines and programs -- this was probably the last way he'd expected to go, stabbed to death by a fellow human.

"Sorry…" Dragoon de Fleur mumbled shamefully, squatting atop the blood soaked couch. "S-Sorry…"

This was proof right here. This poor man had been minding his own business, enjoying a drink, and Dragoon de Fleur had murdered him solely for momentary convenience. What sort of creature would do this? If Dragan Hadrien had never existed in the first place, this man would still be alive. This was why his mission was so important. The destruction of Per Mutation, and with it all versions of Dragan Hadrien real and fake.

"Sorry…" he continued, looking down at the still corpse. "I w-wasn't able to save you…"

Bitter tears sprung to Dragoon's eyes -- but before he could lose heart, he felt the shiver of something within his Aether. Without missing a beat, he held out a hand.

Guardian Entity: Yatagarasu.

Dragoon's original version of this Guardian Entity had been devoured by Nurarihyon in the desert, but it hadn't taken him long to create a new one for communication. It was an exceedingly simple ability, after all. Dragoon put the squirming nehrcrow to his ear like a script.

"Hello?" he said.

Nurarihyon's voice came back, just slightly more expressive than Dragoon remembered. "Are you in?"

"Mm-hmm," Dragoon nodded, even though Nurarihyon surely couldn't see him. "I had to kill a guy, though. He was a g-good guy. I feel bad."

"That's fine. Don't forget what you're here for. Retrieve any information they have on the other variants, and confirm the location of Per Mutation. Understand?"

Of course, Dragoon wouldn't be doing either of those things. Lying was bad, he knew that, but he had his own plans. He'd be destroying Per Mutation tonight and putting an end to this ritual for good.

"Y-Yeah…" Dragoon mumbled.

"Good," Nurarihyon said. "Then get to it."

Dragoon nodded vaguely again, releasing his grip on his Guardian Entity and letting it dissipate into Aether. Then, he fell backwards into his own shadow once more. His infiltration had begun.

Nurarihyon flew over Ward 1 as a white speck against a white sky, made nearly invisible by the place's overbearing aesthetic. His pale blue eyes scanned through the celebrating crowds, calm and serene -- but with a clear and sharp intent just beneath the surface. While de Fleur was dealing with things in Auberon, Nurarihyon had matters of his own to attend to.

There.

His eyes focused on one of the things he was looking for. The colour of his hair was different, but the information Nurarihyon had on Atoy Muzazi made his visage unmistakeable. It seemed a group of partygoers had roped the swordsman into a long conga-line, and he was taking part with an expression of great turmoil on his face.

That was fine. He could remain there. As Nurarihyon was now, he was in no condition to face the Atoy Muzazi he had observed in the city-ring. He needed to acquire more variants before then.

As far as Nurarihyon knew through his connections, nine Hadriens remained. Three of those were in Ruth Blaine's group -- Aquarius, Taurus, and Pisces. Another two constituted Nurarihyon's group -- himself and the freak. The Dragon and Sagittarius were in the custody of Zephyr Pandershi, out of reach.

That left two independent variants unaccounted for -- Capricorn and Virgo. Virgo would likely be easy to acquire once it was located, but the recent string of missing Seelie Rangers suggested that Capricorn was quite fearsome. Best to stick to easy pickings this early in the game.

There… and there.

Nurarihyon smiled softly as he spotted the next two he'd been looking for. Ruth Blaine, in the midst of the teeming crowds, and the Captain, lurking on a nearly rooftop. All of the enemy's most combat-capable members were here to support Pisces…

…which left Ward 8 an easy feast for one such as him.

Leo Reign.

Nurarihyon vanished in a shower of blue sparks.

What incompetent acquaintances he has… this 'Dragan Hadrien'.

For a while, Dragana Hadrien had been wondering if she had a soul. After all, she was something born from Helis-Audrey's mad Aether and Zephyr Pandershi's mad science. It would be a stretch to call her 'human' rather than some kind of homunculus.

She didn't need to wonder anymore. She definitely had a soul. She could feel it dying the longer this play went on.

Pandershi's childhood, raised by his mother and uncle.

Pandershi growing up under the oppression of the Foremen, Nehr Müt's previous rulers.

Pandershi building weapons and leading a revolution.

Pandershi creating the city of Zepan, naming it after himself.

Pandershi accepting the praise and admiration of those he had saved.

"We love you! We love you! We love you!"

That part of the play had audience participation, and Dragana could especially feel her soul dying then. The production recapped episodes from Pandershi's life through song and dance, all of the lottery winners around Dragana watching with rapt attention. No doubt, having grown up in Zepan, they had heard all of these stories countless times. At this point, they held the same importance in their minds as gospel.

Just hold on until the intermission. Just hang in there.

It was beginning to dawn on her that the intermission wouldn't be interrupting the play halfway through -- more likely, they'd just restart the play for a second time after the intermission. There was no way Dragana could sit through this for a second time. She had to get out of here.

She was just thinking that as the last song began to trail off, and the stage lights began to brighten. The cast gathered to bow to the audience, and the audience dutifully applauded. It was so loud that Dragana could barely hear herself think.

This had to be the intermission, right? She was just about to stand up when a new person appeared on the stage.

A second Zephyr Pandershi, different from the one who had been performing up until now. Just like Dragan Hadrien, Zephyr Pandershi came in many shapes and sizes, although his were all of the same mind. The second Pandershi stood at the front of the stage, smiling as he looked down at the audience.

This one was clad in a flowing white robe, and his white-and-orange hair was long too, the fringe hanging low enough to cover his eyes. The smile on his lips projected nothing but utmost benevolence and serenity. This was the visage of a prophet -- and the words he spoke suggested he thought of himself as nothing less.

"Love," said Zephyr Pandershi. "Let me speak of the love that blooms in my breast for you.

"You know well that I am not a person with a single form. My mind, my consciousness, is spread among twenty-six vessels, twenty-six brains that elevate my thoughts -- already deeper and more layered than any other -- to an even higher level. Let me tell you now. If I were to take the countless thoughts that run through all of my heads at every moment, and replace them with a new inner monologue -- the word 'love', over and over again, and accelerate it such that it were repeating googols of times every second, it would not equal the tiniest fraction of the love I feel for all of you right now.

"You are my people. You are my pride. From the day I was born, it was such, and until the day you die, it will be such. I love you. I love you all. That is the core of my very existence. Love.

"Love."

As Pandershi rambled on, Dragana glanced around her -- and saw that each and every citizen of Zepan had tears brimming in their eyes. Breaths were shaking, lips were trembling… euphoria flowed through the audience as if they'd all been dosed with something. A religious experience. In this moment, she was sitting not in a theatre, but a chapel. The idol on the stage before her spread his arms wide once more, hushing the crowd.

"But you know this," Pandershi chuckled. "Of course you know this. I love you, and you love me. Why would we need to say it all aloud?"

The other lights on the stage shut off, one by one, leaving Pandershi alone under the spotlight. For a dreadful moment, Dragana thought he was about to start singing again -- but no. When he opened his mouth next, it was to launch into another speech.

"I tell you this today," he said softly. "Because I have been stingy in my love."

A ripple of confusion ran through the crowd, but Pandershi raised a hand to silence it.

"Zepan is the closest thing to heaven in this world," he said. "In this place, all are protected, all are supported, all are nurtured. If we consider Zepan to be a grand experiment, then it is an experiment that has succeeded beyond all expectations. I have created paradise… and, as such, it is my duty to spread that paradise to all corners of creation."

The spotlight went out too -- and so the only illumination on the stage, the only light in the dark world, was Zephyr Pandershi's crackling amber Aether.

"First," he said. "I will speak to you of Panacea."