Servants of Law

Servants of Law
Chapter 3: Restoration

Kyah feels the G-force push her down as her and James accelerates up into the sky. As the extra weight starts to lift, she clings to James tightly as they became horizontal before flying in the direction of the rising moon. The wind rushing past her makes her shut her eyes tightly while the roar of the wind over her ears drowned out her ability to hear anything except the harsh flapping of her woolen clothes. The cool night air was made colder as they flew, causing her to shiver uncontrollably.

Kyah begins to feel James' skin get warmer, cutting down the impact of the cold rushing by her. After a few more seconds, as James' body was radiating so much heat, Jessica had to lift her head away from him to breathe because it was so stiflingly hot.

Sudden weightlessness caused Kyah to squeal in fear as they begin to fall. James held her firmly as they decelerated toward the blackness of the ground. Slowly feeling herself become vertical with no wind rushing around them, James pats her back to let her know that she can let go of him as he sets her on the ground.

Kyah, seeing nothing in the night, pivots her head around, listening to the autumn forest rustle as a light breeze moves the crisp leaves. With the sound of trickling water nearby, she doesn't move for fear of stumbling into the creek.

"I'm sorry, I forget you Amish can't see in the dark. Here," James playfully says before the forest is suddenly illuminated in front of Kyah.

Squinting then shadowing her eyes with her hand, she strains to look at where the light is coming from. "What is that?"

"This was going to be your ticket off planet," James answers in a mocking tone while grinning. "You would have had a bad time if you left on this thing." James adds as he walks toward the blade shaped craft. As he runs his fingers along it surface it begins to change texture under his touch, causing him to shake his head. "No wonder the sats dismissed it," he says with a sigh. "Fuckin' slavers," James mutters to himself.

"What would have happened to me?" Kyah asks as her eyes begin to be able to take in the shape of the effulgent craft. The mirror finish astonishes her along with how long it is: at least 70 meters by her estimate. Like a giant needle lying flat against the ground, the back end looked to be a little over four meters at it's thickest then draws itself out to a point.

"I'm not too sure," James sighs out. "What I do know is that a genuine earth girl of your age would have sold for a lot. I've heard stories and from what I've gathered, you'd be used as some sort of pleasure toy by some rich pervert in the outer colonies. Maybe made to breed children which would eventually be sold off as pets to child molesters. Then you'd probably hunted for sport once you hit menopause, probably to be eaten afterward," James tells her with a warm smile.

Kyah's eyes grew wide after hearing what cruelties can happen off world. As it further sinks in what could have happened to her, she gets shaky in the knees and braces herself against a tree to stay upright.

"Do you know what happened to that bastard who was gonna sell me off?" she asks harshly, trying to keep herself from getting nauseous.

"Lucian took Jacob's head off for what he did ten years ago." Kyah lifts her head in quiet surprise. "But, if Lucian knew that Jacob was connected with this ship, I'm sure Lucian would have been very nasty and would have kept him alive for a few days to torture him," James pauses in thought then turns to smile at Kyah. "I would have let him, too." James adds in a cheery tone as he skips over to the craft's opening hatch.

"He would've tortured Jacob cause he was connected with slavers?" Kyah asks as she walks over to where James is standing in front of the main hatch.

James spins around flamboyantly and gives Kyah a peculiar look before he touches her on the nose. "He would have tortured him cause Jacob would have done something bad to you, honey."

Kyah scrunches up her nose as she thinks about what was told and gives a curious look back at James. "I don't understand. Does Lucian still have that much of a thing for me after all these years?" she asks. James flashes her a smarmy look and then scoffs. "What?" she asks, demanding to know what James is not telling her.

With a smirk, James puts his delicate finger to his lips as he looks to go into deep thought. Breaking the momentary silence, James makes a loud 'hmmm' sound then points at Kyah with a limp wrist. "How old were you when you and Lucian were friends?" James asks her.

Kyah furrows her eyebrows in confusion, wondering why her age when they were kids has to do with anything. "14 to 15, why?"

"How old do you think he was?"

"Think? I know he was 12," she states assuredly. "He was very tall for his age, though," Kyah muses as she thinks back. James smirks and holds in a giggle. "What now?" Kyah asks with irritation.

"And you think he had a crush on you back then? That's why he acted the way he did toward you and Ian?" James asks with a smile, alluding that he knows something more than is being let on.

"Yeah. Why else would he act that way? He didn't want me around Jacob and acted possessive of me. He would get so pissy about it, especially when I hung out with Jacob over him, pouting for days at me," Kyah says as she puts her hands on her hips.

James walks over to Kyah and gently takes hold of her hands into his own. "Oh deary, you have no idea but why would you? I'll fill you in." James smiles and rubs the backs of her hands with his soft thumbs, putting Jessica in a very placid state.

"What don't I know?" Kyah murmurs as her mind momentarily drowns in James' multi colored irises.

"Lucian had a special connection with you and felt very protective of you since you were his closest friend, but he never wanted it to be romantic. Don't get me wrong, he thought you were very pretty in your own way, but you weren't his type and he considered you far too young for him, anyway."

Coming back to reality, Kyah jerks her hands out of James' and backs up a step. "Wait, what? Too young? He was younger than me," Kyah rebukes but sees that James' face is stern and emotionless. "Only wanted me as a friend? What am I missing here?" Kyah demands from James.

"Honey, when you first knew Lucian, his real age was nearly 24 by your standards. He treasured you as a friend because he felt connected with you, like you understood each other's burdens in life." James pauses and takes a step toward Kyah who looks to be having a hard time swallowing this new information. "Think back to when you and Lucian were together compared to when he was around his father or other male friends." James pauses as he stares deeply into Kyah's brown eyes.

Flashes of her teen years with Lucian are bursting into her mind, causing Kyah to reel back in fright because of how vivid they are. Grabbing her head, Kyah doubles over and bends her knees to keep from staggering. Then as suddenly as they began, they stop, leaving Kyah gasping for breath. "What the fuck was that?" she yells at James, trying to keep from panicking but it soon fades as a wave of warmth washes over her, untensing her body and steadying her breathing.

"You see now don't you?" James asks with a serious tone.

"He ages at half the rate of a normal human?" Kyah rhetorically asks then pauses to go through her memories again. "And he's gay?" she asks in disbelief.

"Just a little. About a two on a scale of six on the old Kinsey standard, I'd say." Kyah's face scruntches up in confusion at what he said. James sees her expression and shakes his head to defer another one of her questions. "He used to be most comfortable around you because he didn't like having to act like a stern Servant all the time." James explains lightly. "I can't blame him, I'm the same way. I'd go nuts if I had to be serious all the time," he says as he fans his hair out with a giggle, making Kyah scrunch up her nose. "But you do get why he was that way with you, right?" Kyah furrows her eyebrows in confusion, causing James to roll his eyes. "You were the only one that seen him as a person, which allowed him to let his guard down around you and then Jacob steals you away. Not to mention Lucian knew Jacob was bad news for you because they already had a sordid history."

Kyah hangs her head and sighs. "I wish he would have just told me that stuff," she breathes out heavily.

"Yeah, well, mistakes are always made with your first friends when they are made out of fear of being accepted or not," James says dismissively. "And furthermore, what would you have done if he did tell you all that?" James snaps at her with some attitude.

Kyah grimaces as she mulls it over then shakes her head. "Probably the same thing, sadly." James' mood improves and gives Kyah a nod of approval.

"Now you're getting it, girly," James says as he begins to skip back over to the open hatch. "He knew the outcome would be the same either way," James says as he cocks a hip out in a leisurely stance as he waits for Kyah to walk over to him. "And you also have to understand, even though he was technically 24, he was still physically a teenager with hormone problems. So, no doubt he made things worse by pouting at you, as you said."

With her eyes very wide as she stares at the ground while walking over to James, Kyah sifts through her memories. James feels the regret permeating the air around her.

Patting her shoulder, James locks eyes with Kyah to snap her out of her funk. "Don't dwell on it. You're here now and Lucian got over what happened with you when he started attending the S.O.L. academy."

"How's that?" she asks.

"He got over your betrayal when he lost his cherry to a cute femboy Servant," James says with a perverse smile with his tongue between his teeth but Kyah sneers at the information. "What?" James asks with irritation.

"I never thought Lucian would be someone to take it in the ass," Kyah states with an empty giggle which makes James laugh too.

Walking up the stairs shaking his head, "Well, you're right about that: Lucian's a top, honey. HE fucked the femboy who liked being on bottom."

"Oh! Well then," Kyah says with modest astonishment and mild embarrassment as she follows James into the craft.

James, muttering out loud, "He was an excellent exo suit operator. It's too bad he died, though. I believe that was the beginning of Lucian's problems." Kyah's eyes widen at hearing that Lucian's first sexual partner was killed and thinking at how devastating that must have been for him.

Inside the dark cabin, Jessica loses track of her thoughts as her eyes bounce from one shiny object to other odd shaped things inside the cabin. "Whoa," is all she can say as she looks for a place to sit.

"Your Amish mind must be in awe of what you're seeing. Humankind has really become a diverse species unto itself. Some look so odd, calling them aliens would be closer to the truth than calling them human," James states as he sits and melds into a seat at the front of the cabin.

"Why do you keep calling me Amish? What is that?" Kyah asks with some irritation in her voice, knowing it must be some kind of condescending word.

James quickly spins around to look at Kyah so that she can see how the chair has become connected to him. When Kyah looks at him, she reels backward from fright and falls into a chair that pops out of the floor to catch her which automatically buckles her in. "What the fuck?" she yells as she struggles to unbuckle from the chair.

"Relax country girl. You need to be in that when we take off." James is smirking devilishly as Kyah starts to calm down. "Answering your question: The Amish were and still are a subset of Christians that practice a way of life that existed before the industrial revolution. Not too dissimilar from your burg but to be more precise, you'd be more akin to Hutterites although most of the people where you live have no religious preference," James states as he begins to trail off and mumble to himself.

"So you call me Amish cause why?" Kyah asks to keep him on subject.

"Oh, right!" James snaps back to the previous thought. "I call you Amish 'cause you have no clue of what goes on technologically outside of your town, much less in the more advanced cities that are allowed to exist on this world." James shakes his head free of the chair, causing the melding to peal off of his skin. "This ship for example: Lucian and Rheya thought they killed two people that operated it. But, it was actually one human and a well constructed droid that is the key to flying this craft. My point being, even those that are used to more advanced tech were still confounded by what they do out in the space colonies; where you are dying to be," James explains, scoffing at the end as he points to the back of the cabin, causing Kyah to turn her head to look behind her.

An oblong capsule of human length that has a small viewing window with a control panel on it's side begins to come out of the floor. Three more capsules come out of the floor next to it.

"One of those was meant for you, honey. They were gonna put you to sleep until they had a buyer for you and that would have been all she wrote," James says tauntingly then spins around in the chair to face the front of the cabin. Kyah grimaces and swallows forcefully as she begins to think about what could have happened to her.

Feeling the craft shake slightly, Kyah grips onto her armrests with her nails embedding into the soft material.

"Here, let me fuck with ya," James says with a giggle.

A second after he says that, the cabin walls disappear and the night sky, stars and moon shine onto Kyah. Squirming in her seat in fear, she looks down and sees the illuminated ground get further and further away from her. Breathing hard, Kyah begins to feel dizzy and starts to lose her strength. James chuckles as he gets up from the chair and walks over to her with a conniving look in his eyes. The cabin goes back to gunmetal gray with soft blue and yellow luminescence highlighting the far ends of the cabin.

Looking up at James' soft face, Jessica starts to feel calmer, allowing her to untense and relax back into her seat.

"Better?" he asks her, getting a nod followed by a drunken grin and a few giggles out of Kyah.

"I still wanna know," Kyah says, then pauses as she's trying to get her thoughts straight.

"Why Lucian still helped you leave even though you are a cherished friend from his past?" James finishes her question, getting a nod in reply from Kyah. "Well, that's how much he cares for you: He wants you to be happy and that in turn makes him feel better." Kyah tilts her head as she looks at James. "Lucian took his father's post to try and bring some happiness back into his life. His happiest time before 'it' happened was his time spent with his childhood friends," James says then places a finger on his chin in thought. "You see, he's been in a dark place for the better part of eight years. He came back to Long Pine to see if he could be happy, possibly rekindling his old friendships."

"Frien'ship," Kyah states as she lazily smiles at James while a chair pops out of the floor and braces him as be falls back into it.

"Yes, friendship. You see, Lucian has distanced himself away from everyone emotionally, even himself."

"Why? Was it cause his boyfriend died?" Kyah asks bluntly.

"He was devastated by that but it wasn't the straw that broke him," James says as he puts his finger to his lips in thought while Kyah waits for him to explain. "Well," James starts but pauses, trying to find the right words. "Remember that menacing woman I turned into earlier that made Lucian go into a panic?" Kyah nods. " She died in combat protecting him," James pauses to make sure she's following along. "That was his fiance," James says in a grievous tone.

Kyah's eyes widen as she places a hand over her gasping mouth. "Tha's so awful," she says, beginning to feel over emotional. James nods listlessly as he stares off at a corner of the cabin with a grim expression.

"Why would you do tha to him?" she chokes out. Kyah can't control the tears from rolling out of her eyes and down her face as she now understands why Lucian acted the way he did earlier. His look of absolute horror flashes through her mind. "How could you?" Kyah asks in a disgusted tone as she hides her face from James.

"I know. It was an awful thing to do, but I had to bring her back from the Eternal Battlefield to give Lucian some perspective," James says as he chews on his lower lip.

"Tha's still uh horrible thing ta do," Kyah affirms as she wipes her face.

"Well," James says as he stands up from his seat, "if I didn't do what I did, I'm really sure that Lucian was going to kill himself in the next few days." Kyah whips her head around to look at James who is staring blankly around the cabin. "Being back there after his father dying, feeling alienated even amongst his old friends put the last nails in the coffin for him. I had to break his wall down or he would have died behind it." James begins to fiddle with his thumbs as his fingers are interlaced together behind his back. "Hopefully, if Rheya can handle him, I think he'll see what I see in her." James becomes silent and walks to the front of the cabin to sit back in the pilot's chair.

Kyah rests her head against the seat and wipes her face again, sniffling lightly. The image of the amazonian brute, Rheya, causes Kyah to sneer but her curled lip relaxes as she thinks about James' decision. "Who else would be able to handle and understand another Soul Taker but another Soul Taker?" she rhetorically thinks to herself.

Rheya slowly opens her eyes, finding the daylight bluring her vision. Once she's able to focus, she sees that she's in the courtyard of the Servants compound in Long Pine. Sound coming out of fade, she hears labored breathing from across the yard. L3 is in an agressive stance with full armor deployed holding a Servant's dueling Micron Vibro Blade. Noticing that his white hakama is staind red, she sees blood leaking from a wound near his liver. Lucian the third, having a hard time staying steady on his feet, is dying.

"Lucian said his father committed seppuku," she tells herself as she sees her hand rise up and point at L3 with its own Micron Vibro Blade.

"Finish it!" L3 commands as Rheya is only a spectator watching through Lucian's eyes, everything blurs as Lucian speeds over to L3. To her shock, she sees the blade pierce L3's face mask under the chin and come out the top of the helmet. L3's body quickly folds under it's own weight and falls backward onto the gravel.

"When did this take place?" Rheya asks herself then notices her vision is beginning to shake. To her left, she sees James fall from the sky in a similar but different effeminate form.

"Lucian, don't do this now. Your Lineage Induction is unique and may be more than you can handle. Let me help you," James implores.

"Fuck you! I'm tired of being in the dark! I will know everything right now!" Lucian screams back as his vision blurs, the shaking intensifying.

"Oh no! Lucian's line is the oldest among the servants! No wonder he's been weird the past couple months! The stubborn bastard never asks for help from anyone and I just assumed it all went smoothly after his father died, even though all the signs were there! I'm such an idiot for not noticing it sooner," Rheya scolds herself.

Hearing James' voice inside her own head, "This is where you begin, Rheya." She feels disconnected from the body of Lucian now. "I'm amazed he's held out this long. Help him, please." Rheya nods in the darkness as she feels the vibrations set in again, light envelopes all of her vision.

Hearing a dismissive scoff, Rheya opens her eyes to find Lucian standing next to her, arms folded across his chest, giving her a side eye. The wind blowing briskly, their formal attire billows in the wind. Taking her gaze off Lucian, she looks around her to see a serene setting: rolling hills of tall grass all around them, a misty conifer forest in the distance and snow capped mountains on the horizon.

"I never imagined you'd have such a place as this in your mind," Rheya says in disbelief. Lucian grunts in reply.

"One has to maintain a calm peaceful center to survive in a world of chaos and death," he points out as he turns around, Rheya following his lead.

When she turns around her mouth becomes agape as she focuses on the distant horizon at the sight of a huge, glossy, black monolith of a menacing woman clothed in a long and flowing junihitoe. Holding a sheath in one hand and the tanto blade in the other, Rheya notices blade itself looks to be on fire. "That must be huge if I can see it from here. Who is that?" Rheya questions.

"She is the beginning." Rheya can sense he's being purposefully ambiguous. "Come on," he tells her as he begins to walk up a dirt path that leads over a small hill towards the statue.

"I thought I was supposed to find out more about your past?" she asks as she catches up to him. He says nothing as the path becomes paved stone with ornamental sakura trees along each side of the road. "With as rough as you are on the outside, I'm still amazed that you have something like this place of extreme beauty inside you."

"I don't know if I should feel complimented or insulted by that."

Rheya smiles as she keeps looking around with wonder. "It's good to hear your grumpy self. It's been a while since you've sounded like that."

"How long are you gonna bust my balls?"

"Who says I'm busting your balls? I've always liked your calm demeanor and cantankerous attitude." Rheya becomes quiet as she thinks to herself. "I'm sorry I didn't notice the signs before; your mood swings and sudden giddiness and the other signs that were out of character."

"It doesn't matter. I wouldn't have let you help me anyway. I'm just that way," he says then comes to a halt, pointing up ahead to his right. Rheya looks there and sees an aesthetic marble statue of the woman that left with James earlier. Rheya looks back at Lucian, confusion written on her face. "You wished to know me, then you must know my past. Talk to her," he commands as he waves his hand dismissively at her before turning his back on her.

Slowly walking up to the larger than life statue, Rheya wets her dry mouth then looks back at Lucian but sees that he's no longer there or anywhere as she quickly scans around. Breathing out through her nose in frustration, she puts her attention back on the marble Kyah.

"What are you to Lucian?" Rheya forces out.

The marble surface becoming supple, "Insecure are we?" Kyah mocks in her girly voice as she turns to look at the scowling Rheya. "Don't get bent out of shape, now. I'm just kidding." Rheya remains scowling, saying nothing. The statues sighs and rolls it's stone eyes. "I was his best friend until I started dating the idiot that got his head cut off at the party tonight."

"Nothing more than that?"

"Wha... no. I mean, he acted possessive of me when I wanted to spend time with Jacob, but that was because he wanted to protect me from Jacob, like a big brother or something. Come to think of it, that's probably why he didn't report Jacob to his father, because I would have been a suspect too, after that raider attack."

"I've seen that he's still protective of you."

"So! He seen that I didn't fit in there and he understood it. He felt if he could save me that he could help save a piece of himself despite what life had fated for him," Kyah says in a disgruntled tone then turns her back on Rheya. "Go talk to someone else, now. I'm tired of you."

Rheya untenses her face and cooly breathes out. "I'm sorry. I'm jealous of the connection you two had, more so because you know a lot more about him than I do." Kyah side glances at Rheya, nods, then gets into a pose and freezes back into a state of solid marble with her right hand pointing further down the path. Rheya presses her hands together, bows, then continues down the path.

As she continues, she comes to an arched stone bridge with a marble statue standing in the middle of the road, as if it were guarding the bridge. As she begins to walk closer the details of his Servant attire stand out more. Standing before him, she recognizes the heavily creased face as her former tactician teacher, the honorable Jonas Bauer. Pressing her hands together, she bows with her eyes closed.

"Still very well mannered, I see," Jonas says as he begins to move around, the marble becoming supple.

"You remember me? Aren't you just Lucian's memories of you?"

"No, child. I am all of Jonas' memories composed within Lucian's, creating this composite you see before you, acting as counsel to Lucian for military tactics and sometimes conscience," he explains happily.

"How is that possible?"

"There was a raider attack on the SOL academy," he begins to explain. "Very few made it out alive."

"Oh," Rheya says as memories of hearing about it came to mind. "That was a few years after I graduated, while I was deployed in southern Rus."

Jonas nods with a frown. "I died that night," he says above a whisper making Rheya focus intensely on his words. " Before I died I let Lucian have Memory Zip to give him access to the kinetic missile platforms called Zeus, that orbits around earth. My skull was cracked, I was too confused to operate it properly as I was hemorrhaging badly." Rheya's mouth is now agape in her silence. "He held me close till my last breath as I was drowning in my own blood." Rheya swallows hard. "We were grooming Lucian to be a reserve Commander of Law."

"Wow, he would have commanded all of the Servants in times of emergency or war. I had no idea," she humbly says above a whisper.

"He didn't even know until he took in my memories." A silence lingers in the air. "I almost wish he didn't. I feel they burdened him more than helped him, having the academy expect great things of him while he was mourning the loss of me and Kris."

Rheya furrows her eyebrows, "Who's Kris?"

"Come with me, child. It's time we walk down memory lane," he says in a somber tone as he begins to leisurely walk over the bridge with his hands clasped behind his back.

Following him over the river, the land becomes overcast and shadows the bright and vibrant foliage. Rheya stops as she begins to feel an oppressive ambiance shroud over her, taking notice of the giant statue in the distance, feeling as if it is staring her down.

"Don't be worried, my child. I'll guide you." Jonas motions for her to catch up.

Shaking free of its gaze, Rheya quickly catches back up to him, as they are heading toward a small but ornate Gothic style stone basilica. Out in front, a golden statue of a Servant in a Jinbori exo suit stands atop of a large, tiered bubbling water fountain. As Rheya looks over the Servant her first impression is that it's a woman from the facial features but has male chevrons on the suit.

"That is Kris Nakamura," Jonas points out as he looks up at him with a pensive expression. "I guess you could say it was his first love," he shrugs as he explains to her. Rheya looks over at Jonas with a raised eyebrow.

"That's not unusual, I sorta had a girlfriend when I was there at the academy," Rheya says as she looks back at the golden effigy. "It's just hard to imagine Lucian being affectionate, I guess."

Jonas snickers at her remark. "Well, don't expect this statue to explain anything to you. Lucian has locked away many of those memories of his time at the SOL academy for just himself, hence, why he's gilded."

"So, he died with you that night?" Rheya asks, trying to bring him back on the earlier subject. Jonas wrinkles up his face in thought.

"Kris had the only functioning Jinbori left. Lucian needed to keep the attack ships focused in an area as he called down the kinetic missiles from the space platform, Zeus. Kris volunteered, Lucian quickly agreed before thinking it through that Kris just volunteered to die. Lucian tried to call him back but Kris shut off his transmitter." Jonas says as he taps his temple while Rheya's mouth is open again in silence. "The missiles were already coming down, the ships were occupied with Kris while Lucian was evac-ing the survivors on the only undamaged armored flying personnel carrier." Rheya casts her eyes at the ground as she somberly hangs on Jonas' every word.

"When it was said and done, he saved 14 people and was awarded the medal of Atlas," Jonas gets cut off by Rheya.

"For meritorious acts of valor and sacrifice in a time of great peril, you have gone above and beyond your station, saving those around you and decimating the enemy," she mutters as she stares off at nothing. Jonas looks up at her to get her attention. "Sorry. I repeated what Lucian said when he pulled it out and casually tossed at me, not long after I took apprenticeship under him. He spoke those words with disdain." Rheya sighs heavily and becomes silent for a time.

"He's been through so much. It feels heavy just knowing this much," Rheya says barely above a whisper.

Jonas looks sternly at her, making her stand more firm for fear of being scolded. "Now, the Hall of Penance," he says as he points at the heavy wooden doors of the basilica. "As of late, he has spent most of his time in there but now you must enter there. Steel yourself for what you are about to see inside," he bellows, making Rheya stiffen up. "It is his temple of regret and mourning," he warns. "Walk now, this is as far as I go," he urges her.

Quickly bowing to him, she scuttles along quickly up to the entrance, taking in a deep breath before pushing open the arched double doors.

Inside, small colored windows let light cascade down onto the main isle of the floor all the way up to the altar. Hearing water running, Rheya's eyes adjust to see that both sides of the isle were statues of Servents, in different positions of their gory last moments. Frozen in their final death throws, carved from purest white marble, red water poured from their wounds like a hellish fountain. There is a place even for Lucian the Third, with the molecular vibro blade stuck through his head, leaking the blood water.

Rheya's eyes are wide, her breaths becoming shallow as she silently walks past each fountain of pain till she nears the altar. She sees, illuminated by rays of light making the marble give off a warm sheen, that it's the woman James turned into earlier that evening, laying prostrate on the altar in her Jinbori.

Clenching her jaws, she presses forward to get a good look at her. Large chunks of shrapnel are sticking out of her, the blood water trickling out of the wounds. Her left hand is out stretched, as if trying to reach for something, while the blood water dribbles from her eyes, ears and the corner of her mouth. Rheya swallows hard as she comes close enough to touch it, seeing that her outstretched hand is not wearing a protective gauntlet.

She sees the stone hand is not reaching but almost grasping. Then, shock hits Rheya, making her gasp; a thick, detailed ring is on her ring finger. Rheya's realization of who this is to Lucian begins to make her eyes water. Unable to stop herself, she interlaces her fingers with the stone hand out of sympathy. When Rheya fully grasps the hand, a wave of air hits her hard, knocking her down.

When she comes to, she's on a bushy knoll with a large Space Monkey frigate hovering a few hundred meters away. The smell of explosives hang heavy in the air as a nearby crater begins to lose it's smoke. Across her legs is the marble woman, now in the flesh, bleeding out, trying to breathe, gasping through the blood. Rheya's emotions pour out of her as she watches this woman die on her. Her left hand reaching out to Rheya, she grasps it tightly, feeling the thick gold ring on her finger.

"I'll miss you," she chokes out. "But don't come following me anytime soon," she strains to say before she starts gurgling, blood pouring out of her mouth.

"Oksana!" Rheya screams before a small object carreens out of the sky directly into the frigate, breaking it in half before it explodes, causing Rheya to brace for the explosive shock wave to come.

Jolting awake, Rheya crawls away from Jonas in fright before she can understand what happened. Looking around, she props herself up against the stone fountain outside the basilica. With the breeze going by, Rheya feels the old tears beginning to dry off. Looking over at Jonas in bewilderment, he nods his head at her with his eyes closed.

"You don't need to say anything," he says as he offers to help her up. "What you seen in there, was for you to know," he tells her as she dusts herself off next to him.

"He's had so many close to him die," she mutters, still trying to contain all those emotions.

"That's what it means to be the best in combat," Jonas explains before he looks at the basilica. "But, this place, was rarely visited until the death of his father and I now feel it's part of the reason why he wishes to commit harakiri."

"Then he should memory cap them and move the fuck on!" Rheya snaps back before rubbing her face with her hands harshly. Taking in a deep breath, she forces it out and relaxes her shoulders. "I'm sorry," she says to Jonas.

"I know it's a lot to deal with. But, he has a reason for not capping it."

"Masochism?" Rheya jokes dryly as she wipes her face clean.

"No, child. It's so he can hang on to his old personality, the one you care for."

Rheya furrows her eyebrows in question as she stares at Jonas. "What aren't you telling me?" Jonas is silent as he flexes his jaw muscles. "He wasn't fucked up in the head until his father died. Now you tell me he spends all his time here to keep hold of himself?" Rheya eyes dart around as she thinks. "He wanted to live in Long Pine to revive old memories," she starts and begins to think more. "Why is he so desperate to hang on to his past?"

Jonas swallows hard and takes a deep breath in. "When his father died, a memory cap automatically broke." Rheya holds her breath. "All of his previous memories flooded in."

"Previous?" Rheya still feels like she's lost in a fog. "He told me he died before but it can't be those memories."

"You are correct. He's had access to those from the start," Jonas admits.

"So spit it out! Memories from who? Where?" she yells at Jonas.

Hesitantly, "He's the reincarnation of Lucian the first."

Rheya takes a sharp breath in as she goes through her memories. Thinking back, she remembers that Lucian never mentioned wanting to stay in Long Pine until after he went to see his father. Lucian knocking L1's picture down at his family shrine. Wanting to remember and relive his past where he grew up. Wallowing in all of his own life's regrets. All of this, to keep a grasp on himself, not wanting to be someone else.

"He's mentally fighting for dominance," Jonas begins.

"And if he feels like he's losing himself, he'll commit Harakiri," Rheya assumes, getting a nod from Jonas.

"You now know what he's up against, what he fears," Jonas says. Running her hands over the top of her head, Rheya's mind races trying to sort it all out. "It's one thing to take in previous generations of memories but this is wholly different," he adds.

"No shit," Rheya huffs. "I didn't know anyone could come back from the Eternal Battlefield," she states, feeling overwhelmed. With a strong wind rushing past her, everything becomes silent while she glares at the ominous black statue in the distance. Turning around to talk to Jonas, she finds that he's not there.

Her eyes scanning around, she feels an ominous presences as the sky darkens. A shiver running down her back, she spins around to find herself near the base of the giant black monolith. It's overwhelming presence makes her fall onto her butt as she gawks at the sheer size and glossy, pristine texture.

Casting her eyes back down to and ahead of her, Rheya sees a man in chains meditating between the giant stone feet. Standing up and dusting herself off, she slowly walks over to the man, cautiously looking around her. As she nears, the clothing he's wearing is like her own but more ornate along with his haoiri being patterned with bright colors. The full head of reddish brown hair french braided down the middle hasn't been worn for more than 150 years she notes. When she's within a few meters of him, she sees that it's Lucian, but not. He's clean shaven with no scars on his face and his build is much bulkier.

Narrowing her eyes and clenching her teeth, "You look like Lucian IV, but not," Rheya whispers.

"If I do, then I must be," he breathes out smoothly, making Rheya step back, feeling his aura come to life. Opening his eyes, his bright green irises narrow his pupils into vertical slits. Licking his lips before showing off his pointed, titanium teeth he yawns with a deafening bellow. When his mouth snaps shut, she sees that his teeth interlock like that of a wild animal. "Little Miss Rheya Minas," he growls out as he stands to his feet but is unable to move more than that because of the restraints.

"Don't speak my name in such a familiar tone," she snaps, feeling disgusted. "You are not Lucian IV."

"Neither is he," he retorts with a sneer.

Rheya is thoroughly repulsed by his presence. "I see why he wants no part of you."

Lucian scoffs at her remark as he dead stares into Rheya's eyes. "He's afraid of the past, moreover how I will change his perspective. He's afraid the new knowledge will drown out his persona, when it was always me to begin with."

"Stop obfuscating and just tell me what's going on!" Rheya barks, Lucian smiling wide, showing off his intimidating teeth.

Falling to his knees, he sits on his feet in the seiza position and holds his left hand out, pointing it at the ground before him, out of his reach. "Suwatte kudasai," he formally says.

"What dead language are you rambling in now?" Rheya dismissively asks as she begins to sit down in front of him.

"A language the servants can now only read," he explains.

Dropping her angry facade, she is intrigued. "The kanji all of us Servants use?" Rheya asks, getting a nod from Lucian. Realizing that there is more to this Servant from the past than his demonic exterior, Rheya ponders what to ask him. Silence lingers between them for a few moments as she thinks while studying the man before her.

"You sit before the progenitor of the Servants of Law and yet you sit silent?" he bellows, making her stiffen up.

Blankly blurting out the first question coming to her mind, "Why have you been reincarnated?"

"When the lineage has gone on for three generations, the first is given the option to be reborn again."

"I've heard of children getting restarts but why haven't I heard of this before?"

"Because my line is the oldest so I am the first to come back in this manner."

"What about all the others that have had their line ended?" Rheya asks.

"They have to accumulate experience and prowess on the Eternal Battlefield to get the chance to be born again, to try to continue their lineage. But, for them, when they are reborn, they will have no knowledge of their former selves , only the instincts and mindset they honed on the Eternal Battlefield. Only dying will they then remember who they were. To my knowledge, many have been reborn in this fashion."

"What is the point of keeping them from remembering?" Rheya asks.

"It's a clean slate. It allows them to adjust to that time's current customs."

"But why do you get to remember who you are while they can't?"

"Because my line earned it!" Lucian barks, making Rheya flinch. Relaxing his muscles, he breathes out calmly, "And it also serves as a measuring stick, to see if the Servants have progressed or regressed. From what I've seen pour in from the living world, these new Servants have decent skills but lack the mentality I tried to cultivate with the first generation," he says with a sneer.

On the subject of the afterlife, Rheya always heard it talked about like it was a place of terrible beauty, but knew of no one that had come back from it. "What's it like there?" she asks with some hesitation.

Lucian smiles devilishly. "It's primeval," he says, making Rheya shiver. "A few thousand Servants divided into warring factions, vying for power." Lucian's eyes close as he grins bigger. "Whenever Servants come over, they petition a faction they want to be apart of. The smallest factions are given the best weapons while the largest have only the most basic, keeping things balanced." He breathes in deeply, "The night battles are something to behold, all the colors of Lazblades lighting up the darkness."

"Sounds more like hell than heaven," Rheya mutters.

"Many share your viewpoint when they first come over. Especially if they died in battle, they want to take it easy," Lucian says with a sneer. "A temple of repentance was made many years ago where a community lives near it in peace." Lucian chuckles to himself, "Whenever it becomes too big, the largest faction falls upon it to decimate it, destroying everything they built to get them back into the fighting spirit." Rheya scrunches up her face in mild disgust and Lucian takes notice of it. "That's exactly why we do it. Your reaction is why; it motivates them to fight for peace, keeping them from being too soft. In the end, it usually invigorates them to rejoin the fight and act like Servants again." Lucian smirks and narrows his eyes at her, "You can't tell me you don't get a rush from battle."
Rheya shrugs and nods with a stifled smile. "I suppose you're right," she says begrudgingly.

"To fight and die everyday is a blessing all its own. And when a faction wins dominance, a great drunken revelry is had by everyone that could last days until fighting is kicked off again with many changing sides to make it more interesting."

The image of Oksana flashes across Rheya's mind, but she sees Lucian grinning at her, like he knows what's she is thinking, causing her to glare at him.

"There are some that come over that are allowed to have retrofitted exosuits that give them great destructive power," his eyes roll up as he shows his teeth. "They are Battle Angels."

"What are those?"

"Those with unparalleled battle prowess that only wish to destroy everyone in their path. They usually come over from an unexpected death, and because of how they died, they take out their anger and frustration that they have pent up inside them. They have no allegiance to anyone and easily turn the tide of a battle."

"Are there many of them?"

"No, not usually. But I know of one that has been a Battle Angel an unusually long time," his eyes shift as he grins again.

"Who?" Rheya asks as she leans in.

"Oksana!" Lucian says as he lunges at Rheya, snapping his teeth at her, causing her to fall backwards in fright. Flexing against his restraints, Lucian laughs loudly at her before relaxing back into seiza.

"You son of a bitch!" Rheya yells as she jumps up. "I'd kick you in the face if I didn't fear that you'd bite my foot off, you loathsome animal!"

"Son of a bitch? Hah! I might take offense if I actually remembered my mother!" Lucian boasts as he stifles his snickers.

"I'm not surprised! She probably dumped you off like some unwanted dog the first chance she got," Rheya snaps back as she dusts herself off.

Lucian's mood quickly quiets down as he tilts his head and seems to go into deep thought. "My earliest memory is of my friend Micheal, sometime after the outbreak. I suspect that's why I don't remember my mother. She must have died then, as I was only five or six I think." Lucian says aloud, answering his own questions. "The only mother I ever really had was this demon," Lucian says with a scowl as he points up at the statue above him, making Rheya cast her eyes upward, gazing at the hundred foot long flaming tanto.

As she gazes up at the dominating statue, "Who is she?" she asks.

Lucian flexes a frown, "If I am the progenitor, she is the catalyst."

"Why are you deliberately being enigmatic? Just tell me who she is." Rheya growing tired of his wordplay.

"Michelle Irons was her name but Kougou Heika was what she liked to be called. She was one of the few elite that ruled what was left of North America after the plague ravaged the planet. Everything the Servants use was developed by her for me which in turn was perfected and given to my creation," he tilts his head and smiles at her, "the Servants of Law."Rheya raises her eyebrows in quiet shock as she begins smooths out her clothing.

Confused by what he stated because of what she was taught about the Servant's history, "I thought the Machine War killed off most of the people on this planet."

"The Machine War happened 15 years after the great plague. It shouldn't even be called a Machine War," Lucian scoffs. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. Kougou Heika was an elite that was aligned with the person that let loose the plague. Her allegiance to him made sure she stayed alive while also becoming ruler of a large section of North America."

"Ruler of what? It was said hardly anyone survived the plague."

"This is true. The planet went from 9 billion to less than a few million world wide. With so much death and devastation, the people that were left, were desperate for food, shelter, clean water. The citadels sent out welcoming drones to tell the survivors where to go for sanctuary and relief. When they got there, it was not as it seemed."

Rheya is hanging on every word. A history glossed over in her youth is being opened up to her by someone who lived through it. "What happened when they got there."

"Kougou Heika and those like her rounded up and forced the survivors to live in concentration camps to be experimented on, as per the will of their leader, William Dorsey."

"Who's that?"

"William is the man who funded and orchestrated the plague's release, gaining power over the entire world. If you were rich and knelled before him, you were permitted to survive and live in opulence so long as you did as he asked." Looking above him, "This statue was really made in my time. Kougou Heika reigned over most of middle America. From the plains to the Rockies and up into Canada."

"Canada?"

"You now call it Northmanland, I believe."

Rheya grunts with a small frown. "A peppering of nomadic loners and small tribes that live off the land and drink too much maple liquor. A very brutal and uncouth people living in an unforgiving territory. Their reputation keeps most raiders out of the north. Oddly enough, we have recruited a good number of them into our ranks over the years from my understanding."

"Interesting," Lucian says then clears his throat. "Back to your history lesson," he says, making his face tighten up again. "After the devastation of the plague, with few reliable sources of human labor, the elites relied heavily on droids as enforcement and skilled labor. During this time I would have called it the Machine Occupation."

"So what happened to you during this time?"

"As a small child, I stuck to a group of orphans and scavenged for food. After a few weeks of that, I met my friend, Michael. We became best friends before we were captured by Kougou Heika's droids and brought to her palace to be cleaned up."

"Did she take care of all of you?"

"No. She..." Lucian begins but stops speaking as his eyes close. Swallowing hard, Lucian begins to speak again, "After we were cleaned, she lined us up for inspection then proceeded to attack, rape and murder most of us, while bathing in the blood and feeding on some of them," Lucian says with little emotional infliction.

Rheya's wide eyes betray her emotional shock. "How did you survive?"

"The exits were blocked off by her droids, while she had fun chasing us around the room like a wolf would sheep. This went on for the better part of a few hours. When the opportunity presented itself, I slung blood from a severed limb into her eyes as she lunged at Michael. In her confusion, I wrenched the knife from her hands, took her down and put it to her throat." Rolling his eyes as he sifts through his memories, "I tried to bargain with her, to get me and Michael released. Unfortunately, she had a mental connection with her droids and made one of them snatch up Michael. With him taken hostage, she had leverage over me."

"Then what?"

"I dropped the knife, was beaten a little then was taken away for modification. She kept Michael as a pet, never leaving her side, as leverage to control me."

"Control you to do what?"

"Her obsession with Japan and it's samurai era culminated with me, making me a Master Bladesman and her right hand of death to enforce her will among those she captured. She paraded herself as an empress and had the people she captured acted like peasant farmers, working in the fields, tending animals."

"She sounds delusional, living in a fantasy land," Rheya says with contempt.

"It may have been a whimsical fantasy, but we were still in it. And if I did anything displeasing to her, she took it out on Michael. Needless to say, her will was my command, and this went on for 15 years. In that time, she modified me to satisfy her blood lust, giving the body you see now since I was nine years old," he says as he points out his eyes, teeth, musculature and clawed hands. "In my ears, mouth and nose I received mechanical upgrades to those senses. This was done after several attempts to assassinate her were tried. I then was given another inane title, Master Assassin, rooting out all plots and subversions which only meant slaughtering people en masse at the slightest suspicion."

Rheya's eyes widen at the realization that he was a mindless weapon before he hit puberty. "How many people did she have captured?" she asks hoping to guide the conversation away from the gory details.

"At it's largest, 28,450 people. They were segregated into districts for experiments as per William Dorsey's directions."

"What of your friend Michael during those 15 years?"

"As he got older, she lost sexual interest with him but kept him around as a lap dog of sorts. I guess he grew on her since he was with her constantly. But after the first assassination attempt, which separated her from me, she decided to upgrade her lovable lap dog into a pit bull."

"What did that entail?" Rheya asks, almost dreading to know because of the perverse nature of Kougou Heika.

Pursing his lips in thought, "Human growth hormone, serious body, sensory and genome modification. When she was done with him, even with his boyish face, he looked quite fearsome." Laughing to himself. "When she was bored, she would permit us to horse around and play fight for her amusement." Lucian's happy expression fades into a mournful smile. "Those were the only times I felt happy. For a short while, I felt like a little kid and the world as I knew it was far away."

"How did it end?"

"It all ended when James showed up."

"The destroyer?" Rheya asks, her interest piqued

"Yes. It was weird. Earlier that day, reports of a nuke explosion on the eastern seaboard came in. Then, about an hour later, all of the computer systems were hacked and shut down along with all the droids under her control. The entire citadel went dark. The city when into a full riot with all the peasants clamoring for her blood along with me and Michael's as well. We had to sneak away into the protection of a safe room. But when James wrenched open the door, Kougou Heika pissed herself. Me and Michael didn't know what to do, figuring our death was eminent, we knelt before him in hopes it would be quick." Rheya snickers at the thought of such an amusing sight. "But to our surprise, he said Michael's name. Looking up in response, James said to him, 'It's me, your dad.' Michael didn't believe him at first but upon recognition, he got emotional and started crying on the spot when James hugged him."

Rheya tries to blink back her tears and swallows hard after hearing that.

"As James was guiding Michael out of the room, Jame spoke to me in my mind."

"What did he say?" Rheya asks tentatively.

"He told me, if I cared anything for my friend, keep Kougou Heika there and then silently kill her after they get outside the building. I didn't question him. When they left, I quickly pierced her throat with my claws, then slid my Vibro blade into her right lung. It was pleasant to watch her slowly suffocate." Lucian's grin is almost ear to ear, showing off his steely smile.

Rheya shrugs in agreement with the probable satisfaction she would have felt if it was her in that situation.

"When I left the room, I seen that James had put Michael to sleep," Lucian says as he begins to stand up. "He thanked me for being discreet."

Rheya, noticing the shackles releasing off Lucian's wrists and ankles, she immediately jumps up and gets into a defensive stance. Fear is coursing though her body and she's having a hard time controlling it. "Stay away from me!" she yells as she flexes to rid the shakes out of her muscles.

Lucian twitches mildly then rubs his face. "We see..." he begins to say then drops his hands to his sides, revealing Lucian IV's scarred face. "I see..." he says with a mild smirk. Rheya gasps as she relaxes her stance but keeps her distance in case it's a ploy. "I understand now. The schism is gone, Ray," Lucian says to reassure her.

"Why in the hell did you have it in the first place?" she scolds as she stomps over to him.

He shakes his head with a scoff and half a smile. "You know why because Jonas said as much. But it ended up being like curing amnesia followed by the euphoric feeling of discovery."

Now standing before him, "What's the difference between your reincarnation and taking in the memories of your forefathers?"

Rubbing his mohawk as he thinks, "My father's and his father's memories are like books of information. But my past self's memories has everything connected with it that one would experience going through it. It's very odd but I feel like I have a new perspective on everything, " he says with a smirk.

Holding out his hand palm down towards Rheya, he nods at her to take his hand. Shyly, she interlaces her fingers with his and modestly smiles but quickly loses it as the air around them flows and roars, making Rheya guard her face with her free arm. When the air settles, she sees that they are standing in front of a huge cathedral with twin opposing towers on the facade while the dark statue of Kougou Heika dominates the background on a nearby mountaintop. In the left tower, Kris stands gallantly while in the other tower, a woman in a kimono holds her fan open in the western direction while she playfully hides her smile behind her right hand.

Lucian smiles at Kris' effigy. "I always wondered why he never fought me," he mumbles to himself
then casts his eyes toward the woman in the kimono. "That was my wife from 224 years ago." Rheya's eyebrows raise. "She didn't want to be apart of the Servant's Eternal Battlefield and chose to be with her long dead family members after death." Lucian swallows hard. "I hope she's happy there." Lucian turns to look at Rheya who shies away from his gaze. "Your dedication to me reminds of her," he says as he squeezes her hand.

Not sure what to say after that, she lets out the obvious that has been imposing on her mind, "The building is so much bigger now."

Lucian stifles a chuckle, "Well, now that I remember my entire life, that means more dead must be honored."

Rheya looks on in amazement. "Over a century of regrets and trauma..." she whispers then claps twice formally then bows deeply toward the building with Lucian doing the same.

Slowly opening her eyes, Rheya turns on her side to find Lucian still sleeping. Caressing his face, Lucian begins to stir then groggily wakes. Looking around the room, he licks his teeth and flicks the tips of his fingers.

"I'm glad I don't have those anymore but at the same time it feels weird to be without them," he mutters as he looks up at Rheya.

"Yes, those were very ugly though your cat eyes were interesting to look at," she admits as she helps him sit up.

For a few moments, silence lingers on the air between them, Lucian staring into a dark corner of the basement while Rheya just observes him.

Reaching out, Lucian takes hold of her hand and pulls her to him, making her lean against his shoulder. "Thank you for helping me, Rheya." The air around him begins to feel heavy and ominous. "But now that I'm awake, things are going to be set in motion," he says as he looks at her with steely eyes.

Unsure how to respond to that because of his ambiguity, she slowly nods. "I'll stand by you even in death." Lucian squeezes her hand and gives a modest smile then goes back to staring at the dark corner, becoming still, meditating with low hanging eyelids.

"You seem very placid now that you have transitioned. You are unlike the old self I encountered in your mind while being much calmer but more confident than the Lucian I knew," Rheya says.

"It seems the reincarnated body has trouble dealing with it, creating mental imbalances as one grows into maturity. The self imposed internal schism Lucian IV created exaggerated every flaw we had. A very bizarre thing indeed. I'm making sure to report all of this to Atlas."

"Who's Atlas?" Rheya focuses, connecting the memory of the medal awarded to Lucian previously and this report that is being made.

Ignoring her question, Lucian stands upright, adjusts and straightens his attire then goes to grab his Lazblades but Rheya slaps them out of reach. "What's the matter?" he asks her, slightly irritated.

"I have not received confirmation that you are allowed to have them back," she says sternly.

Lucian scoffs. "My old self wanted to end his life to retain his memories and sense of self. I no longer have such feels, I assure you."

"No matter, I still haven't receive clearance. So, until then," she puts herself in between Lucian and the Lazblades.

Lucian scrunches up his face and scoffs as he goes to walk around her for them, Rheya grabs him by the wrist, but before she can do anything else, Lucian redirects her strength, then throws her off her feet with a lazy hip toss, making her land on her backside a few feet away.

Gasping for air, Rheya finally catches her breath as she seethes with anger until she sees Lucian's surprised face.

Trying to contain his laughter, "I didn't hurt you, did I? I didn't mean to toss you that far." But seeing her reaction makes him feel relived while it also quiets her anger. "I think I did you a disfavor making you think you were on par with my fighting skills." He quietly snickers as he puts on his Lazblades.

Rheya remains seated on the floor, her ego having taken a serious blow. Lucian helps her off the ground and straightens out her attire. "Come on, don't be disgruntled." Rheya scoffs and turns away from him. Annoyed with her pouting, "You are stronger than me, that is the truth," he explains before he sweeps her legs out from under her. Jumping over her just as she hits her side on the padded floor, Lucian quickly takes off towards the stairwell, stopping at the base of them. "But I got a century of fighting experience over you," he boasts, trying to provoke her.

Taking the bait, Rheya quickly gets to her feet and runs at Lucian who takes off up the stairs and out the front door into the courtyard. Out there, Lucian toys with her as she gives everything she's got but never lands anything. Winded, Rheya takes to a knee to catch her breath.

"Fuck!" she grunts in frustration then hacks out the gummy saliva in her throat. Still breathing hard, she stands to her feet.

"Ready for some more?" Lucian asks in a boastful manner.

Gritting her teeth, she grunts then relaxes her stance. "No. It's apparent that it's a futile struggle." Lucian grins. "I can't pin point it but you move differently now."

Lucian nods. "Before the merger, you were quite the adversary because of the limited knowledge my former self had. But now that I am able to draw upon a well of experience," he holds his arms out in boast, irritating Rheya further.

"Your cock sure attitued is vexing to say the least!" she yells, anger fuming.

"Do something about it!" Lucian provokes, making Rheya charge him.

Ten Minutes later, they are both laying on the grass, winded, bruised and bleeding. Rubbing his swollen eye socket, Lucian wipes the blood off his lip that is dribbling out from his nose while chuckling to himself.

"What are you laughing about?" Rheya grunts as she favors her swollen right hand while her dislocated left knee causes her to cringe.

"That's the best I've seen you fight, ever," he replies as he painfully lifts his upper body onto his elbows and looks over at her, wincing as he breathes, feeling his broken ribs grind on each other. "Geez, I'm sorry I went all out on you," he says as he looks her over.

"I wanted you to. I needed to know where I really stood in comparison to your skills," she says as she wiping the blood off her face, her exploded eyeball beginning to clot.

Slowly crawling over to her, Lucian sits next to her and then lays her head in his lap. Her knee gives off an audible pop as her leg begins to automatically reset itself, making her yelp in the process. "You poor thing," he says to her as he affectionately pets her.

"Where you like this with any of your other lovers?" Rheya asks bluntly.

Lucian smiles down at Rheya. "Sorta of with Oksana. If she caught me slacking off in sparring, she'd make sure I wouldn't forget. When I was first partnered with her, I was very stubborn. I was in no state of mind then to want to hear someone lecture me after Kris died," Lucian explains. "So, to say the least, we hated each other and one day I was being a real ass and lipped off to her, but I payed for it later when she wanted to spar."

Rheya laughs but quickly winces from the pain. "What happened then?"

"Back then, I'd say we were an evenly matched against each other. But that day, I was being lax and not feeling in the mood to spar since I was so full of myself and my 'ability'. Oh man, did she let me have it. She caught me with a punch to my jaw, which broke it in two places and dislocated it on my left side."

"Ouch," Rheya sympathizes.

"While I was disoriented, she launched her shin at my pubic bone and busted my pelvis down the center, popping a testicle in the process." Rheya clenches her thighs together at the thought of what he told her. "I was in pain for most of the evening while my body repaired itself. And because of my attitude, she just left me there in the field. After that night, we were really tempestuous."

"What changed all that?"

"A little war broke out in Espana. We were the only pair close by, which lefts us to fight a horde of a few thousand immigrant space monkeys. It was pretty hairy for a while there. We really had to rely on each other. Then, the day turned to night, they lost their advantage and we hunted them down until backup arrived, but by then it was nearly over. After that, we started to get along better, then somehow my dick ended up in her. I think she raped me, is what it was," he jokes, making Rheya giggle.

Blinking her left eye, Rheya begins to feel her eyeball form back together. "Before, you couldn't hardly say her name. What's so different now?" she asks.

"Well, I've seen her. Hell, she's a terror on the other side, let me tell ya," he scoffs out. "I didn't really know who she was until this body's memory cap broke and I was put into it." Lucian becomes quiet for a moment then looks up at the night sky. "It's just good to know that we all get to see each other again if we die on this plane of existence."

"Did you see Kris there too?"

"Yeah. When he first came over, he was a Battle Angel too, for a few months. If I remember right, he was a reincarnation but the kind that didn't know it."

"Oh wow," Rheya says with astonishment.

"Hence, why he was so angry to be dead again," Lucian jokes. A long silence lingers between them until Rheya's eye begins to look normal again. "Hey, that didn't take long." Lucian rubs his thumb over Rheya's bottom lip where it was split but now healed, then kisses her lightly.

Feeling flushed in the face, she can't help but ask, "Why would you kiss me when I look like a mauled piece of meat?"

Lucian laughs loudly then goes back to petting her. "You look like you needed one." She smiles in reply then leans up as she pulls his head down to give him a better one.

After they part, "You taste like blood," she says as she rakes her tongue across her teeth, making Lucian laugh again.

"What did you expect? You knocked out one of my teeth. Now I have to wait a week to grow a new one back."

Rheya giggles. "It's what you get for acting like a pompous ass."

Scoffing at her, Lucian shifts Rheya off his lap then leans over and scoops her up. "Come on. Lets go get some good rest because we have lots to do tomorrow?"

"Like what?" she asks as she puts her arms around his neck.

"I will be sending out messages for all Servants to convene at the Rocky Mountain Bastion," Lucian's voice becomes solemn, "where I will be giving a preparedness warning of Expiation."

Rheya doesn't know what to say as the term is used for preparation for all out war. "Why?" is all she can muster out.

"The first expiation solidified the Servants position in this world. This new trial by fire will be to harden the Servants, to make sure they belong here. It will be beautiful," he says as he warmly smiles at Rheya.

"But who will we be fighting?"

"Don't worry about that," he says as he takes her inside the house.

Her thoughts becoming less foggy, she notices the silence in the cabin is becoming deafening and decides to break it. "How long iz da flight goin' ta be?" Her speech hasn't come to clarity quite yet.

Spinning around in the pilot's chair to face her, "I figured taking the quick trip through the outer atmospheres would probably be too much for you to handle with the G-force, weightlessness and whatnot," James explains. "So, the long way back is going to take a little longer at mach," he adds as he slips out his braid with an easy swift hand movement after he stands up. Walking over to her, he goes to sit down next to her with a chair quickly popping out of the floor to catch him. Crossing his legs and getting comfortable, he looks at Kyah with his almond shaped eyes and bats his lashes at her as she stares at him. "What is it?"

"Yer so pretty," Kyah says with some slur. "I've never seen skin so fair," Jessica mumbles as she reaches out to caress James' arm. "What are you? A machine of some kind?"

"That's right, honey," James says as he pats Jessica's hand, smiling warmly at her. "For 246 years, I've done my best to protect this planet," he boasts with a smile.

"Were ya always uh machine?"

"Yes, I have never been of the flesh," James replies in a deflated tone. Kyah senses it and takes hold of his hand in both of hers.

"But ya act so human," she says but James just shrugs and forces a smile.

"Well, my thought processes, ethics and values are based off of a human. Truth be told, I'm a compilation of two living people," he explains as he casts his eyes to the ground.

"Who?"

"Well, the first person I was made from is an old military veteran and police officer. He volunteered for a robotics experiment just as the plague that wiped out most humans on this planet was being released."

"Plague? I thought machines killed off most of the humans?" she asks, somewhat stunned.

"No. The Machine War refers to me, a machine, liberating the planet from it's human oppressors," he clarifies. "Don't worry, there is a much better person to tell you all this stuff than me and you'll see him soon enough."

"Oh, okay. So, who's the other person that's part of you?"

"His biological son, whom did not perish during the plague. His name is Micheal but likes to be called Mikey."

"He's still alive?"

"Oh yes, and is technically older than me," James says with a smirk. "Would you like to meet him when we get home?"

"Um, sure, I guess," she says hesitantly, wondering how good of company an old man is going to be.

"Oh don't worry, he's nice," he pauses and purses his lips, "at least he is now."

"Wha?" Kyah is now pensive about meeting him.

"Don't worry. After he got that murderous streak out of him, he's been pretty calm for well over a hundred years, for the most part."

"Murderous streak?" she chokes out.

"Oh yes. After what was done to him, he had a very hard time being around certain people, especially anyone obnoxious. He'd just rip them apart if someone smarted off to him. Which is part of the reason why Soul Takers act so formal, didn't you know?" James says with a grin at Kyah, who forces a smile in reply.

Patting her thigh with his hand, "Don't be so wound up. I said he's nice now. If you'd been through what he had, you'd be fucked up for a while too." James gets up and begins to walk to the front of the cabin, his gaze fixed on the control panel. "It didn't help that he had so much of his father's genetic traits, either," he mumbles.

Spinning around, "SO!" he exclaims with a clap, "When we get there, how about some nice food and drink by the fire? Just you, me and Mikey."

Kyah feels she can't refuse and the hunger pangs have been getting stronger. "Sure," she says with a nod before she feels herself lurch forward, feeling the craft slow down. "What's happening? We aren't crashing are we?" She almost screams as she flexes her body and squeezes her eyes shut.

With a warm hand on her arm, she feel James lightly squeeze. "Look around you, we're here."

The cabin gone again, like she's floating in air, Kyah watches the clouds go by her while the falling snow parts before them as they descend down towards a dim glow near the base of a far reaching mountain range. "Wow," she mutters.

"I know. I love it here. You should see it in the summer. The lake is so clear and the woods are so green." James grins warmly as he looks around. As they near the small village the cabin returns to normal as it gets ready to set down.

Looking up at James who's standing next to her again, she sees that he has a long Sherpa lined leather coat draped over his arm. Where'd that come from?"

"Me, silly. I can make things like magic," he says in a sarcastic tone as he smirks at her. Kyah gives him an emotionless stare in response. "Oh geez, you're no fun. Remember how I made this cloth appear on my skin?" Kyah nods. "Same way."

"Are you a walking 3D printer or what?" she asks as the ship touches down.

Placing the coat on her lap, "Of sorts." The cabin grows dark before the hatch opens with a rush of bitter cold air hitting Kyah. James looks down at her, "It's cold for you outside, better wear it."

James walks out the hatch into the darkness with his hair flowing in the wind. Kyah quickly stands and puts to coat on and hurries to follow along. Outside, it's nowhere near as bright as it looked in the cabin. The houses in the distance are only able to be made out by the few illuminated street lamps.

"I had the starlight cameras on. It brightens up the night," he yells at Kyah over the howling wind. "Come on now. I don't want you to freeze," he urges as he holds out his hand for her to grab. Trotting up to him through the ankle deep snow, she grasps his hand to which he takes her up in his arms, quickly flying down the main street to the large and extravagant multi storied log cabin at the end of the row.

Once on the door step, he opens the door and ushers her into the foyer. After lighting a nearby oil lamp and handing it to Kyah, he points out a coat hook and bench she can sit at to take her snow covered shoes off.

Walking into the dark great hall, James adds more wood to the dying fire in the giant stone fireplace. Seeing his orange tabby cat curled up on the bear rug near the fire, he sits down next to it to pet it.

Guiding herself through the darkness, she makes her way to the fire and takes a seat on the animal skin covered chair nearest to it.

"I didn't think it would snow this hard today. Winter is coming early this year," James says aloud. "Isn't that right, Mr. Puss Puss?" he asks his cat as he scratches its chin.

Kyah giggles at the mention of the cat's name. "Mr. Puss Puss?"

Acting mock offended, "Don't belittle Mr. Puss Puss' name!" He grabs the overweight cat up and begins to walk away from the fire into the darkness. "We're going to get some food. We'll be back in a bit. Keep Mikey company."

Kyah stiffens up at the mention of his name but is confused by what James said. "There's no one here," she says to herself as her eyes glance around trying to peer into the shadows cast by the fire.

A throat is cleared some distance above Kyah in the darkness of the cabin rafters.

Pulling focus, she sees a set of glowing eyes peering at her, causing her to freeze up in fright. Watching the eyes fall from their place in the rafters, a large, bulky body lands loudly in the shadows, making Kyah let out a slight gasp of sudden shock.

Erecting himself upright, the tall figure whips his long hair out of his eyes as he steps into the firelight, revealing a face that is almost as effeminate as James' current visage. His clingy clothing shows off his heavily muscled build but what catches Kyah's eyes first is the thick, hairless tail whipping around behind him and his hand-like feet gripping the bear rug.

"Hello, my name is Micheal," he states with a modest bow. "I take it James made no mention of how I looked physically?" His voice deep and monotone, he pauses to see if she will reply. All he gets is a head shake from Kyah. He lets out a stifled groan before leisurely finding a seat on the nearby couch. Crossing his legs as he gets comfortable, "I must look very peculiar to you," he says after noticing that Kyah is trying to discreetly look him over.

Breaking her silence, "I thought you would be very old looking, since James said you were over 200 years old," she says meekly.

"I don't look old, do I?," he asks as he looks at the back of his hands. Kyah shakes her head quickly. With his eyelids looking heavy, Mikey yawns, making his long, titanium K-9's gleam in the firelight.

Relaxing some after a small span of silence, Kyah decides to ask, "Did you make yourself look that way?"

"Oh my God, Kyah!" James scolds from the shadows, making her and Mikey jump with fright. "You can't just ask someone why they look that way?" James says mockingly as he walks up to them pushing a serving cart full of food and drink.

"James, you little shit!" Mikey bellows as he lets out the air from his tight chest. After a few heavy breaths, "Why didn't you tell her I looked like this?" Mikey snaps. "The smell of fear is permeating off of her." Kyah suddenly becomes acutely aware that she has been profusely sweating.

"Oh stop, you big baby! I wanted to surprise her," James replies in a smarmy tone.

Mikey huffs before he grabs a bottle off the cart with his feet, opens it then passes it to his right hand by way of his tail. Taking a long swig then burping, "That beer turned out well this time around."

James nods after he takes a swig but then shakes a finger at Mikey. "Manners!" James scolds as he lays down on the bear rug.

"Sorry," Mikey says as he passes a plate of food over to Kyah with his foot-hand.

"We haven't had guests in a while," James excuses as Kyah meekly takes the plate of meat and vegetables.

Nibbling at first, she remembers how hungry she is when she tastes how good the food is. Scarfing it down, James and Mikey watch her eat with modest smiles on their faces.

Mikey holds out a bottle of hard cider for her with his tail, "Thirsty?" Kyah greedily takes it and chugs it. "Where you starving this poor girl out or what, James?"

James shakes his head. "The flight here was less than a few hours. I guess I should have asked if she was hungry."

As Kyah finishes her plate of food, James fixes her up with another helping of food and a pale ale. After stuffing herself, feeling warm inside and out, she watches and listens to Mikey and James banter back and forth at each other till she can no longer keep her eyes open.

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

my writers block is now gone.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

If you're bored waiting for my next chapter update...

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

progress update

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Character sketches (8/9/17 update)

Monday, June 26, 2017

to my readers

Servants of Law, Chapter 3: Restoration (lastest edit 7/1/17)