Chapter II
Asteria, now one -- in a way -- with Schala, sat in front of a fire she had lit in her camp site deep within Guardia Forest, 1005 AD. She stared into the flames, the reflection crackling lively within her eyes. “Janus… where did I send you…?”
She stood up. “Free from the Dream Devourer… but now I am alone… These new feelings… anger… hatred… rage… nerve… Do I really feel expressive of them now?” Out of sheer curiosity she started remembering all those times she was abused by her mother, which started to anger her greatly.
“This feeling… it’s new… I feel as if I wish to snuff the life out of Mother! But how? How did I accomplish this?” She then stuck her hand out and a roaring shadow spell disintegrated a tree and her eyes widened. “Such dark energy… this was inside me waiting to be released?”
At that moment, she heard footsteps. “Who am I? I feel as if I must find something, but what?” A memory-wiped Janus said as he held his head, walking in.
Schala looked up and took off her fiendlady helm. “Hm?” she said, approaching Janus. Janus gazed at her. “Miss, I’m lost… I feel as if I must find something or someone, but… what?”
Schala thought this was a drag, as she had wiped his memory, unaware that her alternate self would walk right to her, giving her a chance to duplicate her soul to merge with Asteria’s and thus live an active life instead of watching helplessly from the Dream Devourer.
She smiled as she placed a hand on Janus’ shoulder. “You look stressed. Please sit.” she said, gesturing to a fallen tree log by the fire. As he did so, she poured some herbal tea for him. “So, you say you’re a John Doe?”
Janus nodded as he sipped his sister’s tea. “Very odd… Your tea really has calmed me down. My mind is thinking warm, comforting thoughts.” he said.
Schala chuckled. “I will take that as a compliment to the tea.” she said. With Janus void of nearly all memory and her soothing presence, she was having quite an amusing time playing along. Her slightly mischievous thoughts, of course, were Asteria’s. Still, since the original timeline’s Schala merged with the altered timeline’s, Asteria’s rage began to quell. Though, it was likely Schala could boil up in rage if provoked, now. This was because of Fiendlady Schala being able to break the chains of passiveness during her reign of the Mystics in the non-Masamune timeline.
“Dear friend, you should really get some rest. Tomorrow may bring you wonders!” she smiled.
Janus nodded, though noticed her pendant. “Intriguing. You’ve the same pendant as I. Mine has an inscription from someone named Schala. Does that ring a bell to you?”
Schala paused for a moment, thinking how clumsy it would’ve been to leave brainwiped with that pendant in his possession had she not returned. “I am not entirely sure. I suppose I may have met someone by that name though, but my memory is elusive.”
He smirked as she stretched on a stone slab. “I’m curious why a beautiful woman such as yourself is out here in these woods. What’s your name?”
Schala glanced over. “Asteria… Dark Lady of the Risen Dead and Fiendlady of the Mystics.”
Janus nearly spilled his tea. “You’re a necromancess?”
Schala chuckled. “I suppose you could say that…” She turned away. “Pleasant dreams… uhm… sir.”
Chapter III
Truce was still recovering from the disbandment and destruction of the Guardia Kingdom. Porre soldiers occupied the town now. “Curfew is at 19:00. All civilians must be indoors or they will face summary discipline.” a soldier announced.
A helmed commander walked through the town, with two soldiers at his side as they came across a family in poverty being harassed by a soldier. “Your taxes are due. Pay up!” he said, waving his weapon threateningly as they trembled. He turned around to see the commander. “Sir! These deadbeats have not given us their dues. Arrest them?”
The commander turned to the tearful family and sighed, lowering his head. “Leave them be…” he calmly said. “But sir--“ one of them interrupted before being interrupted back. “I said leave them be! Look at them. They’ve lost everything because of our occupation! Leave them some dignity, man!” the commander shouted back. The soldier went white in the face. “Y-Yes, commander…”
West now stood Porre Central Command, making a base of Guardia Castle. The throne room was stripped of its decorations and now held a large table, with marshals in every seat. High General Montcrief, a bearded brown haired man dressed in badged uniform sat at the end.
“Where the hell did Dalton go?!” Montcrief barked. “I haven’t seen him since that blue haired man and his parading circus freaks massacred everyone here months ago! “ A marshal looked up. “High General, if I might inquire… Porre now controls all of Zenan, does it not? Why so concerned?”
Montcrief thought for a moment. “There’s still Medina… Who knows when yet another blue haired hooligan will encourage them to vaporise us! Magus was the beginning! Sure that pesky… ‘Zeal’… person or whoever he was… Dalton addressed him as a king… Sure he was on our side but he obviously had ulterior motives! Him and his daughter! They might come back one day!”
“What’s your point Montcrief? We all know this…” the marshal said.
“Simple. We wipe those silly Mystics out of existance and colonize Medina!” he said assuredly. There was murmuring about the table. “Very well. May it be so…” the marshal replied.
Meanwhile, Schala and Janus came across the vacant Fiendlord’s Keep. Janus scratched his head. “Something of this place means something to me. I just know it!” Schala glanced around. “It appears this place is centuries old. No matter, just some slight touches. Janus glanced to her. “Slight? This place could collapse at any moment if it is disturbed!”
“Kenashi bero kol daru bari keno cino zieber zom!” she chanted as the structure began to reverse its own aging. Soon, the Fiendlord’s Keep stood anew, flames crackling and all. Janus blinked. “Incredible, Lady Asteria!” Schala smirked back at him as she creaked open the large doors and went in.
The two soon made their way to the top where Schala sat down. “I can certainly get used to this.” She chuckled and Janus smirked. “Well… Dark Queen of the Dead, I guess I’ll leave you be.” As he said this though, a marshal from Porre stood in the doorway..
“Mistress Asteria, we haven’t much time…” the marshal said. At that moment, Kasmir, Asteria’s majordormo, shed his disguise.
