Arc of the Souls Chapter 100: Arc 3, Chapter 23 - Monsters and Cowards

Read chapter 100 of Arc of the Souls by Noyr on NovelPedia.

... .. . The door clicked shut behind Asheera, and the silence that filled the room was different. It felt heavier, along with the truth they had discovered. They all stood there for a moment, each one wrestling with their own demons conjured by Asheera's confession. "... I was adopted by a monster?" Altair broke the silence. He too was adopted by Azrael not too long after the Nymeria fire. Asura didn't know this. But he was. "All my life, I thought he was some war hero... Some-... some Greatfather who could do no wrong." He slumped against the wall. The Royal Family was now broken. But now, with the enemy at the door and the truth about their patriarch laid bare, they had to either fall apart, or come together like never before. They could feel a new kind of tension, an uncertainty that went beyond the fear of Veyron's invasion. This was a crack in their foundation. They had two fronts to fight now. Kaioshun and the Followers of 'Him'. And Dark Intrinium. But whichever was going to be the death of the Royal Family? That remained to be seen. "...Meeting is dismissed... Everyone return to your designated duties." Sachiel finally said after a moment. His eyes still fixated on the spot Asheera was standing at. He slowly turned away and walked towards the large window, overlooking the tower grounds. Asura, Jumkou and Flynnigan all left to their own duties. But Ramiel and Altair remained. "..." "Great Kamisword... Sachiel... you and I both know that Asheera will be a liability if she goes into battle like this... her grief will get herself and countless others killed." Ramiel said from behind. "What's the alternative, Ramiel? Keep her locked up in her room to be reminded of her failure?" Sachiel said as he continued to stare into the horizon. "I'm saying that... on the off-chance that her guilt drives her to protect the enemy rather than her own allies... We're going to have to think about what we're going to do with her." Ramiel pointed out the worst-case scenario. "I'm going to be part of the Royal Forces from now on, so I can monitor Asheera from a close distance. It will be in my capacity to take action if she goes rogue." "..." "Everything is fucked." Altair finally said, making both Ramiel and Sachiel glance back at him. He wasn't crying or angry. Just... numb. "A new tyrant at our gates. And our own hero is a monster from hell and now an old Eria family secret is finally out... I wouldn't be surprised if some spear impaled me from the sky right now." The only way to connect the dots between Kaioshun and 'Him' was for Asheera's childhood to be exposed. She delivered, but at what cost? Altair and Sachiel always knew that there was more to the Greatfather than what meets the eye. He always had a subtle yet dark charisma about him. His existence itself is the root of all conflict between all of them now, and he's not even alive to witness the horror he's created. "Altair... If the time comes, would you be the Second-Leader?" Sachiel asked the wall. "... What kind of joke is that?" "Would you?" "In the name of Numa, fuck no! Not me! I gotta get back to Celeste, y'know!" He pointed a thumb at the empty hallway, "Plus, she's going to kill you if you keep me around." His thumb then pointed at himself, a crooked attempt at a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Asheera is in no condition to be a Second Leader. She has still brought Dark Intrinium to us. I can't trust her judgement anymore." Sachiel spoke to the window, where the lights of the city began to flicker. A power grid was failing somewhere. The truth of Greatfather Azrael is finally out. "You don't need to bring up old scars, Great Kamisword." "... You will not leave this planet during the invasion." Sachiel said. "Yes I will and you can't stop me." Altair finally stood up from his seat. "My life isn't some chess piece for you to move around. I got things to do, and so does Celeste. I can't be forced to fight this war if I have nothing to do with this!" "Celeste is the least