A House Divided

The morning air was crisp and cool, almost a little too cool. However, Louis paid that no mind as he prepared for the invasion of Moscow.

Their units were already in position. Soldiers on standby, tanks idling, artillery readied, all that was left was for Louis to activate his Ability and begin the attack.

Louis breathed slowly, focusing all his energy into his Ability. His Core glowed as he felt the power surge within him. The pain soon set in as the power coursed through him, but he fought through it, and just as his body was at his limit, he cried out, unleashing it all in a massive burst of light.

Nothing happened at first, but soon, fire began to rain from the sky.

Meteor, believed by many to be the most powerful Ability, was able to create a meteor shower, sending a bombardment of countless fireballs down onto a massive area. Words simply didn’t do it justice and it made an artillery shelling look like a joke.

This one Ability turned Rome and Istanbul into wastelands. However, while Meteor was extremely powerful, it came with severe limitations. It put an immense amount of stress on the user and took significant time to recharge. While Louis was able to use it at close to its full strength in Rome and Istanbul, he was now too tired to use it at any more than half capacity, but that would be more than enough.

Flaming rocks smashed through buildings and cratered streets. Louis smiled as he watched his handiwork in action. Even if his weakened Meteor left more buildings untouched than it should, it was still devastating.

This was how they defeated Rome and Istanbul. Use Meteor to cause chaos and destroy the bulk of their forces before blitzing with their troops. There was no reason why it wouldn’t be the same story here.

As Meteor finished, the attack was launched. The entire French army charged across the border, cutting into Moscow. The battle had begun.

***

Negotiations still had not yet begun, but they were given a little down time after the banquet. Toko chose to take a nap in their room, but Keitaro decided to go and relax on the balcony. It was nice to just enjoy the weather, the atmosphere, all without a crowd or that hussy. However, as he was gazing out into the distance, he heard a familiar voice.

“Keitaro.”

Turning around, he saw his spymaster. “Okita? What are you doing here?”

“There’s something I wanted to tell you in person.” He slinked closer. “It’s about the Russian front.”

“Has the invasion already started?”

“It has, and not only has it started, it’s nearly over.” He looked right at Keitaro. “The French have already managed to take more than half of Moscow.”

“Are you serious!?” Keitaro took a step back in shock.

“Honestly, I was having some doubts about Paris’s effectiveness, but it seems those were unfounded…”

Allying with Paris had been the plan, but it’s good to have some flexibility. If Moscow’s fall was inevitable then Tokyo would certainly be next if they couldn’t make a deal.

“That’s not all, though…” Okita had turned around.

“What else is there!?”

“I’ve learned what Louis Delacroix’s Ability is.” Looking over his shoulder, he explained, “They call it Meteor, and it lets him rain down meteors from the sky, and not just a little, I’m talking hundreds of them. It’s like a carpet bombing."

“Seriously?” Keitaro thought back to the destruction he saw in Rome and Istanbul. To think that was mostly just a single Ability… He didn’t even want to imagine Tokyo being hit by something like that…

“The choice is yours, but… I recommend avoiding a war with Paris at all costs… Now please excuse me. I have other matters to attend to.”

Okita quietly left, leaving Keitaro alone and in a dilemma. Stick to his guns and risk Tokyo’s existence or kowtow to Paris to secure a deal?

Keitaro went for a walk to think things over. However, his rumination was abruptly cut short.

“Hey, there, Keitaro!” It was Sylvie.

“Hello, Ms. Marche.” His eyes were as cold as ever to her.

“Toko’s gone, huh?” She looked around, not seeing his sister.

“Yeah…”

Sylvie smirked. “Well, if you’re free for now then why not come with me for a bit? There’s something I’d like to show you.”

Keitaro internally cringed, but he had to play along. “All right.”

Sylvie practically skipped ahead, leading Keitaro down various halls.

After what felt to Keitaro like an eternity, they reached Sylvie’s room. She welcomed him in with a smile and implored him to sit on the bed with her to which he complied.

“You know, I could tell you were just playing hard to get this whole time.” She leaned on her hand. “It was so obvious you liked me. You really don’t have to keep pretending.”

“Yeah…” Keitaro choked out.

“Honestly, you’re not my usual type, but…” Hungrily, she gazed at him. “You’re not so bad…”

He swallowed hard and looked away. “Thanks…”

“Now how about you stay put for just a sec?” She winked. “I’ll go freshen up.”

Sylvie trotted off to the bathroom, and it wasn’t long until he could hear the shower running.

Keitaro looked around the room, but there was one thing that particularly caught his eye. It looked like a letter, except it was water damaged thanks to being used as a coaster. Lifting up the glass, he grabbed it and started reading.

I still remember your smile.

When I was trapped in exile.

From you I found new hope.

You cleansed my soul like soap.

Your love gave me reason.

I kept fighting through the seasons.

I imagined our future.

But that dream seemed to rupture.

Around us the danger swirls.

Forced into this strange world.

It’s hard to know what is true.

So I will fight and bring peace to you.

Love, Louis

The poem was clumsy, but it was unmistakably written by a devoted man to the love of his life. If Keitaro had received a love poem twice as gauche but just as passionate, his heart would’ve melted. Yet the woman who it was written to had paid it almost no mind. Keitaro was overtaken with guilt and sadness. Louis was out fighting through hell for the sake of his fiancee who was getting ready to canoodle with another man. But those feelings were soon replaced with anger and determination as he realized the gravity of the situation.

Keitaro didn’t know much about Kosma, but he knew that each city had a Knight and a Maiden for a reason. A Knight and Maiden, no matter how powerful they may be individually, would be unable to win the Genesis Tournament if they weren’t united as one. And Louis and Sylvie were not united. Not only were they on separate ends of Kosma, but one party didn’t even respect the other.

Upon this revelation, Keitaro knew what he had to do. He got up immediately and walked right out of Sylvie’s room.

Taking long strides, he burst into his and Toko’s room. “Toko! Wake up!”

With a yelp, she shot awake. “W-what!?”

“Pack your bags! We’re leaving right now!”