Supplication

“That concludes my report, your excellency.” Juno said, kneeling before Julius in the Nave of the main hall of the Church of Ragna. At night, lit only by candlelight, the high walls, empty pews, and blackened stained windows looked less like a place of sanctuary and reflection. Julius’ resplendent aura and robes stood out amidst the darkness but somehow it only made him more foreboding.

Julius stood with his back turned to his subordinate. “Tell me Domina Juno, what is joy?”

Juno, or ‘Camilla’, raised her head confused. “Your excellency?”

“What is joy to you?”

Juno paused for a moment. “Joy is a state of happiness, of pleasure.”

“That is correct, it is the pursuit of joy that defines all life. Our curse if you will. If one is defined as ever pursuing something, is that not an admission that you will never reach your goal? The pursuit of joy is mired by the fact that definitions and requirements for joy vary between souls. When one does manage to grasp joy in their hands, it slips through their fingers just as quickly as it was acquired. This state of desperate pursuit, desire, clashing against itself is the cause of all suffering. Tell me, Domina, what is the cure to suffering?”

June went silent for a moment. “I would say that it is love. Suffering is caused by lack of love. The Ultimatist is one who loves all.

“That is a reasonable answer. But what is the essence of that love? There was once a young man, powerless in every way. He spent his life pursuing his own base desires, stepping on others and being stomped on in return. Until he was able to live well enough that he could spend his time debauching himself like the people he despised. Yet no matter how much money, food, and women he threw at his soul, none of it could fill the void in his heart. How he longed to be like the men who seemingly had no such void in their hearts, who could live off nothing but eating, despoiling and plundering like beasts. Alas, humans were humans and beasts were beasts, you cannot change who you are. So he decided to devote his life to helping those in need. Yet no matter how much good in the world he did, the world responded with just as much evil. His efforts only served to make him a target of those in power, as if the world itself conspired to preserve the status quo of suffering. In spite of that, he still desired to make a world where all could achieve happiness, sacrificing his own in return. His heart slowly filled with hatred, not at the world for its brutish natural state, but at himself for desiring more than what the world can offer. When the man was at his lowest, when he was going to commit unspeakable acts, the Ultimatum provided the man with the answer he had been searching for.”

Julius turned towards Juno, his unwavering smile unnerving in the low light. “You desire the prince do you not?”

Juno tensed. “If it appears that way your excellency, it was only to deceive and manipulate him.”

“I have been around fair maidens for centuries, consoling and guiding them on the right path. According to your own report, you engaged in heathen festivities with him even. Your affection for him clearly goes far beyond the line of duty. ”

“My mission was to shadow him and ensure he reached the meeting point, have I not succeeded in my mission?”

“The Sanctus Umbra were nearly wiped out by the prince and his bodyguard, your tardiness has cost the lives of those men.” Julius said, looking down at the woman before him.

“I told you, I was being delayed by the enemy! I had to have been!” Juno could not explain it, but she had to have somehow been delayed for hours in the forest. She had scouted the forest before the mission, she should not have been lost, yet it felt as if the forest was endlessly long.

Julius sighed. “Flagellate, Opus Amoris.”

Juno attempted to jump back as Julius attempted to restrain her with a golden lash in his hands, only to fall into the grip of more lashes hidden in the pews.

“Freeze, Fim-” Juno gasped as she was lashed by a whip, only instead of pain, she felt delight even as she felt the whip tear through her clothes and bruise her flesh. She felt Julius’ attack come long before he made it. Soul Armament user he may be, but he was no warrior. She should have been able to dodge his attacks, yet she could not. Or rather, she felt as if her body was rebelling against her.

Julius brought his hands together in supplication. “Forgive me Domina Juno, it seems you were not ready for a mission of such importance. It is a grave error for superiors to load their subordinates with more than they can bear. It is my fault for overlooking your inexperience and exposing you to such corroding influence. I should not have chosen you for this mission knowing that your origins and temperament left you vulnerable to the manipulations of heathens. If your failure is brought to the attention of the Ultimatum, you and Valkyria would face dire consequences. Allow me to redeem you in the eyes of the Ultimatum. This is the only way, forgive me.” Julius said serenely as Juno was whipped countless times.

Juno tried to activate her Soul Armament, but it was not responding to her will. No, it's rather that it reacted according to her will exactly. She did not want to activate her weapon and threaten Julius, rather she wished to keep basking in the bliss of Julius’ discipline.

The tension in her body melted away under Julius’ assault, going limp and hanging off the ground. She felt Julius cup her chin in his hand, forcing her to show him her face awash with pleasure, drooling and blushing. Yet it was twisted as if she was forcing herself to be angry as she should.

Julius’ smile turned into a sad grin. “Ah, now this is the state all humans should strive for. The complete destruction of the ego. Self-sacrifice. Obedience. Those are the true essence of love. Only when all humans have the same idea of happiness in mind can peace be a possibility. I strive to spread the Ultimatum’s vision of ultimate happiness to every creature in every corner of the earth. To do that, all other ideas of happiness must be purged. It is sad and horrible but such is the curse of imperfection. Fear not Juno, I will give you the honor of having a sample of the Ultimatum’s vision of the future. I will unburden you of all your fleeting affections and desires leading you astray.”

Juno screamed as she was whipped countless times for hours, overwhelmed with pleasure even as her clothes and flesh were torn, eventually she stopped moving. Julius lifted her head up again, her face completely blank, her voice monotonous.

“Long live the Ultimatum. Please give me your orders, your excellency.”