Conversations

Hate always registered in the eyes first. A lifetime of being ostracized and untrusted as a Rabal had made Azag quite familiar with the sensation of being observed with disdain. So the feeling of thousands of spiteful, concerned, fearful gazes locked on him was only moderately unpleasant as he stepped before the crowd of Silence prisoners.

It had been decided that he would visit them alone. Attis was currently meeting with council members to smooth over the fallout of removing Kol and Sall-Da from the Council, and there were concerns that Sayane’s presence might have drawn too much of a negative reaction from those still loyal to the empire she was seen as destroying.

So Azag had entered the isolation district alone, save for the three former Silencers who were now his guards. Word had spread that he was coming, and the Silence prisoners had been brought from their dwellings to the largest open chamber in the quarantined zone at the edge of Haven. Slow, tired taps on the crystal ground heralded his arrival, and he looked out at the sea of beings, knowing there was a slight possibility they could rush the four of them and kill them before he could escape. Still, he had opted not to be escorted by hordes of fighters and weapons, lest he seem like a conqueror, and not the exhausted former bartender thrown into leadership that he actually was.

A slight curve led to a ridge that set him above the multitude, so he made his way to that point, then inhaled. This wasn’t how he’d imagined it all to go. He’d never been trained on any form of communication or politicking or comforting, yet there he was. All he could hope was that his words and hopes would resonate enough to keep the prisoners calmed while their fate was decided. Sayane and the others had already sacrificed far too much for him to fail simply because of nerves or doubt. Muscles tensed, and his throat cleared. Latches released, and his mask was removed.

Distant gasps and murmurs confirmed that the audience could see his visage well enough.

“The Monster of the Underworld!” one voice jeered to the joy of many.

Azag merely sighed.

“I’ve been called far worse!” he challenged with a laugh.

“Murderer!”

“Heretic!”

“Underling Beast! Let us go home!”

Voices rose in shouts that rippled out and gathered strength. More complaints lifted and a brief jolt of adrenaline shot through Azag’s veins as he wondered if he’d made a mistake. There were thousands of Silencers, and four of them. But he didn’t want to leave. Instead, he planted his feet and rested his palms on his walking staves. Ixhari stood beside him and bore her fangs.

“It’s fine. Let them wear themselves out,” he sighed.

But Ixhari didn’t listen. Instead, she let out a monstrous, lacerating roar that caused several at the front of the crowd to flinch. Miux and Kurexha joined in, pounding their breasts and unleashing their cries until the crowd quieted.

“Glory to the one who is strong even when they are weak!!” Ixhari shouted.

“GLORY TO THE ONE WHO IS STRONG EVEN WHEN THEY ARE WEAK!” Miux and Kurexha repeated.

There was a pause, then several in the audience muttered the words. Azag had heard the Silence chant before as a toast from many of the inspectors that would drink in his tavern. It was a common phrase within the empire, calling back to their uprising from servitude to power. Ixhari pointed a clawed finger towards Azag.

“Azag the Great Guardian has a weak body, yet he fights and kills Primarch Stol with his hand and war machina! He is the bondmate of the Songstress, who destroyed our protections and fleets, and communes with the Forbidden Stones and Sounds! His legs may be braced, but his rage is great. Hear him and fear him!!”

Miux and Kurexha extended their claws and raised their hands in attentive reverence. The trio of former Silencers faced Azag and knelt.

More voices muttered in quiet challenge, but a wealth of those in the audience received the order.

“Thy glory is heard!” the trio said.

“Thy glory is heard…” many replied.

Azag bowed slightly to his guards and reset his focus.

“I have known many of you for ages, even when we are at odds. I have drunk with you and know the names of your families! There is Valux from Rowl! Bonded to Rexus and father of two. I knew Alax from Bossius before they fell to the plague. We toasted his memory in my tavern. I have known your people, and I have known their decency as much as I have known your empire’s cruelty. And I know many of you knew that cruelty as well, even if it is still too difficult to acknowledge.”

Some challenged him. A few dared to nod. Most stayed silent.

His hands shook and a cold piercing sensation pushed against his ribs. But he continued.

“I have no desire to be a jailer, but I am also not so foolish to think that we can allow you to return to the world as it was. So I am here to offer you a choice. You will have a say-so in your future. What you make of it will be up to you!”

Once, long ago, he’d wanted for just one person to hear him and listen to him. Years passed without a single soul acknowledging him or daring to hold a conversation. Isolation had lasted so long, he’d spent an unhealthy portion of his adulthood wondering if he’d ever connect with another or hold a normal conversation. This was far from a normal conversation, but in that moment, he could not help but marvel at the fact that now, thousands upon thousands listened to him.

“Let us return to our homes!!” one being shouted.

Azag shook his head.

“No. That will not happen. That world is destroyed. Most of your cities collapsed on the day of the fall. You know this. I will not allow you to return to those places. But I will allow you to help us rebuild…”

This caught the attention of the audience.

It had taken some time, but Azag had finally had an epiphany regarding what to do with their current crisis. He knew Sayane and Attis would approve, so he’d decided to move forward.

“This world is broken. If you commit to helping us heal it, and commit to learning the truth about what your empire did to the rest of us, I will allow you to reintegrate into this new world. The rest of you, we will find a place for you to dwell. You will not be starved or harmed. I ask you to appoint ten representatives to speak on your behalf in council meetings, so that we might be aware of your struggles.”

His offer seemed to shock many of them. They had braced for violence, even after weeks of being fed and hosted. This creature before them was horrendously scarred and intimidating, yet his booming voice spoke with compassion and calmness.

Azag assumed that few would immediately take up his offer to join them and rebuild, so the last part of this plan would be to find a place for them to exist, even if it wasn’t in immediate proximity to the new world.

“Lastly, we will allow you to grieve your dead and the world you lost, so that you may move forward. Whatever death rites you wish, it will be honored, as within reason.”

That was enough. Some clapped. It was weak, but it was there. The mood had shifted slightly. Many still looked upon him with hate and fear; that wasn’t going to change with one offer. But the seeds had been planted. Azag exhaled and let his shoulders drop slightly, accepting this would have to do for now.

“Why are you allowing us decencies?” one small, scaled creature asked from the front.

Azag clipped his mask back into place and pondered an answer. The crowd leaned forward with curiosity.

“Up until very recently, my life was defined by hatred and pain from others. I… I have no desire to fall to those same ways.”

With that, he turned to leave. Then he paused.

“Oh, one more thing. If you wish to join us in revelry, we will be hosting a celebration in a few evenings. Voice carriers will be provided for those that wish to listen or even dance.”

“Dance?” another creature asked.

Azag chuckled.

“I know it was not your empire’s way, but… we’re throwing a ball.”

The crowd didn’t know how to react. Music and dancing had been banished for the entirety of their empire. For so many, it represented a taboo, heretical thing that harkened back to a world that had enslaved them. But this felt different. Many could barely hide their curious excitement. Azag bowed one last time.

“You can thank Attis and Sayane for that one.”

…

On the opposite side of Haven, Sayane herself was waiting quietly at the edge of the cliffside. Haven’s mysterious crystalline walls had opened to reveal the radiant pink and sapphire sky, which was now filled with returning airships. Erosc, Xentros, and the other Revolution fighters were finally returning after completing their sweeps of the outlying Silence colonies. What should have been a momentous, cheerful moment now felt somber and pensive in light of the colony drop.

Still, Sayane could not help but feel a bit of joy that Erosc was back safely, the Silence’s reach was controlled, and they were one more step closer to fully feeling like a new world had begun. Beyond that, fascination overwhelmed her senses as she beheld the Revolution’s sky fleet. Thus far in her journey, she’d only ever caught glimpses of their power and size. So many had been fighting in the skies far away while she was liberating the Great Harmony Shards, so she’d never gotten a chance to see them all together.

But now they were before her, mighty and surreal.

Towering crystals hovered before her, making the majority of the fleet’s bodies. Glinting rays of blue light cut across the dented and weathered metal panels of the building sized bases and artillery structures which were built directly into the crystals themselves. Every vessel was some combination of machina and nature, far more complex than any craft Sayane herself had yet ridden. At the center of it all was the dreadnaught, which should have been hosting thousands of former Silence citizens. But now, it floated empty with its rings of living spaces, freight storage, and weaponry all mounted to the skyscraper-sized shard that stood at the center. Seeing it stirred something in Sayane that she could not currently place.

A small skiff descended, and Sayane smiled as she waved to Erosc and the others.

“You’re back! You’re safe!!” Sayane cheered as she rushed forward.

Erosc grunted as he made his way to her. Sayane could almost swear he had more gray in his beard than he did even a few weeks ago when he departed. Still, he forced a tusked smile as he opened his arms for an embrace.

“I know you want a hug,” he said.

Sayane grinned and nodded, then jumped into his enormous arms. Coarse, prickly hair scraped along her face as she squeezed him, then set her down. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she saw that Xentros was looming over them, terrifyingly silhouetted by the dusk sun. If she didn’t know he was friendly to her, she would have screamed in terror.

“Might I… Enjoy an embrace as well?” Xentros asked.

Sayane almost laughed.

“If this is how the songstress celebrates victory, I shall adjust my ways. It is a foreign thing to me, but I will do my best.”

Seeing he was sincere caused Sayane to smile even more. Her head barely rose above his waist, but she knew it was an honest request, so she opened her arms and moved to hug him. His single remaining arm awkwardly pressed against her head and she knew he could rip her in half right then if he wanted, but instead, his fingers gingerly patted her back and then released.

“How was that?” Sayane asked.

“Odd. But I shall practice. I will instruct my blood daughters to practice as well, in case the songstress wishes to embrace her guards at any point. We shall not fail you.”

Again, Sayane wanted to laugh but knew that the bloodthirsty titan was being sincere.

Her focus returned to Erosc, who was watching with as much cautious amusement as her. A single eyebrow arch from him conveyed the entirety of his thoughts to her, and they shared a smirk.

“It is good to have you all back,” Sayane said.

Erosc’s jaw shifted as he let the idea move through him. His fight was all but complete. Just as the setting sun was announcing the end of the day, it was also announcing the end of his entire life’s purpose till then. Sayane watched silently as he moved through hundreds of thoughts and emotions in mere seconds.

“I’m sorry we did not save more. There are a few survivors, but they are not… grateful. I feel it is best to put them with the other prisoners for now,” Erosc said.

Sayane touched his arm to comfort him.

“I know you’ve fought far more battles than I can ever imagine, so I won’t try to tell you anything you haven’t already heard. But… I’ll listen if you want to talk about anything,” Sayane offered.

Erosc shook his head.

“I think I’d rather be distracted by listening to all of you. From what I’ve heard, I’ve missed quite a bit.”

“Oh yes! Azag and I are getting married! We’re all getting some wonderful new clothes! AAAAAAAND- We’re having a ball!!!” Sayane clapped.

Erosc titled his head and sighed.

“I was referring to the Kol and Ether almost killing you, Sayane…”

Sayane snorted.

“Oh… yeah. That. Well. We’re still moving through that. But- still here! And I think I’m going to be here for a while.”

Erosc patted her shoulder.

“That makes me happy. This world would be much less beautiful without you. Now, tell me about this ball.”

“Ball? A forbidden dance and song festival of heresy?” Xentros asked.

Sayane was afraid to answer, just in case such an idea was a breaking point for Xentros. She still did not fully understand what his code of loyalty was, and it would be ironic yet fitting if a ball was the thing that turned him back against her.

“Yessssss…” she muttered.

To her surprise, the colossus let out a bellowing laugh and slapped Erosc on the back.

“Delightful! I have never attended or witnessed such a thing. My blasphemy continues! I must make sure my blood daughters and I know the proper steps. Erosc. You will dance with me.”

Erosc sighed and shook his head as he looked back at the descending pink orb and the flotilla of hovering warships that now had no war to fight. Part of him would vanish with that sunset, but whatever remained, at least he would have a ball to distract him.