Fracture

February 19th, Imperial Year 880
Cordelia Estate, Courtyard

Deacon Lanius shook his head as he walked past the corpses of several soldiers, their bodies covered in rubble. He made a small prayer before them, before continuing on his way.

Dozens of soldiers and workers swarmed around the heavily damaged castle, trying to dig survivors out of the rubble. Lanius continued on, until he reached a body that was not covered in rubble or wounds. The man hung from a stake, on the other side of the wall.

Lanius blinked. An execution, just after the battle? Admittedly, he had spent much of the ordeal cowering in his chapel, but it was still quite unusual.

Lanius walked around the wall, intrigued. Several heavily armed soldiers stood around a group of unarmed kneeling men in military tunics, their hands on their heads. Their faces were frozen in fear as the only armored man of the group, let out a tirade of pleas before the count. 

"Sir..." Rayne protested. "You've already executed Varius! What more do you want?"

"All those that disobey my directives have no right to live."

"Varius did what I failed to do! You had no right to kill him. I was wrong about you, Count."

"Does it seem so, Rayne? I for one, am not disappointed in you at all."

"Shut up." Rayne clenched his teeth. "You're a monster. Varius...and whatever you did to Phoebe..."

"I have no obligation to explain myself right now. Men, take the other soldiers and make an example of them. And take Lord Fiorenzo to his...new residence."

Lanius watched as the crying soldiers were dragged towards the gallows, while Rayne was forcefully escorted deeper into the castle.

"Count. I believe I did not acquaint myself yesterday."

"Deacon Lanius. I was told that you were coming. The defector?"

Lanius watched blankly as the soldiers were strung up, and hung. Their faces turned blue and purple, as the armed and armored soldiers turned their backs on them.

"A believer. I know not what happened here, but I have heard good things about you from Archbishop Simos. Seeing this...I believe Simos was the deluded one. What you're creating here looks to be far greater than societal reform."

Aeneas looked at Lanius for a moment, eyeing him up and down.

"Do you know what I am doing?"

"No, not really. But I admit, I'm intrigued. Unlike that poor old fool." Lanius gazed out at Rayne.

Aeneas smirked.

"Rayne can be turned. He doesn't have the full picture."

"And neither do I, count. Tell me, that girl - Phoebe, I think her name was - she is the 'catalyst', correct?" Lanius looked out at the castle. 

"Yes."

The two men stared out at the site of the executions for a bit longer, before Aeneas decided to retire to an intact building of the castle.

"He sent me here to spy on you, you know."

"I am aware."

"Was it really that obvious?"

"Yes."

"In any case Count, I've heard a lot about you from the Archbishop."

"Have you?"

Lanius gripped Aeneas's hand.

"Count." Lanius said, desperation in his voice. "Are you really trying to create a new world? I've heard, from Simos, but I can see you go much further. A world without endemic death. Without constant warfare. Without nobility."

Aeneas once again scanned Lanius with his eyes, perhaps a bit surprised.

"Yes, that is my goal. And so much more."

A smile slowly crept up Lanius's face.

"Then, I am in. To a beautiful world, Count. Hah, I thought I was the only one." Lanius stepped back, a stunned look on his face.

"Do you have the materials I requested from Simos?"

"Of course." Lanius produced a crystal. "From Cartethene Academy. Let's consider it a souvenir from that day."

"Wonderful."

"You know, that old fogey wanted to send a fake replica instead, to slow you down. He wanted to send a salt crystal! Imagine that, a salt crystal."

"If he thought I couldn't tell between a salt crystal and a shard of one of the Church's old relics, then he truly has gone senile."

Lanius laughed.

"He's a relic."

"Indeed he is. Anyhow. A shard of concentrated mana will be...quite rather useful to me. I've studied the works of Caliros Baseli. This was one of the pieces I was missing. So that's why it didn't work out..."

"Caliros...Baseli?"

"Did Simos not tell you?" Aeneas asked, as he placed the crystal down on a table.

"...no, not really."

"Hmph."

"So, is your project close to completion?"

"No, not quite. There are still two missing ingredients. Firstly, is the location. I've discovered that my castle is not a site suited to create the miracle. It lacks the leylines. The best place we could have it that's nearby is Cartethene itself."

"Cartethene is contested territory, surely you can't-"

"It has to be perfect." Aeneas snarled. "I will see the miracle through, no matter the cost."

"Then it is so. Well, if it's for a greater world, what's a few more?"

Aeneas smiled.

"You understand. Only if that Fiorenzo boy did as well."

"And what do you need of him?"

"I see greatness in him. Fiorenzo is a dreamer, just like me. He will come to understand. He is already halfway there."

"I...see." Lanius turned around, and gazed at the table, and the mess of equations scrawled on papers on it. "So, what is your second missing ingredient? If you don't mind, I will be writing a 'secret' letter to Simos, right here. Not to worry, I'll let you read it afterwards."

Aeneas slowly drew a circle on the floor, as he shook his head.

"That's the thing. I don't know. But in any case, it doesn't matter. We are almost there. The miracle, must be enacted at Cartethene, but there is no reason we can't get some elements started early..."

A thin ring of smoke began to emerge from the floor, until it gradually took the shape of a person. The smoke coalesced into a coherent shape, until it resembled something looking like Phoebe herself.

Lanius coughed. Aeneas smiled.

"What...what?" Lanius asked, as he looked at the figure in horror as Aeneas confidently walked forward. "What is this-"

"Tell me, oh wishful one. For what is my purpose?"

Aeneas grinned.

"Perfect."

***

"Ha, ha!" Simos laughed, as he sprinkled a strange liquid atop the letter he had received. "Wonderful work Lanius, wonderful work. All according to plan, eh?" 

Underneath the words that had been carefully audited by Aeneas sat a second set of sentences that now revealed the true contents of the letter.

The Count is fooled. I am in. Project requires travel to Cartethene. Do not let him near.
The letter read.

Simos laughed and laughed and laughed until he could no more, and then burnt the letter under a candle.