ACT V
THE GLORY WARS
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY INDIA
For Hans, it was an ordinary day, but for Concordia, it felt like a grand Festival. There were many new faces, and the security was top-notch. Even the graduates working in Node of Deadlands had come to make the World Summit successful. This happened every year, but since the first years were mostly isolated, Hans and others did not feel this wave last time, but this year it was grander, or one could say volatile. The nation that all were hostile to was head storming the Summit. After ten long years, this was the first public appearance of Parv.
Since all were busy or enjoying the buzz, the training grounds were empty, but two people were sparring, or more to say, one individual beating the other in a nonsensical way. “Hey, you only know four spells, throw some variations," Hans complained, stating, "I got used to your strategies and pattern a while ago.” His vines flung him to Vanir, and rolling mid-air, he knuckled the head of his junior, giving him a big bump at the top.
“Ha, ha, hmpf,” gasping, Vanir stood again, whining, “ Just how much mana you have, Senior.” Even Saprring daily for almost a week, Vanir thought this more of Hans venting his rage on him instead of learning something. "Agh, this thing again," He cried, crushing some thin creepers. The SugarDrain was the true culprit of exhausting him. He lifted his head and asked, doubting, "You are not a third or fourth circle, right?" However, Hans remained quiet. "Agh, at least, say something," Vanir shouted, stressing, so Hans responded, with a sly grin, "I'm limitless, junior. If you manage to outlast me in a battle of endurance, well, then maybe pigs will fly."
"Alright, alright, you don't have to tell me," Vanir dismissed with a wave of his hand, his scepticism mirroring that of everyone Hans had shared his secret with. Hans sighed, his expressions nonchalant, but Vanir asked, almost pleading, “Senior, when will you give me the potion?”
“After this headache of a summit ends...Woosh —” Hans turned, and said looking at a huge little pillar that fell from the sky, “They are here.”
“They sure have a grand entrance,” Vanir commented, so Hans tried to feel his stance, “So you don’t like Parvians either?”
“It doesn’t matter to me, To the highborn, we are just dead weight, a waste of breath. They all think of their own benefits. At this point, I might shake the devil’s hand if he can pull me out of this misery.”
"You've already sold yourself to me, Junior. Even if the devil desires you, he must seek my permission first," Hans proclaimed, turning red hearing his own words, and Vanir shared the sentiment. "Pft," he couldn't help but laugh, stating, "Do you realise how cringe that sounds?"
“Yeah, that didn’t come out as I wanted.” Hans said contemplating, and Vanir added, “I haven't signed the contract with you yet, senior.”
“Once I put my mind into something, I have to have it, no matter what —”
“But,” Vanir interrupted, “You let the princess go.”
"You have no fear, huh? Keep interrupting me, and your head might part ways with your body," Hans responded, his tone shifting to seriousness. This time, his demeanour aligned with the rumours that depicted him as volatile and easily provoked. Yet, Vanir sensed that even if he were to push things further, Hans wouldn't harm him. As he saw it, Hans was unlike the duplicitous people he'd encountered so far. Hans was genuine, speaking his mind without reservation, whether it was good or bad. And in Walter's terms - Easy to please.
"So respected, Senior, why did you let the princess go?" Apologising with a glance, he inquired, and as he had anticipated, Hans easily let it pass. "He is just a kid. Professor Walter was right." His monologue took a break when Hans started to speak after contemplating a bit, " I might have lost my mind back then. It's sort of like… I don’t know why… but I wanted her.”
“Well, she will grow pretty, that's for sure," Vanir shrugged off, misinterpreting Hans's words, adding, " Just look at the queen.”
“Yeah, that’s what got my father killed,” Hans mumbled in an inaudible voice, clarifying, “It's not the beauty. Probably. I also drool in front of talented people. But still, it is surprising, she didn’t fit any of my criteria and getting her will sabotage many things. It's more of a headache —”
“Then why did you choose me?” Vanir interrupted, and Hans answered, “Because you were a perfect fit, your desperation that fills your eyes instead of dreams that mostly everyone has. You are not here to become stronger, you are here to survive, and that is what I need now.”
“I have lived a shitty life, till now. I don’t even know how my parents are faring without me. And this fucking thing is what saving me, ironic, isn't it?” He smiled at his miserable fate, looking down. But an unexpected reply came through Hans, and it was not something calculative but through his heart.“I bet they are happy, even if they don’t have anything to feed themselves, they’d be happy knowing their son is forging his future, trying to escape the life of hardships.”
“Thanks for saying this senior.” Vanir stated he never thought he would be comforted by Hans, and the other party was thinking the same, “Nice Job Hans. But where is this came from?" He coughed, carrying the momentum, "Of course, I have to, that's my mentor's responsibility.”
“I really won't tell anyone so just tell me your actual age,” Vanir teased with moistened eyes, which rendered Hans's intent to retort defenceless, he gave up scolding and answered, “I’m really eleven, you idiot.” Hans paused, feeling a presence, and ordered, “Go to your dorms, First-years are not to loiter around during summit.” And with those words, Vanir made his quick exit.
“What were you waiting for, sis?” Hans asked, and Vanessa, who was outside the training grounds’ gate, appeared before him, “You were busy with your words of wisdom little brother, I didn’t want to interfere with you two.” She teased him with a glance and Hans chuckled in response, “So did I sound cool?” he asked.
"Yeah," tousling his hair, she responded, “Almost. Let's go, they probably want to talk to you before the summit.” Not having the option to deny, Hans picked his thing and went to his luxurious dorms. After cleaning up himself, he came out drying his hair and rubbing a towel on his head, he asked Vanessa waiting in his room, “So is everyone there?”
“Yeah," she took over and started drying his hair quickly, saying, "I just hope they could discuss themselves like adults, but politicians bicker like children, dear brother.”
“So what are they gonna bicker about?”
“I don’t know, yet. I’ll probably be with Lady Sierra, so I’d get to know it soon. Are you curious?”
"Yes, quite," Hans replied, casting a sneer in her direction. Vanessa matched his tone, saying, "I'll catch you up on things later, then." Tying his shoelaces, he asked again, “So who are the guests? I only knew every country sent someone.” Knowing him well, Vanessa knew his glint in the eye meant he was not gonna let it go until she answered this, so she started speaking whatever she knew of, “From Alliance and Grimgar: Hero King Norwin, Elven king: Elanor from Clandor, Dwarven chief; Nakhok Ironborn, the new king of Utar and current queen of Indu. Sunfall only sent their foreign ministers.”
“And from Parv?”
“Their Prime minister," She replied, doubting, " He only brought three knights. I don’t know if he is just fearless or arrogant.”
“He needs to show that even if he comes like this, even all the nations together can’t touch his single hair. That’s their useless pride that they keep close. I can understand.” Hans explained, remembering his past meeting with Arat. “That’s even dumb, dear brother." Vanessa said fixing his hair, "That man probably runs that nation. If others take him out here. Parv can’t do anything to save him.”
“Oh, sister, this is not like you, What happened?" Hans looked at her with doubtful eyes thinking, why she is not getting the meaning, so he explained his thoughts while walking to the meeting place "He probably wants that too. But his death only brings more chaos to the outside, don’t you think?”
“But what's the meaning of achieving what you want if you can’t even witness it happening.”
“Yeah, that's stupid,” he mumbled, “I don’t know what my father felt knowing the world would change the way he wanted, even after he died.” He hadn't noticed they'd arrived at the restricted area. He was just following Vanessa while lingering in his thoughts. She knocked on the door, and upon opening it, Hans stepped inside. A familiar face greeted him with a smile saying, “It's nice to meet you again, my prince. I’d have knelt but you —”
“Yeah yeah you have fucked up knees, Mr PM, so what do you wanna talk about?”
“f..f.., you need an etiquette teacher.. that's for the latter. I believe you have something that belongs to us?”
“Haa...What a petty old man! Can’t you let me have one artefact?” Hans asked, making an annoying face, but Arat, hardly showing his true expressions, kept his firm tone, “That thing belongs to the Parv royal family, and last time I checked, you didn't accept my proposal” he said, looking straight into Hans’s eyes. So Hans instantly refuted, “It just warms the surroundings. You miser.”
“No,” Arat’s expression changed this time, and he continued, “It's more significant than that.” And, seeing him that serious, Hans remained quiet. So Arat explained further, “Mother’s embrace is an artefact of old times, it shrouds the user with a warmth, which disables all the harmful effects, poison, corruption, pollution, anything that harms —”
“So this thing is a no-restriction-pass since it can allow anyone to cross the God’s breath that is isolating or protecting Parv." Hans muttered aloud, interrupting Arat and impressing him at the same time. Listening to him the old man laughed, adding, “Guess you use your head too, my prince.”
“You say my prince, my prince every moment you get, but I can’t see an ounce of respect for the title you are so eager to bestow on me, PM Arat.. wait... a minute” Hans paused, forgetting the words he was going to taunt Arat with. All because he had realised something that bothered him for a while, “So the bastards who attacked me in the County were looking for this.” Hans unhooked the strings on his neck and showed the mother’s embrace.
“Oh, So that's why you were attacked.” Arat nodded as he also found the missing piece of the puzzle that was hounding him. But he still didn’t know who was the instigator. So he tried Hans once again, “Do you know which moron grows a pair to do that?”
“Someone from Sunfall sent royal guards” Hans tattled without holding back, unaware that he was increasing Dijkstra's workload, continuing, “They keep asking me to give them the artefact but all I knew about this then was a warming device. Even that thing, the birthright does not have the information.” Hans said to confirm it with Arat, and as he expected, the old man in front of him was nodding, explaining, “Of course, since it is classified. But no matter how hard I think, other people knowing its function and it being the Sunfall is far less possible.”
“Whatever, it's your thing to solve,” Hans knew that as long as he returned it to Arat, those people would leave him alone. But one thing confused him more at this point, “So why were you giving this to evil monkeys?” He asked him st point blank. Since this turned out very important to them, no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't get the answer. But Arat's face was filled with disappointment. Sighing he answered with a question, "Isn't it obvious?"
"You dirty old man, you never planned to honour the deal with them, were you?"
The disappointment faded, finding that Hans understood his mind readily, “Well, the plan was to steal it back.” Arat said, almost pouting he continued, “But a certain someone spoiled everything.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Well, I meant as one. You did a fine job fooling us. There was no room for us to chase you. It was a flawless improvement. Guess blood doesn’t lie.”
“But It has to,” Hans shook his head left and right, denying Arat, “I don’t wanna die because of going crazy over a woman.”
“There are bigger plots in the play my prince. You are half right and half wrong about your father.”
“Stop, I don't wanna know the bigger picture you adults keep talking about.” Hans gestured surprising Arat because he thought Hans would be more eager to know, but his answer stupefied him. Hans kept shaking his head and answered, “I don't wanna deify him like you. And it's not my mess to get involved with." He paused and continued, "Isn’t it time for you to stop moving as he wished, he is dead after all?”
Arat pulled a piece of paper, folded neatly and gave it to Hans, “Open it,” he said but before accepting it, Hans wanted to know what it was so Arat responded in kind, “ Even if a cog is missing, Fate won't stop running, my prince, it just takes a different coarse from an intended one. You'll understand soon." Pointing at the paper, he explained, "That is the copy of the first page of the book Mandate.” The words were not even left from his mouth and Hans had snatched the paper and opened it in haste.“I’ll be back, in one form or another. So wait ‘cause this king ain't done yet.”
“Fuck!”
Announcement
NEXT : THE WORLD SUMMIT (2)
ACT V
THE GLORY WARS
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY INDIA
For Hans, it was an ordinary day, but for Concordia, it felt like a grand Festival. There were many new faces, and the security was top-notch. Even the graduates working in Node of Deadlands had come to make the World Summit successful. This happened every year, but since the first years were mostly isolated, Hans and others did not feel this wave last time, but this year it was grander, or one could say volatile. The nation that all were hostile to was head storming the Summit. After ten long years, this was the first public appearance of Parv.
Since all were busy or enjoying the buzz, the training grounds were empty, but two people were sparring, or more to say, one individual beating the other in a nonsensical way. “Hey, you only know four spells, throw some variations," Hans complained, stating, "I got used to your strategies and pattern a while ago.” His vines flung him to Vanir, and rolling mid-air, he knuckled the head of his junior, giving him a big bump at the top.
“Ha, ha, hmpf,” gasping, Vanir stood again, whining, “ Just how much mana you have, Senior.” Even Saprring daily for almost a week, Vanir thought this more of Hans venting his rage on him instead of learning something. "Agh, this thing again," He cried, crushing some thin creepers. The SugarDrain was the true culprit of exhausting him. He lifted his head and asked, doubting, "You are not a third or fourth circle, right?" However, Hans remained quiet. "Agh, at least, say something," Vanir shouted, stressing, so Hans responded, with a sly grin, "I'm limitless, junior. If you manage to outlast me in a battle of endurance, well, then maybe pigs will fly."
"Alright, alright, you don't have to tell me," Vanir dismissed with a wave of his hand, his scepticism mirroring that of everyone Hans had shared his secret with. Hans sighed, his expressions nonchalant, but Vanir asked, almost pleading, “Senior, when will you give me the potion?”
“After this headache of a summit ends...Woosh —” Hans turned, and said looking at a huge little pillar that fell from the sky, “They are here.”
“They sure have a grand entrance,” Vanir commented, so Hans tried to feel his stance, “So you don’t like Parvians either?”
“It doesn’t matter to me, To the highborn, we are just dead weight, a waste of breath. They all think of their own benefits. At this point, I might shake the devil’s hand if he can pull me out of this misery.”
"You've already sold yourself to me, Junior. Even if the devil desires you, he must seek my permission first," Hans proclaimed, turning red hearing his own words, and Vanir shared the sentiment. "Pft," he couldn't help but laugh, stating, "Do you realise how cringe that sounds?"
“Yeah, that didn’t come out as I wanted.” Hans said contemplating, and Vanir added, “I haven't signed the contract with you yet, senior.”
“Once I put my mind into something, I have to have it, no matter what —”
“But,” Vanir interrupted, “You let the princess go.”
"You have no fear, huh? Keep interrupting me, and your head might part ways with your body," Hans responded, his tone shifting to seriousness. This time, his demeanour aligned with the rumours that depicted him as volatile and easily provoked. Yet, Vanir sensed that even if he were to push things further, Hans wouldn't harm him. As he saw it, Hans was unlike the duplicitous people he'd encountered so far. Hans was genuine, speaking his mind without reservation, whether it was good or bad. And in Walter's terms - Easy to please.
"So respected, Senior, why did you let the princess go?" Apologising with a glance, he inquired, and as he had anticipated, Hans easily let it pass. "He is just a kid. Professor Walter was right." His monologue took a break when Hans started to speak after contemplating a bit, " I might have lost my mind back then. It's sort of like… I don’t know why… but I wanted her.”
“Well, she will grow pretty, that's for sure," Vanir shrugged off, misinterpreting Hans's words, adding, " Just look at the queen.”
“Yeah, that’s what got my father killed,” Hans mumbled in an inaudible voice, clarifying, “It's not the beauty. Probably. I also drool in front of talented people. But still, it is surprising, she didn’t fit any of my criteria and getting her will sabotage many things. It's more of a headache —”
“Then why did you choose me?” Vanir interrupted, and Hans answered, “Because you were a perfect fit, your desperation that fills your eyes instead of dreams that mostly everyone has. You are not here to become stronger, you are here to survive, and that is what I need now.”
“I have lived a shitty life, till now. I don’t even know how my parents are faring without me. And this fucking thing is what saving me, ironic, isn't it?” He smiled at his miserable fate, looking down. But an unexpected reply came through Hans, and it was not something calculative but through his heart.“I bet they are happy, even if they don’t have anything to feed themselves, they’d be happy knowing their son is forging his future, trying to escape the life of hardships.”
“Thanks for saying this senior.” Vanir stated he never thought he would be comforted by Hans, and the other party was thinking the same, “Nice Job Hans. But where is this came from?" He coughed, carrying the momentum, "Of course, I have to, that's my mentor's responsibility.”
“I really won't tell anyone so just tell me your actual age,” Vanir teased with moistened eyes, which rendered Hans's intent to retort defenceless, he gave up scolding and answered, “I’m really eleven, you idiot.” Hans paused, feeling a presence, and ordered, “Go to your dorms, First-years are not to loiter around during summit.” And with those words, Vanir made his quick exit.
“What were you waiting for, sis?” Hans asked, and Vanessa, who was outside the training grounds’ gate, appeared before him, “You were busy with your words of wisdom little brother, I didn’t want to interfere with you two.” She teased him with a glance and Hans chuckled in response, “So did I sound cool?” he asked.
"Yeah," tousling his hair, she responded, “Almost. Let's go, they probably want to talk to you before the summit.” Not having the option to deny, Hans picked his thing and went to his luxurious dorms. After cleaning up himself, he came out drying his hair and rubbing a towel on his head, he asked Vanessa waiting in his room, “So is everyone there?”
“Yeah," she took over and started drying his hair quickly, saying, "I just hope they could discuss themselves like adults, but politicians bicker like children, dear brother.”
“So what are they gonna bicker about?”
“I don’t know, yet. I’ll probably be with Lady Sierra, so I’d get to know it soon. Are you curious?”
"Yes, quite," Hans replied, casting a sneer in her direction. Vanessa matched his tone, saying, "I'll catch you up on things later, then." Tying his shoelaces, he asked again, “So who are the guests? I only knew every country sent someone.” Knowing him well, Vanessa knew his glint in the eye meant he was not gonna let it go until she answered this, so she started speaking whatever she knew of, “From Alliance and Grimgar: Hero King Norwin, Elven king: Elanor from Clandor, Dwarven chief; Nakhok Ironborn, the new king of Utar and current queen of Indu. Sunfall only sent their foreign ministers.”
“And from Parv?”
“Their Prime minister," She replied, doubting, " He only brought three knights. I don’t know if he is just fearless or arrogant.”
“He needs to show that even if he comes like this, even all the nations together can’t touch his single hair. That’s their useless pride that they keep close. I can understand.” Hans explained, remembering his past meeting with Arat. “That’s even dumb, dear brother." Vanessa said fixing his hair, "That man probably runs that nation. If others take him out here. Parv can’t do anything to save him.”
“Oh, sister, this is not like you, What happened?" Hans looked at her with doubtful eyes thinking, why she is not getting the meaning, so he explained his thoughts while walking to the meeting place "He probably wants that too. But his death only brings more chaos to the outside, don’t you think?”
“But what's the meaning of achieving what you want if you can’t even witness it happening.”
“Yeah, that's stupid,” he mumbled, “I don’t know what my father felt knowing the world would change the way he wanted, even after he died.” He hadn't noticed they'd arrived at the restricted area. He was just following Vanessa while lingering in his thoughts. She knocked on the door, and upon opening it, Hans stepped inside. A familiar face greeted him with a smile saying, “It's nice to meet you again, my prince. I’d have knelt but you —”
“Yeah yeah you have fucked up knees, Mr PM, so what do you wanna talk about?”
“f..f.., you need an etiquette teacher.. that's for the latter. I believe you have something that belongs to us?”
“Haa...What a petty old man! Can’t you let me have one artefact?” Hans asked, making an annoying face, but Arat, hardly showing his true expressions, kept his firm tone, “That thing belongs to the Parv royal family, and last time I checked, you didn't accept my proposal” he said, looking straight into Hans’s eyes. So Hans instantly refuted, “It just warms the surroundings. You miser.”
“No,” Arat’s expression changed this time, and he continued, “It's more significant than that.” And, seeing him that serious, Hans remained quiet. So Arat explained further, “Mother’s embrace is an artefact of old times, it shrouds the user with a warmth, which disables all the harmful effects, poison, corruption, pollution, anything that harms —”
“So this thing is a no-restriction-pass since it can allow anyone to cross the God’s breath that is isolating or protecting Parv." Hans muttered aloud, interrupting Arat and impressing him at the same time. Listening to him the old man laughed, adding, “Guess you use your head too, my prince.”
“You say my prince, my prince every moment you get, but I can’t see an ounce of respect for the title you are so eager to bestow on me, PM Arat.. wait... a minute” Hans paused, forgetting the words he was going to taunt Arat with. All because he had realised something that bothered him for a while, “So the bastards who attacked me in the County were looking for this.” Hans unhooked the strings on his neck and showed the mother’s embrace.
“Oh, So that's why you were attacked.” Arat nodded as he also found the missing piece of the puzzle that was hounding him. But he still didn’t know who was the instigator. So he tried Hans once again, “Do you know which moron grows a pair to do that?”
“Someone from Sunfall sent royal guards” Hans tattled without holding back, unaware that he was increasing Dijkstra's workload, continuing, “They keep asking me to give them the artefact but all I knew about this then was a warming device. Even that thing, the birthright does not have the information.” Hans said to confirm it with Arat, and as he expected, the old man in front of him was nodding, explaining, “Of course, since it is classified. But no matter how hard I think, other people knowing its function and it being the Sunfall is far less possible.”
“Whatever, it's your thing to solve,” Hans knew that as long as he returned it to Arat, those people would leave him alone. But one thing confused him more at this point, “So why were you giving this to evil monkeys?” He asked him st point blank. Since this turned out very important to them, no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't get the answer. But Arat's face was filled with disappointment. Sighing he answered with a question, "Isn't it obvious?"
"You dirty old man, you never planned to honour the deal with them, were you?"
The disappointment faded, finding that Hans understood his mind readily, “Well, the plan was to steal it back.” Arat said, almost pouting he continued, “But a certain someone spoiled everything.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Well, I meant as one. You did a fine job fooling us. There was no room for us to chase you. It was a flawless improvement. Guess blood doesn’t lie.”
“But It has to,” Hans shook his head left and right, denying Arat, “I don’t wanna die because of going crazy over a woman.”
“There are bigger plots in the play my prince. You are half right and half wrong about your father.”
“Stop, I don't wanna know the bigger picture you adults keep talking about.” Hans gestured surprising Arat because he thought Hans would be more eager to know, but his answer stupefied him. Hans kept shaking his head and answered, “I don't wanna deify him like you. And it's not my mess to get involved with." He paused and continued, "Isn’t it time for you to stop moving as he wished, he is dead after all?”
Arat pulled a piece of paper, folded neatly and gave it to Hans, “Open it,” he said but before accepting it, Hans wanted to know what it was so Arat responded in kind, “ Even if a cog is missing, Fate won't stop running, my prince, it just takes a different coarse from an intended one. You'll understand soon." Pointing at the paper, he explained, "That is the copy of the first page of the book Mandate.” The words were not even left from his mouth and Hans had snatched the paper and opened it in haste.“I’ll be back, in one form or another. So wait ‘cause this king ain't done yet.”
“Fuck!”
Announcement
NEXT : THE WORLD SUMMIT (2)
