The Realm of Austur Episode 2: New Consequences

Vincent opened his eyes and tenderly massaged the back of her hand. It was so small and pale compared to his... "You're far too good for me, Yekiri. But I'd sooner die than let anyone else have you. I intend to keep you."

He brings her hand to his lips and places a loving kiss on it. Silver came back then, and draped a wet cloth on his forehead. She then pulled the bedsheet up to his stomach, leaving his upper chest uncovered. "Rest," Silver orders. She gives a meaningful look to Elia that said something along the lines of Please, stay with him, dimmed the lights, and quit the room.

Vincent closes his eyes again, albeit reluctantly. When he spoke next, his voice was very soft and quiet. "Stay with me. I don't know what will happen if I try to sleep... Dammit, I... I'm scared, Elia. The things I see... They would drive anyone else insane..."

He gently squeezed her hand, and smiled. For a brief moment, there was strength again in his smile and his voice. "Thank you, Elia... I'm lucky to have you."

He closed his eyes again, and this time, they did not open for quite a while. His breathing was gentle and easy. Silver came back into the room just as Vincent fell asleep. "Do you need anything?" She asks Elia quietly. "He'll probably be asleep for a long time, and we can't leave him alone, not even for a moment. I... I have a feeling we're his only anchors right now. He needs us. So we'll have to take turns staying with him. He needs you more than he needs me, Elia... So you need to keep first watch, so to speak. So do you need anything? Drink? Snack?"

It was clear Silver was worried and scared, and her nerves were shot, but despite that, she was trying to be strong.

"I don't know if a sedative would even work on him," Silver answers. "By now you must have realized he doesn't exactly have the biology of a normal human. But if it did... Putting him in an even deeper sleep would be a really, really bad idea. He has to be able to wake up, and we have to be able to wake him up in case of an emergency. If we can't wake him up, then..."

Silver trailed off ominously and gulped. "I'll go get those herbs now. Dad taught me how to make Mana Potions before, and while I may not be the best at it, I know what you need. I'll be right back."

She quickly left the room and went upstairs, only realizing she didn't know which room was Elia's when she got there. But she searched for something containing Elia's scent and quickly found her room that way. She gathered all the supplies she could find and brought them back downstairs, setting them down on the Night Table near the bed. She then pulled up a chair and sat down next to Elia.

"I've never seen him like this before," she says quietly. "He's always been so strong, immovable, invincible... Like a mountain. Nothing ever affects him. I know his nightmares are terrible... From what he's told me, they're like prophecies. Visions of things from the past or the future... But I don't understand why they're affecting him so much. What's going on in the world that he's seeing something so horrible? It can't be a vision of the past, because this has never happened before... Which means he must be seeing- no, living something that's happening in the future. Elia, do you have any ideas?"

"Welcome back to The Realm of Austur Mailbag! As always, I'm your beautiful hostess, Anna!" the redheaded woman with a ponytail said. "Today we have a very exciting show. Our guest, Elia Arrington, is here to answer all of your questions, but there's just one problem. There are too many great questions! So, in order to squeeze as many of them in as posssible, we're going to set up a speed round of questions. Elia will have a certain amount of time and will answer as many questions in that time as she can. When time is up, poof! she'll be back home. Elia, are you ready to start?"

"I'm ready," she said.

---

Shaldrian PostMaster_EX

What would you do to Arcturus if he found and returned you to Titus?

"Most likely, I would completely lose control of myself and my powers, and that would result in staggering damage to whatever environment I was in and many people injured or dead. It wouldn't even be for self-preservation at that point, but simply because I would snap. I'm not sure whether I would be able to come back from that kind of state either..."

In an alternate dimension could you yourself being married to Arcturus?

"No. Never."

Kiss, Marry, Kill -> A Zombie, A Lich and A Vampire

"Marry the lich, of course. As for the others, kiss a vampire and kill the zombie, if only because I wouldn't be able to bring myself to kiss decaying lips."

Do you sleep with Vincent often?

"Not yet, but soon I will."

Vincent: Dreamy or Dreary?

"Dreamy, although I have seen him act dreary before, but it's just that, an act."

Real Talk, does Vincent push the "dark, mysterious, cryptic loner" persona too much?

"Very much like my last response, yes, he does on occasion. He is getting better about it though, so it's fairly rare to see him act like that now, at least when I'm around."

Why did your life suck and why are you so negative?

"Because outside forces are trying to ruin my life because it makes it much easier for them to use me in their plans. As for the negativity, I'be just needed someone to teach me to be positive and give me something to be positive about, and I found both in Vincent. I'm very grateful to him for all the changes he's helped me make in my life. That part of the reason why I love him so much."

Do you have strong feelings of hate towards anyone?

"Hate is a very strong word, you know. That being said, Arcturus. Next question, please."

Are you paranoid and if so is it justified?

"There is something that I'm paranoid about, something I hope never comes to pass. Frankly, my paranoia when it comes to that event is justified, though the majority of other people aren't likely to agree because they have no way to see the signs for themselves. But in general I'm not a very paranoid person."

What's your opinion of Pearl?

"Pearl is... eccentric, but has a very good heart. I don't know how someone like herself can be with someone like Arcturus. Their personalities are so different. But, if she's happy then that's good. I continue to think if her as a good friend, even though I don't like her husband and continue to avoid him like the plague."

If you could gain great personal happiness at the expense of others would you do it?

"No, I wouldn't. If I had chosen to give in to what the gods' design was for my life, I would be doing just that. As you can imagine, they made a very bad choice for the one who's supposed to set their plans in motion. I never want to hurt anyone else, even for my own gain, and that's been true my entire life and will not change. That's who I really am."

What was the worst part of being royalty?

"Being related to Arcturus. Having your own adoptive mother actively trying, and very nearly successfully, to murder you. Your adoptive father being out of his mind and delusional, having brought you into that life so he could be close to you for incredibly questionable reasons. There are many problems that came with a title I never wanted, and I can't tell you which is worst. But if we're talking about being royalty in general, it has to be that you're always surrounded by sleazy politians who won't leave you alone."

Will you always remember the Monastery that was razed to the ground by Alucard?

"Yes, I will. After all, I spent the majority of of life up until this point in that monastery. Perhaps my biggest regret is that I never made any effort to learn more about Austur's ancient history while I was there, since I was just using it as a shelter, hiding behind it all those years with no idea of the real attachments I had developed to most of the people there. Now much of the knowledge about the most advanced era in our history has been lost for good."

Speaking of Alucard, he contracted Vincent to train you. Has your opinion about Vincent changed and what do you think Alucard wants with you?

"Vincent told me about his meeting with Alucard. It didn't change my opinion then either, as I still didn't know exactly what I thought of him at the time. As for what Alucard wants with me, I'm unsure and so is Vincent, though we have some theories."

Do you still worship Kryla?

"Not after knowing what I know now. When I first came to after the battle at the monastery I could think clearly, and as I found out more and more about what happened after I started losing control I made too many connections that painted a grim picture. That's part of the reason why it took me so long to do something again. I had lost my way, and I wished I was dead. I've learned better than to trust the old gods of Austur anymore."

Is there any particular hero from the old tales that you aspire to be more like?

"There are two, actually. One was a simple mother, someone of no renown, who became a footnote in history. All she ever did worth noting was to defy the monsters who in ancient times had set out to exterminate the human race, but she was the first. The very first one to call them out for the monsters they were, traitors, murderers... And then there was the man inspired by her defiance, who, instead of running, took up arms against them with the magick they so feared and despised humanity for. In doing so he gave up a position that had promised him power and great reverence. He is remembered by most for the role fate had given him, but I remember him for being the first human recorded to have fought against that fate, knowing exactly how it made him a target. Neither one of them cared about the danger they put themselves in anymore, because they just wanted to do what was right. They are my heroes."

---

fieryimperial

How do you feel about people who kill for a living (bounty hunters, violent mercenaries, assassins)?

"My opinions really change for each person, depending on their motives and what kind of jobs they take. The truth is that someone has to be willing to do some of those jobs, so there's no reason to hate them unless they're immoral."

From a rating of 1 to "smokin'!" rate Vincent's physical appearance.

"He's very handsome. But the most attractive thing about him is by far his heart. He's very kind and is always concerned for the well-being of others."

If you ever have a child, would you prefer a boy or girl?

"I want to have both a boy and a gorl one day. I don't have a preference for which one I have first either."

Hypothetical scenario: you MUST duel a master of one of the seven circles of magick to death or incapacitation. Which magick Type master would you want to fight the LEAST?

"It's very hard to fight a skilled illusion mage, but I would honestly have more trouble against a Type-3, simply because of the many ways they can actually warp reality."

What is your favorite food?

"I really enjoy the foods from countries where they use many spices. They're far more interesting because of that than food from my own country."

Have you ever killed a man? If not, what would push you into doing so?

"I have, but only while fighting from a distance and when they were attacking us. I don't think I could kill someone up close, where I could see their face and look into their eyes... But if I had to do it to defend someone I love, I could do it. There are a lot of things we find that we can do in that sort of situation."

Do you Strongly Agree, Somewhat Agree, Somewhat Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with the following statement: Love can cloud one's judgement and is a hindrance more than anything.

"While I do agree that it can cloud one's judgement, I strongly disagree that it's a hindrance. As I just said, we can push ourselves to do the impossible for the sake of those we love. How could that be a hindrance? Being able to love someone or something gives us power."

What's your ideal formal wear (for any occasion)?

"Just a nice dress, my jewelry, and with my hair done nicely. I prefer to keep it simple enough that I can do it myself."

Do you consider your spitting similarities to Caesaria to be a coincidence or something more... complicated?

"Something very complicated. There's nothing coincidental about it, that much I am sure about."

If you can say anything to Emperor Titus and/or the rest of the Cleatian royals with no repercussions whatsoever, what would you say?

"Just that I'm living the life I've always really wanted now, and that I'm happy. Nothing confrontational. Well... I take that back. I'd taunt Cornelia about her failed plot to kill me. She can die out of sheer bitterness for all I care."

---

HHDéjà_vu_jokes

Why male models?

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I understand your question. Is this related to me or even Austur at all? Because for some reason I doubt it."

---

Mister_XYZ

If you were animal what would you be?

"I'm not quite sure, but it would probably be some type of bird so I could have wings and fly."

How does one fall for a lich? I know people fall for vampires but at least they are kinda of people. Wouldn't falling for a lich be the same thing as falling in love with a zombie or a ghost???

"One falls for a lich just as one falls for anyone else. Love is strange. It knows no boundaries. But in my case, it's because Vincent isn't really a lich like you're thinking of. Unless he transforms, which he rarely ever does willingly and I doubt that will change, he's very human. So there's my reasoning. I fell in love with Vincent for who I see him as, and who he's shown me through his actions that he is; a human."

---

Anonymous

So I heard from a certain Type-4 friend of mine that you've been thinking some really dirty thoughts that involve Vincent. What do you have to say to defend yourself?

"What-! No, I haven't, I swear I haven't done anything like that! I only thought about-...!"

Before Elia could finish explaining she vanished just as quickly as she had first appeared on the stage, leaving the audience very unconvinced and skeptical.

"Time's up! Pfft, no one's that innocent, but she really expected us to believe her? What a character," said Anna.

"All of them... Kryla, Drinn, Mosck, Syk, and Marce are coming back to finish what they started. Their vessels have started to appear," she said.

"I don't know. I'm as clueless as anyone else about the why. But... Silver, you flinched when I said Mosck. Are you okay? Did hearing that trigger some kind of reaction, or was it a coincidence? I need you to be totally honest with me here, even if you don't think it was because of the name, what do your instincts tell you?" Elia asked, turning even more serious.

Arcturus sniffed the air as he continued on his mission to track down his young aunt.

Elia... Why don't you understand?

Vincent nods and sits up, stifling a yawn. He leans back against the bed's wooden headboard and looks over at Elia. "Thank you, Elia."

He looks down at his scar covered chest and gives a small chuckle. While most of his scars had grown faint over the years, one in particular was still clear as day; a long, jagged scar over his heart that looked like someone had tried to impale him- and succeeded.

"I wish I had met you a long time ago," he says quietly, smiling.

"Perhaps both," Vincent says, laughing. He smiles. "But enough of that. I've wasted too much time on regrets already. I made a promise to someone dear to me that I would start looking towards the future."

He suddenly pushes the sheets aside and stands up, walking over to Elia. He silences her objections with a quick kiss, and pulls her into his arms. "Speaking of which, I promised you an explanation, didn't I?"