Chapter 802 – Family Time

The Age of Gaia poses a conundrum, as farcical as that word is. Ultimately, we come across an issue with it being the start of history, and of life on Arda, and there is no such thing of something preceding the Age of Gaia (Save for the theory that saves the Dwarven Highways precede the Age of Gaia, and the grey wood that inhabits them), Yet there are rocks that can be reasoned to be older than a mere three thousand years old. Likewise, Arda had to exist for the Age of Gaia to occur.

There is a theory, that is somewhat questionable, which states that the Age of Gaia was the planet’s “pop” into existence. That preceding Year X, this sector of space simply empty and then, one day, it was filled by a world overran with nature. Whereas this work tries to be neutral in all its presentations, I myself do not believe in this theory.

Nevertheless, the theory holds merit because we have nothing preceding Year X. It is not an informational gap, it is an entire informational vacuum which exists. Informational gaps occur during the Age of Monsters and the Age of Gaia, where we can look at Iniri’s first garden, and we have to draw conclusions on how that garden spread, or how other sects of humanity survived during those times.

There is another theory, that I am more willing towards, which poses that Year X was a great reset. It answers even less than Spontaneous Existence, however it poses less issues. The mountain ranges have always been mountain ranges, the forests have always been forests. We have stones that are older than Year X as well.

Yet the questions posed by Great Reset are far more concerning. Spontaneous Existence is quick and it is clean. Great Reset poses us with the problem of life on Arda before life on Arda. There should be civilizations there, even if it was primitive, we should see basic tools or signs of habitations. Something as small pre-historic bones found, or some basic working with tools, or anything else.

The Great Reset lives up to its name, because it left utterly nothing behind. Not even the tiniest shred of life.

- Excerpt from “Archive of Arda”, written by Goddess Elassa, of Magic.

Ilwin had done his job and waited patiently for news of the Empire. He watched through the entirety of the Surface War. He watched news and then the high-ranking channels he had access to see the ICDT towers drop. He had watched the Imperial victory that he played no role in, and now he was watching his nation save the world from the Second Arc, and he knew they would.

And it would be not because of, not in annoyance of, but to spite him. The world would be saved because he was not there, because as one half of the Tremali household was amassing enough glory to make every ancestor and descendant seethe, he was here, working on keeping a nation from stability whilst ensuring it did not descend into needless chaos. The only thing that kept him going was knowing that his grandfather had done the same, for a thousand years when the man headed the Arascan Cult.

And knowing his grandfather, the man probably did it without a bad word said to anyone or even a hint of moping about. Iliyal Tremali most likely did it all with that glare on his face. Ilwin leaned back in his seat and looked around the underground office. This had been where it began. Only a few years ago, Ilwin had stood here as Iliyal Tremali ordered the excavation of God Arascus.

He had always imagined what it would be like to sit in this chair. Back then, this tiny office, with its illuminated white plastic walls and the wooden desk, the chair that spun around and could be lowered or raised with a handle, the leather of it and the armrests, the monitor standing on the desk and the papers in the desk felt like the peak of Imperial power.

Now?

It was an exile.

And Ilwin would not even mind the exile where it not for the other person in this room. Sara Daganhoff, Duchess Sara Daganhoff, he heard that fucking title enough times a day that he would never forget it. The human woman, two heads shorter than him and with not a hint of shame about her, lounged in her armchair in a red dress. “Are you excited for today?” She quipped. Second time that question was asked in half an hour.

“Somewhat.” Ilwin replied and pulled his eyes off the woman. He had whiskey prepared, reports too, even a future plan. It was impossible to predict what his grandfather wanted to see. The man would never accept Daganhoff herself as a gift, but Ilwin had promised to himself that he would at least try to get rid of her.

“It’s a family reunion.” Sara said and stretched, her entire chest moving with her arm. Ilwin pulled his eyes away. His grandfather could stroll through a red light district and not bat an eye. And here Ilwin just had one woman who was as bored as him, and she knew how to enjoy herself. “Do you think he’s changed?”

“Not a chance.” Ilwin replied.

“But we must be getting new work assigned to us.” Sara said languidly. “So I’m sure you’ll be happy at that.”

“Are you not?” The sheer shamelessness of this woman was something to behold.

“I was part of the start.” Sara was a cat lounging about in its own territory on that seat. “I’m already going down in the history books, and now I enjoy life.” This black-haired baroness was everything that Imperial Aristocracy should not be. If she was not the first noble of the Empire resurgent, Ilwin was sure she would be stripped of her title. If she was in the Empire proper, then she would be. “And besides, they’ll write great things about us.”

“I hate to think about it.” Ilwin could not even argue against her. He knew what it would be like, the fall of Karaina would be split between him and her. True, they both did the work, Daganhoff did not laze about entirely, but at the same time, the way she acted in private was beyond despicable. Ilwin had heard rumours of Malam, this woman was that Goddess’ apostle.

“Destroyers of Karaina, maybe?” Sara mused to herself more than to him. “Or do you think that’s too egregious even for us?”

“Something like that.” Ilwin said, he passed over her again. A dress with a corset affixed to it was beyond shameless. And the fact that she chose to wear it around him, of all people, was aggravating. “I don’t really care though, grandfather should be here soon.”

“Oh I’d like to meet that old elf again.” Sara said “He’ll once again tell me off, won’t he.”

“He won’t even look at you.” Ilwin said. “A glance, at the most.”

“I can see you have him in you.” Sara said. “Do you remember when I joined?” Ilwin had been away at the time. Apparently, the woman was some street urchin that was in the right place at the right time, and now she ended up here.

“No.”

“I thought he was like a father.” Sara chuckled to herself. “Or something like that. I don’t know, but I think you know what I mean. There’s Iliyal, and there’s Arascus, and that’s it. You’re getting to that category. Not there yet.” Of course she had to add that final part. An hour without some little chirp was an hour too long for her.

“It’s Field Marshal Tremali and it’s God Arascus to you.” Ilwin said dryly.

“Oh please.” Sara waved her hand. “And you’re general Tremali, are you?”

“I am.” Ilwin said coldly. The day she used his title would be the day that the sun rose in the west. It would be madness.

“Well they’re not here to hear it.”

“I am though.”

“But you’re not a snitch.” Sara threw one leg over the armrest. The dress hiked up to her knee. Ilwin stared at her for a few moments before turning back to the monitor. There was nothing there, merely a desktop image of a screenshot he had saved as an ICDT tower dropped through Ashen Skies. Was that an insult? Coming from her, it felt like one.

“You should be preparing what to tell my grandfather when he arrives.”

“He’ll send me away within a minute.” Sara said. “We both know that.”

“Then let me prepare.”

Sara chuckled to herself and shook her head. “Make me.”

Ilwin was not going to beat her, or threaten her, or make her do anything bar give her military orders. Those, at the very least, she listened to. The rest though? He wished she did. “I’m not going to make you do anything.” Ilwin said. “You’re just annoying.” Sara threw her head back in laughter.

“That’s it.” Sara said. “You’re a big softie.” Even those childish words, said from her tone, sounded slow and insidious as if she managed to affix some hidden meaning to them. Ilwin shot her a death glare that Sara only chuckled to and then decided to say nothing, Living with this woman was hell. He would rather be on the front lines against Tartarus, or in the meatgrinder that had been Ainai, or maybe even joining any of the expeditions, whether those that went under Aris or those that went to the dwarves, than go to sleep knowing he would have to see her stupid grin in the morning. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Mmh.” Ilwin replied as he started meaninglessly shuffling around mundane papers that talked of stability and troops and Karaina’s economic and political situations. More taunts came, and Ilwin had shut down at that point. He was simply not going to engage with this woman. It was a losing battle every time. She was not smarter than him, she simply had more energy and will to waste her time on such trivial bullshit. Or, at the very least, that was how he rationalised it.

And eventually, the knock came on the door. Three solid beats. Sara straightened up immediately, her smile gone, her posture suddenly proper, her face flat. Ilwin sat up too. Everyone who had ever heard Iliyal Tremali knock knew that was him. His mouth suddenly went dry, his throat unable to make a sound. It was one thing to explain battle plans in a theatre Ilwin had more experience in to the man. It was another entirely when that man was suddenly the one knocking. Those three knocks came again. “Come in!” Ilwin said.

The door slid open, splitting down the middle, both halves retreating into their respective walls. Ilwin sat up even straighter when he saw Iliyal Tremali and how his grandfather carried himself. The dark uniform, complete with cap, the blade on his hip on one side and the pistol on the other, the long coat, it was an accessory to the actual threat that entered the room. Iliyal stood for a moment, his eyes passing over everything in a single, steady roll. “Ilwin.” Iliyal said. “I have arrived.”

Ilwin did not even know what to say when he saw the man walk in. Even Sara shut up, her lips tight together as if she didn’t even want to make a peep of sound. “It is good to see you.” Iliyal said, then pulled out a chair from the nearby table and brought it in front of the desk. “Daganhoff, leave.”

“Yes sir.” Sara immediately standing up, her eyes never once going to the man exuded such a wolfish aura about him. She walked towards the still open door, then stepped through. Then stopped, turned as if she was going to say something but decided against it. Iliyal watched her go, then turned to Iliyal.

“There’s a button under the desk you can close it with.” Ilwin knew about the button, he reached for it and pressed it, the door shut. And finally, Iliyal exhaled as he sat down and leaned back. The tone changed immediately, the posture became looser, the fatigue in the older elf far more noticeable. “How have you been Ilwin?”

For all the questions that Ilwin had practiced for, this was not one of them. In fact, this was the question he had silently dreaded and assured himself that his grandfather was too cold, too professional, too much with a heart of stone, to ever ask. And to do it on the first one? “I…” Ilwin cracked immediately. “I’ve been terrible.” He closed his eyes, under anyone else, he would hold the tears back. Under his family though? It was a battle he was losing.

Iliyal stared at him with the professional coldness of a military inspection and then sighed. “I know.” Iliyal said. “And it’s my fault.”

“It’s not.”

“Helenna told me not to say this to you.” Iliyal said. “But I told her I didn’t want her advice. No, it is my fault, I’m the man who put you here. I knew you’d hate it.”

It took Ilwin an entire ten seconds to process what he just heard. “What?”

“I do not want you on the frontlines because I did not want you in danger.” Iliyal said. “So I asked Kassandora to send you here.” The older Tremali sat up straighter. “It wasn’t in your best interest, it was in your survival’s interest. Someone else would apologise, but that implies a mistake. This wasn’t a mistake.” Iliyal said. “Nevertheless, if I knew Daganhoff was going to be annoying, I would have requested her somewhere else.”

Ilwin shook his head. He understood it immediately, no matter how infuriating the words were. He knew exactly what Iliyal had done. He would have done the exact same thing. He even dreamed of it sometimes, to send his grandfather to some estate where the man could live in safety and peace be untouched by the rest of the world. “I…” Ilwin said. “I understand that.”

“I thought you would.” Iliyal said, leaning back. “Now, do you have a drink?” Ilwin immediately brought out the same whiskey that Iliyal always used to drink when he led the cult. “That’s a classic.” Iliyal said with a smile as Ilwin poured. “I’ve come with troops, I assume you know.”

“I do.”

“Good, then we won’t talk of things we both know and don’t need repeated today.” Iliyal said reached for the glass, the two elves clinked their drinks and gave their cheers. “What I wanted to talk about is you, because whereas you’ve been given this situation, you could have improved it.”

Ilwin listened to Iliyal in the same way that he had seen Iliyal listen to the Goddess of War. “Go on.”

“Firstly, you should have been more proactive in Karaina. No one will tell you this, and I expect you to tell no one this, but the Empire is forgiving when it comes to mistakes made with good intentions. To fail spectacularly is a success in its own right. As long as its salvageable and you make a name for yourself, you’ll get put into a better situation next time. One more fit for you.”

Ilwin drank as he listened and let out a deep breath of satisfaction. This really was like getting insider information. “What would you have done?”

“I would have collapsed Karaina into open conflict.” Iliyal said. “It’s too late not, because they’ve requested to join, but that’s what I would have done. To get out of this job in the first place”

“I’ll think about that next time.” Ilwin said and finished his drink to match Iliyal’s pace. He poured more again. The one time he had seen his grandfather drunk, the man had ended up vomiting on the floor.

“How are you finding Daganhoff?”

“I hate her.” Ilwin replied honestly. “I don’t understand why you recruited her in the first place.”

“She’s good at what she does though.”

“She is.” Ilwin had to give her that. No one would ever say that Sara Daganhoff did not pull her own weight. “But dealing with her is a misery.”

“Get used to it.” Iliyal said. “Again, another thing I assume you don’t have to be told not to repeat, dealing with Divinity is hellish. There is Goddess Kassandora, Arascus and Kavaa. Those three, you can rely on. Fortia and Maisara, you have to be straight with and to the point. They were both generals in their own time so…”

How long they talked, Ilwin did not know. Iliyal told him about everything though, from how Fer and Malam acted, and how both of them should just be ignored, to how to avoid Anassa. Apparently, you could never afford yourself to make eye contact with the Goddess of Sorcery. How Irinika smoked and how she gave out her tobacco, and the polite way to turn her down: that was also the simplest way. The Goddess of Darkness apparently hated excuses. How Kassandora, or Goddess Kassandora as Iliyal put it, should be talked to. And Arascus as well.

How the Empire functioned actually. What to do, who to call, when to call. Apparently, Helenna and Malam were never to be rung in the evening. Early morning was the best time to contact either of them. Internal Affairs needed a man on the inside, otherwise, they would transfer you to another department just to get rid of you. The National Goddesses could be relied on, to an extent. They were all corrupt enough to bend the rules. Olonia, Paida and Agrita were ones to try and be corrupt with. How maid services worked, and why Ilwin should never get one for as long as he could, and then, when he did, how to make sue that the maids did not rifle through his private documents.

The entire bottle went and Iliyal fell asleep in the armchair Sara had claimed moments before the elf entered. Ilwin tried to think, although he could feel his mind working slower from the drink. He had expected to be angry, furious even, at Iliyal when his grandfather returned.

Now, he was just happy that nothing had changed between them.