Chương 42: Leash

Clap. Clap. Clap. The slow, rhythmic sound echoed off the metal walls. Mikael crouched low, bringing his face level with his captive. A wide smirk curled across his lips as he stared into Gozen's eyes, savoring the sight of the legendary hero on his knees, wrists bound tight behind his back—the metal floor bit cold through his knees.

"It's been a long time since we last saw each other… Hero of Quantis." Mikael's voice was soft, almost fond.

"Did you honestly think moving to the middle of nowhere would keep you hidden from me?" Gozen's mind swam as he fought his way back to consciousness. He shook his head to clear the fog, and his eyes cracked open, slow and heavy. Bit by bit, the details around him took shape. He wasn't in the city anymore. He knelt in a metal room. Rows of monitors lined the walls, screens flickering with surveillance footage pulled from every corner of Astoria, casting a blue light across the floor.

At the center of the room stood a massive mechanical roundtable, and above it hung a holographic image of DustHaven, turning slowly in the air. Beside the projection glowed a red counter, tallying the dead from the massacre: 50, 484. Three figures waited before him. Bastion leaned against the table, his enormous shield propped beside his plated armor. Edward sat in a floating mechanical chair, his back to Gozen, sipping tea, as though nothing in the room were wrong.

And near enough that Gozen could feel his breath stood Mikael, front and center, looming over him.

"I didn't appreciate being stalked, Mikael." Gozen glanced toward the wall of screens.

"Were you able to capture any shirtless pictures of me?" Mikael straightened, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest.

"Nothing gets past you, does it? But after years of hiding your life so well, you finally slipped. And a rather big one at that." He swept a hand toward the holographic city.

"Look at the destruction. Magnificent, in its own way. All is well, though. Their deaths were a small price to pay for your head." Gozen let out a groan.

"I'm getting tired of your voice, Bishop. If you're going to kill me, get on with it already. I hope Hell is real, so I never have to look at your ugly face again." His mouth curved into a faint, humorless smile.

"Or should I start praying for Heaven instead?" Mikael threw his head back and laughed, the sound rolling off the metal walls.

"There's that fire, Gozen! I missed it." He leaned down, his mouth nearly touching Gozen's ear, and dropped his voice to a whisper.

"Rest easy. I won't be going to either place. I'm God, in case you've forgotten. I decide who goes where. Just like I'm about to decide for you."

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Gozen shook his head.

"Just kill me already, you narcissist with a god complex."

"In due time, Gozen. In due time." Mikael brushed a bit of dust from his robe.

"Unfortunately for you, you've been pushed back in line. Two people are ahead of you in the queue, you see." A wolfish grin spread across his face.

"Your wife. And your child." Gozen's eyes went wide. Whatever calm he'd been holding onto cracked and fell away. Edward set his teacup down with a sharp clink and turned his chair to face them.

"Sir," he said, his tone even.

"You're free to kill the wife and child whenever you please. But know this: they had nothing to do with what happened. Gozen alone is responsible for the massacre." Mikael arched a brow and turned to face him.

"Nothing to do with it? Do you take me for a fool, King?" He jabbed a finger toward the wreckage still hovering above the table.

"Since when has Gozen had the power to control blood? And what of his motives?" He moved toward Edward until barely a foot separated them.

"It's clear enough this was the child's doing. Be honest with yourself, Edward. You're clever, I'll give you that, but you don't have the strength to take Gozen down in a fair fight. You didn't catch him." Something sharpened in his gaze.

"He gave himself up in his child's place."

"But why Ava?" Edward shot up from his chair.

"Why bring her into this? She wasn't even there!" Mikael tapped his chin with one finger, the rhythm slow and deliberate, humming as though deliberating the question over in his mind.

"She is the mother. She carried the abomination in her womb. Her body built that weapon to destroy DustHaven. Guilt by association is still guilt, Edward. That alone should be reason enough for her execution." He waved a hand, brushing the argument aside. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. A white aura burst from Gozen's body, crackling with restrained power.

The floor tiles split beneath his knees, and several monitors along the wall shattered in a spray of sparks. He surged to his feet and drove his head toward Mikael like a bull charging a red cape. Mikael turned to face him and spoke a single word. Kneel Gozen's aura vanished in an instant. He crashed to the ground, cheek pressed against cold steel, before folding back onto his knees and bowing low before Mikael. Mikael pressed his boot against Gozen's cheek and dragged it back and forth across his skin.

"Just for that little tantrum," Mikael whispered, "I will personally watch your wife and child be torn apart, limb from limb, while they beg for death. Then I will grow those limbs back, new and whole, just to do it again." Mikael glanced over his shoulder.

"Bastion! Issue a recall. I want every member of The Forge Guard sent after Ava and her demon spawn. Immediately." Bastion nodded, swung his tower shield onto his back, and started for the door.

"Or," Edward cut in, "I might have an alternative." Bastion stopped mid-stride. Mikael's head snapped around, and a bright yellow light flared in his eyes.

"Enough with your games, Edward!"

"Now, now. Just hear me out." Edward lifted a hand.

"Executing the strongest Kaisers in the world wouldn't be the smartest move. Consider the optics. Imagine the backlash the Astarchs would face if word got out that we executed the Hero of Quantis and his family."

"Hero?" Mikael sneered.

"Once the world learns what happened at DustHaven, who in their right mind would still label him as a hero?"

"That depends entirely on how we shape the story." Edward held up a finger, then gestured toward Gozen, still bowed on the floor.

"Look at him. Broken. Beaten. What if, instead of killing him, we made him our dog?" He stepped toward Mikael.

"What if the Hero of Quantis worked for the Astarchs? It would strengthen our standing with the nobles and the Kaisers both, and we'd have the strongest weapon in Astoria under our thumb."

"A dog that bites its master should be put down, King. How will you guarantee the mutt won't turn on us?" A small smile touched Edward's lips.

"Simple. Have you forgotten about your ability: Divine Vow?" Mikael cleared his throat into his fist.

"Of course not. What do you take me for?" A pause, and something calculating crossed his face.

"The Divine Vow. Yes, that should work perfectly." His usual Vocal Command, the same power he had just used to force Gozen to his knees, let him control someone's actions, but only once before it needed time to recharge. It couldn't bend a person's loyalty. Only the Divine Vow could do that. The vow was absolute. If the recipient accepted its terms, the contract burned itself into their soul. They would be bound to Mikael, forced to obey his every word and live by whatever rules he set for the rest of their life.

Only two things could break it: Mikael voiding the contract himself, or the death of one of the parties. Mikael turned to the kneeling Gozen.

"Servitude or execution? What is your choice?" Gozen scowled, gathering a mouthful of spit to launch at Mikael's smug face. Before he could, a voice cut through his skull. This is the best I can do for you, Gozen. Think about your wife. Think about your child. Edward's voice, pressed directly into his mind. Gozen flinched at the words. His body went slack, the fight draining out of him all at once.

"What do I have to do?" Gozen grumbled. Mikael clapped, delighted.

"Now that's the spirit! The process is simple enough. The great, almighty System does the heavy lifting. All you need to do is accept the terms." He lifted a finger, and the air before him shimmered. A holographic scroll took shape out of the light, its surface glowing gold. He drew his hand through the air, fingertip tracing along the translucent parchment, scribing the terms across its surface. After a few seconds, he pressed his palm flat against the bottom of the scroll.

The glowing scroll solidified at once, shedding its ghostly shimmer for something solid and real. With a flick of his wrist, it drifted across the room and stopped in front of Gozen's eyes. Accept Divine Vow with Bishop 'Mikael?' [Y] / [N] Gozen chose Y in his mind. A small flame erupted from the bottom of the page. It climbed higher until it swallowed the whole document, leaving nothing behind but a snow of golden particles. A chain of gold, wrapped in white fire, tore out of Mikael's chest.

It lashed forward and drove straight through Gozen, piercing him dead center. Gozen threw his head back and roared. The chain dug into his skin, wound around his core, and pulled tight before sinking into his soul. Divine Vow has been established.

"Get up," Mikael ordered. A mist gathered beneath Gozen's knees, lifting him gently off the ground. Mikael threw his arms up.

"When will Quantis Corp ever make anything worth using? These nullstone cuffs are absolutely useless!" He glanced at Bastion, who gave a stern nod. The tank approached Gozen from behind and unlocked the handcuffs. The shackles instantly warped out of existence. Gozen vanished. In the blink of an eye, he stood before Mikael again. Gozen's hand shot forward, fingers curling into a claw, and clamped around Mikael's throat, hoisting him clean off the ground. Mikael didn't thrash. He didn't struggle.

His skin flushed red, but his expression stayed calm, almost bored.

"What's… holding… you back?" Mikael wheezed. Gozen's grip tightened. He wanted to end him right there, snap his neck and be done with it. But that wasn't an option.

"It looks… like you figured out… the clause I added to the vow," Mikael rasped, a wide smirk breaking across his face.

"The one that says… your wife and child die… the moment you kill your master." That's enough. Gozen pried his hand off Mikael's throat, dropping him from the air. He landed on his feet without a stumble, rubbing his bruised throat. A green light pulsed from his palm, and the red marks faded, the skin healing itself back to normal. Then he wound up his arm and drove a fist into Gozen's jaw. Gozen flew backward and crashed into the metallic wall, denting the surface on impact.

"Now that you understand your place," Mikael said, straightening his robe, "it's time for your first assignment as an honorary member of the Astarchs." A slow smile curled across his lips.

"Your mission involves the Altair Clan."