While Uriah and Alars Miar were meeting in the Reverie Corridor, in a different corner of existence, another meeting was taking place. In a small room that could not even be described as a reception room, a man covered in a pure white cloak sat quietly on the sofa. His gaze seemed to be boring a hole through reality itself as the intensity of it was somehow beginning to warp the very space caught in the man's line of sight no matter how unfocused he was. This was Chrysos.
He had trekked the snowy plains and hills in the surroundings in the last few days. Unfortunately, he had arrived at the worst timing as a blizzard had been raging across most of the planet at the time making visibility incredibly difficult. Worse yet, the sensors of the base he was supposed to have been sent to were scrambled thus delaying the detection of his appearance. Now he finally managed to get a moment's rest in a quiet room in the base while waiting for the commanding officer to arrive.
About an hour since his arrival, Chrysos finally heard the sound of footsteps from the corridor outside. The door to the tiny reception room opened as a man with dark brown skin and black hair with greying temples entered. He wore a military uniform that was not quite what Chrysos was expecting.
The military uniforms of the armies of the Divine Noblesse Empire were all armoured sporting cloaks and categorised by the colour of the armour and the cloak. In ascending order, there were bronze, silver, gold and platinum while the cloak's colours were more intricate as they represented the specific rank of the soldier within their colour's hierarchy. However, the man in front of Chrysos now did not have such a uniform.
What the man wore was just a dark green cloth woven into a formal military attire. It did not at all show the prestige of the Divine Noblesse Empire's army. Instead it looked like a stain, reminiscent of a mossy and muddy ground of a decrepit cave. And indeed that was the case as Chrysos quickly realised that the man was not even a Noblesse. He was just a human. And in the Divine Noblesse Empire, being human was a sin that deserved only enslavement or death.
This was the primary reason as to why he, a prince with royal blood, was treated with such scorn by his own people. He was only half-noblesse, with the other half being human. But it no longer mattered to him. He had grown used to the treatment he received and only wished for the quiet of Serenity.
The man in military uniform stepped in front of Chrysos, looking at him with a stern gaze that seemed to be contain both apathy and sympathy. It was a strange combination that caught Chrysos by surprise, but it was only for less than an instant. No matter what opinions this man had of him, how could it be any worse than what he had already heard throughout all his life.
He calmly gazed at the man, waiting for whatever order would be given to him. He was a soldier now, that much he understood. All he could do now was obey his superiors' orders. The man, however, brought out a scroll of golden parchment and unfurled it while staring intently at Chrysos. Seeing this, Chrysos immediately knelt down and lowered his head.
"By imperial decree, Prince Chrysos of the Divine Noblesse is henceforth stripped of his royal title and authority and shall serve in the frontlines of the war as Special Executor of His Majesty, the Emperor. Accept this decree and let it be the token of your new designation."
Chrysos raised his hands over his lowered head. His open palms waited as the man rolled the scroll once more and gave it to the kneeling Chrysos. Feeling the cold parchment in his hands, Chrysos clasped it tightly as he stood back up, meeting the man's gaze. He was no longer a prince of the Divine Noblesse Empire. He was now just a soldier, no matter the embellishments to his name.
Special Executor was not a good designation at all. It meant he only answered to one person, the Emperor himself. Not even the commanding officer of the warfront could command him. And while that may sound good, it also meant that he would not be given any military authority or military rights within the army. While he could coordinate with the army for missions and operations, he would generally be a lone wolf and the army would not be obliged to aid him.
All this to say that being designated as a Special Executor was a death sentence. The Emperor was literally telling him to die in a ditch somewhere in the battlefield. Chrysos thought he would at least be given some purpose, but it seemed he had expected too much. His father had no intentions of keeping alive for much longer. Chrysos, however, did not intend to die just yet. And so his first course of action was set. He had to understand the situation he was in first.
"Are you the commanding officer of this war?"
"Yes, Lord Executor. I am General Bach, human."
"I don't mean to offend, but why is a human leading the army? I find it difficult to believe that the Empire would suddenly grant such authority to a human after all these years."
"That's simple. It's because the entire army only consists of humans. There's not a single noblesse among us."
Hearing this, Chrysos sighed. He was beginning to understand his current predicament, and the thought of it was steadily growing more and more unsettling. Humans were innately weaker compared to noblesse. Not to mention their status as slaves, the very fact that an entire army of humans was sent to this battlefield meant that this was not a war that they were meant to win.
This human army, much like Chrysos himself, was sent to the battlefield to die. Now he understood the look in the General's eyes earlier. Apathy for a stranger and sympathy for a fellow awaiting death. But Chrysos did not believe that that was everything. If the Empire wanted to kill him and the humans, there was no need to send them to the battlefield of some war. And therein lies the problem.
"The Empire has already conquered practically the entirety of the universe. Whatever resistance is left, they would not amount to much and would certainly not need the deployment of an entire army. So General, please tell me where we are."
"You are correct, Lord Executor. There is no place in our universe that the Empire could send us to anymore, so they sent us to another universe entirely. We are currently in Dreams."
Chrysos' brows furrowed as his thoughts were proven correct. He was no longer in his universe, no longer in Dominion. The foreign aura permeating his entire surroundings filling him with a faint sense of rejection, it was Dreams. Once more, the Empire had invaded in order to satisfy their unquenchable thirst for conquest and Dominion. And this time, they targeted another universe.
This was indeed a fake war that they were fighting. The objectives were clear to him now. The human army and Chrysos himself were sent here to establish a foothold in Dreams from which the Empire would launch their true assault. Whether this vanguard human army succeeded or failed did not matter. If they succeeded, good. If they failed, they would just die to the natives. The Empire could always send more cannon fodder before sending their true armies in.
It was a detestable conduct, a complete disregard for life, but the Empire lived only for Dominion. War was their calling, Death was their weapon and Dominion was their banner. They would not hesitate to throw away all the lives they could until they completed their conquest, and even then, they would search for more to conquer. They were insatiable. Chrysos detested his blood for bearing such a disgusting curse.
Dominion, the rot that spreads its depravity across all that it could see, all that it could reach. He wanted none of it. And since the Empire wanted them to die here to establish a foothold, they would not be sending any reinforcements whatsoever. This meant that Chrysos did not need to worry about moving on his whims. He would not stay and feed that cancerous banner. He would find a place for himself in this new universe. With his mind made up, Chrysos quietly turned to leave the room. But just as he reached the door, the General spoke once more.
"There's someone who wanted to meet you, Lord Executor."
"I've just arrived. Who could possibly know me in this place?"
"Someone who specifically came here to find you, Your Highness. It's the Faithful Blade. She's here."
Chrysos steps halted as he heard the words. His eyes widened as he turned to look at the General. The man was smiling faintly. The way he addressed Chrysos seemed almost deliberate, but more importantly, he mentioned a name that Chrysos never thought he would hear again.
The Faithful Blade, the most loyal follower of the Human Prince.