Honorable, fearless, and unyielding. These three simple words are the heart of The Order of Kazimierz. To be a knight of The Order means to follow the three tenets to your grave. No, not even death should stop you from following them. I am not embarrassed to say that I have banished many a men simply because they can’t embody these values. If an outsider thinks that they could speculate what they mean, then they are untrustworthy and should be avoided immediately.

A Grandmaster’s Journal, 1675.

Being higher in the food chain means more money, support, facilities, all of the fancier things. Like the car she’s in, for example. It was built in Kazimierz, with premium parts imported from all over the world. It’s not like she doesn’t have access to those things, but she never realized how much higher ranking officers have. Everything inside and outside of this car shows how rich the owner is, who was sitting beside her. Hell, it was even the first car Alma saw that had a working radio, which somehow found its way inside. Maybe being rich truly lets you do all kinds of things.

“No need to be so tense. I’m not here on a military notice or anything. Nobody gets to do work with clothes like this, even with my rank.”

Despite that, the owner still drove the car by herself. She seemed to be enjoying it, listening to the looping songs on the radio while letting the wind enter the car. She drove the car without any hesitation or consideration to slow down, going as fast as possible on the empty road they were going through.

Their surroundings didn't change from the last time she was here, three years ago. There were a lot of mountains and desert, and nothing else. Sure, there are some corpses of puppets and a few charred cacti here and there, but other than that, nothing much. There’s never been much that goes around West Kazimierz, anyway. Even if it was a place where most of the military supplies were produced, it was surrounded by nothingness, mountains, and military superpowers. Any attempt to ransack the region would be immediately stopped which would result in nothing.

“You should stop brooding, Alma. Your dad already does that all the time, I don’t need you doing that too.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t you have a lot to ask?“

“I don’t think I should ask them while you're driving.”

“Don’t underestimate my multitasking skills. I’m good enough to read while driving. Sadly, I don’t like reading that much.”

Alma kept staring emptily at the plains. She didn’t think of anything, or rather, couldn’t think of anything. Accompanying her was the gentle rumble of the car, lulling her deeper.

“You’re either thinking of everything or nothing. I’m guessing everything, but you’re free to prove me wrong.”

“I… I don’t know what to think, really.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Does it matter?”

“You’re free to think otherwise. Unless it interferes with your performance, but it’s not something I need to worry about.”

“...I saw him,” said the brown haired woman, unsure.

“Saw who?”

“Their commander.”

The car swerved for a moment in the fortunately empty street. Nicole quickly regained control of the car, almost drifting to the desert around. Her face, however, still showed the same wide eyed expression. An unnatural expression for such a dignified figure such as her.

“What?!”

“Yes. A white haired aging man, standing about 185 cm tall. Has shards embedded all over his body, particularly his head. The puppets followed his every whim. All of them. Talks fluently in common tongue. Other than that, I don't remember anything particular about him.”

“A human?”

“Can’t tell for certain. He didn’t use any magic nor emit the same aura as normal humans do.”

“Hell…” said the driver, breathless. “Twenty long years, Alma. We fought them for that long. We’ve learned a lot about the puppets, their fortresses, their absurd technology, but this? This could’ve ended the war! How the hell have we not found this out all these years and how the fuck did you even managed meet him?”

“He was looking for something,” Alma remembered the events that transpired in the tomb, especially the medallion. “An artifact. Something that could be used to look into other worlds. I chased him to the tomb and found him there.”

“How did you know?”

“I used it. Saw a lot of things. One thing I can say for sure is that it was real.”

“Did you really?”

“You know me. I can’t use the most basic of energy mechanisms. That artifact is used to see other worlds and I was able to operate it fine. I am more than certain that it was real.”

Nicole thought to herself for a while, mind racing. She put the car on a lower gear and drove the car slower instinctively, not focusing on her surroundings.

“That made sense, now that I think about it. The tomb you were found in was especially energy dense. Some of our sensors passed out by the sheer energy that it emitted. Did you manage to get anything other than that?”

“Sadly, no. My short encounter didn’t end well for me. I was knocked out when I used the amulet. I survived, but he escaped with the artifact,” she took a short breath, lying through her teeth, “My guess would be that their retreat is connected with the artifact. We could only prepare for them.”

Nicole took a sigh, composing herself for the umpteeth time, “I despise the fact that your conclusion makes sense and the other fact that your story gets weirder by the second. Are you sure about everything?”

“I do. I still remember it as if it was yesterday.”

“To your credit, it’s basically yesterday for you.”

“Not a time to crack jokes, Aunt Nick.”

“Can I? My head feels like cracking after I heard your story.”

“Understandable.”

Silence enveloped between them once more. Slowly, the sun rises from the east, light shining across the lands. The scenery changed. Dry desert turned into bustling cityscapes, cars and people slowly crowded the streets. The signs and the boards told them that they were in Kiruna, Central Kazimierz. Despite the jam-packed streets, she didn’t slow down her car. She kept her speed, overtaking other cars with the tiniest of margins. The police were there, but they didn’t seem to care.

“Why?” asked the younger woman.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I can’t see a good reason for me to do this.”

“How so?”

“You know exactly why.”

Nicole let out a soft chuckle. “And you think the war has nothing to do with that?”

“Just because they’re gone for a moment doesn’t mean all of our problems are gone.”

“So what, you’re just gonna let him get depressed while working day and night?”

“That’s… That’s not what I meant.”

Another chuckle came out of her mouth, “huh. So you do know. I guess you care, even if just a tiny bit.”

She didn’t need Alma’s reply, as the captain’s guilty expression told everything about what she felt.

“Fine then, tell me.”

Alma gazed outside the windows, refusing to look back at Nicole.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Really now? Captain Alma, known across the nations for being one of the rising tacticians among the army, doesn't know how to deal with a problem? That’s pretty surprising, isn’t it?”

Alma stayed silent. She knew her older friend well, always poking and prodding with her harsh words. She bit her lips, stopping herself from falling deeper into her trap.

Nicole breathed out, relaxing herself. Alma has no interest in replying to her, she knew that. There was no reason to push her further. But she knew that her words stuck in her head, and that was all she needed to know.

“Remember what The Order taught you, Alma. Apply it to everything, not just war and battle. I trust you. You’ll know what to do.”

Her words hung in the air as the scenery changed once more. Their surroundings were now filled with big gates and huge houses, with their fancy cars parked in their garage. The grass on their yards were well trimmed, the trees and the bushes decorated them nicely. It seemed that they had entered the elite part of the city. Nicole slowed down. Perhaps she didn’t want too much noise, perhaps she didn’t want to pass the speed limit that was put on the signs around.

They arrived at a mansion. It couldn’t be called a house, since it was much bigger than the houses around it. Alma saw maids and butlers outside, busily cleaning every inch of it. Their arrival seems to have grabbed their attention, but not to distract them from their activities. The mansion’s employees quickly opened the gates and directed them to their parking spot, not bothering to ask for their identities. A butler came to them as they parked the car, opening the doors for them.

“Either it's old age or it’s just normal, but driving for seven hours straight hurts. I’m really starting to regret it. You good, Alma?” Asked Nicole, standing up while stretching her back.

“Alma?”

“Ye-Yes?”

“Are you okay? You’ve been staring at nothing for a while.”

“I… Yeah. I guess.”

Nicole saw Alma’s body tensing up. There were a few beads of sweat on her face. Her hands were clenched hard, dripping a single drop of blood. For a couple moments, it made her rethink her decision. There were a lot more possibilities their encounter would end in a manner that both Alma and Francis didn’t want.

Nicole saw the old butler gesturing to both of them to come inside. He was the chief of the mansion, an experienced butler. Someone she knew has been working here for the longest time. It was arguable that she could say that he was her friend. He moves with flawless grace, always doing everything with the utmost perfection. However, there was an unnatural stiffness in his movements. They weren’t noticeable enough for anyone else to know, but the difference from his usual mannerisms were night and day to her. For a brief second, they locked eyes with one another.

“Lead the way, Sebastian.”

The mansion made her feel tiny. It wasn’t the most impressive nor the most luxurious place that she has ever seen, but it made her remember her days in The Order, cleaning every nook and cranny of the stronghold. She was nothing but an insignificant child then, her only worth was serving the castle while training in secret.

The man in front of her, Sebastian, is apparently the head butler of the house. His wrinkled face and graying told her that he was an old man, possibly in his early sixties. His body and posture, however, showed otherwise. He stood and walked perfectly upright, perfectly showing his manner and experience as the perfect butler. She could feel a cool air surrounding him, maybe it was him using his magic to help him deal with the scorching summer heat inside his suit. A faint smell of mint came from him. Somehow, it made her feel nostalgic.

Maybe it wasn’t that. Maybe it was the various pieces of furniture that her father brought here. The old grandfather clock that was always five minutes early, the claypot with a dent and two cracks underneath, and the blue and yellow striped wallpaper that doesn’t match the luxurious and extravagant ornaments put on the wall. This was her father, alright. Always holding on to mementos that reminded him of the past, whether it was good or bad.

She arrived at a door at the end of the hallway. Judging by the gap between the door and others, the room in front of her was the biggest. She was supposed to be dead, but the emotions that she felt right now didn’t make her feel that way. Fear, hate, relief, all blended into one. She was sweating, even if the summer heat couldn’t affect her.

“This is the master's study, Missus Alma. I know the rocky relationship between you and your father, therefore I wish good luck to the both of you. I shall take my leave.”

“Wait.” Said Alma, stopping Sebastian in his tracks, looking back at the brown haired woman.

“Yes?”

“Are you a parent?”

“Yes, I am. I have two beautiful daughters, one is studying abroad in Antakiyya and the other is pregnant with her third child.” Said the butler, happiness smeared on his face.

“I see. Do you have anything you want from your daughters?”

“Nothing. They’re happy and safe, that is all that matters.”

Alma stood silent for a moment, contemplating. A moment after, Alma thanked him.

The butler bowed in return before walking away. She turned back at the door, staring at it blankly. Taking a deep breath, she knocked twice and opened the door, taking in her father’s surprised expression.