Lily's Point of View

"You! Ever since you stepped into this castle you've been looking like you want to kill me, what did I ever do to you?" Landon snaps at me, confronting me with my lack of composure earlier. Still, to dare raise his voice at me with those specific words.

I cross my legs calmly and feel part of me almost desperately want to see his expression when he realizes... but another part being worried that he would use whatever knowledge he has on me against me.

"If you hadn't already figured it out, you are the cause of my death, Yuno."

I purposely shift to his former name. It feels more personal that way.

Hic

Helena ends up letting out a hiccup and twitches at my words, then turning towards me with this terrified and confused expression.

"Ara, you look so worried, Helena," I say coldly and look back to Landon who looks spiteful, but also confused.

"Did you get killed by my ex-girlfriend too?"

Now, how am I going to do this?

"No, but rather than you guessing why don't I tell you how I died, seeing as I am the only one who hasn't told it."

I look down at my lap. How much am I willing to say, and what do I want to say? I don't even know how war in their world works anyway, so even if I wanted I might not be able to hide that I am clearly from a very, very different world than them.

"I was a military officer, as I assume some of you already guessed. A little more than a year before my death I lost all of my subordinates in battle, except for my fiance."

I pause to check the expressions, and Catarina and Landon seem in thought. Helena is beginning to turn blue and Jesmaine is looking at me with pity.

"Both my fiancé and I were traumatized over this... and I had considered dying as well."

I continue hesitantly, but slowly start to feel nauseous as the memories of the war flash their ugly faces, along with the smell of burnt flesh. Only to interweave with the worried, disappointed and angry expressions from the people around me.

"Of course, a certain someone manipulated and tormented my fiancé, telling him repeatedly that it would be better if I died, since that way I would no longer be in pain. So, my fiance gave in and committed double suicide. The person that did that, was you Yuno."

I stare at him coldly as the room goes completely silent and all eyes move back to Landon to see his reaction to this rather bold accusation of a very intentional murder rather than the accidents mentioned till now. I haven't lied, but there are some very important details that I have left out.

Landon of course realizes this really quickly and glares at me.

"Stop screwing around, Lily."

See?

"Wolfram Stanbell told you of this! Damn wind mages," he curses out and stares at me.

"Don't make a fool out of me and spit out the real story rather than that of a story character," he adds, now looking very, very serious. However, I have already told him the real story.

"Story? Don't you mean game?" I correct him.

Landon flinches as I don't give in but instead correct him.

"It's a story game, whatever specific term I use doesn't matter."

Of course it doesn't, but I want to irritate him.

"I see. This character... Rei... you got killed. Did you really only do it because it was the easiest way, or was it to make it hurt her the most...?"

I bring up some of the questions I have been wanting to ask, but Landon just scowls.

"I don't see how this is relevant to your story."

"Clearly to hurt her the most," Helena mutters while glancing away from me.

"Stay out of it," Landon grumbles.

"If he could convince her fiancé then they must have been relatively close. That makes it personal, doesn't it?" Helena replies, surprisingly speaking against Landon even though Helena knows exactly what kind of argument she is getting herself into... but why is she making Landon look worse?

Landon finally sighs.

"It was because it was the easiest. Her bodyguard was too strong to get past and she could be surprisingly aware of people trying to sneak up on her when she wasn't in the middle of a PTSD flashback," Landon admits.

"Then, do you think she deserved to die like that?"

I want to know... but more importantly, if it is a yes, then I want to know why.

"Why wouldn't she? As I said, but what you clearly didn't hear is that both her and her fiance were from a military totalitarian clan. They think they're above the peasants and that they're closer to heaven, and that this practically lets them kill any non-samurai if they feel like it. They're war mongers that excuse their idiocy on having to be able to protect the emperor. On top of everything else they look down on other people for lacking strength or lacking manners, and if you mess up and accidentally insult them they go directly for your throat."

Idiocy?

I grit my teeth. It's fine... I've dealt with similar insults from Helena before. It's simply what their world think of proper nobility...

"So the clan you played a character from was better?"

The words feel sour, and I feel like throwing up at the thought.

"Of course. They're the necessary villain, and act the way they do so that everyone else remember what evil people look like and to remind them what not to be like, and they suffer a lot because of it. More than anything, they get things done. They don't get caught up in bureaucracy. On top of that they have to keep making conflict between the clans so that none of the clans think to go against the emperor."

...

I take a long deep breath to calm down, but I don't think I can hide my disgust as I stare at Landon. This guy is an idiot. Thoroughly an idiot. I don't think there is anything else in his head than rotten air. How did this guy become a ruler?

I-

How am I supposed to discuss logically with this person?!

Sure, in my former world samurai are considered above peasants because they are closer to heaven. The reincarnation circle is well studied, and the realms the dead go through have been explored. However, just because you can kill someone if you want to it doesn't mean that you should! If you just go about and kill random peasants then your territory will do horribly. We do uphold a very, very high standard in my former clan, however, there are many things we don't do, and one of them is blackmail.

The clan he just called the so called necessary villains kills and blackmails peasants, raises them to be whores or murderers, sometimes both. Not just that, the clan is suspected of providing all the illegal drugs, as they pretty much control all of the underworld in the empire. Their capital has drug addict laying mostly dead in the street, commoners selling their kids, their homes and their lives for just another bottle of that black liquid.

Now you're telling me that on top of that they cause discord between the clans? These small wars cause hundreds of lives every year, regardless of status.

My head hurts.

I feel sick.

Necessary villains? That is no excuse for those things, even if it's just a game. Why would you want to be something so cruel, even in a game?

"Hey... did that shit clan cause the loss that- that Rei suffered too?" my throat feels dry as I ask this question. This isn't a question I need to ask to determine what I want to with Landon, but it's a question I need to know. Even if the fate of that battle can never be changed I want to know... I want to know if someone else had a hand in their demise.

Landon gives a careless shrug.

"Yea, Rei's clan needed to be taken down a peg so they ensured that they got misinformation. At least that's how the lore goes, but it's before the part we were playing."

I reach for the pendant through my dress as a shallow breath escapes me.

"Anyway, if you're going to play a bad guy, then at least pick those that get shit done instead of the pompous arrogant warmongers that stay restricted by honor."

"Be quiet," I snap at Landon.

My head is swimming.

Calm down. Even though Landon says that, he still went against Alstair and Gil that act quite similarly to that clan. Basically, once he's against them it isn't fun anymore and suddenly he's on the honorable side.

...but the reality that my world was really a game becomes painfully clear the more Landon speaks about it. He doesn't actually care for the people in the world. Just like Helena he probably just despises the strict military way we use and that is the real reason rather than anything like us 'being able to kill peasants if we want to'.

He didn't actually care for my life any more than a cicada rolling over on his terrace.

He didn't care for those I consider friends or family.

He doesn't care for what was underneath my military uniform and my sorrow was considered nothing but a weakness to exploit.

"I was poisoned."

I unfold my hands and stand up as my head suddenly feels awfully clear.

"Landon, since you've heard of my fights as Augustus I assume you know I can use different magic than all of you?"

I slowly begin to walk around the table as I watch both Landon and Catarina.

"Really, that wasn't just an exaggeration?" Catarina says, awkwardly but somewhat cheerfully as though he's trying to change the heavy air.

"It wasn't," I reply calmly and end up in front of Landon, staring down at him.

"Say... what happens in this room will stay in this room, right, Catarina?" I ask without moving my gaze from Landon that stares up at me cautiously.

"Yea..."

Catarina's voice fades out.

I look to Landon that looks to Catarina and then nods cautiously.

"Then... Michiko. I am more than just a character in a story."

Landon stares at me with confusion in his eyes.

"It has lessened now, but I still end back on that battlefield every summer. The battlefield you don't care about was thick with black smoke, and you could almost taste the burned flesh in the air. Yukio got hit by the burning oil first, and his scream distorted as it burned his skin in an instant, making parts of the blood boil under the skin that caused the skin to swell and bubble... and then they set fire to the already boiling oil. He writhed in his armor, rolling to put out the flames while any fat in his body and blood boiled and streamed out of his armor."

I pause to grab his shoulders and look into his eyes.

"Do you know how long he kept screaming? Do you know how long we couldn't do anything for him as he just screamed in fear and in pain? Do you know how long I listened to his cries while being unable to do anything other than watch him die in front of me while we tried to scale the wall?"

I see my tears dripping down on Landon's face, but it's not important.

"Because my clan 'needed to be taken down a peg' now he has to suffer in hell along with the remaining ninety of my friends! Because we 'needed to be taken down a peg' Aiko now suffers in hell, when she could have been enjoying the life of being a new mother! She could have given those happy news to her husband and they could have lived together for years! But that doesn't matter to you because we follow honor?! Because we pride ourselves on the fact that we try to live up to that ideal!"

The confusion on his face is apparent, but I don't see regret.

"...I see... if empathy nor normal reason doesn't work then... Lumere"

The jars and glasses in the room filled with water tip over in an instant, and the water floats through the air, gathering around me before it turns to shard of ice, dropping the temperature of the room and creating a thin layer of ice over both mine and Landon's skin. I feel Lionel's warm hand on my arm, but I need to finish this. I see Landon go white as I reach a hand out while considering if I shouldn't just kill all of them right here.

Instead I let out all my killing intent towards Landon, staring him down like our Lions did a wandering dog.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you, Yuno," I say softly as my tears drift away and become a part of Lumere and the smaller water spirits circling around me.

"We made a contract after all... However, know this: I will never forgive you. No matter how little or meaningless my death was to you, even if it was nothing but a game to you, you took what little I had left and turned it against me in a disgusting display of selfishness."

I pull back the hand I had half raised towards him.

"I will not meet up for one of these meetings again. Unless it is about the well being of my citizens or someone I care for, don't you dare show your disgusting face in front of me again, Yuno. Don't approach me for the rest of the evening unless you want your lungs filled with water and then have it turned to shards of ice."

I hold a hand up, and the water gathers over my hand to Lumere's knight form and a few round blobs of water.

"The same goes for you, Catarina. You may be in the body of a girl, but I see how those maids look at you. As royalty you should have decency not to sleep with every girl you can order around. Before you call Lionel a sadist again, perhaps you should get your lower parts checked for disease."

I watch Lumere bow to me. He will likely request a favor later, but he's holding back for now. The water goes formless and splashes to the ground around me, yet leaving me dry. Landon doesn't speak up after that as I leave.

When I finally look to Lionel, the eyes that meet me are filled with worry.

As we step out the door, Princess Emilia small figure blocks our way... her eyes filled with tears.

Lionel closes the door behind us, leaving the hallway cold and empty except for the three of us.

Emilia takes my hand with hers as the tears start streaming down her cheeks.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have let you go to them," she sobs out in a childish voice.

---*---

We didn't stay the night at castle Duvin.

Though the sky was dark the carriages left towards Castle Tepet in the middle of the night.

Jacques' Point of View

I stare quietly at Catarina's back as he walks down the hallway slumped over while acting all moody.

"Hey... Jacques... you know about everything that happened at the meeting, right?"

I tilt my head.

"Of course."

"...You knew about her being different from the rest of us?"

At this question I can't help but to let out a small cruel smile.

"Of course. I thought it would be an exciting surprise for your little meeting."

My smile then ends up fading.

"However, I hadn't expected the extent which Landon had messed with her. Everything said I would say it ended quite peacefully."

Catarina looks at me with a grouchy expression.

"Is this payback for teasing you about Jesmaine?"

Is this really what you should be asking right now? How about 'Do you hate me for making your father kill your half brother and the stopmother you actually liked?' How about 'Do you hate me for making a world where you would die meaninglessly?'

"I guess," I respond quietly.

What about if you had chosen a question like 'Do you hate me for giving you a power that forces you to grow up at a ridiculous pace though you are a still child?' Or 'Do you hate me for giving you a childhood where you have to distrust everyone and fear for your life every day because of this handsome guy I made over here that has a shitty personality but is more important than a side character like you?'

If you absolutely have to make it about Jesmaine, then couldn't you at least ask: 'Do you hate me for not in any way convincing Jesmaine, that you are not a horrible person, even though I was a good friend of hers?'.

"You always go stupid when it's about people you care for," Catarina says with a sigh.

Of course I ignore his words and change the subject.

"Aren't you going to meet with Jesmaine or Helena?"

Catarina glares back to me for a moment.

"Once Lily left those two looked at me weirdly and excused themselves. Landon just kind of remained frozen like that for a while after seeing that inhumane sight."

He ruffles his long black hair.

"Her eyes were glowing. GLOWING. They weren't even human anymore but cat eyes! I didn't make a character like that! You didn't see how ghost like claws seemed to form by her fingernails! That stuff is like things you'd imagine from a story, not right there in front of you."

Of course I just stare at Catarina calmly.

"You should be happy you couldn't see more than that," I sigh out and glance back towards that meeting room.

I heard she could call the dead from her own world's heaven... but I'm pretty sure that those weren't from there.

Catarina raises an eyebrow at me and then sighs before continuing down the hallway.

"Still... there was like a proper party planned for the whole night, and even a labyrinth tag game where the guys would chase the girls and then get the girl they caught as a dance partner."

Indeed. It would have been a fitting ending for our collaboration. It doesn't matter though.

"How you can whine. Shut up and drink this then," I speak calmly while tossing Catarina the hip flask we confiscated earlier.

Catarina catches it and then lights up with a bratty smile before taking a big gulp of the whiskey.

"With this, this stupid farce is over, Satoshi."

Catarina stares up at me confused.

"Farce?"

"Much like Lily, I'm done being your plaything and bending to your will. I'm no longer a character in your game. Had you realized that earlier, then perhaps it wouldn't have come to this."

Catarina watches me quietly, then looks down to the hip flask and gives me an awkward smile.

"You wouldn't... you aren't like that. You hate these things. You..."

I don't answer and just watch him coldly. It's true that I hate these things, but I'll make a special exception for you, and for Alva. If not for you I would never have considered taking this path. If not for you I would never have realized that I had this kind of hate in my heart.

Catarina grabs his throat, and his eyes begin to widen.

"Why? Why would you do this?!" he screams at me desperately and starts looking around for help... but of course there are no guests nearby. They've all been guided away by my guards.

"You still don't understand? You even said it so beautifully at that meeting of yours. That you had 'won the game'. You created this world, and I am far from the only one that despises you for it, but more important than anything else: You never cared for me, or anyone else here as people. Just as characters. Even those maids you bring to bed, you treat as though it's natural. Even children are nothing but characters to use for your convenience."

I watch Catarina quietly as he stares at me with beginning fear and realization... and then he runs.

He runs.

I can't help the smile that moves onto my lips.

To see the figure that caused me so much anger now run away helplessly as he realizes that the world he thought of as his doesn't revolve around him... it's satisfying.

I follow along and walk calmly.

He won't make it far anyway. The doors are locked.

As expected I soon find him curled up in front of a door, trembling like a little lamb with fear in his eyes.

"Wait, I'll give you everything. I'll tell you everything."

I stay at a safe distance of him and watch him begin to suffer the effect of the poison.

"I don't need it."

He's panting.

I can see his pupils dilate in fear.

"You won't get away with this!"

Of course I just smile back at him.

"I wonder if your mother agrees with this? You've been using her as a puppet queen all this time, and she's recently found a lover... so we made a little agreement."

His face falls again.

That's right. He treated his mother with the same attitude he treated the rest of us. As a predictable character. However, when I told his mother that I'd sign a peace treaty with her to get rid of Catarina, but declare war on her if she didn't, she agreed quite quickly. Apparently his mother doesn't like war.

"Sadly Princess Catarina's ship got caught in a storm and went missing."

I lean against the nearby wall.

"I guess this is game over, Satoshi."