This was a time for questions. And within that starry place, Yovin had asked many.
He invoked her species, where they were located, even what trick made the hallway outside seem so absurdly long.
And to all of them, the Mistress simply batted her eyes and promised him that he would find out in, "due time".
"I know you must be brimming with indignation. But first, acquaint yourself with my Home. Introduce yourself to it's inhabitants. Maybe you'll be able to answer those questions yourself." Mei gave one final smile, the world around them shuttering as the infinite lights that illuminated it began to die out slowly but at a rapidly growing pace.
It frightened Yovin, thinking he would be trapped in darkness with no way to leave. But noticing his trepidation, Mei took hold of his arm with a light grasp.
"Don't worry. It takes a lot to maintain this Place. We'll be returning to my Estate in due time."
'What does that even mean?' Yovin thought to himself, the lights around him growing dimmer, with Mei's presence slowly growing larger in his mind. At such a close proximity, her stalwart face merely inches from his own, he began to feel a different sense of trepidation encroach upon his heart.
He couldn't help but wonder what this woman truly was. The size of her previous form, the scales that adorned her, and the power of her gaze continued to stand out in his recent memory. What would such an anomaly want from him, and too what ends would she hope to achieve it?
Again, more questions. But, for now, Yovin decided to trust the Mistress, her consideration for him plain to see.
By now, the lights had all disappeared, leaving the two in a pool of complete darkness. Only the light hue of Mei's pearlescent hair could be seen in the abyss that hade been procured.
Suddenly, almost as if the darkness had never existed, the space Mei and Yovin occupied transformed into a room akin to the one he had woken up in, which seemed to be only a few hours ago by now.
The Sun continued to dazzle across symmetrically imposing windows, it's rays spreading light onto functional-looking storage chests and a desk as the large room's central fixation.
"Great. Now then, Yovin. I apologize if this seems abrupt, but this is where we go our separate ways, for now at least. I'm a busy woman, after all. Much against my own chagrin." The last part of Mei's sentence tumbled into almost a forlorn whisper, causing Yovin to unconsciously tilt his lips upwards humorously.
Noticing this, Mei felt it pertinent to continue, hoping she wouldn't give the wrong impression with what she still had to tell him.
"Before you leave, Yovin, there's something I ought to tell you. There is a girl by the name of Kana. Take care to treat her with the same compassion I have treated you. She will be your equal during this endeavor of ours." Mei's presence, now sitting idly at the bolted desk diametrically situated within the center of the room, had shifted from Yovin's side to where she now sat.
It left him with a cold sense of incongruity. Was her Sanctum made with Chroma? Or was her lineage something that exceeded those bounds entirely? None of it made sense to Yovin, and he imagined it would continue not to.
Still, he didn't want to seem unappreciative. He wasn't, not even in the slightest. And as such, he left the room with little fanfare except a small bow towards Mei's direction, copying the one she had shown him earlier.
She grinned slyly, yet offered no words in edgewise, her attention now placed wholly on a document sprawled in white paper she took adamant care not to crimp in her hands.
The door leading outwards swung open voluntarily, without needing to be pulled open by Yovin. He turned around to face Mei, assuming that was her handiwork. She remained focused on the task at hand, however, already assuming Yovin left as he noticed a barely audible sigh escape her lips.
He crossed the threshold to the Greater Estate, the door shutting behind him as he went. What an odd phenomenon.
Again, he was met with grandiosity on a scale greater than any he had experienced in his life up 'til that point. The hall he had walked into was merely a catwalk conjoined with another enclosed section of hallway leading towards more rooms with doors similar to the one he had just walked through.
This was the second story, Yovin noticed. It was a simple deduction, considering the pillared railings that cordoned off the balcony walkway from the preceding space below. As Yovin approached them, he reveled in the luxurious space, his eyes aloft with intrigue as he did so.
It was a massive ballroom, at least a couple hundred meters spanning in both length and width. Tables ready to be seated at a moments notice hung languidly in the space, nary a soul to occupy them. Amongst the head of the enclosure, a grand stage built to accompany large swathes of performers and dancing troupes emerged in his vision.
The curtains that sequestered the back stage from the front hung glibly from rafters that were as tall as the catwalk he was standing upon. Such massive quilts could easily shelter a hundred families. He could only dream about the nights spent here, dancing and singing alongside hundred of other partygoers.
Or maybe it was a place kept for more formal affairs. Ones Yovin had only heard bits and pieces of from the merchants that visited his homestead. Sordid congregations filled with frilly dresses and high-brow cocktails. Yovin figured he would appreciate the former much more.
'I bet mother and father would've loved to see this.' Yovin thought unceremoniously, his thoughts drifting towards home. They had always loved to dance, their quant hearth room always a center of jubilance when the nights had grown cold.
It was then that Yovin pictured the man he ought to become. One that could dance his worries away, with the ones he loved at his side.
How far he had been led astray from that dream.
His mood simmering, Yovin edged away from the railing, spotting a carousel stairway leading towards the first floor to his distant left. The ceilings towered above him, murals depicting gods and folklore beasts dancing within them. Almost mocking him, in a sense.
As Yovin continued towards the stairwell, he couldn't help but notice the retinue of servants posted at variable positions among the upstairs walkways. Some gave him warm looks with meaningful bows as he passed. Others gave him slight nods as he encroached their fields of view. The act of being acknowledged, especially in such a submissive way, led him to feeling overtly conscious of himself.
'As long as they don't start calling me Young Master.' Alya's initial title for him was so disorienting he had rather she not speak to him at all if she, and by extension all of the servants, were required to address him as such. Hopefully, they could stick to a first name basis and forego the embarrassment.
Yovin reached the stairway, crisscrossing staircases ending in a gladiatorial foyer immortalizing elders in granite statues that led towards a hulking set of gleaming doors at the end of the path they denoted. He could only imagine the gargantuan task of opening them.
"Do you wish to leave, Young Master?"
There it was.
One of the servants, a man of slightly taller height than him, with a toned physique that was plainly visible through the corduroy tunic he wore, called out to Yovin.
He hadn't noticed the man's presence, a testament to their resolute posture and immutable aura. But, the name he addressed Yovin with grabbed his attention almost immediately.
The Man looked towards the boy with patient eyes, fully aware who and what he was. In fact, all of the servants had been made aware. It was only natural, given that they would be required to serve him and the girl as they would any other guest. Even more so, when taken into account their unique arrangement with The Mistress.
It was for that reason, among others, that he remained ready and willing to assist, purposely ignorant towards Yovin's hectic reactions and withered gaze.
"Umm, no, not really. But I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't call me that. It's a bit too much."
The Man's flaccid expression continued to persist on his sculpted face, trained to a sword's edge to remain completely attached to whatever situation he found himself in.
"Of course. What would you prefer I address you as?"
Yovin didn't even have to think on it. Anything but Young Master would be much more tolerable.
"Just Yovin, if you don't mind. And, if possible, could you relay that to the other attendants? I'd really appreciate it." To accentuate his point, Yovin gave the man a small bow. He felt his back creak under the constant stress, but chose to ignore it.
"I would gladly be of service, Yovin." The Man gave his own bow, much more refined and elegant than Yovin's.
"Oh, and I hope this isn't too forward, but could I get your Name?"
Now that was a new one. It had been quite some time since a newcomer had asked for the Man's name. At least a year, give or take. Not that he was keeping track or anything.
"Rous. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Yovin." As if on cue, Rous extended a hand towards Yovin, his eyes pitted under the weight of a burgeoning smile. Charming enough to make Yovin accept on impulse.
"Likewise, sir." And with that, Yovin felt it necessary to bid Rous farewell. More so due to the uncomfortable air his smile emitted. One filled with complete servitude. It imbued in Yovin a sense of unequitable superiority, similar to that a over-bearing superior would impress on those beneath them.
As Yovin trailed down the steps, he continued to feel Rous' gaze penetrate his back until his line of sight had been diminished completely.
~
Walking for at least an hour by that point, Yovin had assessed the sheer size of the Estate and determined that he was most certainly lost. Hallways of similar design seemed to blend into each other, which made the disorienting nature of the building's scale proliferate further in his mind.
'How does anyone find their way around here?'
There were so many turns, and adjacent hallways, and large spaces between them, that Yovin couldn't possibly imagine a need for all of them. Maybe such an extravagance was considered normal for those among the Mistress' station, whatever level she operated within. This was an entirely different world, after all. He ought to keep an open mind.
Even if the scope of this place was massive, it allowed him time to think as he ruminated within it's hallways. Process the events that lead to this moment.
At current, there were two situations he needed to resolve. One of which being to avenge his father. It was a lofty goal, one filled with thorny paths and a thankless end. But one he needed to traverse regardless. Another was to determine just how far the incident surrounding Catarina truly stretched.
There were too many abnormalities surrounding the disaster, after all. The Garrison's absence, which could've all but prevented such a travesty, especially if they possessed a chromatist in their midst. The sudden wrathful appearance of an imperator, even if Yovin had a hand to play in his rage.
Context was important here. And Yovin understood that innately. The Man that assaulted the Town couldn't've been urged on by some twisted ideal alone. There had to have been a greater scheme at play that warped that ideal into a weapon.
And as such, his vengeance wouldn't be complete without both aspects being fulfilled.
In a previous life, he would recoil with apprehension at the thought of such a strong concept like vengeance. Such things would've remained beyond him if only he hadn't been pushed to consider that idea. To long for it.
Hate would've been left buried under a primordial sheath within his soul, better spent hidden from misuse. But now, that possibility was squandered. There was only one direction he could focus his energy on.
And that was forward.
He refused to let the chains of his fear, of his pain hold him down forever.
But, in truth, these ideals were conceited at base. The Boy knew not of true pain, of true fear.
Those dark things, swimming in the greater conscious, were weapons his enemies wielded without a second thought.
One he would have to wield if his wish would have any hope of coming to fruition.