Strategy Meeting

A smirk twitched up Mirage's lips. "Now you're talking, prince."

With a clank of armor, Zenith leaned forward. Every line of his body was taut as a bowstring. "I see. And once we defeat the other generals for you, you will take over as the new commander of the Infernal Legion. Is that your objective?"

Mirage's eyes went round as coins. Then he burst out cackling, even slapping the deck like a seal. "My, you do think highly of me, homunculus knight! Hate to say it, but at my current level I'm nowhere near entertaining such ambitions. And aren't you forgetting it's not only the Grand Generals that need to be dealt with? Or are you saying you'd defeat the Infernal Lord for my sake? I'm touched."

"You – " Zenith growled, rising to a crouch.

"Uh, Zenith, c'mon," Theo began, sweating.

But before he could think of something to say, Victor grabbed Mirage by the shoulder and pulled him back. "You don't need to worry about that," he said, uncharacteristically loud. "Even if he wants to, I won't let him do it."

"What?" Mirage sputtered, his entire face flooding red. He squirmed helplessly, but couldn't seem to escape Victor's grip. "What are you even – "

Unmoved, Zenith glared at Victor. "And why should I believe you?"

"All right, that's enough." Darian's voice cut like a sword, even silencing Mirage's indignant sputtering. "Let's table discussing Mirage's potential plans for world domination for the time being. I'd rather focus on the task at hand. Which is, again, how to deal with the remaining Grand Generals."

"If General Grave has the second-largest command, I say we take her down next," Kress said, slamming her fist into her palm.

"It might not be so easy," Guntar protested. "If all three join forces and attack together, we will most certainly be outgunned."

"Hm, I'm not so certain of that possibility," Mirage said, businesslike again – aside from the blush still staining his cheeks. "The Grand Generals historically don't get along. They have their own territories so they won't interfere with each other. For all I know, it may have been years since they last met face-to-face."

Darian arched an eyebrow. "Doesn't sound like the best strategy for running an army."

"Take that up with the Infernal Lord, not me," Mirage sniffed. "Even so, defeating a Grand General is unprecedented. If they're scared enough, they might decide to clench their teeth and work together after all."

"It all comes down to the Infernal Lord, doesn't it?" Cay piped up. "We don't know how he'll react."

"Yes, and don't ask me to try predicting it," Mirage said with an arch shrug. "Like I said, this situation is unprecedented. But that also gives us an advantage, if we strike fast enough."

"Us," Zenith hissed under his breath, shaking his head. Even without sensing his Levia, Theo knew how angry he must be. His mind raced, trying to figure out how to comfort Zenith, but that was when Ryllis' rasp drifted across the deck.

"It's chaos and they don't get along. Which means there's no better time to get the big guy himself. While they're squabbling, we swoop in and take him down."

"Oh!" Sam pumped her fists. "You're brilliant, Ryllis!"

Mirage, however, had turned the color of sour milk. Hard to believe he'd been blushing so ferociously just a few minutes before. "Are you insane? Do you really think it'll be that easy?"

"You guys can work out the details," Ryllis drawled. "But the principle's simple, yeah? Just tell us where to find him – "

"That's the thing! I don't know! I have no idea where he lives, or even what he looks like! So no, it's not simple at all!"

As arguing voices volleyed back and forth, Theo wondered if he should say something. But what? It wasn't like he had any better ideas himself, or any information about the Infernal Lord….

Wait a minute. "Uh." He cleared his throat, but the sound disappeared beneath all the yelling.

Great. Taking a deep breath, Theo rose to his feet. A few heads turned his way, but not enough. So he swallowed down his embarrassment and shouted as loud as he could, "Hey!"

The voices trickled to a stop, and more heads turned. Including Zenith, who was staring at Theo with a familiar innocent confusion – which, Theo had to admit, he preferred to the knight's simmering anger at Mirage.

"What is it, Theo?" Darian asked.

Fighting down the heat in his cheeks, Theo forced himself to speak. "Um. Well. If it's information about the Infernal Lord, I might have some."

"What do you – " Darian began, only for her eyes to widen. "Ah. Because he captured you."

"That's right." Though he didn't much want to, Theo dug into his memories of being brought before the Infernal Lord. A lot of it was a panicked blur, but he remembered enough. The mirror, deceptively small. The formless silhouette looming within it...

And the darkness drowning his body, the pressure crushing his lungs. Despite himself, his heart began to pound faster.

Just then, a spark of light drifted across his contract. It was faint, but pulsed with a familiar gentle warmth that unknotted some of the tension in his chest.

Theo sent a spark of his own Levia toward Zenith, wanting to convey his gratitude somehow. When Zenith's Levia blazed a little brighter, he knew he'd succeeded.

Now feeling more confident, he faced the others again. "I saw him...well, not physically. He was in a mirror, and I couldn't see much, just a shadow, but...he spoke to me. And I felt his Levia."

Once again, Theo made himself remember that crushing darkness. Right now, surrounded by his friends, he was safe. And back then, he hadn't been totally alone either. Mom had made sure of it.

"I don't know why, but he wanted to know about my Levia. Somehow, for some reason...he said it…."

As he spoke, Theo became increasingly dismayed. He really didn't know that much, did he? But he'd gone and made a big production out of it like a total chump.

So he couldn't well leave the crew with nothing. And...it wasn't like he'd learned nothing from that encounter, either. "He said something. A name. Something like...Sarieva?"

He glanced around the crew, a knot twisting in his chest. Maybe – but the blank stares that greeted him made his stomach sink.

Desperate, he made one last stab. "So nobody's heard that name before? Not even you?"

Without realizing it, he whipped toward Mirage. It was the first time he'd addressed the demon since he had joined the crew, and their mutual shock twanged in the air like a note played sour.

Mirage darted his gaze to the side, then cleared his throat. "No, I'm afraid not."

Then what else? What else? Surely there was something, some kind of information he could offer the crew. He couldn't have suffered like that for absolutely nothing.

The Infernal Lord's Levia. Hadn't it...felt kind of familiar? And not just because he'd sensed that same Levia from Infernal Legion spells. There was something about that vast darkness, how it spread endlessly around him. Like a night sky without stars….

Like the Star of Miriel?

Theo's heart skipped a beat. But he had no idea what it meant, or if he'd just been imagining things. It wasn't like he'd been thinking clearly at the time.

If he didn't have anything concrete to offer, he shouldn't say it. "Sorry, guys," he mumbled to his shoes. "I thought...I mean, I guess I didn't learn that much after all."

"It's all right," Darian said. "Any lead is fine, however small. We'll be sure to research this 'Sarieva.'" She nodded at Guntar, who nodded back. "For now, let's focus on the things we can do."

She held his gaze for a moment, her eyes dark and serious, and unbidden Theo found himself remembering the diagram that had blazed beneath her, almost the exact blue as her eyes. Her Levia felt very much like the Star's, didn't it? Just as vast and overwhelming.

The moment the thought struck him, a gentle hand tugged on his wrist. Looking down, Theo saw Zenith gazing at him with his head tilted in concern.

Right, he'd said his piece, so no need to keep standing. Theo sank back down to the deck, but his mind wouldn't stop whirling.