RE: Monarch
Chapter 262: Kholis VII

Discretion was paramount for a problem of this magnitude. Lycaon—a pillar of early demonic rebellion who commanded a frightening degree of power—lurked at the heart of our dilemma. Ozra had revealed how the rebellion was kneecapped, Lycaon's followers either enslaved or destroyed, while Lycaon himself suffered imprisonment for his many crimes. His long, torturous sentence served as a bloody warning to those who might defy demonic rule—and somehow, inexplicably, it all connected to the curse binding me.

"And he's never said more than that?" Maya asked, her brow knitted together in a mask of focus.

I thought back to the many times I'd died, and the hulking silhouette who spoke little and conveyed even less. "No. Just that my purpose is to end the cycle. That's why I'm convinced the magical mechanism that governs us is completely separate. Even taking into account that, apparently, we once worked together for the same purpose, I was only supposed to be removed temporarily. To what purpose, I can't say, but the memory I recovered seemed to indicate it was to a specific one. Only when the time came to bring me back in, she never did."

Maya paused in the midst of writing, glancing over the rim of her spectacles. "Not so long ago you believed the reverse. That you abandoned or disappointed her in some way, creating her current ire."

My mouth tightened, a bitter taste lingering on my tongue. "I've revised that opinion."

"Oh?"

"There's nothing I could have done to inspire the degree of resentment she harbors. Nothing at all. No world in which she comes to me for aid, describing the importance of her mission and need for aid with minimal evidence, can I see myself turning her away."

Again, Maya's pen paused. "You have to admit, to an outsider there're many aspects of the tale she broaches that would seem outlandish. Ragnarok. The corruption. Chronal magic. It doesn't seem so ridiculous to imagine a version of things where she's disregarded and laughed out of the capital."

I squinted, considering that for a moment before ultimately shaking my head. "At one point in time I was a little shit in prince's trousers, but I never stopped being curious. Stonewalling requests for funding or resources, perhaps, but never outright rejection. Enthralled as I was with stories like Percival and the Chrono-Sphere, her tale would immediately strike me as fascinating. I could be absolutely convinced she was lying—a tall order, as she'd likely come prepared with predictions and have a strong idea how to influence me—and still keep her around for the novelty of the story, at least long enough for at least some of it to prove true."

Maya tapped the quill to her lips. Outside, rain tapped gently against the windowpanes. She seemed to wrestle with how to express something, or rather, whether she should.

"Go ahead." I prompted.

"It's just…" She frowned. "I'm having a hard time imagining where that severity of hatred comes from. It's one thing to slay an enemy that has wronged you. Tormenting and torturing them before their death, while less palatable, is still relatable to some extent. I… harbored similar fantasies not long after your apparent death. Towards Thoth and others."

I was pretty sure she meant Bellarex.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Maya waved away the apology. "That is well-trod ground, and we have already come to terms. Still, it provides an interesting thought experiment. If you found yourself in her place, repeating a wide span of time within which you could choose to exact revenge for the things she's done in this lifetime—which are unquestionably heinous—how many times would you do so?"

"As many as needed."

"Every time?"

I half shrugged. "It's only rational. She's a wielder of great power and equal cruelty. We are diametrically opposed, and she will stop at nothing to hurt me and those I care for."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Ah, but what if she wasn't?" Maya cocked her head, thinking through it. "What if, after this timeline drew to a close and everything restarted, she was just a person going about her life, like you were? Perhaps there was something about her that needed to be addressed—your eventual coronation for example—that would eventually cause a threat, but she herself posed no immediate danger to you."

It was difficult to imagine a version of things where Thoth was harmless. Nevertheless, I tried.

"Thoth… should answer for what she's done. Of that there should be no question. Months from now, were I to somehow find her in a moment of weakness, alone and vulnerable… I would not be kind. Because she's fully aware of what she's done, and worse, did it gleefully."

Even as I spoke, my vision narrowed slightly, rage pushing in on the fringes. I took a deep breath and waited for it to recede.

"But if time had reset itself? If everyone she'd killed and tormented were alive again? I'm not sure I'd have the cruelty. Inflicting pain on a person when they have no idea what they've done, or how to make it stop, is a level of spite I'll never possess."

"There's no question you are kind. It's one of your many qualities that drew us together." Maya's eyes crinkled slightly. "I am… less so. The way I felt in the sanctum, the depth of my anger. It is the sort of thing that could never be properly expressed in a single lifetime. That being said, assuming the existence of a greater mission, after perhaps the third, or fourth repetition—each prior iteration ending in a failure—I have to imagine I'd reevaluate. Consider how much potential I was wasting, exacting vengeance that is ultimately impermanent, and the many ways that time could be better spent towards accomplishing my overarching goal."

"Right. Rationality would eventually win out." I agreed, resting my chin on a fist. "Only for her, it never did. There is nothing I could have done to inspire such immortal enmity. That's likely the explanation for the second loop, or at least, part of it. Thoth, perverting a divine gift, abusing it to enact her own twisted desires. Once I left—or perhaps more likely, she tricked me into leaving—no one remained to stop her."

"It still feels like we're missing something there." Maya puzzled over it for a few moments longer, then dipped her pen and returned to writing. "Moving on for now. So an unknown party, one that exists outside the bounds of the loop and is aware of it, is using Lycaon to return you to the fold and end the cycle."

It was a big unknown. Possibly the biggest, spanning everything from the demonic to the divine. The only beings that expressed awareness of the cycles were the Black Beast and Infaris, a literal goddess who, while benevolent and seemingly well-meaning, was unable to address the topic in anything more substantive than whispers and riddles. More vexingly, the way she'd spoken on it implied that she'd been sworn to secrecy, and it logically followed that the only being who could censure a goddess would be another member of the divine.

"Theorizing with nothing to narrow down the possibilities won't help us much." I leaned forward, drumming my fingers on the table. "We need to coax more information about Lycaon out of Vogrin and Ozra, without making it obvious. The instant they realize our interests are connected to chronal magic, they will immediately ponder why."

Maya winced. "Which will be difficult. Demons are quite good at keying in on hidden agendas, and adept at decoding mortal coyness. It may also help us to consider why you were chosen. You're clearly capable and have a great degree of potential. But there are a great number of mages as skilled as you among the elves and infernals. Why you, instead of the others?"

It came to me immediately. "Because with anyone else, Thoth wouldn't hesitate."

The writing paused as Maya peered at me over her notes. "Because of her hatred."

"Not just hatred." I shook my head. "Need. A compulsion to show herself the victor. Winning isn't enough. She has to dominate in whatever game she thinks we're playing, even if it only exists in her mind. After she's sated and bored, she ends it. But this time, because of the chronal magic, she's never felt fully satisfied. I've never cracked the way she wanted. That's why she waited until I created a big enough problem to actually try to kill me. I've seen the way she fights when there's no reason to pull her blade." I thought back to her duel with my father and shuddered. "If it wasn't for that built-in hesitation, I'd have never made it this far, even with my power. And considering how powerful she is, I'm willing to bet that most would fall just the same."

"Right." Maya sighed, flipping through her notes and reading them one last time. Once she was satisfied, she held the corner of the parchment out to me.

I summoned a spark with barely a thought, white-violet and dancing on my index finger. The parchment caught instantly, flames devouring our secrets before it could touch the floor. With a subtle gesture, I conjured a gentle wind that gathered the ash and guided it toward the kitchen where it scattered into the bin.

She looked back to me. "Before we risk broaching the topic with Vogrin—let alone Ozra—I'd like to take a run at Kastramoth. Diminished as they are, the Hellhounds are Lycaon's lineage, and pride might make him more forthcoming than usual."

"Fine with me." A smile formed at the corners of my mouth. "We've dissected our cosmic dilemma and, better yet, carved a path forward. Now, let's return to more important matters."

"Of course." Maya set down her pen and cocked her head. "What matters, exactly?"