The Corrupted Syndicate

Midway through the meal, Zenos's patience began to wear thin. His annoyance simmered until he could no longer sit still. Abruptly rising from his chair, he stormed over to where Mavislin sat, frustration evident in every step.

Without so much as a word of warning, the towering blonde reached down and, like a mother cat lifting her kitten by the scruff, he seized her by the back of her collar and effortlessly pulled her from her spot.

"If you do not eat, I will not feed you later to compensate," grumbled the Viceroy, as he forced the girl down onto his lap with her portion in front of her.

Zenos offered no further comment as he returned to his meal, methodically chewing, indifferent to the scene he'd just caused. Mavislin, clearly annoyed, pouted and squirmed in his grasp, attempting to free herself.

But before she could voice her protest, her stomach betrayed her with a loud, insistent growl. Embarrassed, she fell silent, while the rabbit nearby struggled to contain a laugh. Zenos, unmoved by it all, continued to eat, oblivious to the moment.

Resigning herself, Mavislin sighed and reluctantly took a bite of her food. A strange sense of familiarity crept in as she ate, the taste teasing memories of a place she couldn't quite place.

Then, the sudden metallic clang of a spoon hitting the stone floor shattered the silence. Though to most it would be a soft, insignificant sound, to the rabbit's keen ears it was jarringly loud, almost deafening in the stillness of the room.

"What's the matter, Mavis?" questioned Mattheos as he rushed toward her.

The Viceroy seemed slightly surprised but was mostly stoic as he gazed upon his little trophy, who was wide-eyed with shock. As if she had forgotten something important.

"The Legion... How could I forget..." mumbled the dragoness, fear gripping the back of her throat.

"What about the Legion?" quizzed Matt, once more.

"How could I forget that the Legion has the technology to create artificial bodies? And that the Fontaine Couple we met..."

"Weren't the real thing at all? I had a hunch as well but I couldn't tell... I thought the Legion had opened up its gates to a variety of different beings and expanded their horizons so I didn't think much of it."

"Though it should have been a red flag for me since Kyle was suspiciously too easy to kill, and Minwoo looked clueless when I asked-"

The rabbit stopped short before he could finish his sentence, much to the confusion of the people in the room.

"Unless my ears have deceived me, are you saying that you've interacted with another member of the Legion within my domain?" thundered the Viceroy as he summoned his scythe.

Everything that happened right after was a blur; by the time the rabbit opened his eyes, the stench of fresh blood had reached his nose first. In short, he was mortified to see Mavislin in front of him, with her arms held up and Zenos' scythe's tip digging into her flesh.

"Calm down! I'm sure he has got a reason... We don't have to start slaughtering each other just for such trivial matters! Retract your weapon now!" shouted the dragoness, pushing the Viceroy's blade away.

"Have you no idea who Minwoo is?!"

"I have! I'm well aware! But this is a horrible time to turn blades on your allies so please... Before I lose my arm, lower your weapon..." 

Much to Mattheos' shock, the Viceroy complied with her words, retracting the blade with ease as the dragoness winced in pain. The rabbit wasted no time in conjuring up a spell to heal her gash.

"You better have a damn good reason why you'd withhold such information from me or I will factory reset your soul," growled Mavislin, her eyes shining red.

"I do... I was attacked and barely had enough time to do anything. I managed to ask that White Rat one question and that was why they had sent the Fontaine Couple towards Valokia. He didn't outright say it but he seemed genuinely confused."

Zenos sighed as he lowered himself into his chair, gesturing for the servants to clear away the remnants of the meal. His gaze drifted over to Mavislin and Mattheos, seated on the ground.

The dragoness remained intently focused on the plan laid before her, undeterred by the activity around them. Meanwhile, Mattheos, silent and stoic, tended to her wounded arm, his attention divided between the injury and the task at hand.

The quiet tension between them filled the room, a stark contrast to Zenos' momentary respite. The Viceroy then peered over to see what progress the dragoness had made. The rabbit glared at him.

Mavislin's determination to finish her task was impressive as if the wound was no more than a paper cut.