RE: Monarch

The sconces slowly died, a circular curtain of shadow falling around us. Only the table and its inhabitants remained visible, the light blue glow that illuminated them seemingly sourceless and ethereal, save scant ripples traveling the light like reflections off a pool. Annette's eyes were closed, and while she initially appeared stoic, her fists were clenched beneath the table. Ozra's hand remained fixed on her forehead, his face a mask of excitement and greed, not unlike a surveyor seeking the final valuation of some long-fabled treasure he'd finally secured.

But as the minutes passed, that excitement faded. His mouth pulled down in a frown, puzzlement playing across his lips, as if he couldn't quite process what he was seeing.

Then the puzzlement turned to rage.

"Who fucking did this?" He barked, startling Annette out of her trance, though he did not move his hand.

Vogrin materialized from the shadows, coming forward at his side. "The same question that has dominated my free hours as of late. I hoped you'd have better luck than me."

"If this is memory alteration, it's flawless." Ozra's voice was completely impassive, an odd contrast to his enraged expression. "You'd think an individual capable of such inventive savagery would find something more meaningful to do with it than tormenting a child."

Ozra taking issue with cruelty to mortal children immediately struck me as odd. The Azmodial legion, acting on Ozra's direct orders, slaughtered men, women, and children indiscriminately. I'd had that reality drilled into me over and over during the attacks on the Enclave. In any other situation I'd assume it was performative, and that Ozra was merely playing a part that made him appear more sympathetic to Annette. But the anger smoldering beneath the surface was very real. The only real possibility left was that he somehow considered what my sister had endured different from his own brand of depravity.

"There's the suppression to consider." Vogrin scratched his chin. "It's clear enough to state definitively. Princess Annette's mana development has been directly stunted through repeated applications of void. Both independently happening to the same person seems astronomically unlikely, but I hesitate to draw a direct connection."

"Why?" Maya barked. "Stop talking in riddles and share your insights, per our agreement."