“Prima Lucia Vensolus, your presence is required.”
Virenna stirred, lifting her head from her hands. She felt dazed, the light reflecting from the sheer white walls leaving her momentarily blinded. She sat alone on a small, white stone bench in the cramped holding room. Her armor weighed heavily on her shoulders, its once gleaming surface now covered with blood and ash, staining the otherwise immaculate bench below her. She couldn’t remember how she had arrived in this room, and the harsh white light gave no indication of the time. She looked up at the Lucent, who stood expectantly in the doorway. The Lucent’s gaze dropped toward her armor for a fraction of a second, a look of distaste flashing across her face. Their eyes met and the Lucent stepped back, gesturing down the corridor. Virenna took a deep breath and stood. She swayed slightly as she rose, concern briefly visible in the Lucent’s eyes as Virenna steadied herself.
She continued quickly down the corridor, not trusting herself to remain vertical for too long. The otherwise empty walls were dotted with torches in simple stone braziers. Flickering firelight was filtered through intricate stained glass enclosures, bathing everything in soft, blue light. The Lucent hurried to catch up, her diminutive stature causing her to struggle to match Virenna’s long strides. The staccato taps of the Lucent’s steps reverberated through the corridor, punctuated by the much slower, and heavier, impacts of Virenna’s armored boots. Virenna slowed as she approached the debriefing room, the familiar sapphire and glass door filling her with a foreboding she had never felt before.
The Lucent took the opportunity to slip past Virenna and, holding her in place with a withering glare, opened the door.
“Prima Lucia Vensolus for you, your Luminance.” The Lucent said reverently, her head bowed.
Virenna started. Your Luminance? The Praefect herself was here? Her hands began to shake as the feeling of dread deepened. She took a deep breath, clenched her hands into fists, and stepped into the room.
Three people were already inside, facing her as she entered. Two stood rigidly at the back of the room, their crisp blue uniforms bearing the insignia of Imperial Tribunae. Virenna paled, her confident step faltering. Seated before them at a plain white table was the Praefect. She sat perfectly still, bright blue eyes the only thing visible behind the porcelain mask. Her long, alabaster hair was pulled back in what must have been a painfully tight bun. Bright blue sapphires spiked the shoulders of the otherwise pure white uniform. Her entire body glowed with soft white light, obscuring the finer details and throwing the mask into an unsettling, ethereal relief.
Virenna flinched as the door closed behind her, the Lucent having made a quick exit.
“Sit.” The Praefect’s voice, cold and imperious, reverberated throughout the small room. Virenna’s legs felt suddenly compelled and, before she had fully processed what the Praefect was asking, she sat.
Recovering quickly, she took a steadying breath and refocused on the Praefect, trying desperately to ignore her unkempt state and project calm confidence. The Praefect, however, didn’t so much as glance downward; her gaze stayed locked on Virenna’s face. Virenna tried to hold the Praefect’s stare but within seconds faltered and looked down.
“Prima Lucia Virenna Vensolus.” The Praefect continued, slowly enunciating every syllable as Virenna shrank before her.
“Y-yes, your Luminance.”
“Earlier tonight you lead a small, handpicked team in a clandestine strike against an insurgent cell located in the slums near the outer wall.”
“Yes, your Luminance.”
“Your mission was to insert at the edge of the slums, make your way to the insurgent compound, enter, and extract the target.”
“Yes, your Luminance.” Virenna responded, voice growing uncertain. The Praefect should’ve already known the details of the mission.
“So your team made the insertion, reached the compound, and successfully entered.” The Praefect continued.
Virenna nodded slowly, still confused. The Praefect’s eyes immediately narrowed.
“You will respond to each of my queries with, at minimum, ‘Yes, your Luminance’ or ‘No, your Luminance.” The Praefect said sharply.
“Yes, your Luminance. Of course, your Luminance.” Virenna replied hastily.
“Once inside, you found heavy resistance and were forced to fight your way through.”
Virenna paused, uncertain. Heavy resistance? She thought, painfully aware of the drawn out silence as the Praefect’s stare bored into her.
“I-”
“And after prolonged and intense combat,” The Praefect continued, cutting off Virenna. “You reached the insurgent leader himself. You found him heavily guarded, his own force bolstered by disguised Bel Traten soldiers.”
Virenna froze, eyes wide, but before she could respond the Praefect bulled forward.
“You fought valiantly, though heavily outnumbered. You managed to reach the asset. Lucia Callentus sacrificed herself to hold the line while you and Lucia Adenus escaped. In the chaos, one of the insurgents dropped a torch, igniting a nearby table and resulting in the destruction of the compound and several surrounding buildings.” The Praefect’s matter-of-fact tone made it clear this was not up for debate.
“Y- your Luminance.” Virenna stammered. “I... I don’t-” The Praefect turned sharply towards the Tribunae.
“Your presence is no longer required.”
Virenna’s eyes widened even further as the two women nodded curtly in unison and left. The door clicked shut behind them, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent room. Immediately the Praefect’s face seemed to soften, the glowing light surrounding her dimming ever so slightly.
“Virenna, child, I realize how confusing this must be for you.” The Praefect said soothingly, the previous intensity gone from her voice. The stark contrast in tone after the Tribunae’s exit, combined with the uncharacteristic usage of her given name, served only to bewilder Virenna further.
“You must have been under an immense amount of pressure.” The Praefect continued. “Your first mission as Prima Lucia. Leading Ulessa and Meira. A difficult extraction of an insurgent leader. Handpicked for the Praefect’s classified mission by the Praefect herself.”
Virenna frowned slightly at the last sentence; she hadn’t known it had been a mission directly from the Praefect or that she’d been specially selected.
“I see you weren’t actually aware of that.” The Praefect said, sounding amused. “I thought I was a bit heavy handed. A sudden change moving you, a young and unproven leader, onto a small strike team days before the operation? I’ll take care not to make undue assumptions of your deductive prowess in the future.”
Virenna flushed, biting back a retort.
“Regardless.” The Praefect continued, ignoring Virenna’s obvious umbrage.
“You had a lot to prove on this mission, and it clearly didn’t go to plan.”
“The intel was faulty!” Interjected Virenna, surprising even herself with her boldness. The Praefect raised a haughty eyebrow but let Virenna proceed. “The layout of the compound didn’t match our maps. The few soldiers we encountered seemed confused at our presence and interest in Phaern. And…” She continued, lowering her voice to a whisper, “There were definitely no Bel Traten soldiers present. And Meira was killed by Phaern’s bodyguard in the assault, not defending our escape.”
The porcelain face, frozen in its impassive countenance, did not react as she spoke.
“Virenna.” The Praefect said, adopting her mollifying tone again. “You’re obviously confused. All the fighting, fire, smoke, Meira’s… loss. It was chaos. You aren’t thinking clearly. Our spy network, as well as the testimony of Lucia Adenus, has already confirmed everything.”
Virenna’s confusion mounted. Ulessa had confirmed it? She hadn’t even been in the room... she hadn’t seen…
“However, you must appreciate the gravity of the situation.” The Praefect said as she leaned forward, her voice growing intense. “The presence of Bel Traten soldiers aiding and abetting insurgents against the Ascendancy. It’s an act of war, Virenna. One we can’t ignore.” Virenna’s brow furrowed as her eyes darted across the Praefect’s solemn visage, searching for any hint at what was happening.
“I… I see, your Luminance.” Virenna said finally, voice wavering. The Praefect leaned further forward, her stare icy. After what felt like minutes she finally spoke.
“See that you do.” The Praefect said, voice barely above a whisper. Then she straightened and continued, “You’re a national hero now, Prima Lucia Vensolus. Risking your life to capture a terrorist leader, Lucia Callentus sacrificing herself to save you and the entire operation, you barely extracting with the target in tow. It’s quite the story. They’ll look up to you now; not just the other Envoys, but the people. You’re a shining example to the citizens of the Ascendancy.”
Virenna paled. Her? A hero? After an uncomfortable pause she lowered her gaze and managed to force out, “Yes, your Luminance.”
The Praefect stood, towering over Virenna.
“Take my words to heart, Prima Lucia. Your career, your very life, sits at a crossroads. I’ve put my trust in you. The people of the Ascendancy... the Quintessence herself, have put their trust in you. Tomorrow, during the Panoplia, you will stand with me in the Tertia Radia.”
Virenna gasped softly then quickly stifled the sound, eyes wide.
“It’s a great honor, far above your station, but I have no doubt you will be every bit the perfect soldier.” The Praefect turned and began to move toward the solitary door. Halfway there she paused, turning back towards Virenna. “Trust in Her Light, my daughter, may She guide the way.” With that, she continued out through the sapphire door, leaving Virenna alone in the cold, empty room.
She sat completely still, dumbfounded. The adrenaline of the Praefect’s presence fading, everything seemed to come rushing back. She was still reeling from the fight, still so fresh in her mind, and she found herself completely unable to process the implications of the Praefect’s words. She looked down at her hands, her vision blurring. The blood all over her gauntlets, Meira’s blood, was still wet. She suddenly felt lightheaded, and reached toward the immaculate white table to steady herself. The metal of her gauntlet slid across it and she pitched forward. The table appeared to spin as it rushed towards her, her burned and bloodied gauntlet leaving a dark smear across its surface.
Her momentum stopped as her cheek met the cool metal of her bracer, adding to the ash and blood streaking her face. She barely felt the force of the impact, the sharp cold of the metal against her face piercing the numbness. She took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, but her breathing quickly accelerated into a series of desperate gasps. She forced her eyes shut, but the world continued to spin around her. She wanted to run, to fight, to curl up in a ball under the table. Tears fell from her tightly closed eyes and Meira appeared, unbidden, in her mind. She watched, helpless, as Meira slowly turned and Virenna caught sight, once again, of Meira’s lifeless face. A violent sob wracked her body; the tears flowing freely.
Over and over it played in her mind and she felt completely powerless to stop it. Each time as devastating as the first, Meira’s bloodstained visage seemingly burned into her retinas. She opened her eyes again, desperate to break free from the recurring torment. The stark white light was overwhelming, the walls and ceiling and table all blending together. She gasped again, unable to shake the terrifying feeling of impending suffocation. The edges of her vision darkened, the solitary streak of blood on the white marble table the only thing she could make out.
The blackness surrounding her began to contract, and she felt as if she was falling backwards from the shrinking tunnel of light before her. Something blue passed briefly across the tiny window of her vision, and she heard a voice call out, but it all seemed so far away. She caught sight of the Lucent’s face, her previously austere expression replaced with one of confusion and fear. She spoke again but the words were lost in the echoing tunnel as everything dissolved into darkness.
