At the far eastern edge of the Empire, the streets were alive in ways you wouldn't expect from a country plagued by conflict and sorrow.
Market stalls lined the narrow streets, their small lights flickering softly as dusk approached.
People flocked around, laughing and chatting while waving paper fans or carrying bags of hot goodies.
A bunch of children pursued each other, their fox and dragon masks half-hanging as they raced between adults.
Old uncles sat on little stools and played cards, calling out teasing insults when someone fumbled a hand.
A young couple stood by a dumpling stand, poking fun at each other over which skewer was best, while nearby a small band of buskers, one with a shamisen, one with a drum, and a foreign guy on clamp, had gathered a casual crowd.
A few teenagers, loose clothes draped over their shoulders, swayed slightly to the beat, not caring if they looked silly.
Vendors called out their prices without the hard edge of desperation, more like people just enjoying the back-and-forth of bargaining.
One old lady selling sweet potatoes gave an extra one to a shy little kid without batting an eye, waving off his mum's attempt to pay extra.
Smells of grilled fish, fresh noodles, and spiced sweets filled the air, blending with the faint trace of incense from a nearby shrine.
No one was watching their back here, no one stiff with caution or glancing over their shoulder.
It was the kind of night where you could almost forget the Empire existed, the kind of place where people smiled because they wanted to, not because they were told to.
Lanterns hung lazily across the narrow streets, casting a soft glow over the crowd.
The scent of grilled meat, sweet pastries, and incense blended into the air as laughter rolled through the alleys.
At one lively little stall, two young women stood side by side, waiting as the vendor worked.
The first, with bouncy auburn hair tied back in a loose ponytail, leaned over the counter, eyes sparkling as she watched the man twist several flavours of sugar into colourful, glistening lollipops.
A playful grin tugged at her lips as she rocked on her heels.
The vendor handed the finished candies over with a smile.
"Here you go, ladies." His voice warmed a notch as he caught sight of the second figure.
Behind her, a shorter raven-haired woman waited, arms freely crossed over a half-buttoned boyish jacket, her pale complexion reflecting the warm glow of the lanterns.
A few bandages encircled the bottom half of her face, but they did not conceal the sharp line of her jaw or the subtle flash of amusement in her gaze.
"Pay up, Leonie!" the auburn-haired girl exclaimed, spinning one of the candies with a sly grin.
The seller blinked, peering at the dark-haired woman before hastily looking away, a faint blush rising up his neck.
But Chelsea caught the look instantly.
With a mischievous grin, she moved in closer to her partner and said, loud enough for the vendor to hear, "Leonie, it seems like you should give this guy a chance, huh?"
"Shut up."
She let out a playful giggle at the rebuke, her eyes glinting with mischief.
But unlike her, the raven-haired woman's eyelid twitched in irritation.
She turned her head and gave Chelsea a deadpan stare, only to see her steering her gaze somewhere else and whistling, pretending innocence.
With a sigh, the raven-haired woman shook her head and stepped forward, pulling a few bronze coins from her pocket.
The man waved his hands quickly. "Ah, no need, miss, really, it's—"
But she simply raised an eyebrow and slipped the coins onto the counter.
"No," she said.
She caught his flustered face and, with that same raised brow, added bluntly, "I like girls."
At her sudden declaration, the vendor's mouth opened slightly in surprise as his eyes darted between the two women, clearly caught off guard but trying to play it cool, failing miserably.
He stared at the raven-haired woman again, looking for any sign of duplicity, but there was none on her gorgeous face.
Then he noticed the corners of her lips rising as she inclined her head towards her partner, "So does she."
"We swing the other way," she revealed without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
But it wasn't the same for the auburn-haired girl, who nearly choked on her lollipop, spinning around with wide eyes.
"Y-you bastard! That's not—"
Before she could finish, the raven-haired woman calmly reached over and pressed two fingers to her lips.
"Shh~" Her voice was soft, playful and smooth.
"No need to be so flustered,… I know you are quite shy, darling~."
The vendor stood frozen, mouth slightly open, unsure if he should smile in nervousness or pretend he hadn't heard a thing, his eyes flicking nervously between them, watching the drama play out.
The auburn-haired girl's face flushed a sour crimson, and her shoulders clenched as she attempted to swat at her partner, who only smiled and stepped back, leaving her to suffer.
As they moved away from the stall, Chelsea hissed something under her breath, lollipop clenched tightly between her teeth, while the raven-haired woman smirked and sauntered alongside her, hands tucked casually into her pockets.
The two of them melted into the crowd, leaving behind a flustered vendor who could only blink and wonder just what kind of chaos those two were carrying with them tonight.
—--
Chelsea shot a glare up at her companion.
"You absolute bastard," she muttered, her voice low.
"That I am." Bane accepted the compliment graciously.
"You vile scum."
"Yes."
"Y-You frekin' bitch."
"Oh, that I am not, cause I am not a bitch but a legit canine disguised as a temporary bitch by your Gia, don't you remember darling~, It seems like we have to shop for some almonds for your small brain, starting from today."
"Ahh!! Stop the act, fucker! It's giving me chills!"
"Okay...Darling~"
"Ahh!! Stop it."
Bane let out a soft snort, rolling his eyes. "Relax, not everything I said back there was true."
"Really?"
"Of course, you know. I'm straight, but... you're the one who's not."
Chelsea's face heated up again.
"Screw you!" she hissed, shoving his arm.
She choked up. "Why the hell am I even arguing with a rebel who's escaped from his own organisation?"
Bane only smiled lazily and pointed a finger at her. "Don't be jealous that I was able to flee the Revolutionary Army, while you..." he smirked, "can't even escape from your precious organization, you know, the one that can fuck you over a million times because they're the best at information gathering and more so at assassination, all under the oh-so-great misandrist Merraid, holder of the 'greatest assassin' title."
"....."
Not able to retort the fact, Chelsea scowled, puffing her cheeks into a pout, her arms crossed tightly as she glared at nothing in particular.
Bane let out a light laugh, shoving his hands lazily into his pockets.
"But still," he drawled, eyes flicking back at the lively market, "this person we're waiting for… does he actually have some kind of power to have this much of a positive effect on this place, or is he just a plain old charismatic guy who happens to be an excellent leader?"
Chelsea, still sulking, licked her lollipop with slow, exaggerated strokes, refusing to answer.
Her eyes stayed locked forward, jaw tight, cheeks faintly flushed with irritation.
Bane glanced sideways at her.
"Hmm… nothing to say, huh?"
"Whatever. Anyway, are you sure he'll be here today?" Bane asked, tilting his head slightly.
Still puffing her cheeks, Chelsea finally gave a nod.
"How are you sure?"
"Our organisation has a few spies planted here." She revealed casually.
Bane's eyebrow arched.
".....You guys are a scary bunch."
"Hmm, if we are so scary, then why don't you join us? Our leader had even offered you a higher position than the rest of us."
Bane gave her a deadpan gaze and said.
"No, thank you very much. Honestly, I would've joined you back then if I didn't already know about that woman's sick personality."
At the mention of Merraid, Chelsea let out a loud laugh, pointing at him.
"Hah! Are you stupid or just completely oblivious to the fact that our leader is crazy about you? She's been wanting to add you to her harem for years."
"....."
"....Really?"
"Really."
Bane's smirk faltered, his expression turning almost pale.
"…That crazy, misandrist, heterophobic, psychotic, rapist, and molester of a bitch is still that delusional!?'
"That she is." She replied, not minding the fact that the guy in front of her just hurled a bunch of insults at her leader, even recounting a few in her mind which he forgot to mention.
'Well, it isn't like he is wrong, if anything, she is a lot worse.' She mused as she mentally ticked all the traits in her leader.
"Didn't I already clear things up when I saved her ass from imperial assassins years ago? I saved her because I was assigned a task and was deployed by the revolutionary army, and I had clearly told her I'm a 'boy' when she tried to reach her filthy hands on me."
Chelsea shrugged casually.
"Yeah well, we cannot do anything about that… also, who's gonna believe a 'trap' like you?"
"T-Trap?"
"Seriously, you know most people think you're a woman, right?"
"I-"
"And till this day, you've never shown us your face behind that mask of yours, your figure's petite and short, not exactly 'manly', and your 'enchanting' voice could put the world's most famous female bards to shame."
"What the fuck, I have my reasons-'
But she did not let him continue "If not for the fact that I have seen your information profile and know about your ragtag condition, I too had believed this till yesterday."
".....Then can't you just tell her this fact?" He said with a sigh, rubbing his temples.
"Nope, I can not and will not, also even if she somehow comes to know this fact she might just cut off your genitals and make you a….., you know what I mean, don't you?"
"...Good thing I am gonna to die in a few days."
"Yeah, yeah, and be grateful cause you were not kidnapped by her till now."
She rolled her eyes. "After the day you saved her, she's been completely bonkers for you and everything even remotely related to you. If it weren't for the Empire hunting our organisation down, and the fact she's busy recovering the pieces while dealing with assignments in distant nations, you'd probably be on her bed right now, moaning her name and experiencing the so-called 'True Path of Happiness.'"
"That bitch-" Bane opened his mouth, ready to throw out a curse, but his words froze as they both noticed the sudden shift in the crowd.
The street noise quieted, like a slow ripple moving through the square.
Large groups of people were turning, pointing down the main road, voices dropping into excited murmurs.
Heads craned, some standing on tiptoe to get a better look.
Bane's aquamarine eyes followed the crowd's focus, and then he saw it.
A steady procession moved along the street, almost like a religious march.
People lined both sides, waiting with feverish expectation.
Figures in long white robes, their faces veiled behind transparent veils, moved in rhythmic, dance-like steps, swaying as if executing a ritual.
A figure dressed in ornate ceremonial robes sat in the center, elevated on a costly ceremonial platform carried by four broad-shouldered men.
The person's clothes were crimson and veil was larger, more intricate, and embellished with the image of a huge eye than anything worn by the surrounding priests.
As the procession approached, the gathering townspeople burst into chants, their voices blending together.
"The Saviour!"
"The Lord!"
"The Messiah!"
Their shouts cut across age groups, with some jumping with excitement as the hooded figure lifted a hand and waved slowly and gracefully toward them.
Chelsea took a quick peek at Bane.
But Bane's gaze was already locked ahead, as he noticed the veiled figure's head shift slightly and glance directly at him.
For a moment, they stared across the space between them.
Bane let out a soft, amused chuckle.
"This Lord…" he murmured under his breath, lips curling into a smirk.
"…He's the real deal."
—---
A/N: Yeah, I know, I said I wouldn't include Merraid in this fic.
Honestly, I was quite hesitant in adding this character (cause she is borderline pure evil with questionable traits and she has been a point of a lot of controversy.)
But look, I had to. Reasons. Plot holes. Narrative gymnastics. You name it. Leaving her out would've made things messier than keeping her in, and honestly, it'd be a waste not to use a character this unhinged.
Yes, she's a man-hating, blood-soaked psychopath with a laundry list of red flags, but hey, you all are simps (me included) for Esdeath, and she's worse than Merraid. So let's not be a bunch of hypocrites and pretend we've got standards now.
Also, yes, I have changed Chelsea's power.
Unlike in the anime or manga, where she had spent more time sneaking around Sphinx on stealth missions than actually using her potential, here, she's part of the Organization who focuses on elite combatants, which means she's finally unlocked some serious power.
Her Tegu can now transform others into other people, not just herself.(Of course there are limitations) Why? Because she literally uses a makeup kit as a weapon, if that doesn't scream "high-level illusion chaos," I don't know what does.
So, buckle up, Merraid's here, and it's going to get uncomfortably interesting.