Alright, so world domination. I’ve decided already that in order to change this world into one I want to live in, I’ll have to take over the world. But first, I must start small and take over the Scarlet Empire, and my plan of action is progressing smoothly so far. I became Armand’s apprentice, which grants me enough authority to become second-in-command of the Empire. Then I weaseled my way into the Alchemy Tower as an advisor. Although being the Emperor’s apprentice gives me authority over the internal affairs of the Empire, external affairs regarding trade, diplomacy, war, and the exchange of information, is beyond my paygrade. So I found a way in. The Alchemy Tower is in itself a powerhouse of information and is an organization independent from the Emperor’s influence because Ezra is the one in charge. Considering this, the Tower actually deals with a lot of foreign diplomats dealing in business with them, and scholars from all around the world come to the Tower to be a part of its influences in the field of alchemy. If I want a way into foreign affairs, this was the first place I had to take over. But Ezra wouldn’t give over his tower to me, so I found a way to sell my information to him and create a position of power for myself within the tower. Killing two birds with one stone. My next three targets, Alphonse, Kalei, and Ciel, had to be dominated. So I went to the imperial library for this purpose, to dig up some dirt to use against them.
The three other brothers also had significant power over the Empire’s internal and external affairs. Alphonse, though dimwitted unlike his twin brother, is actually the Commander of the Imperial Army. His swordsmanship is prodigy-level, and he knows how to lead troops into war without fear. His bloodlust is comparable to father’s. It’s hard to believe the kid is only 15. Alphonse’s control over the army is problematic for me not only because the maniac wages war recklessly all the time, but also because the Imperial Army has prestige and influence over the people of the Empire and over other nations as well. Even mentioning the Imperial Army can give you power over the opposition during political negotiations or discussions of trade. No one wants to go against such a military force. So I must take the army from Alphonse, it’s a trump card that can change the fate of my future plans. That and also, I just want to rub it into Alphonse’s face when I take what was his. He deserves it. He’s only ever been a royal brat to me and Mia.
Though I will thoroughly enjoy ruining Alphonse, it’s the other two brothers that might pose a problem. Kalei and Ciel, the mages. Kalei is the most arrogant of them all, surprisingly even more than Alphonse, why? Because the guy is the oldest son, which makes him Crown Prince, and he is infuriatingly gifted in magic. I don’t know much details about his ability but I heard rumours that his power was a fearsome kind. His power makes him popular with the mages and alchemists. Thus, he and Ezra often collaborate on official business together. His popularity with the mages and his position as the crown prince allowed him to make many connections so to capitalize on that, he took over the merchant business. Right now, Kalei oversees a great majority of the trade in the Empire, so by default, he became in charge of the labour laws, business practices, and tax and tariff laws within the Empire. I don’t know how I’ll be able to overtake him. And lastly, the most troublesome was my youngest older brother, Ciel. He was a complete enigma. I know the least about him out of everyone in the family. Ciel seems to be an innocent and kind kid at glance, and he adores Kalei, but Ciel being the youngest, still seemed to have gained some influence, enough to gain Armand’s respect. I don’t know much of the details but Ciel was often sent away to other kingdoms or empires as a diplomatic hostage when he was younger. Though somehow, he always managed to convince the royals taking him hostage to send him back home, and under friendly pretenses, Ciel also negotiated peace treaties with those royals. And no one ever knew how he did it. Everyone would question him about it but he always shrugged it off. Though there are some rumours that he used ability on the royals somehow to make them do what he wants, although nobody knows what his true ability is. That’s the thing when you get the Surge, when your magical power is ‘awakened’, you gain, firstly, the ability to use general magic, which requires training and talent to hone, and secondly, a special magical ability, which is unique to any other ability and much more powerful and instinctive than general magic. Most people like to keep their special ability secret, like a trump card to use only when necessary. That’s why I don’t know any of the family’s special abilities, even Armand, who used his magic publicly before on the battlefield, has only a select few people who know what his ability is and they probably wouldn’t even know the entire extent of his abilities. That’s why, I can’t underestimate Kalei or Ciel, specifically Ciel, whose ability is rumoured to be one that can control others.
“Ok. Let’s just take it one at a time.” I’ll take down the easier of the three, Alphonse.
I entered the imperial library, past the overarching doorway, and the smell of old musty parchment and ink wafted towards me. In the natural light, I could see the circular room had shelves of books, scrolls, and ornate items lining the perimeter. The shelves went as high as the ceiling, with cutouts made for hanging portraits or scrolls. The library was a domed tower, stretching upwards for tens of metres, basking in sunlight from the glass ceiling, with a stained glass mural at the centre of the dome. The pretty mural was ethereal, with grand roses and a blonde lady in a gold dress. The light that shone through the stained glass fell onto a large oak podium. On the dark podium sat a grand tome, gold-rimmed and dark black leather-bound. The tome was about 12 by 16 inches in size and 5 inches thick. The size wasn’t what daunted me but rather the glow of the jewel embedded on the front cover. The blue sapphire was the size of my five-yr old fist, and it was glowing slightly, almost hallucinative under the light of the stained glass. I walked closer to it, the pulsing of the glow growing aggressive, till eventually, I was sure the jewel was glowing when I had reached the tome. I tried to reach for the book to get a closer look, I stood on my tiptoes, stretching with all my strength, but I could only slightly graze my finger on the spine. I looked around for something to stand on but only saw a table and couches, which were too heavy for me to move around. Then I thought about stacking some books to stand on but lo and behold, to my utter dissatisfaction, the lowest level of shelves in the library were too high for me to reach as well. I tried to stretch the best I could. Almost there… I pinched onto the edge of a book on the lowest shelf and pulled with all my strength.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
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