Axcel/Axis

Axcel planning page.

Ucreehury

Sorty

Decserene Blaise: What vb is all about. Everything vb is, Decs is too. (Dreaming, panicking, wanting to break things, resenting day-to-day life, wanting to be dead but not to experience death, putting on a brave face, not caring about romance, weak, pathetic, and scared.) Has powers over earth, which allow her to throw up defenses at a moment's notice or, most commonly, to float above the ground when she gets a running start. Her motivation for joining the Axis was to destroy the world, one horrific deed after another, to satisfy her morbid curiosities and to purge the world of human nature. She later becomes a scapegoat for all of the Axis's terrorism, taking on the name of "Axcel" and sacrificing herself to the country's military forces.

Ellis Langlais: An ex-soldier in a nation that doesn't take care of its broken veterans. A young military prodigy who manifested during his years of service. His ability to destroy anything also takes its toll on his body. He was cast out of the military and left alone in the streets to die, but Skiakard found him and took him in. With Decs's help, Cloud erased Ellis's memories and merged him into a family that doesn't exist - Cloud and Hylinn stood in as his "parents", and Decs stood in as his "adopted sister". In order to explain the injuries he sustained from using his powers, Cloud also fabricated a memory of a horrible accident that left Ellis's "real family" dead, allowing "Decs's family" to adopt him and take care of him. By Skiakard's order, Ellis wears a special type of collar that prevents espers from using their powers on themselves - and since Ellis's power always affects him, it renders him unable to use it at all. (The collar will later be transferred to Cloud, to keep him from freeing himself from his miserable captivity.)

Cloud Stormkracht: An esper boy who was recruited at a young age by Skiakard. His powers consist of the ability to erase, alter, or fabricate memories in a given target. With practice, he has expanded their use and can affect multiple people in an area for a short term. His assignment to watch over Ellis has severely restricted other uses of his power, however, as keeping Ellis's entire history from surfacing consumes most of Cloud's energy. He is kept at Skiakard's side as a valuable pawn and servant, and he has been forbidden from using his ability on Skiakard at risk of his own life. When necessary, he does use his ability to hide any injuries he sustains from the people around him, except for Hylinn (and Skiakard). He will later be taken over by Ellis, forced to repress Skiakard's memories and unable to hide his wounds anymore, which Ellis will take advantage of and use to humiliate him before his peers.

Hylinn Stormkracht: Cloud's twin sister, taken into the Axis at the same time as Cloud. She can control the shadows, using them to cloak herself, other people, or objects at her whim. She sometimes uses it to create an eternal terrifying night for the Axis's enemies. She takes care of Cloud whenever she can, since she knows he refuses to show weakness to others and won't let the medics cure his wounds. Not a very talkative girl.

Jatro Kalusugan: One of the Axis's most important medics. He can cure most any injury, including tumors, infections, cuts, punctures, and hemorrhages; however, he can't regrow missing limbs, nor can he cure any problems in a person's brain. Very distrustful of Ellis due to his knowledge of the boy's past. His motivation for joining the Axis was to escape the "real world" and join a powerful organization that he felt could change the world for the better.

Skiakard: The Axis's self-appointed dictator. Whatever he says goes, without exception or challenge. Has the ability to change the force of gravity on the human body. More specifically, he manipulates the way gravity (of the earth or any object) affects a person. He has used his powers to "stand" on the ceiling, as well as to thwart multiple assassination attempts. Semi-illegal experiments on Cloud have revealed that heavy enough gravity can warp an esper's ability to use his power, even though Skiakard has no direct control over the mind or the use of special abilities. He would like to take over the world and stand at its head, directing it as he pleases without regard for others. Usually dresses, talks, and moves in ways that would generally be considered eccentric. Doesn't eat much, and never leaves the Axis headquarters.

He clawed at his throat. "GET IT OFF OF ME!"

Decs and some of Skiakard's trusted guards rushed towards him. One of them got there first, tackling Ellis. They toppled to the ground in a mass of writhing limbs. Ellis was still screaming.

Other guards managed to wrench his hands away from the collar. He yelled and kicked and bit their hands, but the sheer weight of five large men pressing down on his body was too much for even him to overcome.

Decs stood by and watched as the guards dragged Ellis to his feet. He slumped in their arms, forcing them to practically carry him forward. She was going to go look for Cloud when the yelling broke out again.

Ellis was fighting again, screeching with a raw throat even as hands locked down on all his limbs and around his torso. A loud *crack* resounded through the hallway, and everyone froze.

The collar fell in pieces to the ground.

"Clamp down on his throat! *Now!*" somebody yelled, but whatever powers were in range could not subdue Ellis's wrath. He snapped all of the guards' wrists at once, wailing in agony as his own bones seemed to become brittle. One hand hung limply at his side, and one step forward caused a horrible crunching sound to come from his legs.

But somehow he managed to walk, and throw his weight against the throne room door, and enter the place where Skiakard waited.

Decs didn't follow him. She simply ran away.

He advanced, ignoring the stabs of pain in his leg as he forced his tired body to keep going. The pressure of the knowledge of his powers had abated a little bit.

He emerged into a huge circular room. A series of arches formed a tunnel-like space at the room's edges and held up what seemed to be a balcony area. The dome stretched impossibly high above his head, and he wondered what would happen if it ever collapsed under its own weight.

Just beyond the center of the room was a throne, raised up on a dais. Ellis could barely make out the shape of a person sitting on it when the person snapped his fingers, and the whole room blazed into light.

The man was skinny - even his baggy white shirt and stack of plastic necklaces couldn't hide it. No person in a civilized country had any business being that malnourished. He didn't look like he took care of himself at all - everything he wore was wrinkled, and his hair was sticking out in all directions. But there was no mistaking the intelligence in his eyes or the malice in his smile.

"Welcome, little soldier boy!" The person on the throne swept his arms out, as though to show off his empty room. "It's *such* a pleasure to meet you at last!"

"Where's Skiakard?" Ellis demanded, his fingers clenching around the hilt of the dagger he'd stolen from one of the guards.

"I am he." The strange man hopped up from his throne. When he stood, his lanky form was emphasized even more. His hands disappeared into huge pockets in his baggy pants.

"No way," Ellis snorted. "Skiakard is supposed to be a strong and intimidating man. You look like you could be his court jester."

The man shrugged. "You don't *have* to believe me. But you would do well not to underestimate me, little soldier." He snapped his fingers again, and immediately the room was filled with a pervasive darkness.

Ellis stiffened, bracing himself for a surprise attack. But the lights came back on just moments later, and the jester-man was nowhere to be seen.

Ellis turned in circles, looking for him, inspecting every pillar and every shadow. "Show yourself, you coward!" he yelled in frustration.

"I'm not hiding, little soldier."

The voice came from above. Ellis turned his gaze upwards and gasped involuntarily. Impossibly, the man was crouched upside-down on the ceiling, looking so comfortable that Ellis could almost believe the dome was the real floor. "But if you want me to come and play with you, I suppose I can oblige."

He pushed off the ceiling. Ellis scrambled backwards, escaping by mere inches as the man landed with a resounding *thud*. The smooth marble ground had shattered, as though something far heavier than an emaciated man had landed there.

He suddenly lunged towards Ellis, drawing a serrated knife from his pocket. Ellis ducked, and the knife passed just above his head. Ellis gripped his own dagger, mind racing, planning a counterattack, when the small weapon suddenly became unbearably heavy. The extra weight on his arms forced Ellis to the ground. He landed on his broken wrist and cried out.

The man walked over, towering over the prostrate boy. "Poor thing," he chuckled, plucking the dagger easily from Ellis's grasp. "A shame that your powers are no match for mine. I was *so* looking forward to fighting for my life." He shrugged, then hurled the dagger across the room. It stuck in the wall like an arrow hitting a bull's eye.

Ellis gritted his teeth. "What have you done to Decs?"

"Decs?" Skiakard sounded surprised. "Oh, you mean Decserene? Nothing out of the ordinary. Why do you ask?"

"Liar," Ellis spat. His breath was growing more shallow as pressure built up in his chest. "She disappeared two days ago, and when she came back, she refused to talk to me. I know you did something to her!"

Skiakard waved his hand, and Ellis's body grew so heavy he could hardly move. His jaw crashed into the floor. Blood filled his mouth, and he coughed, trying not to choke on it.

"I haven't done anything out of the ordinary," the tyrant repeated, bending down far enough to look Ellis in the eye. "*You* are the one who's being strange, little soldier."

Ellis's fingers twitched as he tried to reach for Skiakard's throat, but his body refused to cooperate, and the effort left him gasping for air. "I *love* her," he whispered hoarsely.

Skiakard tilted his head. "I see. Cloud must have protected her again."

He stood, turning to an area of the room that was still shrouded in darkness. "You can come out now."

The shadows dissipated, revealing two figures standing there. Ellis strained to see them, and gradually he recognized Cloud and Hylinn.

"Cloud," he cried out. "Tell me what he did to her! *Tell me*!!"

But Cloud took his glasses off and started rubbing the lenses with his shirt. Hylinn just stared at his feet. Skiakard's lips twitched with the promise of a smile, and he walked towards the twins, his necklaces jangling against each other with every step.

He took Cloud's chin in his hand; Hylinn's face twisted with disgust. "Release him, darling," Skiakard murmured. "Let him know what he *really* is."

Cloud's gaze slowly slid over to meet Ellis's. "I'm sorry," the twin mouthed.

In the next moment, everything changed.

Suppressed memories poured back into Ellis's mind, stuffing his brain with things he didn't want to remember. Days of grueling military training and troubled, sleepless nights. The mixed exhilaration and fear of marching into battle for the first time. The feeling of a gun's recoil as enemies toppled over before him. The agony of getting sick on the job and being removed from his position. The first time he destroyed a building, coughing up blood from his lungs. And the horrible, horrible feeling of betrayal when he was kicked out altogether.

He realized he was screaming. "Make it stop!" His gaze locked with Cloud's, and he crawled in the twins' direction, the gravity on his body back to normal. Skiakard calmly stepped aside, giving Ellis full access to Cloud.

"Make it stop," he begged, clutching Cloud's legs. Water fell from somewhere, leaving pathetic spots of anguish on the boy's impeccable shoes. His voice rose in pitch as the memories kept coming. "I don't want this," he shrieked, pushing so forcefully that Cloud fell backwards. "I DON'T WANT THIS!"

A sudden flash of movement yanked Cloud to his feet and shoved Hylinn to the side. Ellis struggled to rise, but all he really wanted to do was sleep. Maybe if he slept for long enough, a pleasant dream would swoop in and steal all of the bad memories away again. His limbs fell still; his breathing shallowed. He laid his head gently on the stone-cold floor, bathing one side of his face in liquid sorrow.

The ceiling of the dome-roofed room fell down to meet him like a blanket.

END OF PART ONE.

She awoke in her room, unaware of how she had made it back.

The last thing she remembered was hearing that Skiakard's dome had collapsed with Ellis still inside. Then the messenger had left, and then...

She didn't know.

There was a knock at her door. She sat up, rubbing at her eyes. "Who is it?" she called blearily.

There was no response.

"Seriously, Ara, if a prank is your idea of a welcome-back present..." She swung the door open, expecting to see her old friend there, and gasped.

It wasn't Ara, but another familiar boy. He was bleeding from multiple wounds and panting heavily. His eyes couldn't focus, even when his gaze brushed against her eyes.

Then Ellis was lunging at her, his hands reaching for her neck.

She jumped backwards, wishing they were standing outside where she could use the earth to throw up a defense instead of in a too-clean bedroom. Ellis stumbled as he missed her, his legs almost bowing beneath his weight. His hesitation to stand back up gave her time to survey the room.

As Ellis lifted a hand to feel his head, Decs was raising her arms as well. She brought a lamp down on his head. It shattered upon impact, but it was enough. Ellis's eyes rolled back and he toppled to the ground, bleeding out onto her carpet.

"What was that?" Someone was shouting out in the hallway. Cloud burst into the room, followed by his sister. His eyes quickly scanned the room, taking in the sight of Decs, unharmed but shocked, and Ellis, hardly breathing.

"Call a medic," he told Hylinn. She nodded, her face paling at the sight of blood, and rushed away to get help. Cloud entered Decs's room and knelt beside Ellis. He took the other boy's wrist and felt for a pulse. "He's still alive. I'll take him down. You wait here, Decs. Someone will come back for you, I promise."

She didn't respond. She just sat on her bed and watched as her coworker of the past six years picked up their mutual charge's broken body, cradling him in his arms and smearing his own clothes with red.

*They were running, chasing each other and screaming and giggling and sometimes tripping over their own little feet.*

*"I'm gonna get you!" she yelled, happily.*

*He laughed. "Nuh-uh!"*

*She screeched and increased her speed, coming up behind him and tackling him to the ground. They tumbled and rolled together, until they landed side by side, faces to the bright sky and laughing so hard they could hardly breathe.*

*"I love you," she chirped.*

*"--Langlais!"*

*I was never meant to be here.*

I pick up the basket of clothes, nodding thankfully to the laundrymaid who folded them all. She nods back, pleased, and turns back into the room to continue with her duties. I turn and walk out into the hallway.

*They told me it was unfortunate, but I don't really think so.*

I expertly maneuver through the corridors, making turns and walking down the paths I've had memorized for years. A few of the other servants nod to me, and I nod back.

*Ten years ago, my family was involved in a horrible car accident. But it wasn't just some ordinary accident.*

*It involved the "espers".*

"Oh, Ellis!" The cook greets me, bustling towards the kitchen with a basket full of fresh vegetables. Her apron strings are coming loose. "Running errands as always, I see!"

"And the same to you," I laugh. "A servant's work never ends!"

"Don't let the lord of the house catch you saying that," she scolds, wagging her finger at my chest. "Who knows what he would do to you!"

I smile. She's getting old, but she hasn't lost her sense of humor. Everybody here loves the cook.

We part ways.

*Someone with a power accidentally caused a building to explode, and a huge piece of concrete landed right on my parents' car.*

*I was in the backseat, which escaped most of the damage... but the front seat was completely crushed.*

*I lost both of my parents that day.*

*But... I gained something that day, too.*

I'm coming up towards that room now. I take a deep breath, readjust my grip on the basket, and tentatively knock on the door.

"Come in," someone calls from inside.

*It was late at night when it happened, and somehow there were no other witnesses to the event.*

*The hospitals and the police were told that there had been an issue with the furnace, which caused the explosion. But that was just an excuse to cover up the truth.*

I turn the doorknob.

*Because of what I had seen, I wasn't allowed to return to normal society.*

They *took me and put me here, to keep an eye on me and make sure I didn't tell anyone, but also to educate me about the realities of this world.*

I swing the door open.

*And it was because I ended up here that I was able to meet...*

She's sitting on her bed, one leg crossed underneath her, watching me expectantly. I hope she hasn't been waiting like this the whole time.

"Welcome back, Ellis," she says with a smile.

*...*her.

"You can just set that on the floor." She nods towards a spot near her closet, and I dutifully carry the basket over there and set it down. I'm supposed to take her laundry to and from the laundry room, but none of the male servants are allowed to do the washing after some fool did something foolish. Nobody's seen him since then.

"So?" Her eyes follow me as I walk back to stand in front of her. "How was training today?"

I sigh and look down. "A few servants managed to awaken abilities."

"And?" she presses when I don't continue.

"And... still nothing from me." I rub my toe along a pattern in the carpet. "I've been informed that my presence here is useless, that someone who hasn't awakened yet never will, and that I should be disposed of immediately before I can deal any more damage to the superior esper community. Or something like that."

I hear the sound of blankets shifting, and then before I can even look up at her she's right here, arms wrapped around me and hugging me fiercely. We're about the same height, and her face is right next to mine.

I can feel my face turning bright red. "Don't listen to them, okay?" she whispers. "You *do* belong here, Ellis, I promise you that." She steps back, keeping her hands on my shoulders, and grins. "You're my one and only precious servant!"

My mouth moves uselessly as I try to formulate a response. "Sure," I finally stammer. "Okay. Sure thing... Decs."

The afternoon finds us out in the garden, sitting with some other espers and their servants under a pavilion as the sun tries to slant into our eyes. Decs is discussing abilities with the espers, using complicated terms and descriptions I still don't fully understand. We servants are all standing behind our respective masters, keeping a respectful distance but close enough to give aid if asked.

Another servant runs up to the pavilion, breathing hard. The tassel hanging from her hat marks her as a servant of the lord of the house. "Hello," she pants. "I regret to inform you that the master will not be able to join you today. He has some urgent duties to attend to and has sent me to convey his apologies."

"Oh." An esper boy with light hair sets down his glass and frowns. "Again?"

The poor servant is resting her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. "I'm terribly sorry, sir. This is the message the master wished for me to bring you..."

"Hey, Haon," Decs interrupts. "Leave the poor girl alone." She nods respectfully to the servant. "Thank you for your message. Please return to your duties." The servant girl gives Decs a grateful look, takes another second to collect herself, and sets off jogging back to the main house.

Within minutes, though, Haon winces and clutches his head between his hands. He stands up so fast his chair nearly falls over behind him. "There are guests," he says shortly. "We have to go."

With a collective groan, the other espers stand up, not bothering to gather all their food and silverware. I tap Decs's shoulder, and she nods at me, giving me permission to go and play my part, too.

I dash tthrough the big house, making my way past all of the bustling activity to the front area. Skidding into the main parlor area, I can see the group that's coming in. None of them are looking in my direction, so I manage to slide to a halt, take a deep breath, and step out into view like a calm, sane person.

"Welcome!" I greet them with a warm, well-practiced smile. They turn from where one of the other servants had been talking to them, distracting them, and fix all of their attention on me. "If you'll step right this way, the tour will begin momentarily."

They nod agreeably and walk in the direction I've pointed out. I lead them through the door that leads to the rest of the house.

*Thus begins my most important role in this place.*

I walk them through the house, talking about its history and showing them some of the antiquated bedrooms and ballrooms from centuries past. I tell them about the lords and the ladies who once lived here, and the grand sorts of parties they would throw, inviting other nobles from all around the country.

*The other servants have done a great job of flying ahead of us to prepare the rooms, straightening quilts on beds or stopping chandeliers from swinging, and locking up all the rooms that are either being used for work or too disorganized to be prepared in time.*

"This next room is the master bedroom," I inform the guests, "where the lord of the house and master of the family would have slept." The women and men murmur their pleasure, but when I reach behind me for the doorknob, it won't move.

*I've gotten really good at hiding my surprise when a room that's usually open to the public is shut tight and moving on smoothly with the tour.*

"Ah," I say. "I guess it's being cleaned today. My apologies." They titter with displeasure, but continue following and listening to me nonetheless.

Starting from the second hallway, some of the rooms are occupied by espers in costume, acting out the customs and fashions of a time long since lost to history. They chatter amiably or sip tea together as I open their doors, and I'm sure many of them glare after us when the door is shut again and we leave. But we're all just playing our parts.

*I was chosen for this role, actually,* because *I have no powers. As a non-esper with no training in any kind of ability, I'm the least likely to accidentally use some of the weird esper terminology and sabotage our whole operation.*