As Cagalli was getting introduced to her new family, Marcus was finalising his changes to the world and getting ready to leave for real this time.
However, he got a message from someone he had completely forgotten.
A quick trip to Asia brought him to what he considered a city-state.
In a fancy palace of sorts, a familiar blonde lady greeted her, whom he had not seen for years.
"My, we meet again, Aura."
"...it has been sixteen years, you haven't changed even a bit." The lady smiled at him from her throne.
"Indeed, the same can be said to you; in fact, you look younger." He replied, looking at the creator of Accords. She looked like she was in her twenties, quite an impressive form of eternal youth she had achieved.
The lady was sitting on a throne, and several teenagers in black uniforms were standing beside her.
"I can assume these are your Accord children? They have grown well." Marcus smiled as he looked at them.
"Indeed, and I have invited you to see them, and at the same time help me to declare Independence." The woman smirked at him, assuming something absurd that he would help her with.
"...Independence? You can only get membership status in the Federation; you won't be getting any sort of Independence." The Ruler of the United Federation shook his head, realising where this was going.
"I see… well, then we can persuade you." As she said that, her children began to walk toward her. He could feel that they were trying to… hypnotise him?
When Marcus felt that, he laughed.
"You think their psychic abilities help you?" As he said that, he closed his eyes before opening them once more… showing his true nature.
"Kneel, little ones."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"!"
Aura's eyes widened in shock when she saw her children drop to their knees. There was pure horror in their eyes.
"Don't get me wrong. Do you know the reason why I helped you all those years ago?" Marcus asked with one hand in his pocket as he looked at her with his Innovator-Geass eyes while her Accord children were on their knees.
"You thought because of your genetic talent, or that I saw potential in your work."
"Both of them were not wrong, but it was the same as mine needs its miner to mine the coal. I needed you and your assistant to develop genetic sequences without consequences.
That's about it. Your Accords, while decent, aren't that impressive. Psychic abilities, while they are good for my future army, are not that groundbreaking."
"...W-Who are you?" Aura felt fear as she felt that he had stopped pretending to be someone.
"I am Marcus Justinian Anaheim, just an Emperor of Empire that used this reality for amusement and entertainment." He grinned at her with an amused look.
To make it more theatrical, he showed her some visions, making her realise that he was psychic in a sense as well.
What she saw was the Empire of Humanity that ruled multiple worlds, a true Interstellar Empire.
"Your Coordinators ofshoots are decent, but they are still just humans with limited lifespans and potential, not true evolution. You can't force evolution; evolution needs to happen naturally.
So instead of changing the DNA, you make the surroundings that make humanity evolve." He smiled as he began to walk towards her.
With a single word, he made her Accords collapse.
"Sleep."
When Aura saw them drop like that, even deeper fear sank as she got up from the throne.
"Oh, my, are you afraid?" He asked with a bit of surprise. The Emperor can tell that she was afraid, but he was just playing around, making her squirm.
"No need to run. I won't hurt you~."
"S-Stop, I-I-I am sorry, I shouldn't have run away without telling you or taking your investment." Aura began to panic and say all of the things she did while dropping on her ass. She was so afraid that she forgot how to stand or walk.
"Is that so?" Marcus walked over, grabbed her by the hair, and made her look at him.
"That is just cute. I am quite understanding. I know quite well what it means to be drunk on power.
But sweetheart. You got consumed by that little?" He shook his head before looking at her Accords behind him.
"You changed a couple of sequences in the brain development part, boosted perception and assume that it's enough to dominate? Do you even know that conquering the world takes a bit of finesse? I conquered my world when I was sixteen. My father was Emperor as well, so I waged a war against him.
Now that I think about it, it was glorious! A rebellion and a revolution at the same time!" Marcus got nostalgic for a moment before refocusing on the kneeling woman.
"Tell me what I should do with you?" He asked, his expression morphing into a pondering one.
"...A-Anything! I will serve you anyway you want! P-Please just don't hurt me."
"Haah, I do have a weakness for evil blonde women." He shook his head before gazing at her 'soul'.
At that moment, he realised that he had caused trauma in her.
*Snort*
"I suppose I will keep you. You are one of the greatest geneticists this world has produced, and I love talent.
Pity that you let your assistant die."
"I-I didn't!" She snapped with a bit of anger, forgetting her fear for a moment.
"She was supposed to return to me after she closed the lab in G.A.R.M., but they bombed it! I hate Naturals for it!" She hissed with deep loathing and anger.
Marcus released her hair as he looked at her in the eyes.
"I see. At least you are not lying." With that said, he looked around.
"So tell me, Aura. What are you intended to do? Take over the world?" He chuckled at her attempt, finding it amusing.
"...What if I did?" She said, getting a bit defensive.
"...With this? Where are your armies? Mobile suits, Commanders?" He asked, baffled at what he was seeing.
"I-I wasn't ready yet! You threw wrenches into my plans!" For a bit, she hissed at him.
"Oh, please. Are you saying you would have used those kids as your commanders? You do realise that even if they have a small advantage in their abilities as psychics, it doesn't change the fundamentals that they have no experience." He rolled his eyes.
"If it were me, I would have sent them around the world to infiltrate high positions in the military, use their perks to build up a force and then sabotage from inside, bit by bit building up political power before taking over," Marcus explained, in detail how to conquer the damn world!
"That is why you leave Conquest to men who know what they are doing! Just stay in the damn kitchen, or in your case, lab and continue producing talented children." He rolled his eyes, getting annoyed that he had to spell how to conquer, again! The Emperor already conquered this world, yet he found someone who wanted to do it as well.
"L-Like I said! W-We were not ready!" Her cheeks turned deep red from shame when she heard that!
"Excuses, Aura, excuses. Now get up, we are going. I am almost finished with all of my preparations. I will be leaving this reality soon, and you will be coming with me. This world is done, I have united it, and there is nothing more for me to do here." He took her hand and made her stand up.
It took her a couple of moments to process what he just said.
"...W-Wait, my children?" She looked at her sleeping creations.
"You have put your whole accord superiority in their brains from a very young age. They are quite dangerous." Marcus explained, making her pale for a second.
"...They are still my creations! To some extent, even yours! I used G.A.R.M to finalise their genomes; those were your labs." She tried to wiggle around.
"Fufufu, that's just cute, making me try to shoulder your failures."
"B-But it's the truth!" Aura tried to reason with him, and she was not wrong; all those millions that he spent on her research, all of the lab equipment, all of those were his.
"Hmm, you do make some sense." With that said, he spoke magic words. 'Wake up'.
And all of her Accords eyes snapped wide open as they slowly began to stand up.
"Hnn~ what happened?" One of the girls said, confused.
"Why are we on the floor?"
"...what is going on?"
One after another, they commented as they looked around.
Then they saw Marcus standing next to relieved Aura.
"Mother!" They were about to rush towards her, but a single motion from Marcus made them freeze in their steps.
"I didn't give you permission to move." The Emperor declared casually before looking at Aura.
"That blonde one. He should be your 'son', isn't he? Based on your genes. You even gave him a strange name." Marcus walked over and inspected the blonde teen, who was a bit afraid. Not being able to move is quite terrifying.
"Orphee, wasn't it?" He commented as he looked at the teenager.
"...Yes." Aura had no idea what to say. Whatever 'Human' this Marcus Anaheim was, he was simply terrifying. Her Accords are supposed to rule the world; they are superior to Coordinators. Yet, he appeared and turned her life's work into a joke.
"I suppose you can take them with you. I am a father as well. I know that parents are attached to their children.
However, your other creation, Lacus Clyne. The one you created for your friend. My wife took her for herself.
You see, after you ditched me, I created a version of my Lacus of my own. But unlike you, my one is based on my Empire's technology; unlike these, she is the perfect wife for me." He slightly smirked, telling of what he had made a while back.
"...You meant to say there are two Lacus?" Aura replied with wide eyes.
"Yes, but my one is not an Accord; she is a hybrid, a creation of three worlds technology."
The blonde's eyes trembled, her curiosity piqued, and she wanted to see her! To see the genome! One could even say that she lost interest in her previous creations.
"My, so cold. You already shelved your children; that was so quick." Marcus smirked as he could read her thoughts.
Aura snapped her gaze and looked at him. There was an array of emotions.
"So, what is going to be?" His smirk slowly morphed into a devilish one as he was getting back at her. Slowly, he will extract all of it from her, from stealing money from him.
He knows that he is being petty, and he doesn't care; that's just how he is.
"...do I even have a choice? You said it yourself that I will come with you." She said with a frown.
"Indeed. You will work in my Empire, in Academy City, assisting with genetic treatments.
Not that there is much, but humanity can still experience genetic mutations from exposure to different planets and suns." The Emperor clarified to her.
"...I understand." She nodded before looking at her frozen children.
"And I am sorry, can you let them go?" The blonde woman asked with a respectful tone.
Marcus nodded, and just like that, they could move.
"W-Who are you!?" Orphee demanded with a frightful look.
"You can call me your creator. I was the one who funded your birth, little Orphee." The Emperor smirked at him.
"You all will be coming with me; this world doesn't need chaotic elements like you, and you need a proper education. Now, follow me." He motioned at them to follow him as he began to walk towards the doors.
The first one to follow was Aura, who felt both fear and excitement, especially about what the new reality had in store for her.
Not realising that Marcus will have his way with her until he is completely satisfied.
As they left the Palace, a spaceship shimmered into existence. It was a smooth, alien-like vessel that looked as if it were made from a single piece, as if printed into existence.
'He really is an alien…' Aura's glee only grew when she saw this vessel.
Her children only got more fearful as their confidence in Accords, the only true source of pride, fell apart by the minute. What is going to happen to them?
~~~
More Chapters (Book Three Chapter 1 is up! PS. Book Three Chapters are 5k long now! That's 2.5 times longer than book one and two.)
Extra Stuff (Chapter 70.5 Marina & Shirin Lemon) is up on Pat.
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