The words hung in the sunlit room, no longer a dream, but a target. A promise. A plan.
The two siblings let their manic grins slowly die as their enhanced minds focused on the single important goal of committing grand treason.
"While I'd like to immediately take the capital." Victoria began while crossing her legs. "Ario is a fully realised Blessed. That and he controls the military. A direct assault is suicide."
Eric didn't miss Victoria's use of the word 'Blessed' for Ario. This added a layer of unpredictable personal power to the object of his hate.
"Which is why we're in Sagari." Eric slyly said. "We can't take everything at once, but we can sure take it piece by piece. Starting with the most diseased state."
Victoria subtly nodded at Eric's words, piecing together his implied plan.
"And then from there we take back the rest of the nation." Victoria added. "A rough plan, but a plan nonetheless."
"If that is the goal, Your Majesty," Raz interjected. "Then secrecy and misdirection are of the upmost importance."
Eric and Victoria nodded in agreement.
If their uncle were to find out they were alive, let alone spearheading a coup, he would spare no means to hunt them down.
The King could easily label them terrorists and silently issue a nationwide manhunt.
"And a detailed plan to takeover Sagari is needed." Raz said. "Men, control, information, weapons, and most importantly, money. How we can get all these is also important."
A stark silence hung after Raz's words, as each of them contemplated on the matter at hand.
Eric, retreated to his memories with the aim of finding anything that would help in any of the aspects Raz had mentioned.
After a brief pause, he spoke. "I know how to solve the money and secrecy dilemmas."
Victoria perked her brows in interest and gestured for him to continue.
"I have access to some... reliable upcoming financial knowledge." The prince said.
"Upcoming?" Victoria asked sceptically.
Eric cleared his throat in a bid to focus his thoughts.
"They haven't happened yet." He replied.
"You can see the future now?" She said with a chuckle of disbelief.
When she saw Eric give a strained smile, her lips slowly drew thin.
"You're not serious..."
"They will surely happen." Eric firmly said.
"This sounds like a scam," Victoria muttered.
Eric didn't flinch. "It's only a scam if it fails. This won't."
Raz, with squinted eyes, asked. "This wouldn't happen to be from your mysterious source?"
'The mysterious source is myself old man.' Eric thought, while internally rolling his eyes.
Eric ignored Raz and Victoria's continued apprehension as he spoke.
"I'll provide a comprehensive list of timely investments for Raz to participate in with the cash he withdrew from our safety deposit boxes."
"Only thing is, you can't place any of the trades yourself. You need to find a foreigner to act as an outside investor in your name. Ario's pigs don't want sudden millionaires, especially one who was formerly a royal attendee. But they'd definitely pat their backs at the sight of large deposits into home industries from other countries" The prince said in one breath before taking a calming heave.
Victoria's lips curved into a smile when Eric proved he still had some sense in him.
Raz on the other hand, already familiar with Eric's new style of placing him in the eye of chaos to fulfil his goals, could only show a crooked smile.
But the butler was still content, it showed the prince's continued belief in him.
"And for whatever we plan to do in Sagari to remain secret, we simply need a false face. We need a proxy" Eric then turned to Raz and gave the older man a weak smile.
"We need a group with the right cause, but the wrong methods," Eric said, his eyes sliding to Raz. "Someone known for extreme loyalty to the old throne, and extreme violence toward the new one."
When Raz heard Eric's last words his smile dropped.
"The White Talons?" Raz whispered in silent horror. The words sounding like a curse from his mouth.
"Who better?" Eric retorted.
Raz was left aghast and speechless.
"Isn't his sister known to be... erratic?" Victoria said in little minced words.
Raz had earlier told her of his rebel sister. She had almost the exact same reaction as Eric on the matter.
"That suits our needs all the more" Eric said. "Our true aims will be hidden in the cover of her mercurial nature."
When Eric said this, the words of opposition leaving Raz's mouth's died there.
"Can you do it Raz?" Victoria gently asked. Raz's discomfort at the idea obvious to all.
Eric also noticed his butler's palpable aversion to meeting his estranged sibling.
The prince put a reassuring palm on Raz's shoulder for comfort.
"It's only a possible method. I'm sure we can think of others."
Raz's tense frame slightly shuddered at his words before calming down.
"I'll reach out to her." Raz began in a grim tone.
He balled his hands into tightly clenched fists as he spoke.
"I will make contact. I will propose the alignment. But if she acts out of line I will be the one to put her down."
Eric gently lifted his palm, and stroked his bare chin, as he gave a soft nod.
It was obvious this particular topic with Raz would have to be completed later.
"In that case," Victoria said, resting her head on an upturned palm. "taking over Sagari becomes a matter of creating legitimate authority from illegitimate force."
Eric watched her eyes dance between Raz and himself, as her analytical mind used the fuel he'd proposed to create an engine of destruction.
"If Sagari is as bad, or worse, than I remember, our first step should be taking control of all local criminal elements." She said in simple terms.
"Pirate crews, syndicates, smuggling bands." Victoria's eyes gained a dangerous glint. "I want them all. From the outskirt islands to the mainland."
Eric watched his sister's stagnated metamorphosis, from the tender girl he knew into a calculating sovereign, blossom in quick order.
His crazed grin returned.
"During and after that we turn ourselves to the law in all but name alone." Victoria said, flaring her wrist. "After which all that's left is to either bribe or eliminate the governor for complete control."
"Ideally we repeat this in all states, taking the crown right under Ario's nose. A silent war with minimal bloodshed." Victoria said softly.
She stared out the window, her reflection ghosting against the glass. "But I suspect silence is a luxury we won't be able to afford for long.
A solemn calm descended upon the room after her words.
Eric's breaking mind had long become impassive to the deaths he'd caused and would cause.
It was a toxic aspect of his deranged mind. Like with his suppressed memories of torture, he removed all emotions or morality.
Becoming driven only by his own skewed goals.
He knew one day he'd have to confront all he'd done and his hidden memories. But until then, he'd make full use of his stoicism.
Looking to Victoria, he could see the matter weigh far heavier on her mind. Panacea not having been able to wholly remove her innocence as they had with his.
But she would have to accept the stains her hands would embrace sooner or later.
Eric then turned to Raz, saying "When you're back outside, I need you to help me gather some things."
"What things?" Raz asked with scrunched brows.
"I'm not quite sure yet, but it does involve a few special metals." Eric said.
Eric watched Raz and Victoria exchange a look of puzzlement at his growing eccentricity.
But the show of ability he displayed stifled, and somewhat justified his strangeness.
He hoped that was the sole reason they didn't dwell on the matter at least.
Raz gave a curt nod in acknowledgement before turning to Victoria with a questioning gaze.
"And how exactly do I... Leave this place, Your Majesty?" Raz asked.
Eric also turned to his sister in interest. He could tell the estate wasn't as simple as it now seemed.
It felt isolated from reality.
This further made Baskar's appearance all the more appalling.
"Yes, what really is this place?" Eric pressed.
"I'm not so sure myself." Victoria replied. "I just know the entire estate is completely cloaked from scrying, divination and other types of physical detection."
"That means no one, except your soul bound, can find us through the veil or searching?" Eric asked, intrigued.
"Essentially, yes." Victoria replied. Then she tilted her head a bit while closing her eyes. "But you can feel it too right?"
Eric became a bit confused before he realised Victoria spoke of the dull feeling he'd gotten since the estate's appearance.
Like a weak new sense acting as a tether between himself and the land.
"Its powers are waning." She continued. "Might not even last a month before its cloak collapses."
Victoria released a tired sigh of frustration.
"And then we're free game to every Oracle and tracker who still thinks we're alive."
Eric gritted his teeth into a snarl as he remembered Narcosa.
"Including Panacea."