The Bottom, Or The Top? [Liltotto/Cyrus]

There was no playing or lazing about in Liltotto's demeanor as she approached the office of the Grandmaster. Having put in a rather up front notice of her visit, she cast any concerns of tone aside considering the purpose of such a meeting. Mazda was a massive concern of her's, but the fact he was allowed to go about unopposed told her there was more to this story.

There was but one person she could get answers out of, the very person he disturbingly resembled - The Grandmaster himself.

Opening the door, practically punctual with the evening time she had stated, she would stand before him.

"Grandmaster," She'd begin, her tone formal and calm despite the weight on her chest, "As indicated, I have an important matter to discuss with you."

It seemed people were visiting Cyrus' office more regularly of late, and he was not completely sure if he could call that a blessing or a curse. Well, no. That was not true. If he was being completely honest with himself, it was rather reassuring in a way, the idea that he was still necessary, that people still wished to speak with him. Even if it was in a professional capacity.

"Of course, Miss Lamperd. Please speak your mind."

He was aware of her connection to Gewelle, of course, but there was an undeniable difference of demeanor, of how Lamperd carried herself, that made her feel at least moderately more trustworthy. That was not to say he felt suddenly compelled to spill his deepest, most personal thoughts with him, but he was not quite so guarded.

Standing before him, her expression didn't read much beyond a deviance from her normal, lax appearance. It denoted a serious level of concern, as she would then go on, refusing to beat around the bush about the matter,

"Ahura Mazda," Her lips parted, "I have zero doubts you're aware of him already, so i'll get to the point - I feel threatened by him."

Nothing she would speak of today were lies or falsehoods - even if they had similar goals, the manner of which he conducted himself, or how he simply seemed to be in general, made her feel off. She could tell he had power, and would use such power to whatever means he desired, regardless of how she or any would feel.

"He had taken an interest in me, though he hasn't done anything bad to my knowledge... I was given the indication that my compliance in his vision would ultimately not be my choice. And knowing he has the power to make that so, it makes me feel a sense of anxiety. Even if I have not seen him in a good while, I don't know when he'll suddenly appear to me again."

Her gaze was low as she went on, "...Tell me, what is your connection to Mazda, exactly? You can't deny it - you're far too visually similar to each other, not to mention the presence you two give off, minus his powerful status... Not even twins are as identical."

Mm. It was only a matter of time before more questions were posed regarding this matter, wasn't it? Cyrus did not particularly mind that, admittedly. If anything, he felt that this was an inevitability of Mazda's own actions. He could not reasonably lie about all of this, that much he knew.

"You have not been present in the Vandenreich long, Miss Lamperd. But I admire your efforts. You are right to feel threatened by Ahura Mazda, to be anxious in his presence. He is a creature of his own whims, who will cast aside all traditional ethics and morals if it is for the sake of his ambitions."

But that didn't answer her other question, regarding Mazda's nature, the connection between the two of them. How did one explain that?

"He was born of me. The power that I once carried, before you came to this place. An icarian failing, that I was blinded by hubris and took on more power than was ever possible for a single person to contain. Instead it simply took on a life of its own. Power without any mortal body to shackle it."

Even if she didn't make obvious indication of such, she felt a level of gratitude for the recognition. She had lived and worked here for such a short amount of time, especially to someone as long lived as her, but it felt like she was in familiar surroundings again, doing her best to do well for her home and those within it. All was well, apart from that one corner of unsafety presented to her not long after she had arrived.

And that corner just seemed to be tinged all the darker with Cyrus' affirming of her concerns. She already came to such conclusions on her own, but from her position a gut feeling wasn't necessarily proof, merely an instinctive warning. All she knew of him were his desires and what such desires conveyed to her, in addition to his demeanor. Having another confirm that her thoughts and feelings had grounding was both reassuring yet terrifying.

Though, what the Grandmaster had else to say of Mazda's origins were what shocked her. Without a doubt, they had to have been the same existence, be it at some point or current, but the nature of it was surprising to her. An advent for power, gone terribly wrong...

"..I see," She'd breathe as she processed such a revelation, "..I'm certain you meant well, even in unintentionally creating someone like him."

Her gaze would lower for a moment, reflecting on that night, "..He said my presence was like his own - a being above the Soul Cycle, but i'm not entirely sure of what that meant. What I am has always been a mystery to even myself, but it seems he's aware, and interested in that fact."

She would look up at Cyrus, a tinge of anxiety to her features - something she never showed, "..Is there anything that can be done about this? Am I in danger of his whims?"

"Regardless of my intentions, I would be the first to admit to you now that it was my greatest failing. That it brought harm to the Vandenreich, to those I hold dear. A sign of the ignorant cruelty I have done my utmost to cull from myself."

In a way, it was far easier to speak plainly on this topic with her than it was with anyone else, even those he trusted the most deeply. Perhaps it was the fact that she, by her own admission, had been seen as an aspect of the Soul King by Mazda as well. That she understood that particular situation more than most likely could. Or perhaps it was simply the fact that he was not as deeply worried that she would judge him, knowing how it felt to be something else than simply a person.

"You are, if he is interested in you. There is not a being in all the realms that I would consider more threatening to one's nature. If he has seen that aspect of you, then it is inevitable that he will share it with you. It is only right that I do the same, but I would ask that it not leave this room."

Cyrus flexed his fingers idly, the feeling of the divinity in his own chest still forever present. A reminder that his life continued only because of Mazda's own whims. Well, he would challenge him regardless.

"Ahura Mazda is not simply a creature of immense power. Tell me, Miss Lamperd, have you heard him speak? Not simply in idle words, but with the full force of his being? Reality itself bends to his voice. He is indeed a being above the Soul Cycle, for he is made of the essence of the Soul King himself. A piece of that divinity made manifest. If he sees himself in you, then that would assuredly mean you are much the same."

Of course she acknowledged such an instance will always be viewed as a horrible mistake, but she was not up to judge the man for such a thing. Though toying with forces beyond what one's capable was inherently foolish, it going this wrong was certainly unprecedented. The man clearly has his regrets and reflections of such a folly, and thus she was not going to add to the punishing the circumstance and perhaps he himself dealt.

Her hands were tightened into fists as she heeded the man's words. Her mind was at work, trying to figure some solution to this, but every thought and idea led to dead end after dead end. If she ran, he would find her. If she fought, she would lose. If she spoke to him, it would be fruitless or terrible. A sense of futility crept into her mind with such reflections.

She'd nod with the wish of whatever revelation he wished to impart to her did not leave the room. None of this was something she would regularly converse with many to begin with, keeping mum was hardly an issue.

Though, such a revelation struck something in her with a feeling of cold; she hadn't known the extent of his ability, but to know it how far it reached, that it was in fact as a result of being made up the Soul King's essence...

...Then she was...

She lived her life knowing that she was no ordinary being - she never fit quite right in any known categorization, but to be given the idea that most certainly, she was a fragment of such a higher power... No wonder she was found, that man must have known...

"..That's... Quite shocking," Her voice was low, "I know for a fact that I was discovered by members of the old Vandenreich when I was still small, but the purpose behind it was never known. I was simply brought back and raised like any other child, even with my oddities. I knew I was different in some way, but I never would have guessed that."

She held onto a strand of hair, biting her lip for a moment in thought, "..But i'm not nearly comparable in power or nature to Mazda. I never pursued that path - after the genocide I had gone on to live as a normal human until far more recently, regardless of my feelings."

Looking back up at Cyrus, though she kept her composure, she did seem far more disturbed than when she initially entered, "..I don't know what specific role he's intending I play here. He only spoke of what he intended for the world... What do I even do, here? I can't stop him, even if we are both from the same source."

"If I may be quite frank with you, I think that you are perhaps one of our very best opportunities to put the matter to rest."

For all that Cyrus knew, he was placing his faith in the wrong person. Revealing his hand only to have it turn around and be his undoing. But he forced himself to speak regardless. Even if, ultimately, it was simply to heed the words of a woman he had betrayed most grievously.

"I still carry in my being a faint sliver of that divinity, but it is hardly comparable to even a fraction of yourself, much less to Mazda. Even if you do not exist at the same level as Mazda, it does not mean that you cannot assist in his undoing. If he has interest in you, and has shared his nature with you, then you have his trust, and that is something precious few still carry."

The matter that he and Arcadia had discussed certainly did come into play now, something he had not previously taken into account.

"He is capable of splitting fragments of himself away, of giving them to others. Not unlike the manner in which you and he were formed, but at a far lesser scale. But he will not do so at present, for he has found they can be destroyed, that they are not solely under his authority. If I were to speak that idea, he would never do it for the rest of time, simply to spite me. But I suspect he could be convinced otherwise by one he considers his equal."

A puzzled look was given with such a statement, her? She couldn't think of much else to deal with him, so she was definitely inclined to hear him out.

A possibility was certainly trying to keep to his better side, as nauseating a thought it was, remaining someone Mazda would hold trust in was a safe short term option, if only to avoid any retributive action he may do if she were to break it. It was simply acknowledging the fact that whether she liked it or not, what he wished would occur, even if he had to force it out of her.

She considered what more he had to say... Splitting himself, being able to gift such pieces of himself... Well them being destroyed certainly explained his apparent absence, he definitely was unhappy... But she grew more stiff as to what Cyrus intended for her to do here.

"I am willing, but... What are you intending I do, exactly?" She needed that answer from him, "What is the plan, here?"

"I know that the thought of being in his presence any more than necessary is not particularly pleasant, and I certainly do not intend to ask that you ingratiate yourself to him or any such thing. Rather, I would ask only that you speak with him regarding the nature of those aspects. Ask him about them, as though it is a matter of interest. Naturally, I can answer any of those questions myself, but that is not my intent."

Cyrus stood from his desk, mostly just tired of sitting. This was enough of a major situation that it demanded movement, action, his whole being becoming anxious.

"As it stands, we simply require that he be willing to separate himself into those pieces once more. I know him quite well enough to know that he will do so if he believes it is for the good of his ambitions, if it will allow his own ideals to come through."