Finis Chaldea

It mattered not whether Artoria retained any consciousness or ability to struggle against the amulet. Enki could see it working, and her consciousness would only be lost to the misty reality within the amulet over time. In that time, he would continue with his plans... without interference from the others. One of the final occurrences as AS-IKU fell in individual chunks, was the sudden appearance of Divine Gates around Enki's location. Treasures were to be launched at the god, but not before a flaxen-haired young man launched himself toward the Queen of Knights. It was none other than Bedivere, the most "human" of knights at the woman's disposal, who reached out only to have his arm severed by Enki's trident. The lad fell on the spot, and Gilgamesh's arsenal launched itself into... nothing. Quickly had Enki taken his leave, the same method of teleportation that brought him to this place taking himself and Artoria to another section of the empire. So... one lost, one dismembered, and one missing; that was the count as the King of Heroes' ire left him launching treasures repeatedly at a location where no one stood to be assaulted. How had he not foreseen this potentiality? Had he grown careless again?

Now then, what of Enki and Artoria's disappearance? They were within one of his temples, of course, surrounded by water and crystal structures as he reached out to take the queen's sword hand. She'd have no need of that mighty tool while the pendant was still taking effect, so he thought to wrest it from her and avoid any problems in the near future. "That stupid sister of mine. This could have gone so much better, but... I suppose I'll have to settle," he said as the land shook beneath them. They were still descending quickly, soon to crash into the land below along with five other islands. In a matter of moments, the supercontinent of the lower world would be broken by six total impacts. Some portions of AS-IKU would be taken by flood and sink to the ocean floor, including the one they were presently standing in. Oh well. Enki knew great sacrifice would be required to use this Artifact with its incomplete modifications. He'd only sacrificed a bunch of mortals and temporarily shattered his own empire; both could be replenished in due time. "I wonder, is there still enough of you in there to speak? If there is, you're free to submit now. Ishtar is gone, so you get a free promotion from slave to queen. Isn't that lovely?"

Artoria got to see in a moment as Bedivere reached out and lost an arm for his trouble. The most human of her men, the one she kept because his actions were the most human of anyone's... reached for her and all he got in return was a severed arm. 'That is an offense I take personally. He will pay.' Artoria knew in this moment she would not be free. Not immediately but she also knew something else, nothing about the trident wielding man was anything she'd ever submit to. It mattered little why he aimed to claim of her all present. He'd sacrificed an entire six countries to take her. Scum. He was evil and she knew it, she could see the truth of it. There was malice in her soul when they appeared somewhere else. She'd disappeared and she knew it would cause panic, not only for the Knights but for her King of Heroes as well. How problematic.

And now he was trying to wrest her sword from her hand. He was going to have to try. Disarming the Queen of Knights was never an easy task and she wouldn't make it one now either. Not when she still had a burning fury underneath the surface because of what was done to Bedivere. Not when she was taken from the one person outside of her family she would approach of her own accord. Not when she'd done nothing and gotten in return only annoyance from these so called gods. "I am already Queen. Your false promotion means nothing, it carries no weight. I will never submit to a false god... release me." Just that. That was all she had to say. This man could say all he wanted but nothing about him would ever satisfy Artoria Pendragon. She didn't want him touching her, she didn't want him near her, she wanted to give him nothing but a quick death. And she would even be gracious enough to do that more honorably than him, sneaking up to attack and subdue her with sorcery. Where the bloody hell was Merlin?

Ah, so speech did not evade her just yet. Good; he could take greater solace in watching her collapse fully while considering how he would amplify the amulet's hold without breaking the enchantment. Dealing with that was going to be troublesome while its effect was active, but as he felt this country sink and sink, he believed there was ample time to find a way. Until then... well, he'd soon have a shell of a woman to stand as his trophy queen in this segment of a once great empire. Those who remained would still worship and still have a place to call home, though it seemed he would first have to manage freeing Excalibur of that damned woman's hand. She wasn't making it easy, but he was confident ease would come with time. "I can't say I'm surprised. You mortals were given too much willpower. Give up. You'll soon slip fully into the fog, and it will no longer matter how much resolve you have," he said calmly, opting to hold that sword steady in her hand until it could be taken with greater ease. None would be coming to save her any time soon. By the time someone did, Enki would have long since made himself the victor in this strange war. As the land reached the ocean floor, the god let his mana pour out to hasten the amulet's sealing properties. Talking would surely do this woman no favors, but that would be precisely the weapon he used to waste her remaining hold on her own body. "Any last words? Once you sink, you will never be allowed to return as you are."

There was fury in Artoria's soul. Being captured by such a creature was almost disgraceful. The fact that he thought to use magic to tame her, to force her hand in any way was fury inspiring. The actual audacity for such a being to try and force her into a position she now could not take from one she actually liked would inspire nothing but sheer and unfathomable willpower. He might try and close her out of herself, but it would accomplish nothing. He would not release her, content was he to turn her into a trophy. He had not yet begun to see the depth of human will. "Even if my resolve is all I have... it is more than enough for the likes of you," of this Artoria was sure. She could see the truth of this man. Even as she sank deeper and deeper into herself. Little did he know, someone like her once lived her life exclusively buried within herself. It was no great drowning she would suffer inside of herself. Instead it felt simply like doors she'd once closed being forcibly opened from the outside. That same cheeky little smirk appeared on her face as the sealing became more active. "On my honor, you will never have me!" The last spoken words of Artoria as she let that little bit of her slip through closing doors. Like a clawed hand reaching out of the darkness, there was something she'd hang on to, no matter what. She looked up from the window of herself and watched. She seethed as she was held prisoner within her own body and that grip she held firm loosened just a tad as she was 'fully' sealed behind that magic and the weight of a gods powers. But how 'fully' was she actually sealed? Only time would tell. Until such a time as she was freed of her internal depth, she would count the misdeeds of this fallen god, and eventually such a time would come that this count would be needed. How long would she be used as Enki's puppet Queen? She'd already left the King of waiting almost half a century...

Half a century would not even amount to half the upcoming wait. It took no time at all for the denizens of Finis Chaldea to return Albion to its proper place in the sky, even as it was done on the sour note of a lost queen. No... not a loss, not quite. There was an understanding across the whole of Chaldea, and none had ever understood it better than they would be made to now. King Gilgamesh was not one who relied on others to achieve his own goals. The simple fact that he had, did not leave room for failure. In leaving Enki to the others to pursue Ishtar himself, there was a hidden stipulation. In reclaiming Albion, there was a clear goal. That stipulation and goal had not been met; Artoria Pendragon had not been acquired. As king, Gilgamesh was owed a debt by all participants in the assault on AS-IKU, and he would see it paid in full. First, Artoria's new location had to be discovered... along with the kill target, Enki.

One final declaration was the start of a long journey on both sides. Enki would never have the Queen of Knights, on her honor? Time would tell. It took only a hundred years for Ishval, their current place of residence among the fallen AS-IKU, to seem prosperous again. The very world had shifted around them, several continents settling in place as the remnants of an old empire remained tucked away with what was left of the old seal. Enki found himself atop a throne of living crystal, that shell of a woman standing to his right while the fabled Sword of Promised Victory acted as a mere cane in his left hand. How far had her resolve gotten her? She struggled well, but one hundred years in the making, Enki tested a single command used on the shell. The back of his left hand bore a trio of marks more commonly utilized to command and empower Heroic Spirits summoned through the Holy Grail. Thus far, this was the limit he could push when considering ways to deal with that incomplete Artifact. One of three seals was presently faded, having been used to order complacency and subservience in the shell. The first test would be performed out in the open, where the citizens of Ishval could see their "queen" as she was being called. "What say you, my little queen? This nation is truly great, isn't it? Go on, tell your subjects what's on your mind."

Finis Chaldea went back to searching. That much was clear. Many knew and understood the anger of King Gilgamesh, none more so than the siblings of Artoria Pendragon. Vivian for her part in this, could still hear Artoria. That water given to her by the King of Heroes was still slotted on her person, and through it, she could hear, just the gentlest whispers from time to time. For instance, she'd heard the declaration of Artoria that first day... and she knew her sister would fight or die by those words.

So what was Artoria doing? Well fighting. But the advent of those Command Seals seemed to be a way for Enki to be capable of quelling her. A mere hundred years later and she was standing at his side. The shell of her soul looking rather empty, green eyes that once danced with fire seeming to hold nothingness. With the gem around her neck closing the cap on her soul and her hand currently empty of her weapon. Well... there was nothing she could apparently do. One of those marks on his hand was missing and he'd used it to compel compliance from the Queen of Knights. What an interesting thing to try and do. Well, he would have it at least partially. "This nation is only as great as its leader and citizens." Oh. Such a statement had a little bite to it, but it could easily be mistaken for a woman who thought highly of herself and her King. How would Enki take such a thing though? It did not matter. That telling and short statement of hers, was the truth as she believed it. But she also thought Enki was the scum of the earth, not that she'd be allowed to openly say so now. And while she did not blame all citizens she did hold a particular bit of disgust for those who blindly worshiped a man like him. But perhaps that was simply the rebellious nature of a woman who'd claimed her own kingdom by force with her own hands. 'Everything about this man I hate. I see in him and his people the worst that any world has to offer... I want him dead. I want to return to my King of Heroes. I have kept him waiting long enough.' The idea that she was being held hostage by a man who claimed to be a war god but did not even think to fully utilize her talents for fear of putting her weapon back into her hands was almost shameful. She hated the idea of a trophy. She was not a thing... she was a person. A killer. She was not the type to adorn a mantle or stand by a throne, she was the type to lead by example, something this place sorely lacked.

What did Enki think of that little response? Clearly, the first test was not quite a successful one. The answer Artoria gave was enough for the people of Ishval. It was complacent enough, but it seemed the subservience had not quite registered. Surely the fog within her consciousness was thick by now. It was wholly the fault of that wench, that he did not fully receive a properly satisfactory answer. Very well. It took only a day to let a single set of Command Seals recover, and with a rotation of three in place, he had many to test for various things. Simple actions proved less problematic than larger efforts, as expected. He could easily have her stand by the throne all day, or anything as easy. Having her behave, however, was an annoyance. A few hundred years later, the pair would find themselves in the same position again. The endlessly thickening fog around her consciousness had to be doing something to keep her mind from interfering, so the next grand test took into account that... as well as a bit of tweaking to Command Seals to strengthen their individual effects with power from the temple. This time, Enki ordered the adoration of a queen and wife. The same question he asked three hundred years prior, he asked again before a whole new generation of Ishvalan citizens.

A few hundred more years and he aimed to force the speech of Artoria Pendragon more properly. A new generation of Ishvalans. And what was more he was still forcing her into idleness. Making her stand around, keeping her weapon from her hand. Indeed, he could force her into doing smaller things. He could make her less problematic to look upon. He could even get to her say nicer things than she was used to. The fog of her mind though? Well... there was a bit yes, but it was still navigable. She was still herself. Keeping hold of her mind, even under the most strenuous of circumstances was part of her training as an assassin. The fortitude of her mind was also part of her training from Merlin to be King. Pushing past her anger, making a decision in the aftermath of a war, these were things which helped lighten the load so to speak. He could take the edge off her personality with his command spells, but he couldn't completely get rid of her personality. So in answer to his question she'd have something better to say this time, "This nation flourishes under the hand of its King. I am awed to witness his works and the faces of his citizens," Yes, that was nice, but those were not Artoria's real words. The Queen of Knights would never say something like that... strangely she still did not submit to ownership of these people nor claims of him. Her words were polite and kind and seemed adoring if a little reserved. But when Artoria Perndragon truly claimed something it was rather obvious. Would this be enough for Enki though? Time would tell. Already the number of years she'd been waiting was hefty but she hadn't let go of what she truly wished for. 'One day I will break free, and when I do... I will slay the false god and go to my King of Heroes. Only he is fit to have me,' Oh? When did she make such a decision as that? A long time ago...

Strange. Progress, but... strange. During this test, Enki's gaze shifted toward the queen. He determined only an improvement over the first test, but nothing resembling satisfactory for him. Still, there was so much to do. Perhaps his plan would come to fruition after a few more generations. Several hundred more years would pass. Within that time, greater efforts were put into the suppression of Artoria's consciousness. It had become clear that he could not use these methods to delete her for overwriting. Perhaps he could instead keep her distance enough to make the body respond only to the amulet. Several generations passed while viewing a puppet queen, and now, he attended court with one he believed would no longer be capable of even speech. She refused to comply, so he'd have to settle for a slave-queen for the time being. One final time, he'd ask the same question. This time, with his singular Command Seal faded, he expected to gaze upon only a husk. What would he do if that were the outcome, though? His next order would be a simple one, to abandon the throne room in favor of his private quarters.

Several hundred years of silence. The will of the Queen of Knights was just as strong, but the distance between herself and her body seemed to increase. There was no real issue with this, she knew what Enki was doing. He planned to use her to keep his power. He was a god, and gods needed worship. Part of his worship was predicated upon the things he had. And right now, all he had was her, her weapon and this hidden little kingdom. So, of course what he needed was the unwavering faith of his people. It was easy enough to garner if he looked to be in control, but Artoria herself was never truly gone. In the fog of her mind, there was still that gentle crack in the door, but she could only peek up through it. She could hear him and his musings. Be annoyed by his words and hang tightly to the idea of the King of Heroes being the only one truly worthy of her. Even so, the forced compliance seemed to gain more favorable reactions as time went on. So what would she say at this man's most recent question with the Command Seal active and no light in those green eyes of hers? "This nation is a sprawling utopia forged by your own hand. It is a wonderous thing to look upon!" That was about as much as a ringing endorsement as one would get. If the order came to abandon such a post and go to his chambers, the body of Artoria Pendragon would follow as her still firm mind watched from behind the fog. 'And the darkness was thick. I could see nothing ahead and nothing behind me.' What a ridiculous notion to hang on to... one day she'd see the light at the end and she would burst forth.