AU October: Cuento's Reluctant Prince

[terabient]

getting started early on the costume swap ideas 👀

9/23 edit: Some elaboration on the concept, and formatting changes

In a timeline where Lutz's coup is partially thwarted, the heir of the La Shiec family is appointed as Cuento's temporary leader; with no blood ties to the royal family, he is seen as a suitably neutral option while the debate over Ephemera and the Castrum Demonica intensifies. Though lacking practical experience in royal matters, Prince Regent Varuna La Shiec's calm and decisive demeanor quickly gains the people's trust and forces the increasingly disturbed Lutz to pull back on his open aggression.

The former Prince Luther, who had previously stripped his royal garb of all magical protections, takes it upon himself to restore the enchantments and protective spells in Varuna's clothing. This is for reasons both practical--a young and reluctant figurehead ruler is a prime target for assassination attempts--and personal, as Luther has grown awfully fond of the Prince Regent. In the process of reworking these spells, Luther finds that Varuna's mana signature is unlike anything he has encountered before. In secret, Luther begins experimenting on Varuna--experiments that grow increasingly invasive as Luther grows obsessed with discovering the reason behind Varuna's unusual physiology.

Meanwhile, Princess Hariette--her claim to the throne in flux and with a deep desire to rid the world of Ephemera at all costs--takes advantage of her reduced public visibility and attacks Cuento's Castrum Demonica under the guise of a mysterious rebel force, one that makes use of a new magical technology: the Buster Tower.

Varuna, loyal to both Luther and Hariette, uses his position to keep their involvement in these highly controversial activities secret, but maintaining peace becomes increasingly difficult as the conflict between the pro and anti Ephemera groups grows deeper. In addition, as Luther closes in on discovering the true nature of Omega's existence, Varuna worries that his ultimate mission of bringing Shiva back to Oracle may be compromised.

As Cuento descends into chaos, a legendary figure from another world appears...