The Azra-El Series Ch. 19

It wasn't that he never caused any suffering. Oftentimes, his empathy was the source of his impulsiveness.

Yet, even with all his empathy, he had been cruel to Badava. However, why he did it was not important. What was important were his actions after he realized his mistake. And, he always acted.

Now, that he had witnessed the suffering of Azalea and the Undine, he had to act, even if all he could achieve was a metaphorical gesture that did not result in anything substantial. Maybe the sufferers could achieve solace in knowing that someone other than themselves had their back, that someone else actually cared.

Thus, Blaze came to a decision.

On the third morning, when Ying Yue and CG visited him, he spoke over their table during breakfast, in the presence of Elyssa and her mothers.

"Mother, Aunt Ying Yue," he said, with utmost seriousness. "I wish to be the Prince of Xian."

"Okay," they accepted.

Blaze discussed the rest of his thoughts, especially his plans regarding Azalea and the Undine. To his surprise, Elyssa was very supportive of his ideas.

Finally, he gave the Empress of Xian a call.

***

That afternoon, Blaze visited Azalea at the public Hospice in the industrial district. She was surrounded by all her Undine friends, excluding Bayou. Bayou had apparently disappeared without a trace.

"How are you doing?" he asked. He truly felt pity towards her.

"Not too bad, considering I was almost ripped in two by a squalo..." Azalea replied. Blaze was glad to hear the dry humor in her voice. Despite everything, he thought of Azalea as a fun-loving merangel, who was genuinely good at heart. He didn't want her to lose any of it because of one misjudgement. However, he was still a little angry with her.

"I am not going to thank you for coming back to save us, since you put us in that position in the first place," he said.

"I know. I am deeply sorry for it."

"Good," he said, nodding at her apology. "Anyway, I need you to know something. The Caledonians have seized Baozhai Rong's assets, but they cannot keep them, as they technically belong to a citizen of Xian. Long story short, I now own all of Baozhai's holdings. Her silk industry and its routes, the energy mines, and her shares in the Blazing Furies Company.

"I understand," she nodded, solemnly. As Baozhai's adopted daughter, Baozhai's property was rightfully hers, but that couldn't happen now, as they had both essentially committed treason.

"No, you don't. You've told me that you were good at math, and that Baozhai Rong had been teaching you the ins-and-outs of her trade. So, I want to make you the head of the Furious Corporation- name subject to change. The proceeds of the company will be used to raise the living conditions of the Undine in D'Warka, though I intend to use it for other purposes as well. The Undine in the corporation will have as much access to executive positions as the angels. Will you take up the mantle?"

"No."

"What? Why?" he said, not expecting such an immediate refusal.

"Blaze, I may have the skills for such an endeavor, but I do not have the backing, nor am I the right race to do it. I understand your good intentions, but a company in D'Warka headed by a merangel is destined to fail."

"You won't know until you try. I believe that most angels of D'Warka are as angelic as any other. You know it yourself. As for those few self-serving nobility, let me take care of them. The real question is, are your people willing to follow me?"

"Follow you? I may, but I don't think there are many Undine that would willingly choose to serve an angel and a noble. They will work for a wage, but they will not be on your side."

"That's alright. They will learn to trust me, but I will need your help. From the bottom of my heart, I wish to bring the Undine out of their servitude. I can't do it without you having my back."

"I will follow you, princess," Ariel, the black-haired Undine spoke, surprising all of them.

Soon, one by one, the others agreed, until Azalea finally caved in.

"Good, now, can you guys arrange a meeting with the heads of the Undine this evening? I wish to speak to them."

That evening, Blaze made a bid to the Undine. It was a strange offer, but his background as the Righteous Fury convinced them of his sincerity. Moreover, they were all in a precarious position because of the rebellion. Thus, they agreed to go along with it and see what happens.

***

The next morning, Blaze stood on a podium placed outside Anastasia's manor in D'Warka, surrounded by a multitude of reporters, Undine, nobles, and commoners. His family and friends stood behind him.

"I, Blaze Er Lokra," he spoke out loud, "citizen of Aranya and Prince of Xian, would like to announce that from this day forth, all the merangels of D'Warka will be considered my people.

"As my people, I expect them to be treated the same as any angel from Xian or Aranya. If they aren't, then you will have to answer me. I don't think anyone wants to be the cause of my third Righteous Fury."

The news about the incident that had been going around was that Blaze had displayed a second Righteous Fury to save himself and Elyssa from the wrath of a demon. Blaze believed in it himself. Some, who had more knowledge of the incident, believed that Baozhai Rong had been replaced by a demon at some point. As for the strange phenomenon that had made the mercenaries flee, it had become nothing more than a mere rumor.

A brief silence was followed by a rustle of whispers. Most held looks of varying degrees of incomprehension.

"The Undine of D'Warka have accepted to be my people," Blaze repeated, after a moment, waving his arm at the hundred-odd Undine gathered nearby. "As the Prince of Xian, I will not allow anyone to mistreat them. If they do, they better be ready to face this Righteous Fury's true fury."

Blaze nose curled up a little as he spoke the word fury. He had never referred to himself by that title before.

"If necessary, I am fully willing to provide the Undine asylum in Xian, and make a new city for them," he continued. It was a bluff. He had not asked the Empress of Xian for permission to make a new city, nor was he under the delusion that he, as a prince, could provide for over two hundred thousand Undine.

However, the threat was there, even if what he claimed was not probable. The entire economy of D'Warka could be destabilized if the Undine packed their bags and left.

"However, that is not ideal for D'Warkans, nor for the Undine. I do not ask for special treatment for my people. My only goal is for the Undine to be treated as you would treat a fellow angel. Offer them the same dignity as you offer a fellow angel. Give them the same pay for the same work.

"I will not claim that I know much about the suffering of the Undine, nor about the complexities of their life in D'Warka, but I will be there for them when they need me, and I am willing to learn- from both sides. I think we can come to a mutually-acceptable solution if the Malakim of D'Warka are willing to work with us," he finished, on a humbler note. "Any questions?"

A multitude of hands went up simultaneously. The Caledonians always possessed decorum. Blaze pointed at an angel standing in the front row.

"Can you tell us what happened when you were taken hostage? Is this decision a result of what you experienced?"

"I was unconscious for most of the time. However, I can tell you that Baozhai Rong was a crazed angel, who was beyond tainted. She tortured Elyssa, and planned to torture me, for reasons I do not fully comprehend. She had been controlling her taint using some artificial substance. I don't know anything else, and I do not wish to comment anymore on the subject. And yes, this decision is partly due to what I witnessed during that incident."

He picked a few more random hands and answered their questions before he moved to Clio.

"Princess Blaze," she called out from the crowd. Her choice of words irked him, but he set it aside for the moment. "You once told me that you do not care much for publicity or fame. In fact, despite your fame, you have always kept yourself from the public eye. Do you think, knowing who you are, that you are capable or even worthy of the role you have chosen? Have you thought of its consequences?"

Blaze carefully thought over his response before answering. There was a lot hidden behind Clio's words.

"You're right, Ms. Clio. I have no desire nor love for fame or for wealth. My actions may often appear otherwise, but I'd rather remain unknown and invisible. However...

"I am not scared to be seen. If there is one thing I know about myself for sure, it is that I am brave. If I must stand up for what I believe is right, I shall not hide. I may apologize for my mistakes, but I will not apologize for standing up and taking action.

"I do not care if it is an angel, a pixie, an Undine, or any other race. If they are being oppressed, I will come forth, and offer my hand. It is their choice to take it," he said, pointing towards the Azalea and the Undine. Then, he looked towards Clio and the whole crowd. "This is me."

Clio felt a tingle course down her spine at his words, and she could tell that she wasn't alone. It had been a long time since she had been inspired, and it had come from the last angel she expected, despite all his other talents.

"That is all I have to say for now. Thank you for coming," he said, stepping off the podium.

He looked at Jie Er, with Sky snuggled in her arms, and found her watching him with immeasurable pride and joy. Her look alone was enough confirmation and gave him confidence to go ahead with what he was planning to do.

As for Jie Er, in that moment, she felt that even if things didn't turn out for the best, she would always be proud of him.

oOoOo

Epilogue

On the eve of the day when Blaze addressed the crowd, Elyssa spoke to her mothers in her bedroom.

"Mum, Mom. I need to become stronger," she said.

Anastasia and General Lynn glanced at each other questioningly, before turning to Elyssa.

"What do you mean?" Lynn asked her daughter. Their daughter was already the strongest in her age group, and time was all she needed to be one of the strongest angels around.

Anastasia gently stroked her hair. "Life is more than simply seeking strength, Elyssa."

"I need to be stronger than Blaze."

"Oh?" Lynn said, "He certainly has the potential to overtake you, but I did not realize that you felt that way about him. I guess a little friendly competition between friends is good."

"You don't understand. I do not want to compete against him. I just need to be stronger than him."

"What is bothering you, dear?" Anastasia asked.

"I just wish to protect him," Elyssa answered. Even if it is only from himself.

oOo

A few days later, Blaze visited Baozhai Rong's properties in D'Warka, together with Elyssa, Azalea, Agatha, and her sister, Medina.

There was a reason Baozhai Rong had been called a silk tycoon. She owned a vast array of warehouses in D'Warka and controlled multiple supply and trade routes. There were also a few warehouses filled with energy stones, but most were filled with silk and wool.

"Where does all this material go from here?" Blaze asked Azalea.

Sky dawdled along in his wake.

"More than half is sent to other cities on our trade routes. A quarter goes to clothing stores, tailors, and seamstresses in D'Warka. Some traders also buy from us to bring to smaller towns and villages."

"So, she never owned any tailoring shops herself?"

"No, not directly. However, she does have stakes in a few."

"Why not?"

"Because tailoring requires skilled labor," Medina answered, instead of Azalea, "and Baozhai probably did not want to oversee individual stores. Her time could be spent elsewhere, to make more profit."

Blaze nodded in understanding. Mass production was still not a thing in Azra-El.

"Are clothes made by sewing machines or by hand?" he asked.

"Depends. A mixture of both, in most cases," answered Agatha.

"Aunt Aggie, you brought around a thousand sets of clothing to sell during my matches. I remember that they were sold out pretty quickly. Why didn't you bring more?"

"Time, mostly, but it would not have mattered, anyway. People prefer tailored clothes, made to personally fit them. The ones I brought were made to fit an average-sized angel, and they only sold out because of the hype and the low prices we offered. The shop we opened received many more orders and made more of a profit."

"So, what if you just made a ton of clothes that were made to fit most people and offered them at low prices?"

"It will not be profitable."

"Not if you make them in large enough numbers," Blaze disagreed.

Agatha and Medina looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?" Medina asked.

Blaze pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill pen from his space ring, and drew a bell curve on it. "Let's say this end is the smallest adult angel in D'Warka and this end is the largest. The distribution of sizes in a city as large as this one will mostly look like the curve, though we have to figure out some of the variables."

Agatha, Medina, and Azalea looked at him like he was speaking a foreign language, however, Elyssa's eyes widened.

"Ah! I see! But, how would that help in lowering prices?" Ely asked, though wheels began to turn in her mind.

"Hire enough amateur tailors and seamstresses, or train them ourselves. They don't have to be experts. They just need to know how to make one size or type of clothing. They will get better with repetition. We just have to match their numbers with the gaussian curve. Then, we can quickly make and sell enough at a fraction of the price of tailored clothing. The nobility and the rich may not be interested in them, but what about the commoners?"

The expressions Agatha and Medina wore got stranger. "It will need a huge initial investment and will carry heavy risk. If our wares do not sell, we may lose everything," Agatha said.

"Not if we survive long enough. Once we hit the tipping point, there will only be profits," Medina countered.

"Well, I will need your help if I am to do this, aunties," he said to the two older angels. "Let me worry about the investment side of things, but I will need your help in all the other aspects. What do you say? Are you in?"

"Will we sell under the Blazing Furies brand?" asked Agatha.

"No. Let's keep it separate. Blazing Furies should only sell quality tailored products. We will make another brand to sell cheaper mass-produced goods. So, what do you say? Want to take a risk with me?"

"Alright," they said, surprising him.

"Azalea, sell all the stakes we have in other clothing stores. We will need the money. Aunties, can you start looking for workers? I think we should start with at least a hundred or two. Half should have some experience, but we can train the other half. I think you will find a lot of Undine willing to work for us," he said to them, before turning to Elyssa. "Looks like I will be staying in D'Warka for a little while longer. Wanna keep me company until I leave for Xian?"

oOo

A week later, Blaze called Clio, Azalea, Astrid, Siofra, Brija, and Aahna over to Elyssa's manor. Azalea and Brija arrived early to prepare the meeting room.

As Blaze and Elyssa waited for the others, he sat Elyssa outside the meeting room and spoke to her. Sky sat on the floor by his feet, while Splash idly nibbled on his tail feathers.

"There is a matter I can't tell you, Elyssa," he said, in a strange tone that Elyssa couldn't recognize. It was as if he was imitating someone. "I know this has upset you in the past. You felt like it was because of lack of trust or confidence."

"What the Hela are you spouting?"

"But, it is because I admire you and I love you, that I am going to keep secrets from you."

"Is this one of your weird jokes?"

"Not entirely," Blaze sighed, returning to his normal voice. "I am forming a semi-secretive group. You can't be a part of it or ask me about its business, Elyssa."

"Why not?"

"I need you to be outside of it, Ely, and for that reason, you can't know about what we are doing."

Elyssa studied his face for humor but found none. "Okay," she finally sighed.

"Thank you," he said, with a pat on her shoulder.

Brija approached from behind. "We are ready, Blaze."

Blaze nodded, stood up, and slowly sauntered into the meeting room. Sky followed him, while the otter jumped onto the table to snuggle against Elyssa.

Blaze leaned against the polished mahogany table that faced the doorway.

Elyssa poured herself a cup of water and glanced inside as Azalea stepped into view from the right, while Brija walked towards the door. Azalea shook Blaze's hand and hugged him, before raising his left hand to kiss it. "Don Blazione," she stated.

That was the last thing Elyssa heard and saw, before the door closed. She rolled her eyes and downed the cup.

Inside the room, Siofra stepped towards Blaze from the left. "Why the Hela were we hiding from Elyssa?"

"To create an effect."

"Huh?"

"Never mind, sizzling sis, it's too complex for your tiny brain."

"I will make your behind sizzle."

Blaze ignored her and turned to the others. "I've gathered you all here today because I've begun to believe that the societies and the queendoms of the HU have become obsolete. They govern through ancient rules and ideas that no longer hold relevance in the current world. Azra-El needs new blood and new thinking.

"Now, I know some of you agree with me," he said, looking towards Astrid, "while others may not, but I believe that all of you seek the good of the HU. And that is why you are all here. I want to form a new and separate society that brings together disparate ideas, until we figure out the best," he said, pausing for his words to sink in.

At first, most of them waited for a punchline, imagining it was another one of his silly jokes, but the seriousness of his attitude quickly set in.

"Do you not think it is a little too ambitious, Blaze?" Aahna asked, "You may be a princess, but the rest of us are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Do you seriously think that we can do anything?"

"I've recently come to know that there are a lot of secret groups in the HU that work and influence the politics of Azra-El from behind the scenes. So, our group will be a hidden society as well. I don't expect us to make any headway anytime soon, but we will grow, slowly and steadily. We may not make a difference now but imagine in a hundred years... Everything has to start from somewhere."

"What is the goal of this group?" asked Clio.

"To make HU great again?... Sorry, that was an attempt at humor. But in all seriousness, I am not entirely sure. I just want to do good. Uplift the weaker sections of society, rout out the ones that take advantage of power and hide behind false philosophies, make people aware and bring them together, and so on. To accomplish that, first, we need to bring together trustworthy people with a will and desire to learn what is right, and then do it. Our first goal will be that."

"It does sound good," Siofra nodded.

For the next hour, Blaze talked about his goals and answered their questions. He told them that he already had a powerful base to start from, and a steady source of income, in the form of The Furious Corporation. Astrid had access to the Malakim, Brija had access to a princess of Aranya, Aahna, through her mother, had access to the Aranyan merchant guild, Clio was a reporter, and Siofra and Azalea brought the support of the pixies and the Undine, respectively. Together, they had more than enough to start an organization that could one day be powerful. Thus, the group was slowly convinced of his ideas and objectives.