Ayyyy, here we go with another book of oneshots ! (Maybe I'll make this one go up to 200 chapters lol) I wanted to make a special fic for the first chapter but nothing that would be worthy of being 'special' came to my mind so I just wrote whatever I felt inspired for lmao, I prolly wrote it better than some fics though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Right, remember to check out my profile to see my other works, I put them into reading lists so it would be easier to find, there's one for all the Elisop stuff and another one for all the other shit so be careful and scroll down !

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Final Honor x Music Master

TW: Blood & Murder & Su/c/de

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A castle engulfed in flames and a throne room destroyed and ransacked. The screams had stopped and a disconcerting silence reigned over the place.

It was... the end.

Men armed to the teeth had just burst in, led by the one who was at the head of the rebellion. He could recognize most of these faces since most of them had once been in his service, but they only looked at him with dismay now. The faith they had in their ruler was long gone and all that remained was the ashes of the fallen flag.

Their leader stepped forward, who was he again, he couldn't even remember but one thing was for sure, he wouldn't live long enough to know.

Then, another figure came into view, a very familiar one, for it was none other than the knight who was once devoted to him. The man stared at him with pitiful blue eyes, a bitter expression on his face.

A laugh could not help but escape from his lips then, the whole situation seemed so ironic and tragic.

Who would have thought that things would end like this?

Probably everyone but him.

"Madness seems to have gotten the better of you, Emperor Aesop Carl. Or is it due to seeing your empire crumble today?"

"Perhaps I was already insane from the start."

"Whatever." He nodded to the knight. "Eli."

The man froze for a moment but bit his lip and walked toward the emperor, sword in hand.

"I suppose dying by your hands would be my final honor..." he whispered with a smile.

A wrinkle appeared between the knight's eyebrows and he raised his blade, there was no resistance from his victim but a low grunt of agony. Just then, Emperor Aesop Carl breathed his last and fell to the ground, his corpse staining the white marble with his blood.

Eli removed his sword from the body without saying anything and Emil approached him, his long cloak trailing behind him, he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before grabbing Aesop's crown that had rolled onto the tile floor. He wiped the blood off it with his sleeve and placed it on top of his head.

There was a crowd of cheers as they all went off to celebrate their crushing victory, leaving the knight with the lifeless shell of his former master.

"I would have... preferred things to be different."

He raised his bloody sword again with a sad smile. His actions were for the sake of the kingdom but his spirit could never rest in peace because of the betrayal he had just committed. He had no regrets but his role was over.

The blade turned in his direction before sinking into his chest and piercing his heart. His body bent over and he fell brutally to the ground, observing one last time the silver locks of the one he had just taken the life of. His eyelids became heavier and he sank into the darkness...

"...ness. Your highness-!"

His eyes suddenly widened and he dropped his teacup, causing it to spill onto the table and spread the golden liquid over the white tablecloth.

"What are you doing your highness..." the person sighed before calling a servant to clean up the mess.

Aesop looked ahead with surprise, he was on the balcony of his room, where he enjoyed tea every day in the company of... He suddenly turned his head and saw that the one who had been talking to him from the start was unsurprisingly his vassal, Eli Clark. The man returned to him after a few seconds and took his hands between his own.

"Pardon me for a moment," he said, inspecting his hands, "Didn't you burn yourself?"

"E....li...?"

What was going on? Just a few moments ago he was in the throne room

and this man had... The knight looked at him with worried eyes, but the emperor withdrew his hands with a sudden shudder.

He had been killed by his hands.

"Your highness? Is everything all right?"

"I... I feel a little unwell," he replied, lowering his gaze, "I'd like to be alone."

Eli stared at Aesop for a few seconds before pulling away and bowing.

"Would you like me to call the royal physician?"

"That won't be necessary."

"Very well, call me if you need anything."

The emperor nodded and the knight then left the room, leaving the silver-haired one alone on the balcony. Once calmed and having regained his senses, Aesop rose from his seat and walked to the huge mirror in his room. His fingertips touched the reflection in the ice and he was even more surprised to see that he looked younger. He was wearing a turquoise outfit and he remembered that he had last worn it many years ago.

Was it... all a dream?

Images of that scorching night suddenly came back to him and he was so frightened that he had to lean against the dresser to avoid collapsing. His breathing became more irregular and sweat beaded from his forehead. No, the fear he felt was definitely based, in this case...

He looked up at his reflection again, laughing weakly as he saw his sorry state.

"Am I... back in the past?"

It was an inconceivable and completely twisted idea but a few days passed and after careful observation. He had come to the conclusion that he had indeed gone back in time, probably five or six years before the rebellion, shortly after he had ascended the throne after his uncle's death. However, this did not solve all his problems, if what he remembered of the future was not a dream, he would eventually die.

Of course, he wasn't going to let that happen again and he was determined to change things.

But... How?

"Your highness, may I remind you that you have an audience with the baron this afternoon."

"Mhm. Call the maids to prepare me, Clark."

The knight bowed and carried out the orders, several maids then entering the room to help the emperor dress properly. Now that he thought about it, it seemed to him that he had ignored this appointment in the past, under the pretext that he was not yet ready and therefore left the administrative matters to the minister of state. Similar excuses had also been used later to avoid these tasks.

In all honesty, this recoil had shown the young emperor how irresponsible he had been.

Aesop glanced behind him through the mirror, watching Eli's figure. Was it because of his cowardice that the person closest to him had decided to betray him?

He shook his head and walked to the throne room with the knight, taking his place on the golden seat. In reality, there were an amazing number of decorations made of gems or precious metals displayed in the castle, but he only realized it now, his senses being quite alert since his reincarnation. Had everything always been unnecessarily extravagant?

The name of the baron was announced and the doors to the hall opened, revealing a man who petrified the emperor. There, wearing a fine suit but looking more fearful than he remembered, was the leader of the rebellion. He walked down the red carpet to the throne before kneeling down and bowing his head.

"B-Baron Emil Mesmer... Your Highness..."

"You may raise your head."

Emil hesitated for a brief moment before raising his green eyes to the emperor. Aesop shuddered as he met his gaze but did his best to keep his composure. What would they say about him otherwise?

"Speak, I assume there is a good reason behind your coming."

"Y-Your Highness-! I'd like to ask for increased security on the plains of Oletus... This year the crops are poor and the rogues are increasing in number... I'm afraid that if we don't do something, the whole country will suffer and we'll experience great losses..."

The emperor frowned, it sounded like a pretty serious problem but it was the first time he had ever heard such a story although he remembered that the kingdom had experienced shortages at that time. He would have to discuss this with Minister Riley later, was there anything else like this that he didn't know about? If so, perhaps by helping the baron, the latter would not come to have his head in the years to come. 

"I'll see what we can do."

"T-Thank you very much!"

Emil's expression lit up and he was then escorted out by the guards. For his part, Aesop returned to his rooms followed by Eli.

He sat down at his desk and took out some paper and writing instruments. He dipped his quill in the ink and then began to write an order to Minister Riley to deal with the problem of the plains and the measures to be taken.

"Your highness," Eli interjected.

"Is there a problem, Clark? It's not a common occurrence for you to speak out like this." he said, looking up at him.

The knight kept a cool expression before stepping closer until he was in front of the emperor's desk.

"Do you really intend to help the baron?"

"What kind of question is that?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "If I-"

"Are you doing it for the kingdom, or are you doing it so he won't rebel in the future?"

Aesop's eyes widened as he heard him speak.

"You-... Do you remember...? How-?"

"The moment you called me by my first name that time, it was the first time you did so in this life. That's also what tipped me off about you also remembering the future since you would never have done so under normal circumstances, not to mention your behavior being drastically different."

"So that's it...?" He laughed.

"So what about it?"

"Clark, no, Eli, I was... really an idiot wasn't I?" The knight frowned but Aesop picked up before he could say anything, "I was ignorant, fearful... I guess it was only natural that it would backfire. However, I would like to change things and make this country a place where people would not live in misery."

The emperor looked his vassal straight in the eye and upon seeing his master's sincere resolve, Eli suddenly knelt down in front of Aesop, offering him his sword. Bewildered, the gray-eyed male stood up and walked around the table.

"Forgive me, I have committed a great sin in the past. Even after repenting once with my life, I think it still won't be enough unless you are the one taking it."

"Eli- What are you talking about!?"

"It's simple though, I betrayed you, that deserves the ultimate punishment."

Aesop sighed before grabbing the sword. Eli didn't even move an eyelash so, but unlike the hard feel of metal, he was met by a delicate hand resting on his shoulder.

"Eli, I have nothing to forgive you for, you did what was right."

"Your highness-!"

"Nevertheless, if you still wish to pay that debt, why don't you stand by me so I don't make the same mistakes again?"

"I..." He sketched a faint smile, "It would be an honor."

Aesop returned his smile and wanted to help him up by offering his hand, but instead Eli shook it and brought it to his lips to place a kiss on it. The emperor blushed at the sudden gesture, certainly not expecting the other to do such a thing.

"E-Eli...?"

"To renew the oath of my loyalty to you..."

The gray-haired man was still a little confused and his heart seemed to beat faster but he simply left those feelings aside for the moment to focus on the present.

A few months passed after that and as Eli had sworn, the knight always stayed by his master's side to support him and give him advice with what he remembered of the future. In the meantime, they discovered that Minister Freddy Riley had embezzled funds from the imperial treasury and he was convicted of his crimes in accordance with the laws.

Six years passed and Aesop was still alive.

There was no rebellion on the part of the baron, and he was even elevated to the rank of marquis after rising in status in recent years thanks to his support for the people and his victory in a conflict with the neighboring empire. All was well and the people of the empire were living peacefully.

"Thank you, Eli. I couldn't have done it without you."

"I didn't do anything special, your highness." he replied, wrapping his arms around his waist, "You are the one who managed to change the future with your own hands."

"Still so modest I see." he said with a chuckle.

"A knight must be humble after all."

Eli sketched a faint smile and then leaned in to place a kiss against the emperor's lips. Aesop was surprised, but he didn't break his hold and returned the embrace, slipping his hands behind his neck and pulling him closer to kiss him once more.

He could not dream of a better future than being at the side of the one he loved.