Vengeance - Remorse

'''The Nihilius Clan has left Equestria, but a Remnant has broken off and stayed behind. Now two of it's members reaffirm their desire to do what their master would not.'''

Background
Vengeance - Remorse, written by SDM, takes place after the failed assault on the Crystal Empire by the Nihilius Remnant. It is written from the perspective of an air mage named Brother Clinton and Master Vocus-6, both as a young boy and in the present day as leader of the Remnant

Synopsis
The solo opens from the perspective of Brother Clinton, thinking back on how the Remnant had formed. Though the mages had been given the ability to resist the Anathemites (then reduced to only Lynna and Terminos as Oneiros had accepted High Judge Valis Ail's offer to return him home), the air mage was one of a good number of mages outraged by Valis Ail's decision to retreat from Equestria despite most signs pointing to the Clan's imminent victory. The air mage gives respect and adoration to Vocus for sharing a similar view while also deriding Valis Ail as a powerless coward, claiming to be the "Voice" of their god yet not standing up to Equestria and not striking down Vocus for his insubordination. His section concludes by reaffirming his decision to remain.

The solo then switches to the perspective of Vocus as an eight-year-old boy heading out to work in his father's fields. Just before lunchtime Vocus witnesses a strange, black-clothed man walking along the road beside the fields, swaddled in darkness and feeling decidedly alien. Vocus notes how the man has a wagon rolling behind him on it's own, which is normal for magicians, yet Vocus cannot see any indication that the man was actually using magic to move the wagon. While he watches, he only gets a feeling of emptiness from the man that threatens to make him cry while he resists all attempts to do so.

As the traveler continues on, Vocus notices a "haze" following the man that occasionally broke apart and showed a decayed version of whatever was behind it. Vocus suddenly remembers stories of a mysterious traveler circulating the kingdom, and feels it in his gut that the man he was witnessing right now was the same traveler.

The traveler seems to notice Vocus's gaze and turns to meet the gaze with his own. Vocus sees a strange, ornate mask cover the man's face, one without slits for eyes that made the boy feel uncomfortable but under the belief that there were no eyes to behold behind the mask. The thought scared him to the core as he didn't really care for the dark.

After what felt like a few hours, the man turns away and continues on, leaving a confused boy behind.

the solo shifts back to the present, as Vocus is meditiating and relaxing within his shadows. The shadows are then disturbed as Vocus senses someone approaches, and he retracts the shadows to meet with a fellow Clansmen named Brother Clinton. Clinton, unfortunately, is not the bearer of good news, announcing not only the failure of their attack on the Crystal Empire by a new military group called ERAC, led by Commanger Wolfgang Amadeus, but that the so-called Traitors (Lynna and Terminos) had participated and helped repel the Remnant's attack.

Enraged by this news, Vocus lashes out at the nearest living creature--which happens to be Clinton--and demands to know why his scouts couldn't keep track of the two Anathemites. Clinton tries to explain that their forest base was supposed to report back, and indeed had sent up a flare before it's demise, leading Vocus to believe that the base had been destroyed by the Anathemites.

After calming down some, Vocus questions how the two of them had gotten past the bands, and Clinton informs Vocus that a Factory-grade orbital strike had been what did their anti-Nihility bands in. Vocus initially orders an increase in their durability, but relents when he learns that one of the Armors from the Crystal Empire reported the inability of ERAC and the Anathemites to get past his armor. With a request for the bands to be made harder to hit and for his spies to uncover all they can on Commander Wolfgang, Vocus dismisses Clinton to be alone.

Now by himself again, Vocus's gaze turns to a statue of Executor in the middle of the room. Vocus prays to the statue of the High Lord, wishing for his guidance as Vocus feels he tried and failed to emulate Executor successfully. He wonders if his failure is because Executor had the Gift of Anathemus while Vocus was just a man, or if he's even worthy of the final gift, and begs Executor to give him a sign to show the way. However, nothing happens to indicate that a sign was given. This silence may have told Vocus that Executor was simply biding time during the beginning of the Remnant, but all the setbacks and the High Lord's continued absence has made his mindset more cynical. After all, to Executor Vocus was only "Six" out of the twelve Vocuses in Equestria, not given any special attention or consideration then, so why should any be given now?

Despite this, Vocus knows that he cannot continue to disgrace the High Lord, just as he cannot stray from the path he has taken nor fail his duty to the world, his faith, and himself. As the shadows and despair grip him, Vocus makes himself stand strong.

After all, boys don't cry, especially if they don't know why they're sad. Or want to admit it.

Tracklist

 * 1) Masque of the Red Death - Nox Arcana

Trivia

 * Vengeance - Remorse is the first part of eight about Vocus's past as well as his perspective on events during the Remnant's attacks on Equestria.