"Your Majesty!"

    "Please listen to reason!"

    "Your Majesty, you cannot!"

    "Your Majesty—"

    With a single, commanding glance from Emperor Theano, the racket from the assembled nobles abruptly ceased. Their protests had begun to grate on the emperor's patience and their feeble attempts at altering legislation that benefited the common folk wore thin.

    "Even if we were to reduce nobility taxes, it would scarcely cover two-thirds of the costs needed to rebuild the farmlands in the west," argued a viscount. "We must reassess the budget for the upcoming fourth quarter."

    "Do you not feel compelled to assist the territories suffering from lack of provisions?" countered a marquis, his voice ringing with passion. "The common folk can barely afford mages to mend their lands."

    "Do you then propose we ignore the mismanagement of the western territories by providing free and non-consequential financial aid?" Another noble interjected.

    "Such matters could be addressed after the welfare of our people has been assured," added another.

    The debate dragged on until nightfall. Emperor Theano sat at the head of the table in the parliamentary hall of the Caeli Palace, listening to the discourse with a finger pressed to his temple and his hand gripping the armrest. Though he knew many nobles were displeased, he refrained from interference for his mind was preoccupied with more important matters.

    His daughter.

    How she had pleaded with him for months to search the Kalamor Continent for her True Betrothed, who had vanished from Deitus without a trace. How she had sworn never to forgive him if Bishop were not returned to her unharmed.

    But he had to consider the risks. After sending delegations to Tesserra in the south and to the Isles in the east and west, the Spheric's political peace hung by a thread. Daemonkind were notoriously difficult to parley with, let alone to accuse. And the mere fact that the presence of the Imperial Crown Consort within their continent had alerted all empires to the risk of potential war.

    There was no greater offense than wounded pride, and Kalamor's was deeply wounded by the rebel group hidden right under their noses.

    Thus, these discussions on taxation burdened him unnecessarily when the peace of the Spheric could be shattered at any moment. As the Emperor of the most powerful continent, the weight upon him felt especially heavy, particularly considering that the cause of the potential war might be his daughter's deteriorating mental state, her desperate need to hold someone accountable for the current state of her beloved.

    "Reduce the national taxes based on the past year's harvest and territory profits," Emperor Theano suddenly declared, his voice cutting through the nobles' clamour.

    Immediate silence. The noble faction acquiesced as the commoner faction raised their noses in haughtiness and victory.

    "The common folk will be provided aid and provisions for the next year, contingent upon their commitment to work the lands they've been assigned," he continued.

    The commoner faction felt their presumptuous joy deflate as they realised that the emperor did not intend to offer aid without conditions.

    "This will be overseen by the dukes, whose marquise vassals shall manage on their behalf during their absence."

    The neutral faction, enjoying the support of the dukes, accepted the decree. Privy to the private meetings of the dukes, the neutral nobles understood the burdens weighing on the emperor. They recognized that another civil revolution was unlikely, and so they chose to remain silent, hoping that the emperor understood their intentions.

    As the meeting ended, some nobles made plans for the upcoming weeks and others departed to discuss further reforms. But there were many still lingering.

    It was then—

    "Your Majesty, forgive my impudence, but we have just received reports that the capital gates have been breached at all checkpoints!"

    The nobles, regardless of faction, became quiet to listen in. And at the words of the secretary who barged in, ignoring all due processes, the emperor stood.

    "What have you spoken?" He said, a menacing tone thick with warning.

    "The gates, Your Majesty, there has been a simultaneous attack, we are under siege!"

    Initially, there was stillness. So profound that one could hear a pin drop in the adjacent palace. But then, as the news settled in, the hall erupted in chaos.

    "What is the meaning of this?!"

    "Who dares to attack divinebeings?!"

    "Your Majesty, we must act swiftly!"

    "Alert the knights! Alert the soldiers!"

    "Where is the Oldunal Order!"

    As the figureheads commanded their secretaries to act with urgency, the Emperor resumed his seat upon the throne, his thoughts clouded.

    So, a potential war would not have been initiated by Deitus, but by Kalamor itself. Who else would have the motive (and gall) to attack the empire? The other realms were far too small to challenge them alone; they would need to hire mercenaries or form alliances of arms with smaller kingdoms. However, his scouts had reported no signs of rebellion for months. The rulers of each race had unilaterally sworn allegiance to his throne. Even the trade agreements were to their benefit, leaving no room for discontent.

    The only beings who showed any form of dissatisfaction were the Daemon Kingdom of Kalamor.

    And it appeared they were willing to risk another Sundering.

    But...something felt amiss.

    "Silence!" Emperor Theano's voice boomed, instantly quelling the chaos in the hall. "You, how were the gates breached?"

    "According to the reports, Your Majesty, explosive rock remnants collapsed the walls and breached the gates."

    "Which gate was breeched first?"

    Before the secretary could respond, the doors flew open once again.

    "The power of chaos. I can feel it. I can feel it everywhere." Empress Raquelle wailed, her usual elegance shattered.

    "Your Majesty." the nobles bowed, though many kept wary eyes on the Empress.

    Something was terribly wrong. She wore her nightwear, her shoulders barely covered by a shawl hastily thrown on. Her hair, loose and in curls, looked out of place, as if she had been pulling at the roots. She was disheveled, and far from the respectable empress they knew. It was if she had gone mad.

    "Empress?" Emperor Theano said, descending from his throne, glancing back at the maidservants who were rushing after the empress. "Why is she here? Where are her garments?"

    The maidservants dropped to their knees, shaking in fear at the rage of the emperor, whose golden eyes begun to glow. "Your Majesty, the empress suddenly begun to scream, then she —"

    "Enough with your excuses," he said, removing his robe to put over Empress Raquelle's shoulders. "Compose yourself, my love, speak clearly."

    "Serai! My precious Serai. She has left the Palace." The Empress cried. "She has ventured beyond the safety of the palace walls."

    With those words, the Empress collapsed in his arms, having exerted too much energy.

    And the Emperor? His chest seemed to collapse within itself, sinking to unreachable depths.

    Teresa. She has gone to face them alone.

☽  ◐  ⬤  ◑  ☾ 

    Ariea's eyes opened.

    Something churned within her, fluttering to life. A sharp sensation overwhelming her senses. With each pulse of her racing heart, it winded her, a surge of energy coursing through her veins.

Ariea thought she would have no strength left, not after the brutal lashing she had endured earlier that week, leaving her flesh raw and unhealed. Yet, there she was, emerging from her blood-stained sheets, her body moving almost of its own accord as she stumbled toward the door. 

    Expecting it to be locked, she pounded on it, hoping to alert someone outside, but it swung open without resistance. The forest lay before her, eerily empty, without even a guard in sight to ensure her confinement.

    She was painfully oblivious to the war happening outside the walls of the estate. Ariea stumbled through the woods to the main temple driven by an urgent need for help, even at the risk of severe punishment.

    Because something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

    Finally reaching the edifice, she was met with chaos. Servants rushed about in disarray, some colliding with each other, others pushing their way through the crowd, but there was no sign of the Saintum family. Most troubling of all, Elisabeth was nowhere to be seen. 

    Ariea's only hope of aid lay with her stepmother, the one person who should have despised her the most, showed her compassion and comfort, risking her own neck.

    I need to find her.

    The moment Ariea focused on Sanctus Elisabeth it was as if a beacon lit up in her mind. She could see her, clad in her customary white gown, being forcefully led down a dimly lit hallway, her hand tightly gripped by another's. 

    There was panic within her, her heart pounding furiously. The Sanctus was terrified yet not for the reasons the others were. No, she was terrified because she was leaving something behind. Something that she desperately wanted to retrieve.

    Ariea followed her essence, the silvery silhouette of her stepmother, as she kept herself balanced along the wall. However, another powerful pulse knocked her to the ground.

    I cannot slow down now. Ariea was desperate to reach Elisabeth before her guiding thread vanished. She had to hurry, for if this were to be her final moments, she wanted to be held by the closest thing she had to a mother.

    With every ounce of strength she could muster, Ariea pressed forward, entering a hallway teeming with guards and servants. No one noticed her as fear governed their hearts—all disregarding hierarchy to save themselves. The thread was led Ariea to the west wing of the temple, to the chambers of the former Saintum, and there, she caught sight of Elisabeth once more.

    Ariea summoned once last burst of energy reach the door. And just as it closed, she fell inside, collapsing on the marble floors.

    "Your Grace." she managed to breathe out.

    As if her voice had broken a spell, every head in the old Saintum's chambers turned toward her.

    "How—" Eriss started before biting her tongue as she glared Ariea's way.

    "Ariea!" Elisabeth cried, rushing to meet her, relief bursting washing over her. "You were safe there. You should not have come. Why did you leave?!"

    "What is she doing here? She can't come with us, can she?" Eloisa implored, looking towards her father, Cyrus, for confirmation.

    "Remove this wretch from her. She is to stay behind!" Cyrus thundered, signaling to the knights in the room.

    And as they moved to grab her, Ariea pulsed again.

    This time, it was different. Now, everyone could see it—the radiant glow of her skin, the shimmer of her raven hair, and the sudden earth-quaking beat that shook the entire estate. Something was happening to her.

    "Ariea?" Elisabeth's voice was tender as she reached out to her.

    "M-m-mother." Aria managed to whisper, before the final pulse took her breath away, her life extinguished in an instant. 

☽  ◐  ⬤  ◑  ☾

A/N: Hey guys, just wanted to check on you. 

Hope you're all doing well!

Please let me know what you think of the story so far!