"I have never stopped moving forward since I befriended the Messiah. Only at his wishes did I go to meet my hero Avram. Which allowed me to be the person who can stand in front of you, yet it seems the next part of that journey has started, and I have been placed in the arms of a rather annoying pest, who I'd kill if it was just up to me."
"I'm so special to you that I'd cause you to needlessly sin? How sweet!"
Elia steps on Orb's foot and then continues on to say, "He has gathered lots of allies, and will continue to get more, bringing all sorts of trouble into my life, and work onto my desk. Without a doubt, being around him will continuously assault me with new challenges after challenge that will push me to my limits.
And I feel fear that when faced with it all, I might become my old self again. So, Orb, as a man who cares for everyone, I ask you to aid me with one thing: help me change. Help me be who I was born to be."
ΦAs Elia speaks to me, her facial expressions soften up, and for a moment her existence feels even more fragile than Suzuka's. Seeing this, I feel like my mind pauses for a second.
She is full of pride, someone who trusts in themselves to the point of absurdity, a practical, logical monster who seems like a black hole of emotions to those around her, only revealing in the misfortune and sadness of others. Yet right now she is telling me this. Despite her distrust of me. Despite how often she says she hates me. She really is extremely strong, and I must respond to that.
ΦWith a deep smile across his face, Orb look her right in the eyes, and says, "I promise I will. Because we're friends forever!"
"Huh? I don't remember becoming your friend."
"Wha!?"
"This is just your way of repaying me for all of the next to free labour I am going to give you."
"I refuse, I will be helping you for free and giving you proper payment for your work."
"It seems you were paying coy earlier. I guess you truly want me to financially dominate you."
"I don't want that! I just want to become your friend, and I will not be using anything to sully that bond before it forms."
"Not the wisest choice for a king of a new country, I will be making sure to bleed you dry with fees if you plan on paying me."
"Try your best, but it won't interrupt the beginning of our great new bond."
"What an idiot."
"I have no issues being a fool if it means I get to be with both of you."
Both of them continue to spin around along with everyone else on the dance floor, yet soon their attention, along with all the rest, is taken by a series of claps that echo throughout the area.
Towards the entrance lie two large doors on the right and left of the wall, and in between them both stands a giant platform on which the four ministers all walk. Vėja, clearing her throat, says, "We thank you all for gathering here tonight to celebrate Blestemate. All of the people here have contributed massively to keeping our country safe for as long as many of the people who live in our nation have been alive.
While the Queen cannot be here tonight, we, the Deocheal, would like to thank you for all you have done on her behalf, because without all your efforts, we never would have made it this far.
Yet there is more we would like to discuss with you and the rest of the citizens today, so we will all be heading to the announcement room to deliver key information to all citizens of Blestemate. We would like you all to come along with us now.
As most of you likely know, the castle can be a hazard to travel through, so please follow the members of Perfecțiune, and don't stray too far from them. Jūlija, Šviesis and Marinescu, your men have also put out a call for the three of you down below in the streets."
The people throughout the room start to clap their hands, and soon Perfecțiune comes out of the shadows and Stelara says, "Please form lines around each of the different members of the army beside me."
Everyone in the room starts to line up, and Orb, seeing Dragoste, picks up his gifts and tries to head over to Dragoste, but before he can, Stelara gets in front of Orb and says, "Where are you going?"
"To meet Dragoste. I need to deliver a letter to him."
"Too bad. He is busy with the announcement, like you know, you can speak to him when it's over."
"But he seems to be sick."
"What?"
"He was constantly fidgeting with his fingers and moving his eyes back and forth all across the room. I also think the bones throughout his hair were a few centimetres thinner, and his facial expression seemed to sag a bit. There is definitely something wrong!"
Walking behind Orb, Avram says, "Creepy."
"Shut up," Orb says, swinging his head around.
Stelara, looking at both of them, says, "It's most likely just the stress from all the work he has had to be doing. A lot of the raid on Blestemate was made by him, not to mention all of the work with the other members of the Frumos family?"
"But, but, bu-."
"NO BUTS!" Stelara says as she crosses her hands. "I am still mad at you for all of the running around you did without our permission on the battlefield. I will not be taking any more of that!"
Avram puts his hand on Orb's head and says, "There are lots of people here who have accomplished more than you, and are far more worried about the well-being of the ministers than you are, yet they are behaving. So you do as well."
Orb nods his head, and Avram says, "But at the same time Orb's perspectives of other people's state is world-class. You should really check on Dragoste."
"I see, well I will put my trust in yo-."
"EMERGENECY!!" Willow shouts, running up to them.
"What's wrong?" Stelara asks.
"Cyrus, behind me, needs to use the toilet. Can you take him?"
Orb with teal hair says, "Have you even had to defecate the entire time I have known you?"
Cyrus shakes his head from side to side, and Stelara, with a sigh, says, "Dragon bodies don't waste basically anything. Their bodies can basically make use of everything they consume. BĂTRÂNULA!"
A woman with shorter hair dressed in the robes of the Cursed Heart Army, dropping beside her from the shadows, says, "What do you need, my lady?"
"Please escort him to the toilet."
Willow flashes a look at Orb, who instantly understands his intent, then says, "Let me join as well."
"Why?"
"Because Cyrus is rather shy, and if we don't go with him, he might make a mistake."
"This sounds rather hard to believe. Are you sure this isn't some kind of trick, Orb?"
Stelara turns her head to Cyrus, who is filled with embarrassment. "I-I-I-I can do it my-ysel-."
Willow quickly moves in front of Cyrus and says, "Discussing this is far too embarrassing for our poor dragon. Please have some respect for our pride and let us go."
In a brief moment, Stelara goes through all of the information she has in her mind and says, "This feels like some kind of deceitful plan, but I don't care anymore. I will just request payment for my struggles."
Avram, looking at Stelara with pitied eyes, says, "All the money and yet no one to hand it over to when you die."
She punches him in the throat, making him fall, holding it onto the ground, then picking him up and flinging him over her shoulder, she says, "I am going to go drown this man!"
As she walks off, Bătrânula says, "Just so you all know, she actually gets quite a few marriage proposals by a lot of high-class men, but the massive differences in ages and the collection of blood from all the countries' babies has made it so that she has essentially met them all when they were newborns."
"Collection of blood?" Orb says with a confused look.
Cyrus, speaking up, says, "Can we go now?"
Bătrânula says, "Of course, and as we walk, I will give you all a history lesson."
"Nooooooo," Cyrus says in a weak tone.
As Orb and Willow shout, "YEEEEEEEEEEEY!"
-Break-
Location: Fallen Pirates Bay, Underground Tunnels.
Φ Dashing forward with a group of soldiers from the Cursed Heart Army, Antica looks forward into the barely illuminated tunnels in front of him and says, "To think all of this was lying underneath our country."
A man beside him says, "2nd seat. Don't you think we should request more help from the other armies? It would make everything go by faster?"
"It is a smart idea, Mielula, but if any of the other soldiers outside of Perfecțiune run into members of Blamator, they won't be guaranteed not to cut down their foes. Our boss made a promise to a child that we would keep the casualties to a minimum."
Mielula holder his frizzy, hair says, "Then we should be allowed to just split up and hunt them down. It would be so much easier!"
"We can't act without the express permission of the Queen, or an incident could occur. If we act, it must be in a group, and it definitely cannot be recorded by an Omega Wonderbeast, so we all must be present to ensure it will not cause a national incident where people say the ministers are trying to claim too much power."
"I know, I know, but the other Armies break rules all the time, yet we of Perfecțiune have to follow the rules like blind sheep all the time, when we could be more effective if we just bent them a little."
Antica throws a stone at Mielula's forehead, and due to the speed, it leaves a little gash right in the centre of it, causing him to say, "What was that for!"
"We of the Cursed Heart Army, fight for the Queen. All other institutions serve the country, but we serve the Queen directly. For the people within this country, the Queen is pure, strong, and righteous, a being who stands with the people no matter how much time passes, and we are her sword and shield.
We speak for the Queen in every action we take, and we must uphold the standard she has set. For if we falter, those century-long bonds of trust will deteriorate, and in a world where Nightmares are hated for having to exist, it will be the final nail in the coffin for us all."
Holding his head low, Mielula says, "I am sorry. I tell myself, I am prepared to take a vow to her, yet I didn't know this."
"It's good that you've got this out of your system, and when the Queen finally awakens and you get to take a vow to her, you can do it with you're full heart and soul. Besides, I used to be a rather rowdy manchild before I met her majesty myself."
The soldiers behind Antica say in unison, "Manchild is putting it kindly!"
Turning his head for a moment, Antica says, "HOW DISRESPECTFUL YOU INGRATES!"
And in the moment he does, a blade moves toward his neck, yet despite his head being turned, he catches it out of the air, and jumps up towards the top of the tunnel and smashes his foot into it.
A scream of pain burst out from that spot, and in that moment, a glassy substance breaks and a Nightmare falls down. Antica, looking at his face, says, "Dav, a Nightmare with the ability to turn his surroundings invisible. We heard you joined with Blamator."
Soon, a glassy substance around the entire tunnel breaks, and Nightmares hiding against the wall are revealed, with all the other members of the Cursed Heart Army moving to knock them unconscious.
Dropping down, Antica sees a curse bat and says, "This is why you have to be careful, Mielula, or you'd have had an exposé written on you."
"I understand."
"Good, now let's keep go-." Antica stops in shock as his eyes stare at a glassy substance breaking in front of him. Looking at the revealed form of the tunnel, he says, "What the hell is this!"