Black banners draped the halls of the Sisterhood Monastery in the Immortal City. Thirteen pure white marble coffins, each emanating a veil of cold mist, stood in solemn rows before the altar. A girl trained in painting sat in the great hall, capturing the heroism of the fallen sisters during the Battle of Fimbulwinter Mountain. Artisans and those with sculpture training carved figures of sword-wielding warriors atop the lids of the coffins. All full members of the Sisterhood knelt on one knee upon the cold, dark stone floor of the hall, murmuring prayers before the golden statue and altar. Several leading sisters held brass censers, the air thick with incense.
Hundreds of white candles burned in clusters around the altar. The glow lit the golden statue from below, leaving its face shrouded in shadow. No one who had participated in the Battle of Fimbulwinter could forget what they had witnessed. That only thirteen sisters had given their lives in such a horrific conflict was a near-impossible victory, yet the joy of survival could not erase the sorrow that weighed on their hearts.
The central coffin held the remains of Catherine. It was said that the Monarch himself had carried her into the coffin—and shed a tear in the process.
To her left lay the body of a human girl, young and delicate. Her pale cheeks were serene, her golden hair neatly combed. White linen veiled the gruesome stitching of her wounds, and countless crimson roses and white lilies surrounded her in eternal slumber.
"Vera," Tatiana silently recited the fallen's name.
This is my fault. I was too reckless.
As the chisel struck the marble, it was as if the pain in her heart followed every hammer's blow. Even the stitches in her abdomen couldn't compare to the agony chewing rhythmically at her chest. It had been three days since the battle at Fimbulwinter, yet she still couldn't shake the memory. But she could not speak of Vera's final moments to anyone outside the Sisterhood—everyone who had seen it was bound to bury the secret deep in their hearts.
It happened during their retreat down the mountain, helping mortal soldiers evacuate while waiting for the drop ships. Tatiana's strike team and a heavy firepower squad had been separated by a monstrous humanoid creature—its body inlaid with white porcelain, gold, and rubies—wielding a massive golden sword. When the defensive line broke, waves of enemies surged toward the heavy weapons team. Their numbers were endless. Even as the squad fought to their last breath, they couldn't stop them from closing in.
The creatures used their fallen comrades' bodies to absorb explosions and plasma fire, pressing closer step by step.
Many in the fire squad had drawn short combat blades, ready to fight to the death. Tatiana had activated her iron wings, charging forward with her chainsaw sword. She broke formation and lunged at the creature's sword arm, hoping to either kill or delay it—just enough for her sisters to regroup. They were only a few hundred meters from anti-air defenses, yet those few steps remained out of reach.
"We are the Monarch's blade, the beacon of faith in this dark universe!" the fire team leader shouted when all seemed lost. "For our Lord! Die bravely, sisters, for Lady Catherine!"
"For our Lord and the glorious Catherine!" the squad roared back.
They stopped retreating. Fingers tightened around triggers, pouring wrath into the angels and demons just paces away.
And then, to everyone's shock, shy and soft-spoken Vera, tasked with guarding the flank, broke through the enemy encirclement and threw herself toward the embattled squad. She had never been the best marksman or swordswoman in the unit, yet she hurled herself into the fray with the courage of steel in her slender body. She crashed into the enemy's flank, her chainsaw biting through porcelain flesh, her grenade pistol pulverizing body after body. She ignored defense altogether—when her ammo ran dry, she swung the pistol like a hammer against the enemy's heads. She became a whirlwind, unleashing every technique the Sisterhood had taught her. In under a minute, she carved a path through the encirclement, clearing a safe zone and enabling the two teams to break free together.
They managed to reach the drop ship's fire support—but Vera didn't make it out.
Tatiana called Vera's name over the comms one last time—only to see her hoisted high on several golden spears. Her helmet shattered, her limbs and chest pierced, blood gushed from her black power armor like a stream, dyeing her white robes a heavy crimson. The enemy hoisted her like a trophy, celebrating. Unspeakable terror and fury flooded Tatiana. Ignoring her sisters' protests, she leapt from the drop ship ramp, charging the beasts that had killed Vera.
"Our Lord sees us. We are His blade, sisters," Vera said over the comms, voice muddled but alive. "This… this is what we strive for… a death like Lady Catherine's…"
"Don't say that, Vera!"
Even now, Tatiana could recall the scalding heat of the monsters' blood splashing onto her armor. Her nerves blazed like red-hot wires, her skin seared with rage, her eyes blinded by blood. She hadn't realized other sisters had followed her off the ship, joining her in the slaughter. The battle seemed to last an eternity. When she cradled Vera's blood-soaked body, she momentarily didn't even recognize the sister she'd lived beside for so long.
"I feel Lady Catherine is beside me, sister," Vera's blood-filled eyes were wide, pink froth bubbling from her lips. Her golden hair, matted with gore and soil, was no longer beautiful. Her voice was faint—perhaps a final surge from the power armor's stimulant injections—and she recognized only Tatiana. "Lady Catherine…"
"We have to go now, Tatiana," one sister said. "Tagged enemies are approaching fast."
"Don't talk. I'll get you out," Tatiana said, trying to lift Vera.
But the dying girl summoned a final burst of strength and shoved her away, collapsing into the blood-soaked mud. Before anyone could reach her, she grabbed the fallen chainsaw sword.
And then… Tatiana inhaled deeply, silently reliving the impossible moment.
She saw Vera erupt in blinding white light. The grime on her armor and hair evaporated. The Sisterhood members shielded their eyes, as their helmet optics shorted from the intensity. The smell of burning electronics filled their nostrils.
"I've always been with you, Vera."
Though it came from Vera's mouth, Tatiana knew it wasn't her voice. It echoed in layers, distant yet resonant. The chaotic battlefield fell eerily silent as a joyful voice rang out. Bathed in the searing light, all extra-dimensional beings were wiped away like grime washed off glass in the rain—vanishing without a trace. Even the monstrous entity later dubbed a Seraph of Wisdom, which could overwhelm dozens of sisters alone, was reduced to steam in the light. When it finally faded, the girls saw a glowing figure with white wings hovering above the empty battlefield. Vera's eyes glowed, a blazing halo behind her head, gray ash and feathers swirling in the air.
Bathed in the light, every girl felt as though she stood beneath a warm sun—not on a freezing mountain.
"Lady Catherine?" a trembling voice asked. The girls recognized the speech pattern.
"It's me," the joyful voice answered. "I've always been here, girls. Don't worry—Vera now rests beside our Lord. She shall be rewarded for her faith and loyalty."
(End of Chapter)
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