For the first time in centuries, the teleportation portal inside the magic tower of Aquilonis buzzed without rest.
Royals and dignitaries from across the other five human kingdoms flooded into Aquilonis, each one burning with an agenda. The royal family of Vaelundis had come to demand accountability for what happened to Princess Celine Valeria, their own blood and the first concubine of Emperor Syron Pyrrath of Pyrrathis, who lost her child in the hands of a demon. They were not alone in their fury.
Vaelundis demanded reparations, compensation for the years they had supported Aquilonis, and their rightful share of the kingdom's treasures, asserting their place as the "parent kingdom" of Empress Ceres.
But it wasn't just about justice. The other power-hungry kingdoms, their greed masked under diplomatic courtesy, came with sharper motives. Everyone wanted a bite of the newly rising Aquilonis, especially its groundbreaking magitech advancements, which had quickly outpaced even Pyrrathis.
Each kingdom brought their own forces, magicians, knights, mercenaries, as if preparing for war under the guise of diplomacy.
"What should we do, Your Highness?" Legion asked gravely after Ceres was briefed on the situation.
Ceres was about to respond when a sudden ripple of energy filled the hall. A portal burst open beside her, and out stepped Nugget, followed by twenty demi-humans cloaked in quiet, lethal grace. Night-dwellers, Elves, Faes, and Demons, all looking chic and classy.
"Mother," Nugget greeted, her tone respectful but light.
"Nugget," Ceres smiled and leaned upward slightly to wrap her daughter in a hug.
"Father sent me," Nugget said. "He asked me to make formal garments for the banquet guests. Something appropriate for Velrathis, so they won't be stared at by our citizens."
"That's very thoughtful, love," Ceres said, brushing back a strand of hair from Nugget's face. "But for now, that will have to wait. Guests from other kingdoms are here… and it looks like chaos is brewing."
"Mother, you have nothing to fear from these humans," Neko interjected, his golden eyes gleaming with veiled irritation. "We can handle them easily."
"I know that, love," Ceres said calmly. "But your father is trying to maintain peace with humans. If you strike first, they'll panic, and when rabid dogs panic, they bite. I'm not worried about you. I'm worried about the citizens of Aquilonis. They've just begun to rebuild their lives. I don't want that peace shattered just because they chose to side with me."
"You think they're here to cause trouble?" Nugget asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I don't think," Ceres replied coldly. "I know."
"I want to put them in their place," she continued, voice edged with steel, "but I also know they'll retaliate. And when they do, they won't strike at me, they'll strike at the people."
"Actually… Mother, Father sent me for another reason," Nugget said slowly, her voice hesitant.
Ceres frowned. "Another reason?"
"He told me to use my ability on everyone."
"What? He did?!" Neko asked, practically grinning now.
"Is that supposed to be good news?" Ceres muttered, looking at the two with growing concern.
Neko was the one to explain. "Nugget's ability, the one Father never allows her to use, is neutralization. Anyone weaker than her within a one-thousand-meter radius loses all magical abilities. They become completely powerless. And in this world, Mother, where power is everything, to be stripped of it… is a punishment worse than death. That's why Father only allows her to use it in absolute emergencies."
He was right. Wasn't that the same reason Vaelundis discarded Evadne, even though she was their first princess? Because they thought she couldn't use magic?
Ceres's mind turned sharply. "Does your ability work like Tofu's?"
Nugget and Neko both froze.
"Tofu can neutralize?" they asked in unison, clearly shocked.
"I believe the Demon Lord calls Tuf's ability Replicate," Delphine offered, stepping closer to the Empress's side.
"The fuck!" Nugget hissed. "So that's why he never unleashes his full power. He's a copycat. A literal damn copycat!"
"We've never seen Tofu's ability, Mother," Neko said, arms crossed. "Aside from his talent to annoy people to death. But seriously, how does it work?"
"I've experienced it," Delphine answered, her voice cool and steady. "It's like… the mana disappears. We can't sense it. And for some reason, it feels like we can't breathe."
"Well, mine doesn't work like that," Nugget interjected. "With mine, everything feels normal. You'd only realize your powers are gone when you try to use them, and nothing happens. You can still detect mana around you, but it won't respond. It just won't… obey you."
Ceres narrowed her eyes slightly, intrigued. "How long can you keep the ability active?"
"As long as I want, Mother," Nugget replied without hesitation.
"And when you said 'everyone' earlier, does that mean it affects both friend and foe?" Ceres asked, her tone sharp with calculation.
"No, Mother," Nugget clarified. "Only those I choose."
"I see." Ceres gave a slow, pleased smile before turning to Legion. "Tell the other commanders, no Empress Knights, noble knights, magicians, or even citizens are to engage with the visiting delegates, no matter what happens. Inform the Aquilonis Holy Church that only the Holy Knights will defend the throne if things escalate. And tell Duke Aurelian… I will attend the audience."
Legion bowed low. "Yes, Your Majesty." In a shimmer of light, he vanished to carry out her orders.
"My Holy Knights have a distinct ability," Ceres said to Nugget. "They can summon Valkyries. Will that help you identify them from other kingdoms' Holy Knights?"
"There's no need for that, Mother," Nugget replied with a soft grin. "You see, we've noticed something peculiar. Those who've been blessed by you in Aquilonis, they carry a different aura. It's subtle, but it's there."
"Really?" Ceres asked, genuinely surprised.
"Yes, Mother," Neko confirmed. "It's like they have their own mana reservoir inside their bodies. A distinct imprint of your magic."
"Well then…" Ceres's eyes gleamed. "Allow me to use you, love. Neutralize every unwanted visitor the moment I sit on the Aquilonis Throne."
Nugget bowed with a mischievous smile. "As you command, Mother."
She then introduced the demi-humans she brought with her, each one bowing respectfully to the Empress. They accompanied Ceres to her bedchamber, where Nugget unveiled a collection of dresses fit for war, or diplomacy disguised in silk. The air was light for a moment, even as the storm brewed beyond the castle walls.
"Oh, and Father said something else," Nugget said suddenly, glancing at Neko.
"What now?" Neko raised a brow.
"If Tofu shows up and stirs up chaos… we're allowed to gang up on him. As much as we want," she said with a wicked grin.
Neko's face lit up. "Finally, some justice."
"You think Tofu's already copied all our abilities?" he asked, half-serious, half-annoyed.
Nugget rolled her eyes. "Knowing him? Of course. I'm sure he's even tried to copy Father's." She clenched her fists. "I'm going to beat his ass for copying mine. That second-rate, trying-hard copycat is going to get what's coming."
Just then, they spotted Luna approaching down the corridor, Comet trailing behind her with a curious expression.
"Big sis, did you know?" Neko called out. "About Tofu being a copycat?"
"About?" Luna tilted her head, feigning ignorance.
"About Tofu copying our abilities!" Nugget clarified, clearly exasperated.
"About?" Luna repeated, this time fighting back a laugh.
"Oh my gosh!" Nugget gasped. "Of course you knew! How could you do that to us? You let him copy our abilities?!"
Luna smirked. "Guess whose ability he copied first?"
Neko and Nugget exchanged a look of disbelief.
"But don't worry about it," Luna added nonchalantly. "The strength of the abilities he copies? It's only about ten percent of the original. So they're really nothing like yours."
"But does that even matter?" Neko said grimly. "If he's that strong already, even ten percent of someone else's ability, if they're weaker than him, would still make him deadlier than the original."
Luna paused, her smirk fading slightly. "...That part I didn't consider."
She exhaled and shrugged. "But what can we do now? It's done. What's copied is copied."
"We are so going to beat your mate so bad. You are not allowed to help him," Nugget said to Luna, cracking her knuckles as she spoke.
Luna raised a brow, unfazed. "You know Father won't allow that."
"He actually did," Nugget said with a wicked grin. "His exact words were, 'I expect you to release all your pent-up frustration on that idiot.'"
"Who's the idiot?" came a familiar voice, deep, teasing, and all too bold.
Tuf appeared out of nowhere, casually wrapping his arms around Luna from behind and planting a kiss on her cheek. Luna didn't flinch, but her eyes flicked warily toward Nugget.
Before either Luna or Comet could respond, Nugget and Neko exchanged a single glance, and launched at him like twin missiles.
"What the hell is wrong with you people?!" Tuf shouted as he narrowly dodged, leaping away from the Empress Palace with a flurry of smoke and laughter trailing behind him.
"You damn copycat!" Nugget screamed, already chasing him through the air, her bare fists glowing with magic as she struck.
From a nearby corridor, Milo appeared, carrying Pixie in his arms. Vivi followed behind, sharp eyes instantly locking on the commotion.
"What's happening?!" Milo asked, shifting Pixie into a safer hold.
"Father said," Neko replied with a smirk, "we can beat the shit out of Tofu as much as we want."
Milo and Vivi exchanged wide-eyed looks, already grinning with giddy anticipation. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Neko confirmed without hesitation.
Before they could join the chaos, Pixie raised her small hand toward the battlefield.
"Tofu, freeze!" she commanded, activating her silver tongue.
Tuf's body locked in place mid-air, paralyzed in a frozen stance.
"Nice one, doll," Neko laughed.
"You're so dead, Tofu!" came another voice, this time from above.
Peanut swooped down from the sky, holding what looked suspiciously like a rocket launcher infused with magical energy. He aimed it directly at the immobilized Tuf, eyes burning with determination.
Inside the Emperors' Palace, the royal family members of the other kingdoms stared in horror, and fascination.
And then, without warning, a disembodied voice echoed across the land, resonating from nowhere and everywhere at once.
"People of Aquilonis, stay indoors."
Obediently, every citizen of Aquilonis moved. Shops closed. Doors slammed shut. But the visitors from other kingdoms were left standing outside, confused, frozen, and utterly unprepared.
Those who were standing too close to the battlefield collapsed. Some fell unconscious from the sheer pressure. Others bled from their noses, overwhelmed by raw power, though none of the siblings had even touched them.
Still, the palace's magical defenses held. An invisible barrier shimmered around the palace structures, hissing each time a blast neared. It cracked once, but instantly repaired itself.
The foreign dignitaries found themselves caught between awe and terror. They watched as the siblings tore into each other with unholy glee, protected only by divine enchantments and fate.
"How dare you gang up on me?!" Tuf finally broke free from Pixie's command, launching a frustrated burst of power around him.
"How dare you copy us?!" came the synchronized shout from his siblings, voices filled with righteous fury.
"Bad Tofu!" Pixie declared. She clenched her tiny fist in front of his face and puffed her cheeks in anger. "Hmph!"
She even bit her lower lip, trembling with rage.
"That's my ability! Why are you blaming me?!" Tuf shouted in protest.
"Talk to my lawyer!!!" Neko bellowed as he summoned a massive tidal wave that crashed over Tuf, freezing instantly into a hundred razor-sharp ice spears that stabbed into his body.
"THAT FUCKING HURTS!" Tuf yelled.
"Don't say bad words!" Pixie shouted, triggering her silver tongue again.
Tuf groaned in agony, unable to curse. "Pixie, your attacks hurt more than everyone else's! You can't do that to me, I swear!"
"One hundred javelins!" Peanut cried out, summoning a swarm of glowing spears that embedded into Tuf's frozen body like he was a cursed pincushion.
Tuf roared and unleashed a burst of raw energy, dislodging the javelins in a violent explosion.
"Reset!" Milo shouted, and the javelins reappeared instantly, impaling Tuf again with merciless accuracy.
Then again. And again.
They did it at least ten more times, each strike more dramatic than the last.
"Butter my biscuits!" Tuf screamed in frustration, the only substitute left for swearing, thanks to Pixie's silver tongue.
And still… the attacks kept coming.
"Tofu, bark!" Pixie shouted, her tiny voice full of command.
"Arf! Arf!" Tuf immediately responded, barking like a dog.
The sound echoed absurdly across the palace courtyard.
Nugget, Neko, and the others burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Nice one, doll!" Vivi grinned, clearly enjoying every second of it.
Tuf's face turned crimson. "Pixie!!! I'm going to destroy your tea cup sets, I swear!"
"I'll tell Mama!" Pixie countered, puffing her cheeks with righteous fury.
"I'm getting mad already!" Tuf snapped at his siblings, his jaw tight with rage. "Don't you dare blame me for what I'm about to do."
Without warning, he shot into the sky.
His aura flared like a dark comet.
"Gargantuan Dark Valkyrie!" he roared.
The skies darkened.
A monstrous figure materialized, an angelic knight cloaked in obsidian armor, with wings like blades of shadow. The air crackled. Lightning streaked across the clouds. The ground trembled with each step the Dark Valkyrie took.
It raised a massive sword, and the mere gusts from its wings sent tornado-like winds rushing through the palace grounds.
Gasps erupted across the crowd.
"Goodbye, siblings! Until we meet again!" Tuf called down, smirking as he raised one hand, the signal to command the Valkyrie to strike.
Eyes widened in disbelief.
They had heard of Valkyries, legendary angelic knights said to descend only during divine wrath. But never had anyone seen one. And now, there was a Dark Valkyrie summoned by an unknown powerful being that is anything but human, an entity radiating death.
Terror gripped the visitors.
Even the royal emissaries from other kingdoms faltered. The mana in the air was suffocating. Some of them fell to their knees. Others covered their ears. Whispers turned to screams.
They knew, if that creature attacked, no one would survive.
"Children, enough playing," came a calm, resonant voice. It wasn't loud, but it was everywhere, echoing within their chests like a divine decree.
Tuf froze, his hand still raised.
"Oh, come on, Mother! They ganged up on me!" he yelled, whining like a child caught mid-tantrum.
The Dark Valkyrie vanished instantly, dispersing into shadow, as if it had never been.
Silence fell.
The royals looked around in shock, trying to find the source of the voice. Who was this mother, this presence so powerful it could dismiss a Valkyrie with a single sentence?
"Empress," Aurelian said, his voice low and reverent.
Everyone turned toward the entrance of the palace.
Ceres stood poised at the top of the steps, clothed in deep gold and black, her presence calm, yet undeniably divine. Her hair flowed behind her like a silken veil, her eyes glowing faintly with power.
The nobles and high-ranking officials of Aquilonis immediately bowed, their heads low in deep respect.
"I believe," Ceres said, her tone steady and sharp as a blade, "we have guests."
The visiting royalty stood frozen. None dared speak.
Then the Pyrrathis delegation stepped back cautiously, except for the emperor himself, whose gaze lingered on Luna.
The resemblance between Luna and the woman beside her, was undeniable. They shared the same bone structure, the same piercing beauty, though Luna's midnight hair and mismatched eyes gave her a more deadly aura.
"Your Highness," Seiryu suddenly appeared beside Ceres, bowing his head respectfully. His aura radiated such power that even those unfamiliar with him knew he was no ordinary man.
He was the Holy Beast.
"There are a few wounded," Seiryu informed her.
Ceres sighed, rubbing her temple like a mother chastising unruly children. "Bring them to the Grand Hall. Delphine will tend to them."
She paused.
"Please tell me no one died."
"No casualties," Seiryu replied with a small, amused smile.
"Good," she murmured, then added darkly, "And tell those troublemakers to come here."
Seiryu bowed, disappearing once more into golden mist.
Ceres turned and began walking toward the throne room. Aurelian stepped beside her, subtly pushing Delphine back, who yielded politely, but Luna arched an eyebrow at the movement.
"Please understand him, Luna," Aurora said softly as she walked beside her.
Luna's lips curved into a sly smile.
"I am very understanding, Princess," she replied coolly. "I take after my father, after all. But you do know who isn't."
She flicked her gaze toward the heavens. "And right now, that someone is very pissed off… because our siblings ganged up on him."
The other royals glanced at one another and quickly followed behind the Empress.
Ceres stopped just beneath the throne's dais and turned to face them, her presence luminous and unwavering.
Then came a voice from the delegation, a woman dressed in regalia of blue roses and crimson velvet.
"We are here to speak with my daughter, Empress Ceres Evadne Valeria, First Princess of Vaelundis," declared Empress Celisse Valeria, her voice commanding.
She looked regal, proud, her features sharp with nobility, and hauntingly familiar.
If Ceres had not seen Evadne's memories days ago, she might have run to that woman and thrown herself into her arms. Celisse looked exactly like her mother from Earth, Cielo Monteverde.
But that face was only a mask.
This woman was not her mother. And she never would be.
Ceres smiled serenely, her expression unreadable.
"Do you not recognize your own daughter, Mother?" she said softly. "I am Empress Ceres Evadne Valeria of Aquilonis."