Ryuni Palace Courtyard; Ryuni, Garyudōra, Ryudō-ShanGriLa; 2 Samadan 160R7X
"Allow me to introduce you all to the twelve new additions to Emperor Chronos' new 24-Hour Knights," Sir Laith Balasit's voice boomed across the courtyard, "The Hour of Heat, Second Prince Monspeed Akin Wyllt-Garyūshi, The Hour of Illios, Crown Princess Renata Timandra Faust-Bestahla. The Hour of Blood, Princess Boudicca Falala Wyllt-Garyūshi, The Hour of Muse, Tibald Dracoventis, The Hour of Gravity, Third Prince Meliodas Tristan Wyllt-Garyūshi."
The courtyard was silent, and the atmosphere was thick, "the Hour of Sol, Hikariryūshi Ogunosuke, The Hour of Avarice, Minami-Miryūshi Ayosaki, The Hour of Hellfire, Deseijin-Miryūshi Akinyemi, The Hour of Healing, Takunwá Ariyuki. Lastly, the ones leading these new knights, Co-Commanders, Crown Princess of Miryudōra, Princess Minerva Cosmina Wyllt-Miryūshi, The Hour of Shadows, and First Crown Prince of Garyudōra, Prince Myrlin Samael Wyllt-Garyūshi, The Hour of Sand."
Myrlin and I stepped onto the stage to address our fellow knights, "much obliged, Sir Balasit; fellow ShanGrilarians—no, my fellow hTraéans; mere months ago, we all bore witness to an unprovoked invasion in this realm we call home."
I scanned the crowd and saw all my friends and guardsmen standing at attention, "this attack was completely unprovoked, taking the lives of many, not just in ShanGriLa, but across the realm as a whole." The emotions I felt while speaking caused tears to form in my eyes, "it is no secret that each of us loss someone dear to us. Whether they were knights, servants, nobility, or civilian, the Olympian invaders, and the traitorous Dragon Steadfast treated their kills equally. As such, we shall act accordingly."
"For the next six months, we will spend time preparing for our retaliation," Myrlin chimed in. "In a perfect world, I'd say that this conflict would only last a few decades, sadly, it's looking like this will drag out for a few millennia. The Six Great Demon Lords will be the ones commanding the Unified hTraéan Front; each continent and all their nations and settlements are collaborating towards our victory."
It was evident that my fellow knights were stoking their flames for the upcoming battle, "we will not stand idly by and allow for this action to go unpunished. My fellow guardsmen, each of us carry the will of Our Dear Mother; use that will to enact fear into those that have wronged us!" The knights all began to shout and cheer; my home had been attacked. The bubble that I spent the past one hundred-sixty years learning, experiencing, and loving every moment existing in had been brutally penetrated by ones I thought I knew.
"Our battlefield will be in the Human Realm; Demon Lord Aether is preparing Realm Gates on every major continent's main Thread-Lines connecting the two realms," my brother's words ignited a fury and rage within me, and I knew I wasn't the only one who felt it. "May this phrase spark revolution within you; We Hoard As One; Éyamé!" Myrlin shouted, raising his fist in the air.
"WE HOARD AS ONE; ÉYAMÉ," the courtyard filled with applause and cheer as my brother, and I exited the stage.
"As of today, you are all officially officers of Emperor Chronos Wyllt's 24-Hour Knights," Sir Balasit saluted.
Us knights stood at attention, "AYE-YA!"
"You are dismissed," Sir Balasit commanded. He'd approached me with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, are you ready to depart?"
"Yes, Sir Balasit, will you be joining the funeral?" I asked in a low tone.
"Sir Ogunkoya and Ewa Bao are going to need all the support they can get," he said, "I've already mandated my former students to attend the occasion. Speaking of Sir Ogunkoya, have you spoken with him at all?"
"Thank you, Laith," I cried, looking up at the veteran guardsmen, "I haven't seen or heard from him since the attack; I fear his heart has mostly frozen over, the only one that he'll warm up to is BaoBao." I took a moment before continuing, "I've decided, after the funeral, I'm officially going to name myself as Empress of Miryudōra. Tohka's death was the catalyst I needed to see this through to the end; I'm going to make those Olympians pay for touching my subordinates. I wasn't there for Ayo and Kyemi when they were attacked, and I was too helpless to save Tohka. Sir Laith, I swear to you, everyone who had a hand in this scheme, will have to answer to me!"
Thankfully majority of the royal knights in service to my father didn't face any casualties; however, I couldn't say the same for my uncle's guardsmen. Each of his four knights and their respective parties were killed during the attack; they didn't stand a chance; The Olympians were merciless and made me truly think about the place I really came from. I'd grown accustomed to this world, and it made me forget that I came from the same place as our attackers; I couldn't help but to think, am I somehow at fault for this?
"Mini, you good?" Myrlin's voice broke my trance, "the funeral is today, right? We need to get to Mirini before it's too late." He was with our entire unit, and it wasn't just them, my parents, and their subordinates, Morrigan, Stellaphoña, Gonzalo, the rest of Tesseract, literally every single person I care for and hold dearly was present and ready to give their support.
My eyes began to fill with tears as I grew more and more emotional, "you're all here? But why; she wasn't your subordinate, she was mine; just a mere maid—."
—SLAP!
It was instant, and after a few seconds I looked up and saw my mother's face, riled with anger. Her face is normally soft and gentle, never allowing a hint of stress wrinkle it, but in this moment, her expression was twisted. My face throbbed, not in pain, but of disappointment, embarrassment, and guilt; Tohka was more than just a mere maid, she was Ogunkoya's wife, Ewa Bao's mother. Furthermore, Tohka was a Miryūshi; a member of my Imperial clan; she was precious to me, and as selfish as it may seem, I hated that she was taken from me.
"Minerva Cosmina Wyllt-Miryūshi!!" I never would have imagined my mother looking so angry, let alone slapping the hell out of me. "Have we taught you nothing? A mere maid?! Have you fallen into despair, because this is not the daughter I raised! Tohka was more than just a mere maid, she was your family; think of how Ogunkoya and Ewa Bao would feel if they heard you speak about their loved one like that!"
It was silent, and after a moment, I collected myself, "thank you, Mama. I'm sorry for disappointing you like this; I'm sorry to all of you for having you see me in this manner. We will attend Tohka's funeral, afterwards I'll hold my coronation, and once all of that is done, Myrlin and I will meet with the rest of our unit to discuss our proposal to request for our personal missions."
My father cleared his throat before speaking, "Minerva, you don't have to go through the formalities of drafting a proposal; every Demon Lord in The Six have unanimously agreed to let you all go through with your revenge."
"So, it's settled," Myrlin interjected, "after the funeral and the coronation, we'll hold a council to lay out the groundwork for our revenge—Mini, can you send for Auto? I want her to be present for this too; she did lose her entire family in the attack."
I obliged and immediately opened a Gate to the Faewelt Kingdom of West Sidhe, "Ayo, let me know when you've found Autumn and I'll be sure to have a Gate ready for you to get to Miryudōra."
Ayosaki dropped to one knee, "with haste, Your Majesty." She rose to her feet and stepped through my Gate, which immediately closed after she entered.
"Now, I can fit up to sixteen people at a time in my Gates," I looked to everyone, "so, we'll have to go in two trips." I usually only open gates big enough for at least one or two people at most, and it normally would take the appearance of a shoji; however, for large groups, I had to go all out, "Grand Gate!" I clapped my hands together as the surrounding mana began to collect in my shadow, causing it to grow rapidly.
After a few seconds of mana absorption, my shadow began to stretch outward before the group, and then elongating horizontally to the width of the desired gate. The earth started to rumble, as a giant stoned Gate slowly emerged from my shadow, "alright, first group get ready; I can only keep this Gate stable for five minutes once it's active."
Father looked at his subordinates, "Lilac, Tonja, Marigold, and Rubella, you and the 12-Hour Knights go ahead first." There was no protest, or conjectures, just obedience to his words, "the Empress and I will meet you there shortly, you have nothing to worry about." The first group gathered themselves and stepped through my Gate; unlike my shoji Gates, this Grand Gate doesn't close after someone enters it, instead, it closes after the one who casts it enters and reaches their destination.
The second group, which composed of myself, my family and friends followed behind and we immediately found ourselves at the Miryūshi Estate. There was no need to walk through a spatial corridor, or anything like that; a Grand Gate is the pinnacle of Spatial Magic; true teleportation—.
—BUZZ!
"Your Majesty, I've located Lady Autumn Winters, and we're ready to attend the funeral," Ayosaki connected with me using Thought Communication.
"Excellent, I'll send you a Gate now," I replied, snapping my fingers, and after a second or two, a shoji manifested in front of me, revealing both Ayo and Autumn. "Thank you, Ayo; go get ready for the ceremony, Myrlin and I need to speak with Auto." Ayosaki acknowledged me and dismissed herself to get dressed; I looked to my brother, who wore a solemn expression on his face.
"Thank you for inviting me here," Auto began, "but is it even okay for me to be here, I didn't have a relationship with Lady Tohka; besides, I have my own family to bury—."
"—We're your family now," Myrlin's words hit Autumn like a freight train, but he wasn't wrong. For years, he and I have cherished the ones we call friends and our family, so much so that the two terms are synonymous with each other. "Look Auto, I'm next in line to the Garyudōran throne, and I want you to serve as one of my subordinates. Chess was a dear friend of mine, and as her successor, I want to avenge her death; however, it would be wrong of me to rob you of that same desire. So, serve under me, and I'll make sure that you can have your revenge, and that will be more than enough for me," Myrlin unexpectedly dropped to the floor on all fours, his forehead kissing the ground; he was humbling himself.
"Please, you don't have to bow your head," Autumn reassured, "truth be told, I'm relieved that you offered; I don't want to be alone, not again."
"Perfect, we'll be going over the basics of our plan after the funeral ceremony and my coronation," I smiled, "now excuse me, I need to get prepared myself." I took my leave and summoned a Gate to my bedroom to get changed.
The funeral march to the burial site was silent, deafening would be a more accurate term; I wasn't entirely sure why; however, I later would find out that the reason for this heaviness in the atmosphere had to do with Tohka's proximity to the crown. Even the wildlife dared not to utter a sound while we marched on. The eulogy was delivered by both Giuseppe and Antoinette, our resident Mambo and Miko, respectively.
Everyone was dressed in their funeral kimonos; however, instead of crimson and royal purple, everyone wore white, to acknowledge the passing of an Imperial Family member. The service was filled with tears, and when looking at Ogunkoya and Ewa Bao, my heart sank. Their daughter was rather intelligent and had a firm understanding of life and death, but no child should have to say goodbye to their parent, not at her age. Koya, on the other hand, was as cold as his Frost Magic, it was plastered across his face; he wanted nothing more than to see the ones responsible for this to suffer.
After the eulogy, the attendees promptly celebrated Tohka's journey through life; however, the party was short-lived, considering I needed to quickly prepare for my coronation. I dawned a Byzantium and Onyx jūnihitoe and wore knotless-box braids, separated into two ponytails on the sides of my head. Bolajiyo stood next to my door, waiting patiently to escort me to the Grand Pavilion.
"Your Majesty," Bolajiyo grabbed my hands, "I can speak for Lady Tohka when I say this, you are Miryudōra's Crown Jewel; you are truly breathtaking." I was filled with a bevy of emotions, and it was subtle, but when she said that, I swear, for that moment, she looked exactly like Tohka.
"You don't understand how much that means to me," I reached in and hugged Bolajiyo and place my forehead on her's, "I know she would be proud, I know she would've wanted to be here; that's why I'm doing this the same day we celebrated her life. A day to remember what this nation lost, and a day to remember what this country gained because of that loss." The two of us continued to cherish the moment with each other, before making our way to the Grand Pavilion.
The Mirini Palace is separated into three main sections: there's the Outer Palace, where legislators and other government officials work, the Inner Palace, houses the Empress and her main family, and lastly there's the Rear Palace. The Rear Palace is further split into four areas: The Sakura Pavilion and The Crystal Pavilion sit parallel from each other, and each have entrances to The Miryūshi Estate, where branch families call their home. Nestled in-between the two Pavilions lies the entrance to the Grand Pavilion; an enormous stone-garden courtyard, with Rainbow Wisterias and Sakura blossoms along the walls.
Every official of both empires was in attendance, including my family and the other Demon Lords. In the center of the Pavilion waited my uncle alongside by my father, both men were wearing their royal garbs, and six out of eight of my guardsmen were kneeling parallel from each other with their heads down, creating a walkway for me. Uncle Aether held in his hands my hōkan, a dazzling jeweled crown with hanging gems and beads; the crown was a bold onyx that reflected my responsibilities, and my love for my people, but also the depth of my shadows. The onyx hōkan was a reminder of how vast my love for this country runs, and I knew that what I was doing, in this moment was what I was meant to do.
GONG—!
"OH, BLESSED DRAGON EMPRESS TO BE!
REIGN OF SHADOWS, OFFERINGS' O' BOUNTY!
WE BESEECH THEE, GUIDE THESE WAYWARD SOULS,
FOR MIRYUDŌRA'S WILL SHALL GROW!" The song was a bit strange, but I understood what it meant, it resonated with me nevertheless.
"ATTENDEES, PLEASE ALL RISE FOR HER MAJESTY, THE EMPRESS OF MIRYUDŌRA," Uncle Aether announced from the middle of the courtyard. The pavilion was dead silent as I marched toward the center, escorted by both Ayosaki on my right, and Ogunosuke on my left. As we approached my father and uncle, both my escorts joined the rest of Tesseract as I continued towards my uncle. "YOU MAY ALL TAKE YOUR SEATS—!! Mini, your father and I are so very proud of you for taking on this responsibility," my uncle bowed.
"Thank you, Uncle," I curtsied.
"Mini, I always thought that you and all your siblings would remain children forever," Father began, "and to see you now, as a breathtaking, beautiful young woman taking up the mantle of empress of this fine country. I cannot begin to describe the joy and immense sense of pride I feel, as your father." I looked up at him, although he usually has a calm and cool demeanor, when I saw his face, he was fighting back the tears.
"I only made it this far because you are my father," I acknowledged, "I am eternally grateful for the home you raised me in, and the opportunity to grow and realize my destiny. This fine nation of dragonmen that I now call home; leading them, is my purpose. I am thankful for the strong will that I inherited from you and Mama, and I vow that I will always be the daughter the two of you raised."
GONG—!
Uncle Aether handed my father my hōkan, to which I knelt before him, "YOU MAY ALL RISE! NOW CROWNING THE NEW EMPRESS OF MIRYUDŌRA, EMPRESS MINER—."
I raised a hand to interject, "Uncle, if I may," I stood to face my denizens, "my fellow Miryudōrans, the time I spent getting to know you all, learning your names, hobbies, occupations and more; I realized that the name that I hold is not one of tradition." I turned to my father, who seemed to have an idea of what I was going to do next, "upon my return from the Human Realm, I will adopt the name, Miryūshi Shangomaki, The Shadow Dragon Empress."
Acknowledged, alerted an LGIN window, personal data… Saved… Background data… Saved… Merging Personal data with Background data… Merging… Merging Complete… Rewriting the Soultext belonging to Jamisha Pockets… Rewriting… Rewriting Successful… Saved… Now downloading the Evolution to Demon Lord Heiress for Miryūshi Shangomaki… Downloading… Downloading Complete… Now installing evolution… Installing… Installing… Installation Blocked… Awaiting evolution for the Vessel of Time… Would you like to save evolution for a later date; yes, or no?
Blocked Evolution; I wondered, is there some other condition I need to meet before I can evolve? I looked over to my brother Myrlin, who sat beside our mother and siblings, gotta be Myrlin; I shook my head.
As I declared my new name, I saw everyone in attendance drop to one knee, "ALL HAIL EMPRESS SHANGOMAKI!! THE SHADOW DRAGON EMPRESS!!"
GONG—!
The attendees all bowed as I held my head high; it was surreal, but I've grown to accept it. I never would have been able to become the person I am today, had I not had that encounter with Astaroth; it felt like a fever dream at this point. I was so weak, timid, afraid of being abandoned, and being betrayed; if I were to see the old me, as I am now, there wouldn't be a shadow of a doubt that we were two completely different people. However, I am grateful for my life as Jamisha; I'm grateful for her weaknesses and insecurities, and I know for certain that she is proud of me. Thank you, old me, a single tear, gently rolled down the side of my face.
After my crowning, I arranged a few of my subordinates to pick out a nice outfit to wear for our council meeting. Usually, I'd have Tohka here to choose the perfect outfit for me; I pray Our Dear Mother keeps your soul safe.
Bolajiyo and Grandina each held two outfits, bickering with one another to see whose outfit I'll decide to wear, "Her Highness would clearly look the best wearing one of these extravagant dresses," Bolajiyo swung her arms outward, brandishing what looked like very heavy and awkward dresses. The one in her right hand looked like it came from the Antebellum South, laced parasol included, and the other was reminiscent of the dresses you'd imagine the French aristocracy would wear; they were both ugly.
"Her Highness has much better taste than that, Bolajiyo," Grandina rolled her eyes and lifted her two outfits; however, "outfits" wouldn't be an accurate description. They were more like cosplays; she had a black leotard with a pair of bunny ears, loose wrist cuffs, and a red bowtie. Her right held probably the wildest outfit I could imagine; a modified maid uniform with an unnecessarily high skirt, "the entire nation—no, the realm as a whole will marvel at Her Highness' divine physique!"
I could be looking too deep into this, but is she fetishizing me, I shuttered, "honestly, I already have something in mind that I'd like to wear." I needed to say anything to get myself out of this bizarre situation, "besides, I'd rather not be the center of attention; this will be an extremely important meeting, and it wouldn't be befitting of me as a newly appointed empress to steal and demand the attention of my colleagues."
Both my subordinates' eyes widened as they dropped the clothes they were holding; Grandina fell to her knees, "oh Your Highness; you're so thoughtful and considerate." I couldn't tell them that I had zero interest in wearing what they had picked out for me; to be honest, no one understood how to properly dress me like Tohka did.
I dismissed the two and ventured into my wardrobe to find something that was comfortable but also held a level of status. I looked around, mostly to find kimonos, gowns, and old Avalon Academy uniforms; out of the corner of my eye, though, I saw my old pirate clothes and hat. I felt a sense of nostalgia when looking at them, and it made me want to put that on—, "Notice," an LGIN window alerted, "using your Charybdis Signature, you can analyze and create objects you have consumed. This includes modifying whatever creation you make to suit your needs."
I sat on the information, so, if I consume something, then I'll be able to reproduce it; I wonder if Charybdis has been analyzing this whole time. I looked at the pirate clothes, my Student Council President uniform, and a kimono with the nation's colors and had a wicked thought, and before I knew it, I was acting on my impulses.
I threw all three outfits into my shadow as another LGIN window manifested, "Analyzing three items… Analyzing… Analyzing successful… Would you like to recreate individually or modify and combined for a new creation?" I looked at my two options and immediately selected the "combine" option. "Now combining… Combining complete… Adjusting garments to fit the individual known as Miryūshi Shangomaki… Adjusting complete… Now applying garments…. One moment please…"
My shadow started to shrink and slowly crawl up my leg, eventually engulfing me; only for a brief moment though, I've grown fond of the comfort and security my shadows provide. After a few seconds, my shadow retreated back beneath my feet as I approached a nearby mirror; the new outfit was exactly what I wanted, and it had a name, "Empress Armor: Light." It wasn't too fitted or baggy but was breathable in all the right places; it did come with something of a cape that I assume had a practical use. The armor had a black base, and the borders and hemming were a vibrant purple, I guess my hunch was on the money, I snickered.
I took my leave from my room and began my way to the Outer Palace, where we were to hold our council meeting. As I walked through the many pathways of the palace, I couldn't help but notice that everyone was in awe by what I was wearing; they likely never imagined their empress would wear something so casual.
"Konbanwa, Your Highness," Arjun and Olufemi stood at attention, guarding the building we were to have our meeting.
"At ease," I waved my hand, "is everyone already inside?"
"They are, Your Excellency," Olufemi replied, "shall we announce your arrival?"
"Nah, no need to be extra," I answered, "besides, I don't really feel like being obnoxious." I stepped inside and made my way to the conference room. It was a large auditorium that had a long table at its focal, with The Six Great Demon Lords facing the audience. I made my way to the front row next to my siblings.
"Alright, looks like everyone is here," Father announced, "this council meeting is being held to determine who will be delegated to assassinate those Human Realm demigods that took part in this invasion. The Six are here to moderate and contribute our thoughts; meaning, the ones leading this council will be none other than Empress Shangomaki and Crown Prince Myrlin." The two of us stood up to face our colleagues as they gave us a modest applause; everyone was there, mine and Myrlin's guard unit, Tesseract, with the exception of Ogunkoya, Autumn, even Stella and Gonzalo.
"Thank you, Father," Myrlin began, "I called all of us here today to understand the mode of strategy we will need to take in order to ensure this will never happen again." The silence would normally bother me, but in this moment, I knew I could speak for everyone in the room when I say, we were pissed.
"Everyone in this room loss someone close to us," I continued, "some, loss their entire families, and it is because of that we cannot let this go unpunished—."
BAM—! BAM—! BAM—!
"Master Ogunkoya, they're in the middle of a very important meeting," Arjun tried to whisper.
"Let me in, dammit!" Ogunkoya's shouting could be heard from outside the room, and eventually he was able to break through. He looked incredibly stressed and grief-stricken "Your Highness, allow me to accompany you to the Human Realm. I must be the one to drive my frost-covered blade through that barbarian's chest," Ogunkoya cried as he dropped to his knees.
"Guards, restrain him!" Ogunosuke commanded, to which both Arjun and Olufemi promptly pinned their fellow guardsman to the ground, "Ayani-Miryūshi Ogunkoya, have you no couth? This is an official meeting; do you wish to besmirch Her Highness and the clan she so graciously accepted you in?"
Ogunkoya held his head low, and tears began to soak the ground beneath him, "she was my everything; Ewa Bao's everything. Am I supposed to let her death be in vain; I have the right to avenge her!"
I approached my kinfolk and knelt down to meet him at eye-level, "the truth is, Koya, I know you're strong, and I know you're angry, but I can't trust that you will make it out of this ordeal alive." It truly pained me to say it, and even harder for me to watch him fall further into despair, "and because of that, I am trusting you to be Imperial Regent while we're away. You are a Miryūshi now; you are my mouthpiece while I am away. And that anger you hold in your heart, use it to keep not only Ewa Bao safe, but Miryudōra as a whole."
My kinfolk's jaw dropped, "Imperial Regent?"
I looked over my shoulder at my uncle, and he nodded to confirm, "see? You not only have my blessing, but my uncle's as well." I looked at both Arjun and Olufemi, and without saying anything, they knew to let him go and helping him to his feet, "Koya, please, have a seat, so we may continue strategizing."
Ogunkoya took his place amongst his fellow guardsmen, and I wasn't worried about anymore outbursts occurring. The meeting continued on, and we were able learn the names of our targets through shared knowledge, "Trident Rodinia masked himself as a hTraéan fishman, using the alias Goldkoi. When confronted by Francesca Winters, the two entered combat, resulting in her demise," Myrlin lectured, "using deductive reasoning, I have reason to believe that Trident was the one commanding the other demigods. That being said, Meliodas and Autumn Winters will be responsible for his assassination."
I looked to Autumn, whose face was steeled in determination, on her shoulder sat what looked like a little squirrel that squeaked in her ear. The squirrel had a tiny voice, large green eyes, and a frizzy tail, and judging by its intelligence, I could almost guarantee that it was a Queen Class Ratatoskr bond.
"And as for the brute that took the life of Tohka," I began, "I overheard someone call him Cu. Does that alias sound familiar to anyone?"
Father cleared his throat, "there is an Irish warrior called The Hound of Chulainn. If I had to guess, Cuchulainn."
Demon Lord Thanatos let out a deep sigh, "Cuchulainn? He's going to be a problem for sure."
"What makes you say that?" Myrlin questioned.
"Aside from being a warrior," Demon Lord Eros chimed in, "The Hound of Chulainn is also a Wizard."
A Wizard? It never dawned on me until now, but all the magic users in this realm are referred to as mages; and some women have even achieved the Minor Epithet of "Witch," but I'd never heard anyone be referred to as a Wizard.
"What the hell is a Wizard?" Ogunosuke scrunched his nose, "is that some sort of elite soldier?"
Father sucked his teeth before answering, "they're a lot like mages, except the Eldrich magic they use is ritualistic in nature. If I may give this one suggestion, Shangomaki, Ogunosuke, and Renata, the three of you will need to work together to pull this off."
I looked to my fiancé and best friend, who nodded to confirm, "understood, Father," I acknowledge, "Koya, you and BaoBao can rest assured that the clan's heads will avenge Tohka in your stead." I looked to Ogunkoya, whose face was beginning to soften knowing that I was to assassinate Tohka's murderer.
"Oh, that's right!" Monspeed jolted up, "the guy Bo and I were fighting kept speaking in the third person; calling himself Heracles." The gravity of this was beginning to weigh down on me. It was a passing thought, after learning Trident's real name, and the mention of Cuchulainn felt like a mere coincidence; however, Speed all but confirmed my suspicions. We were going up against not only the Greek Pantheon, but other European pantheons as well.
"And I overheard one of them call for the 'Son of Peleus,'" Tibald added, "does that mean anything to anyone?"
Lady Hypnos swung her fan open to cover her face, "that would be none other than Achilles, The Indestructible. As for their two lackies, the golden-haired warrior is called The Disgraced Tyrant, Gilgamesh, and the other I'm not familiar with."
The room grew eerily silent for a moment before Renata raised her hand, "Mother, for give my impertinence, but how do you all know so much about our attackers?" It was a question I'm sure everyone in the room wanted to know the answer to, and if I was being honest with myself, the curiosity was eating at me.
"What we are going to discuss next, must never be shared with anyone that is not present in this room," Uncle Aether commanded. "As many of you know, there exists two realms, our home, hTraé and the Human Realm; it goes by many names, but for the sake of this information, we'll refer to it as Earth. The universe housing our two realms requires something of an anchor to allow just about anything to exist; our realm is that anchor for Earth."
Whispers began to fill the room, "what does that mean?" Monspeed scratched his head, "Unc, you totally loss me."
"All of you are too young to know this, but" Father spoke, "Earth just experienced its eighth epoch, roughly one hundred-sixty years ago."
The collective realization of my father's words was like a nuclear bomb, and when I thought about how we format the date in this realm; we usually say the year and then follow it up with "R7X," was that the clue?
"In hTraé's history, there has been only one epoch," Lady Eos added, "and every time the Earth reaches the end of its cycle, it enters into a singularity. To which it will be spat back out in a completely new epoch; since hTraé is Earth's anchor to Reality, we call this phenomenon a Rotation."
That explains why Uncle Aether knew I was from Earth, I frantically thought; it always bothered me that he was just so casual when asking if I were from a place that, for all he knew, I should've been completely ignorant to, but I wasn't; I was all too familiar with how the Human Realm operates.
"The six of us were all born between the end of the fifth and the beginning of the sixth rotations," Eros slightly chuckled, "and each rotation is more or less the same as the last. However, never did anything remotely like this ever happen. As a matter of fact, our realm shouldn't have even been accessed by them, in normal circumstances."
"Which explains why they were collaborating with The Steadfast," Myrlin interjected with a rage-induced voice, "they needed a means to enter our realm, and The Steadfast would do anything in the name of Chaos."
The room grew even more silent, "what are you saying, exactly?" Uncle Aether raised a skeptical brow.
"Doing a bit of digging," Myrlin began, "I've come to the conclusion that the Aspect of Chaos' true ability is to warp and manipulate reality itself. Meaning, if she wanted to, she could alter events to cause one of her devotees to be reborn in the human realm, along with the knowledge of hTraé—."
—SLAM!
"LUDICRIS!" Thanatos exclaimed, "the late princess had no control over the Aspect, to think that she could manage a feat such as—."
"—It's not out of the realm of possibility, Jirapat," Father interjected, "mind you, there are no bounds when it comes to the Aspect of Chaos. It is one of Pure Randomness, nigh impossible to predict what will come next."
Thanatos scoffed as he readjusted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with idea that my brother's hypothesis had some validity, "tuh—, how can someone with zero mastery of their abilities, manage to successfully undermine an entire realm?"
CLAP—!
"All that being said, Myrlin, I want you to deal with Adetulo, Gilgamesh, and the unknown supporter," Father interrupted, "I trust this isn't something that will prove to be difficult for the next Dragon Emperor?"
Myrlin dropped to one knee, "the first rule of Garyudōra: Never Duck a Fade; I have the blood of the three Dragon Emperors coursing through my veins, this is mere light-work for me."
Father gave him a gentle smile, "atta boy; so, now we have a roster for those kills that are more personal. Minerva, Ogunosuke and Renata will be responsible for Cuchulainn, Meliodas and Autumn will keep tabs on Trident Rodinia, Boudicca and Monspeed will be responsible for Heracles, and Myrlin will be in charge of Adetulo, Gilgamesh, and the unknown. Any objections? Are we all in agreement?" There wasn't a peep, only the collective nod from those that were present for the meeting.
"I do believe this is an excellent spot to conclude this council," Lady Hypnos swung her fan open, "besides, I need to check in with the Jigois Warriors; any longer, and this meeting will last well into tomorrow."
The rest of the Demon Lords nodded their heads in agreement as Shinar Jasper announced them and acknowledge Myrlin and myself, "please standby as we acknowledge the administrators of this realm: from the Sorcerous Continent of Sidhe, Demon Lord of Love: Lord Eros. From the Demon Continent of Jigoku, Demon Lord of Sleep, Lady Hypnos. From the Unified Elven Continent of Dartaania, Demon Lord of Death, Lord Thanatos. From the Beast Continent of Besteria, Demon Lord of Life, Lady Eos. Representing the snowcapped mountains of Miryudōra, Demon Lord of Space, Lord Aether. And from the rocky crags of Garyudōra, and the leader of The Six Great Demon Lords; Demon Lord of Time, Lord Chronos. Lastly, to shed light on the ones organizing this meeting, Crown Prince of Garyudōra; First Crown Prince Myrlin Samael Wyllt-Garyūshi, and Empress of Miryudōra, Empress Miryūshi Shangomaki. This concludes this council."
As we were dismissed, I summoned Gates for everyone in attendance that weren't planning on staying over the weekend. "Yo, Mini, can you open a shoji for us to get back to Garyudōra?" Myrlin approached me casually, along with our siblings and parents.
"Oh, you're not going to stay the night?" I asked.
"Not tonight, dear," Mama reached in for a hug, "it's important that a nation sees their ruler after a tragedy to boost morale." She had a point, every nation in the realm was affected by this invasion, and it would be extremely selfish of me to try to keep my father and brother from fulfilling their duties as emperor and successor. "And, you have an obligation to uphold yourself; Miryudōra just gained an empress! There's so much that you have to ready yourself for."
Giving it some thought, Mama was right, I was procrastinating and if I had to be honest, I was anxiety-filled. The worst part about it was that I had no reason to feel this way; I'd spent well over one hundred years acting as this nation's crown princess, and now I'm their full-fledged ruler. The feeling was too surreal, but it was my reality; it was my life. "I nearly forgot! Thank you, Mama, let me not keep y'all here any longer than what you need to be. Gate!" I extended my hand out in front of me as a loud clap could be heard as my shadows reached out, manifesting a shoji, to which my parents promptly entered.
"Thank Sis!" Monspeed smiled and pat me on the back, "you ever think about joining mine and Mel's adventuring party—? Hey, wait, let go of my collar—!"
Meliodas snatched our brother by his shirt collar as he dragged them into the gate, "you can 't just ask an empress if she can join our party, even if she is our sister. Thanks Sis, we'll make time to come visit you soon."
I gave my two younger brothers a gentle smile, "take care, Mel and Speed, I'll be looking forward to seeing you again."
The two entered the portal as Boudicca walked up to me, trying to seem cooler than what she was, "just because you're an empress now, doesn't mean you're all that. Remember, I'm a princess too!" Although she could come off as abrasive, Boudicca has a caring and nurturing nature about her; almost as if she were a mom in her past life. Her "tough girl" act may have everyone else fooled, but I've been in her shoes before, I'm privy to how her mind works.
"That you are, Bo," I smiled and hugged tightly, "promise me you'll remain my sweet Baby Bo."
She blushed, "you know, only you and Murmur can call me that, right?" I gave her another smile and hug before sending her off. "Oh, I almost forgot, Mel and Speed found some tea leaves for me during a job request, can we have a Tea Party soon?"
It was a bit out of blue; however, that was the one thing that I hadn't done since being in this world and living as a princess, a proper tea party, "oh, Bo, that would be wonderful! Bring Nona, and I'll be sure to invite Nata, Auto, Stella, and the girls from Tesseract."
She gave me a toothy grin, "I'll be sure to send Lilac with the date and details! Thank you, Big Sis!" Boudicca leaped through the gate, much to my amusement.
"Mini, you did good today," Myrlin's voice rumbled, "I'm proud of you for stepping up like this."
There was a brief pause before the two of use erupted into laughter, "that had to have been the cringiest line I've ever heard you say!" It was nostalgic, being able to laugh with Myrlin, despite the fact we were knee deep in a tragedy; he and I have always been able to find a silver-lining in something so heavy.
"But, seriously, Mini," his face looked relieved, "I've been putting up a front, and if I had to be honest, I'm terrified of ascending." Myrlin looked down, "something about it causes me to panic to the point of paralysis; you've inspired me to be a better me, than I am now."
His words hit me like a ton of bricks, I never would have thought that I was such an inspiration to him, especially because I found the same light in him. Myrlin was the first person that I met in this world, and he promised, all those years ago that he'd keep me safe, so to hear him tell me that he looks up to me, was more than jarring.
"Don't get all sappy with me, Myrlin," I wiped the tears forming in my eyes, "you're acting like we'll never see each other again. I expect to spar with you every week from here on out!"
My brother wiped his eyes and flashed the signature Garyūshi smile, "let's hope you can keep up with me, I ain't finna go easy on you, just because you're my sister!" The two of us exchanged a hug before he entered the gate.
I made a B-Line to my room after the meeting, mostly to play around with my interface since I noticed there were some upgrades added after my ascension. There were several new tabs made available, such as Omniscient Perception, which grants me the ability to track my subordinates from up to one thousand kilometers. Queen's Ambition is a skill that shrouds me in a near impenetrable veil of mana, serving as a passive defensive ability. The Will of Shadows, gives me complete domination over darkness and shadows, and the last addition was something called a Beast Link.
I opened the skill window and started reading the given information: "Beast Links are the bonds shared between a Mage and their Beast Bond; hence the name Beast Link. LGIN Skill made available once user's Lesser Dragon Egg's incubation is completed—."
CRACK—! CRACK—!
I looked up from my interface and saw that my lesser dragon egg was in the midst of hatching; well, this is exciting, I thought.
A small piece of the eggshell cracked off, leaving a hole in its place that left me to my imagination on whatever species of lesser dragon was being born. The hatchling continued to pip at the eggshell until it completely detached, revealing a creature that looked nothing like a dragon, but more like a winged cobra.
"Good Tidings, M'Lady," the hatchling's voice projected in my head; not like how I use Thought Communication, but more like speaking another language only the two of us can comprehend. Her voice was soothing and sophisticated, and her appearance was stunning; she had black and purple scales, and her wings and eyes were a rainbow jade.
"Good Tidings to you," I replied, "if I may impede, what are you?"
"Of course, M'Lady," the hatchling bowed its head, "I am an Uraeus; it means Sovereign's Authority. My species are known for our stealth and cunning; usually having an affinity for either light or shadow magic." She slithered toward me, to which I reached my hand out so that she could wrap around it, "forgive my impertinence, but since I've imprinted on you, may you bless me with a name?"
A name? It wasn't anything that I had even thought of until she mentioned it, and it was the least I could do considering I was going to be taking care of her for now on. "Let me think, you said you were an Uraeus, right?" I questioned, folding my arms in contemplation; there existed in my previous life an Egyptian goddess that represented Lower Egypt, she too was a winged cobra. "How does the name Wadjet sound?" I asked, caressing the top of her head.
"Wadjet," she closed her eyes, accepting the name, and in that moment, her presence began to flare and immediately after, her size slightly grew. "It would appear I was destined for this name, M'Lady, I am forever grateful for the beautiful name you've given me."
I was rather thrilled to have my own Bond, especially one that was as intelligent as Wadjet. I couldn't help but think if Myrlin and the others' eggs are hatching too.
Myrlin Samael Wyllt-Garyūshi
That same day; Ryuni Royal Palace; Ryuni, Garyudōra, Ryudō-ShanGriLa
After making it back from Mirini, I escaped to my room in the royal palace; this whole invasion and the resulting war are legit stressing me out, I thought. I looked over to the far side of my bedroom and observed the Emperor Lesser Dragon egg that I got for my Jubilee; it hadn't dawned on me until now, but the color of the egg was oddly reminiscent of Garyudōra's national colors; royal blue and gold.
CRACK—!
Suddenly, it had begun to hatch; I could see the baby's talons breaking away at the egg's shell. It was actually a first for me, I've never witnessed a live egg hatching, let alone one for an Emperor Lesser Dragon. The top of the egg was fully detached as the baby tipped itself over on its side and out crawled a creature that didn't even resemble a dragon. It looked similar to an antelope or a gazelle with feathered wings and razor-sharp talons; its fur was an off-white color that was reminiscent of the sands of Bedivere Beach and had two large, curved horns on top its head.
"Konbanwa, am I to assume you are my Master," there was somewhat of a deep, but almost child-like voice echoing in my mind.
"Who said that? Is there someone else in here?" I looked around; however, the baby dragon's eyes were transfixed on me; could it be—?
The strange dragon sat down and cocked his head to the side, "or shall I call you, my mother?"
So, it was you, I pondered as I examined the creature.
"You don't have to sound so incredulous," the baby dragon huffed, "I did ask you if you were my Master, but you just pretended like I wasn't even worth your time!" The newborn snapped his head to the left, it was cute actually, watching him throw a little attitude.
"My apologies, I've never actually seen an Emperor Lesser Dragon like yourself," I began, "and to be frank, I didn't expect you to be able to speak immediately after hatching."
"I can easily answer that," the baby dragon smirked, "to start; like you said, I am an Emperor Class Lesser Dragon and depending on where an Emperor Class egg is hatched and who it imprints on, influences the hatchlings intelligence, personality, and magic potential."
"Is that so?" I raised a brow, "tell me, do you know what kind of lesser dragon you are?"
The hatchling stood up to stretch his back, "Akhekh; it means Desert Griffin, my species has an affinity for both earth and wind magic—wait, why are you looking at me like that? You better not be thinking of anything weird!"
I couldn't help the muscles in my face from smiling and my eyes widening, filling with stars, "oh, you and I are going to become the best of friends; those just so happen to be my elemental affinities too! You got a name?"
The hatchling squinted his eyes, "I've been alive for all of five minutes, and you still haven't named me." The little guy was right; I've only been making small talk with him and didn't realize that he, like most sentient creatures, need to be named by the one that is to nurture them.
"Forgive me little one," I knelt down to meet him at eye-level, "how about I name you Set; it's a powerful name, think you can live up to it?"
Set sat up and stretched once more before his aura began to glow intensely and after a few seconds, the hatchling was visibly bigger, "feels like the name was made just for me." He was still pretty small, only coming up to my shins, but the presence exuding from him was astounding; it was clear that this lesser dragon's Cache reserves were immeasurable.
"You couldn't have hatched at a better time," I acknowledged, "I've got to get you all trained up for this war."
"A war?!?" Set raised a brow and widened his eyes as he leaned in confused, "Master, what have you gotten yourself into?"
"It's a long story, kiddo," I rose to stand, "and we have the next six months to discuss it in full. For now, I want to see what you're capable of; come on, let's go to the training grounds—oh, yeah, are you able to change your form? I want your true identity to remain a secret."
Set nodded his head as his physiology began to shift, "how's this form; inconspicuous enough?"
He altered his appearance to look like a split-tailed fennec fox with ash-wheat fur, reminding me of Chess, "I'm rather fond of this look; now, let's head out to my training village." The two of us wasted no time leaving the palace; we were in such a rush, I hadn't stopped to tell anyone that my egg had hatched. I can always tell them about Set another time, I'm far too excited to test his skills, I mused.
Later that same evening; Chronowa Village; Garyudōra, Ryudō-ShanGriLa
My new Bond and I eagerly made our way to Chronowa Village to test out his abilities, and as expected, Set was indeed a powerhouse of a lesser dragon. For only being a few hours old, I learned that he was rather malleable in combat, "Earth Signature: Magnetic Benevolence!"
There was a heaviness in the atmosphere, almost like his magic was trying to weigh me down. Set's target was a training dummy made out of wood from a Mammoth Sequoia, and his attack, completely flattened it, "I never thought to use my earth affinity's magnetic properties."
"The magnetism aspect of the element grants you access to an array of different elements you normally wouldn't be compatible with," Set explained; "watch, I'll demonstrate. Desert Signature: Savannah Storms!" The clouds above us began to grow dark as they bellowed with thunder, eventually summoning devastating rods of lightning.
"My stars!" I exclaimed, picking up and squeezing my Bond tightly, "you are truly incredible, Set! I can only imagine how strong you'll get!"
It wasn't hard to tell that he was flattered by my compliment, "oh, Master," Set sighed, turning his head, "you're making me blush!"
I sat him back down before averting my gaze towards the horizon, "I'm serious, Set. Our home was invaded not too long ago, and the ones that did it, took the lives of those that were dear to me." I looked down at my curious Bond, "as the next emperor of Garyudōra, it is my imperial duty to retaliate. Set, our journey is just beginning, I need to know now, will you walk beside me?"
Set stood on his hind legs, motioning me to pick him back up, to which I obliged, "you are my Master; if anything, I'm like your son. I will not hesitate to follow your will."
His words were reassuring and felt as though they were weighted in compassion, "that's good to hear." I was confident that this war would end in our favor and had even more confidence that everything would go back to being normal. Only Time could tell; only Time can tell, I pondered.