The Empire's Descent (First Draft)

Chapter 18: Subversion

Key to the Anglysh Language:
A=E
E=A
I=Y
Y=I
O=U
U=O
**************************************
"Let's start from the beginning," Ada guided. She hated to see Lia's crown hanging down, but the situation was just not a good look for Lia. This chance at explanation is just because of past friendship and the little trust she has to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, please understand, I didn't want to lie to you. None of you. But I'd been lying so long, it became real," Lia offered.

"That explains nothing. I need all cards on the table, Lia. It's taking so much for me not to hurt you right now!" Ada lost her head for a second. She needed answers, not by way of excuses!

"I know. I'm not trying to be perfunctory. I just don't know where to begin," she whimpered.

"Then let's start with your name," Ada demanded.

Lia briefly looked up in surprise before looking down again.

"What, you don't think by now it's obvious you're not who you say you are,"? Ada sneered.

Lia's eyes closed in pain, but she knew she deserved this. She should have been honest. Let Luca know what trouble might have come his way. Or better yet, stay away from him. He would have been more prepared or not hurt at all. So many hurt and for what?! Her selfishness.

"Teka thys raelyti ewei. Gyva mi e sefa speca tu plei" Ada heard Lia mumble some words. (Take this reality away. Give me a safe space to play).

All of a sudden, every sound faded away and Ada felt weightless, though nothing else seemed to change physically. The hum of the fan in her air-conditioned office stopped, the whirring of the idle machines in the room vanished. All sound just gone.

"What the hell just happened?"

Lia let out a burdened sigh, "my name is Princess Rosalia Maroya Lyssa Fiori of the Florence Isles. The Crown Princess," her whole demeanour changed. The arrogance of nobility stamped between her eyebrows, the pride of royalty pinned up her shoulders and braced her spine.

Ada must admit, she was floored, "okay, what more?".

"The Isles will never appear on any known map nor can it be travelled by any known vehicle..." Ada looked so confused.

Lia looked her in the eyes, "you don't live in the world you think you do,".

Ada became agitated. Ignorance is one of the worst states of being, "I need to know everything," she slapped the table to punctuate her demand.

"The supernatural exists," Lia stated.
Ada's eyes widened and she didn't think to doubt Lia for a second.

"I've created a pocket dimension for us to speak safely without fear of being caught by the Listeners," Lia continued explaining without the explain part of explaining.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Ada, there are forces and beings and a shit-ton more of things that exist in this reality than you could even imagine. 'Earth' as your race calls it, is one of 7 designated neutral zones among these forces and/or beings," Lia began, "which means we can all be here and not worry about conflict as the accords and the naturally-formed barriers here prevent any one group from usurping the other," she ended.

Ada got up and started pacing as the right side of her head started pounding, "okay, what next?"

"At least, that's how it had been since your race first evolved, but lately, over the last millennium or so, things started to change. The naturally-formed barriers that sort of equalizes everyone's power started waning and the Fiori, a war-like race... my race, are located in the centre of this reality's force field. They began siphoning the energy to deal a deadly first strike against essentially all others, but especially the Vampyrs,".