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"I too will obtain everything that I desire. Not because someone asked me to do it, but because I know in my heart that I have something worth fighting for."
- Julis Alexia Van Riessfeld, (Asterisk War)
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<(Omniscient POV)>
"Adelaide, has Cecilia returned from her task yet? She should be done checking on that magical energy surge by now, shouldn't she? But so far, none of the warriors she took with her have reported back... Do you think something might have gone wrong there? For the last twenty thousand years, there hasn't been a single disturbance in the realm, but today, out of nowhere, that sudden burst of magic rattled the entire realm. It was almost as powerful as that bastard Odin's foul magic." The Queen of the Angels spewed in a tone of utter disgust before punching the golden armrest of her throne in fury. Unlike what might look to spectators; however, she was not at all concerned for her soldiers, she was merely anxious about any schemes that might threaten her hold over the realm.
"No, my Queen. She has neither returned nor has she reported anything yet. Honestly, it seems a little suspicious, but Cecilia is one of our best generals and the angels accompanying her are all Cherubims. None of the monster races we are at war with can get rid of them without a proper fight. I am sure that their holdup is just temporary. However, just to be safe, I can send some more squads to the location." Adelaide, the Queen's chief attendant courteously proposed.
"You are right, we cannot afford to be passive in our approach right now, Adelaide. The Hierophants are planning something, and it is possible that they might have something to do with the energy surge as well. There are whispers that they are developing a way to bypass the curse placed on us by Odin in a bid to overthrow me from the throne. I want to know if that is true... because if it is, I'll make sure that they think twice about opposing me even in their dreams." The Queen uttered with a dangerous glint in her eyes, and that glint looked like it only sharpened as she seemed to suddenly remember something. "Angela... where is she? As Heven's top attack dog, it should be her job to investigate such events." The Ruler of the Angels declared with a snort. 'After all, that is the only reason she is still alive despite being the wretched spawn of that damned Asgardian. I spared her life and allowed Loriel to raise her so that she could use her skills and strength to take care of situations exactly like this.'
"Wisely spoken, My Queen. I'll send the command to Angela right now." Adelaide bowed as she sensed her Queen's worsening mood.
But just as she was about to make her way out of the royal chamber, as if from nowhere, an earthquake suddenly began to shake the entire palace, halting Adelaide in her steps and shocking both the angels in the chamber out of their respective thoughts. The tremor lasted for a few seconds resulting in dust falling from the roof and small cracks developing in the marble floor.
"We have never had an earthquake before. What in the name of ten realms is happening today?" The Queen mumbled to herself in bewilderment as disbelief painted her ashen face.
Once the earthquake ceased, a brief silence ensued, punctuated only by the sound of the heartbeats of the two women. But then suddenly, the stillness was shattered as a robust figure burst down through the roof, closely followed by a smaller one, scattering smoky dust all over the throne room.
"Who are you? How dare you crash into my palace uninvited? I will have your head for this." The Queen responded immediately even though she still couldn't see the identity of the two figures through the thick layer of dust in the air.
"My Queen, it's me..., Cecilia." The petite figure mumbled in between sobs. "I-I am sorry... b-but I couldn't stop him." She uttered.
As the dust eventually began to settle, the Queen could finally see that Cecilia was levitating beside the other figure. Though physically, she looked mostly unharmed with only a few minor scratches on her, however, if one would just look closely, they would be able to notice a hollow look in her glassy unfocused eyes, a look that mirrored pure despair.
