A/N: And this is the chapter that I've been waiting for! XD
This, my friend, is the climax of the arc! The chapter of all chapters! The turning point! The JUICE! This chapter right here? Well, if you ignore this chapter you will be mindraped, let's just say that. So for the sake of your mind and the sake of my time, pay attention to this chapter, will you? XD The flashback is written kind of weird. But you should be able to get it. ._.
I mean it's not that hard. XD;;;
You should know who I'm talking about and everything. I just didn't want to be as open with the flashback this time.
Princess, may I take this dance?
So we may enlighten you of the others.
Oh, fair Princess, the world is your stage.
You are the master of its fate but your people know so little about how your world turns. And even if this life has forsaken you, you still embrace it with everything you have. You hurt for this world; bleed for it. You walk around aimlessly, smiling when there is nothing to smile about. But he has always been there for you, and like the Princess that you are you fall. And you care not for how you fall—because you know he will always be there to catch you. Sweet Princess, there is a such thing as never coming back after you take a journey to the depths.
But you never pay that any mind. His arms are more than enough for you. He has swept you off your feet in an instant, protecting you, dare I say. He wrapped his arms around your small frame and promised you he would never let go. So delicately—as if he could break you in an instant. But where is he now, young Princess? Do you even know if he is still okay? The reality of the world hits you and blinds you. Your knight in shining armor is doing the best he can to protect your kingdom. Fair Princess, is that not your job? You push your responsibilities on your lone knight.
Your knight in shining armor riding to your rescue—here to save you from the responsibilities of your land. Just like in the storybooks your father used to read to you right before you went to bed. Your knight, he waits there, no matter how dangerous it may be. All you want to do is talk to him—to have a civil conversation with your savior—but your world will have none of that. He kneels at your feet and kisses your hand so tenderly. He has given his soul to you without your consent; you did not even ask. He has pledged to you—he will fight for you.
But if he does that, surely your knight will wither away in your hands and fall. Fall, fall, fall, without arms to catch him in.
But Pretty Princess, you love your knight. And he has sworn that he will fight for you. Darling Princess, you are still so young—too young to make decisions for both you and your world. You are the lone knight to your dying world... Your world once so wondrous, so adventurous. There is so much to do and so little time, Princess. You cannot push your responsibilities on your knight, but there is plenty of time for you to tell him that. Your world is unfair, and always makes you decide for the greater good of your people. Of your planet.
There is plenty of time for you to make important decisions.
You're still a child, Princess. Perhaps this would be better to deal with when you are older.
Pretty, pretty Princess, how the years have watched you grow.
You are older and wiser now, and still your knight fights by your side as if nothing has transpired. He opens doors for you—doors to new worlds you never thought existed. He waits for you every night and shows you new types of stars—ones the glow so bright you are absolutely mesmerized by them. He has brought you a new world of beauty. He has brought you love and compassion. Promises, too. Yes, he promises that he will always be there, and you know that you can trust him. But... Pretty Princess, in the back of your mind you know there is a thing called a liar.
Why would a liar spend so much time with you...?
Young Princess, you need to tell him that you have a duty to your people; an obligation to your land. It is time now—but you still have not thought of the words you want to say. The people of your kingdom are waiting on your very answer, but you do not have one. Remember when all this used to be was fun? All you had to do was stand still and look pretty, pretty Princess. He will never tell you upfront, but he is getting tired, restless. He knows something is upsetting you, dear Princess.
When will you choose?
You do not have much time left, but you have been enjoying these years. Your kingdom will never have your knight, for he is not like them. And your knight would never stoop so low; he would never work for a queen that has forsaken him and his people. You try to talk to them both, but they will not listen to you. See Princess, you have power, but over what, exactly? Certainly not the people you love. Certainly not over the people you treasure. Your knight would never badmouth your mother, but she surely would do that to him. They quarrel with each other, thinking you will never see them. She uses her magic to make him disappear and he curses her name.
Fair Princess, you know so little.
But you are not ignorant, nor are you stupid. You are not silly or oblivious to your surroundings. You are not helpless. You are strong. You can fight. But you cannot have them both. It has been so long since you have pondered telling everyone your choice. People are getting anxious, restless. Your kingdom loves you—he loves you—your mother loves you... You simply cannot make this choice alone. But you have to. Your kingdom, or your knight? You watch and gaze at how they treat you and neither one of them falters. He holds you, bringing you down to your world, but your mother is always there, sending her guard after you to make sure you stay afloat.
You love them both—how can they make you decide?
He is a rebel with a smile—older, but strong. Wiser, but handsome. Any other girl would fall for his antics at the drop of a dime. He protects you with his life and makes sure that you never fall, unless it is with him. He is driven and focused, so focused that nothing else matters to him anymore. He knows everything about you, sweet Princess. More than you know about yourself entirely. He knows when you are angry, when you are upset. You are content with him—he saves you from the responsibilities of being the royal heir. And his smile...
His smile so wide... It just takes your breath away. It is filled with so much happiness that you wish you could have. As if he is smiling for the both of you. He is laid-back and thinks that nothing can go wrong. So carefree... You are jealous of him for being able to live without meaning. But when he smiles you forget that envy and find yourself gazing at the stars, telling him how much of a great person he is. How much he cares for your world and how much he does not want to break it. How wonderful he makes you feel. Your name falls away from his tongue so delicately that you find yourself almost falling in a trance.
And he tells you he knows, and that whatever you chose can only be better for your well-being. And you stop breathing, Princess. Why, Princess? Because everyone knows now. Everyone knows of your tough choice and they want you to decide. He wants you to decide. But he understands. He tells you in that sweet, sweet voice that he knows. The kingdom knows, and they respect what you choose. Unable to speak are you, Princess? It is tough, but still you say nothing. You want to stay like this forever... Just admiring him for everything he has done. But the way that he looks at you... You can tell that he is just as hurt by all of this.
Your world is collapsing around you and you do not know where to go. You close your eyes and think of what it was like before all of this happened. You imagine yourself wearing your adored, beautiful gown. Your crown sits delicately on top of your head, its gemstones gleaming in the moonlight. And you are dancing without a care in the world. But most importantly you are happy. He is everything you want and need. The only think you want and and need. And he loves you so much, Princess.
You do not deserve his happiness if you make him so sad...
You open your eyes and he comes to your rescue, wiping your tears away. His hands stay glued to your cheeks, caressing them gently... Murmuring that everything will be okay. You want to be with him, you truly want to—and this time you forget about your other obligations and, for the first time in several years, you fall just to know what it will feel like. And you love it. He holds you, showers you with affection from the gods and lets his kisses splash over you like lukewarm raindrops splattering against your cheeks, your forehead, and your lips. He takes the pain away from you, his arms wrapped around your waist as he whispers how much he loves you.
And not just once, several times.
Your head rests against his chin and you want to answer his soothing calls, so you finally build the courage to tell him. "I love you too."
You smile. But your problems have only just begun. He is a lonely knight, and as such fights for the kingdom now. He disappears and you cannot help but wonder if you have made the right choice.
Princess, this battle cannot be won.
Look at your hands, Princess, what have you done?
-: Chapter Fifty-One: Mother Of All Gods, Mother Of Mine :-
I don't remember asking you about your imperfections
You might win one battle
But know this, I'll win the fucking war!
You want it, you got it
Everything you needed and more
You said it, I heard it
Careful what you wish for
Deleted, defeated everything you've ever been
No mercy, it's the way of the fist
— "Way of the Fist" — Five Finger Death Punch
The castle had gotten quiet ever since my guard and the Summoners went out to war many, many weeks ago.
Mother did not miss any of them. She insisted that she did not but she was, quite frankly, lost without Adel instructing her where to go. She missed Naira's loyalty and even said it herself that the others needed to come back soon. I missed the Summoners and our guard as well. Nothing was the same without them. Everyday used to be something new to look forward to. Because of all the different, colorful people we had living in the castle, nothing was monotonous. I could wake up to a new day and smile because I knew I could find Lucrecia in her laboratory, or see Sayuri and her Guardian bickering at each other.
They had been gone for so long... I had to admit that I was getting a bit worried about them. I clapped my hands together, closing my eyes. They were all such wonderful people, no matter what circumstances had led me to believe. They were all my friends and I would love them, no matter what they chose to fight for. I was sitting at the table, looking miserable. I could not stop worrying about them. What if something happened to them? What if I could never see them again? I wanted to talk to them... To hear their voices! That made me perk up and I loosened the grip I had on my dress. Mother glanced at me and then back at the two doors.
Still they had not came.
"Is something wrong, dearest Renata?" Aysel said, tilting her head. "You have nothing to worry about, for you are in the company of I, Queen Aysel! Remember that always, Renata. Nothing will ever dare to hurt you when I am around." That was not what I was worried about, but she made me feel at least somewhat better. I knew my mother cared about me but... I did not want otherworldly blood split on this world. The Summoners were so kind... They were valiant. They would risk their lives for a planet that did not even belong to them. I did not want them to do that, but they insisted... I glanced up at the the ceiling, trying to smile. The Summoners, though young they may have been, were true heroes. I could trust in their abilities to bring my guard back home safe and sound.
I sighed, glancing down at the floor.
Truthfully, I had been thinking of them all ever since they left. I thought I had Summoner Sayuri all to myself as well! While she was being taught by Mima, I thought about all the fun things we could do while we waited for the others to return. Imagine my surprise when I found out she and Mima wanted to go to Austere to look for them. I felt left out when they went without me, but ever since they left... The kingdom had been in complete and total chaos. More people were being infected with this newly found sickness, crowding the streets. It was dangerous to go outside now, I had noticed. Yet Aysel still did nothing about it. She shruged the whole ordeal off.
If she had looked into Apathīa when Aline was first found, maybe there would be a cure! And still she decides to do nothing about the illness. Sometimes Mother was truly stubborn. I would not say I hated her for it. That was just one of her many flaws, and everyone had flaws. I even had flaws. No one was perfect. The Summoners were no exception either, but they were something close to perfect. Mother was blind of that fact. I sighed, looking at the hands on the clock. Of course the clock reminded me of Summoner Sayuri. She was the... Best friend I had ever had in a while. I laid my head on the desk, toying with the amulet around my neck. I still had power... I could still fight, could I not? I was not at all useless... So why did everyone treat me like I was useless?
I sat back up and shook my head. My nerves were eating my alive. My conscious was denying me of any and all sleep. I could not rest nor think straight until I knew the truth... Until all of my friends came back. In a way, I could not help but think that this war was all my fault. If I would have told the others who attacked me back at the church, maybe this ordeal would never had escalated to this. If only I was more courageous. Bold. I could have stopped Saivan from pursuing his outlandish achievements. Even still, he is my Father, so I cannot go against his word. I was stuck in-between a world of honor—what I should have been doing—and a world of morals.
Sitting here and waiting for some kind of miracle to save my kingdom?
It just did not sit right with me. Sayuri and the others would not stay and sit in a chair like this, and neither would I. I needed to let Mother know that she was leading this kingdom into oblivion! This was not the proper way to rule; ignoring the things that were giving this kingdom trouble. I might not have been ready to rule, but I knew trouble when I saw it... I leaned back in my chair while Mother proceeded to drink her wine. I put my fingers in my hair, twirling strands. I was just so nervous and I did not have anyone to talk to!
This was beginning to become almost unbearable! I wanted to shout but Mother would have none of that. At least when my guard was here I could talk to them about my problems. Naira would always listen to me and try to give me her advice. No, she was not always right all the time, but at least she was a shoulder to lean on. Defina was understanding and she understood my pain more than anyone else. Adel was like my second father. Saivan was gone, but Adel was usually the person I turned to for advice about the kingdom. The best part about Adel was the fact that he was always there. At every turn, every step of the way. And he did not judge me for my views or my actions.
Lucrecia might not have always wanted to see me, but when she thought I was being too much of a crybaby she would tell me off. She was... At least honest with me. And no matter how I was feeling, how flustered I was, Zed would always tell me what I should do—what would be the best choice for me to take—and nine times out of ten he would be exactly right. Where were they all now? Where did they go? And why did I not have communication with them? Next time I would learn from this dire mistake. Though I might have had two missing people in my guard—I could always talk to the others. I simply could not wait until they came back with victory—Chase! How could I have forgotten about Chase? I stood up, completely mortified.
I was such a bad person!
Mother glanced at me, quirking her nose in disgust. Her wine glass almost tipped over. "What in the name of—!" I turned around quickly, my hair fluttering behind me. Today I had it down. I wiped a few strands of it out of my eyes so I could see Mother. "Renata, must you continue to mess things up in the presence of I, Queen Aysel? What if you would have spilled my precious wine on my precious dress? You would have caused I, Queen Aysel, much pain and suffering, correct?" I glanced at her, feeling really sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was cause her pain... "It is a glorious day when you are in the presence of Queen Aysel, is it not? Though I must agree with you Renata, those scientists are late."
I glanced at the clock, sitting back down in my seat. "Actually mother, they have still got a solid ten minutes before their audience starts." I pointed towards the clock for emphasis. She gave it one look before she quirked her nose.
"Nonsense, Renata! I, Queen Aysel, know what I am talking about! They are late! I have been sitting here for quite a while! I am getting restless, and I should not be getting restless! I am too wonderful to wait for anyone! Why, people are supposed to wait for me, not the other way around!" I nodded my head, shuffling my feet and knitting my fingers together. Maybe they were, perhaps, having a hard time finding the castle? No, that did not make any sense. "They need to hurry up! I do not have much patience waiting for simpletons like themselves! For I am Queen Aysel!"
Mother thought she had been waiting a long time? I had been waiting for the others to come back for so long... How was it that she was so impatient? I wanted to yell at her but I was in no position to do so. I chewed my bottom lip and looked at the doors, tapping my foot on the ground. I did not care about this audience. Sure it would have been good for something later on, but... But I just wanted to see all my friends again. I was worried... Oh so worried about Chase. Never had I forgotten him before like that! Something must have been wrong...
Subsequently, both of the doors flung open and someone wearing a white lab-coat rolled in. She had blonde hair that was feathered and highlighted. It was about... Upper-back length. She stopped, crouched down with one leg extended out and the other one folded underneath her. I chuckled under my breath. She looked ridiculous! I touched my mouth with my fingers, just incase I needed to stifle my laughter. Mother jumped out of her chair, her wine successfully being split all over her dress. At least she was wearing a black dress. I wore a white, ruffled empire waist gown that had a slit in the front and a rhinestone accent on the belt around my waist.
I stood up straight as the mystery woman quickly stood back on her feet, looking around with silver-grey eyes. She did not even once look in our direction. Another woman walked from behind the first one, her black lab-coat trailing behind her. She held two... Guns, it looked like, but there were really long needles sticking out of them. I twitched at the mere sight of them. I did not like needles all too much. She walked in one step at a time, her bangs sitting right above her eyes. I could not see her eyebrows. She cracked her neck and pointed her guns in every direction, scanning the room we were in. When she thought the area was secured, she twirled her guns in her hands and abruptly stopped, blowing them off.
The woman's cold, gunmetal-blue eyes were glued to my Mother. She put her guns in their holsters and the shorter woman in front of her took two steps forward, glancing at me. Mother was fuming with rage at her dress, absolutely angry! "How dare you two come into I, Queen Aysel's castle and spill wine on my fine clothes! This dress was once worth millions because I wore it! Now look at it! Look at this stain!" Mother pointed at the stain but... I could not see it because she was wearing a black dress... "Now look at this! This is no longer something that I, Queen Aysel, can bare to wear! How do you plan on reimbursing me, simpletons? Now I will smell of wine!" Mother huffed, folding her arms.
The blonde-haired, short woman extended her hand out towards her—it was apparent her lab-coat sleeves were too big on her as they hung over her hands. The rest of her coat was fitted. "Well, hiyah Queen Aysel!" she exclaimed with a big, bold smile. She radiated confidence and joy. She made me feel somewhat happy. What was this woman's name? Her silver-grey eyes twinkled as she scanned Mother. Mother was blotting out the stain with a cloth. "We have got to talk about some things—holy... You've really gained a lot of weight since we last met!" she declared, putting her hand on her waist. All of us flinched at her accusation. Even the woman that she came into the room with. "I thought you were a soldier for a second!"
"Professor Ever, you have done it again..." the black-haired woman said, touching her forehead with her hand. My Mother quirked her nose, closing her eyes and tilting her head in the air. She sat down in her throne, glaring at this so-called Professor Ever.
"You know nothing!" Mother spat, raising her arms in the air. Professor Ever was still chuckling to herself with a wide smile on her face. She was so cheery and eccentric, was she not? Watching her was like watching a play take place in front of my very own eyes. She was such a character! It had been so long since I had laughed like this! I would have to give the Professor my thanks later own. "Look at you! You know nothing of I, Queen Aysel's beauty!" Mother threw her hand out, laughing to herself. "You look ridiculous! No, someone like you could never understand my high sense of fashion! Who are you, at any rate? You do not look like someone who was approved for an audience with I, Queen Aysel! You are not worthy!"
The Professor kept laughing and she looked at all of us in the room. When no one would laugh with her, her chuckling slowed down and she wiped her face with her coat sleeve. "Ahahaha! Well, I'll be Queen Aysel! You don't remember me, huh?" She paused, throwing her arms out. "I am Professor Ever, head scientist of the..." She paused, making a nudging motion with her elbow. She did this towards Mother, of course. "...Science Department! Yes I am the one in charge of making sure your kingdom is in tip-top shape! That being said I know a lot there is to know about this place, and since I am head of the Science Department I have quite a rank in the kingdom, if I do say so myself!" She pointed her thumb at herself and I laughed under my breath.
The Professor turned towards me and bowed her head.
"And I see you are still as beautiful as ever, Princess Renata!" Aww, that was such a sweet thing for her to say. I nodded my head at her, blushing a bit. It was an unexpected compliment. "You know Princess Renata, ever since my friend had all the digits amputated from his feet, I find him very annoying. I think I might be..." She paused again, dramatically. "Lack-toes intolerant! Get it? Lack-toes intolerant!" She laughed like something was so funny... And I guess I laughed simply because she was laughing. Mother and the woman standing behind her did not get that at all, and neither did I. I was just having fun. Professor Ever looked up and glanced at everyone else. "What, you guys... Don't think it is funny?" she said between pants. She had to catch her breath. She stood up straight, waving her hand in the air. "Tough crowd."
Queen Aysel quirked her nose again, tapping her fingers on the rests of her chair. I sighed, sitting back down in my seat. That was when the Professor abruptly turned towards her brunette friend and put her hand on her shoulder. The woman was not expecting that and tipped over a bit. It was hilarious, considering how short the Professor was compared to her. "This gal right here? This is my assistant and my lieutenant! Please welcome Honovi! She's the second in command at the Science Department, but I can swear she is almost as good as I am with the science and the mixing and the experimenting and whatnot..." The Professor went on and on, unaware that Honovi had walked towards Queen Aysel and bowed.
"It is nice meeting you two," she said under her breath. I tilted my head, piqued by her actions. She was really quiet compared to Professor Ever. How in the world did the two of them get stuck together? They made an odd team, but they were hilarious so it did not matter! "We came because we scheduled an audience with you—"
"P'sh yeah," Professor Ever said, leaning against the wall. "Well, we scheduled an audience with you two weeks ago! You guys hadn't even gotten back to us." She paused, scratching her head. Oh, I was sorry that we had made them wait so long, but we had been busy ourselves. I frowned a bit, looking down at the table. "Um, anyway! We came here to talk about something really important. Normally we would have just called you all via mind-call, but since all of your people were out..."
She started walking around in a circle. How peculiar.
"Hey!" Professor Ever exclaimed, smiling a little. "I know how to start this off. Queen Aysel, Princess Renata? It's hell out there! Complete and utter hell! We had to fight our way to the castle!"
Zip your lip, you've run out of time.
The hunt.
It starts now.
Honovi stands still, right in front of the doors of the Science Department. With both of her eyes closed, she takes her twin tranquilizer guns out of their holsters, spinning them around. Her black lab-coat flutters behind her in the wind as she takes two, blind steps forward. She licks her lips, making sure she tastes the apprehension in the air. All the pandemonium. The sound of her boots rubbing against the dirt makes her eye twitch a bit. Professor Ever walks out of the Science Department, staying close to her blue-eyed assistant.
Hovoni tastes the fear on the tip of her tongue, taking a few more steps before stopping. She can feel spiders crawling on her skin, but that doesn't stop her. She can't see any light—only pure darkness. She smirks, but only slightly. A challenge? Bring all challengers. They'll only fall to the might of her firearms. Pointing her guns in the air she walks forward without stopping this time. Even if she can't see, she knows that in too much darkness... Monsters hide. Fear threatens to eat at her, but she stands tall, Professor Ever slowly following behind her.
"Y—you go, Honovi!" Ever exclaims, jumping up in the air. She's trembling, obviously, but Honovi doesn't mind that her superior is scared and, most likely, doesn't believe she has the power to stop all the monsters from attacking them. Honovi pays Professor Ever no mind, keeping her regular pace. The shadows are crowding Honovi now, but she's not paying attention to them. They're threatening to crush her very body, and they deny her of any air. Air? Heh. Honovi can breathe without air. With all the speed of a jaguar Honovi moves her right arm, pulling the trigger to her tranquilizer gun. She hits her target dead on, watching the Enlightened citizen crash face-first into the ground.
Professor Ever lets out a yelp, grabbing on Honovi's shoulders. She can feel it... Yes, the walls are definitely closing around on her. Time to break them down, huh? Honovi turns around, knocking the Professor on the ground. She shoots again from her right hand, putting a tranquilizer right in a woman's forehead. Ever scrambles to her feet, dusting off what would have otherwise been her pristine white lab-coat.
On the side!
Honovi switches her footing, shooting a child in the leg.
From the front!
Honovi dashes forward, stepping on the man's face and launching off him, shooting him in the belly with one of her darts.
No where else to go? Ha! Honovi will see about that! Hands grab her body but she tilts her head. Her eyes are still glued closed. Not once has she opened them yet. Honovi does flinch for a second, yes, but she remembers that she is the one with the guns in her hands. Not the darkness. She'll escape with ease! "W—what! Wait Honovi!" Professor Ever cries, trying to desperately keep up with her assistant. Professor Ever sees Honovi's lab-coat within arms reach... And as she tries to grab it she ends up falling face-first into the ground. It is then that Honovi hears them... Yes, them. The voices. They're coming out of nowhere.
Her eyebrow twitches. Did Professor Ever hear those cries? The same ones that fed off this madness? They were trying to make her think that she was afraid of being alive. No. Never that! Ever picks herself off the ground and runs towards her assistant at full-blown speeds, only to run into her back when Honovi abruptly stops again. "Is that the best you can do?" Honovi mutters, shooting two civilians in front of her. For someone with her eyes closed, she has impervious aim. Professor Ever decides that it'll be better for her if she just hides behind something.
And hides she does!
Behind a rock.
"Try something else!" Honovi challenges, her voice cold. She feels them coming in from all over. Six of them from every direction. She still doesn't need to open her eyes. She can hear them, sense them, taste them on her lips! She points her duel tranquilizer guns in front of her, hitting a man dead-square in his chest. Quickly, she extends her hands out to her sides, hitting both zombiefied Enlightened coming from the east and west of her. "I will still be here when you are old and gray!" she bellows, kicking off the air and doing a back-flip. While in mid-flip she turns around, successfully shooting all three civilians in their chests. They all plop to the ground like lifeless meat.
"Is it safe yet—holeee!" Professor Ever's sentence is cut short when Honovi kicks a woman her way. The woman collides into the professor, sending them both spiraling into a building. For a second, the Professor doesn't get up, but when she realizes Honovi is leaving her, she pushes the knocked-out woman off her and runs after her assistant. Honovi can still feel them... They're saying that she's terrified of speaking. She'd show them! It's itching under her skin... The fear. But she won't let it catch up with her!
"You can't hurt me! Your strikes only make me stronger. Every foul word, every foul play you make against me only serves to make me better!" Honovi declares, jumping backwards and over Ever's head, much to the Professor's dismay. Her jaw drops at the four people standing in front of her—possibly wanting to eat her. Her whole body pales as Honovi turns around on her heels, shoving the Professor into the people. Ever lets out a shrill scream of absolute fear—she never thought she could scream like that! Fortunately, all four of the people fall and Professor Ever falls with them. "You will never stand in my way ever again!" Hovoni yells, aiming her tranquilizers at every fallen Enlightened One's head. "I don't have to move around you. I can walk straight through your heart and come out clean on the other side!"
Oh no. Professor Ever is not going to fall for another trick like that again! No sir. Not her! She gets up and decides to walk in front of her assistant. Again, Honovi pays no mind to Ever. In her world, the Professor doesn't even exist. Nothing else exists. Only she and her guns. "Y—yeah!" Ever says, trembling. "I'm a fighter!" With every word she says she grows more and more confident. "I'm a scientist! I will make it out of this hell!" Now she has a sure look on her face, pointing an index-finger in the air. ...That is, until, she bumps into something mean. And green. And... Scales...? Somehow her skin manages to go straight white at the sight of the monster in front of her.
But she has to do something!
She can't let Honovi pass her up! She is the head scientist, after all! She pokes her two index-fingers together before scratching the back of her head. The thing in front of her is growling. Really growling at her. "Uh! Hi!" The Professor says, chuckling lightly. "So... Uh, a policeman pulls over my car and walks over to me. 'Do you realize you've got two snakes attached to the front of your car?' he asks. And I go 'It's all right, they're just my windshield vipers.' Get it! Um... Err..." her voice is reduced to a mere whisper. "Get it? W-w-windshield vipers...?" Professor Ever honestly, truly tries to wait for a response, but all she gets is managed words.
If she can even call them words! She has to get out of there! "Neeyaaaaah!" she shouts, throwing her hands in the air and running into Honovi. She looks up at her assistant with tear-filled eyes. "Oh it's you! It's you! Please save me!" Honovi does just what she asks. The Professor gives her assistant a tight squeeze before hiding behind her. The wind picks up, blowing Honovi's coat behind her. This is it. Honovi breathes through her mouth, opening her eyes and gazing at the monstrosity in front of her. The air is tense—she's never seen anything like what is in front of her. The green sea-like... Enlightened hybrid thing will never scare her!
She props her guns in front of her, listening to the fiend's screams. It wants to be introduced to her tranquilizers, right? "You are weak. You are small. You cannot handle me!" she bellows, sidestepping around the monster and blasting its body with tranquilizers. She's far too engrossed in what she's doing and, perhaps, loads the monster with too many of them. "Want to try my best on for size? You will not handle a minute of my force of will!" In an instant she puts her guns in their holsters after spinning them around in her hands. Before the monster gets a chance to fall on the ground, Hovoni punches it in the face.
And the both of them watch as the once green monstrosity reverts back to a recognizable, human form. Honovi quirks her noise, standing over the sleeping Enlightened One. Professor Ever comes out of her hiding place and makes a face at the person. "Ha! Yeah! All right! I told you what would happen if you mess with me!" The black-haired woman pays it no mind.
"Professor," she utters, pointing one of her guns forward. Ever quickly looks in the direction. "We are here. Aysel's castle is this way. Watch your step. And please, do not touch anything."
Round one, I swear to God I do it for fun...
"And then that's when we came into the castle and stuff! I was absolutely exhausted from all of the butt I kicked out there!" Professor Ever exclaimed, jumping high into the air. Oh! How horrible! I hope the two of them were not hurt! They could have always teleported in front of the castle! I knitted my fingers, feeling downright horrible. The Professor decided to stand on top of the table, which really startled me. Mother did not like that at all. "And those guns that Honovi uses? State of the art! Ain't nothing else like 'em! I made them myself!" She clapped her hands together, admiring the tranquilizers in Honovi's holsters.
She jumped off the table and put her hands behind her back. "Yep! A tranquilizer gun is usually a gun used for capturing people. We plan to get our people to get everyone that we have sedated so we can run tests on them. Queen Aysel, Princess Renata? What we are facing here is a state of emergency. Apathīa is not a joke. I've got my top scientists in the Department right now running around like crazy. We are all trying to find a cure for this. What I am trying to say is that we need more funding. More people keep being brought into the Department, and, quite frankly, we just don't have any room to situate them all." This would have all been avoided if Mother would have looked into Aline's case when she was first brought there.
A part of me wanted to blame my Mother for all of this. Surely she was not taking this situation seriously. She was smirking at both Professor Ever and Honovi, drinking more of her silly wine. If she did not want to smell of wine she should have just stopped drinking it all together, right? "You think that I, Queen Aysel, will fund such an outlandish illness?" How could she say that? Did she not hear what Professor Ever was saying?
"Mother...!"
"Renata! Hush while I am speaking!" I sat back in my chair, looking at my hands. "No one shall interrupt I, Queen Aysel, while I am speaking! It goes against all rules! As I was saying. This Apathīa thing will pass! Nothing can cripple my kingdom!" The only thing crippling her kingdom would be her herself. Mother was not all that smart. What if she eventually caught the Apathīa? That was a thought that I just could not handle. I had all ready lost so much of my family. I could not even fathom life without Mother, no matter how irritating she could get. "What do you all even know about this Apathīa? Surely you do not know more than it than I, Queen Aysel!"
Professor Ever frowned a bit, touching her lips with her index-finger. "Well, of course we know more about Apathīa than you do, Queen Aysel. We're scientists, didn't I tell you that before?" She titled her head, absolutely confused. "At any rate, we are doing the best we can with this illness. You two know of that girl Lucrecia sent in to use a couple of months ago? Aline?" Yes! I knew about Aline! Was she okay? I hoped she was okay. She did not deserve all of this pain and suffering. "She was the only one who could handle the parasitic creature. And she was so skilled with it that she could control the powers that came with it. While researching her condition, my assistant and I came up with a shocking discovery—"
"Is she okay now?" I blurted out. Once I realized what I had done, I blushed a little and relaxed in my chair. "Sorry, I just want to know. She is a really close friend of mine." I nodded my head, showing my appreciation. Professor Ever smiled at me, which made me feel as if everything was going to be right. I liked those two. They were trying to help the world get better, were they not? They were trying really hard! Why did Aysel not see that the kingdom needed this? If she would not approve of the funding, surely I would have to! Even if my mother did not consent to it! Too many people were dying. The Professor scratched the back of her head, a cheery look on her face.
"Yes Aline's okay! In fact, she came back a couple of weeks ago. Honovi told her she had to come back alive and I guess she listened to her." Oh, that was wonderful news! Honovi's eyebrow twitched, but only slightly. I see. She did not take acknowledgments very well. She deserved every ounce of praise! "Cecelia came and snatched her up from us, but now she is in our hands and in our care, and we will do everything it takes to make sure she's safe and sound." She paused, standing still. "I wanted to discuss these matters with Lucrecia. …Is she here now, by any chance?"
I shook my head, but Mother decided to answer for me. "No! Of course not! Lucrecia is a part of I, Queen Aysel's guard! What would she be doing still in the castle! Lucrecia is doing the honorable thing to do! She is fighting for I, Queen Aysel's safety!" Professor Ever punched at the wind, saying some things under her breath.
"That is unfortunate," she said, looking at the ground. "Lucrecia's a really great scientist. Darn it, we needed her mind! If she is not here, I don't think Hovoni and I can wait for her. I was sure that if the three of us worked on a cure, we would find it in no time. Me, head scientist, my assistant, and Lucrecia? We could cure anything. Okay, let me get down to the good part. There are two different, distinguished types of Apathīa. You have your carriers..." Professor Ever said, counting off on her fingers. "And you have your spreaders."
"The carriers are the ones that have Apathīa, but they do not spread it. Instead, they wait to die," Honovi said, putting her hands in her pockets. "Naira and Defina, it looks like, were carriers. Those are two examples of such a thing. I think it is sad that they wait to be consumed. Carriers only kill others of their kind. We put two carriers in the same room and watched in horror. Yes, it is truly not a beautiful sight. The people changed into monsters and tore each other apart." My stomach squirmed. That was just so... Horrible. So is that what happened to Naira and Defina...?
"And then your spreaders!" Professor Ever exclaimed. "Queen Aysel, your freaking castle... The walk here was blockaded by spreaders! They go out and try to give Apathīa to others. We've seen the process; it ain't pretty. They impale you with their fingers and a symbol appears on the spot where they've attacked you. And just like that you're a walking Apathīa-inflicted person." She paused, banging her hands on the table. I jumped. "Queen Aysel, you aren't grasping the situation! As we speak now, hundreds of your people are dying!" I... I did not think the Professor could get so serious... "It is even worse down in Austere, but I know you pay no attention there either. We need to stop this Apathīa right in its tracks! If you don't fund for it, your kingdom will surely fall! This palace will burn to the ground!"
"Nonsense!" Aysel uttered... Professor Ever's words were getting to her. She put her wine glass on the table and her eyes widened.
"No, I'm being quite serious. Apathīa is a start all end all. If we focus on killing the carriers, the spreaders will multiply. And then even at that! We don't even know who's a carrier or a spreader! It's not something that we can just be able to tell. Queen Aysel, I suggest you shape up and start doing what is best for your kingdom. Without King Saivan here, you have no one to lean on. You have to stand up and do what is right." She paused, stomping her foot on the ground. "Give us the funding so we can save your kingdom! Because right now, it is going to be kicked to oblivion!"
There was a cold silence, and no one dared to move. Aysel still looked shocked... Poor Mother. She really loved her kingdom and did not want it to fall. All she had to say was that she was going to fund the program... It saddened me how she handled things. All she had to do was say yes... Mother stood up, straightening out her dress. What was she planning now? I wanted to burst out and say something, but Mother looked at me with her golden eyes. "I shall decide when I talk to my daughter about the matter! I, Queen Aysel, need some time to think about this! It is a delicate situation, is it not? And I do not want my kingdom to fall!"
Professor Ever sighed in defeat, blowing her hair out of her eyes. "Okay, but get back to to us quick, you hear?" I did not know what Mother wanted from me, but I had to obey her command. She stepped out into the hallway and we kept walking and walking... It was strange. All we had to do was stand in the hallway and talk about things for a little while, right?
"Mother, you are going to give them the funding they need, right?" I asked, a little timidly. Mother quirked her nose at me, as if the idea disgusted her. I knew she was going to do that! "But how else will we save the kingdom, Mother! We do not have many options! You—I—do not—"
"Please, Renata!" she shouted, throwing her hand up. "Do you think I need scientists to help me take care of I, Queen Aysel's kingdom?" I flinched. I even stopped breathing for a second. So she was not going to fund it?
"Mother you cannot do that!" I commanded. "You are Queen of Aysel! You have to take responsibility! Just like... Just like I have to take responsibilities as Princess Renata..." My voice was brought down to a mere whisper. I wished my sister was still here. Renatari would have known just what to do. She was so much stronger than I was and I... She should have been here with me. Maybe not in this current state of emergency, but...
"Silence Renata!" I flinched again, feeling sorry for myself. "I know I have to protect my kingdom, and only I can protect it! No one else!" What was mother talking about? We stopped in front of a room I was not familiar with. She was going to kill us all acting like this! I had to do something! "I will be the hero of my own land! Starting with the power of the Wickedness, of course!" I took a few steps back, my mouth wide open. It was then that I realized that my Mother was going to do something dire... Something not within the best interest of her kingdom. Our kingdom!
I balled my fists and gritted my teeth. "The Wickedness? Are you still talking about that verboten power, Mother? You cannot save anything with that kind of power! It only causes destruction! Nothing else!" Still my mother did not understand. She opened the door and walked inside of it, laughing to herself. I looked the other way, but I had no choice but to follow her. The room that we were in reeked of death. And there I saw it. The Mammoth Machine. The bane of my very existence... My words were caught in my throat and my eyes dilated in fear. It was a slender tube... Connected to the ground. It had every Wicked Spawn that our guard captured over the years... Squished together inside of it.
Wires were connected to the ceiling and to the floor. Truly, the Mammoth Machine was a very evil thing. "Behold! The very machine that I, Queen Aysel, have spent years creating! In this machine... This very machine will be the root of my power! Once charged, I will be able to call the Wickedness down itself! I will then draw its power and use it as I see fit! No longer will my kingdom be plagued by such an illness, and I will be able to keep my money! Sad scientists cannot cure the incurable! Only I can!" Without any warning Aysel shot a blast of focal energy towards the machine. It did not move. It did not activate. Mother's eyebrow twitched and she looked towards me.
I shook my head. "No! No! I will not forsake my kingdom—!"
"Do you want to save your people?" I inhaled and kept my breath for what seemed like forever. "Dearest Renata, you knew this day would come! I, Queen Aysel, foresaw it myself!" She did say I would have to protect the kingdom some day, but I never wanted this! My people never wanted this! "The Wickedness is the only way we will prosper, dearest Renata! When I obtain its power, we shall never have to work again! Do you not see? I can end the war this way and your friends will come back to you!" I looked up at her with pleading eyes. She would bring them back? "Yes, even those wretched Summoners!" But I... I had hope! I was not going to let her talk a hole into my head.
"Mother, stop this now!" I yelled, trying to get through to her. Instead, she grabbed my arm, making me yelp. She... She would never hurt me, would she?
"Renata, charge the Machine! Charge the Mammoth Machine and the world... The kingdom shall know no more pain and suffering! Can you not see? You are the reason why people are dying now! You keep hesitating!" That was not true! That was not true! She could not... She would not... With my free hand I grabbed my amulet. "Yes, now you are seeing what I, Queen Aysel see! Now you know that this world needs the Wickedness!"
"But... I do not want to..."
"Stop your blathering and charge the machine! The faster you charge it, the faster I, Queen Aysel, can get the power!" I had already messed up so much that I... I did not want anymore destruction. I did not want to lose any friends. If I did this... I would still have everyone, right? It could not hurt, right? And I would see Chase again... My amulet started to glow, but Professor Ever and Honovi bust through the doors.
"What's wrong! I heard screaming!" Ever exclaimed, moving her arms in the air. Once she caught sight of the Mammoth Machine, she took a step back. "What in God's name is that thing?" she exclaimed. "It looks like the root of all evil! Aysel! Queen Aysel!" Mother laughed at the Professor, turning around and staring at her.
"What? Pretty, is it not?" she asked. "This machine will bring the Wickedness here! Any moment now! Right after Renata charges the machine. With it, I do not need your help! I will be able to banish the evils that surround my kingdom by myself!"
"With more evil?" Honovi replied, folding her arms. "That is ridiculous."
"That may be the case to your inferior eyes, but not to I, Queen Aysel's eyes! Renata, please. Hurry and charge the machine!"
"Don't do that kid!" Professor Ever exclaimed. "Queen Aysel, you are one crazy chick! Don't listen to her Renata! If you charge that thing... I don't know, but it won't be pretty!" Pretty... Pretty Princess Renata... That word rung in my ears. The only way I would be able to smile again is if I saw my friends all safe and sound... I... My hands started to glow and blue energy surged throughout the machine. The Mammoth Machine sounded like it was malfunctioning, the room that we were in glowing red. Mother started cackling and the wind picked up all around us.
The southern wall broke down completely and the wind knocked us all off our feet. All except my mother, anyway. I could see the kingdom. What had I done? Was the Wickedness really going to come now? I could not hear anything over the sound of the Mammoth Machine overworking itself.
"You summoned the Wickedness?" Professor Ever shouted. Her body paled and she was as white as her pristine lab-coat. She fell back on her hands, staring at the sky. "A—are we all going to die?" She looked as if any more words... She looked as if she was not capable of anymore words. She could not speak. Time seemed to slow down in front of us.
When the roof flew off the room, I directed my eyes towards the sky.
The wind was ferocious! Was Professor Ever right? Were we all really about to die here? I wanted to faint because I knew all of this was my fault. I had called the Wickedness down. I had! No one else! I fell back on my arms too, my world spinning around me. I just could not make a right choice. "I have forsaken you all!" I cried in a fit of confusion and fear. I continued to look at the sky and I saw the monstrosity... I saw the Wickedness for the first time in my life and tears started flowing from my eyes.
I could not stop the rain. Memories began to return to me. I could see the damp tissues and the eyes... The rivers of salt water like floods and the vision that I could not so much as to clear! Echoes of old songs and horrible, horrible voices! The Wickedness was something that I simply could not un-see. It floated in mid-air, huge, brown, and full of scales. It had millions of beady eyes and its mouth was terrifying in size. It had some kind of fins, but it had been flapping them... I stared at the beast and saw my image over and over again. I broke out into a cold sweat, waving my arms in front of me.
There were thousands of glass shards and I walked across all of them barefoot, not minding that they were piercing my skin. And the window... I jumped out of it... The air shimmered and smelled of death now... Mother was more than happy to see the whale-like monster. She was laughing to herself, throwing her hands in the air. "All hail the Wickedness!" she declared. "All hail my newly found power!"
I could not take this. I stood up and grabbed Mother's shoulder, turning her around but she lifted her hand up, blasting me with her focal energy. I was sent tumbling backwards and crashed into the wall. If I was not so used to being tossed around... I would not have the energy to get back up... "That is not the Wickedness, Mother!" I said, gasping for air. I sat up, clutching my amulet. "That is... Mother Nature! Growing ever more fierce and angry at what we have done. We are shamed—you have shamed our very kingdom! I cannot bare to look at her with my traitorous eyes. Do you not see Mother? We have turned on her!"
I stood up, clenching my fists.
"Her young are dying around us but yet we stand apart doing nothing as species diverse and far-flung! Disappear! Vanish! They are gone forever!" I waved my arm in the air at each and every word. "She glares down angrily, her rage throwing sparks of power... Igniting, flooding..." I glanced at the sky, looking at the millions of Wicked Spawn branching off the beast... Or what I could see of it. They were starting to fly around, fall towards the ground... Killing people. "Destroying," I whispered. I pointed into the air. "Her stare penetrates the sky like an arrow through paper! Our Heavenly Armor rips and recedes letting in her flaming anger."
Mother was not even paying attention to me! I growled. "What can we do to appease Her!" I yelled in frustration. "Before her gaze burns all to dust, we must ease her temper..." I collapsed on my knees as the sky turned an ominous shade of pink. I did not understand what was happening now, but I was prepared for death. "Rise up to protect her remaining children..." My hair fluttered in the wind. "For even if we may not meet her gaze, may she look upon us with gentler light."
A high pitched nose filled all of our ears, making even Aysel finch. I cannot even begin to fathom what happened next. A bright, purple ray shot across the sky, killing all of the birds and Wicked Spawn in its path. The sky turned red and as soon as the ray hit something... The castle shook violently and the Mammoth Machine tipped over. There was a huge explosion cloud that could have went up past the atmosphere. Professor Ever took one look at this and promptly fainted. I stepped closer towards the edge of the room and looked down. Wait, did that ray hit Austere? My breath caught and my amulet started to glow. Directing all of my focal energy to my eyes, I enhanced my vision.
What I saw was absolutely...
The earth. The land. Obliterated by a single blast. The trees were gone. The flowers were gone. Things were on fire. The kingdom was in total and utter madness. I inhaled and started crying. Chase and the others were down in Austere! The Summoners were down in Austere! What would I do now! What would I do?
Just then, I thought I saw a woman jumping past the room... She had purple hair, but it was all a blur to me. She was holding a sword and she smirked at me, somewhat. "Strapped with rage, I've got no patience for victims!" she yelled out loud in glory. "Sick and tired of this whole damn world~!" She continued her decent downwards, running on the side of the castle with speed that... She was running so fast she looked like a purple dot in my vision. It was odd that I could still hear her voice so clearly... Who was she? "Deserve it and you earned it, you've got yourself a war!"
War...?
"Why should I show you mercy and why should I care? One by one, disease by disease! I will get back at you for doing this to me~! You don't deserve one ounce of shade! In return, I'll give you a fate worse than death!"
Now I collapsed back on the floor to the sound of buildings falling. I blinked, my vision failing me. And Mother just stood there...
"I find myself grinning at the sight of you, taking pleasure in watching you die! Pale as porcelain, your face as white as a ghost... Bloodshot eyes looking straight at me—this is what I crave~! May this be a warning to all you Enlightened—all of you who think that this is the end! You are quite right!"
My eyes rolled to the back of my head and I... My world disappeared before my very eyes.
"Sighing, I look up at you and give you one last glance. Such beauty only achieved in death! With a smile, I bid you my last farewell... And let time take its toll on your perfection!"
A/N: Hey guys! XD;;;
Look! Look it's Kohana! And she just came and crapped all over the Dark Ages in like two seconds! XD;;; How awesome is that? Tell me who can fight Kohana now? She's just too awesome to be taken down, and what is it that she's planning? Well, guys, this is the climax you've all been waiting for. Austere's now blown to hell... I mean it's bad down there. I don't think anything on the actual land is in good shape anymore.
So noo that means Klaus and the others are all dead! D:
And Renata's right. What about Sayuri and Kokoro and Lucrecia and Saivan and his castle and things? D:
Did Kohana really just come and kill everyone? We'll have to see next chapter, won't we? XD
I'm expecting bitches and moans now. XD;;;
So yes. Feel free to give me your bitches and moans.
