Punishment


The peace at Shirona's home was suddenly interrupted when Ritsuka blasted through one of the walls of the place. After his earlier attack on his 'mother', he decided to apply a bit of discipline to him, and the boy learned that her punishments were rather on the extreme side.

She tore off one of his arms and one of his legs, as well as blasting a hole through his chest, breaking a major part of his ribcage and exposing his heart and lungs. He felt like he was dying, but death never came. Then, she approached him.

"You won't die from that" - she said simply to him - "The Viper's Elixir will cure you of your wounds, no matter how severe. However, you would do well in remembering that pain, for that is what happens to those who defy me" -

She then knelt and picked his face with her hands, so he would stare straight into her eyes - "Consider yourself lucky, my child. Only a handful can say they enraged me and survived" -

The boy couldn't answer her, as he couldn't even speak through the pain. He could feel his body slowly recovering, though the pain did not go away alongside his wounds. Shirona lifted him off the ground and placed him in a nearby couch, while using her powers to repair what had been damaged in her home.

As she did, she briefly turned her eyes towards Ritsuka, who kept regenerating from the wounds she caused him. As she saw the green glow of the Viper's Elixir heal him, she hoped that it would be enough to keep him from going against her orders again, since she would need it for yet another event, and a perfect chance for him to prove her loyalty to her.

But for now, he needed time to rest.

As he recovered, Shirona went to her bedroom, overlooking the ocean. She opened the window, feeling the warm breeze flow through her body, and the memories came with it.

When the Fantasy Tree Demiurge first took roots, the people of the world launched an attack on her, trying to stop her rule. But the offensive didn't last, not even with all their armies combined, and the powers she took from the Beyond, alongside the Fantasy Tree, corrupted the minds of humanity. In but a single week, the world was subservient to her and her rule.

Then, came the Heroic Spirits summoned by the Counter Force, in a last attempt to stop her. She fought them with the power gathered from her Fantasy Tree, which now extended to the very skies. The fight lasted for years on end, yet by the end, she remained victorious. With the corrupted humanity and her Demiurge now in full control of the Earth, no one seemed able to oppose her…

Until Chaldea arrived.

Their arrival posed something Shirona hadn't seen in years, a true force to fight against her. If it wasn't for them being her son's friends and allies, she would've wasted no time in eliminating them, instead she hoped they would be able to accept the world she had created, even if only for the safety of their Master.

Just then, the sound of groaning interrupted her thoughts, it seemed like her son was almost ready to do their little journey together. She went to check on him, seeing how the wounds she caused had healed, and he was now catching his breath and trying to recompose himself. Despite the wounds healing, the pain wasn't going away - "I hope you're prepared, my son. We have quite the busy day ahead of us" -

Ritsuka shot a nasty glare at her, to which she remained silent and stoic, before directing his eyes to the ground and saying in a weak tone - "Yes…" -

"Good, follow me please, I'll explain everything while we walk" -

Ritsuka got up from the couch, struggling to even stand up. Shirona offered her arm to him to help him support himself, but he refused her aid.

Fine then, it would only make things harder for himself.

The pair arrived on the plane once more, entering and preparing to fly once more.

"Where are we… Going this time?" -

"To the US, my son. I have some things to settle there, and I think it could be a nice trial for yourself, to better see how you handle the Viper's Elixir" -

With that simple explanation, both sat down and the plane took off. While on the way, Ritsuka thought of ways to try and escape from his 'mother'. He could try to blow up the plane and escape in the confusion, he could create a distraction after landing to attempt an escape, he could…

"Whatever you're thinking of trying, it would be wiser to not try it" - she interrupted his thoughts, causing him panic - "I'm a tolerant mother, but even I have my limits, and you would be wise not to test them" -

"Limits? After what you… Did to me?" -

"Trust me, I can do far, far worse" -

It was a threat that Ritsuka wasn't interested in finding out. With that, he remained silent for the remainder of their trip, fearing whatever Shirona might make him do once they arrived at their destination. He simply closed his eyes, and tried to sleep.

The trip wasn't a long one, and soon enough the two landed in the US. More specifically however, in Washington D.C. After getting out of the plane, Ritsuka turned to the sky, feeling the same sensation that he did back in Russia, but his thoughts were cut short by Shirona, who gave him a slight push and ordered him to follow her.

"Where are we going exactly?" -

Shirona then turned her view on him with an estranged look on her face - "I thought you might have figured it out already. I don't have to spell it out for you right?" -

Then, the boy began to put everything together in his head, until coming to the conclusion of…

"You can't be serious" -

She simply smiled at his realization before waving her hand, ordering him to follow her - "Come on, we have some pests that need to be taken care of" -

The couple walked through the streets of the city, the inhabitants cheerfully getting close to their Empress and adoring her as if she was some sort of god, making Ritsuka tremble. Not only that, the attention he was getting made him sick as well, seeing how everyone treated him just like they did her, solely for being her 'son'. If only they knew the truth, although they likely wouldn't care much.

After a while of walking and getting interrupted by the civilians, the pair arrived at their objective, the White House. The building had been locked down, surprising everyone. After all, if the Empress decided to pay you a visit, you were obligated to take it.

Shirona took a step forward, speaking to the guards on the other side of the fence - "Let the president know I wish to see him" -

"We're sorry for this Lady Shirona, but the president isn't available right now" - one of the guards said, as the other remained silent.

As they talked, Ritsuka looked at the guard's eyes, noticing something that got him curious. Their eyes weren't red like the others, they were brown and green respectively. They weren't under her control.

"Then I'll wait for him inside. After all, it's been a while since I visited the White House and…" -

"Sorry, but until the president returns you're not allowed inside. Please, stay back and wait for him" - the second guard spoke.

Just as he did, Ritsuka felt Shirona's gaze lock on him, scaring the boy. And then, she gave a simple command to him.

"My dear son, open this gate for me" -