Obsidia Palace

"There's been news of an uprising."

The throne room of Obsidia Palace is so quiet that the tiniest movement could be heard echoing off the wall. But not a soul moves an inch. Most of the room's inhabitants don't move because the words are unbelievable. An uprising, here, in the Dark Realm? Who would dare?

Ever since the Crimson Emperor's reign began, the Dark Territory changed much from its "strong rules the weak" mantra, but it still has a place in society. After the emperor's disappearance, some challenged for the right to rule. Some were the leaders of the respective civilizations of the realm. Some were upstarts with no actual claim to their name. Some of those people are present as members of the Dark Council. All were following the rules of the Law of Power to challenge the one in power and dethrone them. If the challenger wins, they ascend; if they lose, at least they get to live.

And for the most part, those challengers are biding their time until power changes hands again.

But a rebellion goes against that rule and directly affronts the Dark Council and the Imperial throne. Such a thing is punishable by death. The Law of Power was kept to prevent rebellions and allow those who had an issue with power to try to gain it for themselves. And the idea of open rebellion should be impossible.

The few that aren't stunned by the idea of a rebelling forming have more grave thoughts on their mind. They've been waiting for something to happen since the Abyssal Horror attack and defeat. Three Integrity Pilots were surprisingly attacked for a month. It shouldn't have happened based on the reported movements from Admina, so there's only one conclusion from the lie: Admina, or someone using Admina, is rebelling against the Star Empire.

While Star Law equates the Unification Council and the Dark Council, the ruling body of the Dark Realm has the right not to get involved in the matter. The foil to the Integrity Pilothood, the Imperial Knighthood, was not involved nor has been asked to help in the investigation. In light of that, the Dark Council decided to see what would happen.

And the result leads the Dark Council to this very moment. Slowly and in unison, the representatives of the four demihuman races (the orcs, the giants, the mountain goblins, and the flatland goblins), two of the three wings of the Imperial Army (the Dark Mages, the Pugulist Guild, and the Dark Knights) and other human leaders of lesser groups such as the merchants' guild turn their heads from the messenger to the seat at the head of the obsidian table. Only one seat is empty, that of the overseer of the Dark Territory's Outer Continent colony beyond the Walls at the End of the World.

Seated at the head of the table is a bronzed man with short, dark blonde hair and burning brown eyes. Besides a red cape held over his shoulders and a pin attached to it, his upper body is bare for all to see and marvel at his muscles. His right hand strokes the stubble of hair on his chin as he frowns himself and turns in his seat. His first glance is to his right, where a man stands erect fully in black and purple armor from head to toe. The human underneath is the strongest man in the Dark Realm and the leader of the Imperial Dark Knights and the Special Forces, also known as the Kureha. He, too, is looking back at the seated man.

If Supreme Commander Sikhan Auratum and Knight Commander Acras Zancale know each other well, they both think this is the moment the Council has been waiting for - and so they look to the seated figure behind them on the throne of Obsidia Palace.

A fair-skinned woman whose youthful looks don't match her centuries-old age. Long grey-brown hair stems straight down from her head, topped by a headband made to look like a crown. All her garments are black with gold and red accents: the armor that covers her upper torso and waist, the skirt, leggings, and boots down her legs, and the unconnected sleeves down her arms. If anyone thought her to be some dancer, it would be an understandable mistake. However, it would be folly to express that assessment unless one believes it is right to offend the most powerful person in the Dark Territory and, with the Star rulers and the occupant of the seat to her right gone, the Underworld as a whole.

She's the Abyssal Empress of the Dark Territory and the former tenth member of the old Order of Intergrity Knighthood, Eydis Synthesis Ten.

Her blood-red eyes are narrow as she raises her right leg over her left. "An uprising, you say?"

"Y-yes, Your Majesty. My station is in the southern region, and we were ambushed. I was left alive to give you this very message." Eydis' expression doesn't relax at the reconfirmation. Her eyes wander to the Dark Council table, vetting every one of them. 17 years ago, either a councilor or the leader of the tribe they speak for tried to usurp her according to the Law of Power, and it is no secret to her that their ambitions are simmering until Sylvie takes the throne. Eydis can't say she particularly enjoys such measures - in contrast, the emperor encouraged such matters more than he should've, and the young princess is following his footsteps.

But the Dark Council, the leaders of the tribes, or any other challenger wouldn't contrive such a plot. They wouldn't let a single knight live to fake their shock in the presence of the empress. If they did, they'll have to work hard to hide it, else they'll be subjected to why Eydis hasn't been challenged in nearly two decades. No, this has to be someone who isn't afraid of the empress as a person or her mastery of the dark element.

"Continue."

"They were giant-led and great in numbers. They're in the southern wilderness. Our platoon of dark knights and goblin archers met them in combat...but the situation looks bleak."

"I-impossible!" Glaring at the lone knight, the councilor for the giants sharply stands up. He doesn't get far, for Eydis taps her foot against the heel of the throne. The councilor corrects himself and petitions the throne. "Your Majesty, this cannot be! Chief Rinogar would not-"

"I am well aware of the chief's...undying loyalty," Eydis remarks cooly. "But what about yours, Councilor Ogromny? How do I know you're not behind this?" Ogronmy tenses up, and his mouth clenched close. Eydis allows a smirk to grace his eye while gesturing for him to sit. Eyes back on the messenger, she nods to him. "Yes, giants are hard to beat. From your experience, do you believe Chief Rinogar is behind this?"

"No, Your Majesty. For one, he wasn't the one who sent me here. It was a human..."

"...Your Majesty." That voice comes from the representative and leader of the Dark Mages, Mer Ag Ina. Her slender frame, clothed in a long, alluring dark robe that leaves nearly nothing of her tanned skin to the imagination, bows her head to Eydis before addressing her. "Do you think Admina is behind this? It's been a month, and I believe the knight's report is missing that key feature. If the Star Empire were behind this...they wouldn't be so obvious."

"I agree, and I somewhat do. Admina's probably acting against us now. We haven't been updated on the situation by the Unification Council or the Pilothood, have we?"

"No, we haven't," Sikhan states. "The most news our scouts have is some weird movements by Commander Herlentz and the Pilothood the last three days. None seems to have anything to do with Admina, which is why I haven't reported on it.."

"Hmm...but there's a reason you mention this now, right?"

"Yes. If Admina is acting now... Well, I should describe what's happened. For the last three days, mechamobiles have been lingering outside the Orthinanos residence north of the capital, the Arabel residence in the northern city, and at an intersection in the northern city. I just got a report that they all moved, most likely to the air forces' base. But before that... an incredible Incarnameter was reading three days ago at the Arabel home that the northern officers responded to. A similar level to the two instances a month ago."

Eydis keeps her expression neutral, but on the inside, her inner thoughts conclude the only possible reason the Pilothood would strategically place mechamobiles, and they all leave today. However, she needs to confirm her assumptions. "Who entered those cars?"

"The first to move was the one on the road. It picked up a male dressed in black. The one outside the noble housing picked up two women. The one residing outside the Orthinanos manor picked up another male, then a female an hour later. And there's something more." Sikhan looks up to Eydis at this point, clearing her throat. "Just before the meeting, I received another report. Two cars, marked as belonging to the Star Empire, were leaving the woods in the plains north of Centoria. In one of the cars...Mary was present."

Eydis only holds on to her stern expression by willpower alone this time. Sikhan called someone Mary, which to the greater council may mean nothing more than weird news, but to Eydis, Sikhan, and two others, that is the name of the empress' sister and the codename for Princess Sylvie.

And if what Sikhan is saying is true... Well, there's a good chance nothing has happened.

She waves her hand, gesturing for things to be moved along. "We'll talk in greater detail about those findings, Sikhan, but for now, we will act as if Admina is acting against both the Unification and Dark Council. We'll take care of this uprising in our land first..." Her eyes glaze over to the kneeling soldier in front of the councilors. "Tell me, what message were you sent to speak to me?"

"Yes. He left me a message. 'Our time has come. For one hundred years, we waited. We bide our strength while you got comfortable in your vestiges of power. You believed your people were safe and the gods protected you. You ruled with the otherworlders, trusted to keep their accomplishments in order. As your quest for peace has blinded you, you assumed that no force could challenge you. You kept his weapon here...and we've come to exact his final revenge."

The knight then says a phrase Eydis hadn't heard spoken in two centuries. Words that harken her back to her darkest days that invoke the memories of jealousy and loneliness. Two words...and they hold incredible weight on Eydis' soul.

"'Nativitas Mundi.'"

If Eydis had been any slower, the sudden attack would have killed half of the Dark Council and severely injured the other half. She was lucky her Incarnate Shield projected around the table as the poor knight's body expanded and exploded with an unnatural blast of heat and wind elements. But what's surprising is that the surge of the sacred arts did not originate within the knight.

The power was conjured from a distant location, blasted through the windows of the throne room, and struck the man.

As the councilors gain their bearings and funnel out of the throne room under Acras' direction, Eydis comes down from the throne, using Incarnation to trace back the source of the explosion. It is a skill not many people, no matter how high their System Control value is, can accomplish, but for someone who used to be an Integrity Knight, it is no small matter. Timing is essential, though, for the residual of casted arts linger only for a few seconds.

Eydis' senses follow the spell to the southwest, but it stops unnaturally outside of Obsidia. Something or someone is blocking tracing outside Obsidia. An Incarnameter, which works similarly in mechanical form, would have the same trouble. But she has a general location...and that's not all.

Something else catches her attention, and it's right here in this very room.

"...Sikhan, Acras, go. You have your orders."

"A-and leave you here? Lady Eydis, I don't-"

"Sikhan, she has given her orders."

"...Alright. Come."

As the two most trusted members of her council depart the throne room, Eydis throws her hand out to close the metal doors with wind arts. Once the thudding of their closure bounces across the walls of the near-empty chamber, Eydis reaches down to her waist for the sheath hanging off it. Once upon a time, another sheath was present there, but that was a different time and a different walk of life for Eydis. Those days are gone, and no matter how long she longs for those simpler times, that part of her life has disappeared.

The sword at her side is made of an obsidian alloy, perfectly mimicking the strength and lightness of her old partner but lacking its power. She flicks the sword a little out of its sheath with her thumb, enough to acknowledge the other presence in the room. "No use in hiding." Eydis turns halfway away from the window to look into the quiet chamber. "Show yourself."

"And why should I do that?" replies a voice. Its origin and whether it is masculine or feminine is indiscernible to Eydis, and they're hiding themselves and their Incarnation with Incarnation. Eydis only detected the person via her mastery of the dark arts. Passively sensing movements in the shadows. A skill she honed greatly the previous two centuries in case of assassination plots or matters like this.

Fortunately, sunlight brightens the room from the windows on the same side as Eydis, so there are only three areas of darkness: the two corners of the room on the west side. One is by the entrance to the throne room to the northwest, and the other is to the left of the throne. And because the throne area blocks a good amount of sunlight, the corner to the right is blanketed in shadows.

There's only one logical position of the enemy, but Eydis plays coy. She steps away from the windows, sighing as if the endeavor truly troubles her. "Fine, hide all you want. Your ally out on the mountains will be found in due time, and I pray it is the Imperial Forces who get to them first, not the special forces. Lord Zancale is a...tough man, and his proteges are apples off the same tree."

"I'm not worried at all."

"Heh. So be it. Let's discuss the real issue. What's the purpose of ambushing my soldiers, this assassination attempt on the Dark Council? If you're aligned with Admina, I must ask for equal treatment. Sticking the Abyssal Horror on three pilots versus this pathetic attempt at what can only be seen as a paltry uprising... You underestimate the Dark Territory."

"And let's say I have nothing to do with Admina, then what?"

"Then I must question the other thing... 'Nativitas Mundi.' How do you know those words?"

The disembodied voice chuckles, but for some reason, Eydis doesn't feel there's any humor in it. There's an overall absence of emotions in the person's voice, which hits Eydis hard. Another reminder of that horrible ordeal before she became empress.

"How does any living creature learn anything? Part of it is by nature. Eating, sleeping, and breathing, it's ingrained in our souls and passed down the generations. The other is by nurture, and for two hundred years, we've nurtured a hatred for those beyond our world and their allies. We know the Gladius Filius is here, and I'll retrieve it somehow. It is time we honor the promise the First Son exclaimed unto thee, and open the path for his reign to begin...starting with you."

Eydis lifts her head as footsteps echo in the chamber from the northwest corner. Out of it comes a figure about her height, entirely robed in black. If Eydis could guess the figure's sex by the slender form, they're female or a very slim male. A hood hides their face, and in their hands is a spear. The blade has an eerie dark glow around it, heightening in intensity as the figure enters a sprint and thrusts the bladed end at Eydis' face.

The empress leans back, keeping her eyes on the darkness within the hood. Her right hand lifts, and a green light appears at the tip of her pointing finger. Eydis fires the unrefined wind element at her attacker's chest, pushing them with a small but intense burst of wind. They slam against the wall and collapse on the floor, grumbling in pain.

Feeling cheeky, Eydis crosses her arms and smirks. "Oh, come on. You did all that talking to miss your attack?"

"..."

"Dragon got your tongue?"

"...As one of the seven, I humbly accept the will of the First Son. His power makes me the master of the spear, and my mastery will create my fate. I accept the call of the Gladius Filius and will pierce all my enemies to invoke its will." The robed figure leaps towards Eydis, the bladed end of the spear regaining its threatening glow. Eydis draws her rapier this time, parrying the spear with ease. She continues to block the enemy's attacks without giving it much effort. Either that's a tell-tale sign of their ineptitude with the spear, or the enemy is holding back themselves. The latter seems foolish to believe, for Eydis is the empress for one reason: her renowned power. She's a former Integrity Knight too. It would be unwise not to take her seriously in a duel.

It's like she's fighting a child picking up a greatsword. The spearperson's movements are so sloppy she has to question their training. And as someone who has seen various sword styles across both sides of the End Mountains, Eydis makes three key deductions about her enemy.

One: Their aggression gives their nationality away as a dark realmer.

Two: They're new to the spear or feigning ignorance to mess with Eydis.

Three: Because of the latter, they're not holding the spear properly concerning the body. Instead of being centered on the pole, they're more towards the distal blunted end...but Eydis believes this is intentional because not many people know that Eydis' sword is not the one they should fear.

Wait, no. Deduction three is slowly slipping away. As the spear and sword press against each other, the spear-person steps toward Eydis. A dangerous move if they believed the sword was the Dark Slash Sword. What happens next breaks down deduction two immediately; the figure pulls down and forward with their inferior hand, the opposing motions with their superior hand. It spins the spear like a wheel. The upward and back motion of the bladed end takes Eydis' sword up with it, breaking Eydis' guard. The blunted end swings up, thumping her on the chin.

And as smooth as the sudden attack, the robed figure chants, "Finisher Art: Gungnir!" Eydis tries to prepare for what's to come - and finds her body screaming in pain a moment later. She looks down at her abdomen, the entire blade of the spear skewering her body. When did this happen...how did it happen without her noticing... Her guard might've been broken, but she could have reacted with an Incarnate Shield, so why hadn't she...

Did the spear move at a speed so fast Eydis couldn't see it?

"You were right. Those who followed the will of the First Children had not been defeated. You have been deceived, Lady Eydis. And now, your reign has come to an end." The hooded head looks up to Eydis, and in that moment, Eydis looks at the person's face. All she can see is a pair of bronze orbs, lightened with malice and hatred. Weakened and feeling her life slip by with every second, Eydis drops to her knees.

Over three hundred and a half years has Eydis lived. She was born to a family in Wesdareth, but in her teenage years, she lost her parents. Her little sister was also sickly, so all Eydis did was take care of her until she broke the Taboo Index and was forced to serve as a servant of Administrator. For decades, she was known as Eydis Synthesis Ten, her past erased, her future locked into protecting the Human Empire from the enemies of the Pontifex.

Her freedom came with the Pontifex's death and failed resurrection, but it wasn't all bad in that era. She made new friends with the other knights, including her beloved Alice Synthesis Thirty. After her freedom, she'll regain the fragments of her memories Administrator kept, find love in Jaymes, and sisterhood with Medina Orthinanos. She'll become the Empress of the Dark Territory and meet new people in the world she spent her knighthood fighting. She would lose her place in the Integrity Order but not the relationships forged. And most of all, she has a daughter that gives her a second chance to live simply as Eydis.

"Mother!"

That harsh, powerful voice of Sylvie's... She can hear it well in her final moments, as if her daughter is right there.

Alice and Jaymes have left for the real world with Kirito and Asuna. Medina has long passed to the other side. Sylvie is on the other side of the world, and once news reaches that her mother has died...no, she has her instructions on what to do if a situation comes. She's to head to the World End's Altar and get her father's attention...and Jaymes, he'll be shocked by the news. She should have told him last he was here, but she didn't want to make him feel guilty. The Jaymes she befriended, fought two wars, and still loves are still there, but the person she spent two hundred years after the war is long gone. "I'm sorry, Sylvie and Jaymes..."

"Get away from my mother!" Wait...is that not her imagination? Eydis looks up, and her jaw hits the floor. The purple-colored uniform of a top-ranked student of Norlangarth's academy...a sword crafted from the bones of a feline beast...and the pale blond hair that she would recognize even if it had been centuries since she's seen it.

Sylvie stands between her mother and the robed figure, their weapons creaking against each other. The enemy looks stupified by the princess' sudden appearance. As they jump back in retreat, Sylvie stands firm while a healing warmth covers Eydis' lower back. "Huh... Cordelia? What are you two doing here?"

Cordelia smiles at the empress while using healing arts to control the wound as best as possible. "We were on our way here, actually, but we were planning to sneak in and out."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. Turns out that-"

"Say no more, Cordelia," Sylvie sharpy snarls. Her body projects her rage through Incarnation, with feline ears on top of her head and a tail coming from her back. Her focus is predatory, too...but she can't fight this foe.

Cordelia sighs as she gets up and brandishes her sword. "I swear, you are annoying...but she's going to find out one way or another."

"...That's neither here nor there. What about the enemy?"

"I'm sure the one they went after knows now, but we'll do this your way."

"Stand down...get out of here." Eydis tries to get up, but the pain in her abdomen fights back. She ignores it as best as possible as she looks at the two bickering teenagers, then at the frozen-robed figure ahead of them. "This person is powerful. Their abilities...neither of you has mastered the first level of Perfect Weapon Control, and even if you had, you couldn't take-"

"Enhance Armament!" Cordelia's sword glows red as a storm of thin, red petals burst from the crimson weapon and shoot toward the figure in black. They bring up an Incarnate Shield to protect themselves. Meanwhile, Cordelia continues the storm with a grin on her face. "Don't worry, Your Highness. I have mastered the enhancing phase, and besides, we have our orders to save you."

"F-from who..."

As Cordelia's attack subsides, the robed figure regains their composure and shakes their head. Whether in a hard place or unwilling to fight, they aim their hidden sight at Eydis. "Hmph. It doesn't matter. The empress will die either today or in three days. You may have healed the wound, but the poison will settle soon. And there's only one cure - which my lord keeps."

"What?" Sylvie shouts. Her feline features become more intense. "Give me the cure, or I'll make you wish you never set foot in this castle."

The hood lowers, almost like the person underneath has other thoughts. "If you wish to save her, then I'll invite you. But be warned, Princess - you cannot defeat my lord or any of us. We who follow Primus' will shall have our revenge on your family." The being snaps their fingers and vanishes a second later. The spell is precisely the same traveling spell as the one Eydis uses, which she learned from the First Children two hundred years ago. Sylvie chose her father's method with the wind elements and Incarnation.

"They're gone..." Sylvie's form relaxes, and her Incarnation vanishes. She looks at her mother with a concerned expression. "The poison..."

Eydis holds herself on her feet by using her sword as a crux. "Ugh... Don't worry about it. We got more pressing issues. Cordelia, help me to my quarters."

"Y-yes, Lady Eydis."

"But Mother-"

Sylvie's thoughts for her mother first and foremost please Eydis, but an angry, pride-wounded Abyssal Empress hides the doting mother persona. "Send word to the guard to lead Sikhan and Acras to my chambers when they return. Only their person and their report of the mountain is to come. Summon Merls, too, then bar access to the forty-ninth floor. Once you do that, meet me there. We must prepare for the worst-case scenario."

"What scenario?"

The empress opens her mouth, but her tongue is interrupted by the rumbling of the throne room. From the western window, a blinding sphere brightens the afternoon hour. It's like the sun itself, on.a miniature scale, had descended down to Cardina and blew the ground underneath to dust. Seconds later, the sound of the blast coming from the sun enters her ears, deafened by the distance and the windows. 200 years ago, Eydis would have thought that to be the power of an Integrity Knight, but there's only one group these days who can unleash an ability as such.

"...The return of the First Son and his followers...and you, Sylvie."