Sundenelle wipes sweat from her forehead as she works to clean blood and grime away. What few golems can be summoned are working like the magic-powered machines they are to provide what care they can to the soldiers and civilians wounded during the attack.

She is exhausted, and her own joints ache from the force the berserker delivered on her barrier, but a rush came over her when she saw triage taking place. For every five individuals on gurneys being treated with magic or manual means, there are ten more in storage bags, trapped in timeless space until they can be addressed.

The triage area is staged in a large structure near the wall, just inside the northern gate, where the severely wounded can be treated for the worst of their cases before being moved to somewhere else deeper in the Citadel for longer-term recovery.

Blood has soaked her hands, her borrowed uniform jacket and oversized pants, and even her face as she tries to do what little she can to emulate the other women and a handful of men that are working to save as many lives as they can.

She is currently treating the dattakorien man that was stationed on the anti-air gun. Without magic, the best she can do is stop the bleeding with a tourniquet and fabric. Ecklevon arrives with a limp. He has a bucket and rags that are as clean as they can hope for in this situation, and she uses them to clean as best as she can.

"Sun!" calls out a matronly woman's voice. Byleathea jogs closer. She's dressed only in her innerwear, which is normally under her fitted dress, but it's not a time for propriety, and removing the heavy outer dress to save time was a reasonable decision.

"Mother, don't try to stop me. Now's not the time."

"I'm not here to do so. Empress Ryuogriar declared it safe for us to leave the control room area for now, unless a certain loud sound starts, so I came to help. What do you need of me?"

Sundenelle is surprised, but she's too tired to care. "Uh… D-Do… Have you ever used healing magic, Mother? He needs healing magic, or his leg… I…"

Byleathea fidgets. Sundenelle knows there are secrets about her mother, but even the Emperor kept them from her, so she grew up happily and healthily.

Sundenelle whispers, "Sun, I…" She looks around at all of the people around them. Most noblewomen have to be prepared somewhat for a sight like this if their husbands or family members are soldiers. There is no shortage of bloodshed in battle, and this battle mostly took the lives of and wounded civilians. There are children too young to speak, old men and women who sacrificed everything to protect others, and humble merchants and farmers who have been wounded in ways that will impede their work for the rest of their lives.

Byleathea's eyes begin to water, and she looks at Sundenelle, torn with whatever thought is on her mind.

Ecklevon is the first one to speak, "My Lady?"

"Mother?" asks Sundenelle in turn.

"M-Move everyone out into the open who needs healing."

"What?"

"Please just do it!" cries out Byleathea, who, since her daughter became the Empress, has never raised her voice even once. Tears are flowing from her eyes, and a deep pain is tearing at her heart.

Sundenelle orders, "Everyone! Lay out all of the wounded around us! Quickly! We're going to use a spell!"

While she doesn't know what's going on, or why it has affected Byleathea so heavily when she had to run past so many fallen just to reach the young Empress in the first place, Sundenelle trusts her own mother more than anyone else in the world. The only one who might come close was her father, who passed away to a mysterious and sudden illness.

Byleathea approaches Sundenelle and puts a hand on her cheek. "My Darling Sun, please forgive me."

"Mother, what's going on!?"

"Forgive me," is all Byleathea can say before she pulls her decorative hair pin out, letting her hair fall freely.

The hairpin is innocuous at a glance; little more than a long rod similar to a crochet needle, but with decorative elements to it. It could pass as a small magic wand, but that's not how the Imperial Lady-in-Waiting holds it.

Instead, she lifts it high above her chest with both hands, the sharp point angled downwards, and she shouts at the heavens in the old Imperial language, "[I offer this blood in exchange for the divine power to heal all in my grasp! Please have mercy on the weak and wounded and grant them your blessing!]"

"Mother!" screams Sundenelle as she tries to instinctively move towards her mother, only to trip over the patient she was working on. Her hands and knees hit the ground across him as he cries out in pain, and the albino empress is left to watch in horror as the large needle-like object descends towards the matron's breast.

Suddenly, Byleathea is tackled from behind her just before the needle reaches her flesh, and while the newcomer manages to keep them on their feet, his impact was far from gentle.

However, his hand managed its real goal, and Sundenelle can only stare wordlessly, her jaw hanging open.

He has no magic of his own, supposedly, and yet, he is the one who managed to appear when she needed help most of all.

That said, a drip of his blood falls from his hand, which captured the needle near its point, and it lands on Byleathea's chest. She's only barely making sense of what's going on, and she looks at who tackled her.

"D- Emperor Daniel!? What have you done!?" From her vantage point, Sundenelle can see golden lines forming on Byleathea's exposed skin like a maze of archaic markings etching themselves onto her skin. Some kind of magic has been activated, but the young Empress has never heard of it.

Just as Daniel tries to calmly pull the needle away from her with a relieved smile, a bolt of light descends from the sky like a pillar reaching all the way to the heavens, centered around Byleathea.

That said, no part of the spell lacks in surprise as the events continue to pile on.

From the pillar of light, a magic circle expands larger than any Sundenelle has ever seen, spanning the entire courtyard of the Citadel's inner section and even crossing beyond the defensive wall. It has intricate patterns that make Sundenelle think of balance, as well as nature itself, and it glows a pure and comforting shade of golden yellow as sparkles of magic energy arise from the circle, filling the air like fireflies. Even the teenage Empress's own body feels warmer and more relaxed than ever before, while she witnesses the wounds of a woman in front of her close in a mere instant under the influence of the spell.

However, for the divine part, there's a shrill, shrieking noise that startles everyone who is able to be startled, including several others who are running up to join the group, in spite of the magic spell.

The column of light seems to be causing Daniel immense pain as he stumbles back, screaming as his body tenses. Under the flickering beams of light raining down from the heavens, it almost seems like something is being driven out of Daniel, like some sort of demon possessing him. A humongous, shadowy figure roars as it briefly flashes into existence in dark blinks, contrasting the divine energy as Daniel is seems to be slammed by the force of the holy power. He coughs, doubling over and dropping to his knees, but no position of any part of his body seems to be comfortable, and even Byleathea, who is still the center of the divine spell, is startled and fearful for what's happening.

"Daniel!" "Mukori!" call out various female voices as they rush close.

Sundenelle doesn't know what to do, but she can tell her mother's spell is healing everyone under its influence, while also causing the harm to Daniel in contrast.

Hekate appears in a flash of light at Daniel's side, exclaiming, "Daniel! What do I do!? Uh…" Thinking fast, the fox-eared girl casts a spell of her own, but it isn't able to interfere, whatever spell she uses.

Rather, the shadowy monster lets out a bellowing roar, and in tune with it, Daniel screams in a surge of pain. It retreats into his body only briefly, before a more substantive, dark shadow appears, taking the shape of an orb that causes Hekate to retreat in terror. Her fur stands on end, and her hair starts to float with radiating blue energy, but it is fear that is guiding her massive power, and she is unable to move.

The orb at the end of a shadowy tendril looks like the eyestalk of a snail, and it quickly proves to be something just like that.

The color shifts to a golden amber color with a complex dark shape in the center. It seems to be no less than the pupil of the ghastly being's eye, and which looks like it has a hypnotic and almost bewildering pattern of interwoven ribbons that double-back and weave over and under in an endless link that descends deeper and deeper into its terrifying gaze.

The dark energy that is producing the eye is rising out of Daniel's chest, and it has halted everyone in terror before its frightful presence. The monstrous eldritch horror turns its focus to Byleathea, who is still bathed in divine light descending from the heavens, though her own fear is plain to see on her face.

The shadows start to take form, creating what look to be fourteen long tendrils behind Daniel as they ooze out of him.

During that moment is when one of the next weakest Empresses of the Fievegal dashes in. Treia rushes in at a full sprint, somehow overcoming the fear that has taken hold of the entirety of the Fievegal as the monstrous abyssal creature seemingly readies to annihilate the source of its pain and rage. Everyone and everything around the eye alone are but mere pebbles before a mountain, and Sundenelle can feel a crushing weight as the divine energy of Byleathea's spell clashes with the seeming personification of havoc that is the imposing ghoul.

In spite of all of that, Treia manages to force herself forward, and she throws herself onto Daniel's back, and somehow, the phantasm shifts and wavers like it is being banished anew by a different power.

Treia reaches over Daniel as she tries to keep him safe from the titanic demonic presence with her own body; a strategy that is only tenuously working. She struggles to grab his hand, as well as the sheath of Daniel's sword. She seems to be trying to use his hand to draw the blade, but his own pain is causing him to resist her. She desperately yells over the noise, "His hand! Hekate, his hand! Help me!"

The Feldrok girl flinches, her ears flicking upwards from her fearful panic attack, and she glances at the eye and Treia in multiple turns, unable to commit to fight or flight in the presence of the terrifying mythological beast.

"Quickly Hekate! Daniel is going to die!"

This manages to snap the fox-eared girl out of her trance, and even though tears are in her eyes, she manages to scream to pump herself up. The raven-haired teen continues her battle cry as she runs forward, helping Treia wrestle Daniel's hand to the sword's hilt. The two act quickly, and as soon as Daniel's hand is on the pommel of his sword, Treia grips his fist on the weapon before waving the younger Empress away, who nervously reacts. Hekate again shows a great deal of fear to the shadowy eldritch horror, but she stands fast this time.

The tendrils waver in agony due to Treia's presence, but they manage to solidify again, and they curve to strike forth at the feldrok girl, halting as the points converge at her torso and the gaze of the giant eye narrows in on the bantam Empress.

It's a strange moment of pause, and it's quickly ended when Treia succeeds.

With the gatonine's help, the sword pops free of its sheath, and the shadowy incomplete ghost-like figure, which still towered over all of them in a greater form than even the dragons, vanishes as a strangely clear sphere of influence appears around Daniel, such that even the magic markings on the ground seem to shy away from him.

He flops down to the ground, supporting his weight on his right hand while his left holds the sword, and Treia slumps on his shoulders, panting heavily. The gatonine woman's own hands are still on his left hand, but she is more relaxed than she was a moment ago.

The golden spell from Byleathea continues for a few moments longer, before finally subsiding, leaving behind a field of restored patients, families, nurses, and golems all in a state of confusion.

The matron quickly drops to her knees, saying, "Y-... E-Empress… H-Hekate, please forgive me. I… It was the only way, but… I didn't mean for… It shouldn't even have been like…"

Ecklevon helps Sundenelle to her feet, and he urges, "Your Majesty, I'm not sure what's going on, but you should ask the questions you can."

"R-Right!" exclaims the teen, jogging closer to take her mother's side. Though, many of her most important questions are for the woman who raised her specifically.

***

Hekate's heart is racing. Everything around her is muffled in a way that only compares to when she has been caught by flashbangs or other fast explosions without protecting her hearing. There's no pain, though. Her gaze is staring ahead where a giant eye was peering into her very soul, suffocating her and smothering her with powerful mana that dwarfs everything Hekate felt before Lugrae in the way a mouse would feel before a dragon.

She doesn't know why she's still alive, and her own brain hasn't yet resumed.

"{Be calm, child. Your love is safe, and you are alive.}"

She twitches, blinking her eyes as she tries to make sense of everything.

"{The Ancient One is gone. The goddess has set it back, but you must find the courage to face it before it is able to return to the world of the living.}"

Hekate blinks, unable to make sense of what she's being told. It's simple enough to understand; the curse beast has made its presence known several times now, either intentionally or unintentionally through Daniel, and the goddess has to be Kaeralegier, which Daniel told Hekate and Wenlianna about.

But, she can feel her heart returning to normal, as does her breathing, and along with them, the vague feeling of presence that she felt when the voice guided her during her scouting mission of the Pol'vapporr.

"...-ease let me take responsibility, your Greatness. It was my request, and it was a calculated risk." Hekate's ears twitch and pivot as the voice clarifies. She pretty easily recognizes Sundenelle's proud and surprisingly mature voice for her age, speaking from behind her. Hekate pivots, studying the group gathered around her.

Patients are sitting up, children and adults are crying, both in relief and in fear.

She looks at Daniel and Treia, who are slumped on the ground, with Daniel on his hands and knees and Treia crying in relief on his shoulder.

Doephluev is looking at Hekate as if she knows something, but instead of waiting for the right moment to tease the younger woman, she instead has a deeply empathetic expression, and she patiently waits for Hekate to make sense of what's going on now that she has a moment to breathe again.

Ryuogriar is also approaching, though she is sharing glances between Hekate and Daniel, equally worried about both of them.

"We all have a lot to talk about," states Hekate finally. "Neith… I want to leave someone here, but I need you to join us. Who should stay?"

The grey dragon, as well as the other Empresses, all show a brief moment of surprise, and the young Empress looks at them briefly. She then asks, "Do you need to hear it from Doephluev?"

"No, your Greatness. I'm only surprised that you have deferred to me."

"This is a military operation, now, and you are the highest ranking General, as well as one of the most combat-experienced of us. The rest of us will choose out of emotions." She looks down and to the side. But, then she feels her tail brush against something. She looks, and there is nothing immediately apparent. But, she gently places her hand in that direction, finding a somewhat leathery soft chest, but with scales similar to the dragons. "Th-... Thank you, Yaulwembor…"

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The reptilian woman appears from thin air, surprising those closest to the two. Few have seen her in this form, including the dragon Empresses.

Hekate explains as she looks at Sundenelle and Byleathea, who are still concerned about what happened and being blamed for Daniel's suffering, specifically. "Lady Byleathea, Daniel saw what you were going to do before the rest of us, and I helped him reach you. But, something went wrong, didn't it?"

"N-... Not, well… I…" The matron winces, and she closes her eyes. "The spell… takes the life of the sacrifice…"

"What!?" asks Sundenelle with shock as she whirls to face her mother, and Geirahoel also snaps from nearby, "What!?"

The orange dragon rushes towards Daniel, but he waves to everyone, coughing lightly. "I'll make it… L-Listen… to Hekate, please…" He coughs again, and Geirahoel kneels to check on them both.

"Byleathea and Sundenelle will explain in the control room," replies Hekate as she makes sure everyone seems to be alright. "We still have people who need to be healed, but if…" She shakes her head. "Neith, have you chosen someone?"

"I will stay," volunteers Roeta as Neith gestures at the pink dragon. She is in her dragon form, but they clearly discussed it briefly.

"I am confident Dame Roeta is capable of making field judgments in my place, your Greatness."

Hekate nods. "Roeta, we're returning to the Control Room. Keep an eye on the enemies and command the defensive forces. Commanders!" Hekate raises her voices for the officers among the crowd, and they perk up. "Dame Roeta has command. Survey the civilians and get them situated in the safe zone. Roeta, if the demons launch an attack, signal for us immediately. I will be listening."

Everyone addressed by the feldrok Empress salutes, and Roeta takes control immediately, speaking to the commanders off to the side to avoid disrupting Hekate.

For her part, the teen ruler says, "Everyone gather close. I'll move us to the control room."

"We'll have to take the shuttle," replies Treia, finally having slid off of Daniel's back.

Reignleif says with her soft voice, "I shall carry Mukori. Neith, carry Treia, please. Please go ahead of us with everyone else, Hekate. We'll fly there as quickly as possible, so Nemaisol may remain drawn."

Hekate nods. She doesn't have the energy to bicker or play around. Too many things are piled up, and they need to rein everything in.

"See you in a minute…" She looks at Daniel, asking, "Daniel…?"

He smiles gently, and though he's exhausted and being supported by Geirahoel and Treia, while still on his knees, he gives Hekate a thumbs up. She smiles gently, and with that, she casts the area teleportation spell to take those she can to the Control Room.

Once there, Hekate invites everyone to sit down at the conference table, and she collapses into her usual chair just right of the head seat, where Daniel usually sits.

Doephluev takes Daniel's seat for now, but Hekate is too exhausted to care, and everyone else takes their seats, with exception of Byleathea and Sundenelle.

"Please sit down," replies Hekate. "I'm not angry. I'm scared, tired, and frustrated with everything that's trying to overwhelm us."

"You must prioritize what is most important," offers Ryuogriar. "Your priorities will, for the most part, be our priorities. I think I speak for everyone here in saying that we are family, and our family is the highest priority. But, the Fievegal is counting on us as well."

"But that monster…" starts Hekate with an urgency in her voice.

"It has a weakness," states Doephluev confidently and coldly. "And, it has angered the strongest force this world has ever seen. We will drag it out of our Darling, and we will make it suffer before we kill it."

For once, Doephluev sounds genuinely angry, and Hekate can't help but admire the passion with which she just spoke.

Kera'tai adds, "The Selkethia and the Kobolds can be handled by others. Queens Shek and Skloe have handled domestic affairs well, so there is no reason to believe they can't handle those two issues."

"Selkethia?" asks Ryuogriar.

"A race we're planning on giving citizenship to," replies the Chi'rinnis. "We encountered them on the mission to retrieve Daniel."

"I see, thank you."

"Before all that, let's address what just happened," starts Hekate. She looks to Byleathea and Sundenelle, who have nervously taken their seats at the large table, which is still missing a fair number of the Empresses, as well as Magnir, Roeta, Gold, and the Stalvaltans.

Byleathea places her hand on Sundenelle's saying apologetically, "My Daughter… I am sorry for this secret, but…" Byleathea takes a breath and trails off, struggling to confess whatever it is.

For her part, the albino teen holds her mother's hand, saying softly, "You will always be my mother, Mother. Nothing will ever break that love."

"You do not know what I have done," states the head Lady-in-Waiting to the Grand Zenkon Empress.

Byleathea stands up, straightening her dress as she summons her courage, as if she is accepting a death sentence. "I inherited the role of the Daughter of Fate, which grants me near unlimited healing power… at the cost of a life close to me."

This surprises Sundenelle, who cocks her head.

Gold, Aoloan, Vaergraes, Senn, Daniel, Reignleif, Geirahoel, Neith, Treia, Veiranoei, and the Stalvaltan family all approach the group from various entrances, with golems escorting Rikuto and his knights a ways behind Daniel's group from the flyway.

Byleathea notices this, and she says solemnly, "The greater the connection, the more powerful the spell, normally. Regardless, sacrifice grants the power." Tears start to form on her face, and she turns to face Daniel, specifically. The matron chokes out, "Why, your Grace?"

"Pardon?" asks Daniel, surprised. He can barely support his own weight, and while they are walking like he's escorting Reignleif, the dragon is actually helping support his weight.

"Why? I am the one burdened, so why? Why must you choose to take the sacrifice in my place?"

"Mother?" asks Sundenelle tenderly, and Byleathea breaks down, dropping to her knees to sob.

Daniel looks to Sundenelle, since he's obviously as confused as anyone else.

Geirahoel helps him approach the mature woman as she sobs into her hands, and the mechanic painstakingly kneels with the orange dragon's help.

"Lady Byleathea, I'm not sure what this is, but the simple answer is, I didn't think a knitting pin was going to summon Divine Judgment."

Gold snickers a little inappropriately, and Ryuogriar shoots her a light scowl. The brazen blonde dragon complains, "Whaaat? I thought it was funny that the only thing that can harm your precious Mukori Harbinger is the power of the gods."

Daniel finishes his thought, rolling his eyes at the golden superpredator. "Stopping someone who will soon be…" He clears his throat, continuing, "Another of my Mother-in-laws… Mothers-in-law? Anyways, preventing someone I care about from… taking the long walk off the short dock… That's common sense."

"But if you had known…!" cries out Byleathea, looking at his face only once before descending into sobs again.

"If I had known…" remarks Daniel softly. "If I had known, I might've made a different choice… But, if it meant saving my family,..." He smiles and puts his hand on hers, which are covering her eyes as she cries. "I'm the best person to make that choice…"

This causes Byleathea to pause, and she looks up at him. Hekate knows what he's getting at in particular; the curse will have minimal effect on him while he has no mana, which proved to be true. Whatever was supposed to happen, Byleathea genuinely believes Daniel would be on his deathbed already, by the way she's acting.

The otherworlder smirks, glad he got the woman to stop crying for a moment. "Haven't you heard? I'm the Harbinger of Calamity. The Feldrok Sorcerer." He wearily climbs to his feet, waving off Geirahoel gently to let him do it himself. He stands to his full, tall height. "I am Daniel kos Lawson! Emperor of the Fievegal, slayer of the Devourer, conqueror of the Citadel and Fort Twilight! Should it require an actual god to kill me, then I will have stood at the pinnacle of mortals and etched my name into history forever!" He scoffs, adding with a much softer smile, "And, if I died a mere fool forgotten the next day, yet having succeeded in saving even a single worthwhile life…" He offers his hand, finishing his sincere belief quietly, "I will have upheld my duty as a man and patriarch of a family."

Byleathea is hypnotized by his words, and she takes his hand, as if instinctively. He helps her to her feet, though Geirahoel and Reignleif are both standing by to make sure Daniel doesn't fall. Regardless, they are masters of preserving their chosen lover's dignity, even when they are far more powerful than he is.

Hekate watches it all; how the dragons are attentive, but not invasive, how Daniel reassures a woman whose only relation to him is through the daughter he intends to marry, and how that woman comes to trust someone she barely knows because of his gentle tone, his protective nature, and the sacrifice he's willing to make because he doesn't value his own life nearly as much as he values those of others.

Hekate's ears droop a little, and Doephluev seems to notice, but she still refrains from saying anything.

For his part, Daniel says gently, "Lady Byleathea, your power is as much a gift as it is a burden. In the times of greatest need, it can spare the people you need to spare, far outweighing the single life it seems to cost. And, in my case, my soul is not so easily claimed."

Hekate shakes her head, laying her head down on her forearms laid out on the table. Dummy… You can only say that because you've let yourself believe such curses can't work on…

The feldrok empress's ears flick upwards as she makes the realization, and she sits up. "Curse!" She points at Byleathea, repeating, "Curse! It's a curse! Your power isn't divine! It's a curse!"

"Hekate!" retorts Ryuogriar.

Still, the raven-haired teen continues as she stands up on her chair, "No! It is, it's definitely a curse! Daniel had mana, but then he got cursed, and now he doesn't. So, magic doesn't directly affect him anymore, just like he used to be! That's why he didn't die, and he won't die. Your curse requires a sacrifice!"

Senn, continuing to remain in her black-haired 'Luna' disguise, remarks pointedly, adding credibility to the passionate young girl's claims, "A curse can be bound to one's bloodline, or, for particularly powerful casters, it can be bound to individuals that meet certain conditions, even if they're unrelated to the previous holder of the curse." She cups her chin as she thinks. "There have only been a few individuals that I recall that were capable of creating such a complex curse… The Strylak being one of them."

Hekate has been fast and hard-struck with disbelief after disbelief since meeting Daniel, so hearing the name of the mythical elder creature of the sea doesn't surprise her.

If anything, we're going to have to kill it, aren't we? thinks the young Empress to herself.

As if to tease her, the voice that spoke to her during the Pol'vapporr mission and just recently replies to her, "{You are the last of the living feldroks, ruler of our legacy and the Child of Destiny. The choice will forever be yours.}"

That's helpful… thinks the young girl sarcastically.

Regardless, everyone is pondering Senn's words.

Kera'tai asks, "If it is a curse, how would Lady Byleathea's family not know that?"

"Because it's not from her family," replies Doephluev, looking to the matron in question.

Byleathea gives a nod of confirmation, and she looks at Sundenelle. "Sun,... My precious daughter…"

"Father…" whispers Sundenelle, piecing it together at once. That can be the only explanation for the young empress of the former most powerful Empire on the continent, since the Demon Covenant wasn't nearly as organized to be called one.

Byleathea chokes up, nodding softly as Daniel does his best to support her.

Hekate sighs. "I may be an idiot, but at least I'm not smart."

This causes some confusion with everyone present, and Gold, who is confused, yet ever-playful, retorts, "Well, at least you know…"

Hekate scowls at her, but she clarifies her point. "I only know what I know. And, what I know is that curses are one of the problems plaguing this world. As the living embodiment of magic, I find it offensive that curses are allowed to propagate in this world."

The feldrok girl holds her hand out, declaring proudly, "Lady Byleathea; you are a subject of the Fievegal, so long as the Grand Zenkon Empire cooperates with and allies itself with us, the Fievegal. That means you are under our protection, and by the grace of all of our allies, from weakest to strongest, we shall make efforts to purge these curses from Zenkon and all the land across which the Fievegal reaches. Curses can be applied to people, and they can be disabled by the legendary sword Nemaisol. That means what you have is a curse. I think. And, if it's a curse, we'll find a way to remove it. Eventually."

"No… No, this power… It's been confirmed many times to be of the Divine element. It is the power of the gods."

"If the curse made you live forever even when you want to die because it heals all of your own sicknesses and wounds, would it stop being a curse?" asks Hekate rhetorically. "If it makes you immune to magic spells, especially enchantments, would it stop being a curse?" She gestures at Daniel. "I am the Founding Empress of the Fievegal, and I have it on… pretty good authority… I think… that the gods and goddesses don't care enough to go around asking for sacrifices in order to complete one spell to heal a bunch of mortals." She points somewhat accusatorily at Lady Byleathea, stating in her most official 'Hekate voice' yet, "So, as an Empress of the Fievegal, by the power vested in me and all of the authority that I know how important it is, I, Hekate fell Lawson, declare this magic to be a curse, and one we will do what we can to unburden you from."

This seems to give the matron some conflict, and she looks around uneasily at everyone else.

"As you can see," adds Hekate proudly. "I have not been struck down for blasphemy, meaning I am right. But, there is a cost, Lady Byleathea of… the Empire."

"I granted her my and my Imperial Father's name of Lindenmorg, your Greatness," explains Sundenelle softly.

"Very well. Lady Byleathea kos Lindenmorg; you will have to clarify more how this spell works, and if you're willing, who it is exactly you traded for the Emperor."

"It wasn't… that," replies Byleathea. "Though…" She fidgets, looking at Sundenelle.

The Imperial daughter smiles softly and cups her mother's cheek. "Mother, whatever the story is, I want to hear it. I cannot forgive you until I hear the story requiring forgiveness. And, knowing Father,... you made the right choice."

Lady Byleathea begins crying again, and Sundenelle hugs her, glancing at Hekate, and then at Rikuto, who is waiting a few yards back awkwardly with Klur and their respective men.

Hekate states, "Sort yourself out first, Lady Byleathea. The King of Mornistae needs addressed as well."

The feldrok Empress looks down at Doephluev when the latter pats her forearm, but for once, the archoneldwyn simply gives a thumbs up. Hekate feels a little relieved, but the mountain of problems is still growing faster than it's shrinking, and Rikuto is almost certainly going to give her more problems.

"Sundenelle, you and your Mother may stay or excuse yourselves," states Doephluev. "King Rikuto, please join us here and tell us what is so urgent."

The Japanese man sighs and steps forward, seeming relieved, rather than too exasperated. He's weary as well, and Hekate momentarily ponders something.

I wonder if I've had the luxury of goofing around too much, and if that's what I'd be like if I was actually expected to be an Empress properly.

She looks at her fellow Empresses, who at one point, were threats to her from a romantic perspective. While Hekate still feels lonely sometimes since she can't have Daniel all to herself, she is thankful to have such a large and growing family to learn from, to play with, and to otherwise help her be what little of an Empress she manages to pretend she is. Unfortunately, like Daniel, she doesn't really have much actual interest in being a leader, so much as having the unrepentant freedom so much power comes with.

So, she decides not to play games with Rikuto, who has enough on his plate.

"If you're here about your imprisoned nobles, King Rikuto, I'm afraid that we haven't had time to question them, so you'll have to offer…"

"Please excuse me, your Greatness," interrupts Rikuto as carefully as he can. "As was discussed at the peace conference, I unfortunately bore witness to Margrave Niulglodsa's reprehensible actions that could have jeopardized the peace between us. And, truthfully, I believe you already know the situation. I no longer have the artifact, the void artilleries, or the otherworlder Zuzia within my grasp."

"I see," replies Hekate. "That explains why you went… undercover."

"I can explain," starts Rikuto, but Hekate silences him with her hand up.

She hops down off of her chair, saying somewhat playfully in reply, "I understand. Daniel refused to dress up with me as the super heroes in his phone, so I will certainly only envy you from afar."

"What? When did this conversation ever happen?" asks Treia.

"When we were sleeping together!" retorts Hekate.

Rikuto twitches, and Hekate notices. She has a devious plan all of a sudden, and she declares, "That's right! The rumors of Daniel's rakish deeds are all true! I am his first and favorite lover. We sleep together almost every night, after he sneaks away from all these temptresses, and we do unspeakable things."

"Yes, yes, unspeakable, truly," jokes Ryuogriar, as if playing along.

Doephluev sighs, grumbling, "You were doing so well, too. I almost had genuine respect for you…"

"Quiet,..." growls the feldrok teen.

Rikuto looks at Daniel, and Hekate panics, saying, "What!? I'm telling the truth! Don't look at him like I'm lying! Daniel and I have spent many nights together! I'm just… Ahem… I haven't had my… uh… menarche yet."

This actually confuses Rikuto, since it's not a commonly used word to begin with, since it is so specific in regards to a woman's cycle; specifically the very first time it starts.

Daniel simply sighs, and he says, "Let's all… just have a seat. We promised to hear both sides. Doephluev…"

"Hey! Don't ignore me, Daniel! If I don't say something, he'll start to wonder why we don't have an heir!"

"You, yourself, declared Jieka to be the Crown Princess," remarks Treia dryly. "Is that only true until your children your born?"

"Wha-!? No! I just…" Hekate blushes and realizes that no one, not even the goblin soldiers, believe her lies.

The raven-haired teen sighs and sits down, pouting silently. Doephluev pets her head, earning a glare as she encourages Daniel to continue, "You were saying, Darling?"

"I suggest we start with Rikuto, since we need to hear more about what happened. If Klur's men suspected it was a trap set by Rikuto, then we'll work through that AFTER we figure out what's going on."

Doephluev nods in agreement. "Please, join us gentlemen. Your subordinates may sit in the lounge over there until we need to call upon them."

Rikuto nods at the knights, who obediently walk with the goblin soldiers to the lounge seating nearby. The Control Room has been kept rather large and open, and while the terminal that changed Daniel's and Hekate's lives forever is still present, they have restructured the Citadel to require an input at the terminal in the control room before then working one's way all the way back to the core, which means even someone who manages to override the control room terminal without killing Daniel would still have to fend off the Citadel's defenses and the Empresses of the Fievegal to try to take over the Citadel itself.

Soon enough, the Citadel defenses at the core will be impenetrable.

But, let's focus on the here and now, thinks Hekate to herself. If Rikuto expects me to take in another mistress for Daniel…

She looks at Daniel, who approaches his normal seat, and Doephluev giddily makes him sit before plopping down onto his lap.

Ugh… Whatever… He'll be mine for something like a year straight after all of this. I suppose that's not so bad. Heh heh heh.

Rikuto explains, "The first thing I would like us to cooperate on, after you hear me out, is rescuing Zuzia. If nothing else, having the fate of one of our fellow… Earthlings be one of tragedy would haunt me forever."

"Let's hear it," declares Doephluev. "Start from the beginning."

***

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