(A/N: Please see author's thoughts. Thank you.)
Days passed at the Elysium palace and both of the Albatross sisters were becoming increasingly fed up with the situation.
The Emperor would make ridiculous requests that Isabella refused to fill.
Such as sleeping on her chest or lap and marrying him.
He even wanted her to bathe with him and tried to follow her into her personal bathroom when she needed to wash. Isabella blocked him from the door with a black barrier.
No matter how many times she refused, this idiot child seemed to still be infatuated with her.
Even worse, Jarbold had begun to try secretive attempts to control her.
At one point, she was also made to keep watch outside of his room while he mercilessly beat and raped one of his female slaves.
Isabella wanted to help with every fiber of her being as Stella was tormented and begged for help...but Isabella had her orders.
Not to kill either of them...
It was starting to darken her mind because it was a constant occurrence... Jarbold had many female slaves, after all...
Each time, he would ask Isabella if she wanted to join in...and he would subtly try to chip away at her with his mind control.
As if something like that would work...
Lastly, the news of the war breaking out was all over the place.
Supposedly a man referred to as Elysium's newest weapon of mass destruction, named: The Emerald Demon, had utterly annihilated one of their ports in a matter of minutes.
The Emperor had made comments about him being a good soldier and that he should stay far away on the front lines until they took over the world... Potentially working far away for a while after as well.
As if Isabella would wait that long.
As if...Cassandra...would wait that long.
And she had gone completely mad with vengeful rage.
Not being near Mizik was causing her severe mental stress, anxiety, and turmoil.
Isabella had taken to practicing her swordsmanship and defensive techniques in private to keep her mind off of things.
She and Mizik also possessed the exact same abilities on their two differently-named passives.
Isabella could tell her power was immense at this point.
Cassandra was also affected.
The Blessing of the Creator passive had begun to attach itself to her as well...
Isabella assumed it was because their souls were bound together.
Although whether or not it would remain on her if they were separated was still up for debate.
Currently, Isabella stood next to the Emperor's throne and was completely ignoring his idiotic ramblings.
"Big sister Isabella, I have a really nice Empire, right? Aren't I awesome? Why don't you marry me?"
"Idiot child...do you want a sister or a wife? Or is it both? You're disgusting..."
"You usually don't think that way, Isabella."
"Pardon me. I hate this Emperor..."
"I wasn't saying to stop. I hate him too. Can I kill him, yet?"
"Hopefully soon..."
Isabella remained silent as the Emperor continued.
"You have such pretty hair, big sister Isabella. How did you get the color to look so perfect? I don't like pink but it looks good on you. What color is it originally?"
"Pink, you idiot!"
"It's...pink. It's naturally like this..." Isabella said.
"Oooooh. You're so nice, big sister Isabella! Hey, why did you marry someone like Marvin, anyway? He's a nobody and looks really mean. You should marry me instead! I'm an Emperor! And I'm always nice to everyone!"
"We've been over this, your Majesty. I am already married...and I cannot produce any heirs..." Isabella said, suppressing her rage.
The Emperor smiled and laughed.
"I had a thought! If Vakra made me immortal like you, I wouldn't need any heirs, right? Then we could be together forever! And you can finally get rid of that useless Marvin. Don't worry, I'll make sure he stays far away from us. He won't bother us ever again! So how about it?"
"You little bastard...how dare you.." Isabella mumbled quietly.
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"I said, what a generous offer. But I have to decline...for the hundredth time..." Isabella said.
"Hmmm...is there something you want? Like money or jewelry? The ring Marvin gave you isn't as nice as one I could get. That ring looks kind of cheap and ugly," Emperor Alwen said.
"Alwen."
"Huh? No, I'm Emperor Alwen. You're supposed to call me Emperor! But I'll forgive you if you marry-"
Isabella slapped him across the face.
Not just a normal slap, either...
Alwen was went flying across the room and slammed into a wall.
He wasn't dead, but he had been knocked unconscious.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!!! YOU DAMN BRAT!!! JUST DIE ALREADY!!!" Isabella screamed in rage.
The elite soldiers immediately lowered their weapons towards Isabella.
"HOW DARE YOU HARM HIS MAJESTY!!! PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES!!!" One of them shouted.
Then they started shooting at Isabella with the energy rifles on the ends of their halberds.
"Tch..."
Isabella rolled her eyes and formed a barrier around herself. But it wasn't just a normal barrier.
Each time the shots connected, they flew straight back to where they came from.
Most of the soldiers destroyed their own weapons by accident and looked at Isabella in confusion.
"The Emperor didn't name me 'The Invincible Knight' without just cause. Try if you like, but the next person to attack me will die," Isabella said coldly.
At once, one of the elite guards charged at Isabella with his energy halberd.
Sadly, he never reached her.
Isabella had long since known of other ways to use The Priestess Aspect. It mainly allowed for support and healing abilities as well as control of the light element.
Since Mizik was usually the attacker, and since Cassandra could also fulfill that role, there was no need for Isabella to attack most of the time.
But this was different...
A hidden ability that could be used with The Priestess, was the ability to lay curses on people...or smite them with divine power.
One such curse, was the form of reverse regeneration and healing.
The guard screamed in agony as he stopped dead in his tracks when Isabella's cursed light enveloped him.
His flesh melted off as his armor eroded and fell apart.
The other guards looked on in horror and Isabella cursed ten more of them in an instant the same way.
After they fell, the remaining nine looked at her in terror.
"What? Is that it? I haven't even gotten started. You realize that no matter what you try, you won't kill me, right?" Isabella said coldly.
The remaining guards stayed in their positions as Isabella walked over to Alwen and picked him up by his robe.
She healed him and immediately, he opened his eyes.
"Wh...what...big sister Isabella!? Why did you hit me!? That hurt! Guards! Take her away!!!" Alwen shouted.
Isabella looked over at the guards and simply waited for one of them to make a move.
One of them boldly stepped forward.
"We...WE MUST PROTECT HIS MAJESTY!!!" He shouted valiantly.
And a second later, his brave shouting was followed by horrifying screaming as he was made an example of.
"AHHHHHH!!!! IT BURNS!!! MY...MY BODY IS...MEL...TIIIIIING....!"
"ANYONE ELSE FEEL LIKE TESTING ME!?" Isabella screamed.
Alwen looked at her with fear in his eyes.
"Why are you being so mean!? What did they do to-"
Isabella slapped him across the face again.
Then he started crying and she slapped him again.
"SHUT UP! YOU DAMN BRAT!!! SHUT THE HELL UP!!!" Isabella screamed.
[Excellent, my wielder. Release your frustrations. Do not hold in your feelings! You will only see change by speaking out!]
"Please be quiet, Bravery..."
Then as his sobs turned into wailing she threw him to the ground and eroded one of his arms off.
"WAAAH...AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! IT HURTS!!! PLEASE STOP!!!!" Alwen screamed.
Then Isabella healed him back to his original state.
His crying ceased and she looked down at him in disgust.
"I will continue to serve you under the condition that you will stop pestering me. Actually, stop talking to me altogether. You're a stupid, annoying brat who has absolutely no place on the throne. You are a spineless and naive bastard child. A filthy piece of trash," Isabella said coldly.
"B-big...sister Isabella...? That...that's-"
Isabella kicked him in the teeth with her metallic boot and he flew back into the wall again.
She let him cry and scream because of his shattered teeth for a few minutes and then healed him again.
"I control the state of your body. I can heal you and cause your flesh to decay. If you cross me, I will inflict horrible pain on you until you apologize. And by the way, stop calling me big sister. In case you were wondering, that is why I kicked you. IF YOU CALL ME BIG SISTER ONE MORE TIME, I WILL ROT YOUR ARMS AND LEGS OFF PERMANENTLY!!!" Isabella screamed.
Alwen looked at Isabella with a horrified expression.
"G...g....guards...please... Help me!" He managed.
No one stepped forward.
Isabea had projected a wall of faint light inches in front of all of the remaining guards.
"Go on. Step through my light. I dare you," Isabella said coldly.
None of them moved an inch.
And then for the next hour, Isabella ruthlessly beat Alwen into submission.
Every time he came close to death, she healed him.
Once it had passed, Alwen sat on the throne with dead eyes and a broken spirit.
"I will...help Lady Isabella... I won't...bother you anymore..." Alwen said.
"Good boy, Alwen. Now, I have guard duty for your piece-of-shit Advisor. And don't you dare try to harm any of my loved ones. Because if you cross me, you'll find out how much worse my sister is than I am," Isabella said as she leaned close to Alwen and glared at him.
He simply nodded.
"Y-yes...yes ma'am..." He said.
* * *
The Advisor had not been made aware of the situation, apparently.
He invited Isabella into his room and when she walked in, she saw Stella crying, shivering, and whimpering in the corner of the room while in the fetal position.
She was naked... Her skin was covered in horrible wounds and scratches.
Nearby, was the door that led into Jarbold's personal servants quarters.
It was basically a small dungeon with two cells that housed the ten female slaves he kept as playthings.
Their minds had all been broken so that they couldn't disobey him. Although, he still allowed them to scream and beg him to stop when he tormented them. It gave Jarbold sick pleasure to hear it.
Isabella now stood in Jarbold's room.
The doors closed by themselves as Jarbold sat on his bed and smiled at Isabella.
"What do you want with me, you sorry excuse for an elf?" Isabella said.
"How rude...and I've even been kind enough to invite you here. Tell me...have you had any second thoughts about me? You've spent plenty of time in my presence, lately..." He said.
"I have, actually. I thought you were a terrible person before, but now...I am entirely convinced that you are the definition of a degenerate and a pile of goblin dung. You are a disgusting and vile elven being. I hate you almost as much as I hate the man who destroyed our worlds and killed all of our loved ones," Isabella said with a slight smile.
"How...how are you so immune!?" Jarbold said.
"My sister is immune to every form of mental attack. She dispels anything that comes into my mind immediately. Trying to chip away at my mental strength won't do you any good."
"Fine...you win... I'll stop trying to control you. But, will you at least share a drink with me? I would still like to know more about you..." Jarbold said.
Before Isabella could respond, another elven woman in a maid outfit walked into the room carrying a tray of two wine glasses and handed one to Isabella.
She handed the other to Jarbold.
Her eyes were as dead as could be.
She also had many bruises and scars on her arms, neck, and legs.
Isabella looked at the red liquid and almost considered having a drink...
But a message appeared on her status menu as she looked close at it.
{WARNING: PASSIVE ABILITY: 'GRAND ELEMENTAL RESIST' HAS DETECTED POISON TO CAUSE UNCONSCIOUSNESS. APHRODISIAC DETECTED.}
"Oh. He's trying to poison and rape me while I'm unconscious..." Isabella thought.
And as soon as it crossed her mind, she felt something in Cassandra snap.
"HE...WHAAAAT!?!?"
Isabella could do absolutely nothing as Cassandra's mental state went out of control and forced her way into the front.
"Well? Have a drink! I promise, it's good wine!" Jarbold said as he took a sip. "Now, please tell me about your home country. What was it? Albat-"
Cassandra threw the glass of wine at him and it shattered in his face.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!" Jarbold screamed as he clutched his eyes in pain.
The two elven women looked fearfully at Cassandra and she flicked her hand.
The mental control over them was dispersed immediately.
They looked around for a moment in a daze and simply stared at the scene unfolding before their very eyes.
"You...YOU!!! HOW DARE YOU...REMIND ME...OF MY SIN!!!" Cassandra screamed in rage.
"Wh-what!? WHAT SIN!?"
"YOU DISGUSTING MONSTER!!! You... Eheh...ehehehehehe...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I HAVE AN IDEA!!!!" Cassandra said with a sadistic smile.
She pulled out her dagger and the room changed all around everyone.
Jarbold opened his eyes as blood streamed down his face.
His eyes had not been pierced by the glass. However...
He seemed confused as he looked around.
Cassandra had changed the room to look like her dungeon. And Jarbold was in the cell.
"Yes...that's a good fit... You look much better here than the last person I caught..." Cassandra said.
"Last...person...?" Jarbold said fearfully.
"Oh...? You weren't told, were you? I may have...committed an unforgivable sin many years ago... I was a deceitful witch...an evil and vile person... I hurt my darling Mizik. And now he won't love me..." Cassandra said.
"Hurt!? I...I could love you! If you spare me, I'll-"
Cassandra moved her mouth and Jarbold began clutching his head...
"GUH...AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!?!? MY HEAD!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!" He screamed.
"You will not say such things to me. As far as I'm concerned, you are an insect. Less attractive than a swarm of maggots infesting a corpse. Prepare yourself, Jarbold...because you will soon beg for death..." Cassandra said.
Then she disappeared and Jarbold stared straight ahead in horror as he heard her speak again.
"...But you won't find it."
* * *
What happened over the next few days was perhaps the most enjoyable time Cassandra had experienced in a long while.
Other than every waking moment she spent in Mizik's presence, of course.
She dragged Jarbold into his servants dungeon and chained him to the wall of one of the cells. A wall he had used for beating his female servants.
Cassandra broke his control on the servants and freed them. She gave them proper clothes and Isabella healed their wounds.
They would take turns from then on torturing Jarbold.
And...
Cassandra would be their ring leader.
She commanded them to slowly cut away at his flesh.
They fed him rotten food, castrated him and made him eat his own testicles.
Then they gouged out his eyes.
No longer could he even have the pleasure of looking at the beautiful women he had tormented...or Cassandra, for that matter.
They played games.
They disembowled him and made him eat his own excrement and intestines... Isabella would heal him before he died.
Gradually, they made him eat most of his organs... Even his own eyes when they regenerated.
Over and over...he begged for death as the most horrific torture imaginable was inflicted on him. Cassandra experimented with new forms of horrific torture previously thought impossible.
Because Isabella could reset his physical state to normal with her healing.
Eventually, he went completely insane from the pain and stopped responding altogether.
Alwen was told of his treachery and punishment.
With Isabella's 'persuasion' he recalled all of the things he hadn't noticed before...
He condemned Jarbold to years of torture under Cassandra and her new subordinates.
But Cassandra condemned him to hell.
After all...more than anything, she desired to be with Mizik again. Eventually, she stopped allowing Isabella to heal Jarbold and he died from choking on his own dick.
A fitting end to such a horrible monster of a man...
And Cassandra taught her new subordinates the glory of Mizik. She taught them to love Mizik and serve only him.
They all became devoted. And would be thrilled to see him return.
Much to Isabella's anger and displeasure.
Stella, in particular, became especially obsessed. Nearing the same level of madness and devotion as Cassandra.
She desired to be Mizik's possession just like her new mentor. After all, she hadn't forgotten the kindness he showed her.
Stella was very excited to meet her new Master again.
Shortly after, a group of otherworlders arrived at the castle. They were Elysium special forces troops designed to mainly protect cities, fight in the military, and also protect the Emperor. They usually weren't around because Alwen was a fool who wanted them to all go out and 'be productive somewhere else'.
They attempted to use all sorts of strange powers and abilities to fight Isabella and Cassandra in order to take back Alwen from their control.
Every single one of them died without ever leaving a scratch on Isabella.
And the ones who fought Cassandra never knew what hit them. They died instantaneously without so much as a sound. Afterwards, Isabella humbly requested that Alwen prevent any further soldiers from attacking them.
Under threat more beatings, of course.
Alwen also allowed Isabella and Cassandra to go to the front lines and agreed to help in whichever way he could.
After all...the Albatross sisters had become his new goddesses.
He would now answer to their every wish.
And Elysium now stood ready as a finely sharpened sword to be wielded...
...for striking down the Corruption.
As Isabella boarded a hypersonic dropship, she smiled to herself.
"These last few days were very bloody... I might have lost some of my mental fortitude... But...at last...I can see Mizik again. We can fight together once more! I think he'll be proud of me... Right Cassandra?"
"Mizik will be proud of both of us! He'll be so overjoyed! But not too overjoyed... I don't want him to hurt..."
The dropship lifted off and made its way quickly to Lokan.