-This life is unfair in many ways.
That same day, Diligitis woke up very early in the morning, even though the sun had not yet shown its rays on the soft earth that was hungrily waiting for him to rise, the moons were imposing their soft light and the stars were dancing in the darkness of the cosmos. He went up elegantly dressed to the room where Princess Alma slept and ran into Vanitas in the long corridor, who was also well-dressed.
--Good morning Diligitis.
Diligitis bowed and removed the black hat he wore as a sign of respect.
--Good morning to you, Vanitas.
--I hope this festival will not be forgotten by anyone.
--I am somewhat annoyed by these festivities.
--Why is that?
--Well, there can always be dangers, and the use of magic does not please me at all.
--I think I understand you, but in this world you can't live without it.
--I guess that's another disadvantage of being able to use it.
--By the way, I keep thanking you for the blood, it worked for my defense. I owe you one, old friend.
--You don't owe me anything Vanitas, just keep using what I gave you wisely.
Diligitis walked slowly down the corridor meditating on his words in a lost way, while Vanitas went down to the central floor of the palace. There was almost no light coming through that corridor and he waited until the first rays of lightning illuminated the floor thirsty for his spring. Once the first ray had touched the ground, he made his way to the princess's room, knocked politely and proceeded to enter. The brightness of that room could barely penetrate, since the windows were half-open and the sun could insufficiently impose its glow over the light lights of the moons. He stood in front of the bed and watched her for a few seconds. The room smelled of flowers and sweet fruits.
--My lady, it's time to get up, today will be quite an eventful day.
She was very sleepy and could not hear him, so after repeated calls, Diligitis grabbed her shoulder and shook her lightly.
--Wake up, it's time to get up.
--But it's still early.
--You are right, but remember that we must check that everything is going in the right order, otherwise this festival will turn out differently from what we want.
--I don't think any fairy will sneak in, besides, why would they want to go up there? Their kingdom is more beautiful than all four of us together.
--They would have more than one reason, but there is no reason why they would not want to go up, even so, theft or other things may happen, and we must be on our guard against them.
She stood up and looked nothing like a princess. You could say she was very similar to a scarecrow and made Diligitis recoil, even so, she held back her thoughts and ordered her to take a bath so she would be ready. Three maids entered the room and took her to the bath, where they filled the bathtub with milk mixed with honey and put perfumes on her body, they were soft scents, like fresh roses. Vanitas arranged her hair and dressed her up, putting on her crown and her green necklace, which was her soul mate, since she never let go of it all day long.
Diligitis waited patiently for her outside her room, after that wait, as usual, he accompanied her for her morning walk.
They went out together, walked through the garden and crossed the small bridge over which tiny streams of the lake where she used to feed the fish passed. They reached the foot of the steps and she looked at the huge stone statues that supported them as the castle stood on an island that rose from the ground. She observed the whole city, the huge buildings were turned off, but still played announcements on the giant screens that lit up the city, cars lined the streets and buses passed by at their stops. She contemplated to his right the great Temple of Artemis that rose on one of the hills.
--Poor her, it took her so many years to build that temple, she never got to see it finished.
--But the temple is beautiful, its white marble shines at our distance and it looks perfect, besides it is very peaceful to go and pray to the Gods and Goddesses of heaven, earth, life, death, the sun and the moon.
--Yes, but I can't help but feel nostalgic for that girl who could not see her dreams come to an end.
The grasses were wet and the air was cold, but still they stood waiting for the sun to fully illuminate their land. Two-tailed birds were singing in the air and, in general, the whole town felt quite calm and cheerful, the princess couldn't wait for the other princesses to arrive, she wanted to show them how amazing the town had become.
-You know, this life is unfair.
-In what way?
-You know what I mean.
-It's better to let it go. People are complex by nature, we are born and die without having a clear purpose for existing and that's why so many go around doing things whether they are good or bad. All this has consequences. If the farmer does not give water to his plants they die, that is life, every action has a consequence.
-I never wanted this talisman.
-It was not an option, you know your father entrusted it to you to protect this place.
-Diligitis... it's been a thousand years since there has been a war, there have been no problems or conflicts with weapons, it's been centuries since armies have been in action.
-Yes, but... it is better to be safe than to regret things when they are no longer possible. War is cruel and because of a war we almost disappeared as a species, we were miraculously saved twice and we owe it to the spirits.
-I hate magic.
-Everyone hates magic, but... it is necessary to survive in a world like this, even if it is a silent killer.
He took her hand gracefully and watched her with a calmness that easily infected her countenance.
-Let's wait for the letter from the princesses.
The hours passed and people from the other three continents began to fill the central city, until, at ten in the morning, a message arrived to Vanitas, some letters written digitally by the princesses, in this one it said that they were on their way, so he told the princess who had just finished breakfast and was on the throne reviewing a list of things that were ready to take place at twelve o'clock.
--Madam, the princesses and dukes are almost to arrive, I ask you to follow me to the garden to give them a cordial welcome, as they are coming from far away.
She rose and went out with some guards to await the arrival of the princesses and dukes who led the greatest enterprises of the upper lands. The clear blue sky gradually showed a shadow that resembled a chariot drawn by Pegasus horses. Then, behind it appeared three more carriages and it was then that the soldiers stood in two parallel rows and waited for the carriages to reach the bosom of the earth. The princess was at the end, to shake hands with them and lead them to the castle.
The carriages arrived in the back garden and from the first one the princess of the lands of Cus, Saraikhi, got out, she had the emblem of her royal family which was a phoenix. Her fox ears stuck out as did her tail. She wore a blue kimono with purple flowers for clothing and a crown with small emerald marbled pendants and blue rocks. From the carriage stepped down three dukes dressed in kimonos of three colors: white, black and green. To the colors were attributed a belief, the balance of the world and the mother of this energy. They passed through the midst of the soldiers who wove a small tunnel with their swords and came to where Princess Alma was. The soldiers wore shining gold armor, on the breastplate the emblem of the royal family, on the helmet an angel with skull for a face as a shape and with a red feather at the end of it. They had ceremonial pistols in their ornate leather belt, they were a semi-automatic Dragon with 12.7 mm caliber, with a range of fifty meters and an ammunition of thirty-five hundred and fifty-seven Magmils. Diligitis and Vanitas kissed Sara's cheek and the dukes proceeded to kiss the princess' hand. The second carriage arrived and the princess of the Havila lands, Brillo stepped down gracefully. Her elegant cat's tail wagged lasciviously and harmoniously as her ears listened attentively.
She wore white robes of fine linen tied by a golden belt with the seal of his royal family, a wolf. He had a crown of leaves cut in half and wore on his arms bracelets of pure gold, as his nation was the producer of that metal, as well as wearing a purple robe. Two dukes got off wearing purple cloth robes tied to white belts of smooth stone, they did the same as the first and waited for the last carriage. From the last one got off the princess of the Helster lands, Cristal. Her small ears were camouflaged by her hair and her mouth barely protruded. She wore a snowy crown, cloth robes with ribbons that tied her waist, and in her hair she wore light blue winter flowers and a robe of bear fur. The dukes wore thick clothes of animal skins and one of them wielded a birch rod for support.
They were received courteously and both Diligitis and Vanitas kissed the princesses' hands. Alma, led them to the central room on the second floor, where there was a large balcony where all the people could see them.
At that moment, Calai had already arrived at the central station of the city of Eden. It was full of people and it was difficult for her to walk among the tide of people coming from Helster, her companions kept her under constant observation, although, even so, she moved sliding among the people and to her luck she managed to get out alive without anyone ruining her dress. She walked among the people and arrived at the central square, where there was a gigantic fountain that, honoring the name of the place, had a big fake tree, from which water jets came out and moved all over the fountain. Cars were driving around and buses were transporting people who were arriving to the capital in great numbers. The huge city looked magnificent, adorned down to the smallest detail and glittering with its music. They were waltzes and there were lovers dancing in the streets and squares, besides she liked the combination that could be enjoyed, so many different cultures gathered together mostly, since many also stayed in their corresponding nations to enjoy the activities that would take place in their respective countries. The hours flew by amidst the fun and the wait was diluted, all the cameras of the various television networks were perched on the central city and the castle, as they waited for the princesses to come out accompanied by the dukes.
Princess Alma ordered the doors to open and they led to the room where they were a machine that would function as a holographic screen, which, by means of a hologram, would direct their faces to everyone and they could welcome them. The dome opened and the cameras landed on the castle. From the structure came out two paper dragons spitting confetti, then, everyone approached to contemplate the beginning of the festival. Calai was very excited and joyful, as she loved the paper dragons and loved the creativity of all the creators and organizers of the festival. From the dome came out, then, the holograms, each of a different color that attributed the element of each continent. From the holograms began to be seen something that little by little took the form of the faces of the princesses, it was a quite defined image and had the highest possible quality, besides the sound was created to be perceived in an audible way.
Princess Alma took a step forward and expressed herself with a firm and captivating voice, using all her experience in the study of rhetoric.
--This year, it is a thousand years since the elevation of the lands that were separated by halves to the original ones. Every year this festival was held, except for the festivals cancelled more than three hundred years ago. But the past is in the past and today, we are pleased to announce to all the superior lands, that this festival will be the biggest ever held, because, this time, the festival will last a whole week, where we will celebrate the great happiness and joy that we have enjoyed and it is for me a great honor, to have the princesses of the lands of Cus, Havila and Helster with us this year.
She, along with the other princesses, raised their hands to the sky and the talismans they each carried to perform their magic shone. From their hands emerged energies of four colors, which were the magics they each wielded: creation, wind elemental and naer-like summoning. The energies shot through the skies and together they formed a seal that was a great tree with a golden trunk that had ice flakes as fruits and a dragon enveloping it. Then this seal exploded with great force radiating rainbow radiance. Aurora was watching them quite happily, gave a yawn and leaned back on her cloud to continue contemplating the festival as calmly as possible. Calai and her companions were joyful and, like the other people, were clapping their hands with great joy and jubilation.
--Yes, it was a great idea to come to Calai. she thought.
She touched her shoulder as if to prove herself right.
The young woman with the hump was in the middle of the crowd, some were moving away from her, but others were watching her cautiously, her steps were slow, but she managed to reach the fountain. Some watched her with some intrigue, but, they did not pay enough attention to her, directing their gaze then to the castle and the holograms where the princesses could be seen intoxicated with happiness. She smiled softly and raised her left hand, concentrated black magic of summoning naer type and at that moment, some spectators looked frightened, others only realized it until she shot towards the blue skies that energy that exploded with a violent sound that caused Aurora to return from her reverie and observe that being. The sound was deafening and the soldiers under her control initiated the plan, they detonated the explosives in unison and the doors were blocked, so that no one in the citadel could leave unless she wanted them to.
Calai was frightened, the sound left her frozen as she watched the woman from the ground, people like her could only see that and the fear began to walk, dragging its claws and penetrating with the same ease with which a butcher cut the meat, shattering the minds of all present.
The young woman began to clap her hands and passed close to Calai, who was paralyzed with fear and took a while to move slowly, still watching her. Her hands were sweating.
--I hope everything goes well," thought the young woman.
With her fine hands she removed the upper part of her clothing and left her face uncovered, delicately she took what covered her eyes and let her hair fall down her face. She had beautiful eyes, delicate and elegant white eyelashes, sweet reddish lips like her cheeks, a delicate and feminine chin, hair that was straight with a purple and white color that reached her waist. Her strands were tied by a light blue ribbon and it shone in the sun, giving off a beautiful scent from her hair, one of black roses. But she had something that differentiated her from the rest, in her left eye, instead of having a round pupil, it had one in the shape of a white quarter moon and all the rest of the eye was light purple, the other was night colored.
--As I can see... you put on a great festival, you exceeded my expectations, the last four are nothing alike and I congratulate you for that.
His voice was enveloping, it seemed as if his words were bathed in the magic of mermaids and he wanted to hypnotize everyone with his speech. She began to clap her hands with a cynical face mixed with a grimace that showed her white teeth, the silence of the whole city was gratifying to her, besides all the cameras were on her.
The princesses and dukes were paralyzed.
--But, I thought it was missing something, an element of surprise and well, I wrapped myself as a gift and arrived. I hope they accept the gift and welcome me with open arms.
--Who are you?
--Diligitis... don't you recognize me?
She walked to the fountain and sat down in an erotic manner showing a bit of feminine charms.
--Maybe with this they will remember me.
She removed the hood that enveloped her and showed her body. It was fine, slender and erotic, her breasts were beautiful and firm, her legs long and good looking, her skin looked like porcelain, her curves were tamed by the thin and old clothes she wore, her leather as well as her whole body was erogenous and her pheromones dispersed in the air, her feet were perfect, beautiful and her figure was dazzling, but she had no hump at all.... from her back rose four wings that were imposing and beautiful, they shone with intense light purple from the sunlight. Her wings were shaped like angel wings, but they were not the same, as she had no plumage receiving them and they were made of very subtle semi-transparent fabric.
Aurora watched her with laughter, holding her hand to her chin.
--So here you were, little one.
Alma broke out in a cold sweat and Diligitis' face reflected fear and excitement.
--N... it can't be... what... h... how the hell is a fairy present?
Verum kept her smile and watched them more than ecstatic, she placed her dainty bare feet on the smooth rock of the floor and walked a little, subtly resting her hand on her chin and thrusting out her chest.
--Do you want to know how I escaped? Well... if you can get me on my knees I'll tell you, but what I want most now is for them to be under my feet.
--Stop talking falsehoods! It's never going to happen like that--she put her hand to her face. So she was the one my ancestors exiled, I suppose I must trust Ciclea's blood completely and be sure that my training was effective.
--But what bad manners, I guess they'll never change.
--Alma how is it that a fairy is in the upper lands?
--Sara is right, who is she and how did she get here?
Brillo grabbed Alma's shoulder and pulled her back to her. She turned her gaze to the princess and Brillo saw the terror on her face. Over the radio Diligitis was told that exit B had been blocked, the pulleys had been shattered by an explosion.
--Alma, what's going on? Is she who I think she is?
--She turned her gaze to Diligitis who was ready to confront her.
--My lady, stay calm, my ancestors defeated her, I can do it too.
Verum adopted a more defiant look and observed Diligitis.
--That time you managed to defeat me because I was too naive and not ready, but now I have more weapons and I don't think you will be my match. This time I'll take it upon myself to spread your blood all over this land.
--At least you would have warned me that you were coming, so I avoid having to bend you in public- A slightly shocking thought crossed his mind that left him thinking for several seconds-. Why are you confusing me with the one who defeated you?
She raised her left hand and opened it a little, a purple flame came out of it and the pupil of her left eye became thinner and began to deform just like fire. It was as if it was dancing by itself.
--Then I think we must settle the score to see who is the best.
At that moment the elite soldiers known as the angels of death appeared in the crowd. All the people began to flee, hiding in the houses and buildings, others simply managed to embark to flee from there. Soldiers surrounded her and carried guns with them. Verum watched them and tried to count them, but he couldn't as they were thousands and he also started to think how long it would take for the civilians to leave the country. The captain contacted all the other soldiers outside the citadel.
--To all the soldiers, they blocked exit B, but exit A is still open, I need you to open the other exit and get everyone to the citadel!
One of the soldiers took the bloody radio from his comrade, he had killed him as well as many of his men. More than half of the army outside the citadel had been treacherously killed.
--Everything is going according to Miss Verum's plan," he thought as he took the radio from her. Sir, the general of the Delta division reporting, don't worry... we are on our way.
His comrades arrived, their swords were bloody and some had blood on the butts of their firearms.
--Sir, we have finished our duty, not a single one has remained standing, they were all killed.
--Perfect, now we only have to guard entrance A, no one must enter until Verum cleans the place, after that we must make sure to close that entrance and protect it--- He addressed more soldiers who arrived with the blood of their friends on their faces--- Remember, our priority is not the citizens, it's the entrance and that's it!
Diligitis knew that no matter how much magic she had, she was deadly and a well placed wound could kill her, but she also feared for the attack not working, which was one of the most likely options. Guards were positioned on the nearby buildings with cannons, they were waiting for her to fly off to take her down. On the other hand, the princesses and dukes were preparing to fight, they were just waiting for the signal from Diligitis who told them to wait, as they did not imagine what Verum was up to.
Verum observed the captain of that elite army. His hard countenance contrasted with Verum's sweet face, though the looks on both of their faces were equally defiant.
--If you withdraw at this time and do not return, you may live. You are not my target and there is no need to spill the blood of such good soldiers.
--Retreat?!- The captain began to laugh, then snapped his fingers- Kill her.
They began to fire the Dragon pistols with both hands. Smoke billowed violently as sparks danced to the ground. Seeing that it did not fly away, the general gave the order and activated the cannons that launched bombs and bolts of electrical energy generating a deafening explosion. The windows of nearby buildings shattered and the earth shook from the impact of the cannons.
Aurora watched from her cloud, she was comfortable and felt excited, intrigue burning every part of her fiber.
After the soldiers launched so many guns against Verum, they waited for the smoke to dissipate, which it did so slowly. When everything cleared, they froze... Verum was intact and all the bullets were on the ground, plus it looked like she had created a shield around her body as the surrounding debris gave it away.
--And now that you have reached this point, I ask you pack of rats... What the heck you supposed to do after filling me with lead?