A/N: The chapter ahead is raw, which means not been proofread yet nor edited.
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Empress Siofra tweaked her hair from the events that's happening around her. She can't process them all at once. It's too much for her to handle. She's beginning to ask everything---if getting rid of Moon is all worth it. 1"Moon... Because we killed Moon..."1Prince Izaac clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.1"We'd like to help, but our Empire needs us," said Empress Clastigaufeas and bowed. Her youngest son did some light stretching before summoning his favorite guns.1"Hell yeah! Let's do this, my babies! It's your time to shine! Yahoo!"1The Emperor says otherwise, "No. The hordes are only going this way. Look. This Empire is their only destination."1"Our people still need us. They need their Empress. If you choose them, then there's nothing I can do with that."1The Crown Prince stepped in, "Let me go check them, then. I have the communication device with me. If Warlock Empire is truly their destination, they need you here."1Emperor Maxism nodded and pat his son's shoulder, "Thank you."1He search something in his blazer then gave his son a Teleportation Spell Sheet.1"Use this. Be careful on your way."1Duchess Selene stood beside her husband-to-be and went to his homeland with him. 1Princess Aurora pulled her husband and pinched his cheeks to bring him back. The hurt of betrayal caved in in his system, stopping him from his motion. The Princess did not regenerate but was healed by Princess Diamanda quickly. It was possible because her nerves were still alive.1"My love, cheer up! They need you! We need you!"1The Empress stand up and took her sword from the insufferable King who's been losing his mind since executing his daughter. His parents are trying to soothe him, but no word of them could reach the King's mind. 1The eldest Prince nodded and left his wife to his son. He went to his mother and removed the sword from her grip.1"No, give it back. I must protect the Empire. I am the... Supreme God. I will...purge the Veils..."1He kissed her forehead and nodded at his grandmothers.1"No, you won't anymore. We will lose you if you do, so let me do it. Everyone, stay within the magic circle. Ascel, Eddrien, take the army with you. Terra, Ocean, help your brothers in locating our people and bring them in. I will close the gap in the barriers."1Prince Izaac looked at everyone and nodded at them. His brothers did what they were told. The Prince kissed his mother again and put her to sleep.1He walked away.1"Limiter."1"Limi~ Limi~ Limiter is here!" it danced.1The Prince took off his blazer and pulled up his sleeves with a grim face, shooting deadly glares against the Veils and Veilions who are raining over their heads.1"Raise the limit to thirty percent."1Limiter sparked and clapped, "Limi~ Limi~ Limiter got it!"1The Prince stomp his foot on the ground then jumped high to fly. He faced the Deity in the air. His eyes sparked in blue. His aura radiate all over his body. Even while on the surface, the Ancients felt his nauseating power. Seeing him bluer than the skies gave them hope that they will be saved from despair...and death.1"I'm not the one who did this," the Deity playfully grinned. She already told him in case he asks.1"I don't care. I don't care if you're a Deity or the Matriarch's closest confidant. I know how to take on dumb enemies. I'll show you what I'm made of. Hope that you'd be wise to not get on my nerves."1He left her with an arching eyebrow. She didn't let it get into her that much, but it still annoyed her. 1The Prince move to a distance, facing where the hordes are coming from. 1Everyone's looking up. The moment he moved his hands mystically as he chant the voiceless spell in his mind, every Veil and Veilion in the line of his sight become unable to move. He cloned himself into three: one patched up the gap in the barrier temporarily while the other confine the hordes in a transparent cube.1King LIFE looked up to see son only to get deja vu.1The cube shrinked and shrinked, squeezing the growling Veils together inside the cramped room. Their cries echoed in the sky, but no intelligent felt pity.1The King has seen the same thing before. Back when it was the Empress who compressed the lives and bodies of his men into a single bead. He kept the bead like a charm.1Veils clawed the walls of their prison. They pushed it, tried to punch a hole, used their acidic spit---but none of it worked. A Warlock in half of his full potential is already a God.1To the Deity, what the Prince may be doing seem so simple but it's not. Veils are more powerful and stronger than they seem but he could make them look like they're nothing but an easy work to do. He's not a God, but he's a Warlock.1How strong is his cube that their nemesis can't inflict damage on it?
The idea alone is already giving them goosebumps. Even during the War, the Prince never went past his half. He's dangerous. He knew that himself. He's watching after himself every second, staying still on his feet, keeping the sound of his mind to keep everything as it is. His explosion could destroy the world and hurt the people he loves. He is great; but being him is never easy.
The Prince lifted his fingers.
"Return," and with that, he flicked his fingers to send the cube back to where the Veils and Veilions belong.
After pushing them back, the cube became one with the barriers.
"Limi~ Limi~ You used ten percent! Congratulations! You used ten percent! Limi~!"
But he's not yet done.
"Use the rest to restore the barriers and make them stronger," he said.
His clones pressed their hands on the barriers.
"Limi~ Limi~ Application in progress! Go, go, go!" Limiter cheered and even brought out pompoms.
He mystically moved his hands in flowing motion until a golden magic circle radiated over the Forsaken Continent.
"You must never break and only allow the darkness from the empty skies."
Right there, Sun contemplated. If she were against someone so effortlessly powerful, would she stand a chance?
Izaac Tyrant must be the saint of humbleness. He never show off what he's made of to them and preferred working behind the scenes. The first praises were ecstatic, but it got bland hearing them every time. He's proven himself countless times but they just can't get used to his greatness.
With him around, as long as he's around, nothing could bring the Warlock Empire to her knees. The Empress did her part. She's done her part more than any God could. She's done so much that she went overboard and broke her Core Essence. She should be living a comfortable life inside the Palace walls. Doing no political work; just spending time with her family.
But she can't even do that.
Because she's the second lady of Heart, the mother of their Empire, the Supreme God, and the Empress.
His golden magic circle began to fade slowly and so his clones. Now, he just stand there in the air, putting the parts of him he loosened together. He must avoid any leakage. A single drop is toxic enough to kill and destroy a few.
"Limi~ Limi~ Congratulations! You made it! You made it!"
Princess Aurora stared at her husband in worry.
"Come back here, darling," she whispered and he heard.
He can't move.
When they thought they have woken up from the nightmare, another sprout.
King Liorei faced the great Prince in the air with his twin pair of wings flapping gently despite the aggressiveness of his wrath. Half of his face is tainted in black, a horn alike the devil's. If his glaring red eye could shoot lasers, the snoozing Prince would've gotten holes in his body.
"Did you...do this?" He asked. His tone is low but it's enough for both parties to hear, even the ones with good senses from below.
"What if I do?" The King challenged.
Prince Izaac hang his head low and found the Young Lord on his mother's lap. Davorin's illusion must be to surreal and good. He know that he's just an illusion---but an illusion with her is better than living a reality without her.
Prince Davorin looked at his brother. Though he didn't receive any order, he lift his magic from the Young Lord. His mother wiped the tears from his face.
"All this for Moon?"
"All this for Moon."
Prince Izaac closed his eyes tight.
"We can't talk this through anymore, can we?"
King Liorei gave him a nasty, mocking snicker, "Talk? You've wasted your chances, Izaac. I could bring hell to this world, but I will let nature do what must be done. The Oracle Tree withered. A hole suddenly opened in the barriers. Why would those happen in the first place? You killed Moon. You killed my daughter. Do you want me to make you feel what it's like to lose a child?"
Princess Lorreign sniffled, "D-Dad..."
The colors went back to the Young Lord's eyes, yet he couldn't see anything clear because of the tears that are leaking from them.
"I'm...sorry. But Mom...she won't get her killed. You know that."
"Yeah, she probably won't. But Moon is tired of this family's bullshit, Izaac! You don't want her, you don't want to release her either. Why must you make my daughter suffer? You could've at least smiled at her. If you did...then she wouldn't think so small about her life. She would still be here!"
Skadi Eira chewed faster. It's like she's watching a movie from a first-class seat.
King Liorei held himself back and kept everything in. Then, he calm down.
"Izaac, I thought you were better. I didn't know that you've become this dense. Moon had nothing but she's still generous. You gave her little and she gave it to others. She truly cared for the people. She cared for this Empire. If she's an ugly flower, why do you have to pluck her like this? That's why... Let's end this here and prepare yourself. Let's not forgive each other anymore. What's about to come...is solely because of you."
Prince Izaac's eyes widened and dart his stares to the King but he already descended. Princess Lorreign immediately gave him a hug.
"Say your farewells, my love. I won't leave you alone with these ants. You're coming with me whether you like it or not."
Princess Lorreign sobbed on his chest. "I know... I know. I'm just taking my time. I'm... I'm just... Let's wait for Selene!"
The Grand Duchess disagreed.
"She will stay. If you're going to leave, then leave. But you're not taking my daughter with you. Come over here, Lorreign! Nothing good will come if you will go with him!"
King Liorei gently placed his hand on his daughter.
"Xerene, she spent most of her life with you. It wouldn't amount to the short time I have made with her. I can protect my daughter. Mind your own business. You have a family to look after. I don't want her to feel like an outsider."
The Grand Duchess seethe, "Outsider? They're siblings by blood. She won't be an outsider. They're brothers and sisters!"
"Mom," the Young Lord called as he stare at the skies, "Stop."
She was stunned.
"My boy, what do you mean? He's plotting something and I won't leave my daughter to him."
"But I would've done the same."
He placed his forearm on his eyes. His tears stream down his face again.
"I would do the same. You would do the same. It's screaming in my head. I'm losing my mind. I can't see colors anymore. Everything has fade into black and white. Please, my heart. I can't feel it beating. Mom, my heart has stopped beating."
Lady Elektra laid down beside him and hugged him.
"I'm so sorry, Wattsy..." she whispered to him but it didn't made felt any better at all.
In the middle of his grief and everyone is in silence of regret, a door took form with shimmer and sparkles. It went ajar. A light came out from the slight gap.
Every stare got glued to it.
They heard noises. Loud noises.
"Brother... I think the door is open..."
"ARGH! STOP, MAXIMILIEN! Surrender your guns NOW!"
"Brother... The door..."
"Stop being noisy. I can't concentrate."
"About what? You're not doing anything."
"Concentrate from lazing around."
"U-Uwuuu... Maxi shot me! UWAAAHHHH!!!"
"MAXIMILIEN!"
"The door..."
"Serves him right! I will shoot you, too! I will shoot everyone! I want everyone gone! Get out of my sight!"
"What---"
The Young Lord lift his forearm and got up to see where the noises he's hearing are coming from. There he saw a door so beautiful. It doesn't feel ominous. The vibe it gives off is fun and free. On the arched transom we'r fixed circles. And in each circle, the symbol of the the great family are etched. However, one is the symbol of House Xirquit while the other one is empty.
The door is with clumsy design. Like a work of a child. Which is true, because the children themselves designed it. Figures of stars, guns, bullets, and random writings were drawn on it. The ink used is glowing and pulses in colors.
"B-Brother! The door is open!"
"How dare you talk back to me, Maxi! I'm the eldest door!" A voice said and it was followed by laughters from more voices.
"Eldest door! Pfft! He's a door!"
"I-I'm sorry, Brother... You're not a door. The door... Do you think Mommy is here?"
And with that, they fell into silence.
"As if! She's never coming back! She's like our Daddies! She left us!"
"Maxi! Don't say that!"
"I-Is that true? Mommy... Mommy will never come back?"
"N-No, Valy! Mommy... Mommy is just... Just making a new baby brother! Yes, we'll have a new baby brother!"
"Oh, she's hatching eggs right now!?"
"Egg?"
"EGG!?"
The Young Lord get up. His mother pulled his hand back.
"Where are you going?"
They heard gasps from the other side of the door.
"A voice! That's not Mommy's voice!"
"A witch! Must be a witch! Quick, in the fortress!"
The Young Lord looked down on his mother.
"I'll open it. Something is telling me to open it."
"Kids, I must do this. I will go out. But I will come back. Nothing is scarier than Mommy. As your eldest brother, it's my job to see what's past the door!"
"Wow~ So dependable, big brother!"
They heard claps.
Lady Elektra stand up and jumped a little bit closer to the door and said, "Hello! I'm not a witch! I'm a good person! Who are you? Where did you come from?"
She received screams from the voices inside.
"That's suspicious! We're from our Mommy! What about you? Where did you come from?"
Lady Elektra laughed.
"From my Mommy, too!"
"Brother, she must really be a good person. Good people are stupid. Bad people aren't."
"Ack!"
Lord Spike's cheek puffed from the laugh that almost went out of him.
"I'll go, then! Maybe, the stupid person knows where our Mommy is. Stay here. I'm a dependable big brother!"
"Wow~" and they clapped again.
"Brother, wear this the cloth! If they see you and they told Mommy, she will get angry!"
"Right. Very good idea, Valy! Come here, I'll give you lots of kisses for being amazing! Smooch~~~"
"Hihi. Thank you, brother."
"Eww!"
Lady Elektra stepped back when she felt that something is about to come out.
"Hey, stupid person! Step away! I will come out! If you do something funny, I'll push a stick up your butt!"
Lady Elektra felt defeated and was brought down her knees.
"Why...? I'm not stupid?"
Lord Spike shuddered.
The door knob twitched and the door was pushed open. A tiny ghost popped its head.
It was a child hiding beneath a thin, white cloth.
"Brother, what's outside?"
The head tilt here and there as if he's looking around.
"Just a bunch of more stupid person, I think. I can't see well!"
"Ask them!"
"Okay!"
The child slipped out and left the door slightly ajar.
"Who are you?"