Both me and father got on our feet, and I felt rage take over myself, "Mount Pauritsch lantern of life turned red?" I asked in dismay and they gave me a nod. Swallowing hard, I shared a gaze with father. "That's the last Mount from inside and first from outside. To get there, it means Mia killed all of her people in the other 11 Mounts and absorbed all of their souls."
Father cursed under his breath, "If she did this for power, and to be able to defeat you, Mal, she's head straight to our Immortal Land of Garnet, to you," he clenched his fists. "After absorbing Queen Cornelia's soul, she must be insanely strong. It won't be hard for her to go through the twenty sects and get to us."
"Is she… is she that strong?" Aurora gasped.
I can almost taste her fear from where I am. "Of course, she is!" I scoffed. "Mia was always strong. As strong as I am, and I'm only second to father. It's like fusing my power with father's, as Queen Cornelia's ever in a equal footing to father. Thus, yes, Mia is that strong now. You should fear for your family and sect now, Miss Comănescu!"
She clicked her tongue annoyed, "Hah, even now, after she became such monster, you are still biased towards her, my Prince. His Majesty must have been right regarding his concerns of your heart laying with that pest of a Lady."
I glared at her, but before I could do anything harsh, father held my forearm, making me turn to him. "It's not worthy, Mal. We can't fight ourselves in such a moment. And Aurora Comănescu," father glared at her, "you better watch your tongue. Your father may have a high position, but you are in front of your Monarch and the Crowned Prince of the Kingdom. Do not forget your place and whom you are talking to kid or that might have grave consequences that nor you or your father will appreciate. Respect my son and never use my words like that again, are we understood?"
Gulping, she turned pale, "Yes, my King. I'm sorry. I misspoke."
"Botezatu, are you sure all twelve lanterns of life turned red on the green map of Heavenly Soul Recesses?" He nodded at my question. "Mia always used the array of teleportation to come from her realm to ours when we dared each other on duels and she was to come here. Nevertheless, the array can only teleport one soul per time, thus, as she absorbed countless and is now a vessel of it, she's unable to used it," I passed my long fingers through my hair again. "It'll take her two days to come here from Heavenly Soul Recesses if she uses the fastest of the technics."
"Mal is right," father exclaimed just as frustrated. "Send word to all sects. Tell them to prepare their strongest arts to fight, because we are in war with a… heavenly devil."
The title made me nauseous. "Tell them that they don't need to hold back. Use all they have to weaken her strength as much as they possibly can so we can defeat her. The way she is right now, not me or father can take her head on."
Nodding they left. After some agonizing minutes in silence, father messed my hair up, "We are the strongest Immortals of Garnet, Mal. It'll be fine," I doubt even him believe that. "Our Gods are with us."
"Are they?" I scoffed. "Father, if we can't beat her…" and I am starting to doubt we can, "what are we going to do?"
"Malachi Leo Litchenegger, my son, what is our ultimate secret art that is passed down from King to Heir, Queen to Heiress?" He winked at me. "Our strongest demonic art that is able to overcome any thing? I've taught you that art myself. It can only be used once per Immortal, and it's the ultimate weapon."
Will it really come to such a point that we'll have to use that art?
"Demon Reality Rewinding," I licked my lips, "I remember, father. I've spent years to master the three scrolls of the art, even with you help. But it's a dangerous art, it isn't prohibited to all Immortals but the King and Heir for nothing."
A nod, "Yes. I am aware. But Mal," he looked at his hands, "on the worse scenario, you will have to use it and go back to a time where you could defeat her. Either destroy the possibility of her becoming the monster she is now, or kill her." Kill Mia? The Mia from the past? Is he serious? "I know if may sound like too much, but you will have to do it if we aren't able to defeat her, Malachi."
I frowned, "Why don't you go, father?" It'll be hard for me to kill Mia. Especially the Mia of the past that wasn't corrupted like she is now.
"I would, if I hadn't used my rewinding already."
"What?" I gasped. "When did that happen?"
He licked his lips, "Alina and I were faced with a complicated point some thousands of years ago, and we decided that I should use the technique to go back and avoid that from happening. Otherwise, that would cause a grand problem between the immortal realms. Thus, I did it. As we can only use it once each, you will have to be the one to do it now."
"Mother and you…? Did it work? Did you avoid it? Was your effort worthy?" As he nodded, he seemed strangely uncomfortable. "What was it then? What did you stop from happening, father?"
Father avoided my eyes, making it all weirder, "It doesn't matter. What matter is that I avoided it. If my decision was good or not for those in question, it also doesn't matter. I did what I thought right at the time."
"Why does you sound regretful, father?" I arched my eyebrow.
"I do not. That is not important, Malachi. What is important is that you will be the one going back if things go south. Then you must do all you can to avoid her from becoming this monster, okay? I trust that you will be able to make the right decisions."
Clenching my jaw, I pressed my lips together. "When should I go back? I mean, when do you think I should go back to if the time comes?"
Again, he avoided my eyes, "In all the five immortal realms, all the Royals are sent to the mortal realm at birth to prove their worth and that they deserve the gift of being born with the divine Immortal bone. Be it a heavenly bone like Cornelia's realm, demonic bone like our realm, or the aurea bone of the Immortals of the other three realms. It's a tradition."
I tilted my head, "We spend 25 years there, and if we've managed to prove our worth until then, we get back. When we get back, we have our memories of our years there wiped out and then we start our actual life as Immortals, we physically age back to 14 and our age starts counting from the start again. Yes, I know that, father. I've been through it."
"Not just you but Jasmin Madritsch too," he finally looked up to me. "As mortals, she won't be dangerous like she's always been. You will be able to handle her better."
What? "How am I even going to find her in the mortal realm? Don't they have like… ten Kingdoms or so? Kingdoms, Empires, whatever. I've heard that mortals live short but breed like rabbits. There's countless of them. As both me and Mia were born on the same day and year, we must have been on the mortal realm at the same time, do you want me to go back to the time I was a mortal?" I gasped.
"You will find her, you will see," how does he even know that? If he's just trying to be optimistic, it ain't helping much. "And yes. That would be the best time to go back. But that is, only if we need to go that far."