Queen Valeira swiftly made her way to the great hall of the castle where her throne resided.
She wore the same royal outfit that showcased her elegance as a Queen.
Entering the door, she was met by a still silence as the air inside was heavy. It was dark, it was gloomy, and most of all.. it was eerie.
12 Knights walked behind her, following her steps to enter the great hall.
Valeira clicked her tongue.
"O, Great One, Seraphim of Feelings, please show yourself."
In a commanding tone, Valeira's voice echoed across the hall.
Suddenly, three voices spoke at the same time, forming a disharmonious melody.
"Blasphemous."
"Unholy."
"Irreverent."
Valeira walked to the middle of the room, guarded by her 12 Knights.
"Was your feelings that hurt because I refused to be blessed?" Valeira mocked. "Please, show yourself, you are in my castle, and in my kingdom. What you're doing is punishable by death!"
The hall went silent, covered by an eerie atmosphere.
Then, a soft voice spoke:
"Death?"
Valeira suddenly shifted her body to the right where she had heard the voice.
"Thy speaks of Death as if it thy controls it."
Now, it came from the left.
"Blasphemous Mortal, I suggest thee to speak thine words with utmost care!"
Then, the voice came from the front where the direction of her throne resided.
Suddenly, the sun shone in one of the windows, slowly revealing a figure with 2 pairs of wings, sitting on Valeira's throne.
Her slender figure looked disturbed, her hair disheveled, and her eyes dilated in darkness.
Then.. she spoke, all three directions simultaneously resounded along with her.
"Thy knowest nothing about Death!"
Her face suddenly contorted to a concert of mess and tragedy, Her pupils grew darker and Her teeth became sharper. It was as if the once elegant Seraphim in front of her had suddenly turned into an abomination!
However, Valeira stood firm and stared at the Seraphim with disgust.
"Treacherous Seraphim, I have warned you."
Valeira unsheathed her blade and pointed it at the abominable Seraphim.
"How dare you sit upon my throne?! Now.. you shall die by my blade, for I am the Crowned Dreamless, Queen of Elrod."
Suddenly! Fear invoked in the depths of her heart, yet it immediately vanished due to the unique nature of her Path. But.. it was not the same for her knights, they took a knee and trembled in different emotions.
Some were fear, some were sadness, and some were of excitement..
Whatever it was, it made them hesitate for a split second, making the Seraphim immediately attack.
But that too stopped in its tracks! Valeira glared at the swift strike of the Seraphim, she immediately became petrified and halted her movement. Her deep black eyes seemed to roll back and turn into a hazy white eye.
Valeira took this chance to move her knights.
"My Loyal Knights! I, as the King, command you to stay by my side and fight with me!"
Immediately, their feelings vanished and it took a mere second for them to regain their composure.
All 12 of Valeira's Knights were Beyond-ranked, and each of them held the highest peak of strength in Elrod.
There were 3 avatars of the Seraphim in 3 directions, each of them wore a different face from the other but they were similarly hideous.
6 Knights from one side faced the avatar on the left, and 6 more faced an avatar on the right.
While the Seraphim in front… Valeira aimed to face her alone.
A Hallowed was much stronger than a Beyond.
It was not the same as an Impure comparing to a Pure or a Pure comparing to a Beyond.
Once a Pathbearer has reached a threshold in power, that being the jump from Beyond to Hallowed, they would go under qualitative change and develop the physical manifestation of their Soul.
For the Seraphims, it was their layered wings that symbolized their Souls.
And as for Valeira..
It was the 12 Knights that followed her.
As a Crowned Dreamless and an individual with the Attunement named as 'The King', her physical manifestation could be deemed as a bestowal of her power.
She could share part of her Dreams with them equally, which makes them a powerful unit to hw reckoned with.
That said, as a Dreamless, she herself could not experience a Dream. She would have no nightly visions, no goals, and no aspirations for the future.
One could say that she was a hollow creature that lived only to serve her purpose.
By bestowing her Dreams to the 12 Knights, their desire for achievements and fulfillment would grow stronger.
Their Paths would rise up in strength and their Attunements was one level higher.
It is a permanent buff that stayed as long as they served The King.
Which meant that all of them were stuck in an endless dream, offerring their loyalty towards Valeira.
Still, their dreams contained their deepest desires and were an epitome of endless bliss.
"Vanquish the Treacherous Seraphim!"
With those words, Valeira wasted no time in subjugating her foe.
The Seraphim was still stunned by her previous glare, and Her eyes were still rolled back.
In rapid succession, Valeira jumped in front of Her and struck at the Seraphim's neck. It connected, but a resounding sound of a metal clang loudly echoed!
That blow vibrated the Seraphim's body, and She immediately regained consciousness.
"Foolish mortal, thine blade could never hope to touch mine skin! The connectivity of mine emotions could not be cut by a mere steel blade!"
It was natural.
The Seraphim's body served as an extension of her emotions, it hardened due to the strength of her feelings and the harmony that they possessed. It was like an atomic bond wherein an ion stuck to another ion.
Simply put, Her body was emotion itself and could never be cut by a physical material.
'Damnation!'
Various sounds of echoing metal were heard in the eerie hall. It seems like Valeira's Knights made attacks of their own..
The Seraphim grinned, and Her hideous face looked malicious.
With the movement of the Seraphim's lips, Valeria jumped back and regrouped with her Knights.
Three avatars of the Seraphim contorted their faces and looked ugly! That sight could make one puke in disgust, but Valeira kept her composure.
There was no way to attack the Seraphim physically! Her body was indestructible and the only way to deal damage to Her is by dealing mental attacks!
Thus, Valeria glared at the Seraphim, in hopes to make Her fall into a dream once more..
But! The Seraphim covered her faces with a pair of her wings, stating:
"Thou thinks that such tricks would work twice! Foolish!"
Pressure inside the room suddenly intensified, invoking different types of emotions within the Knights and Valeira.
For Valeira, it would not work but for her Knights... it was quite fatal!
They were stuck in a dream, and any changes to their emotions could change their blissful dreams in an instant!
Valeira let out her words once more.
"Stand resolute! You are all Knights of The King!"
The emotional attack was negated! But not for long..
Not letting any moment pass, the Seraphim simultaneously attacked. All three of Her avatars rushed towards their group.
Her claws grew in size, turning into a malleable sharp figure.
Valeira blocked the avatar at front while two knights blocked the other two. However.. their blades were like butter to the Seraphim's claws as it was cut easily!
"Blasphemous beings, thy kingdom shall fall under my hands!"
"Invoking fear to the hearts of thy people."
"And felling the root of strength!"
The three spoke with slight intervals and jumped back.
"Dost thou really think that they stood a chance of victory?"
"Is thou really that naive?"
"Or is it merely thy foolishness that shall lead thou to perish?"
The Seraphim laughed and expressed an exaggerated emotion of joy.
Valeira gritted her teeth as she was forced to back up in her own castle!
She could use that skill but she ultimately decided against it. One, it would put every person inside the castle to suffer a great tragedy, and two.. it would immediately kill her.
Her eyes showed hardship but.. her mouth slowly turned into a smile.
"You are awfully confident for a hideous Seraphim."
Then, Valeira sheathed her blade and boldly stared at the Seraphim.
"The battle is merely beginning!"
With the words that sparked hope, Valeira seemed to be plotting something. However! Three of her Knights suddenly fell to the ground!
"Thou really think that I haven't seen through thy plan?"
Valeira's eyes widened.
"Emotions, and Feelings. Two separate concepts yet truly similar."
"Thine Dream hast already been infiltrated... O, Great Queen."
One by one, her Knights fell and dealt a massive blow to her Soul. Valeira writhed in pain and kneeled on the ground.
"Now tell me.. foolish mortal, what dost thou know about Death?"