She entered inside Callista's domain of consciousness, floating weightlessly in the abyss, her body suspended in a vast emptiness. She reached out, searching for something, anything to fill the the answer: who and what is Callista?
But there was nothing.
Every second brought no pain, her mind was untouched and her heart was unbroken like she least suspected. And yet, she felt something. A soft whisper of love, like a sigh on the wind.
Argider reeled, and just like that, she was thrown from the void into the blinding point of light.
Reality crashed back, colors and sounds and sensations slamming into place around her. It was all too fast. She blinked, disoriented, as the afterimages of the light and the sensations she'd felt in the void faded from her vision, leaving her in the familiar present.
She wasn't sure if that love was meant for her or someone else completely. Growing up isolated from people, she struggled to understand emotions, even her own. She didn't understand anything. Argider was sure that she could with this skill, but her interpretation skill was on the down low.
"Is something wrong, Argider?"
"Callista... What do you love?" She asked with no second thought.
Callista froze, her expression transforming from her usual mix of emotions to something more serious. Her emotions shifted like the sands of the shoreline, ebbing and flowing in unexpected ways. This caught Argider off-guard like she'd touch a forbidden fruit.
The sound of the door opening jolted the room to attention, each head swiveling to see who had entered.
"Apologies for the interruption," Denzelle's voice rang out, shattering the tense silence that had settled, his voice serious as he spoke to Argider. "But I'm afraid you are needed urgently by the council. They require your presence immediately."
Frustration boiled as she looked at Denzelle, desperately torn between the desire to speak and the need to contain herself. In that moment, she knew that staying any longer would only exacerbate the agony within her.
With a deep, steadying breath, she pushed herself away from Callista and followed Denzelle out of the room, not looking back.
The palace air was heavy. This time, the words were not filled with slander or derision, but a sharp curiosity, a tinge of anger. The Divine Mandate dictated that the downfall of an emperor meant they were unworthy of the throne. The return of Argider, both miraculous and mocking, seemed to defy this rule. Was it a punishment for his debauchery, or a declaration of her unquestioned rule? Rumors and doubt rippled through the court, casting shadows on her reign.
As she made her way through the hallway, accompanied by Denzelle, the clamor around her grew louder. Servants, courtiers, and nobles alike turned their gazes in her direction, their eyes following her every move. Some whispered furtively behind their hands, while others stared in unabashed curiosity.
— [Quest Reminder: Kill Denzelle]
The system seemed to taunt her endlessly. She was no hardened warrior like Denzelle. The thought of blood on her hands made her feel ill. How could she ever justify the loss of life, even in the name of duty and justice? She wanted to delay this, but she knew time was demanding.
Despite the growing buzz, Argider remained aloof, her mind lost in thought. What did reaching redemption mean anyway? Even the wisest old sages she'd met had something lurking beneath them. There wasn't any model that she could exactly define as a person who had reached redemption. She had already attempted to seek it out before, but the answers she had discovered left her feeling disillusioned.
It was so challenging to become the person she could love, but pleasure just felt so easier.
If she killed Denzelle, would there be redemption?
Plunging into the room of dimness, Argider could sense the eyes of the council members fixed on her, studying her intently. She knew this feeling well - the feeling of being examined and weighed against an elusive standard of perfection as the ruler of an empire. This brought more shame as she was keenly aware of her own failings, painfully conscious of the weight of her imperfections.
"Are you willing to listen to us now, girl?" Osmo, the advisor to the throne, spoke up, his tone deliberately patronizing. It hit Argider's nerve, a small crack in her usually steely pride.
"At the end of the day, Osmo, I am a man!"
"A man who's turned into a girl. You don't have what's in your pants now. Get that to your head."
"And I don't want to lose my wives. Insult me, but I refuse to have husbands."
"No one said you would," he retorted, his words sharp and biting. "None of us here know why you're the chosen one for the throne. We cannot defy you, nor can you defy the fate forced upon you as the ruler anymore. It's time to stop your extravagant lifestyle, treating the empire like a playground for your desires, and making us all look like fools. We have rebellions to deal with, tribes encroaching on our territories... yet you remain indifferent and unconcerned about the state of the empire!"
"You are not the only one facing downfall, your grace. The entire empire is," added Telys. "We are in a war that you indirectly started all because of your incompetence. It is your duty to fix it."
"I... I didn't know," she mumbled quietly.
"We don't know who betrayed us, but our enemies have gained critical information. A spy under my supervision informed me that a witch, gifted with the ability to foresee the future, has allied herself with the Peliotus tribe. The individual responsible spoke with the confidence and knowledge of someone from the aristocracy," Count Laristor added, concern etched on his face. As the head of covert operations, he knew of the underground workings. "Now, they have successfully infiltrated and taken control of several strategic hoarders."
A mysterious figure in a mask and all-black attire entered the room, a sword prominently displayed on their hip. They approached Laristor and whispered something to him. Count Laristor's eyes widened in surprise and shock, his body becoming rigid and awkward.
"I suppose we now know who the so-called 'witch' is..."
Everyone spun around to face him.
"The witch is Isolde, Argider's second wife..."
There was a collective gasp. The masked spy leaned in yet again, whispering something else to Laristor. The count winced in response, releasing a sigh of frustration.
"And... Isolde got impregnated, carrying the tribe leader's child. This is truly... a precarious situation. That woman possesses considerable intellect, and that baby... it poses a major threat to us all."
"W-What do you mean?" Argider choked out.
"With her family's ability to foretell the future... and the Peliotus' tribe attribute to tame monsters and animals alike.. the baby will be a monster."
"So what do I do?"
"Kill the baby and get back your wife."