First pov

Meeting room

As i was expecting,the Dark Queen was waiting for me, sitting in a big armchair. Sometimes,I find myself wondering her real name. My previous life should have known it but I don't remember it and as far as I know everyone else has forgotten it as well. Now that I think about it,the Shadows must have known it at some point and they have excellent memory. So what happened? They still remember it but they are ordered not to mention it again? Or the Dark Queen has erased their memories of that name? And why would she do that?

The Dark Queen must have noticed my vague expression and she chose to greet me first,despite the protocol which demands the first greeting comes from the host.

"Eve,good evening. I'm sorry to hear you were feeling unwell but this matter simply could not wait"

I sat on the other armchair opposite of her.

"It's nothing that can keep me from my duties. I must say I was quite surprised to hear your arrival. Surprise visits are so unlike you."

"Indeed. However,this matter simply can not wait. I'm sure you are informed of Thanos's recent...passing."

"No,how would I be informed of this?"

"Oh come on,Eve, don't act like that. It is a known secret that you and the Princes are practically best friends. Although,you could have been informed by one of your spies. Yes,I know of their existence as well. But to tell you the truth it has become rather convenient. I control which information is leaked and by doing so I avoid coming here and telling you myself."

"Yes,I'm aware how much you despise of my presence,so why dont you just get straight to the point so we can finish this meeting as soon as possible?"

"Very well. As you are aware,Thanos,despite being a Prince,will be reborn. I want your help in finding the carrier of his soul."

"Why?"

"Because Haures is unreliable at this point. His emotional attachment with his younger sibling will prevent him from accomplishing the task."

"I did not ask "why me?". I asked "why do you want to find them?"Dont tell you want to protect them."

"What I do once i have the carrier is none of your concern."

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"It is. I refuse to just deliver the carrier to you in good conscience until I know they wont be harmed. And my instincts tell me that there is danger."

At that moment a guard opened the doors with such force that I could swear that I heard the walls crack at the points where the doors hit the walls.

"Forgive the disrespect your Majesties but I just received urgent news from a messenger from the Shadow World. Haures and Paimon have vanished. No one can find them."

"Impossible. I had a meeting with him just mere hours go."

"In that case I'm sure the information is false. They couldn't possibly have packed everything in just a few hours. And besides they had no reason to leave in the first place.",I said with certainty in my voice

I waved at the guard to leave. I had a feeling things will heat up pretty soon.

Also,I was taking a big risk lying in front of my counterpart. But it was obvious that Haures has fled in an effort to protect Thanos which could only mean one thing. Thanos's life was again in danger.Also,it was logical not to take anything from the palace as it would transmit a detectable energy signal. I don't know why the Dark Queen wanted one of royal family permanently erased but I was going to help the Princes,at least by buying them time. I could only hope that she will not figure things out,at least not too quickly.

A tea cup smashing brought me back to reality. The Dark Queen had a look of fury on her face. I was surprised. I have never seen her angry before. She always seemed so collected,almost apathetic.

"No,Eve,they are gone. Before I left I put someone in charge of keeping an eye on the two Princes. If the message says they have vanished and this means that their energies cant be detectedwithin the kingdom.And that can only happen if they turn human or mask it themselves.But why go to such lengths to disappear?"

At times like this,I remember the only downside of being a Queen. You had no one to pray to.

Then,her face turned white and I realised with horror that my hopes would soon be crashed.

"No,it can't be. That isn't....But it is. Of course,I was so stupid. A High Prince would never be reborn by someone of lower blood. Only by rebirth through another High Prince would his blood be kept pure. Haures is the carrier. And he lied straight to my face. I knew I shouldn't have given him the baby in the first place. He became too attached. But now I can fix this mistake."

She tried to leave but i locked the door with my energy and put a barrier in front of it

"Let me go. Now."

"No. Not until you give me some explanations. Without Thanos, souls are doomed to wander the Universe without being able to even become one with its energy. And I can already feel the universal energy's turmoil. So you should be overjoyed that Thanos will return. Dont try to tell me that Haures' behaviour is the reason because you knew about it for a long time. Haures wasn't exactly subtle about his feelings. When you skin 20 people alive for harming your baby brother you get a message across. It was never a problem until now,on the contrary it helped control Haures's "difficult" character,so it cant have become an inconvenience now that it is the most useful. Overall,you have no reason to want Thanos harmed,on the contrary you should provide Haures with care and protection,so you will not leave this room until I get my answers."

She signed and then she just fell on the armchair. I didnt think it was possible to see her defeated like this.

"You remember my son?",she asked in a a quiet voice.

"No,you dont have a son. You were pregnant once but you miscarried."

"I managed to save a piece of the baby's soul but it was too weak so I had to fuse it with another soul. Luckilly for me,around that time Thanos was created. His newly emerged soul was still adaptable and flexible so it was exactly what I needed. So,Thanos ended up with a mixed soul. The plan was the aggressive personality of Haures to awaken my son's part of the mixed soul. Unfortunately,the results were quite different from expected. Haures's love and care buried my boy's soul-part deep within and Thanos's soul,the pure soul,was in control. Then,I was planning to bring out the desired part of the soul by force but something happened. When I did it,I was able to meet my son for a few minutes. And it was a mistake. He was an uncontrollable savage beast. He escaped and killed many people with ways that even I can not bear to talk about. I locked him back inside the soul and thought that would be the end of it. But now,Thanos's soul and energy are very sensitive. One small imbalance on Haures's part can result in my son's awakening. Even a small feeling of anger or inconvenience. And trust me Eve,it will be a disaster on a universal scale if that thing gets released. That's why I'm asking for your help. Haures will not be harmed. But Thanos has to cease to exist. We will find someone else to do his job.We can deal with anything but I am speaking the truth when I tell you that my boy can not be controlled."

I remained silent for a few minutes. The Dark Queen took advantage of my thinking to pose the big question.

"So,what will it be? Will you choose to save Thanos's life and risk everyone on the multiverse or you will help me exterminate this great threat before it has a chance to see the light of day again?"