First Pov

I knocked on Angelica's door. Anthony opened the door. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to give them all the same room,even if it was more of an apartment than a room.

"Greetings,your Grace. How may i help you?",he spoke,with a hint of irony in his voice,which i chose to ignore because,as i have concluded,from previous conversations,irony was always present in his voice,regardless of the situation

"Good morning Anthony. Is Angelica inside? I would like to have a word with her."

"She is taking a bath. She should be over soon so why don't you wait for her inside?"

I could see how tensed he has become all of a sudden. He was smart,he knew that the Grand Ruler doesn't have time to come for casual visits. Luckily,he was patient enough to wait.

Angelica came out of the bathroom a few moments later. She had one towel wrapped around her slim pale body. She was quite thin for a

four- class. Either she wasnt getting enough energy from her sources or she was too wasteful. Probably the second,though. The other towel was wrapped around her black long hair. That was another odd characteristic of hers. Normally,

four- classes kept their hair short because they had to work all day,running behind their sources fixing any small misunderstanding that could potentially escalate into a fight.Angelica's long hair was a clear sign that she wasn't facing any difficulties at the present moment. Besides,if her energy levels were low, her hair would fall off on their own.

"Hi,Angelica. Come sit down. I have some good news"

She sat besides me on the couch but Anthony was still not convinced.

"How can the news be joyful and you still look like a great disaster has befallen upon you? I don't want to meddle with your affairs but the past couple days everyone in the palace is on edge. More aggressive,anxious and occasionally grier. Is everything okay?"

"Very observant of you. No,things are not okay but it is true that the recent events diminish the possibility of the Shadows hunting Angelica for a while.The palace stuff doesn't know anything,so don't bother asking them. They have just noticed my change of mood. Where is Raphael,by the way?"

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"He went to the gardens. Why the sudden change of behaviour on their part?"

"Their goal hasn't changed,if that is what you are asking, but a most tragic event has disoriented the High Class. That alongside the political issues that have risen along with the possibility of universal imbalance has altered their responsibilities for the time being"

"Is being vague a job qualification or you just learn it along the way?"

"I am always as clear as I need to be."

Anthony rose and took a stroll around looking impatient and nervous.

"I didn't want to mention this because i didn't want anyone getting into trouble but i want to get some answers. A few hours ago,i saw a guard sitting alone in a balcony drinking wine,or at least he was trying to because most of the wine had ended up on the floor. My heart clenched seeing perfectly good wine going to waste so i offered him my company. He was talkative but not too much. All he told me was that a very important Shadow has died. Is that the "tragic event" you were talking about?"

The situation was getting irritating. That guard,I didn't need to be told who it was,was getting punished that's for sure. Also,I'm the Queen. I am not used to getting cornered up.So i stood up and faced him.

"Listen,you have misunderstood something. It's not my job to give you detailed reports regarding what happens in my realm. I just came to inform you that not only Angelica is safe but she can also stay here and be trained properly by our Priestesses,the reasons behind that development are mine and mine alone to know"

Angelica seemed excited hearing it.

"Really?Thank you,your Grace,that would be an honor."

Anyhony still seemed unsure but he knew better than to question the decision of Angelica when she was accepting a proposal from the Grand Ruler.

"Excellent. Anthony,you and Raphael are also welcome to stay here at the palace. Angelica,i will inform them of your decision and i believe you can start your lessons by the end of the week."

Suddenly my phone started ringing. It was Paimon.

"Hello?"

"Eve,how are you,my dear eclipse?"

Oh no,Paimon was complimenting me. A bad habit he has retained from our time together. It was a trick to calm me down when he was about to shock me or surprise me. Ironically,I used the same trick on him to announce our break-up.

"Get to the point.Or else i hang up and you will have to set an appointment to see me"

"Such good news can't wait that long. We found Thanos's energy"

I found the nearest chair and sat down. More like it collapsed on it.

"I am listening and if this is your idea of a prank I swear I am going to tangle the universal lines so much that it will take you the next millennia to untangle them."

"It's not a joke. Do you remember how the Shadows are incarnated? It's been a while since the last case"

"Of course. The energy of the deceased Shadow,or what remains of it,resides inside the carrier-Shadow for about a year or so and after that you extract the mature energy from the carrier.When that happens the energy shapes itself into a new body. But if a Shadow is trapped in the human world then the energy starts shaping itself to a body inside the carrier. If that happens,either the carrier seems pregnant like a female human or you alter the space inside the body of the carrier to contain the baby without the alterations being visible from the outside. Why do you ask? You said it yourself,Thanos was of royal blood. He can not be reincarnated."

"Yes and that hasn't changed. Lucky for us,the Universe has a sense of irony. You will never guess who is carrying Thanos's energy."

An idea passed my mind but I quickly dismissed it.

"Stop with your mind games and tell me who he is"

"His big brother,Haures."

I felt the world spinning around me. Before everything became black the last thing I heard was Angelica's and Anthony's worried calls.