Alicia jerked up in bed. Sven glanced over, relieved.
The cat girl patted herself over. Healed. “Felice.”
“We got her.” The man put a hand on her shoulder. “I saw Vi take the body.”
Vi and Enrique stepped in. Alicia realized they were in her room. The fox woman stared into a mirror. “That was a close one,” Vi murmured.
“She almost escaped.” Enrique seemed rather sullen.
“Hm? Oh, yes.” Vi put a hand absentmindedly on her sheathed sword. “I’m glad everyone’s okay. Cecelia texted me she’s doing fine. You three should take it easy.”
Enrique’s partner had put on a black and white servant outfit. “I’m going to the Palace. We’re going to prepare for the ball there first, and then rehearse in Mirith.”
“Mirith?” Enrique cocked his head.
“That’s the city where the ball’s taking place this year. The royal family and important officials from the other nations will be going. Want to come with me?”
As the group set off, Alicia felt ready. Preparations sounded like things that would take lots of time and attention. That would give her time to see inside the Palace for the first time and map it out. She could plan an attack on the royal family. If she was lucky, she could even find a chance to assassinate the Princess while she was visiting.
The doors to the Palace opened. To Alicia’s surprise, the first person to meet them was a brunette girl charging over in a fancy pink dress. “Viiii! You came!”
Before the cat girl could react, Vi had swept the princess up in her tails. “Of course! How are you doing, my little Rose?”
Princess Katerina was completely unbothered by her doting and wiggled her head out of Vi’s embrace to announce proudly to the others. “I’m making a lot of friends! My mom and dad say I can help with event practice! Come with me!” She freed herself from the fox woman and yanked one of her tails forwards before setting off at a run.
Vi caught up quickly with Katerina while the others followed close behind. The palace halls were a frenzy of movement. Servants dressed in black and white suits or dresses hurried between rooms, carrying festive decorations or equipment for foods.
The princess darted into a vast open area with tables, chairs, and a platform somewhat like a stage for plays. She hopped onto a chair next to a table with a teapot, cups, and colorful sheets of paper. “Vi! Mr. Hat Man–I mean, Enrique! Help me with the drink ceremony!”
Enrique was taken aback Katerina had bothered memorizing his name. He pulled up a chair as Vi settled into the one facing the girl. The princess picked up a dark blue-white cup and held it up, pronouncing in a serious tone. “This will commence negotiations between our two highborn houses.”
She broke off from the role-play and commanded Sven, “New guy! Pour us the tea!”
Sven dutifully took the teapot, using two hands to balance the weight, and poured into their cups in a somber manner.
“Now we will discuss our first of three items.” Katerina took a paper and read aloud with great seriousness. “Do you accept the trade of 5,000 saplings, 2 tons marble, and a half-garden in exchange for our silver?”
She pushed a paper to Vi and Enrique. It had numbered items and responses written on it like a quiz. There was also a point scale next to a dizzying set of rules in small print, ranging from good sitting posture to the proper angle to hold a cup and ideal inflection of the voice. Enrique, however, promptly swallowed the drink and stared blankly at the princess.
Katerina giggled and kicked her legs under the table. “You can’t do that. We’ll lose points!” She squinted down at her cup. “This looks nice. How did the Elarrians make it? Do you think Mom will let me keep it after the ball?”
Vi bobbed her head. “Let’s not get too distracted, Princess. What’s the purpose of the ball?”
The princess rattled off as if from memory, “To promote peace and stability among the nations, to continually establish the Anima Kingdom’s influence over the races, to celebrate the end of the Five Kingdoms War, and to remember the fallen.”
Vi clapped her hands. “That’s right! We’ll be in Mirith so the Elar Nation should arrive first. What do you do when you meet their leaders?”
Katerina sprang from her chair. “I’ll bow to them, like this.” She dipped the upper half of her body and swept an arm across her chest. “Then I talk. Greetings, First House El’vaan. Nice to meet you, Emperor El’Vrond. A pleasure, Empress El’Shira.”
Vi coaxed her to go on. “And why do you need to address them like that?”
“Because we are showing respect to the other nations,” the princess responded without missing a beat. “We call them an empire so they feel good and remember their history.”
Katerina adopted a knowledgeable tone like she was lecturing to Vi. “El’vaan is the First House, which makes them super important to the other highborn. Vaan means ‘Noble’ and the highborn houses are the lords in their place, so we have to treat them good. The emperor and the empress are even more important because they’re the heads of the El family, and you can tell because their names are capitalized like on the guest list.”
Vi nodded along. “What about if you meet other house members or families?”
“Hm…” She scrunched up her face in thought. “I still need to be helpful, like show them their seats in the feast and lead them to the events. Also, connect any who want to meet their family in the kingdom. But if it’s the heads of House Ti’vaan, then I got to make sure they don’t give Ranger Commander Ti’brill a hard time.”
“Yes. And what’s your part in the drink ceremonies? When do you get to try?”
The princess pursed her lips as she considered. “Um, it’s one of the games we have to celebrate the different cultures and uniqueness of each race. The purpose is so everyone likes the Kingdom more and we are more unified. First I wait for our Elarrian citizens. That way they can demo the ceremony to the players who aren’t part of the High Race. We will re-enact a few famous transfers of power between highborn.”
She tapped a finger against her mouth. “Then when we play, I should go last. It’ll be more dramatic! And I have to do my best because the remnant from Elar will be judging everybody’s performance. Dad’s always so serious about living up to big standards. However, I think if I do bad, it should be funny so people can bond over my failure.”
She said the last sentence with decisive matter-of-factness, as if it was a pronouncement of some kind of law.
Enrique’s head was spinning at the detail spilling out of Katerina’s mouth. Pretty smart for a kid. “Have you guys been preparing this for a long time?”
The princess thrust her cup out with enthusiasm. “It’s yearly! This is my first time getting to do the setup!”
Meanwhile Alicia had carefully angled herself behind Vi and the others, so they wouldn’t be able to see her. She raised her arm to aim at Katerina’s head when a large, heavy ball whizzed straight past her face and collided against a wall.
Vi didn’t bat an eye. “That’ll be the Saukallians.” Alicia grit her teeth, reminded how difficult her true task was. The princess scurried from her chair to pick up the ball. Vi followed and bent over to help her as the girl struggled with the weight.
From another room came loud shouts and laughter. A large number of powerful-looking, red-skinned male and female beings wandered in. They wore matching red or blue uniforms, grinning and talking over one another. “You hit it too hard!” One in red elbowed another next to him.
Katerina marched over and presented the ball to them. “Be careful! You almost hit the grumpy cat! I will ask the king and queen to make sure we have good barriers for the match.”
The Saukallians stopped smiling. They all bowed to the princess, and then to each individual in the room. One of the larger ones put a hand behind his neck and rumbled, “Our deepest apologies. We thought no one would be setting up here yet.”
“Hmph! I’m a very fast worker. The cheer team will be coming to set up soon, too. Dismissed.” The princess waved a hand.
As the intruders took the ball and exited, Sven positioned himself next to Alicia. “Vi, we’ve learned Saukallians are quite violent. Is that a game they play?”
The fox woman shook her head. “Not exactly.”
Katerina interjected. “That’s a sport the Anima Kingdom has invented! It’s one of the most popular games and we’re still making new rules. The championship gets tons of views. I have a whole book someone wrote on kicking techniques. See?” She demonstrated by shoving her foot at a chair and knocking it down.
“We celebrate the culture of other races, but more important we want to make new ones,” Vi explained as she propped the seat up again. “There’s a number of reasons Saukallians are aggressive. A team-based sport is one way to slowly replace their more unpopular traditions, while helping them transition to our own society.”
The princess huffed. “Phooey, they’re not as bad as everyone thinks. The other day I saw Khan—he’s this big, huge guy like everyone else, you know?” She stretched her arms out for emphasis. “And he was. Planting. Flowers. Bending down and talking to petals. Like a little girl! I’d never!”
The irony of this statement appeared totally lost to Katerina, who was filled with glee.
Then she pointed and shouted, tugging on Vi’s arm. “Vi! Your favorite! The cheer squad is here!”
“Really?” Vi whipped her head over to the stage part of the room, where a small crowd of female Anima had gathered with equipment. They stretched and took up positions, with a young girl with purple horns and wings of a dragon at the center.
“I love their clothes! Your friend made their outfits, right?” Katerina peered at the cheerleaders as they began a dance routine, throwing hands with gold and red pom-poms towards the ceiling.
Vi shifted her eyes to the floor, uncomfortable. “Yeah. Morgan.”
She started to smile, however, as the cheerleaders began to chant and upbeat music played. She looked up and bobbed her body to their movements.
“Ani-ma! Ani-ma! Ani-ma!”
The cheer team weaved around each other, flinging their legs and arms in sync. The dragon girl in the center wavered as she spotted the princess and everyone else watching. She fell off rhythm, a few seconds behind.
“I can’t do this,” she wailed to her teammates as she attempted to keep up. “There’s going to be so many people. Plus these uniforms draw even more attention.” She picked at the red-white cloth.
Vi waved to her in encouragement. “You can do it, Violet! Don’t be scared! You’re related to Queen Puri herself!”
“You’re like our mascot,” another of the cheerleaders giggled to the dragon girl, as they switched to another set of moves, forcing the girl to twirl to the front.
“That makes it worse,” Violet cried. “I’ll be leading and everyone will see!”
“Ani-ma!” they all chanted.
“It’s okay! I can help!” Vi leaped onto the stage and grabbed two spare gold pom-poms from a pile, waving them excitedly in front of the group. “Yeah! Anima! We’re the best!”
The cheerleaders were apparently quite used to her, as they were unfazed by the interruption. They swayed in sync with each other and Vi as she hopped up and down shaking her pom-poms.
“Ready? Let’s do number three!” Vi copied the moves of the cheerleaders with zealous energy, making exaggerated motions. A smile crept over the dragon girl’s face.
“Number three!” the team echoed.
“Give everyone a choice!”
“Freedom!”
“Everyone with one voice!”
“Unity!”
“Treat everyone the same!”
“Equality!”
“What’s our name?”
“Anima!”
“Yeaaaah!” Vi flailed her arms.
At that moment, the king and queen walked in, flanked by two palace guards.
King Malgus took one look at Vi cheering on the stage and put a hand to his face. “Not again.”
Queen Isandril was doing her best not to smile.
Vi froze mid-dance and her face flushed as she sensed their eyes on her. “Your—Your Majesties! It’s good to see you. May I have a moment to advise you in private?”
The king’s mouth tightened as Vi left the stage and the cheerleaders resumed dancing in sync. “You may speak, but that does not mean we have to listen.”
“Of course.” Vi went over to Katerina. “I’ll be back in a moment, Princess.” She turned to the king and queen. “May I bring my friend Enrique with me?”
The queen regarded Enrique carefully, then nodded.
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As the four left with the guards, Katerina put her hands on her hips and pouted at Alicia. “Why are you upset? You should be happy! As your future leader, my job is to make every Anima happy. Tell me what’s wrong!”
Alicia wanted to say, “You,” but muttered, “Don’t want to talk about it.”
Listening to her target’s words filled the assassin with unease. Like Sven, and kind of like Vi in a way—trying to help without even knowing her.
The princess cocked her head and thought. “We can play a game! That way you don’t have to think about it. Do you like tag? Let’s play tag!”
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With surprising speed, the princess ran to Sven and tapped his shoulder. “You’re it!”
Katerina darted out of the room, laughing. Alicia jolted forwards and clenched her fists, mentally cursing herself for being caught off-guard. Before Sven could ask her what was bothering her, she raced after the princess.
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While they were still walking, Vi struck up a conversation with the two armored guards who were on either side of the king and queen. “Hey! It’s been a while. Have you been practicing while I was away? We need to stay vigilant, especially with the ball! Let’s go over some escape plans!”
“Here we go again,” the guard to her left groaned, as he turned his helmet to see her tails wag around with growing excitement.
Sure enough, the fox woman started blabbering eagerly. “Remember, your job is to detect any potential threats and send an alert as soon as possible! Every second you buy could save the royal family’s life! You need to coordinate and quickly select a procedure to bring Their Highnesses to safety! Make sure your lines of communication are clear! We can drill Operation Capture Pass!”
The left guard rolled his eyes and recited, “In the event of known invaders, have a detachment draw them away from the royal family and trap them. That’s basic.”
“Yeah! That’s the point. Ooh, we need to practice Operation Moving Castle too! It’s very important.”
The guard on the right volunteered in a more level tone, “We lead Their Majesties and the Princess out of the building and to a safe house.”
“Correct!” Vi cheered.
The other guard gripped his spear and straightened with confidence. “No one’s going to get a step past me. I’ve been training hard. I did practical combat with a Guild when I was out of rotation.”
Vi waved a hand. “If you have to resort to fighting, then we’ve already reached the worst-case scenario. Your most valuable skill is to be proactive and spot threats before they can happen. Don’t be afraid to report anything suspicious even if it’s a false alarm. A good guard makes boring news. If you ever fight, you will have almost no time and expect heavy losses as a team. That’s why I’d emphasize Moving Castle over open combat like Queen’s Gambit—”
“Vi, enough,” the king interrupted.
Vi looked over with big eyes. “I only want to help! As your family’s advisor and former protector, your safety is my priority!”
The door shut, leaving Vi and her partner alone with the king and queen. The guards stood posted by the doorway holding their spears.
King Malgus folded his arms. “Well, you have our attention. Speak.”
“Ah, yes.” Vi, nervous, put her hands together in front of her and shot a glance at Enrique. “First, I’d like to introduce my partner Enrique.”
He bowed to the two, awkward and unsure of what to say. The queen nodded while the king inspected him with sharp eyes like a hawk.
Queen Isandril spoke softly. “After Aurelius, yes? Good to meet you. Will you be coming to the ball, Enrique?”
Enrique hesitated. “I suppose.”
Vi waved her tails, concern on her face. “I’d rather not. It’s going to be very dangerous at the ball and afterwards. If it’s possible, your Majesties, I was thinking of arranging a ride and getting him to safety—”
Malgus cut in. “I’m highly against that. If he’s anything like Aurelius before him, he could be a valuable asset. We are in a crisis.”
“But he’s his own person!” Vi protested with a pleading expression. “It’s true, Your Majesty. I’ve seen futures where he becomes a powerful Hero. I’ve seen his likes and dislikes, the way he changes…” She trailed off and glanced down. “But I’ve been thinking, it’s wrong to force him to make decisions. Ever since he’s been here, he’s been pushed one way or the other to help us. It’s wrong of me to put him in danger or expect anything of him. My King, the best Heroes are the ones who do it because they truly want to.”
The king scowled. “It would be to his benefit. We would be indebted to his service. Isn’t the System designed so people like him could come here?”
“The Four Houses weren’t perfect when they made the System—”
“Let’s move on.” The king’s voice was decisive. The queen also motioned for her to continue.
Vi attempted an assuring smile. “I’d also like to speak on foreign policy. Have you considered perhaps lessening the penalty on criminals like gang members?”
Malgus’s reply was heated. “Absolutely not. We are going to send a message that these lawbreakers and invaders will suffer the worst consequences. This is what the Kingdom needs!”
A vein was practically throbbing in his temple. “Don’t you know, this very week we had protesters at the Palace gates? I was mere minutes away from sending the guards out, but Isandril and I addressed them. The people, especially the non-Anima, need to see we are serious about protecting them. We put to death anyone who dares attack the kingdom, end of story.”
His advisor met his furious eyes with caution. “That may be true, but we’ll antagonize the gangs more without a way out. Would you stop the death penalty for a few if they could be reasoned with? What if we had a couple surrender, help us stop the others, and work to make up for their past deeds?”
The king’s nostrils flared. His eyes flashed. “I don’t know what’s gone in your mind to make you say these ridiculous words. They would have to be pure as the Maker’s angels to convince me. So long as they show themselves a threat, we will wage war on them.”
Vi’s ears twitched. Sensing he wouldn’t budge further, she went on with a peppy tone as she pivoted to one of her more usual topics. “As you wish. Speaking of battle, I propose we adopt more technologies and modern tactics. More firepower on our ships. Elemental, long-range spellwork to let us sense the enemy through buildings and enclosed areas. Oh, and research on fine-grained remote control of vehicles. We could save money and lives if we reduce the need for pilots.”
She became energetic at the prospects, swishing her tails up and down. “The other places haven’t caught up with our tech yet. Do you know what that means? We dominate the skies! I propose extra funding and research on air power. Imagine it, Your Majesties. Thousands of spellborne ships flying high in the skies. Out of reach of enemy forces, ready to do deep surveillance, comms, supply drops, or strikes across the whole world! If we combine that with our online network’s intelligence gathering, then in time you can automatically watch everyone’s every face and movement. You can deny attacks before they can even begin—”
“Vi, you’re getting too excited again,” Queen Isandril reprimanded quietly.
The fox woman was hopping up and down a little. “It’s the future! The heavens and the cybersphere are great places to focus on! Air superiority! Air superiority!” she chanted.
“Stop,” the king groaned.
“Say it with me, Mal-mal! Air superiority!”
King Malgus’s face twitched at the nickname. “Don’t call me that. I’m not a child anymore. Your suggestions are noted. You may send your inevitable number sheets and logistics diagrams to the Ministries. I do agree we can improve the effectiveness of ships, but in the meantime we’re spread thinner than comfortable with how big the kingdom is.”
Vi gave him and the queen an innocent look. “Perhaps you should consider my past suggestions to de-expand the land?”
“And perhaps you should stop acting like we are idiots,” Malgus snapped. “You would have us give the land we conquered back to the remnants of the other races?”
“Soft power.” Vi stopped jumping around and held out a hand in conciliation. “It’s advice to warn you, to turn your mind to another track. There are patterns to the rise and fall of nations. When too much land leads to an empire, the government becomes decentralized. Then what?”
Queen Isandril answered. “Many problems. I assume I know where you’re going with this. We appoint officials to run the regions beyond our immediate reach. In our case, upstanding members of other races, such as the Elarrian highborn who became our citizens. The officials can become powerful and gain influence over their assigned lands and people. They may have their own agendas and pursue them while independent of our inputs. We, the central government, weaken over time as the people no longer care for us. Then the nation splits, divides and fights amongst themselves, and becomes a target to outsiders. After that comes ruin.”
“And if we shrink so as to remain a small kingdom, the governing is a little easier,” Vi added in a helpful tone. “But even with a large population, we still have options—”
“Hence your emphasis on soft power,” Malgus interrupted. “Following that, using cultural influence to maintain control over the other races. Included in that, the various systems we already have in place. Isandril and I get your point. Creating dependency on our tech advantages such as apps and devices, which are always under the network which we as the royal family control with the System. Building pride in a shared identity as the Unified Kingdom, merging the history of the citizens with Anima values. Setting up events to reinforce friendly relations between different races. Which leads us, finally, to the Anniversary Ball. Please tell me you have some practical points you wanted to bring up?”
Vi bobbed her head. “Allow me to speak bluntly. Based on findings by Enrique and I, there will be multiple assassination attempts on Your Majesties and Princess Katerina at the ball. Allblades will be behind them. Related to that, there will be large-scale attacks which can easily cause indiscriminate deaths in the thousands. We need to protect the people attending the ball.”
Malgus grit his teeth, both at the news and in preparation for another spiel, but he growled, “State your defense plans. How do they differ from ones you have told us in the past?”
Vi launched into another obsessive blabber. “I have lots of ideas! Your personal guards will work for your safety as the royal family. Then, our first priority is to ensure the people affected will be treated as fast as possible. We need medical supplies, potions, food, water, hospital staff and healers. Which means logistics! We need clear, efficient paths for medical item transport and supply trains. We need fleets of ships routed and ready to send people away when fighting starts. We need to deal with blocked roads and overcrowding. We need the army deployed to preemptively strike threats and send early warnings. We need the citizens plugged into emergency broadcasts so they can find where to go.”
“I’m fine with that,” Isandril said. “What of the assassination attempts?”
Vi swayed from side to side, going serious again. “I suspect the remnant from each race will hold some grudges. Off the top of my head, I remember there were rumors of Saukallian sea ships on social media. It’s possible one of the Saukallian rulers wants to attempt a takeover through a surprise attack on the ball. Some of the Fae Court would be happy to poison Your Majesties, of course. Those, you should be careful with.”
The king and queen were stoic and unmoved when hearing this. Enrique wondered if they had gotten used to death threats while ruling.
“Enrique and I have also discovered large networks of criminals which Allblades may be influencing. The demon of chaos Kavistra is involved with him. For Allblades, I think most anything is on the line. He can attack with criminals, displaced monsters, disaffected members of the remnant, traitors, or even a demon.”
The king rested a hand under his chin, grim. “It comes full circle, I suppose. Allblades began his madness after everyone presumed him dead during the war. Now, he reveals himself at the ball celebrating the same war’s end. I would not be surprised he chose this date on purpose. It’s been, what, over twenty years?”
“Yeah.” Vi stared at the two with sad, distant eyes.
“Vi.” Isandril fixed her with a stern glare. “Remember what the king and I mentioned in our last conversation. You will be one of my personal guards at the ball. That means you will accompany me, by my side, as I visit the rulers of the other nations. I expect you to treat them with the utmost respect, as you do, and importantly to submit to them and apologize for your previous actions.”
The fox woman fidgeted. “But…but I don’t like that,” she mumbled. “They really despise me for what I did. They could take advantage if I accommodate them and be really mean.”
“Do it,” the king ordered shortly.
“I—I don’t know,” Vi muttered, putting her hands together. She stared at the floor. “Remember last time? Some of them made—made fun of me or laughed at me. They’re very influential and powerful. This time they could yell at me or even attack me, and I’ll be angry but not able to do anything. How about we write a letter or record a message instead? I don’t want to—”
“Azurelane! I am your king! You will do as I say!” King Malgus shouted.
Vi flinched. The use of her last name was purposeful, and hurt in its own way. Reminding her of her family’s legacy.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” She bowed low and then left the room.
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Servants drifted back and forth across the halls, obscuring Alicia’s vision. Where did she go? The last time the assassin had glimpsed the princess was when she turned to this walkway, upon which Katerina had seemingly vanished. Not only was the princess quick, but she knew the palace like the back of her hand. That would explain some.
Alicia went down the hall at a fast pace, her eyes scanning left to right. Doorways on the sides. Open entrances to more rooms. One with paintings and furniture, another with supplies, a large kitchen with much shouting and the smell of rich foods. She traced a mental map of her surroundings, committing each location to memory in case she needed it later.
Up ahead, a balcony with a view, staircases, and from the staircases four guards hurrying down in glistening gold armor and spears. She ducked through the kitchen and switched on her invisibility to overhear the guards.
“Katerina got away again! Servant saw her! She’s not in the events room like she’s supposed to!”
“I told the Queen it was a bad idea! We must keep the Princess under our watch at all times! Expand the search team! Find her! Escort her to her room immediately!”
Need to distract them, Alicia thought. She glanced around. A young female servant was heading out of the kitchen, pushing a cart loaded with trays of food. The assassin sneaked close to the servant and then stuck out a foot.
“Aiee!” The servant fell, upsetting dishes and sending them crashing to the floor. Some guards stopped to help her to her feet. “Are you all right?” one asked.
“I’m fine. Scraped my knee—”
Alicia barreled past the guards, bumping against the servant’s dress in the process.
“—eh? That was weird.”
Alicia silently cursed and glanced back. The servant was looking with confusion at where she had collided against her. It made the cat girl’s stomach uneasy. She accelerated.
Her power sensing wasn’t working. Two possibilities. One, the princess was very far out of range. Two, the princess’s powers were not too developed yet, and therefore not as noticeable. Master had warned her the king and queen were formidable fighters themselves, which made the princess an easier target. However, she would grow to be stronger, Alicia knew.
The princess lived in the palace. Alicia wished she could find the room. She wandered along a narrow passageway, checking from door to door. After a long, frustrating circle, she realized she was going to get lost if she wasn’t careful.
An entrance caught her eye. She couldn’t explain why, but there was a pull inside her, a strange yearning to go there. Through the entrance, there was a faint light. It called to her. Alicia couldn’t resist. She found herself walking into a vast, majestic room of red velvet. Inside she saw two golden chairs, a series of paintings, and another doorway.
Alicia was certain she’d never been inside here. Yet, a sensation of familiarity filled her.
Is this…the throne room?
Her eyes drifted from the chairs to a light in the center of the room. The light, and the pull in her body, came from a table and a glass case containing an object.
In the case sat a gold crown inset with four colored jewels. A purple amethyst, a red ruby, a green emerald, and a blue sapphire. They were cut into the shape of diamonds. A lonely, faint blue light glowed from the sapphire. The other three were dull and lifeless.
The king’s crown. The pull was almost irresistible. With both anxiety and curiosity, Alicia reached out a hand towards the crown and put her hand on the glass..
A blinding flash of light filled the room. Alicia shut her eyes. Her body felt hot, as if a miniature sun was growing inside her. It was searing and ferocious to the point of being painful, spreading from a core in her chest to flames filling every part of her, all the way to her fingers and toes.
“Aah!” Alicia collapsed and curled up into a ball. As she writhed in the intense heat, she spotted her reflection on the glass.
Her eyes were glowing an emerald green.
When the light cleared, she saw the crown’s brightness had changed. The crown’s emerald pulsed with a barely discernible green glow, even fainter than the sapphire.
Her phone pinged, sending a jolt of shock through her. She took it out, gasping for breath, and stared at the notification. It was not from a person.
Your System profile has been updated.
Heart hammering with fear and confusion, she tapped the message and her profile displayed on the screen.
Alicia Darkwaters. Unregistered Anima.
In “Stats”.
Something she had never seen before.
Abilities: Death’s Hand, Dark Element Manipulation, Dark Element Augmentation…
The assassin’s hand shook. Where did that come from? She tapped the new ability’s text.
Death’s Hand: On activation, allows the wielder to kill anyone with a touch, or through contact with a weapon in the wielder’s possession.
Ignores all of a target’s defenses. This can also cause death without leaving any evidence of killing.
Unlocks the full capabilities of the darkness element.
Enhances physical skills to extreme levels.
Enhances duration and effectiveness of existing abilities.
Luck is dramatically increased when this power is in use.
Her eyes were wide. A shiver went down her back. The first part stuck out to her the most. I can kill anyone…with a touch?
Shouting came from nearby. She recognized Sven’s voice. “Alicia!”
She stuffed the phone away as he spotted her and ran in.
“There you are! I was getting worried. Why did you take off like that? What’s gotten into you?”
He sounded angry. Alicia looked away from his stern face.
Then he realized she was lying on the floor, and halted at the sight.
Despite her best efforts, Alicia whimpered. “My body keeps changing. Why is this happening to me?”
Sven bent over. “I’ve got you.”
“Don’t…don’t touch me…”
He picked her up. “It’s okay, Alicia. It’s okay.”
Alicia tensed. She saw her eyes had returned to normal. She mumbled. “Whenever I get in trouble, I keep getting new powers. This time was different. It felt so much…stronger.”
“What happened?”
“I…don’t know. I saw the crown. I touched it. Then I felt hot.”
Sven turned to study the crown and the two faint lights. He frowned. “Let’s get you out of here.”