“That’s absurd!” A few Elven and dwarven nobles exclaimed in rejection. Not all showed such disagreement to Elinore’s decision to help me rebuild my empire, on this Elinore and I made it clear that we wouldn’t rebuild the empire on this continent or any of those others that weren’t allied with me willingly in the past. Such as onrath, Aslan and parts of Koran. This process would take years and in that time I would hopefully with the help of Ciaran and artoria along with Lithran’s guards help find my old knights. Though my other allies of my former lives weren’t present I was able to send them secret letters with the help of Elinore to solidify I was alive whilst avoiding conflict of Onrath’s or my family’s involvement.

“My decision is made! If it wasn’t for Rias I'd probably be dead. You’ve all heard what Lyron, the kings, and the queens of the human continent are doing so… we need her help don’t we?” Elinore asked in a dominating gentle voice. In such a setting I was used to hearing my own and that being said I was the help they needed and vice versa, it was nice though that Elinore took to call me by my current name rather than my old one as so many did before her. Refreshing, to say the least. The nobles seemed to back off slightly agreeing that Elinore wasn’t wrong. From what I gathered from Elinore being able to properly act as queen again my traitor knights from my life as artura did a number on my allies' morale.

According to Artoria, when I did die it was mordid who announced it killing my former aides who couldn’t escape. According to her also when Seris left Camelot she gave everyone ally and enemy alike a warning ‘Don’t believe a curse stays down for eternity.’ To some extent Seris was right. No doubt Seris was in one of two places on the continent of Koran in the kingdom of eternal night ruled over the queen Medea or seidr. Where the shaman queen ruled with a delicate embrace. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if Seris is making her way to this continent.’ Luna spoke into my mind whilst lying curled around Ciri who was sleeping on Luna's soft grey fur.

‘Yeah. Jasmine Aswell… she’d definitely would come running with Monarch if they heard I’m alive. Other than Artoria, Tristan and Percival, traitor Gawain I doubt the rest are alive. Then again jasmine is a gestalt. Monarch is a born four-tailed kitsune of unknown origin.’ I replied to Luna leaning my body against the marble pillar beside the throne with my left leg bent as my foot sat against said pillar. Watching on I reflected upon the few weeks after rescuing Elinore, knowing I had fourteen months till I was allowed back in onrath without severe consequences I began an elaborate scheme with Talia.

In a few weeks, I figured out that Camelot couldn’t be restored unless someone had access to healing divine pure mana which no one recorded had access to apart from Marin and ‘Raven’ another life I had. Marin explained that Aethna could live there only because she was a black dragon, knowing this she also explained that Numena was a better option. Above all that I was still trying to figure out how the hell she could talk to me whilst not in that mind or dream realm.

“Rias. I was thinking we should start building the castle and main city of Numena now whilst staying in the elven realm only, so Riva doesn’t suspect something.” Talia whispered watching onto the nobles listening to Elinore’s words of praise to Marin who was no doubt listening.

“Good idea… We have fourteen months, right?”

“Less than a year. I guess because of time dilation. Because of the time changes in Akron’s realm and onrath, we didn’t notice, which means…” Talia fiddled, her thin strong fingers twitched as she stood beside shifting her posture ever so slightly. “We are both eighteen. Just over eleven months left.” She was right. Time wasn’t my forte as I would spend months on missions and lose track of that time. In this instance though I felt she was right. The nobles began to agree to help rebuild my kingdom on the continent of Numena, a smile drifted across my face knowing I had some people I could count on at the very least.

“Hey, Talia.” I nudged at Talia who snapped her gaze towards me frighteningly quick. “Lithran wants to talk to us about something important all I know is it involves you and Samantha from his look of bewilderment and concern can't be good.” I shrugged. Talia rolled her eyes in acknowledgment. I could’ve sworn I heard a very faint sigh. Before I continued my conversation with Talia, the doors of the citadel’s throne room swung wide open with a silver elf dripping with sweat. From the amount of sweat, I could tell he was in a rush, and an extreme one at that.

The noble elves, dwarfs and a few other races such as the angelus snapped their heads to the door where one single human stood behind, she was flanked by knights of unknown origin. Taking a closer look, I figured they weren’t human. I recognized the azure mixed sapphire jewel eyes, Her fiery red mane of hair, and the blackened charred gothic armour. The three-skulled symbol was etched into her armour and sewn into the fabric. “The maiden.” I spoke under my breath feeling my mechanical hand churn to replicate the anger that I would feel if it was flesh.

speaking under my breath seemed to grab her attention, turning her head towards me gave a sudden jolt of anxiety, and the feeling of being scared resurfaced. I felt like a child who had seen something that could traumatize them. My breath became unsteady. My golden heart boomed like a war drum inconsistent and irregular beats drummed in my ears, it became harder to hear. “Hey. It’s okay. She isn’t here to fight us or anyone in this room… breathe slowly okay. Steady your heart. I’m here.” Talia gripped my right hand while placing the other just above my heart feeling for its irregular beat.

“Well. Isn’t this a treat? Two queens in one room… I’m lucky. Master Ludwig is treating me today.” Her voice was seductive and steady yet felt like with every word sunk daggers stabbed into my spine just ever so slightly deeper each time. “I’m just here to rely on a message from my master to yours. As long as the former queen of Camelot stays away from onrath and… ‘his allies’ no one will come for Talia nor Samantha.”

“Answer me what do you mean by that?” I asked, my breathing still unsteady.

“Well, Ludwig will keep lyron riel and King Wolfram Wolfgar among others from trying to take Talia and Samantha from you and what is inside them as long as you don’t return to onrath for a year or until the next crimson event which is… eleven months!” she sounded ecstatic even going so far as to fucking clap in enjoyment. “Oh, I have a message for Elinore as well. We have taken your father into custody. He needs to be tried for his crimes of the past… they will soon come to light.” She paused surveying the room trying her darn hardest to not seem like the enemy. A villain.

Even though I had calmed down by now, my hate for her. Remained. I want revenge, to kill her. The person that killed my father, from the barely seeable flicker of her eyes. I knew. She could see how much I wanted to rip out that pale peach delicate slim throat of Her’s. Nevertheless, she continued her little talk unveiling small and large things. The more I listened to her voice, feeling the familiar pain of when she spoke holding my father's burnt carcass like a dog. Keeping my eye on her seemed to lessen said pain I was feeling.

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Maybe this was an ability of hers, but until today this feeling of sharpness had never surfaced before, and as far as I could tell no one else was feeling the same as me. The maiden was aware of this looking at me when she was speaking. Something in particular, there was something about her staring that showed she either hated my guts or someone who looked eerily similar to me. “I believe this will be important to you, Artura Pendragon.” The maiden addressed me directly the world around us frozen. Time did not move. Toll of the bells could not be heard.

“I hope you soon find out how much your brother Nick well… castil has done to betray your family. TWICE.” She affirmed what I already imagined and knew. That Nick was castil. Castil was Nick. “I’m not trying to make you hate him because we both know you already do. Right now, he’s probably either slaughtering innocents, making people work to death, or dealing with three princes and their high sex drive. They make me fucking sick.”

“You and me both.”

“At least we share something in common.” She laughed “Strange but still. We hate the princes, unlike the woman they sleep with.” The maiden grimaced, rolling her eyes. Made both of us want to throw our guts up.

“So. Who are you really?” my voice sounded ragged reverberating beats of my heart stuck in my throat as I spoke.

“That’s a need to know. I suppose you’ll know one day may be too late for the both of us.” The words seemed hesitant to say the very least. Didn’t seem to bother the feeling surrounding me yet I felt a calm wave wash over me, memories didn’t surface of a former life or anything of another nature just calmness. Though she dodged the question it left me thinking who she was, the maiden was familiar with me enough to know I was both Marin and artura. The way she spoke gave off the vibe that she knew a lot more than I could definitely tell or what Marin could.

“Well let’s guess back to business shall we?”

The world’s time resumed. The maiden now no longer flanked by the two men opened her palm and summoned a key to her hand. The flaking white key shimmered in the rising sunlight outside, being delicately turned in her hand. Everything was happening so fast. I had to go with the flow and with a bit of hesitancy I picked up the key which was thrown onto the wooden oak-carved table before Elinore. The clank of the heavy steel made Elinore flinch; the fear of that sound still affected her. Just like the maiden I rolled the dwarven key in my hand feeling its hardness.

It was heavy. Fell steel. A precious dwarven material only used for the most secretive of projects. Taking a close inspection of the key I read the runes along its circular shaft. ‘Burden’ the word was nothing more than a warning. This key should only be used in the most dire of circumstances, a key I forged with the dwarven king and Ludwig at my side when I lived as artura. This fell steel key was for Ludwig’s brother. Asmodeus Mozart-Annex vampyr king. Dracula. Ludwig’s brother was dangerous as a result he was chained by his legs and arms, his mana restricted, and his senses cut off. This key unlocked all that. Would set him free from the obsidian obelisk in the centre of Onrath but he wasn’t the only thing down there.

“Don’t worry. Asmodeus is still chained to his prison, Ludwig, and I do believe that his brother should stay where he is. We thought you would have a use for him when you eventually return.” She sounded like she was patronizing me like I was the villain in this situation even though it was Asmo’s choice.

“Is that all?” Elinore asked stepping closer to the gothic iron-clad warrior who wore a proud undefeated smile. The maiden’s smile faltered for a split second, slipping at the angular points of her mouth. She didn’t falter anymore than that. One thing I could gather was that Elinore was either stronger than the maiden or some suppressing of mana was in the works. The maiden stepped one single inch back and spoke rougher than before holding her hand out before her, like a beckoning.

“Oh no. I have one thing left, directed for you Elinore. you will get angry.” The warning fact shook the room, not easily moved in her stubbornness. Elinore twitched in pain. “Every single elf on onrath has been slaughtered like animals. Cattle. Not a single one has survived… your father was the one who caused this. Let that sink in.” The air itself permeated with an aura of anger overflowing with resentment. Through my time on that continent, I had heard ghost stories more or less about the dying elves. To find out that this could be true was a shock to me and the fact her father was involved was a shock in itself, yet it could all be lies.

No spoke as it sank into them like a ton of bricks. This horrifying fact affected everyone, more the elves and the nobles than myself and Talia.

“You didn’t know because he somehow kept you all in the dark about it. Monster. That’s coming from me… your father revelled in the killing and enjoyed it. similar to how he enjoyed abusing you in that birdcage. When he dies painfully I'll let you know.” The maiden smiled bowing before retreating into the shadows beyond the grand doors.

“Oh, one more thing. War is coming on the crimson eclipse.” Her words sounded almost ethereal as her entire body seemed to disappear into a thin liquid akin to oil or acrylic.

…

The room sat at a standstill. Only six of us remained in the throne room, lithran sat beside Elinore at the grand oak table opposite Samantha and Talia. Whereas I leaned against the large glass windowsill with my head placed against the glass, a few metres away from Daniella the grand witch. Staring out the window I began to wonder why I was given a chance to live truly even though I asked to be reincarnated by Akron I never thought it would happen. Daniella pulled me from my thoughts calling out my name.

“Rias.”

“Mhm? Oh yeah.”

Dianella and Lithran looked towards me looking over seeing the thin mask of mana slowly uncover my bio-mechanical hand to show its entire mechanical structure. Elinore and Daniella became stunned seeing my arm, the metallic sheen of black paint and matte gold accents. Not to mention the two thick black lines flowing down my face down to my chest. Removing more of the mana that covered my body showed even more of my appearance. They saw everything from the burgundy even the white hairs to the sharper-than-average canines, even the runes that covered my entire body.

“On your right forearm, what does it say?” Daniella asked removing her witch’s hat to take a closer look at my right forearm. Her fair-skinned hand grazed my arm, feeling the ink she tried to read the runes despite the fact she couldn’t read them at all. Nevertheless, this did give me the time to see Daniella’s face for the first time in five thousand years. The angelic witch.

“It’d be nice if you stopped staring Rias. The runes are in a language I can’t understand… either old numen or Norniran maybe even Babylonian… I really can’t tell.” It seemed to suddenly click in her mind what the language was when she placed her hand over the final word. “This is Malphent’s script, isn’t it?!” The ecstatic gleam in her eyes was evident the more she tried to decipher the runes. Deciding to help her, speaking aloud I spoke the words marked into my flesh. It was a sort of curse placed on my body to remind me of my sins so I wouldn’t repeat them well that’s how Marin explained it anyway.

“Unto death, bound in blackened chains of raven steel. My heart of grey bleeding the divine gold, lest we forget… holdened to our sins.” My words flowed through the room in a pale motion like I was reciting a poem from memory. The quietness was sort of rewarding still it felt lonely to hear anyone comment on such a thing. Maybe I was just being impatient. Samantha was the first to speak up on this, trying her best not to stutter or fumble her words she tried to tell us something taking it slowly.

“It-It-It’s a curse ye-yet it’s also a warning. I sometimes heard it a-as a child so I researched it. According to what I could find with gre-great difficulty. They were the final words of Rayenfur veritas the first queen of Numena.” Even though Sammy stuttered trying to get her words out she spoke well, it made me feel proud. Faint images of Numena started to appear in my head after I spoke the words marked in black ink. The images that flashed through my mind were different then ones I had seen before now. Each one showed a different scene from a previous crimson moon shining down onto a blood-soaked hill with a single being lying against a tree, eyes closed with a faint smile. Another scene was of a battlefield. Hundreds nay thousands of spiked thorns jutted out from the ground, this carried on for miles unseen. In the middle of all that was two beings, two girls. I could only see silhouettes of them, mind you.

The silhouettes were of a girl screaming her heart out covering her eyes that bled gold, and the other was girl a being born of several different lineages who had finally accepted who she was meant to be. The last scene was of something even darker, thousands of corpses laid beneath three people’s feet, two sisters stood against one of their own, one had feathered wings whereas the other two didn’t. one held an odachi covered in iridescent purple, crimson flame as the other wielded necrotic sorcery.

Were these memories of a former life or things yet to come. Something that would repeat until they no longer could, I couldn’t tell as it was all fuzzy.