I stared at the throne before me, a shell of its former self. Though it’s in ruins now, that throne has withstood all conflicts.
A year ago, If I stood before this throne I would’ve adamantly refused as I was not worthy of sitting on such a thing on the other hand back then I didn’t know who I was and still don’t. Now however even if I'm not worthy of being queen of Camelot, maybe I'm still worthy of being Numena’s queen. All I need to do is sit on that throne. ‘A vile feeling huh.’ I thought stepping onto the snow-blanketed hall of cracked marble. Younger me in this life and as Artura, I would’ve ran from this saying some sort of nonsense. ‘Some kings and queens weren’t born to rule but called to it.’
Not taking my eyes from the throne I stared at its fractured visage. A black stone obsidian throne carved into the hard fossilized oak roots of the now rotted great tree the citadel was built around before Marin’s time. Coming to Numena made me realize that it will take time for me to change, to become strong enough to protect those I love. I had to start now, or I'd never get the chance to. Upon my realization, my gothic black spiked golden inlaid armour wrapped around me. ‘If I want to survive. I'll have to change… not overnight but over time.’ Repeating the words Nolan spoke to me upon our first meeting, I walked ever so closer to the throne.
Inches away from the throne, I held out my hand with the golden thorned crown I was left by both Marin and artura maybe even from another.
“Hey, Mommy one day can I wear the crown.” Suddenly hearing Kara’s voice in my head brought a single tear that landed on to the crown making me flinch. Shaking this feeling of regret off I held out my mechanical hand, placing the crown into the palm of that hand. Raising the crown above my head I stared at the throne like I was waiting for it to respond to my action. Gritting my teeth I plunged myself in at the deep end placing the crown upon my head feeling its heavy, true weight. The weight of a trillion or more souls.
“Yes, Kara. One day you can wear this crown. That day I'll watch over your reign until its end.” I spoke turning to face the three guardians of Numena who came close to the cracked Damascus black marble finish dais beneath the obsidian throne. When they bowed, I took my seat on the throne, feeling a familiar presence at my side. This feeling was of someone close to me a knight from a former life, A long-time friend. Someone I trusted with my life and the lives of my children to.
“Hello, Ciaran.” I spoke turning to my left to see a large near nine-foot-tall knight step out from the shadows of the tree's rotten oak roots. Removing her black helm, I gazed on her at her porcelain skin, not scarred like at the end of her life. Her greyed hair returned to life to that beautiful dirty blonde, and her eyes returned to the lustrous burning amber. She nodded with a smile standing beside me as she always did, I never thought this would be the introduction that I'd see her again, unlike how we first met when I was Marin.
“Welcome back master. My queen.” Her voice wasn’t rough, it was still. Calm. Relaxing. Without a moment's hesitation, I handed her the weapon she passed onto me, its colour no longer dull. A golden blade of blistering moonlight. She accepted the blade as several figures appeared in the doorway of the citadel’s doorway, Lithran was the first to appear. After him was Talia, then Samantha along with Daniella, and lastly was Elinore. Lithran and Elinore stood side by side staring at Ciaran who they no doubt recognised from the elven myths passed down from each generation.
“What shall we do now Rias?” Talia asked ascending the dais and taking my hand in her own.
“To change. Among so much more… I want to rebuild, to re-discover. To return the old anew. I want a haven for everything inside and out… A home.” Trying my best to keep it together placing my hand on Talia’s stomach knowing that inside her stomach was a form of life. A homunculus. The rest probably hadn’t noticed it, but through my extensive power which I can’t fully realize I knew inside Talia was life. Ciaran being the ever so casual person just smiled seeing the same as myself. ‘Somehow through your blood, you created life with your consort.’
“Then how about we begin with the north. We need to find the remaining table knights such as Monarch, Jasmine and Seris… while you and hera do that I’ll find and try to recover Tristan or whatever’s left of him better yet… Percival. Maybe even rebuild our army?” Artoria asked appearing beside Ciaran who displayed a single angelic white wing. Artoria knew what she wanted to do while helping me, she wanted us to become strong so we could return the favour to Gawain and mordid, yet she knew it couldn’t be done so quickly.
Replying to artoria I told her that, Ciaran could come along with her. Yet she protested and said that Ciaran should be given her own mission since Ciaran was already considered my right hand. Elinore would help artoria find the old table knights, whereas Lithran and Samantha would help likely allies to find a new home in Numena safe from onrath and the tyrants who could kill them or use them for personal gain. Samantha and Lithran seemed to be okay with this. Elinore also added she would ask the loyal silver elves to help us. It was Ciaran and the three guardians who were next to speak their minds.
All three guardians to the surprise of everyone didn’t move other than either placing their hands, wing or paw on their chests in a way their current forms could allow. In sync, they spoke a vow that the eldritch gods refused to speak which did break their vow of not involving with lesser beings. This act alone would send Riva, Morrigan, and Tyr into a tizzy if they saw it.
“We chosen few, bow to our queen. Upon our eldritch blood, we break a time untold vow… we will serve you until we take our last breath even after, serve even your heir and theirs after. Chain us to your will do whatever you must. If we betray, we will allow you to kill us. We are guardians of Numena and serve only the queen of thorns Rias Pendragon.” This declaration wouldn’t go unheard. Though the lesser races like the humanoids of onrath, Tramon, and Pthulminth can’t hear, the eldritch sure as hell will.
This declaration once heard will notify Oryan, the eldritch even the primordials that I the last trueborn pendragon is beginning to reclaim what I had lost.
“I. Rias Pendragon accept this Vow of eldritch oath. As queen of Numena, I set you free from those blackened chains.” Pausing I stood up before them all. Wukong, Nume and Danu didn’t look keeping their heads bowed hearing the crunching of footsteps of all the people in the throne room kneeling beside them hands on their chests. Everything was happening so quickly but if that’s what fate required. I'll only bow to fate this one time. Though I couldn’t see them nor could feel the ever-growing presence of them, I knew the eyes of gods. Eldritch and primordials lingered upon me. Seeing as they wouldn’t ignore me this time, I spoke in a manner they would remember, summoning red death for them all to recognize.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“I, Rias Pendragon the queen of Numena speak untold to those who will listen, whoever brings harm to my kingdom… my people or those in my court I won’t sit by. I'll finish what I began as Artura. Oh… castil I know you can hear me. I’m coming for your head. I am the saintess of war after all.” My words no doubt rang out to every being who could hear. Though I wasn’t that much attuned with the higher races, even I could tell they were in shock.
The ashen snow began to slow, coming to an indefinite halt. Unbeknownst to me, the eldritch oath I freed the guardians from, allowed them to use their powers freely. In doing this it gave Danu the power to restore Numena and Nume the ability to purify all water on the continent. Wukong seemed to be different from his two friends, he seemed to take on the role of guardian similar to a Cerberus or Garm, which would explain his giant Lynx form that he could manipulate its height and weight.
I felt a sense of pride, welling up in my chest as I looked at everyone. Though this was the beginning of a long venture, I already felt as if I completed one. Stepping down from the dais, holding out my hand a small, cracked orb of a stone eye appeared. The second fragment well what was left of it. Rubbing the stone in my hand, I began to absorb the power held within it. Marin had warned me that my core and body were two different fragments, yet the body fragment wouldn’t activate until I had the rest of them absorbed or so she suspected. Taking my chances to fully absorb the power, with all the force I could muster I crushed the orb in my grip.
The ancient untapped sealed fragment rushed into my body, through my bloodstream clinging to the mana veins cracking them, shattering them not like I could use them to begin with as my mana ran through my blood channels. Falling to a knee, I gritted my teeth biting down on the pain, my honest feeling felt like thousands of splintered pieces of jagged points were stabbing me. No scream left my throat as I continued to bite down on the pain, resisting the agony or torment inside my waking mind. The fragment’s power started to quell inside my core, my mana veins being completely dissolved.
Unlike the fragment I received from remembering my life as artura and Marin, this one didn’t give a boost in mana or give another aspect of it, this time it gave me something different. The essence of divinity, my lost power from my life as Marin even before that. Maybe it was redundant as of right now as I can’t use the essence of divinity, but it was at least good to have. The essence of divinity was something that only I could use. ‘Priests would love to have a power like this.’ I inwardly laughed thinking of all things the former great religions could use as a bargaining chip for this power.
Just trying to tap into the power of divinity nonetheless made the nails on my black hand glow a pure creamy golden white. Feeling so much raw power did have its side effects however I won’t be able to use it for long even if I could, from what I could actively remember about this power. It could be used in tandem with aether, abyss or pure mana itself even heighten them significantly, even creation magic could be influenced by such a power as well. However, I never wanted to actively try this as it could cause major backlash in my core.
“Where do we start?” Samantha asked back to her usual self of being quite timid and nervous.
“I… I don’t know. The eldritch will think of this as a warning… I want to help my family in any way I can but I’m not sure how to tell you the truth.” I replied unsure as to where we should actually start.
“Then how about this… I’ll prepare us for the upcoming summit while looking for our allies. Does that sound good? Ciaran what will you do?” Talia inquired peering over to Ciaran who was now examining the ruin that the throne room of the citadel was in.
“I’ll look for an old ally of ours. Hoping she is still alive…” Ciaran sighed looking towards the throne that sat empty with me not being on it. The roots grew in size and length descending the dais inches away from the throne. Taking a good look at the throne now, it became clear that this single piece of Numena history has outlived me in two lives and has sat empty for Gods knows how long as time itself is broken. According to Talia and Elinore, the War of onrath caused by Talos was twenty to forty thousand years ago but due to the time ripples it should be, Millions if not billions of years before my time as artura still it should’ve occurred after the war in heaven but I'm not sure if that’s right.
“Oh right. She could be, last I heard Kaine was on the run but that was a long time ago though.” I mumbled feeling the dissolving of my mana veins radiate throughout my body.
“Going back to what you said before. What do you mean this will be a warning to the eldritch… what would they accomplish from attacking us and mainly you in such a way?” Samantha timidly spoke her voice shaking as she tried to let out the words necessary to form the question she wanted to ask. “Wo-would they gain power fro-fr-from it?” she continued keeping her hands clasped together as if she were about to pray. Trying my best to not spook Samantha I spoke as simply as possible.
“To put it bluntly… they can gain a lot. Luckily as artura, they stopped when they found out I was Arachni’s einherjar.” I halted my words seeing Samantha raise a brow, I took this as she had no idea what I was on about. “As artura, the eldritch tried to take my blood and all sorts to gain power but Arachni the primordial formed a pact with me. I'd be her knight as long as she would protect me from the eldritch. Hence the spider symbol in my left eye.” I tapped just under my left eye so she could focus on it no doubt seeing the white spider symbol in my iris.
The warning was to show the eldritch that I am still protected by Arachni from afar even if I wasn’t her einherjar in this life. ‘She did make a joke that if Hela was around she’d share me with her.’ I thought remembering my last physical interaction with the primordial. Seeing everyone’s faces turn to intrigue I had to shut down the possibility of Arachni helping us as it would spell more trouble than it's worth for any of us seeing as she’s the current stand-in as queen of the primordials or was.
I did like the idea of Arachni helping us even so, she was more powerful than anyone could imagine. In my time as artura, she never showed her true power saying, ‘Not even the Yggdrasil would survive’, the world tree that holds trillions of forgotten worlds and multiverses ever expanding. Even with that information, I knew Arachni was the most powerful being known to me personally. Yet since being born again I could not help but think of beings more powerful like Hela, the Aeon Hyperions, the disciples of malphent or malphent herself. Maybe this Raven figure I was in the past was more powerful than all of them.
“The eldritch aren’t stupid remember that. They have betrayers and Valkyries at their beck and call. If they get involved we're fucked without an army… without our old friends and new ones.” Artoria smiled making her abyssal greatsword appear before her, admitting the truth she was on the mark, we didn’t stand a chance. Though I could take out a couple of Valkyries I was still weak, not enough to take out Tyr or Morrigan. Riva not a chance in hell would I be able to, we didn’t have an army so we’re doomed there and my knights. Gone. Fighting in a tough spot even for my liking.
I did let the thought linger in my head, thinking of the possibilities of ways I could at least take out an eldritch god or eldritch demi-god. I have a Valkyrie body but putting it to use is an entirely ‘nother matter. Using too much mana and uncontrollable power could cause my entire body to quite literally combust. Good thing I have ways of holding my power back without negatively fucking up my body. Artoria began to speak once again to me this time even though it concerned Ciri.
“How about we make Ciri part of the sororitias? I know how this sounds she’s too young and an elf. Really Ciaran should be asking this.” Artoria noted shrugging her shoulders carefully looking over to Elinore just in case she had any protests about it. Surprisingly she was on board with the whole idea of Ciri becoming what Artoria and Ciaran, technically are even though the new sororitias haven’t been formally formed yet.
“I'll think about it, plus she is what twelve? Thirteen? I thought she was younger than that until Elinore corrected me. Maybe when she’s fifteen.” I spoke firmly showing my stance on the matter. As much as I enjoyed Ciri’s company and training her was a fun idea, I couldn’t help but think of the bad effects it could have.
“Your perception of time isn’t good. Can't you not tell?” Elinore asked making me fully realize finally how bad my perception of time has gotten. Meaning she was only two years younger than my current body's age, whereas my mental age was in the millions or billions.
“Think about it for now as we have more pressing matters to go through such as Lyron getting hold of so many slaves.” Elinore raised her hand up, holding a thin piece of fabric covered in dried blood. From my secretive investigations, Lyron was using his own people, slaves to dig up certain areas of his kingdom looking for an entrance to somewhere. I suspect it’s to the obsidian obelisk in the centre of the onrath itself.
“Who knows? We can only deal with so much at a time Eli, so… all in all we have much to do. Find allies old and new. Rebuild an entire army which I can try, restore Numena to a living state and last but not least I’ll also try to help Talia restore her mana core and wraith power.” From now on, nothing will be a walk in the park like I would have hoped it to be.