Chapter 204

Approximately 1 day ago…

Kathrine nervously fumbled with the locket of her family’s crest around her neck. Glancing nervously over to the high prince next to her as the array began to buffer, she caught his gaze and received a wide smile.

“What’s wrong?” Riven asked curiously, tilting his head to one side. “You look nervous. Surely the queen isn’t that bad.”

Kathrine would have paled if she wasn’t already so given her vampiric heritage, and her crimson eyes shifted away. She brought a handful of pristine, silky brown hair out to her side and started stroking it absentmindedly. “Oh it’s… it’s nothing to be concerned about. Everything is fine.”

Riven’s eyebrow raised in the lantern light of the array room, ignoring the ritualists as they finished tweaking the last bits for their transition to meet the queen - his great grandmother. Surely it couldn’t be that bad, his meeting with the general of House Wraithtide’s forces had been quite good. Kathrine had also told him the queen was heavily invested in his success. So why was she acting like this all of a sudden?

He shrugged. No doubt he’d find out soon if something was amiss, but he trusted Kathrine. She’d been pretty solid so far and she had given him little reason to distrust her. “If you say so.”

The high prince and lesser princess of the Blood Moon Requiem stood side by side after that, awaiting in silence, until they were urged to step into the center of the arrays once more.

The transition was abrupt.

Finding himself seeing two versions of reality again just like the last time he and Kathrine had visited General Viku of House Wraithtide’s military forces, Riven now stood not on a flagship supercarrier with a scene set in outer space; but rather he was standing in a small circular room.

The room was closed off from the outside, only a single brilliantly red lantern overhead shedding light onto the interior. An abnormally beautiful, scantily clad woman in white lingerie with chestnut colored hair was meditating, floating cross legged over a pool of blood that danced and writhed underneath her in intricate patterns drawn in the air using the liquid of the pool underneath. The patterns would shift, reorient themselves, and then disperse to coagulate back into the blood pool below, and when this woman opened up her eyes - the very room shuddered with power.

“Your excellency! I have brought your grandson as requested!” Kathrine said in a small voice, bowing deep before outright prostrating herself along the ground in an act of absolute submission.

Red light leaked from the high queen’s pupils, and her gaze caused Riven to gasp and fall to one knee when her aura very lightly brushed against his soul. It was as if an ocean of power hid underneath that gaze, and for a brief moment - he could sense something akin to only what he could describe as divinity. A divinity related to the origin of the Unholy Foundation and the Subpillar of Blood. It was so vast and so powerful that Riven without a doubt knew this woman could blow away his entire world with a quick stroke of her hand, and it made him wonder just how the cosmos had survived ancient monsters like this one roaming around the multiverse.

“You felt it… The touch of the blood god. Not many do.” The woman said with a pleased hum in her words and a smile on her perfect lips, staring Riven down even while Kathrine gave him a confused look from the position she’d prostrated herself in. “That is… promising. Welcome, Prince Riven Wraithtide of my lineage. It is nice to finally meet the son of my favorite granddaughter. My name is Nephridi, High Queen of the Blood Moon Requiem, Bringer of the Red Tide. I welcome you home.”

Her aura let off, and Riven’s wheezing breaths immediately ceased. He took a while to reorient himself after having his very insides blasted with unnatural amounts of insights he could not possibly hope to grasp, a brush against an absolute titan’s might, and he stood on wavering legs to get a better look at the woman who was his grandmother.

He took in a shallow breath, evaluating the pale but stunningly pretty older woman in his wraith-like hologram body. “Nephridi. It is finally good to meet you… Mom always used to speak of you when I was a kid. Especially after dad left.”

To this, the high queen’s demeanor immediately changed. Her intimidating and imposing aura that’d been lingering in the background immediately vanished in its entirety, and a bright smile illuminated her features to show genuine affection. “Did she!? Ah… how I miss your mother. Sheline truly was a masterful student, a masterful granddaughter, and the one I loved most out of all my family. As a child: she used to steal pastries from the chefs and bring them to me when I was feeling sad, you know. She and I used to snuggle in bed and read each other stories out of books her tiny hands could barely hold up. I have faith she’ll return to us yet, though when that will be or why she’s been gone still evades me and troubles me greatly. But enough of that, we have so much to talk about! I only wish you were actually here so that we may eat and drink together!”

He nodded - conflicted between feeling happy to hear of his mother’s childhood, and sad because of her disappearance. “Yeah. Her absence bothers me too… but if you have faith she’ll come back, it gives me hope. I miss her. A lot.”

The high queen flicked her wrist, and a form fitting white dress encompassed her body while bare feet touched down onto the floor just beyond the blood pool. The patterns in the air drawn in blood quickly disappeared, and she stepped forward, reaching out to the hologram and barely touching it with two of her fingers to bop him on the nose with a laugh. “I’m curious, tell me what stories she had of me! I’d love to know!”

Surprisingly enough Riven felt it and even flinched back slightly. How she was able to reach through a spatial array like that was… interesting, and unexpected.

Though he felt a little off by the exchange, he was genuinely curious about his long lost great grandmother. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully while Kathrine remained reverently kneeling beside him in silence. “Is it true that you once dumped an entire cart of rotten fruit on a romantic rival of yours and blamed it on mom?”

The high queen blinked, then began loudly cackling.

From the reaction, Riven could safely assume that it’d indeed been true.

***

“And that my little grandson is why I don’t ever walk backwards in swimming pools anymore!” Nephridi grinned and popped a candied fruit into her mouth, humming to herself while sitting on a balcony chair right outside the meditation room she’d originally been in.

Riven chuckled, a warm smile on his lips while curiously gazing out across the horizon. Spires and towers riddled the landscape, portal gates sent people to and from different parts of the city in numerous places, and millions of people could be seen riding airships, crossing walkways between spires, or walking the gilded streets far below. It had the feel of a medieval, magical fantasy city, and would have been perfect if not for the massive amount of slaves following the vampires around.

Though he knew that in some ways, thinking this was hypocritical. Even if what he’d done to the elves, albeit temporarily, was in retribution for what they initiated - he’d still enslaved them. And the planet he owned as an inheritance had billions of slaves, while freeing them would probably cause massive amounts of problems for not only him - but the trading hub the place had become. Kathrine had even warned him he’d have riots on his hands and outright warfare between vampire and cattle if he took that route.

Riven turned to his great grandmother, ignoring Kathrine who stood rigid and still beside them like a pretty light pole in her own semi-translucent form, and he head-bobbed towards the sprawling city of exquisite gothic architecture. “You have quite the view here. Is it really true that you adjusted the atmosphere so our kind could walk around in the sun?”

Nephridi nodded, humming to herself and popping in another candied fruit. “Yes I did! Many centuries ago I perfected the art. Quite something, isn’t it? And thank you, this is the view I most often visit here in the palace. I spent a lot of time just watching while in meditation, it helps calm my mind.”

The queen cleared her throat, then glanced back at the minor vampiric princess who hadn’t spoken a word since arriving. “My dear, have you discussed with Riven the auction your family won?”

Immediately Kathrine tensed, and she bowed her head to slowly shake it no. “I am afraid not, my queen.”

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“Why’s that? Are you ashamed?” Nephridi frowned, then looked to Riven with amusement. “I believe she may be embarrassed.”

Riven was still viewing the sights, looking down off the balcony to the palace grounds far below where gardens were attended to by cattle, replied anyway despite his mind being on other things. “Why’s that? What’s she have to be embarrassed about?”

There was a pause in the conversation where the queen simply waited for Kathrine to speak, and Kathrine failed to do so - fidgeting with her pale fingers and hands while staring wide-eyed at the floor.

Nephridi eventually sighed when Riven curiously turned around, and the older woman stood to join his image at the balcony’s stone edge. Leaning against the barrier at waist height, she tisked and let out an exhale. “I suppose it’s about time we have this conversation, though you may not like it.”

That certainly got Riven’s attention, and he stopped gawking at the sights around him to turn squarely on the queen. “What’s wrong?”

Nephridi didn’t skip a beat. “Do you know why our empire managed to rise to the ranks of what many in the multiverse would call one of the peak factions? We are easily in the top thousand when comparing military might, and in a multiverse with hundreds of universes - each having trillions of planets, that’s nothing to scoff at. It is hard to tell just what rank we hold, beyond that, as in the top tiers of power many secrets are kept from one another - but there are not many who are willing or able to stand against us when our entire might is mobilized.”

Riven blinked. “I suppose I don’t know how it managed to do that. Enlighten me.”

The queen looked up, then sadly smiled. “It’s because of our bloodline, Malignant Prophecy, inherited from one of the three great dragons of time. That particular backstory is a long one and not for today, but it can be said that I and the other elders of our empire have cultivated our prophetic gifts to rise nearly to the very top. Our royal bloodline is our most valuable resource, and thus each of our family have a duty to replicate it as much as possible for the good of the empire. That requires a partner, one who is also a pureblooded vampire - like you.”

She let the words hang there in the air, and Riven digested it before eventually shrugging.

“I suppose this is the part where you tell me I need to make an effort for offspring with the gift, to serve the empire by creating more like us.” Riven stated indifferently, much to the surprise of the queen and Kathrine alike. He sighed when he saw their reactions, then turned his attention back to the cityscape sprawling before him. “Athela already told me that was likely to happen.”

“Oh. Athela is your demonic servant, correct?” Nephridi asked curiously, relief obvious in her features due to the lack of a hostile reaction. “I was afraid you’d be angry about it.”

Riven clicked his tongue in irritation, glancing sideways at his grandmother with a nod. “Yeah it’s a bit irritating, I won’t lie. I don’t like the idea of being used as a broodmare - or whatever the technical opposite of a broodmare is, as I suppose a broodmare is a female horse. Regardless - I don’t like it.”

“But you accept it.” Nephridi replied after a brief evaluation of his stance. “Don’t you?”

“Not necessarily.” Riven replied flatly with a shake of his head. “I’ll outright refuse if Athela doesn’t feel comfortable with it.”

Nephridi raised an eyebrow. “You’re basing your cooperation on a demonic slave?”

“She’s not a slave.” Riven snapped in irritation, surprising the queen once again with the venom in his words. “She’s my best friend… more than that. I love her.”

…

…

…

“But you’d be willing to do so without causing trouble if Athela felt comfortable with the idea?” Kathrine eventually interjected, causing both of the others to turn and look at her. She immediately shrank back, bowing her head again when the gazes landed.

Riven snorted, then sighed and closed his eyes. “Perhaps.”

“It is a duty we all must bear, Riven.” Nephridi stated simply. There was no hostility in her voice, but there was a firmness there that emphasized she’d not back down from the decision. “Kathrine’s family is a good one, and she is a suitable match. They’ve already paid for the opportunity to acquire your hand in marriage, and-”

“Paid?!” Riven interrupted with a laugh. “Marriage!? You’re kidding.”

Nephridi looked a little put off being cut off, and her demeanor shifted to irritation. Kathrine looked utterly terrified for a few moments, but visibly relaxed when the queen just pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.

“I am not kidding. What’s wrong with Kathrine, if I may ask?”

“There’s nothing wrong with Kathrine. She’s very pretty, has been very helpful, and we get along. However the fact that I was not informed of being auctioned off in itself is a very big red flag, and again - I won’t be doing anything unless Athela agrees to this.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“I do.”

“No, you do not.”

Riven folded his arms and glared Nephridi’s way. “You might be the queen of a cosmic superpower, but unless you want to make an enemy of me forever - you will not force this on me. If you really did love my mother as much as you say you did, you’ll back off.”

“I cannot do that.” Nephridi said with a firm shake of her head. “Even I partake in the effort to create such offspring. Every one of us that is born is a boon to the empire beyond what you can even imagine. Wars have been waged and genocides committed to retrieve even a single one of our number from enemy hands. I will not and cannot back down now. Even if I did, the other elders would rebel against me and declare me unfit to rule. You will do as you are told, Riven.”

His features immediately grew angry, and his fists clenched. He did not immediately reply, but when he did - his words were ice cold. “Let me be very clear, grandmother. If push comes to shove, you will be making an enemy out of me forever - and I will simply disappear. Is that what you want?”

“It obviously is not.”

“Then you will make damn sure that Athela is ok with this before it is done.”

The queen sighed, rubbing her forehead with two fingers. “It sounds like you’ve already somewhat discussed this with your demonic friend. You won’t complain if we make accommodations for your… lover?”

Riven lost the tension in his shoulders. “Well I am a very straight young man in his prime. I honestly would rather have been with 'the one', but ever since Fay left I've had time to rethink things... Your proposition isn’t as bad as I would have once thought. Kathrine and I have already slept with one another and I feel like we’re compatible. I won’t sacrifice Athela’s feelings for your gains, but I’m not necessarily opposed to your evil plot either. If you can find a way to make Athela feel comfortable, and I mean EXTREMELY comfortable with the idea - I wouldn’t be against it. It's a dream of many young men, that can’t be argued against.”

He turned to Kathrine next. “And you’d have to be ok with Athela coming first even if she did agree. Athela and my… Athela and Fay, the succubus I had contracted with, were at odds with one another because they couldn’t trust one another. They were… jealous of one another, is what I gather from talks with my minions. As long as Athela feels secure in our relationship, and knows she is loved and won’t have me stolen away, that’s all that matters. It’s your job to make sure that’s how it is if you want this to work.”

Kathrine visibly relaxed, and then even seemed eager with the first real smile since she’d arrived. “Of course. I’ll speak to Athela about it when we get back…”

Nephridi’s happy smile showed her fangs. “Very good! That was far easier than I thought it would be! A weight off my shoulders. Now, we have a couple dozen other young women of the court that’d be more than-”

“Stop.” Riven held up an irritated hand to cut his grandmother off again. “Please, for the love of god. Just stop.”

Nephridi sighed in mock defeat. “Fine. But we will have this conversation again later!”

Riven grimaced, but didn’t miss the giggle and the bounce to Nephridi’s step when she whirled on a relieved Kathrine to congratulate the minor princess.

“Now we just have to convince his sister! The auction for her hand just ended, and it’s a rather good match if I must say!” Nephridi laughed, only to turn and find an absolutely rigid Riven on her left. She frowned. “What is it?”

He adamantly shook his head. “Alright, all jokes aside - that’s not going to happen. You can have me, but Allie isn’t going to be forced into a marriage like that. Zero chance.”

“We just had this discussion, Riven.”

“And I’m telling you, Nephridi, that so help me god I will make it my life’s goal to get revenge on you and any motherfucker that touches my sister if she doesn’t want to enter an arranged marriage.”

There was a pause.

“Riven, let me be blunt.” Nephridi said with a frown. “My hands are tied here. Though I am the high queen, I am only one of seven elders that runs the empire. If I am showing favoritism towards my great grandchildren, the other elders will evict me from my position - and I am not strong enough to fight them all. Even if it means that at the end of five years I have to send an armada to collect you two from your planet, I will do so. It is non-negotiable.”

“And let me be blunt.” Riven snarled back while jabbing a finger at Nephridi in close proximity in a way that made Kathrine gasp. “You either find a way out of this, or Allie and I will disappear off this face of this rock to be lost to you forever. If my mother and father did it, so can we. I am more than sure you are not as infallible as you claim to be, otherwise you’d have long ago found your favorite granddaughter and brought her back. Wars were started for the gift, were they not? You can’t just have her running around like that either - can you?”

The queen and her great grandson glared at each other in silence, until Nephridi’s shoulders slumped. “There is perhaps one way to give Allie a small amount of freedom concerning her choice, to back out of the contractual agreement already signed for her hand in marriage, but it will be difficult. And there will be some very major setbacks concerning your political standing in the empire when your integration is over. You’ll collect many enemies, some of which are as strong as I am, and your subjects under Wraithtide’s banner may suffer for it. And if you fail, things will only be worse for both of you. Far, far worse. You may even both be enslaved and there wouldn’t be anything I could do about it if the other elders stand united against me.”

Riven blinked. “Being blunt: I don’t care. You’re not forcing Allie into a marriage she didn’t agree to. Tell me what this is about.”

The queen grimaced almost violently, then folded her arms - deep in thought. “Will you at least convince Allie to meet the suitor that won the rights to wed her?”

“Just meet him?”

“Yes. Have her give the man a chance. If she doesn’t want him, we can proceed with the more aggressive approach. The one that may get you both evicted as royalty to be used as nothing more than breeding slaves.”

Kathrine stiffened again. “Riven, you don’t-”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but shut the fuck up Kathrine.” Riven glared at the minor princess, then turned back to look at the queen. “I’ll let Allie speak for herself, she’ll come to talk to you in private and she’ll likely agree to meet with this man - but I can almost guarantee you she’ll tell him to fuck off.”

Nephridi continued to frown, but nodded in turn. “Alright then. If that happens and she chooses she doesn’t want to take the arranged marriage, this is what you’re both going to need to do.”