Demon continent Alsace in the year 307 in the 10-month Asmodum on the 21st day after the destruction of the empire
After his conversation with the demoness, he made his way back to the cave where Diva was being held captive. He did not yet know how to tell her about it, or if he even could. What would he be able to do if it was all in her name, could he still work against his brothers? What if she planned to free herself from her prison with Meinoume's help? Would he be able to stand in their way then?
The weight that rested on his shoulders felt heavier and heavier, and the path he had once been able to see so clearly before him was now increasingly blurred. He was no longer sure if he could walk securely along the path without falling into an abyss that he could not see.
A glance back to the Gurdailua Liburuak showed him that the demoness was just leaving the Gurdailua Liburuak, followed by her snake. Again, he hadn't been sure if he should talk to her or not until he had finally stood in front of her and talked to her.
There was something about her that made her different from Diva, even if he didn't know how to describe it or how he could even see it. Still, she had the blood of Lilith pulsing through her veins. Yet there was more than that a fire that seemed to blaze ever larger and was about to engulf the world. What made him think again of the dream he had a few days ago.
A dream in which he had wandered through a black landscape covered in ash. In which he had to fight his way through partly feet high ash, but it was clear to him that he had to keep walking. Driven by a ghost of knowing that he had to go on, even if he did not know why. Nevertheless, he kept running and running. It seemed like an eternity and despite the fact that it was a dream, he could feel exhaustion and pain. Then after who knows how long he had arrived at the midpoint, he knew that as surely as he knew that the sun would rise in the morning and that he would wake up from this dream again.
There before him was a tree a young tree if he was accurate, a sapling which had just blossomed, and yet he could see what an enormous tree it would grow into. Coiled around the sapling was an enormous snake, he noticed, on whose back he stood. Soon he had the attention of the sapling and not the snake, which was sleeping peacefully beneath him. The sapling showed him visions of the future and the past. Although he saw all this, he could not comprehend anything the sapling was trying to show him. Nevertheless, there was something familiar about this encounter, something he felt and could see every day. Indeed, the little sapling was in flames, as was the fire that burned within the demoness.
This memory sent a shiver down his spine because it had been as if he had looked into the heart of the universe and seen something that he would have been better off not seeing.
Nevertheless, he had awakened the next morning and had the feeling that he had to do something and that he could not let things take their course.
When the demoness had disappeared from his sight, he had made a decision he would consult with Diva, and in case she knew about everything, he would still go against her because he couldn't condone it. Even if he didn't know exactly what he couldn't approve of, he knew he couldn't let it happen.
Nevertheless, he took one last quick look to where the demoness had disappeared from his sight. Had it been a good decision to tell her about the waterborn? Only time would be able to give him an answer to that. For now, he would have to deal with Diva and his brothers and hopefully would not have to enlist the help of the demoness or go up against his peers.
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Cailan Empire in 2396 after the founding of the empire. On the imperial road towards Ampbruck
It had taken eighteen years for her to finally get around to visiting her principality. Until that day, a representative had ruled the principality for her. A man who was recommended to her by Commander Rahssmus and until today she had found no reason to change this. But she had now been placed under house arrest after a long eighteen years. By the bastard of her husband and his lackeys, who had already tried to get rid of her before. Now they had what they wanted.
Not that this meant she was without means - she had inherited her brother's principality, which, thanks to her, did not have to pay taxes to the imperial crown. Not to mention that she had her own army.
If she was completely honest, she still couldn't believe that the senators had gotten together to banish her to her own principality. They seemed to think that she needed to be in the heart of the empire to wield power and that they had immobilized her politically. The smile that crept onto her lips could not help itself.
It had all gone according to her plan and now the bastard would be able to do what he wanted and go down with his lackeys when they declared war on the God State. They didn't seem to suspect that they were only being used by her and them and that the God State was far superior to them.
As much as she loved her husband, he was not a good ruler, and then there were all the factions that had formed under his rule. All with their own goals, it was an inscrutable web of alliances and plans against and with each other.
The empire had simply become too big and unwieldy. It would have to perish and rise again from the ashes of itself. As the empire had done so many times in its long history.
Of course, many of her subjects would die who did not deserve it, but she had already collected the most useful of the last eighteen years and had them brought to her principality.
The young bastard and her husband, however, had not only angered the state of the gods, but also the other neighbors, and the fact that the armies and generals of the Empire had lost most of the military Campania of the last decades had deprived the Empire of its military superiority.
She and her allies could now sit back and watch the whole spectacle. Until they would finally emerge from the shadows and save the Empire.
"Empress, we'll be there soon." Announced the driver of the carriage to her through the small window that could be opened from the coachman's seat. She nodded to indicate that she understood.
Next to her in the carriage sat her two daughters and her youngest son. Her middle son rode outside next to the carriage. Only her eldest was not there, as he was serving under her brother in his army. For them, too, it was the first time they entered the principality.
She could hear a sound of astonishment from her son which made her stick her head out of the carriage and see what he was astonished about. And she could not blame him. Below her in a valley, through which a river poured into the sea, lay a city with the dimensions of the capital, only not so untidy and old, but equally impressive. With a large harbor from which ships seemed to sail at any time and in which ships docked in the same mass. Everything was enclosed by a huge wall which seemed to be bigger than the capital's, with huge towers rising to the sky and overlooking everything. Which was connected to mighty keeps that were arranged around the city. With houses that seemed to grow taller and taller towards the center of the city.
From a part of the city, which was located next to the harbor and one of the keeps, which served as a gateway to the city, countless streams of smoke flowed towards the sky. The whole city was surrounded by fields that seemed to cover the whole valley.
But in the center of the city, a magnificent palace had been built, which seemed to be in no way inferior to the one in the capital. Her brother could not have built it, for he had nothing left for such constructions. From each gate, a paved road wound away from the capital of the principality until she could no longer see it.
It seemed that the twelfth army had gathered because they were lined up along the imperial road in rows of five to greet her. And she could not help but be amazed. It was a huge army if so many soldiers could be used to greet them. Proudly, her crest stood out against the wind, which tried to tear it away as they continued down the road.
"Home at last?" Asked their youngest daughter who had just woken up.
"Yes." She said, smiling at her youngest.