Sin was silent after hearing her master's question while she helped her take the last few steps past the gate into the stronghold itself. "I am afraid I do not know, my master." She finally muttered, staring back for a moment at the dark hall they had just left. "I never managed to arrive in time when I first sensed her." The massive gates closed behind them, leaving them in absolute dark for but a moment.

One by one torches mounted on the walls began to flicker to life, coating the room before them in a welcoming, warm light, unveiling a wide open space covered in early Victorian architecture.

The room was a mixture of a study, a kitchen and a living room, each area neatly separated from the other by the differently tiled flooring. Maria began to look around, the last bit of tension started to leave her body and so did her strength to stand.

Sin was quick and picked her up before she could fall to the ground and carried her master through the room to a large red sofa by the fireplace where she carefully laid her down. "You can rest for the moment, my master. Your ancestor built these strongholds with the full might and skill of us beasts, you can be at peace here."

With a flick of her hand she started the fireplace and made her way to the kitchen area, stopping at the northern wall. Silently she stared at it, long enough for Maria to weakly lift her head and look at her in worry. "What's wrong?" She muttered out, her voice little more than a whisper though the words still reached the ears of her servant.

"There is something beyond here." Sin laid her hand on the wall and closed her eyes, falling into the very same mutter as she had before, only to pull her hand back with a sudden jolt as if she had been burned. Wide-eyed and growling she stared at the wall, barring her fangs.

Maria rose up as good as she could, though her arms were trembling already under this little strain. "Is it an enemy? Do we have to leave?" There was no fear left in her voice, only a lingering sense of despair and resignation. To this Sin shook her head and ran a finger across her lips, forcing her mouth shut once more.

"It is something familiar, but your ancestor did not wish me to see what it is. I can assure you that it is not an enemy, my master, but rather" Sin was thankful to have her back turned to her master, so she could not see her expression. "An old companion. When you are rested we can see more, but in your state it would not be advisable."

She turned to face Maria and slowly walked backwards to the kitchen area with the most reassuring smile she could master. "I will see what supplies your ancestor prepared and go about fixing a meal. Please rest, perhaps try to sleep a little, you must certainly need it." She turned her back once more and took the last steps towards the kitchenette, rummaging through the many cabinets.

The stronghold held true to it's name, as they were filled with a generous supply of non perishable foods. Stacks upon stacks of canned goods filled out cabinet after cabinet, causing Sin to shake her head. "Great master, did you truly have to take your tastes of the battlefield back home?" She spoke quietly to herself and began to sift through the stash.

To her great pleasure she found a large sack containing noodles, which she made the basis of the meal. As she took out the first pot she stopped immedeatly upon hearing her master speak.

"Sin, what am I fighting for?" Her voice was still weak from exhaustion, but the words rang in Sin's ears as if she had whispered them into her ear. Her servant stood frozen, staring down into the pot filled with noodles. She placed it into the sink and let the water run. "My late great master fought for her rightful place as ruler of this world, hence why even her foes had to name her queen out of the respect she demanded. She has acknowledged you as her successor, making you master not just by blood, but by law."

When the pot was filled she placed it onto the stove, turning it on and filling another with a few cans of soup. "Your enemies are those families of old who denied your ancestor her right to rule, as well as those common scum who now openly rule this world. The heroes, their investors, their petty little leaders."

With both pots on the stove she scoured the cabinets for cheese, finding a few bottles of dried parmesan she put on the table for later. "You must fight them, for they will never bend the knee freely, nor can they accept your existence as heiress. But beside that?"

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She finally turned around, once more with a smile on her face, though it was doubtlessly genuine now. "You are my master. Whatever your order, I will fullfill it, whatever your wish, I will live to grant it. As will the other beasts once we recover them. With their strengths, the world is yours to mold as you wish."

The water began to boil, and Sin quickly focused her attention back on the meal, grabbing a wooden spoon to stirr the soup. Maria had started to look at the walls, noticing a few doors, each made out of a distinctly different type of wood. "Do you know where these lead?" She pointed at one with a trembling hand, causing Sin to look over her shoulder briefly.

"Her majesty built the strongholds as points of retreat and study, so I would assume besides a bath and a bedroom there should be a library and a weavery. She never allowed me inside this one, so I cannot know for certain though." As the food began to near it's completion Sin began to search for a plate and silverware, finding both swiftly to her own surprise.

"I acknowledge that it is beyond me to ask, my master." The noodles were finished, so she ran them through a strainer, shaking it in the sink to let the water drain. "But do you have a dream you wish to use me for? I understand you had little time to savor your power, but perhaps it has awoken something within you?"

Sin returned to her master's side with a finished plate and silverware, placing it down on the table in front of Maria. As her master rose up and picked up her plate, she staid standing at her side. "Thank you Sin." Maria muttered as she began to eat, her brows furrowed in thought. Her servant smiled down at her master, batting her eyes.

For a few minutes she ate in silence, until she put the plate down and looked back at her. "I want to change, I want to change it all." While still quiet and weak, the resolution in her voice was palpable. "I saw the others in school every day, flaunting and boasting with their powers, getting by just because they were lucky, they didn't try, they didn't bother."

She gritted her teeth as the resentment was dripping from every word she spoke. "They don't deserve it, any of it. They act all high and mighty but in the end they still just bow down to whatever the 'people' think, I can't stand them."

Sin nodded along to her words, her hands folded in front of her. "Despite all their strength they are powerless. They still have their servile nature, only instead of their betters they now slave for the mob. It was like this already when your ancestor began her conquest, my master. Only now it is even more blatant and shameless."

She looked down at Maria´s plate. "Are you finished, my master? Would you like me to find the bedroom for you? I will clean and search the rest of this place while you sleep." Maria nodded and Sin bent forward to take the plate, only to stop when Maria grasped her arm.

"I just want to sleep here, I don't want to go somewhere else." Sin looked down at her master and laid her hand on hers. "Of course. Let me just put these away and find you a blanket." Maria smiled and let go, leaving Sin to empty her plate into the garbage and procure a blanket from a different part of the room.

She gently spread it out over her master, before looking around. "You would still need a pillow, my master. Please allow me to." She was already on the move when Maria grasped her sleeve, causing her to stop in place. "I, have a plush, at home, Sin." Her face was a pure crimson. "I can't sleep alone without it. Please, stay with me."

Sin still had her back turned, and so Maria was ignorant to her grandest accomplishment yet. Tears ran down Sin's face, causing her to stand in place, frozen still. Maria slowly pulled her hand back, already about to mutter an apology when Sin swiftly wiped her face, her face radiant with joy as she turned around.

"Say no more, my master. I will not leave your side." With these words she sat down next to her master, who stammered a few words of thanks before looking back at her with a dark blush plastered across her face.

Then she finally rested her head on her servant's lap and closed her eyes. Sin stared down at her, her smile staying despite the incomprehensible disbelief that she was feeling. Maria fell asleep quickly after and Sin ran her hands through her hair, staying perfectly still to not disturb her master's sleep.

She waited for hours, when she could be perfectly sure that Maria was sleeping, when she finally spoke. "This world will be yours, my master. It is the least I can do for this gift." Her black tears ran over her face openly, now that she did not have to hide them.

"My great majesty. I shall never forget this moment, until the worlds fade to dust and the last stars darken. I will cherish it until the end."

"This feeling of being human again."