As the light faded, Astria hovered in the air. Her massive wings made slow deliberately flaps, each one creating a small torrent of wind. Her appearance had seemingly changed. Her skin was even more flawless and milky. Her hair had seemingly turned blonde, a single black streak denoting her old hair color. Her wings had also become white, with hypnotic black patterns on them. She was completely different than any other fairy I had ever seen, even Celeste.
If Celeste moved around like a falcon, quick, beautiful, and deadly, then Astria was more like an Atlas Moth. She looked both fragile and domineering. Her presence had caught the eye of everyone in the boss room.
The magician named First was startled for a moment. “Y-you grew your wings back? So what? We’ve taken care of the rest of your fairies. You’re a leader with no one to lead!”
She wasn’t wrong. The majority of the fairies had been taken out in the subsequent fighting. They weren’t as strong as the rest of my girls, and thus many of them had to retreat after receiving a few hits. Most of them weren’t in much better condition than Celeste.
“Master.” Astria ignored her; instead, she looked down at me. “You’ve made me very happy. You worried about me and cried over me. You have loved me and my daughter. Part of me had never really believed it. I treated it as a game. I followed you because it was a convenient source of power and because my daughter was head over heels in love with you, but no matter what, deep down I had always thought you would abandon us one day.”
“Astria…”
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She gave me a smile, her eyes filled with tears. “We’re immortal beings, and you’re not. Even if it wasn’t by choice, your lore would one day come to an end, and ours would continue. That was the fate I had always feared. I feared that one day you would be gone, just like Karr. In a way, I had never gotten over him, and I had never allowed myself to completely accept you. I went through the motions, but back when I thought you were dead, the reason I hadn’t changed all that much was because I had always seen it coming.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m letting this darkness in my heart go. I’m not going to chain my heart anymore. Master, you must be ready to accept all of me, okay?”
I didn’t hesitate as our eyes met. “I will.”
“Good…” She finally turned back to the battlefield. “In that case, it’s time I go all out.”
“What do you think one little fairy can do to change-” the current First had begun a mocking statement, only to wince as light exploded out of her.
Every fairy suddenly began to rise, the wounds on their bodies sealing almost instantly. Celeste’s damaged wings were restored to their original splendor, and all the wounds closed up. Even her clothing seemed to mend itself. Celeste’s eyes fluttered open, and when her eyes caught her mother hovering overhead like a monolith, a small smile formed on her lips.
In only a few seconds, every fairy had been restored to perfect health. This was the power of a fairy empress.
“Magic users! Bring her down!” First ordered as she began to cast a spell.
“Did you think that’s all?” She raised an eyebrow at her daughter. “Attack.”
The fairies all charged out, casting spells, but even their combined might were suddenly dwarfed by their empress. Her wings began to glow, and suddenly dozens upon dozens of spells started to erupt from them in rapid succession. Astria was single-handedly casting as many spells as all of the other fairies combined. As the magician saw a hundred spells being launched at once, her mouth could only fall open. The bombardment began.