Death...
It was a concept that she hated with an utmost passion... A concept that earned an immediate anger from her the moment its words would so much as even reach her ears...
In a dead, distant reality of ravaged time and endless strife, there had been a beautiful, synthetic creation of life, a marvelous symbiosis of both machine and flesh, a being whose appearance could almost be compared to that of an ordinary human being...
It... She was a black haired woman with lavender eyes, as well as a face that rivaled the splendid beauties of the ancient goddesses of love and charm...
Not only that, however, but the powers that had come with her existence had allowed such a woman of rare birth to transcend the normal laws of might and power: her ability to tamper with minds and control all-else unseen was terrifying, yet her loyalty to the people who were responsible for her creation would remain just as strong as her power throughout the years...
In fact, many years after she had come to life, this beautiful woman would end up falling in love with the son of one of her makers... The man who she had grown up with ever since she first opened her eyes, and one of the only people who accepted her for who she was despite all the imperfections and flaws she had due to her unnatural existence.
Of course, due to the mutual understanding and love that they had for each other, these 2 would eventually be wed to each other in a marvelous ceremony of marriage that betrothed the both of them to each other in a warm embrace that would only end in death...
Though unfortunately... It would indeed be death that would forever leave a mark of endless grief upon their beautiful relationship... A series of unfortunate events that would lead the woman to losing everything dear she held in her once-pristine and serene life...
And surprisingly, these events would also lead to the terrifying insanity that was plaguing her to this day...
Her beloved's death at the hands of enemies that matched her in power... And the destruction of the entire world around her, leaving only her as the sole survivor of a barren wasteland where she had nothing left to live for...
Even more tragically however, amidst her battle against these powerful enemies, she would suffer one more catastrophe that would forever seal her fate, a locked path that led to her becoming the insane being she currently was...
A powerful sealing spell, the likes of the accursed magick which she endlessly loathed: one had been casted upon her by her enemies, leading to her becoming trapped in an endless abyss where not even death could save her from the cold, uncaring void that was now her prison...
For untold scores of years would she live in pain, yearning for the luxuries of the past that she had never managed to fully enjoy, as she forever cursed the folds of existence itself for being such a cruel, uncaring being that had seized everything from her...
And she would continue to lay there in anguish, screaming madly against the unflinching, ever-silent darkness as she sought for a merciful release from her pitiful life, until after countless years of searching for a death that would finally free her, a twisted form of hope would finally reach her and give her the strength to once more go against her suffering...
Power- to her, it was the measuring unit of all life, the one thing that would determine one's worth and stature in existence, and after the trauma of losing the things she loved while not having the strength to stop it, as she sought for a death that would never come, the pitiful woman would do everything she could to restore her life to its former glory once again and break through the dark, endless realm that was her cage, and she would do this for the intolerable decades of silence she lived through, sacrificing even her very body and sanity in order to achieve her very goals...
And eventually, after perhaps centuries of testing, fiddling, and amplifying her powers to the extreme using only her knowledge and a sheer, force of will, the now-crazed woman had finally earned the tool that would allow her freedom from this loathsome realm that had locked her away for countless years already.
Infinity... An endless cycle that would always start anew- it was present in even the very simple foundations of the world, from even the birth, death, and renewal of small, minor forms of life, to the very intricate cycles and webs of nature that would persevere through the harsh trials of reality...
It was the perfect weapon to use against the uncaring void that enveloped her body in its cold embrace: after all, nothing could resist an endlessly unstoppable force, and not even the nigh-impervious barrier of her prison-realm could hope to endure such a terrifying power.
The woman, against all the odds that stacked against her centuries-worth of efforts within the void that imprisoned her, had managed to harness this very concept as her newfound power.
She broke through the once dark, impenetrable veil that caged her existence, finally granting her a release that was far better than the one she initially desired, and she would, using her newfound power, do everything she could to bring back everything to where it had once been...
She met an angel, a mighty winged entity that was just as powerful as her, a being who was also just as eager to prevent the destruction that had engulfed the world...
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
And so, through the plan they had formed together, with their first step straining their abilities to the extreme, they would turn back time to the period before everything had all started, to save reality from the carnage that brought an end to all life and reduced the earth to a dead, lifeless world...
And to save the ones she cherished and loved as well... Especially her beloved...
...
...
"You look a bit sad all of a sudden... Is there something wrong?"
"No, it's just... About that thing I made you do back then... I'm sorry for forcing you to do something I know you hate so much..."
"Hahaha... Don't worry, it was actually kind of funny, you know? Seeing you speak to the masses as if you really were their newly appointed grand empress or something... By the way..."
The softness of the bed they laid on proved incredibly comfortable as both Novus and Whitlea lied down on its mattress, with their arms wrapped around each others bodies in a tight embrace as he lightly buried his face in her ample chest: it was a night like no other, where the 2 had chosen to rest in the comforts of their quarters by sleeping beside each other, like always.
"It always surprises me that you actually CAN be this soft and intimate... Well, then again, you only ever do this when we're alone together." "... Are you trying to tell me that I'm two-faced, dear?"
It would have been quite the unusual sight for the eyes of most, given how and reserved Whitlea normally was: where usually she appeared distant and aloof to most of the people she encountered daily, she was actually capable of expressing a myriad of other emotions when she was alone with the one she was closest to.
"... I wasn't... But..." Novus stuttered. "... Anyway... Why are you being so affectionate more than usual? You're not normally this... Well... Y'know..."
"Hm? Is there a problem?" Whitlea smirked. "Am I not allowed to express what I feel? Don't you dare think that I'll be as compliant as Speranza when it comes to treating you~"
"No, not at all, I was just... Curious..." he answered hushly. "It's just strange seeing you being more... Ahem... Affectionate than usual..."
"Mhm, don't mind it too much dear. You're enjoying it too anyway, am I right~"
"... Y-yeah..."
*And besides, it's just good to see you again like this after so long... Fully healthy and in your prime...*
*If only this moment can last forever...*
________________________________________
"That's... Quite the large ship you built, Miss Thurien... I'm surprised it's actually managing to stay afloat despite its size..."
"Well, quality is better than quality after all. Though, I have to admit... I really went a tad bit too overboard with this one~"
Within one of the multitudes of dockyards within the medicae's home, a metal vessel being operated by countless, small, metal creatures equipped with various construction tools endlessly crawled on its hull as they tended to its construction, all while its gigantic proportions stood tall upon the dried out section that led out to the azur seas surrounding them: it was a massive ship incomparable to that of the wooden picket ships of the current time period, as the very nature of the techniques utilized in its creation were far more advanced than what the men of the current era could ever hope to conceive...
"Um... Actually... You COMPLETELY went overboard this time..." Speranza responded after a short while, her eyes still focused on the marvelous structure of steel that was right in front of her. "I understand that you built it to be this massive since it would be more... Er... Effective, for the upcoming battle we're going to partake in, but... Don't you think this is just too much?"
"... Ahaha~ I really kind of did went too far this time, hm? Well, it's better to have too much of something than to have nothing of it at all." Thurien said with a smile born from the pride she felt as the finishing touches were being made to her creation. "Plus, it's also much better to build high quality creations in limited numbers than creating multitudes of low quality ones."
"I suppose you do have a point with that." Speranza remarked. "By the way, have you come up with a name for it yet, Miss Thurien? For a ship so monstrously big and capable, shouldn't it also have an equally fearsome name as well?"
"Hmm... I actually do have a good name in mind..." Thurien pondered to herself as she brought her hand to her chin: like the humans who made her before, the act of naming creations made with a tedious amount of effort had always been a common tradition back then, and to give the perfect name the very vessel whose very design she had facilitated would also be incredibly suitable for their current occasion.
"Oh? Please do tell then..."
"How does the name 'Silver Tempest' sound?" Thurien suggested, seeing it as the perfect fit for the monstrously large water vessel. "It does have a nice ring to it, wouldn't you agree?"
________________________________________
The sight of the capital was a fresh sight for her eyes: only a few weeks have passed since she last came here, and it was primarily because of the new reigning figures, that there had been many changes here in the first place.
"They've definitely managed to rule far better than father could ever do..." she muttered to herself rather quietly. "... I just hope that my brother or that woman he's infatuated with don't become a power-obsessed tyrants..."
Although she was alone in a balcony as she observed the magnificent sights of Vishnal, Aldyth could still feel the sense of belonging she had finally gained after years of being alone with no one who cared about her- not only had she had finally met her brother again after all those years of thinking that he was already dead, but she also had other people who she could genuinely consider as her friends...
"My Lieg-... No... Princess... The maid has brought the tea you wanted... Please drink it before it gets cold..."
To her side, Altair had appeared and made a light bow before she spoke- how funny, Aldyth thought silently as she moved her gaze towards her bodyguard... Even after all these months, she still couldn't get the honorifics out of her system, as if they hadn't become close friends by this point.
"You nearly called me 'Liege' again..."
"I-I apologize, princess..." Altair replied with a shameful voice, as she once more made another light bow. "It's really difficult for me to not call you with respect, so... Please forgive me for still being unable to adjust..."
"Well, like I said, you don't have to worry, we're already friends, right?" Aldyth said as she patted the assassin's shoulder. "It doesn't matter if it takes you years... You'll get it out of you eventually, and I don't mind if you keep making mistakes."
"... Thank you, My Lie-... Princess..."
"Ah, and you nearly called me that again, ahaha... Anyway, why don't we go outside? Stay there while I dress up, I want you to accompany me while I take a look around the capital later..."
"But princess... The tea..."
"Ah, don't worry about that, we can just ask the maid to reheat it..." Aldyth pointed out, to which Altair could do nothing else but agree. "We're going to be visiting a lot of exciting places later... Personally, I really love that bakery shop in the southern plaza, the one that makes those delicious tarts..."