Andras stood with a sadistic smile as he presented his dilemma. It was clear from his expression that he wanted to watch me agonize over the choice. I glanced over at the book being held by the mass of insects and then over at Lucia in the hands of the Demonkin. Lucia’s eyes were completely vacant. Her gaze was completely focused on the book being held by the other Demonkin. Even as one of my undead, she had not reacted at all to me entering the room. It was as if that book was the only thing that existed in her world.

This close, I could feel the connection between the two of them and me. The power they held was so thick it was almost suffocating. The familiar feel of it was like a warm gust of wind during a cold winter night. Even without touching them, I felt invigorated.

Andras watched me eagerly. He expected grief and anxiety in response to his ultimatum but instead, I felt only delight. I couldn’t contain myself as a laugh bubbled up to the surface.

After all this time, I was finally here.

Andras’s expression turned cold at my unexpected response. “It seems I need to set an example. Perhaps dissolving an arm off your precious student will teach you the consequences of not doing as I say.”

My laughter subsided to a chuckle as the Alpha holding Lucia began to move. A putrid liquid oozed from its pores. It sizzled and smoked as it came into contact with the air. The undead Lucia did not even react as her arm came into contact with the acid. The sleeve of her dress melted away, revealing the porcelain skin underneath. The ooze sizzled for several seconds but Andras’s smirk faded to confusion as Lucia’s arm remained as unblemished now as it had always been.

“What?” he remarked in bewilderment.

“You are not as clever as you think you are, Andras,” I said with a grin. The lanterns in the room began to dim. Their flames turned to a pale green. My domain expanded outwards, pushing against the Demon’s. “I am assuming Berith was the one that opened the vault. Did you never wonder why she left them here, locked away?” My laughter returned as I took a step towards the Demon. Flames erupted from my body. Two wings of fire sprouted from my back, one blue, one green. “You really are pathetic compared to her.”

“Destroy them! Destroy them both now!” Andras furiously shouted to the two Demonkin at his side.

The Alphas reacted immediately. The swarm of insects crawled around the book in their grasp. Mandibles bit at the pages and leather cover but try as they might, the insects were unable to leave even the smallest mark on the simple-looking book. The alpha restraining Lucia tried to devour her whole as a large mouth opened up, lined with sharp teeth. It curled around Lucia, lowering its mouth over her head. Lucia seemed not to notice what was happening until the moment the creature blocked her line of sight with the book. At that moment, her expression finally changed. Annoyance and anger flooded her eyes. She noticed the Demonkin wrapped around her for the first time and she swatted at it as one might a buzzing insect. As her hand came into contact with the creature, green flames exploded out in every direction. I almost felt sorry for the Demonkin as its body was instantly torn apart with only a few scattered bits of flesh surviving the explosion.

As soon as Lucia’s vision was no longer blocked and she was once again able to see the book, her expression returned to normal. It was as if she had not even noticed the creature was trying to kill her. She was simply swatting away an annoyance.

“How?” Andras balked. He unconsciously took a step back from Lucia, feeling a hint of fear for the first time.

“Did you really think you could use them to threaten me?” I asked as I approached the Demon, “You would probably have to drop that book into an exploding star to damage it. Even I'm not entirely sure what it would take to actually destroy the thing and Lucia has spent the past fifty years feeding off of the very core of my power. I can't even begin calculate how much she must have gorged herself in all that time. You thought you had me trapped but the truth is, it was my victory the moment I stepped into this room.”

Flames continued to swirl around me. They filled the room, growing more and more intense with each passing second until finally, I felt what I was waiting for. A resonance echoed between my flames and the book still being swarmed by insects. I smiled in triumph. If Andras thought I needed to touch the book to use it, he was greatly mistaken. Burning heat began to fill the room as the insects began to cry out in pain. The book opened of its own accord and a green inferno erupted from its pages. The alpha commanding the insects was incinerated before it even had the opportunity to flee.

I could feel the power radiating from the pages of the book and now, I knew Andras could too. He stumbled back with his eyes wide as he saw what I had hidden in the book for the first time.

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“This… this isn’t right. This isn’t how this was supposed to go!” Andras shouted. Panic crept into his voice.

My urge to laugh returned as I saw the Demon’s view of the world crumble. Reveling in the moment, I spread my arms out wide and mimicked the same flourish Andras had used a minute before. “What will you do now, Demon? On my right is the most powerful undead I have ever created. On my left is the fire from an entire lifetime ready to erupt at any moment. Try to fight back and they will burn you to ashes but I will give you a choice. The same choice you offered me. Be a good little Demon, submit to me, and I will let you live, at least for a little while.”

Andras clenched his teeth. Fury burned in his eyes as he glanced at Lucia and then at the swirling inferno erupting from the book. “I won’t die here… I can’t die here… I was supposed to become the greatest Demon under the Archdemon himself. I cannot fall in some backwater realm without accomplishing anything!”

Wind swirled around the Demon faster and faster as he spoke. A high-pitched screech filled the room as it sliced through the air and even left scratches on the vault floor and walls. In less than a second, a tornado formed within the confines of the room. It picked up the flames rapidly filling the room and blocked my vision of the Demon.

I shielded my eyes against the tempest. Ready for a hard fight, I moved towards the book still gushing flames from its pages. Despite my confident threats I still had to be on guard against a Demon like Andras. I did not actually have any control over Lucia’s actions and I had yet to absorb the power hidden within the pages of the Chronicle. I could win but it wouldn’t be easy.

However, what came next caught me completely by surprise. The tornado began to fade and the wind fell still revealing an empty room. I looked to the door of the vault just in time to see the tail end of a figure disappearing down the hall.

The Demon had run away.

I blinked a few times in surprise then broke into laughter. For all of Andras’s big talk, he turned out to be a coward in the end. I shook my head in disappointment but didn’t go after the Demon. I could always hunt him down later.

I glanced over at Lucia and was overcome with nostalgia. I remembered all the times she used to follow me around like a lost little puppy and smiled. “Just wait a little longer, Lucia. I will bring you back soon. I promise.”

The woman did not react to my words. Her expression was still as blank as ever as she stared at the book. Seeing that, my chest hurt. I started to understand why Sebastion had wanted me dead so much. Perhaps I had deserved it but soon I would make everything right.

I stretched my hand out towards the book, my Chronicle. It stopped spewing fire and the pages fluttered. They almost seemed to be quivering in delight as the book floated into my waiting hand. I heard a chime, like bells echoing in my head, as the Chronicle and I were reunited again for the first time in fifty years.

“It is good to see you again too,” I whispered softly as my finger traced the symbol stitched into the cover.

I would have liked to spend more time re-acclimatizing myself with the armament but there was no time for reminiscing right now. I could still hear the explosions in the distance. It was even louder now as they got closer to the city. Every moment I waited here, people were fighting and dying.

I flipped open the book. The pages turned automatically as it reacted to my desire. It came to a stop on a page displaying an elaborate drawing of a fire. With the tap of my finger, the drawing seemed to come to life. A flicker of green flames rose up from the pages. They were small, barely bigger than a finger, but the moment the flames appeared, the energy radiating from the book increased exponentially. The energy grew thicker and thicker. It was so extreme it became hard to breathe. Even Lucia nearby finally reacted, falling to her knees and bowing her head in reverence.

With each passing second, the flickering flames intensified. They swirled around themselves to form a perfectly round sphere no bigger than a marble.

My hands shook as I reached out to touch the marble. An entire lifetime’s worth of power rested at the tip of my fingers. I could feel it calling to me. Everything I had once been, the Calamity, the queen, the immortal, all of it was right in front of me.

I hesitated as the light of the marble reflected in my eyes. Would I still be the same once my power returned? Would my family still care for me the same way when they saw what I was really capable of or would they fear me like everyone else?

I grit my teeth as another explosion shook the ground beneath my feet. War would not allow me to be indecisive. This was the only way I could keep everyone safe. Even if they came to hate me, at least they would be alive.

I pressed the glowing marble against my chest. It passed through my skin effortlessly before sinking into the bone of my sternum. As soon as the small sphere found its home, power began to flood my body. It was euphoric.

Flames sparked from my body randomly as I tried to adjust to the sudden surge of energy. The innate talent in my body had previously been like a miniature generator, creating a small but steady stream of energy. Now it was like a nuclear power plant. The difference was so big it was almost overwhelming.

It took several minutes for me to acclimatize to the new torrent of power. If it had been anyone else gaining such a burst of power at once, they might have gone insane trying to force it under control but I had experienced this process several times before. Slowly but steadily, the new power merged with my body, circulating through my veins, bones, and muscles in a constant cycle.

I took a deep breath as my domain expanded. Where before it was a small pocket that could barely fill a room, my power now encompassed the entire palace and most of the city. It crashed down on any unfortunate Demonkin unlucky enough to be nearby, forcing them down to their knees.

I looked down at my hand with a smile as a small flame danced across my fingers. As of this moment, the Immortal Calamity was truly reborn!