The small flames in their lanterns flickered. The dim green light cast shadows across the room, dancing in time with my breathing. How I had missed this feeling! I no longer had to carefully conserve every drop of power I managed to obtain. I no longer had to watch on the sidelines because I was too weak. From now on, I will be taking the lead.
I took a second to calm the excited pounding in my chest and glanced at Lucia. The undead woman’s gaze was no longer focused on the book in my hands. Instead, she was watching me intently, expectantly. I sensed the connection between us and marveled at what I felt. She was far stronger than any other undead I had ever seen, to an unreasonable degree. It was almost scary how powerful she had become in the years I was gone. Despite regaining my past strength, I still struggled to maintain my hold over her.
I contemplated the implications as I glanced down at the book in my hand. Had she really been able to draw from my power contained within it to strengthen herself? Sure, I had given her permission to use it back when she was alive, but I hadn’t realized she would retain that permission after her death. This was an unexpected gift but also slightly worrying. I had no idea how it might affect my ability to revive Lucia in the future. At the very minimum, it would be far more difficult.
The sounds of distant explosions shook me from my thoughts. It sounded closer now. The fighting must have reached the city while I was reintegrating with the energy I had left behind. I could reflect on my worries later. For now, I needed to help them. I motioned for Lucia to follow me, and she obeyed with robotic silence.
No more slinking around in the shadows. I stepped out of the vault and confidently made my way through the palace halls. Nothing came out to stop me. I didn’t know if any Demonkin remained in the palace, but even if there were, it wouldn’t matter. Only the Demons or the young leviathans could fight me on even footing now.
I found a balcony overlooking the city and saw the battle raging through the streets. The scene was utter chaos. Human soldiers used the houses for cover as they tried to push back the seemingly endless Demonkin horde. Above the city, a floating island radiated purple energy that protected everyone fighting there. Bright flashes of light filled the sky as Sebastion faced off against the Demon, Abigor. The Demon’s wounds healed as fast as they were inflicted, creating a stalemate between the two fighters. The giant form of Vissna was tangled with one of the enormous leviathans near the palace walls. Ice rained down on the roads below as the two massive beasts caused more destruction with one misplaced step than all the fighting below. Dom, Svend, Sigmund, Cyra, and General Arthur were all fighting as well. They did their best to hold off Alphas and leviathans, but it was clear at a glance that they were heavily outnumbered.
With the portal becoming more and more stable with each day that passed, Envy was able to send through stronger and stronger Demonkin. The most recent reinforcements that passed through the portal while I was imprisoned were of a higher quality than what we had been fighting before. Mature Demonkin that had once been a rarity among the Demonkin now accounted for nearly half of the horde, and the number of Alphas had almost doubled. What had once been an even playing field between our domain warriors and the Alphas was now wholly one-sided. If not for the armor glyph my dad had created, our army would have been crushed before it even reached the city walls. If things continued as they were, it was only a matter of time before we lost this battle.
“Let’s see if I can turn the tide a bit,” I said as I reached out a hand towards my city.
Boundless strength welled within my chest before exploding out in an eruption of green flames. The fire expanded with terrifying speed. It spread across the city like a tidal wave, gaining momentum the further it traveled. Soldiers and Demonkin alike panicked as the wall of fire passed over them, only for it to harmlessly pass by them a second later. They looked around in confusion as nothing happened and nobody was burned or even singed. The fire didn’t carry any heat. It didn’t even burn the Demonkin as it engulfed them for a moment before continuing to spread out in every direction.
Silence fell as both sides were surprised by the wave of fire, but the human soldiers didn’t have time to wonder what was happening as the Demonkin quickly resumed their assault with animalistic brutality. The ripple of flames burned all the way to the city walls before finally coming to a stop.
A smile spread on my lips. I breathed deeply, reveling in the moment, before raising my hand skyward. In response, I felt the stirring of movement all across the city.
The soldiers that had bravely given their lives in battle, the Demonkin cut down with great sacrifice, and the thousands of corpses that piled up beneath the portal after they failed to cross into our realm, all began to move. Green fire burned away the blood, filling their veins and gifting them with newfound life.
“What a glorious feeling!” I shouted in delight as thousands of undead rose up at once. They stumbled at first, but as the flames began to repair their bodies, the undead moved smoother and faster. Within a few dozen seconds after the wave of fire passed over the city, a new army joined the fray.
The scene instantly turned even more chaotic than it was before. I did not have the time or the patience to give each undead individual orders, so rather than forming organized battalions, my undead scattered in every direction, hunting down whatever Demonkin they could find. With each kill, my army would grow ever bigger until none remained.
Nodding in satisfaction, I turned my attention to the battlefield above the city. Ordinary soldiers might be able to overwhelm, but the real key to victory laid with the Alphas, Demons, and domain warriors fighting there. The young leviathans especially could not be ignored. They were like a moving mountain, and if they had the opportunity to attack the soldiers on the ground, few would survive.
Even with regaining most of my power, fighting more than one of those goliath creatures at a time would still be challenging. It would be even worse if they were coordinated. If I wanted this battle to end with as few sacrifices as possible, I needed to find the Demon controlling them.
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While pondering my options, a small bird wreathed in golden flames dived down from the sky. With a flutter of its wings, it landed on my shoulder. Sylvie nuzzled her head against my cheek and chirped excitedly.
I reached up to pet the bird’s head with my finger. “It’s good to see you too, Sylvie. Don’t worry. I’m fine, better than fine. I haven’t felt this great in a long time.”
As I spoke, two other figures rushed down from the sky. My brother, Charly, had a big smile after seeing me standing on the balcony. Sebastion also flew down, but his gaze was focused entirely on Lucia rather than me.
Charly wobbled slightly before landing in front of me. He did not even wait for me to say anything before he threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly. “Wren! We were so worried about you! We feared the worst when dad woke up and saw the signs of battle. I am so happy you are alright.”
Surprised by the sudden hug, I felt a warmth in my chest at Charly’s concern. I returned the hug with one of my own. As Charly was embracing me, Sebastion landed in front of Lucia. His hand shook as he reached out to hold hers. She did not resist as he took her hand, but her face showed no happiness either. She was utterly emotionless despite being reunited with her husband.
“Lucia, I…” Sebastion said hesitantly, but when he saw Lucia’s expressionless face, his hand dropped limply to his side. “Aurielle, how much longer until we can bring her back?”
I pulled myself free from Charly’s grasp and saw Sebastion’s face. He almost reminded me of a sad puppy as he looked at me expectantly. Seeing the two of them standing side by side reminded me of all the years they spent as my students.
“As soon as this battle ends, I will bring her back. I promise.”
Sebastion nodded and lovingly brushed a stray hair out of Lucia’s face. “Then let’s get this over with as quickly as possible. You said before that as long as you reached the city, you could activate its defenses. I assume you were not just bluffing?”
“Of course not,” I replied with a dismissive wave of my hand. Flickers of fire danced in the air in response. “I just wanted to raise some havoc first. I have been powerless for so long. I wanted to have a little fun.”
Sebastion’s eye twitched, and his domain fluctuated in response to his unstable emotional state. “End this, now!” he growled.
“Fine, fine, follow me,” I said with a glance up at the leviathans battling in the air above the city, “I really have to go all out if I want to clear those big beasts, though.”
Charly followed close behind me as we entered the palace. “You never explained it to us before, but what kind of defenses does the city have exactly?” he asked curiously.
“I am rather curious about that too. You always said the city was your last sanctuary in case the worst happened, but even in our last war with Envy, it was never used.”
“Why don’t you guess?” I replied with a grin.
Charly pondered silently for a moment as we walked down the palace halls. “It is not something like a giant war glyph, right?”
Sebastion shook his head. “Aurielle never used glyphs in the past. It is more likely a hidden elite army of undead.”
“Close, I did have one of those, but I sacrificed it the last time Envy tried to invade us. Keep trying,” I said with a smirk.
Sebastion glared at me in annoyance, but Charly took the question seriously. “Your innate talent is fire. Did you perhaps build energy crystals into the city that can ignite at your command?”
I raised an eyebrow at Charly. “Why do both of your guesses involve blowing up my own city? People used to live here, you know.”
Charly blushed as he looked down at the floor. I got a chuckle from his embarrassed reaction, and their guesses gave me some amusement as we trekked through the palace. Before long, we reached a large set of ornate doors.
“Your defenses are in the throne room?” Sebastion asked curiously.
“It’s the easiest place to connect with it, yes,” I replied as I pushed open the big, heavy doors.
My throne room had been designed differently from others I had seen before. The door to enter was situated at the side of the hall rather than across from the throne. Instead, the throne faced an enormous semicircle of windows that replaced an entire wall of the throne room. Seated there, you could see the whole city and the land beyond. The blood mist blocked much of the view now, but in the past, the sight had been a breathtaking reminder of all I protected.
“I spent nearly every day in this room for the past fifty years. What could I possibly have missed?” Sebastion mumbled in annoyance.
I ignored Sebastion as I approached the throne. He had replaced my old one. In its place was a gaudy chair of pure gold and thick cushion. My domain spread out to cover the extravagant show of wealth, and with a wave of my hand, I sent it flying into the far wall of the room with a crash.
“Do you have any idea how expensive that was?” Sebastian growled with frustration creeping into his voice.
“A throne is more than just a representation of power and wealth, Sebastion. The throne you choose is a statement to the entire world. It is more than just a chair the ruler sits on. It is a symbol of who you are.”
As I spoke, green flames ignited from my feet with every step. The floor shook and rumbled in response. Floor tiles cracked and shattered as they were pushed out of the way by something underneath.
Pure white and practically glowing, a bone broke through the tiles on the floor. A second later, more followed, several thousand more. Some were big. Some were small. Some were very obviously not human, but for many, it was hard to tell. The bones rose up out of the ground. They fit together like puzzle pieces as a shape slowly began to take form, the shape of a throne overlooking the city.
I felt a rush of nostalgia as I ran my hand along the familiar grooves of the throne. Green flames ignited at my touch as I remembered the countless months I spent perfecting it. It had been a different time back then. So much had changed.
I hesitated slightly before sitting down on the throne. Power radiated from the bones, resonating with the energy in my body. A signal passed through the throne, stretching through a chain of bones that led down to the bottom of the palace and flowed deep, deep below.
I glanced at Charly. I felt a stab of pain when I saw the horror on his face. I had always thought I looked powerful and regal when sitting on my throne, but it was clear Charly thought differently. I sighed in disappointment as I looked over the city I had built.
“Your guesses were not entirely bad. You were both on the right track. I did indeed build my defenses into the city's foundation, and you can say I used some rather unique undead to create it. The problem is you were both thinking too small, so I will give you a little hint.” I grinned at Charly teasingly, “Do you remember when you first saw Nebula Tower? It was being attacked by a Demon, and you asked me what material it was made out of to withstand such an assault.”
“You said it was… the fang of a giant sea serpent,” Charly’s eyes went wide as he considered the implications of my hint.
“That’s right!” I replied excitedly. With an exaggerated flourish, I pointed out towards the city. “The city walls, this palace, the very ground it is all built on, all of it is made from scales and bones of a single creature, but the real question you should have asked back then was, what happened to the rest of the body?”