"I will dredge up what I can for reinforcements to defend the outpost, so I'm not worried about it. But I thank you for your concern, Octavian." I crossed my legs and draped my arm around Nyx's shoulder as I leaned into her.

"Of course, Empress. Other than that, I have nothing else to report to you. The second legion and the mercenaries are ready, and we will depart soon." He crossed his hand over his heart and gave me a slight bow.

"Good." I shifted my leg slightly and regarded the man for a moment. It was time for that, wasn't it? I've spent so long preparing for it, and a part of me was disappointed that I won't be seeing them off. But that may be for the best. I needed to draw back my presence in the domain a bit. "Also, Octavian, before you go. I will be gone for some time in the upcoming weeks. Kharon will lead in my place."

He paused for a second and glanced between me and Kharon, who stood a few paces away. The skeleton's hands had vanished into the depths of his sprawling cloak as he stood there and watched us. "I understand. I'll send any correspondence to him immediately then."

"Thank you, Octavian. How did the funeral go?" Another part of me was disappointed in myself because I missed the funeral. But again, was I making things too personal? Maybe I needed to detach myself from all but the most vital things that occur.

"It went as smooth as one could hope. There were rumbles of discontent, but not to you. They want their vengeance on Velcrest. But they do understand that Asteria comes first, so I've directed their emotion towards the cause for the time being. However, the day will come when they want their pound of flesh."

I knew how they felt. I was still angry with what had happened, and I would make them pay for it. At the end of the day, I may be a domain, and it may be a part of the job, but I can not, and will not, tolerate a direct attack like that. Not towards my undead. "They will have it, Octavian. Once we reclaim Asteria, we will reconvene and decide what to do next." I will have my vengeance, one way or another.

"Of course, Empress. Now, if you excuse me, I will host the ceremony before we leave." He gave me one last bow before he turned away and marched from the training grounds. I enjoyed how direct he was. It made things so much easier. There really was no beating around the bush with him.

"Mother, what do you mean you will be gone for some time? Are you leaving me again?" Nyx spoke up next to me, and I turned my head to regard her. She gazed up at me, and her face turned into a pout. Such a needy child.

"Well, in a few days, I'm going to be leaving this place for a little while." I decided to cut the sentence short, mostly just to see how she would react. I wanted to get a small rise out of her before I gave her the last bit of news.

"Oh.." She trailed off and looked as if she were on the verge of crying.

"and of course, you are coming with me." I finished what I was saying and grinned as I watched her face light up happily. But now, a thought crossed my mind. I wonder what my parents would think when they find out I have a daughter. Granted, she isn't human, and sometimes that fact is easy to forget. It also made me wonder if I was a good parent, even though I know she isn't exactly my child.

She jumped up and threw her arms around me, giggling softly. "Thank you, mother. I was so scared that you were going to leave me behind."

"Never," I replied as I wrapped my arms around her. "However, we need to talk." She decoupled herself from me and pulled away with a bit of uncertainty in her eyes. "I'm aware that you are strong-willed, and like to take matters into your own hands, which makes me happy. But where we are going, that's not something you can do, okay?" I was thrilled that she had her own drive and motives for things, but I don't know what lies outside of this place, and if anything happened to her, I would be pissed.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Did Kharon tell you?"

She jumped over my words and seemed to land exactly on what I was implying. But now, I also knew I had to be careful about what I said next. If I wasn't, well, it could ruin her trust in him, which I wanted to avoid at all costs. "No, he didn't. But I know almost everything that goes on in here. However, I'm not mad at you. In fact, I'm proud that you seek your own answers. I just don't want you to wander off once we leave." I dreaded having this conversation with her. Mostly, I didn't want to ruin the image of the world that she may have built in her mind. But the world is unfriendly, and I would hate to see it hurt her because of my actions.

Her emerald eyes danced in the sunlight as she stared at me, and I knew she was working through what I had told her. Though the more time I spent with her, the more I realized that her thought process differed significantly from mine. "I think I understand. From what I've seen, the people outside of here seem mean. I will not wander away from you, mother."

I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding at that moment. I was so thankful that she was easy to talk to. A far cry from what she was when I first met her. She was growing so fast, and it was scaring me a bit. Not on a jealous level, but more on an emotional level. I didn't want the image of the little girl to change, but I also knew that the day would come, and I wouldn't be able to stop it. "Thank you, Nyx." I reached out and patted her head.

"Empress, once we return to the praetorian stronghold, I will take my leave for a few days. I have a few soldiers in mind that will make good candidates for the palatines." Alessia's voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I shifted my eyes toward her face.

Knowing how Alessia was, it made me sad hearing that. When she trains, she tends to forget everything else, so I more than likely won't hear from her until she returns. But I had no room to judge. I'm the same way. "Of course, Alessia. I understand." I gave her a small smile before I turned my attention to Kharon.

There was one last thing that I had to address before I left this place. "Kharon, take a few weeks off. Just send me the contact information for Redrick and your communication lines, and if any requests come from Octavian that you can't take care of, let me know." As I spoke, I went through my mental checklist and realized I had forgotten something. It was a question that was left unanswered. "Oh, also, the question that I had asked earlier, will I be able to understand the language outside of here?"

His eyes flickered for a few seconds, and his head bobbed. "You should be able to. Once you spend the essence on it, the skill is permanent. I strongly suggest you apply it to Nyx and the rest of the guard who will also travel with you."

I checked off the mental note I had made and nodded. Good, now that I had that out of the way, I could focus on other things, like choosing my next class and making sure that the crusade could continue. Plus, I also had to worry about my concession to Alessia and focus on a single path. Well, sort of anyway. "Thank you, Kharon." I stood up and dusted off my cloak. "You know, I'm going to miss you." I walked over to him, threw my arms around him, and pulled him into a big hug. I really was going to miss him. He was a really close friend, even if I didn't talk to him as much as I should.

He let loose a chuckle and gave me a soft pat on the back. "I'll miss you too, mistress. Stay safe out there."

"I'll do my best," I replied as I pulled away from him and shifted my attention back to the two girls. "Alright, Nyx, do you have everything? Your bag? Your notes? Once we leave, we are not coming back." I let the finality of my words hang in the air as she nodded her head and peeked through her backpack.

"Yes, mother, everything here is in place." She quickly zipped it up and threw it across her back.

I nodded my head and threw a quick glance to Alessia, who walked over to her polearm and gently picked it up. "I'm ready."

I gestured for them both to come over and spared Kharon one last look. "Enjoy your vacation Kharon." I winked at him as I placed my hands on both of their shoulders and teleported back to my office. I really hope he enjoyed his break. He, more than anybody, deserves it.