A very long time ago, on the same continent, there was an empire ruled by the gods. The humans depended on the gods and the gods depended on the humans. It was a very mutually beneficial relationship that seemed to work for everyone, on the surface. Oftentimes, the mediator was the queen of the gods in her infinite wisdom. However, as time went by, she realized that the only solution to the endless problems in the Empire was to withdraw the influence of the gods and close the heavenly court. This was met with fierce resistance from both gods and humans alike. They were too codependent on each other, especially the ascended gods. The original gods all agreed with the queen, seeing the disturbance in nature they tried so hard to preserve. However, even with her infinite wisdom and her infinite power, holding the world in her hands, she wasn’t able to stop the eventual collapse of both the heavenly court and the empire. {After I failed to ascend and died, there was a huge gap left in
“Your actions are very questionable sometimes but they lead to great results. I know you put great trust in me by showing me this. There hasn’t been any Transcendental in our kingdom in many years. You wish to protect your kingdom in exchange for the title of Duke?”“Yes.”“Why should we trust you? How do we know you won’t betray us like the former duke and current king of Ducroft, your husband?”“I don’t have answers for the future, your majesty. I do know that this is important for the both of us. I guarantee it. And please, your majesty, he is not my husband anymore and I’m nothing like him.”“I’d say…..you’re rather impressive, Lady Adamantine. I wondered why they were hiding you so desperately. It turns out, it’s you. The precious flower of the capital, Natalia Adamantine. An honor to meet you, my lady.” Frma corner of the throne hall, Crown Prince Reagan appeared like a poltergeist. He looked mighty pleased with himself, even though the Queen looked mighty displeased with himse
Marvis stared emptily into the air. He had been stuck in a corner of the huge palace for the past few weeks because Crown Prince Reagan refused to leave. He of course liked Natalia’s company but he missed walking out in the open air. He was a social person who especially enjoyed the company of his kind. "Why do you look like you were kicked out in the rain?" Amaika asked, bringing in a tray of food. Marvis glanced at it but didn't stand up to eat it. He sighed, laying back on the bed."I feel like a circus animal.""A circus animal performs. You're just wasting air and food.""It's not my fault I'm stuck here! Lia ordered me not to go out of this room until he leaves!" He yelled, exasperated."I think it's tragic that we have to tuck our tails and hide when someone like you has the potential to become more than you are. If you continue hiding, you won't be able to unlock that potential. I feel sorry for you.""Ugh, if you want to say something, say it! Stop sounding like a wisecracki
Natalia shut her eyes, waiting for the worst. However, few minutes passed and nothing happened. She opened one eye and saw that he was actually in front of her, sitting still. His claws dug into his arms and his fangs dug into his lips. He was close but he didn't make contact. "I thought he said…..you didn't have control over your actions. You clearly do. Do you…..not want to hurt me?"He shook his head, clearly holding himself back from touching her. She snapped her fingers and her clothes were back on. She snapped her fingers and a black magic circle under him, black chains coming up to hold him down. She stood up and touched his face, caressing it softly. "I'll take care of you, I promise," she said, leaving the room. She rushed out, going in search of Amaika. They were the only one who could help her. As she made it through the halls, she bumped into a maid who also seemed to be rushing. Saying a quick apology, Natalia rushed off. This maid adjusted the cap on her head, sighing i
Even though it was an official ceremony on short notice, all the important nobles and ministers were there for Natalia's appointment. Due to Princess Temara's interference, she was able to get a suitable official attire and speech ready. It was a relatively short ceremony and soon, it was over. After it was the meeting to discuss the conference that was only a few weeks away. "With all due respect, your majesty, I don't think we should be allowing a newly appointed duchess to attend such an important meeting, especially since she's originally from another kingdom," the Minister of rites said. She was annoyed with the impromptu appointment of a new duchess and the fact that the officiation ceremony wasn't set up right. Since she was very religious, it didn't sit well with her. "Honourable minister, I made the decision to appoint Duchess Natalia and to invite her to this very important event based on my judgement. Are you trying to say my judgement is wrong?" "Of course not, your maj
As the horses of the holy knights passed in the capital, people began to bow. Where there was an abundance of holy knights, the Saintess or the Pope weren’t far away. Soon enough, the carriage carrying Adelie soon passed by. She looked at them and turned to the Captain of the Holy knights with a smug look, her eyes clearly telling of her victory. “Captain Yeri, could you please tell me what those people outside the carriage are doing right now?” “They’re….bowing, your holiness.” “And they’re bowing because?” “We’re passing through, your holiness.” “And who made this possible?” “You, your holiness.” “That’s right. I did this. I remember the doubt you all had and the looks of disbelief you directed at me when I told you I was going to restore our lost honor. Who’s on top now, Captain Yeri?” He chose not to respond, directing his gaze anywhere but her face. “Captain Yeri, that was not a rhetorical question. I would like you to answer it.” “You, your holiness.” “That’s right. B
“Do you really have to go? There’s always a place for you here.”“I have duties, okay? Since my castle is completed, I’m going to live there now. Take good care of your wife and give birth to lots of healthy children, alright?”“Set up that teleportation circle as promised, okay?”“Yes Bastian. Now, may I leave?”“No.”“Coachman, start the carriage.”“Nooooooo!”“Stop being dramatic. You’re embarrassing your wife.”“No, please by all means continue. This would be used for the future” the Princess snickered. The carriage moved past the crying prince consort and started to journey towards Graviscera. Unlike Ducroft, Polivia wasn’t very big so it wouldn’t take more than a day to get to the north. She could’ve taken a teleportation circle but she wanted to see the sights as she went. “I’m excited to be working with you, Duchess Adamantine. Please command me as you please, your grace.”A man accompanied her on her journey. He was one of the few male nobles in Polivia. They were usually ver
Even though Natalia was happy to have finally arrived after a long day, she couldn’t forget the air of depression that blanketed the north as a whole. It was cold, it was a stretch of barren, barely occupied land and it came with a plethora of problems. If anything, she felt scammed. “Let’s go in, your grace. Your servants are waiting to see the face of their new master.”“I should’ve known not to trust your enthusiasm. Let’s just go in. It has been a long day.”Walking through the beautiful yet virtually empty castle with only a few servants, Natalia was definitely regretting her choice to arbitrarily move to the north. She couldn’t let it show on her face. As soon as she saw all the servants gathered, she introduced herself. “I am Natalia Adamantine and I was recently appointed Duchess of Graviscera. Obviously as you can tell, I am here for the first time but Count Brenn has filled me in on what kinds of difficulties you are facing here. Frankly, it cannot be done in a day or a fe
Upon hearing the cry of a baby, their hearts of multiple people became calm. The mother had been in labor for a total of two days, trying her hardest to push her babies out. The second followed the first closely and they were both taken out to be cleaned. The father of the child had been there the whole time, clasping her hand as tightly as she clasped his. He kissed her forehead and watched her until she fell asleep from exhaustion before going out of the room. "Is she well? Are the babies well?" He was bombarded with questions as soon as he came out. He nodded, smiling. Messangers were sent out immediately. The royal heirs of Polivia had been born. Natalia had always asked herself this question: What would a timeline without me look like?Since she was never born, her mother didn't have to go through the pain of bearing another child. Her relationship with Marquis Adamantine became better, she made the step to reconnect with her family and she went on to have a fruitful married l
They readied their weapons, holding their breaths. Fighting ascended gods was vastly different from fighting original gods. The weakest was Madaline, who was both lacking in the number of wings she had and an ascended god. Luckily, her barriers were the strongest in the world. “Wait. They’re just looking. It’s like they’re waiting for something or…someone.”They looked down at Nataroth and saw that giant white wings were sprouting from her back. She was growing larger by the second, soon dwarfing out the space. She stopped growing and focused her eyes on them.{My children. I…have returned}Marvis figured out the patterns and used the teleportation portal to get them to another room. It was relatively intact like the other rooms and it didn’t look like it was affected by the blast. But after seeing the coffin in the middle of the room, they soon realized why. Just as they were about to figure out their next move, Denitra fell into Marvis’s arms. They thought it was intentional until
Even in the spirit world, where nothing was solid, the ground began to shake. The coffins that surrounded Nataroth opened of their own accord and a thick miasma formed on top of it. The bodies in the coffins rose, slowly climbing out of the coffins. Maowry watched this all unfold with fear in their heart. “You can still stop this, Maowry. They are still vulnerable.” “Even if I can, why should I, Uriel?”“You’ll regret this!”“I am regretting this but I want to see how far this can go.”“MAOWRY!”They ignored her, looking at the bodies slowly coming closer to her. They walked like the undead, unstable and unstoppable. In a way, they were undead but with the large spell, not for long. They could recognize the magic being used and the obvious bending of world order. However, there was something they didn’t recognize, something that transcended both magic and world order. It was the reason why the spell was working in the first place and there was only one god that could use it; Natarot
The fights between the gods raged on. If they met on neutral grounds, Maowry versus Uriel wouldn’t be a one sided beat down. However, Maowry’s powers were fading because Thiton and Madaline kept shattering the ancient barriers of the spirit world. Madaline also had to repair those barriers immediately so Thiton was able to get some blows in. “Why won’t you just roll over and die?! You have always been a pain in my neck and you keep making aggravating decisions that bring us to this point every single time! What is wrong with you, Madaline?”“The way you speak Thiton, makes it obvious that you are obsessed with me. That’s worrisome. I cannot let a disgusting creature disguised as a god profess his love to me that loudly. Why don’t you just die?”“You’re delusional. Your attachment to Nataroth even though you’re an ascended god just like us shows how much of a hypocrite you are!”“Coming from the person who killed me?! That’s laughable. You, of all people, are claiming to care for the
“Lovely, isn’t it?” “I feel like you’re ignoring me. It is lovely. Is that made from purely cotton?” “Yes, it is. You love even lovlier in it, your highness. The wedding is soon, is it not? I cannot wait to be there.” “What about you? Why won’t we attend your wedding? Come on, Lady Natalia. You know you would look absolutely beautiful in a wedding dress.” “I hate wedding dresses.” “...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” “I’m not angry, Princess Temara. I know how much you care about me and I know how much you love my brother. Honestly, it worries me. Would you really slit your throat if he asked you to?” “...of course not.” “Your highness, you hesitated. Well, it doesn’t matter because he would never ask you to. Like I was saying, I understand why all of you are worried about me. Yes, I know you’re all behind that door. But I know what I’m doing. I’ve been doing it for a long, long time. But if you don’t all trust me to make the right decision, then is it really love?”
In Madaline’s palace, there was a direct portal down to earth. Sylph and the fairy sent to rescue her were ready to send her soul back but it was too damaged to travel whole. They had no other choice but to wait for Madaline or find an alternative. It was difficult to patch a soul and not just any god could do it. If they waited any longer, it would affect her chances of escaping significantly.“Shouldn’t Madaline have returned by now? What’s taking so long?!”Back at the platform, the gods were amazed. The fight was on a different level than the one they watched earlier. Two of the most powerful gods going head to head without fear. The first weapon they used, they had both broken them even though they were items not built to break. They were fighting solely with magic, causing all forms of natural disasters. The sky began to darken all around the world, alarming the mortals. Madaline's magic was focused on barriers. No matter what anyone did, you couldn't get past her barriers. Her
"Grandmother!" Natalia dashed into the mansion, heading to the living room first. She found the butler and he told her she was in the office. She could finally calm herself and walk into the office. "Grandmother, you really came.""You have a very nice office, Natalia. This old woman is jealous.""I can make the exact one for you. I'm just curious. Why are you here?""Sit, we need to talk.""I'm terrified. If this is about my marriage, you need to give me more time…""This is not about that. It's about your inheritance.""You came all the way here for that? You could've just asked me to come to you. It must be more than that.""Yes. Why did you bring a hostage and ask the plan to be sped up? You know how sensitive the whole thing is! You didn't even tell anyone else about it and now you want to hasten it out of nowhere! What happened?""The hostage is critical. I had to put her away so she wouldn't affect my plans. Two, there isn't much time left. Even after I went back in time two
“W-What do you mean the god of death and destruction?!”“Yes, what do I mean indeed?” she just smiled, looking at the body in the casket. He just stared back at her with his eyes open. "I was very lucky to find him, you know. Gods are not just objects you find on the side of the streets. I actually built this whole thing because of him but not for him. He belongs in another world so you have to be curious as to why he's here. He won't say anything though which is disappointing.""Are you insane?! That is the most dangerous of the original gods!""I doubt he is as dangerous as Nataroth. Anyway, now that I've shown you my treasure, let's take you to your room, shall we?"They left the room, the doors locking behind them as they left. The boy laying still in the casket rose to sit up and stared unblinkingly at the door. As they faced down the two royal heirs, a servant came running out from the mansion, handing a letter to Sebastian. He frowned and burnt the letter immediately. "You w
After dinner and settling her friends and hostage into her home, she could finally rest. She soaked herself in the tub, feeling the knots in her body loosen. There was also the fact that she was being massaged by little fairies that fluttered excitedly around her. She sighed with content. "Do you like it that much?""Hmm, it's nice. Did you miss me, Madaline?""You worried me but you really came back without a scratch. Berinda is Uriel's territory so I cannot intervene at will. I'm glad it went well.""No, I got attacked and that's why I have a hostage. Now that you say it, she's probably Uriel's Saintess.""You took another god's Saintess?! Since when did you start acting so recklessly?""It was not a reckless or juvenile decision. You know what my goal is. By the way, I have a question.""What is it?""If Adelie is Ducroft's Saintess and Denitra is Uriel's Saintess, does that mean I'm your Saintess?""No, it's not you. It's Marvis's mother." "How cruel. You could've reserved that