The pain had brought Julia to her knees.

Her hands trembled against the wet stones on the ground, while her bones shook like reeds in the wind. An invisible pressure drove needles into her mind and wracked her body with horrendous agony. The shadowy figure’s mere glare was unbearable.

He’s not even here, Julia realized to her horror. The shadow before her was a mere apparition, a projection. But his power could work even across immense distances. He’s truly… a [Demigod].

“Throw the child into the sea,” Romulus ordered the terrified Caenis, who couldn’t move an inch. “What are you waiting for?”

“Do not…” Julia pleaded. Saying these words was torture, but for the love of the gods, Caenis listened. She hesitated. “Please…”

“I warned you, woman,” Romulus declared, his imperious voice droning on in Julia’s head. “I gave you a chance to live and spare your bloodline annihilation. If you had any common sense, you would have smothered this child in the crib and spared me the crime of kinslaying.”

“Kinslaying?” Aurelia’s voice cut through the howling wind, but Julia’s mother-in-law was in no position to rescue her grandchild. She had fallen to her knees too, struggling to glare at the shadowy ghost of Romulus. “You are no kin of mine… traitor…”

“You accuse me of treachery, when you turn your back on your own kind?” Romulus focused his baleful gaze away from Julia to stare at Aurelia, though his mental grip didn’t abate. “The Lycean Republic exiled you to the barren rocks of Travia after treating you like an animal, and yet you stand against your own pack. Do you expect gratitude from the Senex if you oppose us? Foolishness. People cannot change, and Fate cannot be averted.”

“Fate?” Julia spat as she tried to raise her shortsword. She managed to keep her grip on the weapon, but lacked the strength to raise it. “What kind of fate demands a child’s death?”

“This world, this universe, is ruled by a cycle. Children overthrow their father, and a new race upstages the old.” Romulus gazed at the full moon above their heads, its surface having grown red like blood. “At the height of his divinity, the Wolf-God inherited the gift of foresight. Through it, he witnessed the coming age. An era where beasts would devour men and rule the ruins of civilization. The Age of Wolves.”

“That will never happen…” Julia hissed in defiance, only for an invisible hand to choke her. She struggled to breathe, her own body revolting against her.

“Julia!” Caenis shouted in horror. The child in her arms woke up from the ruckus and let out a cry. Hearing her ‘son’ filled Julia with new strength born of panic.

“Is that what it will take for you to obey, thrall?” Romulus asked, his eyes two shining flames in a sea of darkness. “Watching your beloved wither and die before your eyes?”

“Enough!” Caenis shouted as she panicked, raising the child above her head. “I’ll do it!”

The grip on Julia’s throat weakened, letting her breath. She looked at her ‘son’ in horror, struggling to move. Get up, she told herself, trying to force her legs to rise. Get up!

Where was that treacherous sphinx?

“I am but the wheel of providence, crushing those who would stand in the path of history,” Romulus declared coldly as he glared at Julia. “If you have to hate anyone for your helplessness, women, then blame this land of suffering.”

“Who are you to say this?! You, a coward who hides behind a mask!” Aurelia’s voice brimmed with rage and fury, the sound of crashing waves echoing her declaration. “Are you one of my brothers? A lost cousin? Did you inherit my werewolf curse and survived our house’s purge?”

Aurelia clenched her jaw in rage. “Kairos told me who he suspected who hides behind your mask, but my son Taulas would never murder his own nephew!”

The shadowy figure remained unflinching like stone.

But when Aurelia mentioned her son’s name, Julia noticed the flames in Romulus’ gaze falter.

“Argh…” The [Demigod]’s hand moved to his funeral mask and touched his forehead. The fire in his gaze weakened, as did the oppressive power tormenting Julia. “Uh…”

“Lord Romulus?” Caenis asked, her hand dangling the crying child above the water.

“I remember a time… a time when you brought us to a shore of stones and pointed at the ocean…” Romulus whispered, his voice lacking the ghastly echo of death. “‘Beyond the Sunsea is the land of your mother, and her mother before her. A land of plenty where none starves.’ You promised that one day we would sail across the waves and live happier lives there. You swore that one day…”

Romulus’ dark spirit hunched as Aurelia looked at him, her eyes widening in shock.

“But you were mistaken,” the Legate of Lycaon rasped, the fire in his gaze faltering. “People are starving everywhere… if not for food, then for gold and glory… Travians or Lyceans, humans selfishly hunger for what they do not have.”

“‘Tis impossible,” Aurelia whispered, her voice trembling with denial. “I buried him myself. His bones are on this very island…”

Romulus buried his face in his hands as if struggling against a headache. “Why am I saying these things?” he muttered. “What spell have you cast on me, witch?”

The grip is weakening with his resolve, Julia realized as she managed to raise a knee. Caenis’ eyes flickered with an ember of hope. If I can take a step—

But the moment of doubt didn’t last long.

Romulus straightened up, the baleful flames in his empty eyes having flared up again. The pain seized Julia again, throwing her back to the ground.

“It doesn't matter.” Romulus’ voice was no longer hesitant, but cold and cruel. The [Demigod] turned his malicious gaze to the child in Caenis’ hands. “My curse turns even the most abominable crime to joy. Watching this boy die will alleviate my torment.”

The Legate of Lycaon observed the child a moment, only for his eyes to burn brighter with anger. Julia couldn’t help but smile.

He had finally noticed.

“You treacherous slave, are you trying to trick me?!” Romulus snarled, Caenis wincing at his sudden fury. “This child is not the heir! He is my blood, but I sense no connection to the seal!”

“I-I do not understand!” Caenis pleaded in incomprehension. “The same blessing of Orgonos shrouds him! He is the boy Aurelius, I checked!”

Romulus’ glare turned to Julia, noticing the smirk on her lips. “What have you done?” he asked, the cold rage in his voice both frightening and delightful. “Answer me.”

Julia simply grinned wider, but her smile died as she lost control of her hands.

In Lyce, it was customary for Lyceans to commit patriotic suicide when faced with the possibility of capture or dishonor. It was even more expected of citizens with a [Legend], as suicide would prevent the enemy from stealing their power and using it against their countrymen. Falling on a sword or slashing one’s wrists were the most popular methods.

So when Julia’s hands turned her sword towards her stomach, she immediately realized what fate awaited her.

“Julia!” Aurelia struggled against the spell binding her, but a wave of Romulus’ hand silenced her. The matriarch of the Marius family collapsed, her hands rattling her throat as an invisible grip choked the life out of her.

“Where is the heir?!” Romulus snarled at Julia. “Where is he?! Answer now or your life is forfeit!”

“He is here!” Caenis panicked. “Spare her, please! I’ll throw him in!”

Romulus paid her no mind and doubled down on the mental torture. The pain Julia had suffered through a few minutes ago was nothing compared to what she experienced at this very moment. Invisible needles pierced her everywhere; her eyes burnt and the taste of her own blood filled her mouth. Her innards caught fire and air turned into acid as she inhaled. She couldn’t even scream, her tears raining down her cheeks felt like molten metal.

And yet, she answered Romulus’ glare with defiant eyes.

“You will…” Julia gritted her teeth and glared at her. “You will never know…”

Romulus said no word. He simply raised his hand like a mighty senator condemning a gladiator to death in the arena, and Julia’s life was forfeit.

The queen’s hands thrust her shortsword at her chest.

It took all of her willpower to resist. Her own human will struggled against the dominated beast inside her head for control of her body; but not even Kairos’ brew could disrupt the pack’s power over its members. Julia slowed the blade, but couldn’t stop it.

“Please, take him in exchange!” Caenis pleaded while her dark master ignored her. “Take him!”

The handmaiden glanced at the child with panic as her pleas went unheard. Horror turned to fear and revulsion, then a grim acceptance born of desperation.

No, Julia pleaded inwardly, the words dying in her throat. No, do not.

The desperate Caenis threw the child into the waves.

Romulus didn’t even react.

Julia could have forgiven so many things. But as she watched the crying baby falling into the raging waves, whatever mercy she had left in her heart died in the blaze of her anger.

Anger at her handmaiden and lover for betraying her, for plotting against her and trying to murder her children. Anger at Romulus for daring to strike at her family, for trying to rob her of her free will. Anger at Lycaon for striking her with his curse. Anger at her brother for using her as a pawn in his schemes. And most of all, anger at herself, for being powerless.

I refuse, Julia swore mentally, I refuse to die here…

And as the rock of her will clashed with the waves of Romulus’ command, Julia felt a new strength rising within her. A hidden power that had been within her for years, slumbering beneath the surface. A silent might that only the strong of will could activate.

Her sword pierced her flesh and blood stained the blade red.

Caenis let out a startled cry, hands on her mouth. The fire in Romulus’ eyes faltered, his resolve and mental grip weakening.

“Impossible,” Romulus whispered, his voice shaking with surprise. “‘Tis impossible.”

Julia glanced at her sword, its tip piercing her right thigh.

The pain was gone with the wind, replaced with an exhilarating rush of strength. The beast howling within her had been shackled, suppressed. Her sense of smell had degraded like her hearing, as the human inside her tamed the beast.

By successfully refusing the [King of the Wild Hunt] Legendary Skill’s authority over your person, you have earned the Legend: [She-Wolf of Histria]!

You earned the Legendary Skill [Lone Wolf]. [Lone Wolf]: Legendary Skill, Two Stars. You are immune to all magical effects that would force your cooperation or obedience, such as [Charmed] or [Dominated]. However, you lose access to all benefits of the werewolf curse, including shape-shifting at will outside the full moon and enhanced senses.

Julia removed her sword from its wound, letting the blood flow as she rose. The pain in her leg was uncomfortable, but nothing compared to the weight she had thrown off her shoulders.

Her ‘son’ floated above the waters unharmed, carried by an invisible hand.

Julia faced Romulus’ specter, roared like a furious wolf, and charged.

“Obey!” The specter ordered, but his voice didn’t scare her anymore. “Submit!”

Julia’s sword cut through the darkness and Romulus’ apparition collapsed into nothingness. His ghost vanished to fight another day, but it left Histria defeated.

Julia breathed heavily as she faced the sea. Her blood dripped on the stony shore, the air so fresh and cold that mist came out of her mouth. The beast inside her had been quelled into silence, and for the first time in over a year, Julia gazed at the full moon without feeling its pull.

She had triumphed.

No one would command her ever again.

“My, how triumphant.” Aglaonice appeared while flying above the water, carrying Julia’s ‘son’ in her paw. “You remind me of Artemis, looking for blood.”

Julia glanced at her bloody sword, ignoring the trembling Caenis at her side. “Why didn’t you act sooner?”

“I wanted to test a theory of mine,” the sphinx replied coyly. “Namely, that it’s easier to earn a [Legend] when you’re surrounded by them. Tales become self-reinforcing, you know? When you are a secondary character in many a [Hero]’s tales, you become legendary material yourself. Besides, I knew you could do it.”

Julia struggled against the urge to stab Aglaonice to death like she tried to do with Romulus for endangering her child longer than necessary, but resisted. The sphinx’s plan did work as expected, and she had fulfilled her part of the bargain.

There was someone else far more deserving of her wrath.

“Go treat my mother-in-law,” Julia ordered Aglaonice before glancing at Caenis. “I will take care of the traitor and then soothe my daughter.”

Aglaonice gave a short nod before flying to the shore to treat Aurelia. Though her hearing had grown less effective, Julia still heard her mother-in-law breathing. She would survive. Maybe what was left of the man inside Romulus couldn’t bring himself to kill her.

“Daughter?” Caenis gulped in fear. She was utterly alone and broken. “I don’t understand…”

“Aglaonice temporarily changed my children’s genders with a spell; disguising the daughter as the son, and the son as the daughter.” Julia sighed. “Ironically, it was the tale of your mythical namesake that gave us the idea.”

Caenis’ eyes widened as she put the two and two together. “This is Rhea, not Aurelius.”

“Lycaon’s Seal still recognized my son Aurelius as my brother’s true heir and so Romulus wasn’t fooled, but your eyes were deceived. I would have used another substitute if I could, but my husband only applied Orgonos’ blessing to our children and Rhadamanthe's calf. We couldn’t rule out that the mole would use a spell to identify the child’s blood relations to my house either.”

Julia locked eyes with her handmaiden, her gaze cold as ice.

“You threw my daughter into the ocean, Caenis.”

“I…” Her breath grew shorter, more fearful. “I didn’t know it was Rhea…”

“Would it have made a difference if you did? You thought it was my son and you still tried to kill him.”

“For your sake…” Caenis whined, falling to her knees. “Because I wanted you to live.”

Instead of begging for mercy, she still tried to justify herself? Had she been always like this, and Julia blind to her true character? Or had despair made a fool out of the woman Histria’s queen had once loved dearly?

It doesn’t matter, Julia thought as she looked into her pocket and brought out the [Necklace of Harmonia]. Its jewels glittered beneath the pale moonlight.

“I had Cassandra summon the bitter shade of Hephaestus before me, and I coaxed the secret of these jewels from him.” The flatness of her own voice surprised even Julia. “The necklace was meant to punish his unfaithful wife and the bastard child of her adultery. It would torment women, unless the necklace’s master washed away Hephaestus’ dishonor.”

Caenis said nothing, but her eyes stared at the necklace with fear and apprehension.

“To lift the curse, Hephaestus suggested that the necklace’s master sacrifice an unfaithful lover out of their own free-will. I thought it meant that I had to murder Kairos, since he had impregnated Andromache, and I refused to go through with it.”

Julia put the necklace on.

Immediately, she sensed the gold warm up against her skin. The jewels brightened with magical power and Julia sensed an invisible weight falling on her shoulders. The necklace had accepted her as its master, and the bearer of its curse.

“But now,” Julia said as she raised her blade, “I see more clearly.”

“Please.” This time, Caenis had the sense to join her hands in supplication and beg for mercy. “Please, I… I swear my feelings are sincere. I did it because…”

She gathered her breath, tears in her eyes.

“Because I love you.”

The wind carried these words across the sea.

Julia said nothing as she stared at her bed-warmer, the person she had loved long before her husband came into her life. Her confidant and advisor, her pillar and dearest friend. She didn’t need to kill her, no. Julia already had a [Legend] now. She could spare her life, imprison her. Maybe one day, Julia could even learn to forgive her.

“Julia,” Caenis whispered. “Please.”

Hearing her daughter cry behind her back, Julia finally reached a decision.

She tossed her bloodied shortsword into the ocean.

“The lover in me forgives you, Caenis.”

A brief flash of relief appeared on her handmaiden’s face.

“But the mother,” Julia said as her hands grabbed Caenis’ throat, “does not.”

In that moment, the beast and the human acted as one.

Caenis’ eyes widened in surprise as Julia started to strangle her. Her fingernails dug into her handmaiden’s soft throat and choked the breath out of her lungs. Caenis’ hands grabbed Julia’s arms, but the dancer’s grip was weak while Julia’s grip was strong. The handmaiden struggled as her face turned blue, tears raining down her cheeks.

Julia didn’t cry. She didn’t say a word as she tightened her grip.

But when her handmaiden’s warm tears fell on her fingers, Julia locked eyes with her victim and saw her in a new light.

The traitor she so desperately wanted dead was right in front of her… but for some strange reason Julia felt her anger abate. As she watched the tears fall and smelled the fear, the Queen of Histria realized that a new emotion had taken hold in her. The same emotion that once led her to convince her brother to spare Caenis’ life in Lyce.

Pity.

“Why did you obey Lycaon?” Julia briefly weakened her grip, letting Caenis grasp for air. “Why didn’t you fight against your fate as we all did?”

“He is a [God]...” Caenis whispered fearfully. “He’s going to escape, it’s inevitable… and his cult is everywhere. There is no escaping him.”

“And yet we sent his Legate fleeing. My husband killed a fallen deity, and my brother still lives in spite of your machinations. Even the gods can fail and die.” Julia sneered. “You don’t believe in us. You don’t believe in me.”

Caenis avoided her gaze.

“You don’t even believe in yourself,” Julia guessed.

Only the wind answered.

Julia removed her hands from her former handmaiden’s throat. “You are weak, Caenis,” the queen rasped, causing the traitor to flinch. “Though my husband and I emancipated you, you’re still a slave at heart. Even with all the advantages possible, you won’t fight for your freedom.”

“Please…” was all Caenis could say. “Please.”

“I have hated the republic too,” Julia confessed with a sigh. “For throwing me out because of that curse. For condemning me for things Senex members do all the time. I have been weak of heart too.”

Though the queen hated to admit it, a part of her understood her former handmaiden’s situation. She had been robbed of her future, forced to play second-fiddle to Kairos in bringing Julia happiness while she withered away.

“I felt helpless against Romulus, and when I failed to fight I pleaded for his mercy,” Julia said. “I received it, and my children because of this improbable act of kindness. So I…”

Julia stared at her former lover.

“I forgive your weakness.”

As she spoke these words, dark fumes seeped from the necklace’s gemstones.

“I forgive your unfaithfulness,” Julia said. “I forgive your treachery. I forgive your cowardice.”

The whispers of a fallen god and countless betrayed lovers echoed from the necklace, their evil banished from the world of the living.

“But we are done,” Julia declared, the necklace’s weight lifted off her shoulders. “And though I will show you mercy as one woman to another, the queen that I am now condemns you for your crimes. For plotting to murder a prince of Histria, for colluding with an enemy of the state, you will spend the rest of your miserable life in a Travian cell. I will never lay my eyes on you again. You will be alone even in your old age, trapped between cold walls and iron bars. No one shall comfort you. Loneliness and regrets will be your only companions until you die.”

At long last, when the wind carried the last of the evil mist away, Julia turned her back on Caenis and never spared her a glance again.

Her handmaiden could only sob as her queen forgot her.

And as Julia walked back to her daughter, she felt her body brim with strength.

You have completed a Quest. You gained 10 Skill points and strengthened your Legend! Your Legend evolved into [Queen of Liberation]!

You upgraded your Personal Rank from [Elite] to [Hero]. You can now progress up to level 60, and rank-up your stats by sacrificing Skill Points. You earned the Legendary Skill: [Queen’s Rebellion] and upgraded your other Legendary Skills.

You gained five levels (total 45) and 15 Skill points.

[Queen’s Rebellion]: Legendary Skill, 3 Stars. You can select one target within sight and have their items rebel on a successful [Charisma] check. If you succeed, the user cannot access their items' abilities, lose all benefits from them, and bonuses are turned into maluses. The effect lasts a day and a night. This only applies to Rank 3 items and lower.

[Lone Wolf] has been upgraded to [Wolf Matriarch]: Legendary Skill, 3 Stars. Your immunities now extend to your family members.

Her gaze turned to her necklace, which was now as warm as a hearth.

Necklace of Concordia (formerly Necklace of Harmonia)

Rank: Artifact 4 (treated as Artifact 3)

Value: Priceless

A famous necklace forged by Hephaestus for the bastard daughter of his wife Aphrodite, to avenge himself against unfaithful women. After feeding on a cycle of suffering for centuries, the necklace’s curse was broken with a single act of forgiveness. It shall now reward love and harmony rather than punish the unfaithful.

1 Star Power: The first woman who wears the necklace is recognized as its master; ownership of the Necklace can only be transferred either if the current owner dies or if they give it to someone else. The recipient of the gift must accept ownership of the necklace out of their own free will. The Necklace’s owner will not age as long as they carry the necklace; they are immune to all [Aging] effects, magical or otherwise, except those caused by a [God]. The owner can still be killed by other things than age.

2 Stars Power: The Necklace now actively restores youth. Whenever the owner puts it on, the Necklace restores them to the prime of their youth. This effect can even cure wounds, but not death.

3 Stars Power: The Necklace grants the owner a fragment of Aphrodite’s beauty and Hephaestus’ intelligence. The wearer has their [Charisma] and [Intelligence] treated as if it were one letter higher (maximum A+).

4 Stars Power: [Need Demigod Rank].

The Necklace of Harmonia had brought misfortune on all the women who wore it. Empowered by a god’s grudge against an unfaithful lover, it had fueled a cycle of revenge and despair for centuries.

A vengeance could end when everyone on the other side perished, true.

Or it could end with forgiveness.

And sometimes, mercy was worse than cruelty.

Julia returned to her mother-in-law’s side. Aurelia’s breathing had returned to normal, while Aglaonice was struggling to keep the transformed Rhea quiet. The spell having changed her gender had run out, her features softening back into that of a baby girl.

“How do you turn it off?” the sphinx complained as the child cried in her arms. “How irritating.”

“I will show you,” Julia declared softly. “Give me back my daughter.”

Aglaonice gave Rhea back without a word, Julia’s child calming in her mother’s hands. Revealing her left breast, the Queen of Histria let her daughter feed. All the kisses her lovers gave her, whether they had been men or women, couldn’t compare to the joy she felt upon sensing her child's lips on her skin.

“What next?” Aglaonice asked. “Besides your husband delivering my reward?”

“I will have Caenis sentenced to life imprisonment,” Julia whispered as she kissed her daughter on the forehead. She didn’t even spare her former lover a glance. “After settling our affairs here, we will set sail for Thessala with the reserve troops. My husband needs our help, and so do I.”

His kisses would wash the taste of Caenis’ lips off her mouth.