Within one of the rooms of a castle somewhere on the human continent.

A woman was sitting at her desk going through a pile of documents in a dark room, illuminated merely by the light provided by the faint chandelier hanging on the ceiling.

She diligently went through the mountain of paperwork that suggested that she was no longer in a normal state but rather in a half conscious trance.

As she finished a pile of documents and was about to reach for yet another one, she stopped midway, as if she finally snapped out of her trance.

For some unknown reason, she glanced up at the ceiling and stared absentmindedly at the candle's quivering light, before it suddenly went out .

Only after a little while did she lower her gaze toward what seemed to be a window.

She stood up and moved slowly toward the window. A magical melody sang in the air around her, which had already quieted down by the time she arrived at the window.

Wearing a quite imperious long black dress, with embroidery of black that shone brightly in the dark, that anyone would feel slightly hinged to walk with, she, on the other hand, felt completely unhinged and even naturally comfortable with it.

With a flicker of her hand, the window opened up wide, allowing light and breeze to invade the dark and gloomy room.

As her long hair flew backwards along the wind, under the sun's radiance, the woman's distinct figure was finally revealed. With a firm expression on her face, and her cold beast-like eyes shining brightly like yellow diamonds, she stared at the horizon as if to read something from it.

She was, by this world's standards, what one would refer to as an unparalleled and peerless beauty.

For several minutes, she remained there staring at nothing, but then something happened.

Her eyes suddenly shone bright with a firey yellow radiance, as she called a name, "Raziel."

Responding almost instantly in the middle of the room in a small and silent burst of light, was a man dressed fully in black, bowing ceremoniously on one knee on the ground.

"Here."

Turning herself to face the man named Raziel, the woman who had somehow retrieved her normal bestial eyes, the woman ordered.

"Contact everyone, every house, nobles or not, put all the ongoing operations on standby, I have already informed all the Children. Until further order is released from me, no one is allowed to act, whether it is you, your brothers and your sisters, or even that rampaging brotherhood.

She was about done stating what she had to say, when she suddenly remembered someone. "Mathilda too, find her. For what I know, she should be in the ErstenMesh territory, and summon her, along with everyone with her, back to the fortress."

The man who has been silent so far was quite surprised by the order he received, but the order he received he neither contested nor had the intent to.

"Yes, Mother, it shall be done. But may I ask why this suddenly? "

Their eyes met, and though the man did call her "Mother", there was no such thing as a filial bond in it. Instead, in the man's eyes, there was only respect and devotion, whereas in the woman's, there was only cold indifference.

"A hunch." The woman said flatly.

In fact, so flatly that it should’ve made the room somehow awkwardly silent, but instead of that happening, the man simply accepted, and satisfied himself with the answer.

"I understand."

For the first time, in response to the man's answer, the woman displayed a somewhat gentle expression.

I know you

"I know, I should’ve given you and your brothers and sisters more time to mourn his death-"

With a somewhat less monotone voice, the man said, "Despite our Pater Familias, he doesn’t change our duty or the last order he has given us." What should be done, shall be done. "

"I see."

"I shall then, now take my leave."

Upon receiving a nod from the woman, the man vanished in a burst of light, just as he had appeared.

The woman was once again left on her own in the room. Glancing once again at the horizon, she let out a sigh.

Many preparations have been made for the plan she has been plotting for years, yet today, she felt a breeze that she felt could turn the tables in a way she couldn’t foresee.

She didn't have any divinatory powers yet, but she knew; she could feel it in her bones that something out of her control was about to happen.