Sunlight hit the windows and refracted, illuminating the hallway and highlighting the crimson carpet. At the end of the path, Medoria stood in front of the metallic gate. On her left hand held the ever-evolving formation. Her right hand pressed against her left eye, preventing the blood from dripping out.

She stared through the window into the horizon and sighed. Behind her, multiple bodies laid throughout the hallway. Their flesh faded to grey and crumbled into piles of ashes. Though her power was close to the realm of the Authority, the force lurking inside the imperial castle was far greater than she had anticipated.

The searing pain from her burnt left eye reminded her of the enigmatic history of the Human Empire. She cast a spell and placed it onto the gate, merging it into the structure of the castle and infiltrating the ancient building.

She tapped her fingers onto the gate, conjuring arrays of tiny circuits. With her eyes closed, she slowly rotated her hands and moved her fingers, manipulating strings of Fons to interfere with the formations around the castle.

Due to a faint gloom surrounding the throne room, Medoria intentionally prevented her spell from getting close to it and manually disabled the alarm herself. In the moment of silence, her sweats pervaded her face and dripped onto the carpet, dimming its bright crimson colour. After rounds of fighting against trained assassins and imperial guards, her breathing gradually drifted out of sync, and her body began to tremble.

A stifled wind caressed her back and filled her face with a chill, jointing her body. Before she could open her eyes, a pair of hands grabbed her wrists. The cold, hard carapace betrayed the identity of the mysterious figure.

"Mistress?" Medoria said but didn't open her eyes, fearing that the dream might vanish. "Please wait for me."

Princess leant onto Medoria and tightened her grasp. Her weight pressed against Medoria. "Medoria, you're hurt, again."

"Mistress, everything will be all right, so please let me be with you."

"The future is full of uncertainty. I'm afraid that hope will bring disappointment."

"Mistress, I'll take it that you've accepted the promise. You must keep your words," Medoria said and focused at the deconstruction of the arrays. Despite how much Princess said, her words could never change Medoria's mind.

"Maybe, that stubbornness is a gift of yours."

Medoria manipulated the last strand of Fons to infiltrate the throne room. It deciphered the innermost line of defence and deactivated all formations. As it peered into the interior, a muted boom rang. The imperial castle faintly trembled, and the strand of Fons instantly vanished.

Medoria staggered backwards from the backlash. Her body passed through Princess, dispersing her. Medoria gripped her chest and coughed, blood leaking from her lips. The hallway turned silent, filled with a looming sense of dread.

She pushed the gate open and rushed into the room. The crimson carpet extended towards the throne. On its sides, rows of statues and flags decorated the atmosphere. Their silhouette cast shadows which merged at the carpet.

Atop the throne, the Emperor rested his head upon his hand. His eyes stared at Medoria, whose bloody appearance radiated murderous intent. The temperature dropped with the motion of the flickering candles on the chandeliers.

"Your majesty, your subject is here to send you off," Medoria said.

The Emperor remained seated in his position, not uttering anything. The light gradually faded into smokes as a soundless wind extinguished the candles. The curtains of the darkness fell and concealed the Emperor.

Medoria frowned and conjured her spells. Despite the lack of the ripples of Fons, something controlled the light and filled the room with utter darkness. A cold air spread from the carpet and grabbed her feet.

She stepped forwards and pushed her formations outwards, creating countless shapes. They transformed into multiple arrays and produced different effects. Light returned to the room and expelled the darkness while shields and fireballs floated around Medoria, waiting to strike at the unexpected enemies.

As soon as her vision returned, Medoria froze in place before falling like a doll. Her body suspended midair as metal rods manifested, piercing her flesh and puncturing her abdomen. Following the return of the all-ending darkness, her vision darkened.

The formations around her disintegrated into nothingness. All paled in comparison to absolute power.

Like a witch, Medoria's body hung on multiple metal rods. Her intestines spewed onto the carpet, tainting the bright red colour with the gloomy blood. Her eyes popped out of the sockets and rolled towards the throne.

In her blurry perception, she saw her body twisting in pain and vomiting blood. Her eyeball spun before it stopped at the foot of the throne, where the Emperor sat motionlessly, his expression frozen in time.

A nameless Authority stood beside him. His mouth curved into a wicked smile before he jumped down and crushed Medoria's eyes into a bloody mess.

The darkness consumed her vision, and then her soul.

...

The God of Light held a sphere of world-ending power and pointed it at the Arachna Queen. The Light Domain generated a swarm of nebulas which merged into flickering stars. Their gravitational field twisted the surrounding space and distorted the perspective of those who viewed them. The world spiralled around their existence, yet the God of Light remained eternal, unchanged by the twisting reality.

"You should have died long ago," the God of Light said. "It was her doing, was it not? Tell me her objective, and I will spare you, more importantly, your daughter."

The Arachna Queen closed her eyes and placed her hand on her chest. Her heart pulsated, radiating warmth which permeated her body with sorrow. She wore the masquerade mask and pointed at the God of Light. Her movement imitated him, down to the flow of Divinity.

"Unfortunately, Light, my remaining lifespan is too little for this trade," the Arachna Queen said and pushed her palm forwards, creating a whirlpool of stars. They spun around the axis and dispersed into stardust.

"Your sentiment will be your undoing."

"My sentiment has already killed me long ago. It is only catching up now."

The God of Light snorted and swung his hand downwards. The stars ruptured into waves of supernovas, filling the monochrome sky with bursts of colourful particles. The blasts crashed against the Authorities and the Holyground.

The Arachna Queen swung her hand downwards. The whirlpool discharged the stardusts, enveloping the God of Light and the supernovas. The Divinity merged and split, creating storms of Fons which tore space and time asunder. Rifts manifested in the form of crevices, opening gateways to the empty void.

The masquerade mask cracked and shattered into two. The Arachna Queen fell against the ground and gripped her chest, her heart loudly pounding inside her ears. Her breathing quickened before it and her body progressively relaxed. A raging fire gave way to serenity.

She raised her head. The stardust slowly disintegrated as waves of supernovas collided against it. Her pupils dilated as the brightness closed in. A strange, blissful sensation kept her mind calm.

For one last time, she closed her eyes, her teardrops trickling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Peritia," she said before everything went silent. Her mind fell into the abyss of emptiness as her body waited for extinction. The light flooded her eyelids with an intense glow before abruptly cutting to black.

Time stretched and stopped. Her body remained heavy on the ground. The outside world vanished from her perception, leaving only herself alone in this brutal void.

"Mother, I'm here," a voice echoed.

Time resumed its flow as the Arachna Queen opened her eyes. A long black dress tail fluttered in front of her. Princess stood against the oncoming supernovas and drew her hand forwards. Without any Fons or Divinity, her black palm met the blast.

Like a mizzle on a sunny day, the supernovas wrapped around Princess and diffused into shimmering particles of gentle schemes. They reflected against the monochrome sunlight and created soft, widespread illusions of vapour. The glitters filled the surrounding with pure breezes, restoring the colours to the bleak, greyish world.

The God of Light pulled his hand back and stared at Princess. His eyes intensely studied her fragile body. He found no trace of Divinity, Divine Fons, or Fons in her body. She was a mere Arachna, yet her presence was invisible, undetectable, and all-encompassing.

"Peritia, what happened to you?" he said.

Princess glanced at him before turning to her mother. She stooped down and hugged her. Though the Arachna Queen was confused, she instinctively embraced her daughter and leant onto her smooth carapace.

Above the two, Shifting Mist cast a shadow over the Holyground. It hung above the sky and stood against the descending Originator without any fear.

"Mother, why didn't you tell me about your condition?" Princess whispered.

"It is my choice and my consequence, Dear. It is what I must do for the chance you need." The Arachna Queen tightened her hug. Her pupils melted into a river of tears, but she held them back with her determination. "You also didn't tell me about your condition, either."

"I have no choice, mother."

"Me too, so go, do what you must. Either outcome is fine, though I hope for your wellbeing."

"Hope brings with it disappointment. I'll try my best, so I might have to disappoint you again."

Princess separated from her mother and stood up. She turned to the God of Light and walked towards him. Her dull eyes burnt his silhouette into her memory, filling her with fury and hatred. Her feet hit the ground and knocked the rubbles away, creating crackling every time she moved.

"To bring Shifting Mist here, have you no fear?" the God of Light said and gazed at Specria, who stood behind Permotir. "It seems that a few of your friends are here. Will you mind if I greet them?"

"God of Light, I'm not in a mood for chitchat." Princess glanced at Shifting Mist. It channelled its Divinity and sent a black chain downwards, locking onto Specria and pulling her skywards.

Permotir and Immodulus didn't resist the chain and followed Specria into Shifting Mist. They studied Princess with their eyes narrowed but decided to remain silent. The last android flew upwards, following her master into the ship.

The God of Light smiled after witnessing the scene. "I understand now. Peritia, you are determined to the point of insanity."

"If I weren't mad, I wouldn't be alive right now."

The God of Light scuffed at Princess and pointed at her. Light Domain manifested a pillar of light and slammed it against Princess. The crackling noises echoed as space rippled under its infinite temperature. The heat pushed the God of Light backwards.

It smashed against Princess's utterly powerless body, exploding into a cloud of dust. The sky-splitting impact became a gentle breeze, and the trillion degree heat weakened into an ordinary glow.

Princess took another step forwards after blowing at the tip of her index finger, which was the only part to come into contact with the strike.