A woman knelt in front of me. She was a near-perfect beauty with a body that would inspire countless paintings and statues to be made. Soft blonde hair draped over flawless porcelain skin in a way that only highlighted its perfection. This was the type of woman that would make countless others jealous, myself included.

The woman looked up at me expectantly. Her glowing green eyes reflected the fire still lingering on my hand.

“Your Innate talent really is disturbing,” Svend said with a forced laugh as he examined the woman.

“Maybe I find your oversized face disturbing,” I replied in annoyance as my mind connected with the new undead.

The undead woman lowered her head in subservience. “What is your command, my Lady?”

“What is your name?”

“Marilyn.”

“From this day on, Marilyn, you will pretend to be me in public. Hold your head high and inspire the troops.”

“Yes, my Lady.” The woman replied before standing up. The fire in her eyes burned even brighter now than before.

Svend rubbed his chin in satisfaction at the swift reply of the undead. “We will need to get her some decent clothes as well as a veil for her face, just in case someone recognizes the corpse you chose. You should hurry up and get into position before the crowd starts forming. Remember, what you say today will shape how the other nations will see your return.”

“I know. Do not worry. Worst case, I make an enemy of every nation on the continent, something we expect to happen regardless.”

Svend let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head. “Just go.”

I stuck my tongue out at the man and ran out of the freezing catacombs as quick as my body would allow. Everything still hurt, and my body was still in a dangerous condition but daily training had allowed it to start moving the way I wanted at least.

After taking several minutes to escape the crypts, I quickly hurried out of Svend’s mansion. A large stage had already been erected in front of the manor this morning in preparation for my announcement. The courtyard was decorated with the blue and white of Kala. Banners lined the streets bearing the Kala flag. The eyes of the dragon on the flag stared down at anyone brave enough to enter the courtyard.

Making sure no one was looking, I ducked through a small door at the back of the stage that led to a constricting crawl space. It felt more than a little demeaning to hide in the dark, cramped area while my undead pranced around above, but it was a necessary sacrifice.

While I had been growing stronger at a terrifying rate thanks to Cyra’s preparations, I was still too weak to raise dead from a distance. For this announcement of my return, I did not want to leave any doubt in people’s minds.

I was back and the entire world would know it.

About half an hour after crawling under the stage, I began to hear people arriving. Prominent clan leaders from Kala, foreign dignitaries stationed in the capital, and professional scribes were all invited. In addition to the citizens of Kala that would come to watch as well, there had to be at least a thousand people gathering in front of Svend’s mansion.

I could hear whisperings from under the stage. People wondered what Svend’s announcement would be or why he had called all the tribes to prepare for war. At first, it was amusing to listen to their wild guesses, ranging from declaring war on the Novus Kingdom to a test of loyalty for the tribes. However, as time ticked on, I quickly grew bored of the constant chatter.

I shifted my attention to my new undead. Through her eyes, I could see my mom and Cyra helping her apply makeup and fix her hair. Marilyn appeared to have quite a bit of skill in this area which made me wonder what her profession had been before her death, but with little time left before she needed to appear on stage, I decided to wait before questioning her.

A few more minutes and everything was ready. Marilyn was dressed in an exquisite white and black gown with a slightly transparent veil draped over her head that hid all but the glowing green eyes that would attract everyone’s attention. Svend and Cyra stood on either side of my undead and the show was ready to begin.

The murmuring of the crowd died down as the suffocating pressure of two domains blanketed the city. Three figures rose into the air, floating gracefully for all to see. Using their domains, Cyra and Svend made Marilyn float beside them as if she was their equal. If another capable of using a domain had been here, they would have been able to see through the ruse instantly but to normal people, it looked as if she were flying under her own power.

After making sure that they had gathered everyone’s undivided attention, the three figures slowly floated down to the waiting stage. From my hidden hole, I could hear the mumbling of the crowd all wondering who the new woman was as well as plenty of remarks about her beauty that even the veil could not completely hide.

The mumbling turned quiet as the three figures landed on the stage and Svend cleared his throat. “Seems everyone important showed up, so I will keep this short. I have gathered you all here today, not as some show of power or pride, but out of necessity. As everyone knows, I have ordered a complete mobilization of all the armies under the banner of Kala. However, I have yet to explain why. Unfortunately, the truth is much worse than many of you fear. Demons have invaded our realm.”

Svend paused as a wave of whispers and worries washed over the crowd. There were more than a few shouts of the Great Demise from the horde of people.

Svend’s booming voice silenced the murmurs as it echoed across the courtyard. “I am sure many of you are aware of the tragedy at the city of Deces just south of our borders. More than half the city was destroyed in a single afternoon. That is only a taste of the horror we will face in the coming days. I know that each and every one of you are brave and fearless men and women that are willing to give their lives for this land, however, Kala alone will not be able to push back this threat. If we are to survive this calamity, we will only be able to do so by standing together. Today I am here not only to announce our determination to face this threat but also the first of our allies in the coming war. A name that is well known to many of you, held in both renown and infamy, Aurielle Aevus!”

Shouts and gasps reverberated across the courtyard as each person reacted to my name in their own way. To my surprise, many of the native people from Kala seemed more delighted than scared. It was a rare experience for me. For the first time in a long, long while, I actually felt nervous at the idea of addressing a crowd like this.

After a few deep breaths to calm my nerves, I took direct control of Marilyn and after blinking away the disorientation of the new body, I made her step forward to address the crowd.

“Some of you might know me as an Empress. Others here might call me Raddare and hold me as a savior. However, I have never cared for titles. I have no intention of retaking my throne or of getting revenge, all that matters is the here and now. Demons have invaded the realm, my realm… my home. They are a threat to each and every living person, man, woman, and child. None will be spared from the carnage they have planned.” I took a long breath to calm my nerves as I waited for the people to process my word. “I will fight this threat, just as I have countless times in the past. For those emissaries stationed here in Kala, I hope you can relay this message. I know many of your countries and rulers will not trust my intentions, but the Demons are the greater threat. While I hope everyone will join together in one great coalition, allied for a common cause, I will not force this ideal. All I ask is that you prepare. The fires of war will spread to every corner of this realm. Do not be the tinder that feeds the Demons’ victory.”

Having finished what I wanted to say, I lowered my head and took a step back. The reaction from the crowd was mixed. Many of the soldiers kitted in armor cheered, but most of the normal people looked worried and scared.

After waiting a minute for the crowd to calm down, Svend spoke up once again. “I know many of you have doubts, doubts about the Demons, doubts about how we will fight such a war, and doubts about the Immortal Empress returning. The Demons are a very real threat, but it is a threat we are prepared to face. To dispel some of your doubts, I have prepared a little demonstration.”

As Svend spoke he waved towards a contingent of soldiers standing near the stage. Following Svend’s command, the soldiers hefted two large crates off the ground and carried them towards the stage. The long rectangular crates drew attention, then gasps as people saw the corpses inside. The lifeless bodies of two men were laid on the stage with great care by the soldiers.

“Some of you may already recognize the men lying here, others may only be familiar with their names,” Svend shouted with an extravagant wave of his arms, “Ragnar the Conqueror once led a military campaign through nearly six kingdoms before he was slain by a stray arrow at the battle of Sagitta Keep. Sigmund the Sword Saint was known as one of the greatest swordsmen to ever live, but his life was cut short, not by a blade, but by illness. Today, these two men shall rise again to gain a second chance at glory.”

As Svend spoke, I began my work under the stage. While Marilyn above would make an elaborate show of placing her hands on the corpses, I was underneath. My flames passed through the wood and into the bodies of the once great warriors.

It was a bit exhausting to raise two undead simultaneously, but now completely within my limits. The was a brief pause as the clamor of the crowd grew even louder than when they learned of the Demons as my flames burned through the bodies of the two former heroes. Blood was replaced with fire as the remnants of injuries vanished.

Two pairs of brilliant green eyes awoke simultaneously. The corpses that had been dead for more than a decade began to move. The two men sat up and after looking around in confusion for a second moved to kneel in my direction. Expecting this, I made sure that I was directly under Marilyn so that the crowd would assume they were kneeling to her.

While the two undead were kneeling, another squad of soldiers approached the stage. This time, they were holding a much larger crate, covered in a large cloth so others could not see inside. Despite not being able to see inside under the cloth, trepidation spread across the crowd. There were snarls coming from this crate as it shook to break free of the ones holding it. Whatever was inside was definitely not a corpse.

After setting the crate down, the soldiers hurried away as fast as they could. Svend grabbed the cloth and pulled it free revealing what was underneath. Large metal bars, bent and covered in deep scratch marks, held back a large wolf-like creature with spikes running down its back. Bright red eyes stared hungrily at the crowd of onlookers.

“This is the enemy we face,” Svend said as he addressed the crowd, “An army of Demonkin. Creatures with no morals, that will show no mercy. A single one of these can tear through an entire squad of soldiers and still be strong enough to keep fighting. Its hide is as tough as iron. Its teeth and claws are sharper than a razor. They are creatures that exist for the sole purpose of slaughter. However, that does not mean we are defenseless against them.”

As Svend spoke, his hand reached for the lock that held the Demonkin in its metal cage. There was a gasp from the crown as the faint click echoed across the courtyard.

Under my control, Marilyn addressed the two new undead. “Kill it.”

Both undead lowered their head in subservience however, for a brief moment I felt the green flames flicker in one of them and my connection weakened. Under the stage, I started cursing as I tried to re-assert my control but before I could, Sigmund the Sword Saint stood up.

“Both of us are not needed for such a creature. I will handle this myself,”

Sigmund then approached a nearby soldier and asked him for his sword. The young soldier excitedly handed his blade over. Sigmund took the sword and twirled it as he tested its weight. As the cage holding the Demonkin swung open, the sword saint shrugged and turned towards the Demonkin.

Sigmund walked in slow, measured steps as the Demonkin burst out of its enclosure with a roar that shook the floorboards of the stage. The creature gave no concern to its surroundings. Its bloodthirsty eyes were focused solely on the prey slowly moving in front of it.

With a low growl, the Demonkin bared its teeth and a plume of red smoke escaped its mouth before leaping at Sigmund. Its sharp teeth aimed to rip open the man’s throat in one swift movement.

Sigmund, meanwhile just shook his head in disappointment. His body bent like a willow branch in the wind and the sharp fangs clamped down on nothing but air as the Demonkin harmlessly sailed past the man.

Before the Demonkin landed on the ground there was a flash of steel. The movement was so quick I could barely even catch the blur of Sigmund’s arm through Marilyn’s gaze. A large gash appeared across the Demonkin’s left eye, causing it to roar in pain and fury.

The Demonkin swung its paw, hoping to slash at Sigmund with its sharp claws but once again, Sigmund easily swayed out of the way of the strike. There was another flash and before the Demonkin could even react its right eye was cut open as well.

Finding itself blinded, the Demonkin roared again. This time, it sounded much more scared than ferocious. Sigmund’s arm blurred again and his sword stabbed through the Demonkin’s open mouth mid-roar. There was a brief moment of pause as the Demonkin froze. Its legs trembled and the creature collapsed to the ground. Blood pooled across the stage as it took its final ragged breath.

The entire fight barely took a couple seconds from beginning to end. Every movement was a blur and it took a moment before the crowd started cheering excitedly.

Under the stage, I was finally able to regain complete control of the undead. Sweat poured down my face as I took a deep breath in relief.