“I had the privilege of being invited to the last meeting between our most esteemed Scholars. We discussed the various Tiers of power among monsters, and how they refer to them.

I’ve come to know that, while we bestow royal titles to the most eminent members of our society, or frivolously grant them to others less… worthy of such gifts, monsters assign them with a power-based logic, following the various Tiers assigned by the system. A somewhat sound logic, if I may add.

For them, a Royal is a monster that has evolved into the fourth Tier, obtaining the Title of Prince or Princess. Then, when they evolve further into the frightening fifth and last Tier, they become Kings and Queens.

‘But, Elijah, what about the legends about Emperors and Empresses?’ I hear you ask. That, dear reader, is a title worthy only for the absolute strongest among those horrific monsters.

What’s worse? From the ancient texts that I read, it is said that those living cataclysms can rival the might of the very Gods…

-Elijah the Wonderer

Nashariel pov, a month later

Nashariel vomited against the stump of a tree while Fel kindly patted her back. “Oh Gods, whyyyyyyyyy?” She retched again, trying to not breathe any more of the foul toxic gasses that surrounded her.

“Body creatures tend to… develop such fighting styles, we’re afraid.” She was trying to sound supportive, but the dragokin clearly felt her amusement. “Have you completed your attunements yet, Nashariel?”

“Yes, and I’m thanking every single feather of my Goddess’ wings for that!” She involuntarily inhaled again. Gods, this stench…! Astill, have mercy on me…

The fae had tasked her to hunt a dangerous creature, instead of a usual Danger, one resembling the Horrors that Nashariel and her team had faced so long ago. This time, the guy was made of flesh instead of wood, retaining its Poison affinity.

And, on top of that, he had Gas. Yeah…

The guy was rotting every tree he came even closely across, and his lair had expanded just a tad too near a village. Fire had helped a lot in the fight, even if it melted pretty much all the snow around the fight.

Mercifully, Fel opened another Shortcut.

Nashariel dashed into it without looking back. She can have the spoils!

The freezing temperatures of the fairy’s home helped with the stench, and Nashariel let her fiery aura singe her skin before sinking in the melting snow. She let out a relieved sigh, standing like that for a few minutes.

“Do you require some rest, Nashariel?”

The interested grunted. "No, I'm fine." She turned and sat, looking at the fae. "Fel, you said that there are a lot of dragon-related problems. Why haven't you brought me to them yet?"

“We believe that it is a risky hunt for you, at the moment. We suggest acquiring all elements, and to spend all your points, before attempting to do so. We prefer to be certain about your survival capabilities.”

Nashariel frowned. “I get that me dying in the process won’t help anyone, but isn’t there anything else I can do to help?”

“Keep clearing Dangers, Empress. You’re helping already, much more than you think.”

Nashariel didn’t press on. “Next attunement?”

During these weeks, the omnidragon had acquired various attunements and worked on the comprehension of many others. Still, finding Fire-based elements in a forest proved pretty difficult, for obvious reasons. She also had yet to meet a Sand monster.

The ground trembled slightly.

Fel paused for a moment. “Excuse us for a second, Nashariel. We’ll be back shortly.” The fairy vanished with the speed of sound.

The dragokin was slightly alarmed. She was in a hurry!

The mountain trembled with enough force that Nashariel was sent flying in a pile of snow. What the…?!

Fel reappeared swiftly near her. “You said that you wanted to be of help and to fight dragons, right?” The fairy was wrapped in a furious blizzard.

“Y-yes?”

/She seems agitated/

You don’t say.

Fel opened a Shortcut. “Quick as the wind, Empress.”

Nashariel darted behind the fae.

They reappeared in a devastated area, filled with snow and crushed trees, at the feet of a gargantuan mountain. A permanent earthquake kept shaking the earth, forcing Nashariel to rise in flight to avoid tumbling down once more.

What stunned the omnidragon was another miniaturized mountain. One that moved on its own.

Three fire dragons circled around it, unleashing breath after breath, leaving the mountain to uselessly swat at them like flies. The dragons were much quicker.

“Save the mountain?” Nashariel asked Fel.

“Those stupid dragons… If the Bringer of Winter gets truly angry, many lives will be lost today.” The fairy rose in flight. “We’ll do everything in our power to calm them down, but that will require all our power and focus. Please, Nashariel, bring away the fight and hold on until we can reach you. Do not die.” With that intimated, Fel darted away, right in front of the face of the colossal Golem.

Nashariel nodded, more serious than ever. Ask and you shall receive… “I’ll do what I can.” She whispered.

The omnidragon returned in her true form, shifting to Lightning. She shocked herself with some [Gray lightning], then rushed against the Warband.

They were laughing amongst themselves, completely oblivious about what exactly they had risen. Instead, they taunted each other to set even more of the mountain on fire.

Nashariel directly crashed into one, grappling him and discharging all her accumulated Voltage.

The dragon spasmed for a while, losing some altitude. Before crashing down, he stabilized his flight, charging back at her with an angry roar.

The omnidragon simply dodged, then decked the other with a mighty punch. She then Taunted the others, only to dash away.

They roared, flying behind her while spitting their flames.

One singed her tail, leaving the scales heated but unharmed. I can do this! Nashariel thought, quickly beating her wings.

The others didn’t stop their chase, following her even when Fel’s mountain had lost half its size to distance.

Nashariel stopped, turning towards the trio.

/I suggest stalling for as long as possible, before fighting/

My thoughts exactly.

They paused, snarling. "Whose Clan do you belong to? I don't recognize you."

Another flew closer to slap him with his tail. "Idiot, it's Her! The little thing was right!”

Nashariel seriously hoped that ‘the little thing’ hadn’t turned into another Banshee. “I’ve already killed two other Warbands. Do you really want to cross me?" She questioned loudly. They didn't have to know that one band had been killed before she came even close to them, even if she put their souls and bodies to rest.

The others sneered, although the one who hadn’t yet talked seemed more hesitant. “You just ran away like a mortal. That’s the behavior of a coward, unworthy of a dragon!”

Nashariel activated her presence. “I just saved your asses! That monster you were harassing could freeze all of us in a moment if they wanted to! Return to your nest, lair, or wherever you call home, now!”

The leader barked a laugh. “I’ll bring your head to our Warlord. See you in the next life, Usurper!” He flared his aura, dashing towards Nashariel.

Whelp, I tried.

*Fire-dragon Lvl 105-123 (x3) *

For once, I'm above someone's level. Not an impossible win, then. The omnidragon entered in her Approaching storm stance and easily twirled out of the way. Secondary mind, anything that we don’t already know? She asked, slashing at the other’s throat.

/The description doesn’t say anything about our imminent death. I suggest avoiding a direct strength contest, but we should be able to do this!/

The other’s scales broke under the blow.

Nashariel grinned ferociously. Good. Start charging Voltage as fast as you can. Something tells me that I won’t have mana problems for a while.

The two other members of the Warband glanced at each other, then joined the fight, the thirst to kill her apparently superior to their fear.

Both of them Inhaled deeply, bathing her and their friend in an inferno that ignited all the surrounding air.

Nashariel defiantly endured it, finding little to no damage upon her body, aside from her sizzling scales. She smirked.

*Fury activated *

She detached from the startled fire dragon, deciding to repay them in kind. Nashariel unleashed her breath weapon, the lightning bolt coursing through the leader before spreading to the rest of the Warband.

They all spasmed for a moment, the manaless attack having too little bite to do any kind of serious damage.

Recovering, the dragons repositioned, surrounding her from above, below, and in front. Their aura flared to life, the heat forcing Nashariel to close her eyes for a moment.

/Supercharge is ready/

Activate it. Nashariel calmly activated her aura, tinting it with gray to slow down her enemies. “Come on and get me, if you dare!” She shouted.

They replied with a roar, angrily flapping their wings to get her.

3

The dragons extended their claws, ready to slash her to pieces.

2

The first flames licked Nashariel, promising to devour her.

1

The first set of jaws started to close on Nashariel’s wing.

0

*Supercharge stance…

Activated. *

A heartbeat later, the dragoness was gone, letting the dragons’ heads clash against each other.

Nashariel’s crest had stiffened upright, innumerable sparks connecting spike to spike. She was above the trio, a supercharged breath already crackling in her mouth.

The mana in the air buzzed dangerously, letting the dragons know about the danger they were in. Together, they unleashed their own infused breaths at the same time. Their attacks fused into a gigantic tornado made of deep, angry red Dragonfire.

The four skills ferociously fought against each other.

At first, the trio’s pushed back the electrical breath, but Nashariel didn’t give in, trusting in her oldest and most advanced skill to pull its weight. That confidence was soon repaid.

The dragons apparently hadn’t upgraded their skill to the third tier. They choked under their own power after a few intense seconds, except the leader, who managed to endure for a full ten seconds.

Nashariel could go on for an entire minute. Satisfied with herself, she let her skill run wild, making a mess of the others.

They all fell down like stones, twitching uncontrollably.

The electricity crackling on her skin vanished with a choked zap.

Nashariel followed the other dragons, her mind foggy. What the…?

/Voltage is exhausted/

The girl remembered Supercharge's last line of text, the one that stunned her after a resource ended. Whelp, I hope it won’t be a bad landing. She thought, crashing among the trees.

Fortunately, the mundane bark was too weak to penetrate her thick scales, which prevented her from getting impaled in the stomach by a pointy plant.

Unfortunately, the same was true for the other dragons.

Their auras had deactivated, sparing the forest from a sudden, large wildfire.

Nashariel grunted, trying her best to recover her mobility. Fricking resources that can’t handle a powerful skill! She grumbled.

The secondary mind worked overtime to find a solution. /Why not try shifting between attunements? They don't have Voltage/

The omnidragon nodded, shifting to Metal. The paralysis vanished a moment later. Nice! She glared at the smoking dragons, summoning her Armor.

They had recovered if still stumbling. The leader snarled at her.

“No surrendering yet? I can do this all day.” Her resources were pretty much full, at this point, save for the mana she had just used. More would come, surely.

“Die!” Was the eloquent answer.

Nashariel shrugged, her claws digging deep into the soil. She flexed her muscles, pouncing on the Fire Dragon. Using her wings as oversized razors, she slashed at the other’s face.

He ducked the blow, retaliating by biting her neck.

Nashariel howled as the fiery teeth sunk into her tissues. She struck with her tail, aiming to cut the other’s throat in a single lunge.

Searing pain erupted from her limb, the sensation of something missing informing her about it having been cut off.

Nashariel’s peripheral vision allowed her to see the third dragon charging at her from the side. She returned into her dragokin form, spear in hand.

The girl threw it at the charging dragon, forcing him to dodge, then jumped on the back neck of the leader. Once there, she punched right at its base, temporarily paralyzing him.

Nashariel summoned a greatsword to deal the finishing blow, but she got hammered by an explosion of heat and flame. The powerful blast caused her to slide back an entire meter. Her armor glowed red-hot almost immediately, but the girl inside was not yet cooking.

The omnidragon saw the others breath weapons incoming.

She launched in the air, quickly gaining altitude. The monster below her rose on two legs to try and take a bite, but she kicked his jaws closed and added a metallic breath from upside-down.

Nashariel glanced at her tail, seeing that the tip was really missing. She switched to Darkness for the first time in months, supercharging her breath against the dragons below.

The hungry mist expanded like a smoke bomb, smothering everything and everyone in its cold embrace. Nashariel felt her tail twitch, as the incoming health sustained its regrowth. Still, the breath clung to the ground, continuing to sap away life force.

Flames soon disrupted it, all three dragons snarling at her.

Hesitation finally glinted in their eyes, especially when they looked at her healed tail.

Meanwhile, Nashariel shifted yet again into her metallic true self, armored and ready.

“Fuck this, we should leave!” Said the quiet one.

“We are bound to kill the Usurper, by honor and contract!” Snarled the leader. He stood a bit wobbly on his feet.

“Don’t be dumb, Arkan! She doesn’t have a scratch, and I’m getting low on mana! Let’s cut our losses, while we still can. We can handle that little thing on our own.”

Nashariel calmly watched them bicker, letting her resources tick up. The thought of attacking them passed through her mind, but she didn’t follow it. Should I attack them now? It doesn’t seem… honorable, and they might retreat. She half-asked her other mind.

/You should. They have burned at least a village, and they will do it again. Honor should come after the good of the people/

Nashariel bit her lips, thorn. The secondary mind was right, but… she recalled Althei’s devastation, and the unnamed village that had turned into a horror theater. She sighed in resignation, her heart set. You’ll burn no more.

The omnidragon descended with a roar, clad in a storm of steel.

She breathed another partially charged breath, further hiding her form. She crashed onto the one who bit her tail, slicing along his whole neck with her bladed wing.

He took the hit with a growl, welcoming her with a tail-slap.

Nashariel gripped the limb's thickest part with her jaws, firmly planting herself on the ground. Increasing her strength proved to be the right choice since the red dragon found himself flung to the ground with a loud crash.

Disoriented by the blow, he instinctually raked at Nashariel. Uselessly, since the omnidragon had already switched targets.

The metallic razors and the armor protected Nashariel from the dragon’s Dragonfire, almost nullifying his attack. Seeing this, the arrogant dragon pounced on her with an angry snarl.

Nashariel turned to Lightning, easily zapping away. Flanking the larger dragon, she modified her Lightning to gray, slowing him, then bit the most of his wing, ripping out the important parts.

He let out an agonized roar, head snapping towards her with another batch of flames.

Lightning being half made of Fire attunement made Nashariel even more resistant to the inferno, but not enough to fully shield her from harm.

The omnidragon became Water, the electricity surrounding her turning into a watery vortex. The opposite elements clashed against each other, a cloud of vapor hiding all the combatants and letting Nashariel inject her second Tier poison into her enemy.

Quills broken, she retreated into the mist, deciding to attune to that element for the first time.

The Mist dragon’s aura muffled even the crackling of the fire against the trees and the sizzling of fire and water.

Nashariel could still see, but found her own skill impairing her vision. Something I’m sure the chamber will fix for me. She briefly thought.

Following her instinct, she shifted to Blood.

Immediately, she could perfectly smell the still-fresh wounds on her enemies, even though her sight was practically nil.

Snarling quietly, Nashariel launched against the just-risen dragon, biting him on his hind leg.

The blood flowing inside her mouth quickly healed her burns, but it didn’t give her any of the bonuses that the dragoness had observed when fighting Blood-attuned creatures.

Still, the Fire dragon shrieked in surprise, summoning his aura.

This time, having no sort of protection, it hurt. Badly.

Nashariel let go of the leg, screaming in pain. She quickly shifted to Fire, immediately stopping the burn. Then she again chomped down upon the mangled limb, and felt something snap under her jaws.

Deed done, she became Lightning and dashed away as fast as she could, far from the trio. Hoping for a moment of calm, she shifted to Healing and Breathed upon herself.

The gentle green light embraced her, soothing the pain first, then the wounds. Nashariel watched as her burned scales fell down, getting replaced by new, stronger ones. Much more efficient than Light alone.

/Predictable. Do not lose your focus, primary mind/ The secondary mind warned.

Nashariel nodded, looking back at the fading mist.

The dragon she injured the last was visibly limping on three legs, while the Leader twitched, keeping his jaws tightly close. The quiet one watched everything with a panicked look, his eyes going left and right.

The omnidragon turned to Wood and into a dragokin, blending in with the environment. Slowly, she circled around the dragons.

“Where is she?!” Shouted the panicked one.

“My leg! Emperor’s dick, it hurts!”

“Quit your whining!” The leader growled. “I can’t hear anything else.”

Nashariel quietly stopped behind a tree stump, holding her breath. She felt the dragon’s gaze sweep near her, moving on a moment later.

"Coward." He muttered, falling to the ground, heaving for breath.

/The poison is working/

Apparently. Nashariel quietly moved, shifting into Darkness. She glanced at her resources.

*Hp: 12.491/15.000

Mana: 8.394/10.000

Stamina: 6.897/10.000 *

Time to end this. I expected this to be harder, honestly. She summoned her Shroud, enveloping all into darkness.

Just as the returned in her true form, the air itself was set aflame.

/Did you just jinx yourself?!/ The secondary mind shouted in her ears.

Nashariel’s skill got disrupted in a moment, letting her see the inferno in front of her.

Much like Shandra’s skill, the fire assumed a deep red color, heating to an unbearable degree and consuming its summoner’s body. The girl had a moment of shock, before the dragon’s figure dashed toward her with a wicked grin.

“I got you, Usurper!!!” He shouted, slashing diagonally at the dragoness.

Nashariel’s dodge came too late.

Horrified, she watched as the blow cleaved part of her chest and her left leg without encountering resistance. A moment later, a fountain of blood erupted from her wounds.

The omnidragon’s secondary mind acted in her stead. Unfazed by Nashariel’s shock, she supercharged her misty breath directly against the offender.

Cold healing flowed into Nashariel, but was vastly insufficient to rebuild her limb.

Pushing the shock away, the three-legged dragoness did her best to dodge all the dragon’s attacks. After going through a few close calls, she shifted to Lightning once again.

Momentarily numbed to the pain and pushed by [Fury], the omnidragon roared. Even lacking a limb, she stood her ground by moving quicker than her enemy. Meanwhile, she received continuous healing thanks to the lingering darkness.

Converting all her electricity to gray, the dragoness further sped herself while slowing the foe. She pressed on, counting on her superior vitality to keep her going.

Her high resistance to fire had increased again, allowing her to retaliate with a series of quick attacks. Still, she didn't get so cocky to re-enter in Approaching storm, as that stance would've weakened her too much.

The Fire dragon’s aura ashed all their surroundings, determination burning in his eyes. He punched down, destroying the ground in a small radius and unbalancing Nashariel. He went for the killing blow, claws and jaws opened wide.

The omnidragon nimbly recovered, getting just grazed by the monster. She retaliated by becoming Acid and supercharging her breath weapon with her overflowing mana.

The liquid fire aided his skill in consuming the body, eating into his muscles. As the dragon’s physical body dwindled, and his owner howled in agony, Nashariel shifted back into Metal, her left piece an empty shell of steel, and assaulted the monster with the fury of a dragoness and the skill of a Templar.

Using the dragon’s momentum against him, Nashariel impaled the monster’s throat, right into its base, also slashing the flank with her wing.

A bell resounded in Nashariel’s head.

The fire dragon fell, his skill dying with him.

Nashariel turned to glare at the other two, frozen on the spot. “Do you wanna join him?” She snarled at the duo, her Presence flaring anew.

“That was my brother, you cunt!!!” Shouted the quiet one, launching at her with a furious roar.

Nashariel growled, welcoming the dragon’s jaws with her empty arm. As the metal crumbled under the surprised dragon, the Templar slashed at his neck with her other frontal arm, cutting deep.

“Damn it!” The wounded shouted, abandoning the ground in favor of soaring in the air. “Don’t engage her alone, you’ll kill yourself!”

The dragoness let out an annoyed grunt, shifting to Water. Activating her aura again, the last embers of the dragons’ flames died down, and the Empress’ body became a toxic engine.

Pressure building in her throat, this time Nashariel repelled the incoming attacker with her uncharged breath weapon, all while sinking her spiked wings into the one in melee with her.

She paid a price, obviously.

The small dragon bit the omnidragon’s neck, easily penetrating this form’s weaker scales. He tried to incinerate her, but Nashariel seemingly vanished.

The dragonkin became Poison, quickly planting her stinger inside the other’s left shoulder, right where a quill had broken through.

All her Virulence went into that single attack.

The other fell to the ground, foam coming out of his mouth.

Nashariel glanced at the recovered dragon, seeing a brief flame jet coming in her direction. She tanked it, the attack washing over her almost harmlessly. He said he was already low on mana. She recalled, hearing another bell ring in her ears.

The Empress shifted to Healing, supercharging her breath against herself. She saw the other’s utter terror as her chest closed and the stump regrew into a leg, although frail-looking and missing most of the scales.

For the whole time, Nashariel locked her gaze with his.

“I yield.” He announced, bowing down in total submission. “You win, Usurper.”

Another bell rang in Nashariel’s head. Dazed by the sudden lack of adrenaline, she strained every inch of her will to not faint.

*Hp: 5.193/15.000

Mana: 2.798/10.000

Stamina: 1.457/10.000

Omnidragon might 10/10 dragons conquered.

Breakthrough available. *

/Most of your healing has been used up to rebuild your limb/

Honestly? I don’t give a damn, not right now. “So, what happens now?” She asked, keeping weakness out of her voice.

“I’m to follow your commands, Chief.” He replied without raising his head.

“Why?”

“You have beaten me and my companions, that makes you the new Chief.”

“Might makes right style?”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Return to your home, and never assault another mortal, unless in defense. Also, never hunt me and my allies again. And don’t…” Her legs buckled for a moment. “And don’t tell anyone anything from today. Go, now.”

/We already said that…/

I can take him down, but I don’t wanna risk it. With his wounds, he won’t have time to destroy anything else. I won’t kill myself for vengeance or preventive justice.

The last fire dragon raised his head, avoiding her gaze. He made to rise in flight, when he suddenly widened his eyes in shock.

The dragon crashed down, as a multitude of icy thorns grew out of his body, ripping out the scales from within.

Within moments, a frozen, wicked-looking willow had completely sprouted out of the Fire Dragon, quickly growing to tower above the forest.

Nashariel stared in horror, taking a few steps backward. Ignoring the bell ringing in her ears, she analyzed the… the thing.

*Frost/Forest/Curse-Fae’s payback.

Quality: Superior (Fresh, Young dragon body)

Value: Very high.

Hoard value: Superior+.

For the fools who break a deal made with a fairy of the Winter Court, this is the destiny that awaits them, should they fail to earn their forgiveness. *

The simplicity of the text magnified the shivers running along her spine.

As another cold source appeared beside her, she involuntarily let out a brief shriek.

Fel was glaring at the tree as if it had personally insulted her.

Moments of silence later, she swept her gaze along the dragoness’ body, stopping a tad longer on her half-regrown leg. “A breathtaking display of might, Empress.” She said, her tone much colder than usual.

A Shortcut opened beside Nashariel.

“… I’m doing good on our deal, yes?” She asked.

Fel chuckled. “Askes the one who engaged a Warband by herself and won, if barely, helping us to quiet down a Bringer of Winter. This incarnation of yours is amusing, Empress of the many lives.” The mirth died down as soon as she looked at the tree again. “This matter does not concern you, Nashariel, but us. Enjoy your rest, for we have some… talk to do.”

A strange blur appeared in front of the fae, together with a circle of frozen mushrooms.

Before upsetting the Omen, Nashariel stepped beyond the Shortcut.

Reappearing on the shore once more, the Astillian dove below the waters. The memories of her home mixed with the soothing Radiance of the bottom of the lake, adding to her already rapid recovery.

While on the scarred seabed, she noted that the hallowed ground helped little more than her supercharged Light breath.

Much weaker if a curse isn’t involved, got it. Nashariel thought, re-summoning her Metal armor. She resolved to evolve her Body attunement as soon as possible to get the[Body healing] skill.

For now, she shifted into Healing, softly breathing on her arm. swiftly, the limb was fully restored.

Sighing in relief, Nashariel resurfaced, noticing two dozen bows aimed at her.

Oh, duck.

Fel pov

Calming the Bringer of Winter had required her much more time than she was willing to admit, as the big golem saw no reason to not freeze the entire region as a sign of their displeasure.

Fel only pacified them by reminding that such action would displease the Spring and Summer Courts, since a layer of third Tier ice would disrupt their seasons in the area.

After that, the fae had rushed to the Empress’ side, ready to rescue her current incarnation. She had stopped to see Nashariel dance through many of her elements in a beautiful display of mastery, the likes of which Omen had only vaguely remembered. And it all ended when that dragon broke a deal. One that she did not notice before.

Felassiah hardly contained her anger. She perfectly recognized that mana signature and She owed her answers. Interfering in a deal, especially this one, implied a certain amount of impoliteness. The Omen had learned to eradicate such as soon as possible.

Her Court welcomed her with its usual frozen landscape and dead trees, while some inhabitants greeted her.

Felassiah answered the courtesy in kind, flying her fastest toward the chosen lair of her first mentor, a mockery of a city, deserted yet inhabited by howling specters, especially the ones who broke their deals with her. As expected, her mentor was there, angrily shouting profanities in a forgotten language at a region-wide patch of incinerated ground.

“Give me back my payment, you Emperor of ASSHOLES!!!” She screamed, then she noticed the blinding fast Felassiah. Every trace of anger left her face, replaced by sincere joy. “Oh my, finally you deign to visit me! Here, let me prepare some things.” At her gesture, a dozen of specters appeared from nothing, bringing a table and a pair of chairs. A tea set appeared on top.

Fel landed with a crash, and an angry blizzard whistling from inside her. “Spare us your mockery, Princess Thelisia. Why are you interfering with my deal with the Empress of the many lives?”

Unperturbed, the other sat down, seizing on the fly the escaping pottery. “Stop being impolite, child.” She made a cutting gesture with her arm, suppressing the blizzard and most of the Omen’s skills. “And have a seat.”

Narrowing her eyes in anger, Fel obliged.

"Good child." She elegantly poured a generous amount of tea into both of their cups. "Why am I intruding, you ask. Well, it has been a long time since one of her kind visited us, is it not?”

Felassiah shattered the cup in her hands, her inner cold vastly insufficient to keep suppressed two millennia worth of anger and grief. “Yes. Since you murdered her!” The words echoed like a sentence shouted in between the mountains.

A cruel cackle was her reply. “It was hardly a murder, more of a… lesson for my beloved, misguided little fairy.” She added a wide smirk to her face. “One that I see she hasn’t yet learned.”

“I’m not your spawn, Princess, nor do I hold any desire to become royalty.”

“And, for that reason, you stand here, powerless before me, while your precious Empress stands alone under the watchful eye of the First Hunter’s chosen. Such a shame, isn’t it?”

Fel widened her eyes. She tried to open a portal to the other realm, but the world refused her will.

Thelisia playfully dropped a Mirror-Core on the table, activating it. The artifact displayed Nashariel under the angry gaze of the Rangers.

Fel knew how heavy the toll of the latest fight had been. The Empress couldn’t win a direct fight, not in her current condition.

“I love the face you’re making…” The other murmured, caressing the Core. “I wonder how this will go… Should we bet on it?” She erupted in a cackle that scared the specters away.

The Omen looked straight in the other’s eyes. “Yes.”