Angel Monarch

The source of energy wasn't unfamiliar. In fact, it was the polar opposite. It felt like arriving home after a long journey.

Sera felt her soul ignite and grow. It was unlike anything she had experienced before.

On the day of her rescue, she felt something similar, but those days were like dreams for her, and the feeling was much more tamed back then.

Bran and Melinda told her that Bea used some strange object to heal her, because Harold somehow locked her body, so regular healing wouldn't work.

They haven't gotten time to talk privately, so Sera had no idea what she had done. But somehow she knew that this feeling originated from her.

The unbearable gravity kept increasing, but strangely enough for her, it stayed the same. It was still barely tolerable, and it still took most of her power to keep herself standing.

The feeling in her chest and soul kept growing more prominent and more powerful.

Her golden eyes glowed in pure green color, and at some point her skin started to shiny as well.

The feeling and glow kept increasing until Sera felt it reach its maximum capacity.

When that happened, the glow disappeared for a second, then suddenly her whole body exploded in pure green and whitish-gold light.

Vicky watched all this with both worry and curiosity. Bea told her everything she knew about The Seed of the World Tree, but the problem was that even she had no idea what it did.

She knew her mother was really looking forward to exploring this power with Sera, but it seemed life had other plans.

As Sera's body exploded in the light, Vicky quickly covered her eyes. She still didn't have control over her power, but at least she regained her bodily functions.

The blinding light only lasted for a few seconds, and when it went away, everybody was surprised by the result.

...

The lounge room was in disarray when Vicky and Sera teleported away. Luckily, Bran and Sera chatted in secret, and he communicated her and her daughter's wellbeing to everyone.

Afterward, the mood took a minor hit, but when more people retreated from dancing, it became better.

Most of them were so drunk they couldn't even stand. Kim and Sam, for example, had to be carried away from the dance floor, because they both passed out in the middle of it.

Astrid took them into an empty room, but she accidentally went into one which was occupied by Eula and Joan, plus their dates.

They were in a pretty precarious position, and even though they offered Astrid to join, she left the room as fast as she could.

Will, Cass, and Lucy lay passed out in the lounge room. Glitter covered them, and Cass wore a pink boa around her neck.

When David asked about it, everyone who danced just shrugged or laughed. Others also had glitter on them, but considerably less.

At this point during the night, only a handful of people were truly sober. Even Melinda and David had started drinking after Sera's and Vicky's teleportation.

Faith, Adam, and Lilith were drunk too, but out of everyone who danced, they were probably the most sober.

The only people who were still not even tipsy were Damien, Professor Collins, Bea and Bran. Each had their reason for this.

The Professor continued to work, and he needed a clear mind for that. Damien was afraid that something would go wrong, so he was too worried to enjoy himself, even though Agnes really wanted to get him to a separate room.

Bran was quite happy that Cass didn't have to see her mother act like this. But of course he knew Cass wouldn't mind. Everyone knows she pushed Agnes and Damien into this 'relationship' of sorts.

Bea and Bran weren't drinking for the same reason... They didn't want to.

They felt like getting drunk would only lead to poor decisions, so they took the safest option and stayed away from the Critter Bite.

Everyone who was still awake was enjoying themselves in games or conversations.

Bea was talking with Sarah, Leslie, and a few people of the Ouroboros Cohort, when her skin began to glow.

After becoming an Ascended, her white skin had a permanent green tint to it, but it never actually glowed.

What was even stranger was the glow's color wasn't pure green, but a mix of green and whitish-gold.

People jumped up in surprise and tried to help her in some way, but before anybody could get close, her body exploded in light.

Everybody in the lounge room exclaimed in surprise and began covering their eyes. When the light had disappeared in a few seconds, Bea was nowhere to be seen.

...

In a dark place that resembled a hospital room, a lone figure sat atop a white bed.

She had her eyes closed, and her legs crossed. With a straight back, she sat and calmly waited for something.

The woman hadn't moved from this position in the past few weeks, but out of nowhere, a small smile spread across her scarred face.

Her golden-green eyes opened and as her body started to glow, she laughed with madness.

The green and whitish-gold on her skin kept increasing until it turned blinding. It illuminated the white room, only lasting for a few seconds.

When the light disappeared, so did the scarred woman. Only her mad laughter echoed for a bit longer before it died off.

...

With the glow gone, Sera looked to her right, confused. Bea stood there with a dumbfounded expression.

"What the fuck just happened?" exclaimed Bea, but it wasn't like anyone knew the answer.

"I don't know. You tell me since it was your power that caused this!"

Bea just sighed and shook her head, then she looked over the place and saw the destruction. Before she could ask what happened, she spotted Vicky staring at them with worry.

Her body was vastly different, and there was a suffocating feeling around her, but at least the increased gravity wasn't affecting them anymore.

Sera didn't understand why. She tried to lift a broken branch off the ground, but it was too heavy, meaning there was still an increased gravity.

Her two mothers walked to Vicky's side and looked over at her new transformation. Sera explained a bit to Bea, so she wouldn't be in the dark.

She seemed a bit hurt because her daughter didn't even tell her about a new transformation. But she wasn't stupid.

She knew that the past two years weighed especially hard on her daughter, and she would never get mad at her for keeping secrets.

It would be better if Vicky told them everything, but everyone had the right to keep their secrets.

After a few minutes of walking around and talking, Sera tried to touch Vicky. She only got a few centimeters from her smooth skin. After that, an invisible barrier stopped her hand.

"That's interesting. Wonder how strong the barrier is... Anyway, Vicky, try to get control of your power!" said Bea, while looking over her daughter's body with curiosity.

"I... I don't know how... It feels like I opened a door, which I can't close!"

Vicky's breathing turned more frantic, and as she became more scared, the radius of her power increased.

The sound of trees breaking echoed in the large chamber. The metal continued to groan below their feet, and cracks began to appear around them.

Sera and Bea looked at each other with worry, then continued to find a solution.

"Vicky! Focus on my voice! We are here, you just have to calm down, and everything will be fine!" said Sera as calmly as she could.

Her daughter's breathing lessened and with it her power output decreased, too.

"Good! Now try to find the door, which you opened! Keep your calm, and slowly close it!"

Sera's advice was on point. Vicky took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and kept her cool.

With each moment, the suffocating atmosphere grew thinner. Bea and Sera encouraged her, and soon the increased gravity fully disappeared.

Afterward, Vicky's skin changed back, and her body grew limp. She began falling, but both her mothers were there to catch her.

She was awake, albeit barely. Her small body swam in sweat. On her face, a small smile appeared and her tired eyes finally closed. Her breathing turned calmer as she fell asleep.

Bea and Sera knelt above their daughter, and they began chuckling.

"Well, can't say I ever had such an exciting New Year's before... I hope the next one will be much calmer."

As Bea spoke, they heard a branch breaking behind them. They turned around to see who it might be.

They thought it might be a scientist who heard the commotion and came to check on the place, or maybe Brian waltzing around the place.

Instead, a lone figure stood behind them. She wore a leather armor, making her gender easily discernible. A large hood covered most of her face, only her scarred mouth was visible, where a creepy grin spread.

On her hands, two shiny silver gauntlets reflected the artificial light of the chamber.

"Well, I don't think you have to worry about the next New Year, since neither of you will make it that far!"

The woman's voice sounded scratchy, but also familiar. Before either of them could recognize it, though, she attacked like a whirlwind.