NOVEL NEXT EPISODE 252: TWELVE THRONES 2
— GREAT EDRYAN, YEAR: 7294. SEASON: COLOR FADING — Two Days Prior.
"How many magi do you believe will make it to the Astral Above?"
The question hung in the air. The sound of knives scratching plates was the only thing breaking the silence as Queen Titiana remained quiet, ignoring her son's question. She quietly cut into her steak, its bloody interior dripping and mixing into her sides.
She took a bite, her lightly glossed lips chewed slowly. Perhaps if she continued to feign ignorance, Lawruthian would stop pestering her. She glanced at the starry night sky shining through the windows of Tenten Parlor before returning her attention to her food.
"Mom, Mother ," Lawruthian's voice was stern. The food in front of him was untouched.
"Eat your food," Titiana sighed. "It was you who invited me to this dinner."
From the moment her child returned to them, Queen Titiana did one thing.
"You've been training nonstop since I left G.E.N.E.S.I.S. You've trained before, but nothing like this," Lawruthian said, voice full of concern. "That means either you're unconfident with your new strength, which wouldn't be the case after having two years to adjust—even protecting me you still had time to practice—or," Lawruthian theorized, "you're unconfident with surviving the battle on Mount Redcoomshi as all saphens above level 220 are transferred to begin their journey to the Astral Above."
There wasn't much on Queen Titiana's plate anymore. The Prime Overseer ran the cities, ensured the royal will was followed. The Bellum, the Judiciary—everyone of importance had positions that freed the Queen completely from duties.
Lawruthian stared at his mother. Yes, she's trained before. But, never at this intensity and with this amount of focus. She'd completely given up all other aspects of her life, not even giving interest to the current developments of Edryan outside of the rising Pantheon of Imperius and its rising Church.
Lawruthian knew his mother; she was the only family member in this world he had. He knew when she was happy, sad, or worried. And, her intensive training showed a worry that he'd never seen before. This didn't appear when she allowed him to leave her side for the first time, nor when he returned with a lost arm from the Mountain of Final Hope. No, the Iron Blooded Queen rarely lost her composure… and, her intense training sessions showed a loss of composure.
"What has you worried," Lawruthian questioned.
Titiana remained silent. Her knife moved back and forth, cutting the medium-rare steak. She finished, forked the meat, but hesitated to bring it to her mouth. Finally, she set her utensils down and pushed her plate away, a signal for the maids to take it away.
She turned, her red-gold eyes focused on her son. He had changed. Not drastically so, but a level of confidence—a confirmation of himself and his strength—now existed. His hesitation to act seemed to have drastically decreased, and now he was even directly challenging her worries.
"Ten strong individuals entered our country during your event," Titiana said.
Lawruthian's brows were creased. "Strong?"
" Stronger than me. "
A frown appeared on Lawruthian's face. Currently, Queen Titiana was the strongest person in Edryan at level 361. That fact hadn't changed since the woman took the throne and challenged all the males in the queendom. If ten people stronger than her entered the country, and his mother showed this level of concern, it meant she wasn't confident in facing them.
" Ten ," Queen Titiana reiterated, "and none of them were present for your event. In fact, six disappeared for most of the time, their whereabouts lost to our treasures that could detect strength above Mortals."
"We showed a strong front that day, overbearing as one should be in their home, but truly," Titiana's voice was low as she spoke. "If a massacre was to occur..."
Queen Titiana left the rest unsaid. The hustle and bustle of the maids quickly ended, leaving the mother and son pair alone at the cleared table.
Now, Lawruthian understood what turned Queen Titiana into this state. He silently contemplated while the Queen continued.
"I haven't gained a level since… since that day," the Queen said. "No matter what type of fighting is done between me or our other Path Walkers—one on one, one versus four… no matter how perilous we make the battle, not a single level has been gained. I suspect only hunting Calamities will allow our levels to move… but…," Titiana paused, looking away at the starry-covered night.
"But only for those newly advanced," Lawruthian finished her words.
Titiana nodded, still looking at the starry sky. Her eyes remained fixed on the pink stars that represented her. She studied it, a heart in one hand, as if weighing it, and a spear in the other. Both were held in her arms as if she perfectly balanced. One was her Love… Love for Edryan, her countrymen, Love for Lawruthian, her favorite son. The other was for Love, love for herself, but… Titiana didn't know which was which.
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Her son opened the Edryan lands to foreigners who held power Titiana knew of, but never to this degree. Over twenty Path Walkers entered their lands. There was only twelve beyond Mortality that were magi. They had no allies, no friends they could call upon but themselves. Should anything have erupted…
"Our accumulation is low. Negligible in the face of those with centuries, perhaps millennia of accumulation. My gathering of Love Points is slow, far faster than it was once before, but far slower than what I suspect the upper end of Demigoddess holds. And as for our Prestiges…," Queen Titiana let out a light chuckle, not finishing the thought.
"I've already accepted the death of all magi teleported to Mount Redcoomshi," Titiana stated.
The newly advanced Path Walkers would be in a state similar to his mother and the rest of the Seven Heroes when they first broke that threshold. They would be stuck at the beginning, barely able to take a step forward without the proper stimulation. It wasn't until they hunted Calamities that the Queen and the rest truly leveled for the first time in nearly a decade.
Lawruthian's frown grew deeper, and his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. A rough estimation given by the Overseer branch showed roughly 1/10th of the population was above level 220. In recent years, the Edryan Queendom's population rose to a staggering sixty million. That meant his mother cast off six million people to their deaths.
Lawruthian's mind worked ferociously as he recalled the data from the report. Of the six million, slightly over half were oriented towards combat or combat support, which included Priestesses of the Goddess, Tinkers, Weaponsmiths, and the like. His mind rapidly spun, his mother's words echoing throughout his head.
"No, NO ," Lawruthian stood up. "This is not like you; there has to be a way to even the odds."
A dangerous idea began to spark in his mind, one that, once thought, wouldn't fade. It was like a demon's offer of pleasure, a savior's extended hand. It was forbidden fruit in a garden.
Lawruthian began to pace, and the Queen turned her eyes towards him, a gentle smile appearing. "We, Path Walkers, have already decided to abandon most of the magi. It is impossible for the continent not to turn its claws toward us."
"There is deep hatred that many have kept buried for years," Titiana stated. She stood firm, her voice held the same strength as her stance. Her demeanor halted her child, grabbing his attention. " I will not allow it to impede my Path. The Goddess has always protected the magi, when will the magi protect Her ?"
Titiana's presence grew. The divinity hidden, once giving the illusion that she was still mortal, now exposed. Titiana Verlio Koltius Edryani stood… firm . If the sky fell, she would be the first to bear its weight. Along her journey, she'd always put others first. The Nation of Edryan first and foremost. It wasn't until her son, her child, that things changed, but even then, part of the reason for her divine wish was to give her people a chance.
Time flowed through her eyes. Stories untold, conflicts unresolved. They told a story of a young girl once lost, her world descending into chaos, now found, carving a bloody path for Herself and those behind. Now, for the first time since she stepped on that muddy road, escaping the halls of her home, Titiana would put no one but herself first.
"Thousands of years have passed, with multiple Gods from nearly all races rising to the Astral Above except Magi. I Will Be The First—And, I'm Willing To Sacrifice Anything. "
She MUST become a Goddess, and the death of six million magi would not stop her.
Lawruthian gave his mother a complicated look. It said so much… I understand you. I believe in you. I feel your pain. His voice said other. "Then, with this plan… how confident are you in making it to the Astral Above with the Path Walkers?"
The Demigoddess of Love laughed, a loud, boisterous thing that didn't fit her nature. It mimicked her favorite son's laugh, free and unrestrained.
"Confident…? Not at all.
"Only if the Gods are willing, and the sky is clear that day. Then… it will not be a bad day to spill blood.
"Goddess willing, I rise from the ashes of massacre.
" Goddess willing ."
Lawruthian felt the divinity radiate from the Demigoddess of Love. He looked away, not out of fear but love. This woman, this demigoddess, was still his mother but…
She was just like him. A different aspect of what his journey could've been. For once, she was taking the ultimate selfish path… not looking to hold the door open behind her. If there was the slightest chance, even if it meant sacrificing everyone behind her, Demigoddess Titiana would take that step.
It was just like Lawruthian's decision to choose Imperius Maker. His new heroic class ultimately allowed him to empower himself and others. He could have gone done the path of Imperius Golemking, completely neglecting those around him for a drastic increase in strength, but… that wasn't Lawruthian. He wasn't the type to not think of others; his heart was kind, big enough to accommodate his love for thrills and his worry for his people's safety.
Before silence could make its presence known, Lawruthian spoke once more. His voice was low, so low the sound waves barely emerged from his mouth. Demigoddess Titiana heard it all the same. The pink light of her body seemed to take on a red hue, or perhaps it was the shine of their eyes as they gazed at one another—mother and son.
"And… if I were to start a war…" Lawruthian began, his voice growing lower to an impossible degree as he continued. "One that allows you and others to use the Goddess's Plunder skill or kill and gain strength… on the nations near… allow you to fight Path Walkers before it all erupts…," Lawruthian looked toward his mother, their eyes locking. A madness was within them or perhaps within hers, a willingness to do what others would not, could not. His gentle voice spoke as light as a feather… as heavy as a life. "How confident would you be?"
" How Confident Would You Be? "