Return of the Mythic Bloodline

"Your Majesty, we don't have the luxury of time. A catastrophe has occurred," Ruru spoke, her voice carrying urgency.

"Tch, you are boring. Tell me what happened," the Queen replied and snapped her fingers.

Dozens of lamps lit up on the ceiling, filling the hall with a radiant glow.

The Queen's appearance became clear as the light fell on her face, stunning the heck out of me.

Her crimson hair shimmered under the light, twin braids coiled neatly on each side of her head, while the rest flowed freely. Fluffy fox ears emerged from her hair ,and her eyes carried a soft pink glow with sharp vertical pupils that seemed to pierce one's soul.

She wore a single-piece, sleeveless, long red gown that clung to her body.

She slowly rose from the throne and descended the stairs. The slits on her thighs exposed her bare, creamy legs, as she moved with the grace of a model gliding down a runway.

Every movement she made was so breathtaking, I simply couldn't take my eyes off her.

She reached closer to them and asked again,

"Why aren't you saying anything? Did Vyaghra bully you again?"

"It's not that. The thing is... Jambavan—Jambavan...," Ruru sobbed, throwing herself onto the Queen, hugging her tightly.

"So that jerk declined my offer and made you cry. Don't worry, we can fight without him," the Queen sighed, gently rubbing Ruru's head.

"I wish that were the case, Your Majesty. But the truth is..." Vyaghra spoke, waving his hand as the bloodied body of Jambavan emerged from the shadows.

"Jambavan's tribe has been annihilated."

For a slight moment, the Queen's hand trembled.

"Bring the healers," she shouted and within a couple of breaths, the door of the hall opened and five knights in golden armour came hurriedly.

The one ahead of them blurted, "What happened, Your Grace?"

Their eyes landed on Jambavan's wounded body, causing a ripple of fear through them; one of them stumbled backward and fell muttering,

"Isn't he the God of Strength, Lord Jambavan? What could injure a god to this extent?"

"Didn't you hear what I said? Bring the healers this instant!" the Queen snapped at them.

"Pull—pull yourself together. You are a royal guard," a comrade beside the fallen one whispered as they sprinted outside.

"Tell me what happened. Don't miss a single detail," the Queen demanded, gazing at Vyaghra.

"L-Let me tell you. Since I was the one who met him before the disaster," Ruru said, gently pulling away from the Queen's arms.

She explained how Jambavan had been living a peaceful life with his wife and daughter, and how, despite her reluctance, he had agreed to fight.

She also told her about the destruction they had witnessed, and the condition Jambavan was in before Vyaghra struck his head.

The Queen spoke in a low guilty tone,

"All of this happened while I was just sitting here. It—it was my mistake. If I hadn't abandoned him—"

"You didn't abandon him. You cannot put all the blame for any mishaps that happened onto yourself. You only let him retire after years of his service to this world."

Ruru interrupted, voicing her disapproval.

"Yet this very world destroyed everything he held dear," the Queen responded.

"It wasn't the world. It's those cursed pisacha," Ruru muttered, clenching her fists.

As they were talking, the knights returned with two people resembling goat like features.

Without any hesitation, they slightly bowed to the Queen and moved towards Jambavan.

They touched his body with their hands; a faint golden glow appeared, covering Jambavan's body.

After a brief moment, one of them spoke,

"His body is too strong to be healed by just our Soulforce. We need to take him to the treatment cell, Your Grace."

"Do whatever you need. I want him to be cured at all costs. And keep in mind, the news of his injury shouldn't leave the walls of this hall," the Queen spoke in a firm voice.

"As you wish, Your Majesty," they replied, bowing down.

The knights carried the massive body of Jambavan on a steel stretcher and moved outside, closely followed by the healers beside them.

"Your Grace, since we are already here, may you tell us the real reason why you wanted to summon all three of us?" Vyaghra spoke, breaking the emotional atmosphere.

"So you figured that I had another intent behind the summoning," the Queen replied with a brief sigh.

"Another intent? Weren't we summoned to discuss the strategy to fight against the Pisachas?" Ruru asked, her eyebrows twitching with confusion.

"Yes, you are indeed here for that. But there was one more thing. I had a dream last month," the Queen replied, snapping her fingers again.

Three chairs with a small round table appeared before them.

"Isn't your dream considered a prophecy? What did you see, Your Grace?" Ruru asked as they sat down on the chairs.

"Bloodbath. It—it was a complete massacre. The sky shattered, opening a portal greater than the size of the moon. Millions of Pisachas emerged out of it, killing anything and everything in their sight. The ground began to split into pieces, tsunamis struck the land, and lava arose on the surface. The atmosphere became restless, and Vyoman itself started trembling." Her lips shivered, and blood leaked from her hands as she spoke further, clenching her fists tightly.

"I—I saw both of yours and Jambavan's lifeless bodies lying beside me as I took my final breath."

"Im—impossible. Are we destined to die no matter how much we struggle?" Ruru gasped, holding her mouth.

"Did you see any way to prevent this destruction, Your Grace?" Vyaghra asked, without a flicker of emotion on his face.

"Yes, I did. It can only be prevented by %@#*&"

As she spoke, her voice began to distort, and the same glitching lines that had appeared in Jambavan's memories started flickering into view once more.

"Have you told %@#*& about the prophecy?" Ruru asked, her voice distorting as well.

"Yes, I did. And %@#& also agreed. But %@#& had one condition, @£#¥ *#£&@"

The glitch intensified, distorting everything until their conversation became incomprehensible. Their faces warped unnaturally—and in the very next moment, I found myself back in the Forest of Gumiho, seated on top of Vyaghra.