Chapter 136- Of Empresses And Emperors (Patreon)

Jiran’s instincts screamed at him to run. He could tell immediately that she was weaker than the Remalon, yet she was still an existence far above his own. He was sweating before his knee had touched the hard stone. He stared down, not daring to look the monstrous woman in the eyes. She clicked her tongue, the simple sound causing the mountain beneath them to quake in protest. Her aura crashed down around them and Jiran pulled his into his skin immediately; the very idea of contesting her dominion or authority was so alien he didn't even consider it.

Whatever happens, I need to draw as little attention to myself as possible. I can’t afford to be locked in a room and grilled for knowledge while my timer ticks down.

She dropped the grandmotherly voice, her tone turning lazy and brimming with boredom yet suffused with a seductive purr that would drive most men mad. "Observant little spoilsport, aren't you? Or did someone tell you I was coming? Yes, it must have been Dominus’s brat, Oliviala. I’m right, aren’t I?" She spoke quickly, only bothering to slow her speed enough that he could barely follow her words. She stepped closer to them, each movement causing the fabric of reality to tremble as the framework was strained by her weight.

“Yes, My Empress,” Jiran responded instantly.

“Ugh, enough with the honorifics, and look me in the eyes when you speak to me.” Jiran raised his head to do as he was told, only to find himself in a difficult dilemma. Once more, Mana Omnis revealed more than he wanted to see. Her illusionary guise of an old woman gone completely, replaced by a stunningly beautiful young woman, which was also an illusion. Her true form was both shorter and older, buried beneath complex weaves of light mana, disinterestedly staring off into the distance.

She wore fine, light armor made from beast hide, though worked until it shone with a golden resplendence. The thin layer of cloth exuded the presence of a powerful beast. Jiran doubted he could pierce it no matter how much time and mana he used. Decadent, matching jewelry complimented her imperious bearing, and the cape billowing behind her released its own mana that created the very wind that drove its dancing movements.

In a snap decision, Jiran chose to focus on the illusion, finding it much more comfortable to look at the empress’s forehead, and not at her illuminated violet eyes. Not to mention, the ability to see through her illusion would no doubt grab her attention.

There are only two empresses. She’s nothing like what I’ve heard of Palolla Le’Sanctum, which means she must be Empress Mesalay Fa’Skorahda, The Typhoon. Ruler of the Mashraha Desert and the Western Metropole.

Mesalay’s illusion pursed her lips and tilted her head while examining Jiran and Mayalyn from head to toe, "How unusual… Hmm, no matter. You were there, you encountered the entity." There was no question in her disinterested tone. "Report. Be thorough, no opinions."

Mayalyn shivered beside him as the empress stood an arm’s distance from them. Being just as uncomfortable, Jiran wasted no time reciting the description he had rehearsed, "We were battling the Graymin when it arrived. The feeling of its aura was unlike anything I’ve encountered before. It somehow controlled us all into stillness, including the Graymin. Then, with a single sweep of its arm, it teleported the entire horde away."

"Do you believe it was more powerful than me?" One of her illusions brows curled upward as the real empress smirked, showing far more emotion in the subtle movement than she had so far.

What's with the loaded question!? Didn't you just say no opinions?

Jiran didn't even consider lying, "Yes. Perhaps three or four tiers higher."

"Hoh, not pulling your punches and saving your empress face? How droll.” Despite her disinterested words and tone, her true eyes suddenly burned with intensity, evaluating every twitch of his body as they pierced him, "Go on with the rest of your tale, child. The sooner this is over, the better," Jiran’s perspiration redoubled as his heart rate spiked under the incredibly powerful woman’s scrutiny.

"It teleported everyone in the area to the center of Mortan. Leaving only Duchess Ravenna and myself before it," Jiran waited a moment for another question, when one didn't materialize, he continued. "It threatened Ravenna’s life, forcing me to fight waves of Graymin that it summoned until it was satisfied. It killed her before I finished the third wave. After I lost, it left."

She stared at him for a full ten seconds while tapping her chin. Each time her skin connected, reverberations echoed through the air that rattled his bones. Every passing moment was an excruciating torture that Jiran calmly withstood, at least on the surface. Beneath, all five of his minds worked furiously.

She has to know I'm leaving out most of the information, but also that I haven't lied. What does she really want to know? What would be most important to someone like her? There's no way I would know if the Remalon is coming back, or if another one is on the way. She also knows that the empire only exists because nothing stronger has come to kill us, yet. I wonder how much she knows about the Enders.

I barely know anything about her, even the stories are all legends at this point. As far as I know, she hasn’t made a public appearance in decades, which isn’t exactly abnormal for any of the emperors.

"So much of your story is left unsaid. The real question is, why? Perhaps you believe your silence offers you some level of anonymity. Perhaps you truly don't know more. Or perhaps, you're trying to protect yourself, or your… pet." She sighed, her aura and mana settling around his shoulders and pressing his knees painfully into the rocky ground.

As suddenly as the weight arrived, it was removed. She took a step away from him, fear flashing in her true eyes for a moment so brief, Jiran thought he imagined it. "Well, that complicates matters significantly. Hmm, you have no idea, do you? What a curious puzzle you are, child. Tell me, do you know why the entity was here?"

"No. I could guess, but it would only be conjecture."

What happened? What did she feel when she pressured me with her aura?

She motioned with her hand for Jiran to continue, the simple gesture causing a blast of wind that stirred the clouds. “Since it tested me, it's possible it wanted to gauge the empire as a whole based on a single individual's strength.”

“Why would it have chosen you for such a test? Wait, don’t tell me. Yes, there it is, the hubris that comes with acquiring too much power so young.” Her illusion turned away from Jiran to look at Mayalyn, though her real body still observed his every move like a bird of prey on the hunt. “You’re certainly a pretty little thing, aren’t you? How are you enjoying your stay in my home?”

Mayalyn swallowed before responding, “I-I like it here very much. Thank you for allowing me into your home,” She curtsied, her movements surprisingly smooth. Jiran’s heart sank at her use of her own language, rather than imperial, showing how nervous she really was.

Jiran translated for her, repeating her word for word. Mayalyn blanched, her ears and tail drooping. Several more seconds passed as the empress looked between the two of them. Her eyes widened and she let out a tiny gasp. “Now I see. A most curious puzzle indeed. What to do with you, what to do?” She pursed her lips and tilted her head back and forth. “Very well, you two may go. I’ll be sending someone along to… keep an eye on you. Be sure to give them a warm welcome. This is not a request, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, My Empress,” Jiran bowed again, thankful for the chance to look away from her piercing gaze.

By the time he lifted his head, she was gone. Jiran released his pent up breath in a weary sigh along with his aura that combed the area for any trace of the woman. He formed a bubble to block their voices as Mayalyn sagged against him, both wiping the sweat from their brows.

“That was intense. Thank the Fathers Olive warned us ahead of time.”

“Mhm. Was that truly one of the rulers of your empire? She was so much more powerful than the Aahmra.”

“Pretty sure that was Mesalay Fa’Skorahda, and Lordstone is right in the middle of her territory. Hopefully, we won’t run into her again. Any idea what she was talking about at the end? Did you pick up on any of her emotions?”

“A few. She was very disinterested at first. When her aura released for real, she became terrified for a moment. After that, her emotions were difficult to taste, withdrawn.”

“So I didn’t imagine that. What the heck did she see to cause her actual fear? Not that I’m not thankful, I was actually worried she was going to kidnap me there for a second.”

“I do not know. However, when she spoke of sending someone to keep your eyes, I believe she was relieved, maybe even overjoyed. What did she mean by that?”

Jiran would have laughed if he wasn’t still reeling from the encounter, “She said she would send someone along to keep an eye on me.”

“Oh, that makes much more sense.”

“If you say so. Nothing she said made any sense to me, and leaving before she had all the answers to something that could wipe out the entire empire is crazy no matter how you look at it. Maybe Olive will understand. Should we go check on them?”

“Yes, absolutely. For some strange reason, I am no longer in the mood for a relaxing date…”

Oliviala Le’Cruex

Olive happily hummed as she sprinkled the fondialic salts onto the sizzling meat before her. A heavenly aroma wafted through the air as the density-packed spices sank in, rapidly enriching the quality of their dinner. She spun the spit with her hand while stoking the fire with her aura. The simple act of using her aura, something she had looked forward to for seasons, sent a giddy burst of giggles from her mouth before she quickly repressed them. She looked over her shoulder toward the nearby mountain, concerned that Jiran may have returned and heard her momentary lapse.

When she didn’t see him, she allowed her smile to return unabated. Niya’s voice cut across their camp at the very edge of the woods, “You don’t have to hide it from him, you know? He may act like a kid sometimes but he’s not so sensitive that he’d be upset if you didn’t match his every moodswing.”

“I know,” Olive lightly shook her head as she turned back to the food. “I’m working on being mindful of the feelings of those around me, attempting to be more… agreeable. It’s one of my weaknesses that our training revealed. He’s clearly still upset at Ravenna’s death, and who could blame him? I’m sure he will soon realize our efforts at Mortan were an outstanding success and worthy of celebration.”

Niya made a strangled whimper, the sound of her ass hitting the dirt was immediately followed by the shuffling of a body being dragged across the dirt. Olive spun back to face her party member. Her mana sang through her channels, eager to annihilate whatever beast was attacking them. An imposing figure blocked her sight. It was so close, all she could see was a wall of muscle covered with intricate metal plating that oozed more density than she could fathom.

Her panic immediately gave way to joy as she threw her arms around the familiar figure's waist, “Father!” She poked her head around him to see Niya was fine, having scrambled across the ground until her back was against a tree. The poor girl was terrified, which she couldn’t be blamed for as Dominus’s stature and aura were extremely intimidating to those who weren’t used to him.

Cameron snapped to attention at the edge of camp before dropping to a knee, “My Emperor, may you thrive!”

The man’s voice was a bass rumble that shook their bones, “Look at you two, grown so much so quickly. I hardly recognize you. You chose not to return home for your ascensions?” His features crumbled, the massive man somehow managing to look like a kicked pet.

“Sorry, Father. I know you were looking forward to the ceremony but our teammate was ascending and I chose to join her. She’s very special, I know you and Mother will love her. There’s always next tier.”

“What?! How can you say that? The first five are the most important. Just look at you. You’re the spitting image of your mother now. I missed seeing your beautiful face when you saw yourself for the first time. I was really looking forward to it,” Dominus pouted, his shoulders slumping. A dozen trees at the edge of the forest were swallowed by inky masses of lavender as his lapse in focus caused the void aspect within his aura to lash out at the nearest life, snuffing them from existence.

Niya released a scream that was abruptly cut off as she clamped a hand over her mouth. Even Cameron jerked back, having never seen his uncle lose control before. Olive glared up at his stony features with her hands planted on her hips, “Father! You’re scaring my teammate!”

Nervous laughter created blasts of wind and shook the ground as he ran thick fingers through his hair, “You’re right, you’re right. No harm done. Come now, little love. There’s no need to look at me so fiercely. Your mother doles out scorn enough for an entire army, I can’t bear to receive it from you, too. Especially after you came so close to dying.” His levity vanished, replaced by the proud, domineering demeanor of an emperor of all mankind.

Emperor Dominus Le’Cruex turned his head, looking directly at the peak of the nearby mountain for several seconds before meeting Olive’s now meek gaze. “You have some explaining to do, my child.”

His words caused her eyes to widen before the direction of his gaze made her realize he was talking about Jiran. Her jaw jutted forward as she returned his glare with the pride of a princess, her voice rife with determination, “I most certainly do not! We’ve formed a true party in all but contract and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect them, just as they would do for me. If anyone so much as touches a hair on his head, I’ll never speak to you again!”

“You would go so far for this boy? You? The girl who’s refused every marriage proposal we’ve put forth is willing to cut off her family for a boy you’ve only just met?”

“What?! No! It’s not like that at all,” Olive backpedaled, frantically waving her hands in the air which only caused Dominus to lift an eyebrow at her.

“Then by all means, elaborate.”

“We met Mortemer at the edge of the Outlands. He introduced us to Ambassador Mayalyn of The People. We were forced to separate for a time, then united again in Mortan. Everything that happened during our stay in the city was perfectly detailed in my letter.“

“Yes, yes. I read it several times before coming. Cameron!” The boy in question jerked at the sudden shout, sweat ran down his back when Dominus’s steely glare landed on him with the weight of a mountain, “Don’t think for a second you’re off the hook for taking her to the Outlands after ditching your escort. We’ll discuss your… atonement another time.”

“Yes, My Emperor!” Cameron slammed his fist to his chest, eyes staring straight ahead.

“I’ll let your mother decide your punishment, Oliviala. For both the Outlands and joining the war before acquiring approval. Your success in repelling the vermin is no defense for placing yourself in such danger in the first place. Now, you have yet to explain why this boy is more worthy of your allegiance than your own family,” He huffed a blast of air from his nose, causing two dust devils to sweep through the camp.

“And I don’t intend to. He is an asset to the empire, and my friend. That’s all I’m willing to say,” Olive stamped her foot and crossed her arms, refusing to lose the contest of wills against the man she knew so well.

The Emperor broke first, wiping a tear from his eye with a sigh, “You’ve grown so fast, little love. Come see me when you return home. We’ve much to discuss and now that you’ve placed yourself directly in the middle of… everything, there are details you must be made aware of. Don’t wait too long, events are unfolding as we speak. May you thrive, my precious daughter.”

The deadly orbs of void aspect throughout the emperor’s aura zipped into his body one after another before he vanished in a swirl of chaotic mana.