Chapter 74 - Chains Of Fate

In a castle in the middle of a desert that was once a freshwater sea. Where also once existed a submerged realm known as "Sigma", three girls were preparing for a journey.

A beautiful and imposing knight in black armor. She has blue hair, golden eyes and was beside a brave and faithful white pegasus.

A beautiful girl riding a white grimera. Her long reddish-black hair was arranged in a long braid. She wore under a red overcoat, brown pants, black boots and a white cotton shirt.

And finally, a beautiful and elegant girl with long greenish-blond hair that blew in the wind. She wore a dark blue tunic embroidered in gold and silver and from her back, three pairs of wings of greenish-yellow feathers spread.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait a little longer?"

"I've waited for three years..." The girl smiled sadly. "Whether out of fear or maybe... Anyway." The girl pushed away the negative thoughts and smiled brightly. "Thanks for everything, Gion."

"I hope everything works out for you." Gion smiled gently and looked at the knight. "Lunnia, take care of them."

"I will." Lunnia replied firmly.

"Fotiá, which way?" Anemus asked.

"To the north. I feel that she is somewhere in the north. Anemus, will you fly?"

"Yes, I will. Otherwise these wings will be useless..."

The three ended their farewells and flew north.

Gion watched them fly away for a short while and turned to Eun and Neu.

"I don't know what's been going on with Athena for the past few years..." Gion looked at the ground. "But I'm grateful they're leaving... Eun, Neu, you'll have to go too."

The girls exchanged glances and shook their heads, denying their master's order. "We will stay with Gion."

***

In a kingdom in the north, beyond the lands of the now, principality of Elsna, the prince again fled the royal palace to play with his commoner friends.

This always caused a stir among the young man's personal knights. The prince was in his seventeenth year, a marriageable age, but he always refused to meet suitors.

"King Elanor, the prince has run away again!" The young knight with orange hair and innocent light blue eyes said while shaking his already messy hair.

The king was a man with kind brown eyes. A young man, looking to be in his late thirties. He had dark brown hair and a sparse beard of the same color.

"Ah~..." The king sighed. "What am I going to do with that boy, Samy?"

"You asked the wrong person, Elanor." Samy said while pretended kick something. "I do not have children."

"Hahaha... Call Yrio and go after the prince, please."

"Right. Ah! I won't get involved if he's fighting again."

The king smiled. "That's why I'm sending Yrio and his nymph with you."

Samy turned and left the king's office the same way he had entered. Without any respect or excessive politeness towards the king.

"Why does your highness tolerate this boy's misbehavior?"

This was asked by a woman with long blue hair and sky blue eyes. She wore a short white sundress that showed off her slender thighs.

The king rose from his chair and walked around the woman. From behind her, he gripped her waist and pulled her closer, kissing her exposed neck.

"Aah.."

"He is strong and whether he likes it or not, his presence puts the nobles in check. Unlike a certain dragon who would do nothing to save my kingdom even if I begged her." The king said as he pulled the woman's dress up and stroked the wetness between her legs.

"Hmm...!" The woman rubbed her ass against the bulge in the king's trousers. "And that's why I gave you my blood..."

"I want more than your blood." The king said and took off his belt. He made the woman put her hands on the table and thrust her ass toward him and penetrated her wet flesh. "I want you to give me a child."

"Ah..."

***

In the great kingdom of Basilica, daily life became more and more hectic as the day of the queen's festival approached.

This was a festival created to remember and honor the kingdom's first matriarch, Athena De'l Inna.

De'l Inna was the family name that Mifa and Serien decided to give Athena. This name was in an ancient language, which only nobles and scholars could know the meaning.

N/A: No. I didn't forget to say the meaning.

The queen who changed the kingdom for the better and still regained it's glory by defeating the empire. But sadly perished as she fought and killed a demon lord named Mammon.

Tales of how the queen became a huge white dragon spread with the bards to every kingdom on the mainland island and to the other small islands.

This made Basilica an interesting kingdom for the neighbors and within these two years, several kingdoms tried to approach politically with hidden interests as others tried the path of war.

But all of them were equally crushed by the saint of beasts, one of the ruling princesses of the kingdom.

"Mifa, are you going to the festival this year?" Serien asked.

Mifa was more adult and beautiful. With long grayish brown hair and sad reddish brown eyes. A young beauty on top of a cliff that no one could reach.

"Maybe like that, you can find someone new." Serien said in a playful tone.

Mifa's sad gaze flared in anger as she looked at Serien. "I don't need anyone else. I will not betray Athena." Mifa said and went back to looking out the window. "Why don't you go with your husband? What was his name again? Veru?"

"Veron." Serien stood up correcting Mifa. "Duke Veron Qallhu."

"Whatever his weird name... I hope you don't give him any political power."

"I won't. Her majesty wouldn't let him live if I do…" Serien said as she smoothed her big belly. "The prince or princess needs to meet the father before he dies." Serien laughed and left the throne room, leaving Mifa alone.

"Athena, where are you?" Mifa's question echoed melancholy through the room with three empty thrones.

***

Two years ago, during her fall, Athena cried when thinking about Anemus, Mifa and Fotiá. Her heart ached as she felt the pain they would feel at her death.

She also thought of her friends, Lobana and the Valkyries, Serien, Lunnia, Nimo and then Uran. She even thought about Gion and the homunculus, Eun and Neu and apologized.

"I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye." Athena screamed and everything went dark in a thud against the floor.

To the south of there, a young boy surrounded by children as dirty as he, saw Athena fall to the ground along with pieces of earth and stones.

Before she fell, terrifying magic had sliced ​​through the earth in the distance, creating earthquakes that shook the ground and caused landslides and tsunamis on the coast near there.

The boy went to where Athena had fallen and looked at the beautiful, bloodied woman.

"She's dead. Let's go kids." The boy turned away and continued on his way to east.

However, one of the children continued to watch the beautiful woman.

The girl was enchanted with such beauty. Feeling sorry for the woman, the girl stroked Athena's white blond hair, who blinked slightly.

The girl jumped in a fright and looked at the boy. "Hercules! She is alive!"

The boy frowned and turned to the girl who was still stroking the woman's hair. This boy was once a hero to a people and was on a mission of revenge as he tried to return the children to their parents.

He no longer was a hero, but his heart still had too much humanity to let anyone die if he could be saved.

He tried to block out the thoughts that commanded him to save the woman, but it was stronger than he was.

The boy returned to the woman and carefully took her in his arms. At that moment, he noticed the little horns on her head and checked the woman's eyes and teeth.

He wanted to know if she was some kind of demon and was relieved to see her green eyes and normal teeth.

"Let's go. We have to find a place to take care of her.." The boy said and continued to the east.