While Sara searched for her mother...
"Are you sure you want me to come with you?" Voralith questioned as she flew in her dragon form, with Dante riding on her back, along with Vex, Eldrax, and Aaralyn.
"I wanted to give you a break; I know you're tired from what you faced, but I couldn't go without a good tracker. Considering you're the strongest and wisest woman, I'll have to rely on you, dear." Dante said while caressing the dragon's neck, who seemed quite happy to hear these words. "Alright..." She murmured, yielding easily.
Fortunately, the relationship between Dante and Voralith was becoming increasingly profound, and this was beneficial in various ways. Why? Because she was shedding the negative shell she once had...
In the beginning, Voralith was playful with Dante, but as she began to develop feelings for him, she started closing herself off more and more, becoming somewhat resentful when Dante awakened as Demon King. A stark contrast from the Voralith of some time ago.
"Thank you, dear," Dante said, planting a kiss on the scales where he had been stroking, the dragon showed no outward reaction, but she felt very good about it, for the first time feeling loved. And soon she would consider becoming his wife if she was truly certain that's what she wanted.
"Eldrax also wants a kiss..." Eldrax murmured, and Dante turned to the teenager. "Sorry, but you're too young, you'll have to settle for just this." He said, then he bent down and kissed her forehead.
She blushed slightly and turned away, but it was clear she was satisfied. Well, she was in her human form, so it was easy to see how she was feeling. Dante could only smile, but then...
"My turn." He heard, and his body was abruptly pulled into a passionate kiss.
Smooch
The wet sound echoed through the skies as Voralith continued flying, and Vex devoured Dante's mouth... "C-calm down!" Dante said in a louder tone amidst Vex's brutal kisses, which, well...
"S-sorry! I'm not used to my strength!" She said, pulling away. After evolving... this irrational woman had so much strength it was hard to control. She wasn't a real combatant like Dante, Valentina, and Nagasawa, who trained their whole lives to control it, so... well, she wasn't handling it well, she just broke Dante's arm by pulling him, but his surreal regeneration healed it instantly.
"When we return, you're going to train," Dante said seriously, "And no excuses." He commented, sensing that Vex was about to say something, but she stopped and pouted at him. "Hmph! I won't!" She said firmly, "Training is for the strong! Vex is weak!" She commented, though she didn't believe what she was saying herself...
"Eldrax will train! Dante likes strong women! Eldrax will be the strongest of all to protect Dante!" She said, making a double bicep pose. Dante smiled and patted her head, "I will reward you very well if you train and grow healthy, my little dragon," he said, and Eldrax gave a broad smile. "Yes!" She cheered, while Vex seemed quite... jealous.
Vex beamed, "I'll train so much that you'll get tired of rewarding me!" She struck a dramatic pose, full of determination.
Eldrax, not wanting to be left behind, flexed her arms and exclaimed, "Eldrax will train too! Eldrax will be the best!"
Dante just laughed. It was a calm moment, very calm indeed. However, Dante had no idea what was happening behind the scenes.
While he flew carefree on Voralith's back, thinking that Lyrianna's disappearance could be resolved in the blink of an eye... Lyrianna was in serious trouble.
Her body was sealed, all her power drained, and she couldn't feel her limbs. At least she knew where she was. She was completely at the mercy of whoever controlled the place she was in, not even her vision was spared. She was completely blind and didn't know if it was just a blindfold or if her eyes had been gouged out. After all, she felt pain all over her body.
"Where am I?" She questioned herself. Despite feeling nothing but pain, her mind was still clear. Lyrianna was a strong woman, but she had already faced many hardships, and this was just another one she would overcome on her own, as she always did.
She tried to move whatever she could, but it was impossible. She couldn't feel anything, at least she could hear. She remained in that state for a few hours, at least she thought so. When all senses are lost, minutes feel like hours, seconds like minutes, her confused senses destroyed her perception of time.
In her subconscious, her thoughts were not much about herself but rather about her daughter...
"My little one... Maybe your mother won't be here to see you grow up..." She murmured. After all, the reason Lyrianna still wanted to live was her daughter.
Lyrianna had Sara under complicated circumstances, with a man she had no feelings for. Sara never had a truly present father; he only sat and slept with other women while Lyrianna ran an entire empire.
Everything was for her daughter... a whole life just to give the best upbringing and the best world for her little girl, her daughter whom she loved so much...
"Dante Scarlet... I wanted to have met the man my daughter loved so much, wanted to understand how a person like you captured the heart of my precious daughter," she thought, reminiscing the best moments with her daughter while feeling that this was her end. Her body had been devastated, and she didn't know what else to do about that moment. She just... gave up and accepted that this was her end.
Thus, she resigned herself to this love she felt for her daughter. She just stayed in that black space, where nothing but her thoughts could be heard, and her memories remained there, being revisited by the decisions that led her to be the Empress.
"Sara... I wish I had seen you one last time, my dear daughter."