亚洲综合中美

“Take a seat,” she said and offered cigars.

“Intherna,” he accepted, “-tell me, why did they call you Empress?”

“Precisely why I wanted to have the conversation here,” she poured herself a drink, “-time moves according to the realms, therefore, evolution affects us too. The marvel of the Shadows is undefinable, it’s amazing, too true to be real – I place it second to Elysium. Why am I called the Empress?” she slowed her pace and opened her gestures, Igna glued his focus, “-I was forced to take the position. With Gophy, Miira, and Lilith out of the picture, the realm grows unstable. The Shadows are split into four quadrants, each ruled by an assigned guardian. We enjoyed peace and festivities, the power centralized in Rosespire, we enjoyed the days of growth. The settling of the populous, and the growth and birth of the new generation, it was amazing to see. We take peace for granted. Thus, by allowing the times to flow unconcern, problems were bound to arise. The gods we gave refuge spread seeds of deception and greed, the emotions that plagued the mortal realms. The separation brought tribalism – the guardians, albeit we were on friendly terms, didn’t sit right with the more extremist followers. Small fights were often the result – violence over diplomacy. A veil of uncertainty clouded the Shadow. Thank goodness for the scale of the planet, the disagreements focused on a single area and were easily handled with the four’s intervention. They were barfights, one wouldn’t call an army to resolve a brawl. Such was the mistake in our thoughts. Time carried on, the place grew mundane, and development and entertainment ravaged the minds – adding currency was a must to control the flow of goods. Vices of the mortal world seeped into the Shadows, we have no laws to prevent freedom, and the place is run entirely on a buddy system. There are more good than bad, and so, we accepted the flow. Well, that was fine until the guardians went missing – a hole in the leadership had the other factions quivering. I mean, I get their fear. If I was the only Guardian, the other sectors would have to follow my orders, and in a way, before that possibility happened – an instigator riled each of the separate quadrants to form their own pact against me. My faction grew unbeknownst to my will or action – my followers are talented orators, reincarnated politicians if you’d believe it. A faction ruled by statemen. A battle broke loose, and the monster’s domain chose a neutral stance and acted when the fighting grew overwhelming. Administrator, such was their given nickname. And they hold much weight – there’s no denying the monster army, they have ancient beings listed in their ranks. To mitigate the problem, Fenrir willingly offered her services to Vesper. Your children, Draconis, Saniata, and Raphael smartly abstained from the battle. Cora, Kaleem, Yuria, and Starix are more concerned with the state of our troops in Draebala, you can say that realm is the only reason why a full-on battle hasn’t blown out. There is trouble in paradise, and tis for its guardian to resolve said issue. Why did I get called Empress? To be honest, the people began calling me the Empress. I took the reigns of my faction, allied with Lilith’s faction, signed a non-aggression pact with Miira’s faction, and declared war against Gophy’s faction. The Goddess of Chaos is a traitor, and so is her people. I don’t doubt there are traitor walking amongst us – for the safety of the Shadows, we must eradicate the intruders. Gophy’s faction is strong, they hold power where Alphia would be located in the lower world. The topography gives them ample time to grow the xenophobic culture she’s so proud of. The ones we rescued from Zeus’s tyranny have joined Gophy’s faction. I have spies working on intel. Along the way, I was dubbed Empress and praised by the people for my skills as a leader. I don’t know why they’d bother,” she breathed, “-guess my powers have evolved.”

“Empress Intherna,” he grinned, “-I’m glad it’s you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Intherna, you’re my oldest ally. The phoenix robe, you send help whenever I’m in trouble and don’t much care for what happens to you. I admit I was a fool. I thought giving was the way to freedom and peaceful resolution. It seems, wherever there is intelligence and awareness, a utopia is impossible. The capacity to think in of itself is the root of today’s issue. If the shadows were a dictatorship… no, it would be too simple to rule with an iron fist.”

“What should I do?”

“Live up to the title of Empress.”

.....

“Pardon?”

“Live up to the title, must I repeat myself? Intherna, you made something out of nothing. By what you say, the Shadow would have collapsed if you didn’t take action. Was it instinctual or did you think?”

“It felt wrong,” she rose her gaze, “-it seemed off. The capital’s vibe seemed gloomy and on edge.”

“How about now?”

“I can’t say, it’s livelier. The people seem healthy at least.”

“Good,” he extended his hand, “-Intherna, I had hoped for you to join me as a Juror. Now, however, I see you’re more needed here than by my side. I wouldn’t force another responsibility.”

“Shut it,” she glared, “-Igna, how many times must I repeat myself, I’m your friend first. We’re past the whole sappy exchange, I know you and you know me. It’s all that matters. You’ve joined hands with Lilith, yes?”

“How did you-”

“I have my means. Igna, let me say this. The Shadows will only grow – to allow the powers to manifest so harshly is a risk. We’re plenty strong to stand against any invasion. The constant evolution won’t harm us physically, it’ll get us strong – there’s no real threat since the cores have strengthened. We need to impose a limit on the power. A place where the excess can be sent, and I think, the Adjudicator’s realm is perfect. If there’s ever a revolution, the entities will escape and cause rampant harm to the outside, no other realm has the power to handle their abilities. We’re monsters, standing high above gods and demons, we’re the harbinger of Death’s whims, Staxius’ legacy.”

“I see,” he took her hand, “-then, will you join my council and include the Shadows in our ranks?”

“You only had to ask.”

“Empress Intherna joins forces. I will contact you with details at a later date. Please have the matter resolved as quickly as possible. Enlist the puppet army if it grows out of control – give me a call if it doesn’t go well. If worse comes to pass, I’ll take them on.”

“They wouldn’t stand a chance – fighting the one who controls their reality, yeah, no thanks. Been a pleasure seeing you, Igna. I hope I didn’t hold you for long.”

“Intherna,” they exchanged a tight hug, “-I’m glad to have you. Don’t change either,” he teleported, leaving Intherna with an unlit cigar and some drinks. ‘Igna’s the Adjudicator, I knew there was the strength behind that frail body. I’ll do what I can,’ the room’s pressure released, “-Empress, we await your orders.”

Elixia reopened her eyes inside the war room. A translucent figure leaned patiently against one of the pillars, “-seems he trusts you.”

“And who might you be, Mr invisible?”

“Call me Origin,” he walked and swapped forms, “-consider me one of the Adjudicator’s close confidants. As for you, Elixia, why are you here?”

“I can’t quite put my hand on it. This place sure is blunt.”

“Excuse me?”

“Could the décor have been less oblivious? Looks like you’re compensating for something. Honestly, the whole royal décor’s grown pretty boring… where’s master anyway?”

A faint spark, “-I’m here.”

“HUH!” she jumped, “-don’t scare me like that, master.”

“What were you talking about?”

“The grandeur of the war room’s decoration,” said Origin.

“Looks normal to me,” echoed a nonchalant Igna.

“See, master’s on the same page.”

“Enough messing around,” he grabbed her hands and walked to the table, “-Origin, we need some private time, would that be okay?”

“Take your time.”

Silence, ‘-master looks serious,’ the table fluttered split images, the hues swayed between cold and warm colors. A looming sense of impending doom hung, and at the center stood Igna, “-something the matter?”

“Master, what are you planning to do?”

“I’m upgrading your system,” he smiled, “-I explained myself earlier, and yes, I won’t be asking for permission. This table has abilities way beyond what we had back home. I’ll need you and your sister, Yui, to handle logistics.”

“Use Yui, why need me?”

“Elixia,” he grabbed her shoulders, “-I need a secretary. Who is better than you? Besides, we’re the same when it comes to having fun.”

“No,” she lifted his grip, “-tell me the real reason. Do you think me a replacement?”

“…”

“I KNEW IT!”

“Don’t jump. I indeed feel lonely sometimes. It’s part of the human experience. I’ve tried to forsake my emotions… emphasis on the tried. Elixia, you’re the closest thing I have to home. I left, and I wish I didn’t have regrets… Man only knows the worth and importance of a person or thing when the latter is sadly gone. Elixia, I jumped with joy, I don’t mind sharing how I felt. The table is an upgrade, able to link the system throughout dimensions. You won’t stay out of the loop with matters in Orin – such is my authority,” he lowered his hand and gave a smug grin, “-the only reason why you’re unwilling to come is…” she gulped, “-a popular drama.”

“How did y-”

“Hey, I have my means. I guarantee you won’t miss the drama, so, will you join?”

“What about not asking for permission.”

“You sure make my life hard.’

“Such is why I exist,” she winked, “-nothing beats teasing the strongest being.”

“You have weird taste. Anyway, I’ve linked the cores, I just need to draw the activation symbols. Are you ready?”

“Yeah.”

‘Her core resides in the Shadows; thus, her soul is granted immunity. By linking the table’s core to Yui, the connection will extend to Elixia, thus creating the three-way link needed to cross dimensions. There’s nothing in Mantia or Origin’s library on how one can achieve my intent. This will be one of my first creations using the Adjudicator’s authority,’ *By my order, disentangle the threads of reality and open the white room* space, time, the concept of being, nothing existed. It was nothing, pure and simple – only his ethereal body floated, *-Creation of a path, activation of ancient symbols, may the way be open for the chosen and closed for the fallen. Cross the boundaries, release the truth from the domain of life and make true my whim and call, unique symbol activation,* ‘-my work starts now,’ dimly colored letters and shapes floated, the meaning to the madness was lost. From those, he drew words, and the words drew sentences, the latter grew into paragraphs that evolved into edicts. ‘Adding a whole new system to reality, this is the true power of the Adjudicator, to be willing to alter how matters are run across everything. Be careful not to make the tunnel accessible – use the highest authority I have and lined the passage with Cruse’s curse,’ a mysterious tome hovered with a dark envelope, ‘-Adjudicator’s time I. It shouldn’t affect reality’s established rules, and to be safe, activation will take place within my domain, if it works, the table will react, and if not, it’ll erase the words. Can’t be too careful.’ *Water freezes, half-truths become knowledge, history settles,* ‘-done.’ A vacuum swallowed all that stood into a tiny speck, it flung upward and rested as one of the stars.

“What happened?” the white room disappeared, “-master?”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” he stretched, “-more importantly, do you have access?”

“It’s been five seconds, what could you have changed-” her eyes widened, “-I have access to the Arcanum. Not that, Yui’s seems more powerful, what did you do?”

“Welcome to Oriantia, Yui.”

“Thank you, my master,” returned the table, “-you have granted me the gift of speech and thought.”

“You made her sentient?”

“Is it fair to hog all the fun?”

She sighed heavily, “-I should have known…”

“Don’t despair,” earrings summoned, “-wear these and let’s get to conquering hell.”

“Easier said than done,” a portal widened, ‘-why am I getting involved,’ despite her thoughts, a grand smile held her mien. On that day, Igna established a rule that would forever alter the course of history, a gamble, a clause that’d decide the faith of reality.