Chapter 49: The Decision
The Abyssal Demon Realm’s turmoil was not a small one. If the Empire knew, then the Bewildering Forest surely did as well.
In fact, the information the elves possessed was likely more detailed than the Empire’s.
As Queen Shaya had once said, those with the power of prophecy were always annoying. The feeling of being seen through was not a pleasant one.
Eleanor possessed the fragments of the “Oracle,” but whether they were broken or not, it didn’t matter. The “Oracle’s” power was still intact.
When the Abyss began to stir, she had used it to perform a Great Prophecy.
But her power was not as strong as Bai’s. She couldn’t see as many futures, only a few, blurry, fragmented possibilities.
But even with that, she had learned enough.
And so, she had made her first decision as High Priestess: to go to the North Empire’s capital, alone, and to meet with Empress Lilia.
Her decision had been met with opposition from the entire council of elders, and even the elven royal family had voiced their disapproval.
Only one person had supported her, but that one person was enough.
“On one hand, they’re worried about my safety. But on the other, they’re telling me… just because I’m sitting in the High Priestess’s seat, doesn’t mean I’m the High Priestess.”
“My decisions can be overturned by their opposition. My orders can be refused as ‘inappropriate.'”
“They mock the new High Priestess’s clumsiness, but they don’t dare to act, because they still fear the former High Priestess.”
Her recent experiences had forced her to grow up, to understand the complex, hidden machinations of politics, to know that some words were sharper than any blade.
“So, Aunt Nimora’s arranging this trip for me… it’s a chance for me to secure my position as High Priestess.”
With that thought, her expression hardened.
She looked at Empress Lilia, and nodded. “Yes… the Abyss’s turmoil threatens the survival of our race. The beastkin are in chaos, the other scattered races weak and divided… so, our only choice is you, and your only choice is us.”
She had been direct, blunt, not mincing her words.
Lilia, accustomed to a more… diplomatic approach, was surprised. She had expected a more drawn-out negotiation, a slow revealing of their hands.
But…
She glanced at Nimora. “I thought, even though there’s a new High Priestess, the real power is still with Nimora…”
“But now, it seems this little girl is the one in charge?”
As if reading her mind, Nimora opened her eyes slightly. “Your Majesty, please mind your etiquette. You are speaking with the High Priestess, not a handmaiden.”
“Ah… my apologies, Miss High Priestess. It was my mistake,” Lilia said with a sheepish smile, then continued, “You are right. I agree with you. But… such an important matter, we can’t just decide it so quickly, can we?”
Eleanor’s words had been a clear offer of an alliance, not a superficial one, but a true pact, to stand together in life and death.
“Isolated Greed,” a trait not just of the Abyss, but also of Solor.
In the past, when the Abyss had invaded, the ancient empire of “Xia” had been the first to fall.
And the other races, in their “Isolated Greed,” had stood by, had even secretly aided the demons.
But the fall of the ancient empire, the “whale fall,” had not brought them prosperity. It had only given the demons a chance to regroup.
And then, most of Solor had fallen into their hands, countless smaller races slaughtered.
Now, it was time to learn from the past, to break the vicious cycle of “Isolated Greed.”
“Because it is so important, I came alone, with only… my attendant,” Eleanor said, her gaze fixed on Lilia. “Is that not enough to show my sincerity?”
“Miss High Priestess, I believe in your sincerity. But the goal is the goal… oh well, I just think it’s a bit… hasty,” Lilia said, unsure what to say. An alliance of this magnitude required careful planning, a clear division of responsibilities, a series of tedious, yet necessary, negotiations.
It seemed this young High Priestess had a clear goal, but no concrete plan on how to achieve it.
Lilia couldn’t help but look at Nimora again. This time, she didn’t reprimand her, only whispering a few words to Eleanor, then closing her eyes again.
“Oh… yes, yes…” Eleanor said, her face flushing slightly. She now understood her mistake.
Erlra, ever the attentive handmaiden, offered her a cup of coffee, and she quickly took it, taking small sips to hide her embarrassment.
“But it’s alright, Miss High Priestess. Now that we’ve reached an agreement, the other matters… can be discussed later,” Lilia said with a chuckle, then, her own cup in hand, she looked out the window.
Eleanor followed her gaze.
Towering buildings, the hum of devices, a massive, vibrant city.
“Our human capital, it’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Lilia asked, a hint of pride in her voice.
“Our… our sacred lands are also beautiful…” Eleanor said, her voice trailing off.
The sacred lands were beautiful, but they were also… dead. They lacked the life, the vitality, of the human capital.
“Of course. If I have the chance, I’d like to see the legendary elven sacred lands as well,” Lilia said softly.
Just then, Nimora opened her eyes slightly, her gaze falling on Lilia’s chest.
“Another one, connected to her…”
Extra-Lost Past
The calamity descended.
It was a disaster of unprecedented scale, an unknown, terrifying entity appearing on the earth, its power a raging torrent, unstoppable even by the sacred lands of the myriad races.
The earth cracked, the sky was consumed, and even the all-consuming void recoiled from its presence.
Countless races vanished without a trace, even the once-mighty Cold Clan, who, with all their strength, could only send a small remnant of their people into the void.
Whether they chose to submit or to fight, they were all mercilessly destroyed, their very existence erased from the world.
No one knew what “she” wanted, what “she” was planning. It was as if “she” were a mindless destroyer, her only purpose to reduce the world to nothing.
“How can we defeat ‘her’? How can we stop this?” a young woman with long, flowing hair asked, her gaze fixed on the all-consuming void in the distance. “This is my responsibility. Because besides me, no one else in this world can bear it.”
“Big Sister…”
Behind her stood a small little girl, her striking dark red hair and scarlet eyes a vibrant splash of color in the desolate landscape.
She looked at the long-haired woman with concern.
“Call me Bai, and forget my name, forget everything about me. Only then can you survive,” the long-haired woman said, her majestic, dark-gold vertical slits for eyes fixed on the little girl, Shaya. “I must stand here, but you don’t have to.”
“B-but,” Shaya stammered, on the verge of tears, “Big Sister… Bai, you’re all alone. Can you really…”
“Are you questioning me?” “Bai” said coldly, her gaze on the void, her voice filled with a quiet pride. “I am not invincible, but I am not without a chance. The time is just not right.”
“But so many races have been destroyed, and so many others have fled…”
“Shaya, you don’t understand,” “Bai” said, her voice low. “I cannot run. I do not want to run. I have to face her.”
“Why?”
“Because of this world,” “Bai” said, looking up at the crumbling sky, at the dying earth. “Because I am an ancient dragon. Because I am the will of this world.”
“If this world is destroyed, I cannot survive alone.”
“I have lived for a long, long time, as long as this world has existed.”
“And now, it is time for me to face its destruction.”
Shaya didn’t understand. Why couldn’t her Big Sister run away? Why did she have to face this terrifying “her”?
Her Big Sister was her master, her role model.
She had always tried to be like her, to emulate her every word, her every action.
To Shaya, her Big Sister “Bai” was closer to her than anyone else, her greatest wish to form a blood pact with her.
But now… that wish was impossible.
Once “Bai” had made a decision, not even God could change her mind.
Shaya knew this. She only spoke because she didn’t know what else to say.
“It’s time to go, Shaya.”
“Bai” reached out, patting her head, then walked towards the void, towards destruction.
“I’m going to have a talk with this ‘God.’ And perhaps, a little… fight.”
Shaya wanted to follow, but her legs were frozen.
She could only watch as “Bai’s” back disappeared into the raging void.
And the continent, once called the “Promised Land,” was now over a third consumed.
And it had only been a few years since the arrival of “God.”
…
After that, Shaya’s memories of “Bai” began to fade.
First her true name, then her face, her mannerisms, her words, her likes, her dislikes, her tone of voice…
Everything about “Bai” slowly disappeared from her mind.
And by the time the Promised Land had completely vanished, and Shaya had arrived in the Abyssal Demon Realm, she had no memory of “Bai” at all.
Shaya was a royal of the Vampire race, from the Promised Land. Her bloodline and her power were far superior to the local Vampires, and the other demon races.
Soon, she became “Queen Shaya,” the most powerful, most despairing being in the Abyss.
But she had completely forgotten her “Big Sister,” the one who had been most important to her.
However, “Bai’s” influence remained.
Unconsciously, Shaya had emulated her, had become a reflection of the one she had once admired.
This was “Bai’s” final gift to her, her little sister. Because…
“Only in forgetting can one escape.”
“Bai” couldn’t escape, but Shaya could.
But now, Shaya didn’t want to escape. She was trying to remember, to remember everything.
“Why is this…”
Back in the present, in the gray hall bound by crimson chains.
Queen Shaya stood before the sealing ritual, countless crimson chains emanating from her body, wrapping around everything, connecting with the seal.
“I think I saw you…”
“Who are you…”
All that had been forgotten, all that had been avoided, was now returning.
Tears streamed down her face. She hadn’t cried in a long, long time.
The last time… it was a memory so distant she could barely recall it…
“Why… didn’t you run…”
“Run, run, running is also a choice… running is not a mistake…”
Shaya didn’t understand. Why hadn’t she run? Why hadn’t Bai?
A blurry, ethereal figure appeared in her mind, and it slowly merged with a resolute, silver-haired girl.
“Why, who is this, why is she in my memory, why does she look so much like Bai…”
“I… I think I’ve forgotten something important…”
She looked up, and in a daze, she saw a distant, unreachable back.
“Big… Sister…”
