Azshara. Elysian District, Sonaris Street. Vivian's House.
Tick Tock Tick Tock
The slow ticking of the office clock echoed loudly in her ears. But instead of snapping her out of her trance, it seemed to pull her even further in, dragging her deeper into her mind.
Her honey-colored eyes stared unblinkingly at the yellowed piece of paper in front of her. The whites of her eyes were slightly pink from having been open for so long and lack of sleep.
This was an old Lenburg newspaper. One from over two months ago, dated August 19, 1349. In large black letters, the headline stood out like thorns in her ribs.
"TOXIC DISASTER IN THE CAPITAL OF CAPITALS. BACKLUND IN FLAMES."
Vivian Langley bit the inside of her cheek hard for 15 seconds until she tasted iron.
"Arghh!" Clutching her head tightly, she banged her forehead against the table several times.
Only when she felt the desk's wood about to break did she stop. But despite the dazed sensation assailing her, this did nothing to ease her disbelief.
"How could I not have recognized him… How…" Weak mumbles escaped her lips; slowly, she looked up and tremblingly grabbed the newspaper.
Her gaze did not focus on the eye-catching headline, but on the small box a few paragraphs below.
It was a hand-drawn "Wanted" poster.
It depicted a man of Feysac descent with fine features. He had medium-length red hair and eyes of the same color. Below the portrait were his name and the reward.
Adryan Kenway. Dead or Alive.
A reward of 50,000 pounds if turned in to the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, the Church of the Evernight Goddess, or the Church of the Lord of Storms.
Squinting her eyes and straining to take in every detail, Vivian carefully studied the portrait, comparing it to the one she had seen last Friday.
After a few moments, she lowered the newspaper expressionless.
Thud
"They don't look anything alike!"
While there were some similarities, the differences were still far too obvious!
Without a doubt, whoever drew the poster had never seen the man's face!
The person in the flesh next to the ink-and-paper figure was so different that it wasn't strange to consider them two separate people.
That was why she hadn't recognized him the moment he showed his face.
Of course, not to mention that his wife almost killed her for looking at him, so she couldn't get a good look…
"It almost seems like the wife is actually Mr K…" Grumbling under her breath, Vivian closed her eyes. Replaying the events in her mind once more.
Her boss was the man with a 50,000-pound bounty on his head.
Mr K was Adryan Kenway.
It took her a while to piece the clues together, but once her mind had calmed down after Friday's fiasco, she was able to think clearly.
Honestly, she was surprised it had taken her so long to connect the dots, given that the former royal family of Intis, the Saurons, shared those characteristics.
Red hair and fire-related abilities. Vivian felt truly disappointed with herself.
Who would have thought that one of the most wanted men on the planet belonged to one of the Seven Orthodox Churches?
A while passed in which Wayne Enterprises' best—and only—lawyer held that position. With her face buried in her desk and the old newspaper spread out haphazardly in front of her.
Finally, after a few minutes, her shoulders began to shake.
A second later, a faint sound began to accompany the ticking of the clock.
"… He… hehe…
"Haha… HAHAHA!"
Straightening up suddenly, she spread her arms wide in the air in proclamation. A huge, toothy grin spread across her face.
"MAGNIFICENT! THIS IS MAGNIFICENT! HAHAHA!"
Roars of laughter erupted from the static woman, who covered her face and trembled with excitement.
Barely able to contain herself, her eyes welled up. Soft murmurs escaped her lips.
"This must be fate… The heavens are on my side… This time it must be my turn…"
Vivian couldn't believe her luck; she really couldn't believe it.
She had managed to get involved with a rising figure of the world!
A figure who had already made a name for himself in the occult world and was in the process of making a name for himself again in the normal world.
It was the opportunity of a lifetime!
The smile on her face twisted; faint giggles with barely a trace of sanity slipped from her lips.
'Emperor Roselle had always said that the reason for his success was that whenever an opportunity presented itself in his life, he never hesitated to seize it. Not only that, but he actively sought them out. Willing to risk his life if it meant it would bring good fortune.'
It was by chasing danger that he had found the new route to the Southern Continent.
It was by chasing danger that he had risen from a mere noble to the Great Emperor who forever changed the history of humanity and whose impact is still felt 200 years after his death.
A death that is still debated as to whether it actually happened or not. Many believing that the Emperor is still alive to this day.
In the words of that Great and Only Emperor of Intis: One never wins it all unless willing to risk it all!
'My relationship with Mr K has already proven fruitful. Within just a few weeks of meeting him, I proved that my theories were correct. The Church of the God of Steam and Machinery is truly hiding something big!' Another maniacal laugh overcame her, and Vivian had to hold onto the table to keep from falling to the floor from laughter.
Project C. A secret project the Church worked on at its dawn...
What was that project really? What was it hiding? What does the C in its name mean? Was it related to The Emperor's Sunset?
Shaking her head vigorously, the woman solidified her decision with a foundation stronger than a diamond.
'Grandfather must not find out about this.'
She had already decided that consulting the old man about anything related to Project C was a waste of time. At best, he wouldn't know anything; at worst, he would force her to return to Intis to extract the information about where she got that.
That decision had now become even stronger with the true identity of her boss.
Not only was Mr. K one of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery's most wanted targets in over 100 years, but given her grandfather's position, there was no way he would let it go.
She'd be dragged back to Intis by her hair, whether she liked it or not, if he ever found out.
Shaking her head vigorously from side to side, Vivian took a deep breath.
'It's fine. Hiding this from Grandpa isn't a problem. He never meddles in what I do, so as long as I don't do anything stupid, he'll leave me alone. I just have to keep our promise of monthly contact, and I'll be fine.'
The plan was already clear in her mind, and with that, she pulled her little cigarette case from her bosom.
Opening it, she took the last of her expensive imported cigarettes and placed it between her lips.
Grabbing the newspaper and folding it in half, she took out her lighter and clicked it open.
A small yellow flame ignited and danced slowly. Vivian brought the corner of the newspaper close to the fire and let the flames lick at it.
Watching for a few seconds as the fire consumed the paper, she brought it close to her face and lit her favorite cigarette.
Taking a slow, deep drag, feeling the delicious smoke fill her lungs, Vivian held it for about four seconds before exhaling with a sigh.
Now calmer with her daily dose of nicotine, she tossed the burning newspaper into her trash can.
Although she usually preferred to keep them to prevent future manipulation of the information they contained, she would make an exception this time.
Fuuu
Blowing out a small cloud of toxic smoke and ignoring the little makeshift bonfire, Vivian walked to her office window and gazed at the sky, bored.
The crescent moon sat majestically in the sky, its crimson curves slightly hidden by the black storm clouds that were slowly beginning to disperse.
…
Elsewhere in the Elysian District, to the south.
In the middle of a room shrouded in almost complete darkness, a woman knelt.
Before her stood an altar. Several lit red candles, the symbol of a spear, and several red poppies rested upon it.
The candlelight bathed her like a shroud, illuminating her face. But despite this, the darkness around her refused to release her completely, enveloping her back and creeping up the nape of her neck to her ears.
You want riches… We can give them to you… You just have to call upon us… Say our name and set us free… You will be rewarded with unimaginable fortunes…
Distorted voices, young and old, gently caressed the back of her mind with whispers in various languages. Never a single voice, always more than one. But all were repeating the same thing.
Power to destroy your enemies… To make them kneel before you in submission… Say our name and set us free… It will all be yours…
She could hear the whispers in the distance, never close but never too far away either. The distance always remained just a single call away.
It didn't seem as though the murmurs were directed specifically at her. They were addressed to no one in particular, only to anyone willing to listen.
Although at the same time, it seemed as though that legion of voices was speaking directly to her. Waiting for her response.
Their insistence on having their presence signaled and called out only seemed to worsen over time. Demanding to be freed from wherever they were trapped.
The thick black-and-red robes contrasted with the woman's pale skin. Skin that seemed to have worms crawling beneath it, so prominent were the veins.
Despite everything happening around her and the pain in her body, the woman's expression remained calm.
Serena Williams breathed softly. She closed her deep eyes, returning to a deep state of cogitation.
Her hands were clasped and pressed against her lips. The very lips that whispered faithfully in a natural Hermes;
"The Scarlet Monarch who burns depravity; The Calamity forgotten by time; The Stranger who comes from the unknown
"I pray for your attention.
"I pray for you to listen.
"I pray that your fire burns those who conspire against me, that it burns those who wish me harm…
"I pray that your gentle gaze always rests upon me and protects me from all evil…"
The orange flame of the candles danced silently in the windless room. Suddenly, the orange turned a deep scarlet, and Serena felt a warmth embrace her body and soul.
The darkness of the room was driven back by the strong light of the candles. The shadows scurried in terror toward the deepest corners and crevices of the house.
The whispers in her mind vanished, the torment ceased, and Serena could feel her self-control gradually returning.
She didn't let it affect her. Once Serena had her mind back under her control, she focused entirely on restoring her mental state.
The veins in her neck and palms slowly faded away, and the shadows covering the back of her neck and her back vanished into black smoke.
A few minutes later, when she was sure her state had returned to normal, the woman opened her eyes again; they looked deeper than before; the black of her pupils seemed to contain a gateway of shadows within them.
Sigh…
Feeling her spirituality as well as the changes in her body, Serena pressed her hands even closer together and prostrated herself before the altar, whose candles continued to burn with scarlet flames.
"Praise be to the Monarch!"
At that moment, a gentle chuckle reached the woman's mind.
"Good work, Serena. You did well."
Drip Drip...
Clear tears began to fall down Serena's cheeks as she barely stifled a sob. Her heart beat with pain. Her back was hunched as if she had a hump.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord. Praise be to your mercy and love…" Serena cried pathetically, almost inconsolable.
Her tears were not of pain. They were of pure joy. From the joy and happiness that she had managed to fulfill the mission entrusted to her by her Lord.
She had done it. She had digested the Listener's potion within the time allotted.
The ghostly sensation of someone caressing her back washed over her, as did the sudden presence of someone kneeling before her, enveloping her in an embrace.
Hip!
Serena clutched her chest tightly and curled up even more.
There was a time when she wondered what it felt like to be embraced by a father.
Having grown up in East Borough, she didn't know what a father's love was. She had never met hers, just as she had never had a similar figure in her life. The closest she ever came was Old Will, but the time she spent with him was brief, and the man's life was cut short by the events of the Moonless Night.
Feeling the warmth enveloping her, Serena felt as if all the pain she had endured was melting away in this fire, those horrible chains slipping from her one by one.
'So this is what it feels like…' Clenching her teeth, the woman could only weep in silence.
In this moment, with only the red flames of the candles and the shadows in the corners of her room as witnesses… Serena felt that nothing in the world could hurt her.
On the outskirts of the City of Calamities.
Hugging the projection of his teammate's spirit, Adryan maintained a faint smile as he enveloped the projection in the warmth of the yellowish smoke surrounding them.
The woman had truly gone out of her way. And this filled the red-haired man with satisfaction.
'Really, good job, Serena. I'm proud of you.' Gently stroking her head, the redhead nodded.
He had come here to check something when Serena's flame had flared to notify him that her potion had been digested.
Thinking of that, he glanced sideways. Where another flame pulsed slowly. Extending his mind to it, its contents began to appear before him.
An unremarkable room, with a man of dark blond hair and deep amber eyes prostrate before an altar bearing the sacred emblem of the Scarlet Monarch.
Dabrio Tamara was praying devoutly before the altar. Although his posture wasn't as reverent as Serena's, it was still worthy of a faithful believer.
Following this vision, the demigod's prayer reached his ears.
"…My Lord, I have already made contact with the remnants of my family branch. In a few days, I will reunite with them and take command of it once more…"
'It was about time.' Sighing to himself, the redhead harnessed the City's power to generate a clone and send a response to the demigod's prayer.
The priority now was to commend the efforts of one of his team members—the very one who, without a doubt, was in the worst mental state of the group—so it was necessary to be thorough.
Thinking about that, Adryan couldn't help but chuckle.
'I'm putting a demigod on hold for someone who's only a Sequence 8. That's incredible.'
In any church or organization, the word of a saint would take priority over that of a mere low-ranking Sequence. What he was doing now made no apparent sense.
Even so, Adryan didn't feel the slightest bit guilty, nor did he feel he was doing anything wrong. This was how he had chosen to be, and he would never betray that self.
When he decided to take on the mantle of a god, he had no trouble envisioning the kind of god he wanted to be. After all, he had a strong example in his previous life as Joa Nahuel.
The Christian God.
In the Old and New Testaments, God always went out to meet women, while men had to climb mountains to seek Him. As was proven with Hagar, Ruth, the Virgin Mary, and Mary Magdalene.
A feeling that was both warm and unfamiliar stirred in his heart. The redhead's expression darkened slightly, and a tired smile crossed his face.
'Ah, even after everything, it still relaxes me, huh?'
Despite how much time had passed, his heart couldn't help but relax at the thought. Conversely, this created an uneasy feeling because of the dangers he now faced here.
He may not have been the most devout believer, nor did he attend church regularly. But it was impossible to deny the impact his faith had on his life. Both lives.
It was a part of him, one that he would embrace.
Even if he was in this other world where the title of "Almighty God" was held by someone else, Adryan could not abandon that part of himself.
Not only because of the potential impact it could have on his mental state—which might cause him to lose control—but because it was one of the most fundamental aspects of his entire life, in both worlds.
His honorific name already expressed his rejection of depravity, so why not take it a step further?
So...
To better embrace that part of himself while at the same time remembering that he was no longer at home, the Scarlet Monarch would be somewhat similar to the Christian God, yet different.
Imitating Him perfectly could pose unknown risks to himself due to the existence of 'Almighty ', so some differences were necessary to ensure safety.
After all, Adryan already had an example of the Ancient Sun God...
Sigh
Caressing the woman's projection, Adryan already knew what came next.
With Serena's Listener potion digested, it was time to go collect the last ingredient needed for the next sequence's potion.
Drops of a Shepherd's blood.
At the gathering organized by the Aurora Order this Friday, he had to see Miss L.