The Monarchs were out in the open.
The Void Queen was a beautiful woman with long, flowing brown hair, almond-shaped eyes, and long eyelashes. The black gown she wore was adorned with dark rubies. It hugged her divine figure tightly, and the glow of her sorcery made her seem ethereal.
Carl Arthone, the Pale Scholar, stood nearby. He wore a long white robe with golden embroidery at the edges. He resembled a wise scholar and sounded just like one.
"Was this a part of your grand plan?" he said condescendingly.
The Void Queen was flustered, but in the end, she remained a great ruler. One minor setback wasn't enough to make her lose her composure.
"My daughters are highly trained and masters of sorcery themselves. This shouldn't be seen as a setback, but as a testament to my capabilities."
The other Monarchs realized she was turning the situation around, but there was little they could do if she made failure sound so grand and noble.
The last two Monarchs were both men. The more eye-catching of the two was dressed in golden armor, light and refined.
His accessories, however, were anything but modest. He wore chains of gold around his neck and ankles that glowed radiantly.
Even his wrists were wrapped with bracelets adorned in gold and precious gems.
He resembled a walking treasure vault. He was the King of Greed, Varnaxis, the Gilded Worm.
He addressed the Void Queen.
"This is your territory, Maelith Sorae. We have no right to interfere in your personal vendettas. But we have been promised transcendence... and I surely hope you are still capable of delivering on said promise."
Before the Void Queen could respond, the last of the Monarchs, the least outspoken of the four, stepped into the light.
He was a young boy, no older than thirteen, clad in a well-knitted royal robe. It wasn't overly decorated, nor did it scream power.
For the most part, it was royal only because the boy wore it, not because it had been made as such.
This was the legendary King of Silence, Maedros, the Hollow Tongue.
Maedros didn't say a word, but his presence silenced the other three Monarchs.
The Void Queen didn't let the hush linger for long.
"I will have my men rebuild the altar, and then we will simply begin the sacrifices anew. As for my rebellious daughter, my knights will hunt her down. She broke the enchanted artifact, but she still hasn't broken my seal on her soul sea. She's nothing but a helpless lamb."
...
Somewhere within the lower floors of the castle, in a small room littered with utensils, swords, and spears, a bright symbol manifested on the ceiling. From it, two bodies fell.
Alexander and the sacrifice lady crashed to the ground. Luckily for the sacrifice lady, Alexander was the one who actually made contact with the floor.
"Alright, get off... the armour is already heavy enough."
"How rude of you. Any man will appreciate having me on top of them."
She said that but still sat up, relieving Alexander of her weight.
Alexander steadied his breathing. "Where are we?"
The sacrifice lady didn't think much of it. "We're in a storage room somewhere within the lower floors. Not close enough to the exit, but far away enough from the Monarchs."
"Yeah, about that... why are there only four of them? Where's the fifth one? Wasn't she invited to the party?"
The sacrifice lady was at a loss.
"What do you mean fifth one? There have ever and only been four true Monarchs of humanity."
Alexander's brows crossed. Now things were truly starting to get interesting.
"In the future, we most definitely have five of them. So I'm guessing at this point in time, humanity only had four. This is quite the discovery. If I published a paper on it, I'll be rich and never have to work for people like Billy ever again. Where even is that bastard? He better hope the Lurker finished him off, or he's dead once I get back."
The sacrifice lady found a little shelf and sat down, clearly exhausted after being a prisoner for so long and nearly dying like a goat.
Alexander was slightly drained, but he still had enough energy to move. That fascinated the lady.
She clicked her tongue in wonder.
"I drew massively on his essence, and yet he's still capable of moving around so much. Just who is he exactly? And why does his soul look so strange? Even his blood had a menacing aura coming from it...
Just who are you exactly?"
The lady asked.
Hmm.
Alexander dropped the large shield he had been toying with and looked back at the sacrifice lady.
"Call me Alex, my lady. This place looks secure. I think we should lay low till dark, then make our escape."
The sacrifice lady nodded lightly. Alexander had a point, except it was always dark in the Void Queen's territory. Regardless, she needed time to break the Queen's seal.
"Well, it is nice to meet you, Alex."
She then closed her eyes and sat down cross-legged.
Alexander glanced one last time at her before turning his attention to a shelf of enchanted swords.
He didn't mean to lie to her about his name, but sorcery can also be used on a person's name, and Alexander still didn't trust her much.
She had the advantage in this relationship. The slave contract hadn't been signed, and Alexander was clearly not a veteran warrior.
He needed to set as many precautions as he possibly could, just in case she tried to betray him. The surprises would only be coming from his side, not hers.
"I memorised the flow of essence when she pulled it out of my soul sea. The pattern was complex, but I can still feel the burn. I should take advantage of this and learn how to channel essence on my own."
Alexander sat down cross-legged just like the lady and began to replicate the sensation he felt when she conjured sorcery using his essence.
Unbeknownst to Alexander, the sacrifice lady opened her eyes at some point. She smiled lightly and gave a nod of approval before once more turning her attention back to her own soul sea.