đ“ŤŻ 4:15 AM, 25th of Dustseam, 3 DE đ“ŤŻ
Wutherian Empire Royal Palace
Wutherian Empire, Kelran Lands
QUEEN Dalliah gazed out of the window as orange streaks broke through the west. Birds flew atop the branches of a tree situated ten feet from the window. She admired the beauty of their colorful wings which flapped around in an eager manner as if ready to take flight in the direction of a beautiful destination that had yet to be discovered by mankind.
A servant approached her and offered her her favorite type of tea: black with a container of sugar. Queen Dalliah thanked her for the beverage and told her to set it down on the table. The servant did as instructed before bowing down to the queen and taking her leave.
It was five o'clock in the morning and the streets were eerily quiet at that time, very common in the Wutherian Empire which preferred the night life. Queen Dalliah, on the other hand, was more wide awake when the other residents were asleep, snoring in their beds. She cherished greatly the early hours of solitude when the sun was making its way towards the clouds where it collided with the canvas of a handiwork that could only be possibly made by a higher power.
"Where is she?" a voice rang out. It would have startled anyone who heard the voice in that present situation given that it was expected that most of the people were asleep at that time. Yet for Queen Dalliah she was the least bit surprised; for aside from her, her steward Jasmina preferred to wake up early in the morning.
Queen Dalliah took a sip of her tea before she set it down on the oak table. "She will be here, Jasmina."
Jasmina heaved a sigh and teetered from side to side in the doorway. "All right. But I have yet to receive a telegram from her. She must still be in danger."
Queen Dalliah shook her head at this. She knew Minari and what she was capable of. Even if the situation was dangerous to the extent where her life would be risked, Minari knew how to handle such circumstances with an ease that made her enemies like a group of bulls fueled with an anger to harm her at least once. Though they failed nearly every time. Minari almost always left the battlefield with a very small amount of wounds, very little scars; the only time she was noticeably injured was during the Battle of Trills when the Wutherian Empire faced the orcs from the Vampire Kingdom. It was their very first time—the Academy of the Shadows students and trainers—to battle head-on with the bloodthirsty, ravenous and widely-feared creatures.
Queen Dalliah turned around to face Jasmina, who gave her a worried look. The queen flashed her a reassuring smile and shook her head. "Jasmina, she is okay. She will return soon before you know it. You can relax."
Jasmina nodded slowly before she lowered her green eyes to the ground, a thick and velvety carpet.
Queen Dalliah emitted a chuckle. "And so up until this day you are still not used to the way our Minari works."
Jasmina looked up at the queen who was watching her amusingly. The steward found her own lips turning up into a small smile. Then she shook her head and sighed once more, this time one of relief.
"You are right, Queen Dalliah," she said. "My apologies. Though it is just that these areas she is instructed to go to, missions she has been embarking on, these tasks she is being entrusted with..." She shook her head once more. "It seems to be getting more and more risky."
"Risky," the queen repeated before she shifted her attention back to the window. "Define risky for me, Jasmina." Her expression turned serious.
Jasmina remained silent as she prepared herself for yet another speech that would always be accompanied by a prudent, senseful truth.
"If you are talking about Minari risking her own life to go on these missions, then that's already given," the queen started. "These are assassins. Ninjas. Spies. They studied and trained years for this."
Then the queen turned to Jasmina once more. This time the steward did not look up.
"Now if you are referring to the risk of the unknown, well, why is it that I am tasking them with these explorations in such peculiar places?" Queen Dalliah shook her head. "I want everyone to be fully aware, Jasmina. I want them to know what they are going to be up against in case they are suddenly faced with it. I want them to realize that being complacent is a behavior that I can only tolerate for a while."
Queen Dalliah heaved a sigh. "We need to keep moving. We need to keep progressing. Which is why I am sending them out there so they can find out what it is about those places that make them so greatly feared. Or perhaps even the places that draw lots of attention from people. So they can inform us about what those places are about and in turn we will inform the people."
Jasmina nodded slowly though she refused to meet the fiery gaze of the queen.
"And isn't that what we are doing?" Queen Dalliah continued after taking a sip of her tea. "We have yet to keep any of the residents in the dark with regards to serious matters such as this. You let me know when a certain official is withdrawing information on such issues when a citizen inquires, then I will make sure that they have a long stay in prison."
Jasmina's green eyes then flickered up to Queen Dalliah, who was looking out of the window as she spoke. The queen's voice had been raised more than once during their conversation, which was a bad sign. The steward did not want to give her another reason to do so.
"Everything you do, Queen Dalliah..."
"Everything I do is for our people, Jasmina," Queen Dalliah interrupted her steward. She trained her eyes on Jasmina with an intensity that made the latter recoil. "I expect that you have the same noble purpose."
"Queen Dalliah! Queen Dalliah! The ninja has returned!"
At these words, the two women engaged in a deep discussion turned their heads in the direction of the hallway, where a man materialized mercifully. He wore a polo and vest, accompanied by dress pants and Italian shoes. Panting as if he had been running a mile, the man glanced at Jasmina who gave him a small smile.
The man bowed to her before he shifted his attention to the queen.
"Where is she, Thanos?" Queen Dalliah asked to avoid any further pleasantries or small talk. The man named Thanos pointed to the floor in response.
"Downstairs, Your Highness," Thanos answered excitedly. "She's all right. Though I don't know if you are going to like hearing what she has to say."
The queen stood from her seat and urged for Jasmina to follow her out of the room. "Thank you, Thanos, you may take your leave now." She stopped to say this to the man who gave her a grateful bow. The queen proceeded to exit the room and make her way down the staircase, with her steward following her closely.
Standing in the lobby of the palace were multitudes of guests, some residents of the Wutherian Empire, while the others were from outside-from the neighboring kingdoms... all of whom were undeniably eager to see the queen with their own eyes. Though the queen would normally pay a great deal of attention to visitors who frequented the palace or went over there to see her, her primary focus at that moment was to speak to Minari regarding the task that she had entrusted the ninja with.
And she wanted to make sure that the trainer was all right, in one piece. Because Thanos had told her she was then that gave her a sense of calmness. Though Queen Dalliah wished to see it for herself.
She fixated her gaze on the young woman standing near the center of the lobby. She had jet black hair that hung down to her waist, brown eyes, and light skin, rather too fair for a human. Though she was human, all right.
Donning black robes that Queen Dalliah had never seen in her entire life, Minari looked as rejuvenated as ever as she spoke to a teenage girl with blonde hair. Where in the Kelran Lands did she get such an outfit?
As the Queen drew closer to them, she immediately recognized the other figure as one of the Academy of Speech fourth-year students, Lucila Pearlina.
Queen Dalliah cleared her throat when she was standing right in front of them. The two women looked in her direction simultaneously. When they realized who was in their presence, they bowed immediately.
Jasmina stood at Queen Dalliah's side, peering at the onlookers who were watching them like hawks.
"Dear Minari," Queen Dalliah began. "At last you have returned."
Minari nodded once. "Queen Dalliah."
Queen Dalliah gave the two women a smile. "Please follow me."
Minari nodded once more before she began to follow her and Jasmina in the direction of the staircase that led to the many rooms that only several individuals had the opportunity to view and visit. Though when it was noticed that Lucila Pearlina remained rooted to her spot, the queen looked at her.
"You too, Lucila," Queen Dalliah instructed.
At that very moment Lucila whipped her head so quickly that it looked as if her neck was about to break. She appraised the queen with wide eyes.
"Me, Your Majesty?" Lucila repeated, unconvinced.
Queen Dalliah nodded. "Yes, you."
Without waiting for another response, the queen turned on her heel once more and walked towards the elevator with Jasmina, Lucila, and Minari following her from behind. Jasmina exchanged glances with Minari, while Lucila did her best to keep her eyes on the ground to avoid making any eye contact with the visitors. She was getting a far greater deal of attention than she was hoping for.
Wordlessly, the four women headed to the Control Room where nearly all of the meetings for the Palace officials were conducted. Lucila gaped at the equipment, furniture, and overall beauty of the room. Though she closed her mouth immediately when she realized that she was in the presence of royal folk. Minari gave her a reassuring smile as they reached the oak table.
"Have a seat," Queen Dalliah instructed Minari, while she was already taking a seat with her steward next to her.
Just as Lucila was about to take a seat at the far corner of the table, right beside Minari, the creepiest creature popped out in front of her. It took Lucila merely seconds to realize that the creature was a spider with fifteen legs and red eyes that glowed with anger. Anger that appeared to be directed at her. Lucila instinctively let out a yelp when the spider lunged at her but it was suddenly cast aside by some invisible force. The spider hit the wall nearby Lucila, who watched in wonder as the queen moved her hands as if controlling the creature.
Queen Dalliah spoke up, her tone much softer than it was moments ago. "Lucila. May you go to this room while we have a quick word with Minari? You can enjoy as many food and refreshments as you like." She gestured to a room at the right corner. The door was engraved with a message that read 'PANTRY.'
Lucila gaped at the queen and opened her mouth to speak. Then she closed her mouth quickly. This happened a few times, making her resemble a fish. "Uh, thank you, Your Highness."
Lucila bowed down to the queen who smiled at her restless behavior. Then the fourth-year student entered the small room but not before shooting a worried glance at her friend. This left Minari alone with Queen Dalliah, Jasmina, and the guards who remained still like statues at their designated stations.
"Mina," the queen said as her eyes were still trained on the fifteen-legged spider. Then she lowered her hands and turned slowly to face the woman she was speaking to.
Minari nodded in response. The queen tilted her head to the side. Though she already knew the answer to the question, she still asked anyways.
"Have you been successful in retrieving any of the artifacts that I instructed you to claim, Mina?"
Minari gave the queen an unreadable look. Queen Dalliah stared back at her intensely, to which the ninja responded with a shake of her head.
"No, Queen Dalliah," she answered in a soft voice.
Queen Dalliah gave her a small smile, as if expecting this to happen; then again, retrieving the artifacts that she was in search of were extremely difficult to get. They said that nobody who attempted to retrieve the objects got out alive or in one piece.
Though judging on the ninja's present appearance, Queen Dalliah deemed that she was not hurt. Just as what Thanos had told them moments ago. Relief washed over the queen upon seeing this herself.
"As expected," Queen Dalliah replied more harshly than she had intended.
"Dare tell us what happened to your clothes?" Jasmina's voice rang out all of a sudden.
Simultaneously, both women eyed Minari's black robe.
Minari's face turned a shade of pink as she bowed her head. "Gone" was all she could tell them.
Queen Dalliah raised an eyebrow. "And your weapons?"
Minari's eyes flickered to the queen as a smirk graced her lips. "Same as my clothes, Dalls. They're gone."
Jasmina winced at this nickname, while Queen Dalliah pursed her lips.
"Very well, then. After this meeting, go to Karmilla's office and request for a new set of robes. Then as for your weapons, you will need to go to Harith's in the Jurisian Kingdom if you want the exact same set that you had." Minari nodded once at this.
"What did you find there?" Queen Dalliah finally asked the question that had been floating in their minds for the past several hours.
Minari gulped as if hesitant to answer the question. Queen Dalliah arched an eyebrow at this gesture. To the left of her Majesty, Jasmina was jotting notes on the yellow parchment of paper that she always carried with her.
"Queen Dalliah, to tell you the truth..." Minari started with a hesitant edge creeping into her voice. "To tell you the truth, I was not able to find any of the artifacts that you instructed me to retrieve."
Queen Dalliah narrowed her eyes at this and raised a finger towards Minari, obviously to cast one of the Destruction spells that she was very well-known for. Jasmina, the guards, and two maids who were cleaning the room watched in shock as the queen cast a Frost spell and sent chunks of ice flying towards Minari, who blocked each chunk with a simple motion of her hand. The chunks of ice froze for a moment before they fell to the table, landing in a heap of pieces.
Minari kept her calm eyes were trained on Queen Dalliah. Jasmina's gaze was flickering nervously between both women, unsure what to do or say.
"You imprudent, unreliable little good-for-nothing brat," Queen Dalliah said softly but it was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
A small smile played on Minari's lips. But the insult stung her inside as if her heart had just been pierced with her own shuriken. Ignoring her own personal emotional inconveniences, the ninja spoke up in the most confident tone she could muster, which made everyone look in her direction with stunned expressions.
"Though I have found out something else that you may regard as more useful."
A pregnant silence fell over the room. All eyes were on the table where the four women were having a discussion. Even the guards, who normally paid little attention to their surroundings unless they were spoken to, were sneaking glances in their direction. It was extremely rare that their well-mannered queen showed any signs of hostility towards anyone—a cold, commanding tone when speaking to other people only but that was because she was the queen and that was her duty: to command. Though to attempt harm on somebody was an act that Queen Dalliah had yet to do in her five years of ruling the Wutherian Empire... until now.
Though much to their surprise, the object of Queen Dalliah's anger and violence seemed unnervingly calm. The young woman wore a stoic expression throughout the entire fracas. She even managed to defend herself against the queen's attack with barely a snap of her fingers. The guards monitoring the Control Room sensed the danger emitted by the ninja and, as if on cue, trained their guns in her direction.
Minari noticed this tension that she created with a mere act of self-defense and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. After years of working for the Empire, the Palace officials had yet to develop any sort of trust in her. She gave the queen a pointed look, to which the latter reacted with a nod.
Queen Dalliah looked around at the guards and told them, "Enough of the gun-pointing, guards. No harm is being done here. We are merely having a discussion, can't you imbeciles see?"
The guards exchanged uneasy glances before they lowered their weapons and returned it to their original positions. Jasmina found the muscles in her own body relaxing as this happened. Minari cast her a furtive glance before she gave her a reassuring smile.
Queen Dalliah shifted her attention back to Minari, who fixed her gaze on the former with a comparable level of intensity. Jasmina recoiled at the hardened look in the ninja's eyes which appeared to be daring anyone to point a weapon at her again. Though everyone knew that it would be unwise to defy the queen's orders. The ninja cleared her throat loudly as the silence in the room became uncomfortable.
"What is it?" Queen Dalliah finally asked, directing the focus to their topic again.
Minari let out a long breath. "I found the cave that you told me to go to, Queen Dalliah. I acknowledge my own failure. Though I failed to retrieve the treasure you wanted, I have crossed paths with a being that we all assumed had vanished."
"Who?" Jasmine asked, her impatience getting the best of her.
Minari trained her intense brown eyes on the steward, who expected to be given an insult or transformed into a wolf. Instead, the ninja gave her a small smile. "She is known as the Lost Necromancer."
Gasps filled the room, signifying the suspicion that everybody was eavesdropping on their conversation. The steward had covered her own mouth with her hand. The reaction of Queen Dalliah was the most unreadable.
"Show me," the queen said simply, her anxious-ridden eyes raking over her friend's face. "Show me that you are not lying. Then we will relay this issue to the Commander who will decide what actions we can take."
Minari returned the stare with a crooked smile.
The queen looked at her steward. "Jasmina, issue the command to the guards to bring the fourth-year student, Hoshie, of the Academy of the Fine Arts to the Palace. During their first period at five o'clock, tell the guards that she is needed immediately."
Jasmina nodded once and rose to her feet. She cast a suspicious glance at Minari before leaving the Control Room. The queen slammed a fist onto the table, which made the maids jump slightly. The guards in the room seemed unperturbed, though. It wasn't a doubt they were accustomed to this kind of behavior from their queen.
Queen Dalliah shifted her attention to the guards and maids present in the room. She instructed them all to leave, an instruction which they followed immediately.
"We will have to cast a memory loss spell on those eavesdroppers," Queen Dalliah said the moment that they were alone.
"As you desire, Your Majesty," Minari replied.
Then, as if remembering why they were there, Queen Dalliah raised a finger at the ninja.
In an instant, Minari was floating mid-air-slightly above the table. The ninja let out a gasp as she was being inched towards the queen. When their noses were only inches apart from each other, Queen Dalliah smiled.
"You out of all people know that I have no time for jokes, Minari," Queen Dalliah said, her voice reverting to its stony tone, as she stood up from her seat. She fixed her angry blue eyes on Minari's brown ones, which were now laced with alarm. "If this turns out to be a prank, then you'll be in so much trouble. You will regret ever fooling around with me."
"Have I ever lied to you?" was all Minari could say. Then the ninja found herself being thrown in the direction of the open door that led to the balcony. They were on the fifth floor of the twenty-ninth-story Palace; and though she was a ninja falling from a place that high would lead to severe injuries or worse, death, if she did not land properly.
Minari managed to grab ahold of the railing and pulled herself back into safety; she turned to look up at Queen Dalliah who quickly followed her out into the wide platform.
"You just tried to kill me," Minari's normally stoic voice came out in a gasp.
"Fool," Queen Dalliah said, emitting a chuckle. "If I tried to kill you, I would have you thrown into the chamber."
Minari pursed her lips and stood up straight as the queen drew nearer to her. "I know..."
Queen Dalliah searched her face for any sign of guilt, any sign of terror or worry. Though as usual, the woman wore an expression similar to that of a robot's. "Do your job, Minari. Prove to them you are worthy as I perceive you! And do it better next time. We cannot continue being complacent. Times are becoming more difficult."
"I understand, Your Majesty," the ninja replied as another pang shot through her chest. "Your kingdom will not fall into destruction; for as long as the empire is under your rule, I know that our people will remain untouched."
"Enough of the flowery words," Queen Dalliah remarked, thumping her young friend on the forehead. "Let's head to my room while we wait for Hoshie and Jasmina to arrive. The Academy of the Fine Arts fourth-year students won't be having their class until five."