《The Masked Parapriestess》


 The Dream She Sought

    The crisp air of the cabin soothed her senses; its plush seats. Its steam-vacuumed carpets. Despite the cramped legroom of economy class, here, Vera did not feel like a prisoner. She never felt freer in what she saw as an aluminium coffin made by the lowest bidder. Indeed, she hated flying, but her desire to roam Aarde triumphed over this fear. Her work demanded her to travel all across Ussea; to Peninsula, Garuda, Archipelago, Echelon, Northland and then back home to Pixel. Seven states in seven days, every week, for three hundred and seventy-seven days. Seven years¡ªand still stuck as a mere parapriestess; a dead-end job.


    For two-thousand-six-hundred-and-thirty-nine days, she stared out that same round window, seeing the same airports and runway signages to the point she began pulling down the shutters. In her deep dreams mid-flight brought about by her nocturnal behaviour, she often hallucinated about landing at Rondella Airport in Kanata; visiting the world-famous Triagra Falls, tasting the cool misty air brought about by the roaring waters with the sun kissing her tanned skin; the mask she was forced to wear¡ªthrown away; crushed, destroyed.


    She always wanted to become a priestess. To wield light in her hand; to heal and help those in need; to make the world a better place. That dream was now within her grasp. Today, on the 32<sup>nd</sup> of September, 2249, she was defecting to Royal United Kanata. Also known as high treason against the United States of South Eastern Asiatica.


    Her fate had been sealed in red wax, upon the dotted line in black ink; safekept in her briefcase¡ªbulletproof. The immigration officers and gate agents asked no questions. If they did however, all she had to say was she was going on vacation. She still had ninety-eight days of annual leave left unused; a shame, for it could not be encashed unless she resigned.


    ¡°Cabin crew, take-off stations. Leaving position one. Standby for departure.¡±


    The runway¡¯s bright lights lit up the straight path ahead.


    ¡°Here we go, Vera¡­ You¡¯ve finally made it¡­ Screw you, Ussea. Good riddance.¡±


    She gripped the armrests and closed her eyes as the plane began to vibrate and roar.


    ¡°Crew, take-off clearance cancelled, exiting runway. Standby.¡±


    Vera¡¯s lunch came up as the plane decelerated to a slow crawl, making a sharp left onto the taxiway. The other passengers began to raise their voices in frustration, asking the flight attendants who knew as much as them: ¡°What¡¯s the hold-up¡­? I didn¡¯t buy travel insurance for this! Is it an engine failure¡­? What¡¯s going on¡­? I want a refund!¡±


    The uproar in the cabin was soon dwarfed by the louder screams of eight fighter jets taking off from runways left and right, shaking the civilian plane and its passengers silent.


    Vera watched as they performed a near-vertical climb with white-hot cones spewing out their rear-ends; full-afterburners. ¡°Live munitions¡­?¡± She squinted at the silhouettes of the now tiny jets overhead, but could not confirm if she saw blue or yellow rings on their missiles.


    ¡°Passengers, this is the captain speaking, on behalf of Thanatos Heavy Airlines, I apologise for the inconvenience caused. Mermaid Bay Control has grounded all civilian flights at this time and has ordered all planes to return to their terminals. No official reasonings have been provided, but I will inform you as soon as the information is disbursed to me. In the meantime, please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened.¡±


    ¡°Heh, a mock scramble? Maybe the Allfather is checking to make sure the Air Force isn¡¯t slacking off and letting the Armada do all the work¡­ as usual¡­¡± One of the passengers murmured with a laugh, slouching down in his seat and fumbling about on his uPhone.


    ¡°Tch, they should just build a separate airbase away from here! Why the heck does the international airport have to share runways with the UDF in the year of our Lord 2249? What are they poor? Are we not the greatest nation on Aarde?¡± Another passenger yelled.


    ¡°Pretty much¡­ Aerial Battleships beat Strike Fighters any day¡­¡±


    ¡°Mommy look, there¡¯s more of them! There¡¯s so many!¡± A boy no more than ten years old in tapped the glass window front of Vera, pointing to the main runways.


    He planted his nose upon the glass and squinted at the Goshawks once more.


    Vera¡¯s heart stopped. She blinked slowly and hoped she was merely seeing things.


    No. She was not. She saw them. Bright as day in the darkest night.


    Yellow rings. Live munitions.


    A cold tingle ran down her spine, taking her breath away.


    She unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped forward, shielding the child to the child, yelling: ¡°EVERYBODY DOWN!¡± Bright blue light spewed from the windows.


    In the next second, glass flew everywhere as the plane shook violently. Babies were crying and the kid in her grasp was screaming uncontrollably. There was a slight ringing in her ears, but she could still hear. An air raid siren was already blaring loudly across the airport. The fresh cabin air was gone, replaced with humid and dirty air that choked everyone in the plane. With an aching back, Vera looked through the shattered window to see eight flaming hulks of twisted metal lighting up both runways, cratered and broken.


    A textbook runway-disabling attack¡­? She cursed. But from who¡­?


    ¡°Oh my god, get us off this plane!¡± A woman wailed. ¡°We¡¯re all gonna die!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got shrapnel in my eyes!¡± A man groaned. ¡°I need a medic¡ªa priestess!¡±


    ¡°Passengers, this is the captain speaking, our plane has been disabled from a missile strike that occurred just off our port¡ªleft wing. We will be evacuating onto the taxiway via the emergency slides. You are advised to run to the airport immediately when you touch the ground. Abandon all belongings except your uPhones. Those who in active national guard units will be receiving a wartime emergency mobilisation order shortly. As of now, the UDF has declared a shift to DEFCON-ONE. Cabin crew, deploy slides now. Evacuate.¡±


    ¡°Defcon-One? War? What the hell happened to Two, Three and Four?¡± The discord amongst the passengers grew louder and louder as the doors opened even as the loud hisses of the inflatable slides deploying assured them of their swift escape.


    ¡°Everyone, to the nearest exits immediately!¡± The flight attendants shouted as people began to shuffle and push. Any second now, another missile could be headed their way.


    The ground began to rumble and shake unnaturally, rattling the cabin. Pixel was not on any tectonic plates. Earthquakes were impossible here. Vera grabbed her briefcase full of documents against the wishes of the flight attendants and slid off onto the taxiway, expecting the worst. For a moment the passengers stopped running and pointed as they watched in awe as a seven-hundred-and-twenty-seven-metre-long, flying battleship roared in just off the coast, parallel to the cratered runways eclipsing the light-polluted night sky.


    Painted upon its dark grey bow was its namesake and hull number:


    ABBS-01 ABRAHAM S. UTAMA MK. II


    ¡°Holy crap, it¡¯s the Utama! We¡¯re saved!¡±


    ¡°Everyone, into the airport now! There¡¯s a second wave of missiles incoming!¡± The loudspeakers on the aerial battleship blared louder than the air raid siren, the echoes rebounding across the ground and surrounding terminals, echoing ten times.


    The warship did not wait. Dozens of its onboard anti-missile rotary cannons from bow to stern lit up the moonless night. Thousands of bullets poured and criss-crossed into the abyss before dozens of distant micro-explosions hinted at the looming, but unseen threat. The people on the ground began cheering and fist-bumping in the air as they jogged slowly to the terminal, some with kids in their arms, but that ecstasy turned to dread as the Utama launched multiple flares upwards before one of its rear turrets exploded into a giant fireball.


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    Everyone then began sprinting, screaming as pieces of hot trinitanium and lithium began to rain down upon them. The airport police, the baggage handlers, even the pilots who had come fresh off the slides, caught up to the flight attendants who were barefoot, high heels tossed aside. Only Vera stood there on the taxiway in shock.


    ¡°Today was supposed to be it¡­ it¡¯s not fair¡­¡± Her briefcase dropped to the ground, falling on its side as she fell to her knees. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back¡­ I¡¯m tired¡­ I¡¯m done¡­¡±


    Four more Goshawks screamed out from their underground bunkers, taking off on the taxiway, blowing Vera off her knees and almost hitting the damaged airliner in the process. She looked up, deafened. For a second, she saw four red beams skirt across the sky. She blinked and then they were gone. In their place were four orange fireballs falling into the sea.


    ¡°Hello!? Hello! I need help!¡± A voice from the plane cried out. ¡°You! The one with the briefcase? I need you! She¡¯s wounded! I need you to catch her!¡± The voice continued to plead with her. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m talking to you! Please help! We need to get her out of here!¡±


    Vera inhaled her sorrow, and swallowed her anger and stood up with a blank face, sprinting over the inflatable slide with her briefcase in tow. ¡°Drop down with her backwards. Place her on top of you.¡± The lady and the pregnant one slid down precariously. Vera caught them three-quarters down, slowing them down safely. Maroon stained the bright orange slide. There were multiple shrapnel wounds on her neck, and one where her jugular vein lay.


    ¡°They just freaking left her! How could they! She¡¯s pregnant!¡± The one in a fancy white dress said. She had white hair with black pants and boots to contrast the colours. She looked rich¡ªimportant, which Vera found weird. She knew only a handful of people in the Upper Strata that would stay to save strangers, and this person did not look like one of them.


    ¡°Welcome to Ussea,¡± Vera hissed regardless, desensitised, falling back into her ¡®trained¡¯ personality. She surmised that this person was probably a foreigner¡ªa tourist.


    ¡°Forget about me¡­ save¡­my baby¡­¡± The pregnant woman murmured with a pale face, choking on her blood. ¡°Please save¡ª¡± Her words dropped off as she closed her eyes.


    Vera immediately checked her carotid pulse. It was faint, but present. Nonetheless, she shook her head, swallowing, forcing down her emotions into the prison of her belly.


    ¡°That gash is deep on her jugular. She needs a medivac with an archpriestess¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can heal her! But we need to get her to the terminal¡ªand then the hospital!¡± The lady in white hissed. ¡°Help me dig the bigger shard out. I¡¯ll do the rest with both hands.¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t. Don¡¯t waste your energy. You¡¯re not getting promoted either way.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that bullcrap!¡± The lady in white barked in great anger, disgusted. ¡°If she¡¯s already dead, then at least let me try to buy her time to have the baby extracted! Do it!¡±


    ¡°Fine. On three.¡± Vera said calmly. Another zealot gunning for a promotion¡­ Even in Kanata, rich kids want their medals¡­ ¡°One, two, three!¡± She dug into the wound with her thumb and index finger and pulled out a black piece of metal, tossing it aside.


    ¡°Divine Intervention.¡± The lady¡¯s eyes glowed white as she placed her hand over the gaping hole on the woman¡¯s neck. Trace amounts of maroon leaked from her tear ducts and then steamed, evaporating. ¡°Done. Help me lift her to that tug. I saw the keys still in it.¡±


    ¡°W-w-what the hell¡­?¡± Vera was flabbergasted. The pregnant woman¡¯s wounds were gone. It was as though she had never been injured. She touched her neck to make sure.


    ¡°Hey! Stop staring, help me load her! The wound is fixed, but she still lost a lot of blood! We need her to get a transfusion, otherwise it¡¯ll be all for naught!¡±


    Vera grabbed her by the feet. The one in white grabbed under the armpits, loading the women into the tug¡¯s bed. ¡°You drive. I need to make sure both of them are stable.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t drive.¡± Vera remarked, placing her briefcase in the passenger seat.


    ¡°It¡¯s automatic¡ªpretend it¡¯s a video game. Be useful, please.¡±


    Vera did not reply and pushed down on the closest pedal.


    ¡°That¡¯s the brake pedal.¡± The voice said from behind.


    Vera tried the other one. Nothing.


    ¡°Parking brake. Pull that lever.¡± The voice from behind said patiently.


    ¡°Sorry. I really don¡¯t know.¡± Vera pulled the stick up and stepped on the accelerator.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m sorry too. They weren¡¯t supposed to hit this clo¡ªyou¡¯re doing fine; doing what you can. Keep your eyes on the road. I¡¯ll worry about these two in the back.¡±


    As Vera focused on the road ahead, the earth began to rumble once more. More intensely this time. Two more aerial warships flew overhead, rotary cannons and flares shooting off in every direction. Vera looked up at their bows and barely saw their namesakes:


    ABB-2005 JOHN O. CRAWFURD


    ABB-2004 DAVID T. MARSHALL


    They took positions just ahead of the Utama, now covering the whole length of the twin runways. Blue lightning from all three ships spewed tungsten into the moonless night. Eight more Goshawks tried their luck and roared off the taxiway, this time, not turning into melted wrecks. Vera could not see what the Armada were shooting at, but it was working.


    ¡°Hey stop, no vehicles through here! We¡¯re on lockdown!¡± The airport security trooper with a submachine gun stopped her. Red tape was wrapped around the magazine.


    ¡°I have pregnant casualty in the back, I need a priority medivac!¡±


    ¡°Take her to the taxi stand at terminal five! Lady Fiona and the priestesses from the Pixel Grand Church are triaging and treating casualties. If she¡¯s important, they¡¯ll put her on the first Mynah out of here.¡±


    ¡°The Queen of Prophets?¡± Vera remarked.


    ¡°Yeah. Her. Now get moving! This place is going to be a FOB in mikes! Godspeed!¡±


    The gantry went up, allowing Vera and her passengers through.


    Dozens of wounded lay across the taxi stand of terminal five. Veiled women in robes placed their glowing hands over the severely wounded and prayed, while medics nursed those with minor injuries. Groans and wails echoed across the scene.


    ¡°Hey! No vehicles in here! Who let you¡ªMiss Sindile?! What the hell are you doing here? We called you three hours ago! No one was at your apartment¡ªit was burned down!¡±


    ¡°Milady, I don¡¯t have time for this, the one in the back needs a transfusion, she lost a lot of blood. If we don¡¯t give her it, or an evac, she¡¯s gonna lose her child!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Christe¡¯Emman, medic! Test her blood type and prep for transfusion¡ª get volunteers for a stretcher party! She needs to be airlifted ASAP!¡± The Queen of Prophets was not in her ceremonial dress. She was in simple office attire. It was hard to tell she was a person of importance, unless you saw anyone and everyone sprint on over to her as though their careers were at stake. ¡°Where¡¯s the wound?¡± Her eyes glowed turquoise as she examined the mother from head to toe. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything.¡±


    Vera jumped out from the tug to help. ¡°She was wounded from ¡ª¡± She stood there stunned. The lady in white was not in the back. ¡°Where¡­ is she¡­?¡±


    ¡°Miss Sindile, you are wasting my time! You think this is funny?¡± Lady Fiona yelled.


    ¡°No, Milady!¡± Vera replied immediately. ¡°There was a lady with me, I yanked out the shard near her jugular and she healed her¡­ she was in the back¡­¡± She looked around. She knew she was not dreaming¡ªnot this time. Not now. ¡°I don¡¯t know where she went¡­¡±


    ¡°This is¡­ Divine Intervention?¡± Lady Fiona glared at the pregnant lady¡¯s neck with her glowing eyes. While most people gawked at the sight of such a miracle, The Queen of Prophet¡¯s eyebrows did not reflect this admiration for the healing arts. She pulled Vera by the collar of her black hoodie and hissed at her softly. ¡°Where was she from? What was her name? I need to know who the hell was with you, Parapriestess Six? I damn well know this is not your freaking magic, so who was it?! Spit it out now!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Milady! She was a foreigner dressed in white, she was on the plane with me!¡± Vera replied immediately without hesitation, her heart beginning to beat rapidly.


    ¡°On the plane? What were you doing on a plane?¡± The Queen of Prophets began setting up the blood transfusion assisted by the medics. ¡°You¡¯re not on COIN Duty this week¡ªand you¡¯re not scheduled for any vacation days as far as I am concerned¡­¡±


    Vera refused to answer. She stared at the tug and her heart skipped a beat.


    Her briefcase was missing as well. She cursed in her head, but calmed down.


    At least it was out of sight from her direct superior.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wring that answer out from you later, Miss Sindile, upside down into a tub of holy water if I have to. Medic, have this lady loaded on the first medevac out, priority one¡ªshe still has smaller fragments in her neck; she needs a surgeon or it won¡¯t heal properly.¡±


    ¡°This is an order. You¡¯ve been mobilised. Follow the medics. The second Mynah will be yours to take to the GHQ. I need you there ASAP. Lord Vega is trapped in the chapel.¡±


    ¡°Activated, Milady? Are we in a civil war with Archipelago?¡±


    ¡°Heavens, no¡ªnot yet. We engaged with the remnants of the GRNA fleet.¡±


    ¡°My contract of service only covers domestic threats, Milady. I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Well, the threat is here¡ª and it¡¯s bloody domestic! Now get on that chopper, or it will be the Allfather ordering you into the fight under Vanguard¡¯s reserves!¡±


    ¡°Fine, but I¡¯ll need my gear¡ªand additional compensation.¡±


    ¡°That Mynah has your standard gear. As for the latter, we¡¯ll discuss this afterwards. Now go. Meryl and Jessalyn requested help half-an-hour ago and they¡¯ve gone radio silent.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Vera replied, cursing in her head. Roped into another impossible task yet again¡­ She thought as she followed the medics hauling the stretcher into the open car park. So long as she stayed in Ussea, she would be worked till her blood ran dry.


    ¡°Godspeed, Miss Sindile¡ªand God bless this nation today¡­¡± Lady Fiona prayed.


    A bright yellow Mynah helicopter swopped in and the medics loaded the woman in. As it took off, Vera leaned against the lamppost, thinking about the lady in white. Who the hell was she¡­? As though on cue, Vera was pulled into a warm embrace from behind.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Demon of Bakkanal. I know you want out of the game, but I am going to need you to play the pawn for just a little while longer¡­¡±


    And then the embrace was gone.


    Vera turned, fists raised, only to find no one there.


    ¡°Just what the hell have I gotten myself into?¡± She muttered to herself as an olive-green Black Mynah landed, the crew chief motioning her to come in. She hesitated. Were it her choice, she would walk away. But it wasn¡¯t. There was never a choice to begin with.


    She nodded and jogged into the cabin, bending down and covering her eyes from the debris kicked up from the rotor wash. ¡°God, I freaking hate my job.¡± She hissed.


    #

 The Nightmare She Lived

    Pillars of smoke rose from the naval base and its pentagon-shaped headquarters. Swarms of missiles flew out into the horizon from hidden bunkers with little to no visible detonations. The unseen enemy¡¯s response was swift. Lightning flashed in the rainless night, zapping the bunkers into charred craters. The Battleships Utama, Crawfurd and Marshall remained at the airport, probably under orders to prioritise the evacuation of the civilians¡ªforced to stand idly by as the Army and Vanguard continued to suffer causalities.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised they still have a fleet that can shoot straight¡­¡± Vera said, standing behind the pilot¡¯s seat, already geared up. ¡°How the hell did they get past our picket drones?¡±


    ¡°Only God knows, Ma¡¯am¡­¡± The pilot said, flinching as more railgun slugs crushed hidden missile-bunkers and pulverised infantry formations fighting around the base.


    ¡°Parapriestess Six, Spaewife, confirm you understand the mission. The GHQ¡¯s situation is critical. You are to bypass any SOSes. What is you ETA? I need you on the ground ASAP. Over.¡± Lady Fiona said over the built-in commlink on the ONI.


    ¡°Spaewife, Six. Mission understood. ONI reports sixty seconds to target. Over.¡±


    ¡°Six, Spaewife, copy. Be advised. The Armada does not have fleet superiority over the GHQ. Expect zero fire support. Shoot-down risk is high. Jump early if necessary. Over.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Parapriestess!¡± The crew chief said as he slid the right door of the Black Mynah open, filling the cabin with the smell of melted concreted and ionised air. More helicopters joined in with both doors open, showing a cabin filled with infantry.


    ¡°Immediate, Utama-FDC to QRF-Two, wave off! Enemy frigate launching Triple-AMs in your direction! Jamming failed! CIWS out of range! Break! Break! Break!¡±


    Vera was not ready. Her heart raced at the warning of impending door. She had done this time and time again, but always hated it¡ªthe rush; the high. She blurted out the words: ¡°Parapriestess Six, executing LALO Jump!¡± and bolted out the door into the cold and moonless night. A black shadow passed into her Black Mynah, turning it into a fireball.


    The other Black Mynahs broke formation, banking left and right, popping flares in desperation, but the autonomous anti-aircraft missiles knew better than to fall for such simple decoys and honed in their assigned moving targets unfazed. Many of them turned into fireballs, spewing twisted metal and charred bodies out into the night sky and onto the grass.


    Panicked chatter from the surviving helicopters flooded the ONI.


    ¡°Romeo-Two-Actual to HighCom, QRF-TWO taking heavy causalities! We are landing one klick short of the¡ªshit! MANPADS in the treeline! They knew we were¡ª¡±


    Distant explosions were heard, followed by rising balls of fire and smoke.


    The airwaves turned silent.


    ¡°Altitude! Retro now! Retro, retro, retro!¡± Vera¡¯s ONI warned, snapping her out of her adrenaline-induced panic. She pulled the cord. Her retrograde canisters screamed and hissed, slowing her rapid descent to that of falling leaf. Her boots impacted upon the roof of the General Headquarters and instinctively, she yanked the quick release to her retro harness.


    As the empty cans fell on the mossy floor, her assault rifle rose, the fire selector flicked up from ¡®safe¡¯ to ¡®semi¡¯. The mounted smart scope synchronised its feed to her Operations Navigational Interface¡¯s night vision overlay, placing a crosshair that drifted and bobbed about according to her movement and breathing.


    ¡°Spaewife to Parapriestess Six, SITREP. Over.¡±


    ¡°Six to Spaewife, touchdown. QRF-Two got wiped. Continuing with¡ª¡±


    Her ears propped up at the sound of creaking metal, causing her to take a knee immediately. The roof access door slammed open. The hairs on her arm stood up. Three light-green silhouettes presented themselves on her ONI with no IFF tags.


    ¡°Contact¡­ engaging¡­¡± Vera whispered and exhaled. Nine suppressed shots exited her UAR-23 Mk7 bullpup assault rifle, spinning towards the unsuspecting three figures.


    Two to the body, one to the head, times three.


    Vera heaved a sigh of relief. She saw the shots penetrate the targets; no ominous plinking of heavy metal. Only the faint bouncing clinks of expended brass casings could be heard amidst the air raid siren, indoor skirmishes and naval gunfire.


    Carefully, she approached the bodies. They wore black plate carriers and fatigues, and bore no unit patches, name-tags or flags. A wheeze came out form one of them. Vera had missed his forehead and hit his chin. She fired off another suppressed shot, letting off a tenth loud clink. As her enemy heaved his last breath, she heaved her next.


    ¡°Spaewife, Six. Three hostile riflemen engaged and destroyed. I landed off-target on the Northeast Wing. Proceeding on foot, indoors. Over.¡±


    Vera changed her magazines and placed the partially-used one in her dump pouch.


    ¡°Six, Spaewife. Proceed, but double time it. Meryl and Jessalyn are spamming their SOS buttons. Break. QRF-Three is en route, but their ETA is half an hour at best. I am still tied up with the treatment of the wounded¡ª¡±


    A giant ball of white lit up the night sky. Vera exhaled and got down, covering her neck with her hands and counting down to three. The shockwave hit, shattering windows and blowing the roof access door off its hinges. ¡°Christe¡¯Emman, was that the Utama¡­?¡± She got up and gazed at the culprit; a seven-hundred-metre-long hulk of metal burned bright orange as it fell towards the sea causing huge waves to roar onto the beaches.


    ¡°Negative, that was the Farquhar. Proceed to the chapel now.¡±


    ¡°Wilco, Ma¡¯am. Moving.¡± She got up and locked her worries in her mind-prison.


    The glass on her ONI fogged up as she sprinted through the northwest offices of the GHQ. Sheesh¡­ She thought, shaking her head at the corpses of those who looked as young as her. Infantry¡ªconscripts mostly serving out their five-year term. Thankfully, it was a Sunday¡ªand no government employees would be working this day. Had it been a Saturday, perhaps more innocent lives would have been lost¡ªcaught in the crossfire.


    ¡°Six, Spaewife, SITREP. Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at the Northwest end of the offices¡ªtons of infantry KIA on the interior¡ªno survivors; no sign of hostiles. I¡¯m gonna blow the bulletproof windows overlooking the chapel and rappel down into the gardens. Are there any other allies in the close-by? Over.¡±


    ¡°Negative, Six, abort. Possible HVT in the chapel. Head to the ground floor and rendezvous with Uriel-Two and Sol-Two. You will go in with them. How copy, over?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Vera remarked, her rope already looped around a support pillar. ¡°Uh, Six, copies. Tell them to watch their fire and stay sharp. I counted multiple UDF Infantry KIA within the office spaces. No civilian casualties, but ongoing gunfire. It¡¯s too quiet. Over.¡± She re-clipped her rope onto the carabiner and jogged onto the stairwell. As much as the situation demanded it, elevators were still death boxes in urban warfare¡ªthe main cables could be rigged for all she knew. No magic could save you from plummeting to your death.


    Uriel-Two and Sol-Two¡­? Vera remembered those callsigns well.


    After seven floors with no resistance, she slowly and quietly pressed the push bar down on the double door and stuck her assault rifle¡¯s barrel out through the opening, letting her smart-scope relay information back to her ONI. No heat or sound signatures detected; she stepped into the marbled hallway¡ªonly to have her barrel yanked forward and upward, and then out of her two hands. A straight sword came crashing down towards her.


    Unlike what so many war magicians would describe it in their notes and biographies: ¡°It were as though Time slowed down for me¡­¡±, it never did for Vera. All she could do was move and act according to what her years of experience in the field had prepared her for.


    Purple crystals shot out from her left hand, cutting her rifle sling clean off. Free from her ¡®leash¡¯, she sidestepped his downward slash. A small window of opportunity presented itself and she spun into a crouch, her USURPER drawn from its holster, safety off, finger already squeezing the trigger all the way back; doing it three times.


    Three projectiles zapped through the air, two burrowing into the assailant¡¯s chest plate, and one drilling through their protective face plate. The fight was over. The Ussean Special Utility Railgun Pistol Enhanced Range, fired armour-defeating, anti-personnel, delayed-explosive rounds at seven times the speed of sound. No human could react quickly enough to dodge it and no magic was strong or fast enough to block it at such a close range.


    Vera looked away. The Usurper always made a mess.


    The assailant¡¯s chest and face exploded, spewing teeth and flesh towards her. The straight sword and black plates were all she needed to identify friend from foe.


    ¡°Six, Spaewife, one GRNA Black Knight engaged and destroyed, Usurper in-effect! Northeast chapel entrance, hostile! Rally Sol-and-Uniform-Two to me now! Over!¡±


    Black Knights don¡¯t work alo¡ª Vera¡¯s thoughts were immediately answered by hail of gunfire from out the double doors of the northeast chapel entrance, now kicked open.


    Three Black Knights and twelve escorting infantrymen¡ªtheir role often nicknamed as: ¡®squires¡¯, stormed into the hallway. Vera cursed loudly within her ONI as she tossed a smoke grenade between herself and the enemy. With her left hand again, she pulled on the ceiling, activating the fire sprinklers. She made a crushing motion with her hands and the water turned into icicles. Motioned her hand down, she made them fall at great speeds, hoping to get rid of the squires at least¡ªbut to no avail.


    The hail of gunfire had ceased.


    A protective bubble shielded all of them¡ªknight and squire.


    These Black Knights were good¡ªselfless even, unlike the Vanguard.


    A very rare trait, not just in the GRNA, but in USSEA as well.


    The silence did not last long.


    From behind without warning, a black mass flew past Vera, cutting through the smoke, orange fire trailing behind it. It slammed into the protective bubble exploding on impact, weakening it though not enough to shatter it¡ªbut it did not need to.


    Designed to tear through tank armour, the second-half of the rocket¡¯s tandem warhead detonated soon after the first explosion, sending forth a thin jet of molten metal through the weakened shield; the caster was an amateur and so without a second shielding spell, the hot jet melted through the caster¡¯s armour, cooking their organs, killing them instantly.


    ¡°Parapriestess, with us! Charge!¡± A familiar voice from behind her yelled. A knight in white armour with shield and lance charged past her, soon followed by one in a grey honeycomb suit with a curved sword as long as she was tall.


    Vera cursed. Both of them had melee weapons. She did not, and so she elected not to join in the brazen charge and supported them from the sidelines with her Usurper, emptying the remainder of her magazine into four squires¡ªexploding them¡ªbefore dashing to her UAR-23 to gun down the remaining eight who were frantically shooting their assault rifles at point blank at the two figures within their formation, duelling with the last two Black Knights. Their bullets bounced off the invisible barriers that coated the white composite armour plates and grey nanoweave fibres of the two. Distracted, they made easy pickings for Vera who dumped every shot in her magazine into them as fast as possible.


    Eight squires fell limp to the floor. Neck and chest riddled with holes. They gasped like fishes out of water¡ªdrowning on land, choking on the blood that filled their airways.


    At the same time, the last two Black Knights stood frozen and impaled from their opponents¡¯ weapons; stabbed clean through the heart, as per the UDF training doctrine.


    ¡°Thanks for the help, Parapriestess. Nice work on those squires,¡± The knight in white said, panting. ¡°I told you to charge though¡ªif there was someone near you, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to help you at that distance. Stick with us next time. You¡¯ll live longer.¡±


    The tall one in clad in white armour was Evangeline Alexandra, daughter of Lord General Vega Alexandra, and now a Major according to the rank insignia on her chest. Vera knew her as Lieutenant Eva of the Pixel Vanguard, Delta Company, Fireteam Seraphim.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the risk, Ma¡¯am. Duelling with Black Knights is not my forte, that¡¯s yours.¡± Vera replied, reloading her assault rifle and then her Usurper, not making eye contact.


    ¡°A Usurper with its fire-rate governor removed¡ªa Mark Seven Custom? We haven¡¯t rolled that variant out to UDF VIPs. How did a parapriestess like you manage to source one like that?¡± The one in grey replied with reasonable suspicion. She leaned in and sniffed at Vera¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You smell familiar¡­ Do I know you from somewhere?¡±


    The ONI simply labelled her as ¡°THI-VIP¡± and nothing more. She was only a few centimetres taller than Vera. Her name was Belladonna Thanatos, Heiress to Thanatos Heavy Industries, and only daughter of Lord Field Marshal Isabella Thanatos. She was a Fourth Sergeant back then in the Pixel Vanguard and now she was part of THI-PMC.


    ¡°I¡¯m a beta tester¡­¡± Vera lied. ¡°And I¡¯m not UDF, Ma¡¯am¡­¡± Even though Vera had her ONI protecting her identity, she continued to avoid eye contact with them.


    The person they knew, or thought they knew was dead.


    ¡°Six to Spaewife, I¡¯ve linked up with Uriel-Two and Sol-Two. We¡¯ve downed four Black Knights and twelve squires at the northeast entrance. We are proceeding in. Over.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Spaewife to Six, I am linking comms. Break. Six-Actual, Uriel-Two and Sol-Two, you are now designated ¡®Fireteam Seraphim¡¯. Proceed into the chapel gardens and reinforce Uriel-One, Pixel-Gold and Pixel-Silver. They are still in-combat with HVT-Lilith. Over.¡±


    ¡°Fireteam Seraphim? That name¡ª¡± Major Evangeline said before being interrupted.


    ¡°Spaewife, Six, do we have reinforcements and evac?¡± Vera cut the thought off.


    ¡°QRF-Three is ten-minutes out, all civilian evac birds are away and I am making my way to you in civilian-borrowed vehicles. Sol-One and Thanatos PMC have split into two task forces. One assisting the Pixel Vanguard from the brunt of the GRNA Army to the southeast wing of the GHQ, the other is on a¡­ classified mission. Over.¡±


    ¡°Wilco, Seraphim will proceed,¡± Vera said, shaking her head at the absurdity of the situation¡ªimagining the Queen of Prophets driving a stolen sedan from the airport was nuts.


    ¡°Parapriestess, I don¡¯t mean any disrespect, but I outrank you. I¡¯ll lead.¡± The Major said politely, but Vera could hear the undertones in her voice, and so, submitted to her authority, rolling her eyes under the protection of her ONI once more.


    ¡°Be my guest, Ma¡¯am. I¡¯m as winded as it is¡­¡± Vera moved to the rear, sighing.


    Glory Hound¡­ She hasn¡¯t changed one bit¡­ She thought.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t get too emotional, Eva. This is war.¡± Belladonna warned.


    ¡°I know.¡± Eva hissed. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s not keep her waiting.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way, Ladies.¡± Vera said firmly, following close behind Belladonna.


    The double doors to the chapel garden swung open with an eerie creek. Vera immediately knew something was off and reported back. ¡°Spaewife, Six, fighting within the chapel grounds has ceased. No signs of this HVT-Lilith. VIP is¡ªstandby!¡±


    A long and rusted sword lay planted into Lord General Vega Alexandra at the entrance of the chapel. Vera knew that relic¡ªhated it even, for what it had done to her.


    It was the Lavender¡¯s Yearning. A bad omen.


    Dark maroon trickled down the marble steps, seeping into the freshly cut grass.


    The fight had been over for quite some time now.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong,¡± Vera warned. The air was cold and smelt of frankincense, and yet there was no visible smoke in the air or any that was coming from the chapel. Even with the enhanced microphones on her ONI, there was no indication of other entities in area.


    ¡°Mom?! Mother?!¡± The Major broke rank and sprinted towards her Lord Mother.


    ¡°Eva, I told you, stick toge¡ªahhh!¡± Belladonna yelled, right before she was shwacked by a high-heeled kick to her belly, sending her flying into the office walls.


    Before Vera could pull the trigger on her UAR, the figure with flaming hair disappeared and then reappeared before Belladonna, rapier and dagger clashing with her long-curved blade. ¡°Spaewife, we¡¯re in combat! Uriel-One, wounded! Request reinforc¡ª¡±


    ¡°Parapriestess, get over here! I need you now!¡± Eva yelled.


    ¡°Negative, Sol-Two needs our help!¡± Vera argued while taking potshots at the unknown assailant, being very careful not to hit Belladonna in the process.


    ¡°That¡¯s an order, Parapriestess! Get over here!¡± Eva yelled louder.


    ¡°Go, Six! I¡¯ve got this handled!¡± Belladonna said breathlessly on the ONI.


    ¡°Goddammit!¡± Vera cursed, jogging over to both mother and daughter. Eva was in shock; she had thrown her helmet, lance and shield to the side, placing her glowing green hands on her mother¡¯s belly in a desperate attempt to stop the blood loss.


    ¡°Get your bloody weapon up, Major! We¡¯re in a warzone!¡± Vera yelled, straining her throat at the ridiculous sight, blood boiling. ¡°Major! Belladonna is in trouble, we need to outnumber the HVT, three-to-one!¡± Vera let go of the foregrip on her UAR and shook her plated shoulder, only for it to be painfully slapped away by a similarly heavy gauntlet.


    ¡°She still has a pulse! Help me heal her, Parapriestess! Now!¡± Eva screamed.


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t heal!¡± Vera said grimly, admitting her crucial flaw in this mission.


    To the general¡¯s left and right were the unblinking, pale corpses of Archpriestess and Head Priestess of Pixel, Meryl Lyons and Jessalyn Parke. Both had gaping holes where their hearts and wombs would have been; now either destroyed or worse¡ªeaten; cannibalised.


    But why isn¡¯t Lord Vega¡¯s heart eaten then¡­? Vera¡¯s thoughts ran amok.


    ¡°What? What do you mean you can¡¯t heal? You¡¯re a parapriestess for saviour¡¯s sake!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, Major! I don¡¯t have the ability to!¡± Vera yelled. She was what the church called a ¡®faulty maiden¡¯. One that lacked the basic ability to heal a person with magic.


    ¡°Then why the hell did Lady Fiona send you of all people? Useless!¡± Eva said, bleeding at the eyes. She was giving it her all, despite not specialising in healing magic. ¡°Call someone else for help, goddammit! She¡¯s bleeding out! She¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s not gonna make it!¡±


    Vera cursed and hissed inside her helmet.


    She really wanted to knock Eva out¡ªjust like last time¡­


    Don¡¯t do it, Vera¡­ you¡¯re not that person anymore¡­ Vera exhaled. I¡¯m not¡­


    ¡°Spaewife, Six, Uriel-One, critically impaled¡ªP1. Uriel-Two, severe CSR¡ªP2. Request immediate medivac, over!¡± She walked over and kicked the chapel doors open. ¡°No civilians in the AO, request immediate danger close fires on my beacon. Over.¡±


    ¡°Six, Spaewife, negative on both medivac and naval gunfire. Enemy fleet still has air superiority at this time. The Pixel Flotilla is retreating westwards. You must now mirror their retreat and rally at the northwestern entrance of the GHQ for land evac. Let Pixel-Gold and Pixel-Silver deal with the HVT. Drag both Uriels to the rally point if you have to. You have your orders, now go¡ªget the hell out of there!¡±


    ¡°Spaewife, Six, negative! Pixels Gold and Silver are KIA! Sol-Two is in combat with HVT-Lilith. I must commit and back her up. How copy?¡± Vera yelled at her superior.


    The Queen of Prophets broke tactical brevity almost instantly.


    ¡°What do you mean they¡¯re dead¡­?¡± She said, flabbergasted.


    ¡°Their hearts and wombs are gone, Milady. They are beyond resurrecting.¡±


    ¡°Emman! Abort mission, Parapriestess! Evac now!¡± Her tone had changed.


    ¡°Wilco.¡± Vera said in agreement. ¡°Sol-Two, abort mission! Disengage!¡±


    ¡°Do I look like I can?!¡± Belladonna barked back at the obvious situation, still swiftly parrying Lilith¡¯s strikes, but nonetheless unable to land any on her as well; a stalemate.


    ¡°Ah, goddammit.¡± Vera cursed and unloaded her UAR at Lilith. ¡°Spaewife, unable to comply, Sol-Two is locked in. If she disengages, we¡¯re all as good as dead. Get any battleship to give me the support I need and we¡¯ll all go home alive! Now!¡±


    ¡°Negative, Six. Grab the Lavender¡¯s Yearning and get out of there. Leave them both. Lord Isabella will come for her. The Allfather will deal with Eva. Over.¡±


    ¡°What? Say again, Spaewife? You want me to abandon them?¡± Vera was shocked at the order. Yes, this was war. Yes, she knew them both, but above all the two were valuable of assets to Ussea as the children of Lords¡ªwar heroes. They were to be their future successors.


    ¡°This is war, Vera. That sword is useless now with Lord Vega defeated¡­ Bring it home¡­ back to Bakkanal¡­ where it belongs¡ªwith you¡­ you have your orders¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not carry that cursed sword anymore, Milady¡­¡±


    ¡°That sword is a tool that will help you kill Lunamaria¡­ curse or no curse¡­¡±


    Vera sighed, looking at the distraught and frozen Eva. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Eva.¡± She placed both hands on the Lavender¡¯s Yearning getting ready to pull it out¡ªand when she did, The Lord General would immediately lose whatever blood she had left in her body.


    She yanked upwards¡ªbut the sword did not budge. Lord General Vega Alexandra was awake, seated upright, pulling the sword downwards with both hands. ¡°I can¡¯t let you have this sword, Vera¡ªnot unless you save my daughter from this madness¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother?!¡± Eva exclaimed. ¡°Hold on! We¡¯re gonna get you out of here!¡±


    Shocked, Vera almost could not speak. ¡°I have my orders from Lady Fiona, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°You know those orders are wrong, Vera. It¡¯s time to stop running.¡±


    ¡°I am a survivor. Running from an unwinnable fight is my forte.¡± Vera hissed.


    ¡°For the future that is to come, you will need these two by your side to survive.¡±


    ¡°I work alone.¡± Vera insisted.


    ¡°Lunamaria does not. Kingsworth and Bakkanal are proof of that. Are you a Dog of the Ussean Church, or are you the Demon of Bakkanal? Answer me¡ªanswer yourself.¡±


    ¡°You know who the hell I am, Lord Vega.¡± Vera yanked hard and the sword came free. As the great Lord General Vega Alexandra fell into permanent slumber, the Demon of Bakkanal awoke once more to the screams of a distraught now-motherless daughter.


    ¡°Don, pirouette left. Usurper firing.¡± Vera said, addressing Belladonna by her nickname as seven tungsten slugs bolted from the barrel of her Usurper in her left hand, the Lavender¡¯s Yearning in her right, over her shoulder. For a moment, the invisible barrier around Lilith shimmered and then shattered; microexplosions punching holes into her plate carrier, flesh and organs. Before she could react to Vera at range, the curved sword at point blank came slashing down, cutting her left arm off. It fell to the grass, dagger still in its grip.


    Though weakened, Lilith did not curse, taunt or speak. With true discipline, she countered Don¡¯s follow-up strike perfectly with her rapier. Vera fire seven more slugs at her, but this time the first three broke apart harmlessly at an arm¡¯s length from her face. The other four slammed into the concrete wall of the southwest wing, exploding and leaving small black marks. It was as though they phased right though her.


    ¡°Vee, up top! Parry!¡± Belladonna yelled on comms.


    Vera let go of her Usurper and brought the Lavender¡¯s Yearning to bear. Lilith¡¯s rapier tip grinded off its edge. Sparks flew in all directions, blinding her.


    ¡°Too slow, Mika¡¯s pet!¡± For the first time, Lilith spoke.


    Stunned, Vera could not react in time to blocked the heeled kick to her chest.


    She went flying with the Lavender¡¯s Yearning, crashing into the grass, rolling multiple time. ¡°Caution: multiple rib fractures detected. Recommend morphine-microdose. Seek immediate care from the nearest priestess.¡± Her ONI warned her of the obvious, its glass cracked, but not shattered, but otherwise obstructing most, if not all, of her vision.


    The Lavender¡¯s Yearning now lay married to her, proof of its cursed properties. Purple crystalline vines wrapped themselves around her right hand in a stranglehold. ¡°I will never let you go, Vera¡ªfor you are mine. Forever and always.¡± The sword said.


    Dizzy with blurred vision, she pulled off her ONI with her left hand and breathed in the fresh garden air. She blinked once and saw Belladonna resuming the fight alone. She blinked again. Now Eva was fighting alongside her, lance and shield thrusting and blocking.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna need a bigger gun¡­¡± She wheezed to herself as she clumsily pulled out an autoinjector from her right crushproof thigh pouch, pressing it down into her left thigh.


    ¡°Spaewife¡­ comms check¡­¡± Vera said weakly, waiting for the morphine to kick in.


    ¡°Six, I read you four-by-four. Are you outbound with the Lavender¡¯s Yearning?¡±


    ¡°I have the Yearning, but I am staying; Lord Vega¡¯s dying wish.¡± Vera said.


    ¡°Goddammit! That¡¯s not the mission, Parapriestess!¡±


    ¡°The mission is always changes, Lady Fiona¡ªpatch me through to FLEETCOM.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a negative, Parapriestess Six.¡±


    ¡°Then go pleasure yourself over our dead bodies then. I¡¯ll do this myself. Out.¡±


    ¡°Six, do not¡ª¡±


    Vera sighed and closed her eyes. Counting to three. She was going to jail for this. She turned the dial on her comms set and prayed that there was someone on the other end.


    ¡°Six to any allied battleship in the AO, requesting danger close fires on my beacon!¡±


    White noise was all was heard on the airwaves. Vera tried again.


    ¡°Parapriestess Six, to UDF High Command, Broken Chalice, I say again, Broken Chalice. Requesting danger close fires on HVT-Lilith for Uriel-Two and Sol-Two. Over.¡±


    No reply. Perhaps every surviving ship in the Pixel Flotilla was on the run.


    ¡°I am going to jail for a very long time for doing this¡­¡± Vera cursed. She was going to have to pull at his heartstrings for this one. ¡°Parapriestess Six hailing the XO of UDF Flagship Abraham S. Utama II. I request immediate danger close fires on the chapel of the GHQ to support VIPs Evangeline Alexandra and Belladonna Thanatos. Acknowledge, over.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Victor¡­ show me you love her¡­¡± Vera muttered at the gamble.


    ¡°Scarface to Apprentice: Don will die in the next minute if you do not comply¡­¡±


    White noise¡ªand then, a voice.


    ¡°Unknown FO, this is Apprentice. That callsign is KIA. Identify yourself.¡±


    ¡°Six to Apprentice, I identify as the true hero of Kingsworth. Now send it.¡±


    An audible sigh and uttered curses was heard on the radio, followed by a pause.


    ¡°Utama FDC to FO, Parapriestess Six, fire mission approved, lase the target.¡±


    ¡°Six to Utama, standby for lase!¡± Vera swapped comms channels. ¡°Don! Dissipate her shields with your strongest spell! Fire breath! Burn it off! Eva, when her shields are down, impale her and stick her into the dirt! We rally on Lord Vega¡¯s corpse! Run like hell!¡±


    ¡°Vera¡­?! It is you!¡± Don asked, panting on the comms. ¡°What¡¯s the plan¡­?¡±


    ¡°Kingsworth¡¯s encore!¡± Vera replied. ¡°Victor is already inbound!¡±


    ¡°O¡¯Rigel¡­ send it, Vee¡­ We¡¯re out of options¡ªand I¡¯m tired¡­¡± Don prayed.


    ¡°Vera, I¡¯m gonna kill you after all this¡­ if we make it out alive¡­¡± Eva cursed.


    ¡°Seraphim, execute!¡± Vera swapped comms and pulled the trigger on her miniature IR designator. ¡°Utama, Six, target lased! Fire for effect!¡± She got up and ran.


    ¡°Mika, give me speed¡ªall of it!¡± She muttered.


    ¡°Parapriestess Six, Utama FDC, we see your lase, firing for effect. Time on target, seven seconds, danger close, out!¡± The static on radio overwhelmed the airwaves.


    Vera watched her terrible plan unfold as she dragged the Yearning in the dirt, sprinting with all her might. She watched as Belladonna¡¯s eyes glowed red before a stream of fire spewed from her mouth onto Lilith. The invisible barrier coating her skin turned translucent and then shattered, setting her flesh ablaze, making her groan in pain¡ªbut this groan would not last for but a second as a silver lance pierced her belly and exited out the back. Eva screamed with tears in her eyes, channelling her anger as drove her mother¡¯s murderer into the dirt, pinning her, before turning and running to her mother¡¯s side.


    ¡°Eva, bubble shield, triple layer, now!¡± Vera yelled as she dove for the corpse.


    Seven bolts of lightning crashed through the glass ceiling and into Lilith.


    The brilliant flash either vapourised or blinded anyone in its wake.


    Thunder deafened everyone and slammed into everyone¡¯s lungs.


    Dirt, burnt grass and concrete pelted the protective bubble, shattering it twice.


    By the time the shower of debris ceased, only one layer remained.


    Vera heaved a sigh of relief. Her gamble had paid off.


    Multiple smoking craters lay before them.


    But Lilith was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Utama, Six, unknown effect on target. Standby to repeat.¡±


    ¡°Six, Utama FDC, negative¡ªwe just got hit by more hypersonics. All batteries are offline. We are ditching in the sea just off the GHQ. You¡¯re on your own. Godspeed. Out.¡±


    A bright ball of white light appeared in the middle of the charred and bloodied garden. The choking scent of frankincense was immediately dethroned by a sweeter, softer aroma.


    The white sphere then expanded vertically, taking the shape of an upside-down triangle. Cold air gushed out from its centre, clearing the smog from its front and back, ushering in a new individual onto the battlefield; one who too, had pointed ears.


    A fair, but familiar maiden in milky white robes, a wand and a matching plate carrier sprinted out along with multiple Black Knights and their escorting squires. They locked eyes with Vera and the two, weapons raised by did not fire. Four Black Knights were seen lifting Lilith onto a stretcher before jogging into the upside-down triangle.


    ¡°You?! You did this?!¡± Vera shrieked, gripping the Lavender¡¯s Yearning. It was the fair maiden who healed the pregnant women at the airport just minutes ago. Now she was here in the centre of it all. ¡°Eva get ready to drop the barrier on my mark, I¡¯m going for her.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? There¡¯s twenty Black Knights out there!¡± Eva coughed wheezed. Her skin had lost its colour and she was sweaty profusely, barely holding the barrier up.


    ¡°Vera¡ªdon¡¯t. I can¡¯t support you. My body¡¯s done¡ªit¡¯s cramping up¡­¡± Don hissed.


    ¡°I suggest you do as your friends say, Miss Veralisa Sindile of Bakkanal. I mean you no ill will. You have all played your roles perfectly in the first act of this ballad, as have I.¡±


    The Usurper fired, recklessly shattering the protective dome over its user and allies.


    ¡°Where is my briefcase you piece of shit!¡± Vera fired recklessly at the white lady while running, the Lavender¡¯s Yearning in tow, ploughing through soil and grass. The other Black Knights did not interfere and simply watched. Vera swung, but in a blink, the white lady was gone. A heavy hit from behind her made her stumble forward and fall.


    ¡°Jupiter¡¯s Gravity.¡± The White Lady said. ¡°This will keep you down. Listen, if you want your beloved briefcase, you¡¯re going to have to work with me, Demon of Bakkanal¡ªyou and your friends.¡± She squatted down beside Vera, the emerald on her twisted-branch wand glowing brightly. She spoke to her dearly, closely¡ªwhispering: ¡°Our nations are being manipulated into battle by the schemes of the Angels, but I swear on my name, I will put an end to it. You will meet me in The Garden¡ªin The Afterlife. You and your friends have been there before, so don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s impossible. There, we negotiate.¡±


    ¡°And I should trust you why?¡± Vera hissed, not acknowledging that name.


    ¡°Tomorrow, ask your Allfather and Queen of Prophets, how many civilians died this day¡ªI solemnly tell you; the answer will be zero civilian deaths.¡± The White Lady gloated.


    ¡°It¡¯s over, Chrysah, your fleet is surrounded.¡± A strong voice echoed towards Vera, but she could not turn to see him. The invisible force continued to press her into the grass.


    ¡°Ah¡­ speak of the devil¡ªor should I say angel, and he shall appear¡­¡± Chrysah, the one dressed in white said. ¡°Good evening, Your Supremacy, Allfather Gabriel Milagros.¡±


    ¡°Chrysah, you¡¯ve crossed the line this time¡­ there¡¯s no turning back for you¡­¡± A familiar voice; the Queen of Prophets, but she did not sound mad, but rather, disappointed.


    ¡°The coalition of warlords doubted my allegiance, Lady Fiona¡ªI had to put on a show to save my people, but trust me when I say this, I did my best to spare yours as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Thousands are dead, Chrysah, what mercy is this?¡± Lady Fiona howled.


    ¡°Thousands of combatants. You saw my handiwork, did you not? This Parapriestess brought her to you herself¡ªmother and child, healed, unscathed. Proof of perfect mercy.¡±


    ¡°Kanata will make you hang for this Chrysah!¡± The Allfather barked.


    ¡°Haha! Kanata!? No, they won¡¯t¡ª but I shan¡¯t say anymore. I have given the relevant instructions to your favourite Parapriestess. She will brief you¡ªor else¡­ now, farewell.¡±


    The air¡¯s scent returned to that of blood and spent gunpowder.


    The weight upon Vera¡¯s back dissipated and she could breathe fully again.


    She got up¡ªand spat out black blood falling sideways, eyes rolling upwards. The crystalline vines that tethered her to the Lavender¡¯s Yearning shattered into purple dust.


    Twenty minutes¡­ that¡¯s a new record, Vera¡­ The Lavender¡¯s Yearning hummed.

 Soldiers and Civilians

    Rainwater pooled around her ankles. To this day, the drainage systems of the Seven-Day War Memorial had remained prone to ponding since the twenty-five years it was erected to honour those who had paid the ultimate price. Seven pillars for each of the seven states.


    The dead will always be neglected it seems¡­ Vera thought as she stood by on high alert, overlooking the mass funeral as rain rattled and slithered against her new ONI. Her waterproof boots and socks did their job nonetheless. Wet socks were the enemy of every soldier; past, present and future. Trench foot was still an issue in the twenty-third century.


    Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.


    She jerked up for a moment as memories of the railgun strike on the GHQ¡¯s chapel zapped into her brain¡ªa war crime, even though there was no one within it. She was reprimanded for it by both the Allfather and the Queen of Prophets, but at the same time, Belladonna¡¯s mother, the Lord Field Marshall, defended her judgement call. For if she had not done so, her daughter would have died at the hands of Lilith as well.


    A religious building for the life of her daughter; a small price to pay.


    Thanatos Heavy Industries offered to rebuild the GHQ Chapel and bear all costs.


    Vera held her laugh in behind of her ONI when she heard that during the meeting. A megacorporation like THI would obviously count this as a donation¡ªa tax write-off. They did not offer to bear the costs of the reconstruction around the GHQ caused by the shockwaves of the railgun strike. That, would be borne by the taxpayers.


    ¡°Vanguard, present arms!¡± Eva yelled, her helmet off for the sake of the cameras, the speakers echoing her orders across the memorial and into the crowded streets of southern Pixel. The firing contingent of nine helmeted white knights raised their rifles, their armour plinking loudly in the rain. ¡°Ready! Aim! Fire! Ready! Aim! Fire! Safe!¡± A twenty-seven-gun salute to all that had passed, now encased in bronze urns. ¡°Battalion, salute!¡±


    Vera saw the tears in her eyes, hidden by the trickles of the rain.


    ¡°Goodbye, mother¡­ I will do you proud¡­¡± Even though it was just a murmur, the microphones picked it up. The cameras zoomed in on Eva¡¯s face, her red eyes apparent even on the large LED screens on the sides the buildings around the memorial.


    The newly-Lorded Lieutenant Colonel Evangeline Alexandra saluted, followed by the Allfather, the Vanguard, and the sailors of the Pixel Armada. The Queen of Prophets and the priestesses pledged their hearts. Vera did her best and bowed her head, not having an extra arm available. Her right army was in a sling and cast. Her left was holding an umbrella over Lady Fiona. If any uninvited guests were to appear, she would have to ditch the umbrella and draw her usurper with her left hand. ¡°If you want your beloved briefcase, you¡¯re going to have to work with me, Veralisa Sindile¡­¡± Vera remembered her words and cursed her name.


    Chrysah, the white lady¡ªor now more affectionately known by people across Aarde as ¡°Snow White¡±¡ªcould be anywhere, appear out of nowhere; waiting to strike with ¡°Lilith¡±, or simply keeping a low profile, paying her respects with her idealistic way of life.


    ¡°Zero civilian deaths. A perfect surgical strike.¡± The fair maiden¡¯s prophetic words shimmered in her mind. Her hands however trembled at the thought of facing a foe like Lilith again. She knew she had gotten lucky with Belladonna leading the duel, but if Belladonna were not around the second time, she definitely would not survive even a minute against her.


    The Kanatan mainstream media repeated this line all over the internet.


    ¡°Zero civilian deaths in USSEA. A perfect surgical strike by the GRNA.¡±


    Vera laughed at the clickbait headline as she laid in the hospital. It had gone viral and the world ate it up like the latest bubble tea flavour. Ussean media desperately tried to counter it. ¡°Thousands of civilians wounded. Many military personnel killed-in-action.¡± But the thing about people is that many preferred to believe the lie versus the truth; fairytales always sold more than history books; and this ¡®miracle¡¯ was a PR disaster for the Ussean military. Especially after what it had done during the Seven-Day War¡ªto win that war.


    ¡°Parapriestess? Walk with me now. I need to pay my respects.¡± Lady Fiona barked.


    ¡°Yes, Milady,¡± Vera said, focusing on the job at hand, carefully walking in pace with the Queen of Prophets, struggling to keep the umbrella upright against the monsoon¡¯s howl. The Allfather soon joined them, stepping down from the stage, accompanied by four priestesses. One pushing a large cart with several baskets of the Vanda Miss Joaquim and the other with the boxes of the Ussean flag, folded neatly into a triangle.


    The Allfather would give the flag to the fallen¡¯s father.


    The Queen of Prophets in turn, gave the national flower to the mother.


    The remaining two priestesses would then present the urn to the siblings or the parents, if they were the only child. Usually, this would have been done by the Archpriestess and the Head Priestess, but they too had been killed-in-action in the GHQ attack.


    Urn after urn. Name after name. Rank after rank.


    Row after row. Flower after flower. Flag after flag.


    Vanguard Knight. Armada Sailor. Light infantry.


    Crying family after crying family.


    Soon, Vera was in autopilot mode once more. Drifting off. Blocking out the human wails¡ªfocusing on the white noise of the rain. They would hold a funeral for them¡­ but not for Bakkanal¡­ perhaps this is all for show¡­? Lost in her thoughts, she fell asleep on the job with her eyes wide open. Besides, she knew Belladonna was somewhere watching over them with a sniper rifle along with THI-PMC at the ready if things did go wrong.


    ¡°Parapriestess! I¡¯m getting wet!¡± Lady Fiona barked, kicking her in the shin.


    ¡°Apologies, Milady!¡± Vera gasped, tilting the umbrella slightly against the wind.


    ¡°Pay attention now, let me introduce you to Head Priestess Annalyn Parke, in a year¡¯s time, she will take her sister¡¯s billet. Do consider establishing an acquittance with her. I know you have your grievances with the previous leadership in the Pixel Grand Church, but now is not the time for you¡ªfor us, to stand divided. We are at war with the GRNA.¡±


    ¡°If she is capable and reliable, I will comply, Milady.¡± Vera nodded to Lady Fiona and then to Annalyn, who¡¯s mourning was masked by her silver veil. ¡°My condolences, Lady Annalyn. I apologise, but I was not there in time to assist your sister. She was a hero.¡± Vera lied. Jessica-Lynn was a monster and died a monster. Good riddance to your sister¡­


    ¡°You should thank her too, Parapriestess Six. She is one of the few priestesses I can count on my hand who dropped everything to be with the Vanguard that night. She saved many lives, including yours; she kept you stable on the medivac to the Mount Alvernus.¡±


    Vera bowed. ¡°I am sorry you had to waste your skills on me, Lady Annalyn. In all honesty, you were better off helping Lady Fiona with Lord Vega¡¯s resurrection.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such things, Parapriestess. Her soul¡­ had already long crossed over. She did not want to stay. You were simply the next critical casualty in-line.¡± Annalyn stretched out her hand awkwardly to shake Vera¡¯s before retracting it back after remembering the cast on her arm. ¡°To heal the true hero of Kingsworth, is a once in a life time honour¡­¡±


    ¡°Not now, Annalyn. There are ears everywhere.¡± Lady Fiona said, warning her.


    ¡°Indeed, Milady¡­ my apologies for overstepping. I shall take my leave and join my parents. Please, excuse me.¡± Annalyn bowed and left, leaving the other priestesses to pray over the ceremony. Her parents were a hundred-and-twenty years old, thanks to the miraculous Elixir of Longevity impregnated into Ussea¡¯s water supply. They were younger than Lady Fiona, but still they cried as though Jessalyn had just been born the day before.


    ¡°Let us move on, Parapriestess. We have a long day ahead of us.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Yes, Milady.¡±


    Vera returned to her ¡°autopilot¡± state, moving from urn to urn and bowing in sync with the Queen of Prophets. Forgetful name after forgetful name passed once more. Death was a weird thing for her. Her parents died during the Seven-Day War. They were never identified. The church took her in amongst the tens of thousands that were orphaned. She had cried once for the dead long ago, but every anniversary thereafter, all she had to offer from then on was anger and curses. It was an eye for an eye; almost poetic. Ussea forgot about her fallen kin, and she in turn would not give a damn about her fallen kin.


    Lady Fiona¡¯s kick to her shin snapped her out for the last time.


    They were at the last urn. The rain had stopped and the sun had set.


    The white knight with golden hair and the ceremonial orange cape, stood before them.


    ¡°Lord Evangeline. You have my condolences. Your mother served us in the Seven-Day War to protect not just you, her daughter, but many others¡¯ children as well. I apologise. I was not there in time. I¡¯d trade places with Lady Meryl and Lady Jessalyn if I could, but perhaps it was not meant to be.¡± The Queen of Prophets bowed to the new and young lord, who was only two years older than Vera. An uncommon practice.


    ¡°Straighten yourself, Parapriestess. You did your best as well¡ªas dangerous as it was, we pushed Lilith back. That fair maiden however, hmm¡­ we need to talk about that, but not here. I¡¯m sorry I broke rank that night. I¡­ lost control of my emotions. If the three of us had stood our ground¡ªthings might not have turned out this way.¡± Eva nodded to Vera. ¡°As the older¡ªand highest ranking on that night, my mother¡¯s death is my own fault.¡±


    In breach of protocol, Vera placed her hand on Eva¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The church is as much to blame as well, Lord Evangeline, I came late and Lady Jessalyn and Lady Meryl could not hold their own despite all their talent and training. Don¡¯t punish yourself.¡± Vera pulled her hand back and stepped back, nodding to Lady Fiona, apologising silently.


    Lady Fiona sighed and shook her head, and nodded to the priestesses holding the final cylinder containing the late Lord General Vega Alexandra¡¯s cremated remains. They stepped forward, bowed and passed it on to her. Lady Fiona stepped forward with the orchid, and then the Allfather with the flag. A whistle was blown under the moonlight and finally everyone present faced the flag as it was lowered to half-mast.


    Rest in peace, General¡­ Vera nodded her head slightly.


    ¡°All next-of-kin, guests and press, this concludes the ceremony, you may disperse. As per DEFCON-One wartime regulations, all active military and national guard personnel are to RTB and resume defence manning postures immediately with your assigned transport groups¡­¡± The announcer boomed on the loudhailer.


    The crowd took up their urns and left for the buses, train stations and car parks.


    ¡°Parapriestess, you¡¯re coming with us. We have unfinished business.¡± Lady Fiona held Vera by her shoulder and pointed the way with her gaze.


    A Black Mynah transport helicopter with the white bold lettering of: ¡°THANATOS PMC¡± on its tail beam, purred and bounced as its landing gear squished on the giant white letter H painted temporarily on the memorial grounds marked by neon yellow light sticks.


    ¡°What, am I PMC now?¡± Vera watched as the Allfather got into the co-pilot¡¯s seat of the bird, speaking to the pilot while pointing at the map on the liquid crystal display.


    ¡°Your responsibilities have been adjusted to Ussea¡¯s current predicament, Parapriestess.¡± Lady Fiona snapped back, glaring at her subordinate¡¯s reluctance.


    Goddammit¡­  Vera cursed in her mind, hesitant to go forward. Her arm was still recovering and she was unwilling to be involved with a war that seemed too big for a small person like her. ¡°Don¡¯t we have Head Priestesses and Archpriestesses to deal with this?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Parapriestess Number Six,¡± Belladonna gestured her to get on. ¡°You will have the finest of dinners Thanatos can offer you. I still owe you for that night¡ªand that other night, seven years ago. Refusing a member of the Thanatos Clan would be rude and also very detrimental to your career.¡± Belladonna stepped forward and nudged Vera into the helo as the rotor wash whipped her midnight black hair back and forth.


    ¡°Tch, as a friend or a co-worker?¡± Vera hissed and boarded the Black Mynah reluctantly as the doors slid shut. All she could do now was hope she was not being sent to Northland to sit on a trench overlooking No Man''s Land on the 68W Line.


    ¡°It¡¯s more of the former than the latter this time.¡± Don slid the door shut.


    ¡°Helmet off, Veralisa. Everyone here knows who you are one way or another.¡± Lady Fiona sighed as she got a pack of cigarettes out, making Vera raise a brow. ¡°What? This is a private flight. Don¡¯t give me that look¡ªyou¡¯ve seen me smoke before.¡±


    ¡°Veralisa Sindile? Didn¡¯t we bury your urn in Kingsworth back in 2242?¡± Vera looked at the lone pilot who nodded back with a sarcastic smile. It was the Thanatos family¡¯s Head Combat Butler, Sebastian Steiner¡ªa walking enigma¡ªbut an excellent cook par none. ¡°The young mistress wept for you up to the point of cremation¡ªthen she said: you don¡¯t smell like that all¡­ I hope you had a very good reason for making her cry like that.¡±


    ¡°I had my orders, Mister Sebastian¡­¡± Vera said bluntly.


    ¡°And what were your orders, Vera¡­?¡± Eva asked, hugging her mother¡¯s urn.


    ¡°I am sworn to secrecy, Lord¡ªEva¡­¡± Vera replied, not looking her in the eye.


    ¡°By me and the Allfather, of course¡­¡± Lady Fiona interjected. ¡°Gabriel? Shall I?¡±


    ¡°Well, Aunt Fiona, they¡¯re gonna be working together again for good this time, so we might as well clear things up before we set the Wheels of Fate in motion. Go ahead. They¡¯re all grown up anyway. I doubt we can keep our mouths shut on this one indefinitely.¡±


    Lady Fiona huffed and puffed, and sighed.


    ¡°Veralisa was hired by your mothers to be your bodyguard during your time in the Vanguard¡ªI recommended her despite objections from both Lord Isabella and Lord Vega.¡±


    ¡°Bodyguard? Whatever for? The Vanguard is the safest place in the UDF. Everyone there are children of the Upper Strata; the most loyal and hardworking of all.¡± Eva said.


    ¡°¡ªUntil the Kingsworth Insurgency.¡± Vera countered, shaking her head.


    Lady Fiona huffed and puffed. ¡°Gabriel thought both you were na?ve. Spoiled by your pristine upbringings. He believed that if you mixed around with people like Vera, eventually you would come to better¡ªand faster¡ªunderstand Ussea for what it was¡ªwhat it is¡ªand what it meant to one day lead this nation when we depart from this mortal realm. She was also to report regularly on your behaviours, good and bad, as she does with other priestesses.¡±


    ¡°In other words, she was sent to spy on us?¡± Eva said.


    Lady Fiona continued on, ignoring Evangeline. ¡°She was to spend five years with you two in the Vanguard, but the Kingsworth Insurgency soiled this plan¡ª¡± She sighed. ¡°¡ªafter you three dealt with Lady Lunamaria¡¯s lieutenants, she was ordered to go into hiding, and so we gave you¡ªEvangeline, Belladonna¡ªthe credit; the medals. An archpriestess like herself would never risk her position on high to make a move against the daughters of two of Ussea¡¯s great war heroes. But Vera isn¡¯t, so we used someone else¡¯s body and burned it in her place.¡±


    ¡°Lunamaria, she¡¯s the ringleader? Victor¡¯s stepmother¡­ she shook my hand that day?!¡± Don remarked. ¡°¡ªthanked me for my service! That snake! Does my mom know?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she does. We have the evidence, but we cannot make a play; cannot risk a civil war. If we strike Lunamaria down, half of the Archipelago will mourn for her¡ª and half the Armada will avenge her¡­ and the United States of South Eastern Asiatica will end¡­¡±


    ¡°But then the GRNA moved, and now she has to play along¡­?¡± Vera interjected.


    ¡°For now, yes. I¡¯m sorry, Veralisa¡ªMiss Sindile. I truly am.¡± Lady Fiona apologised.


    The Allfather, Gabriel Milagros, got up from the co-pilot¡¯s seat and stood in the middle of the cabin, looking down at the four who were seated. ¡°This is an assassination order on the GRNA Captain, codenamed: ¡®HVT-Lilith¡¯. You three have been specifically chosen because you faced her head on during the Mermaid Bay Raid and all other professionals have already deployed to Northland for the war effort. Vera, while you will still serve under the fa?ade of the Church of Special Intelligence, for this op, you will fall under my direct command and officially lead Fireteam Seraphim as you did unofficially during the Kingsworth Insurgency.¡± From a large pouch on his chest, he fished out a red envelope and handed it to Vera. ¡°These are your orders in handwriting; no duplicates, non-electronic, magic-supressed¡ªcompletely untraceable. Once read, burn it. Vera, the reward for this mission is disclosed specifically for you¡ªby blood oath. Please do consider it.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s leading the team?¡± Eva said, slightly hurt, offended even.


    ¡°Where you three are headed, she knows the most¡ªfor better or for worse. Try not to see this as a reprimand, Evangeline. You will understand when you get there. No training in on Aarde will prepare you for this.¡± Lady Fiona said, reassuring Eva.


    Vera took the envelope and ripped the side open, pulling the neatly folded letter. She unfolded it and saw a single bloodied thumbprint. Reading through the letter thoroughly, a line in the orders threw her off balance, and so she read it out loud in the Mynah for all to hear: ¡°Negotiate with the wand user if possible? Refrain from killing at any cost.¡± Vera looked at the Allfather scanning his eyes for a twitch. ¡°That night¡­ she knew you both, and you knew her. She also knew me by another name¡ªthe name I prefer not to use anymore.¡±


    ¡°You of all people should know that wars are not always black and white. There are always grey areas. This is a grey area we failed to address in time.¡± The Allfather said. ¡°And people paid the ultimate price because of my inability to negotiate with her.¡±


    ¡°And now, your mistakes are mine to correct. Just another day on this godforsaken job¡ª¡± Vera sighed, before gasping at the reward. ¡°This reward? Bakkanal Church?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s time you came home, Vera.¡± The Allfather stepping back into the co-pilot¡¯s seat. ¡°Take us in Mister Sebastian. Let¡¯s get this show on the road.¡±


    ¡°Aye aye, Your Supremacy.¡± Sebastian said, flicking some switches as the Black Mynah began to descend, purring over the hundreds of houses in the suburbs.


    Vera folded the letter and slipped it into her pocket, getting up from her seat. Standing in-between both pilots, she saw the faint silhouette of the old place; not the place of her birth, but that of her childhood that was almost a distant blurry murmur now.


    ¡°Why¡­?¡± Vera asked, not the Allfather nor the Queen of Prophets, but herself.


    ¡°The Prophetess Chrysah asked specifically for the Demon of Bakkanal, Vera. Not Veralisa Sindile, not Parapriestess Six. She called for the real you¡ªand you must answer. I am still going to investigate why you tried to fly off to Kanata, but the lives of innocents are in your hands once more, and I beg you to make the right choice for us¡ªfor Ussea.¡±


    The Black Mynah bobbed softly as the engines hummed and spun to zero.


    The doors slid open and the smell of apples fresh and rotten flooded the cabin.


    Vera sighed and hissed, trying her best to control her anger. It was unwise to yell on hallowed ground and awake those who were in eternal rest. ¡°The right choice¡­ you¡¯re a goddamned hypocrite, Lady Fiona¡­ you and this entire country¡­ all of you¡­¡±


    #

 The Nativity of Lies

    The crickets chirped in the cold and moonless night. Crispy rustles came from the dead leaves stirred up by the wind breezing through the vast orchard. The snapping of twigs, heralded the arrival of a king, queen, two princesses, a butler and a handmaiden. They would be met with no applause. For the dead could not speak, nor could they clap.


    ¡°You should have told me earlier. I would have brought them flowers.¡± Vera whispered. ¡°And would have at least tried to remember where the booby traps were.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Stick close to me and on the path with red bricks¡ªI don¡¯t wanna wake the squirrels or the surrounding apartment blocks at this time of night.¡±


    ¡°We have a basket¡¯s worth of orchids from the ceremony, Vera. We know.¡± Lady Fiona said, her tone changing. She spoke slower, but not calmer; remorseful.


    ¡°This is the place my mother wants her urn to be placed? It¡¯s kinda¡¯run down.¡± Eva remarked, looking closely at the ground for tripwires. ¡°She should be in the Hall of Lords.¡±


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re welcome to do that. This place has no security.¡± Vera replied respectfully. ¡°Though, there is nothing of value here. No graverobbers or vandals seek to come here. Only teenagers hoping for the thrill of a paranormal encounter.¡±


    ¡°She said to dig a hole near the altar and bury the urn in concrete.¡± Eva added.


    ¡°Good choice. A bomb being dropped here is very unlikely.¡± Vera said as bent down, unsheathing her combat knife, cutting a thin string of fishing wire that only she could see. ¡°You guys can go ahead into church. I only booby trapped the orchard. Just mind your head. The ceiling is unstable and termites are rampant. The government refused to reimburse me on hiring the exterminators monthly, so I just ending up leaving it to rot. I¡¯ll stay here and disarm the rest of the traps. Lady Fiona knows this place as much as I do. Follow her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay and help, Vee. I can see better than all of you in the dark you know.¡± Don, her eyes already glowing red, her knife already out.


    Loud metal clangs came from inside the Mynah, alerting Vera and Belladonna.


    Sebastian came out with a big portable grill set, a bag of chilled, but already-marinated meat along with a cooler. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m just setting up shop.¡±


    ¡°Damn, a barbeque?¡± Vera said, cutting another wire.


    ¡°Why, not interested?¡± Belladonna said, cutting a wire of her own.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you on a raw fish diet with that idol career of yours?¡±


    ¡°Tch, shut up. I eat ribeye steak every other Friday, okay.¡±


    ¡°How much trouble did I cause Victor by the way? The report said the Utama took a took a lot of damage trying to get into the correct firing position for the shots.¡±


    ¡°Not a lot. On top of the Uncle Gabriel¡¯s words, my mother thanked him for saving me and Eva publicly. His father would be a fool to remove him as XO of the Utama now. If anything, he and the crew will be transferred to the Endeavour since the Utama¡¯s repair time is expected to last over two to four years. She lacks manpower at the moment. The Big E took a direct hit to the bridge and fire direction centre.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good he survived¡­¡± Vera paused, hesitating. ¡°This person we¡¯re going to negotiate with¡ªshe¡¯s a little¡­ sus? She killed a lot of knights and sailors. If Victor was on the KIA list, honestly, I¡¯d preferred not to deal with her.¡±


    ¡°¡ªbut she has your briefcase.¡± Don paused too.


    Vera bit her lip. ¡°W-what briefcase?¡±


    ¡°She said if you wanted your briefcase back, you¡¯d have to meet her in The Garden.¡±


    ¡°So, you remember¡­¡± Vera put down her knife.


    ¡°Me and Eva do. We were there. You went apeshit over it.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Vera picked the knife up.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t told Uncle Gabriel or Granny Fiona¡­¡± Don continued, moving to other parts of the orchard and cutting more wires. ¡°We know there¡¯s something wrong with you¡­¡±


    ¡°The Vera you knew in the Vanguard is gone. Kingsworth hurt me.¡± Vera continued away from Belladonna, disarming the last few booby traps. ¡°Every day after that, my mission was to prevent another Kingsworth. Seven years without rest, Don. I¡¯m goddamned tired. They¡¯re so afraid of a civil war. I want to quit. I want to retire.¡± Vera sighed. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be a High Priestess by now, not doing¡­ all this.¡± She lied as she snipped the last wire. ¡°Good riddance that Meryl and Jessalyn died. They were incompetent in the field.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Vee. No use mocking the dead.¡± Don got up walking over to Vera. ¡°And besides, you said it yourself¡ªyou can¡¯t heal; maybe you¡¯re better off joining THI-PMC. A person with your skillset would be an invaluable asset in my company.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to get in line then¡­¡± Vera murmured.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Don asked with a hint of suspicion. ¡°Who on Aarde would even dare outbid the Thanatos Heavy Industries? ¨Cit¡¯s the briefcase isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not always about money, Don¡ªsome things cannot be bought.¡± Vera replied. ¡°Unless you can buy me into a position of great power in the church¡ªI sleep.¡± She smiled, standing up. ¡°Hmm, we¡¯re done here. Let¡¯s go see what the others are up to. I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    #


    ¡°Christe¡¯Emman¡­ do you think this is on purpose?¡± The Allfather cursed as the rugged laptop on the communion table blasted out the latest news report down the aisles of the church. ¡°Dammit, Aunt Fiona, I need to go there¡ªbefore the situation gets out of hand.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Vera asked. Allfather Gabriel¡¯s eyes glaring. The nerves on his temple pronounced and hard. ¡°Is there a change in plans?¡±


    ¡°No, there is no change, Miss Sindile, just an additional factor none of us accounted for.¡± Lady Fiona replied, her eyes glued to the laptop. ¡°We might need to deploy early. For all we know, the Three Queens have a rough suspicion on what we are about to do.¡±


    ¡°Belladonna, I¡¯m borrowing your company chopper! Sebastian, keys!¡± Gabriel spoke fast and swift, barely comprehensible. Sebastian, who was on the grill with apron, tossed the keys from his pocket without a second thought. ¡°I¡¯ll be on the Endeavour; moving it to overlook Mermaid Bay Airport. The Crawfurd and the Marshall will remain and tighten formation over our heads. Eva! Call Andre, get him to deploy the Pixel Vanguard around this church by midnight. This is not a drill; we are being played. Expect a firefight at sunrise.¡±


    ¡°GRNA, Uncle Gabriel?¡± Evangeline asked, urn in one hand, phone in the other.


    ¡°RUK Special Forces¡ªSAS!¡± Gabriel barked already sprinting for the chopper.


    ¡°The Special Attack Sorcerers?¡± Vera said, shocked, jogging over the laptop.


    The Allfather stopped, yelling at the double doors before finally exiting the church. ¡°Belladonna! I need two companies from THI! One to help with crowd control at the airport, and one stationed near here¡ªcovertly¡ªas QRF! I need them within the hour! Double-pay.¡±


    The live newsfeed was pure chaos.


    A live aerial drone feed overlooking Mermaid Bay International Airport played out, its main runways now fully repaired with large military transport planes lining the taxiway. A reporter was giving an interview to a scholarly figure who was trying to explain the situation as a second live feed showcased multiple submarine aircraft carriers just off the shore.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Thousands upon thousands of people crowded at the gates of each of its seven terminals. Families, all fully loaded; babies in their arms, camping bags on their backs and luggage in tow. The police could barely keep up and a kilometre-long traffic jam on the main roads could be seen with people walking beside it¡ªsome were soldiers with rifles.


    ¡°They¡¯re all Kanatans?¡± Vera squinted at the live feed.


    While some Usseans had some mixed ancestry with their former colonial masters from centuries past, like Evangeline and her mother, their taller stature and harsh blue eyes, often gave them away. On top of that, there were men amongst them. Every Ussean male was already mobilised on the battlefronts in Northland and Staples.


    ¡°The Three Queens issued a decree. All Kanatans are to return home for their express safety in light of the imminent war with the GRNA.¡± Lady Fiona commented.


    ¡°NEO¡­?¡± Vera hissed. ¡°It¡¯s a good call given Ussea¡¯s situation right now¡­¡±


    ¡°For them.¡± Lady Fiona hissed. ¡°For us, it means torpedoing our economy¡ªto the Allfather, it¡¯s as good economic warfare. They didn¡¯t consult us on the diplomatic lines before springing this on us. They¡¯re plotting something definitely, and now there¡¯s Kanatan troops on our soil for a good excuse¡ªfor all we know the SAS are among us.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ve taken a side, Aunt Fiona? They didn¡¯t pull their people out during the Seven-Day War. Why now?¡± Eva asked, putting down her mother¡¯s urn as Sebastian passed her a plate with five sticks of cooked mutton and a bottle of beer.


    ¡°They know something¡­¡± Vera said, thanking Sebastian as he handed her own plate of barbeque and beer. She watched as Don turned down the food and drink, busy with her phone pressed against her ear.


    ¡°Yes, mother. The companies are on their way as the Allfather requested.¡± Belladonna¡¯s voice was different. It was stiffer. Rough. Less silky. ¡°I won¡¯t be here for much longer. Sebastian will have to act in my stead. Yes, I know. We underestimated them. Goodbye. May Great Rigel¡¯s Fire Burn Within You.¡± She put her phone aside and took the food from Sebastian, nodding. ¡°There¡¯s been a leak at THI. It¡¯s bad. We traced it to Kanata.¡± She ripped a whole piece of mutton off the stick and chewed angrily.


    ¡°How bad?¡± Vera asked, speaking with her mouth full.


    ¡°Look.¡± Eva said, also speaking with her own mouth full. ¡°VIP Plane.¡±


    A single white plane landed on the runway. Upon its tail, an orange crown. Kanatan soldiers lined up on the tarmac with a dozen rolling out an elaborate red carpet.


    ¡°Real shit?¡± Vera said, almost choking on her food, grabbing her beer and gulping.


    As soon as the airstairs unfolded onto the tarmac, silence befell the airport.


    Chaos turned into order as a lone lady of elegance came down to earth.


    All the Kanatans who were pushing each other to get into the transport planes just moments ago, ceased their bickering and all took a knee. Only the foreign soldiers and news crew remained standing as they walked forward and handed her a microphone.


    ¡°My name is Morgan Lafayette. As of yesterday, I am one of the three newly-elected monarchs of Royal United Kanata.


    I have come here personally to oversee the absolute safety and security of all Kanatan subjects, past, present and future.


    The old monarchs have been removed from power in an emergency vote of no confidence from both the Kanatan Church and the Ministry of Military Magic.


    While I understand that concern will come from both Ussea and our colonial partners in Tengahsi, that such an emergency vote requires a Declaration of War under the Constitution of the Three Queen Prophets of Royal United Kanata, I, on behalf of my other fellow monarchs will neither declare war on the Grand Republic of Northern Asiatica or support the United States of South Eastern Asiatica against the former like our predecessors during the Seven-Day War.


    Instead, we have benevolently decided to amend that portion of the constitution to that of a ¡®State of War¡¯, that of which Kanata is now in, but without an adversary. This has not been an easy decision to make, however, the hardworking members of the Kanatan Secret Service have obtained substantial evidence from multiple anonymous sources, that during the GRNA¡¯s raid on Mermaid Bay, several dozens of UDF God Particle Bombs were stolen from their weapons depots and warships prior to their withdrawal.¡±


    The lone Queen of Kanata paused, swallowing her saliva.


    ¡°Thus, it is with great regret that I must say, that the Ussean Government, namely, the current Allfather, His Supremacy, Gabriel Milagros, Lord of Lords, has blatantly covered up this gross military failure by downplaying this entire attack as a mere assassination attempt on the great Lord General Vega Alexandra¡¯s life and a crippling of one-seventh of Ussea¡¯s Airborne Fleet; lying not just to my shortsighted predecessors, but beloved Kanatan expatriates working here now in Ussea, but to his own people now stationed in the battlefront of Northland on the mountain range of Dragon¡¯s Teeth.


    All of you here in Ussea are now under threat of humanity''s greatest achievements by the deceased sinner known as Sun-Tzu von Riktofen.


    And so, I say to my people, come home where it is safe, while you still can.¡±


    She returned the mic to the reporter and proceeded to shake hands and mingle with the crowd, who was now cheering rather than arguing.


    ¡°Christe¡¯Emman, how old is she¡­?¡± Vera said, trying to hide her smile. The speech was good. It was evil, but good in a political sense. ¡°No teleprompter as well.¡± If she defected to Kanata right now, she would be led by such a person¡ªand she would not mind it at all.


    ¡°Wipe that bloody smile of your face, Vera. The Kanatans are pulling the rug out from under us and you¡¯re laughing?¡± Lady Fiona barked; her face red in anger.


    ¡°Twenty-seven this year, I believe. She spent three months in the Vanguard as a defence attach¨¦ when you were busy playing dead, Vera. She¡¯s young. The old queens were about two-hundred plus years old.¡± Eva said, shaking her head. ¡°And now she¡¯s a Queen?¡± Eva closed her eyes in disbelief. ¡°She was just a lowly priestess too. She had a crush on Andre¡­ kept asking about him¡ªwhether he was single. Luckily, Andre was avoiding her like the plague. Did you know Lady Fiona? ¨Cthat she was in-line to the throne?¡±


    ¡°No. If I¡¯d known, I would have warned Gabriel about her¡ªmaybe sent another Parapriestess to be her bodyguard instead of you. This was planned.¡± Lady Fiona hissed. ¡°Everything has been planned. A great game is in motion, the pieces are moving, but I do not know what they want¡ªKanata, or the GRNA¡ªand I do not have the time to find out.¡±


    She got off the old chairs around the communion table and exhaled loudly.


    ¡°You have to go¡­ Now! All of you. The formalities are postponed. I know it''s rude, Vera, to disturb this place without a proper blessing and ceremony, but if she¡ªthat Queen¡ªcomes here, personally, and catches us in the act, it¡¯s all over. She¡¯ll be looking to meet with me and the Allfather. You three need to disappear now. I¡¯ll make up some excuse¡ªthat you¡¯re all in Northland, but right now, you need to go. I¡¯ll open the portal now. Gear up.¡±


    ¡°The portal¡­?¡± Vera said, slightly confused. She thought she was here for a briefing. ¡°We have a portal that goes into GRNA territory? From here? In Bakkanal?¡±


    ¡°Vera, don¡¯t play dumb. Not now. Not today.¡± Lady Fiona hissed as she grabbed the familiar looking super claymore wrapped in a brown cloth. ¡°This will be both your weapon if things get hairy, and your symbol of authority if all else fails. There are no guns in The Afterlife. They are still outlawed. Get used to melee and recall your basic attack spells.¡±


    ¡°Bye, Mom¡­¡± Evangeline said, setting her mother¡¯s urn down on the communion table as she picked up her lance and shield that had been leaning on it all this while.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you Mister Sebastian. Do let mother know of my departure.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Young Mistress. May Rigel¡¯s fire ever eternal burn within you.¡±


    Vera watched as Lady Fiona unsheathed a dagger concealed within her robes, slitting her left palm. In her right, she pulled out a long, straight branch from her boot startling her.


    ¡°A wand? Isn¡¯t that sacrilege, Milady?¡± In her many years of training and service under her, she had never seen her wield a wand, let alone admit to owning one. Usseans took pride in adorning their necks with a cross; to wield a wand to be like their former masters¡ªthe ones they once hated and rebelled against long ago.


    ¡°Vera, don¡¯t be na?ve. Magic is not bound by rules or doctrine. It only serves to limit the talented¡ªor control them. Only Will¡¯en is¡ªthe human will; mind and spirit combined. Everything else are just tools.¡± Lady Fiona said as she coated the wand with her blood. ¡°Eva, you¡¯ll go first, followed by Don¡ªVera will be last. I need to brief her. When you get to the other side, wait for her. Do not stray to venture off without her or you will die.¡±


    With her wand, she drew an upside-down triangle similar to what Chrysah had done. The blood stayed suspended in the air for but a moment before turning white and glowing, ripping a hole in reality as it was seen.


    ¡°You two! Go, now! Godspeed!¡±


    Eva marched forward into the portal, and then Don.


    Two flashes of light engulfed the church.


    Vera stepped forward with her ONI on, but was stopped short by a firm grip on her shoulder, followed by a strong pull. ¡°Vera¡­ I say again, Lady Chrysah asked for the Demon of Bakkanal, not Parapriestess Six of the Ussean Church, and not Veralisa Sindile of Ussea. Do you understand what that means¡ªwhat she truly means?¡±


    Lady Fiona turned her around, and asked again: ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me this for the second time?!¡± Vera asked, annoyed. ¡°We agreed that I would not give in to that unholy beast¡ªto be tempted by the Province of Wrath.¡±


    ¡°The Afterlife is a timeless and poetic place. Everything there is romanticised. Both good and evil are treated as entertainment, like tragedy and comedy.¡± Lady Fiona¡¯s turquoise gaze stared into Vera¡¯s soul where that person hid. ¡°Here you may be feared, but there, you might be revered; respected even.¡± She drew Vera closed speaking into her ear. ¡°Beware, Veralisa¡­ control your ego. Because of this, certain types of people may attempt to flatter you¡ªseduce you into staying. Do not give in to their offers of paradise. I beg of you.¡±


    Lady Fiona hugged Vera for the second time in her life.


    ¡°I am not as powerful as Chrysah. This is a one-way trip for all of you. You will have to find your own way back, but worry not, child, you have returned from this place before.¡±


    Lady Fiona departed with her warm embrace and shoved Vera into the portal.


    All was white.


    And then all was black.