You Reap What You Sow

Lex barely managed to save Amrit in time when the monster finally decided to last out, letting out a bloodcurdling, almost guttural roar in the process. His wings outstretched, Lex quickly made their escape from the creature by soaring high enough so that it could not get to them. Amrit remained motionless in between Lex's arms, as if he had fainted in fear because of the monster's hideousness.

"Wake up you idiot!" Lex yelled, adrenaline pumping through him as the situation escalated quickly. "Why, of all times do you choose to faint now?!"

Under Nox's command, a large shadow engulfed the monster as an attempt to capture it. However the monster was far stronger than Nox and immediately escaped the shadow's grasp.

As if it was under a spell, the monster stopped attacking before making its escape by heading straight into the village. It moved quickly despite its massive size, it's movement eerie to look at due to the sheer number of hands it had underneath its misshapen body.

"Look what I found." Rowen spoke grimly, handing something over to Arius. "I suppose this was part of the plan she didn't tell us about."

Arius cursed under his breath, gripping Zeya's earpiece that laid unoccupied on the ground.

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Her whole body was shaking she realised — the sight of the monster from her dreams appearing in real life had shaken her much more than she'd liked. Although she had only ever seen parts of the creature in her dreams, there was no doubts in her heart that they were the same.

She had abandoned her ear piece outside the fortress as a way to lure the monster in, hoping it would've caught her scent. She knew it was a foolish move yet deep in her heart, it felt like the only possible way.

This creature know more than it had let on, merely pretending to have been clueless for its own entertainment, which felt deeply unsettling to Zeya.

Once she thought she was far enough, Zeya quietly waited for the creature to appear before her.

Shortly after she had hid herself, Zeya heard loud footsteps coming towards her direction. She quietly watched as the monster looked around the nearby bushes, slowly getting closer to where she was with each passing second.

"How interesting." It purred, amused by Zeya's attempt to outsmart it. "Let's see how long you can hide."

"You must think this is our first encounter." It began, playing along with Zeya's little game as it searched through the bushes. "But I've known you far longer than that, starting from that day during winter."

Zeya froze at its words, goosebumps trailing down her skin.

It was already too late to run away when the monster found her. Despite trying her best to struggle out, it was no use against the sheer strength of the monster.

"You were supposed to die that day, weren't you?" It continued, whispering sweetly. "Yes, I saw your name was written in His book. The sins you committed were far too great to keep you alive any longer."

"But something saved you... something equally sinister, and for a good cause it seems. You were brought back for a reason; however, it seems like you've forgotten." She could feel the monster's eyes all over her, watching her with a desire that Zeya couldn't quite place. "A child who survived Death's grasp... how impressive. You find it hard to believe it as well, don't you?"

"They were right about you... a powerful soul inside an even more powerful body, just like your mother." The monster smiled demonically at Zeya's pained expression, wrapping around her even tighter. "Though, I wonder what dearest 'Mother' would think of you after what you did. Wouldn't that be a lovely thing to see, hm?"

All of sudden, the monster's expression immediately soured, like it had eaten something rotten.

"... How unpleasant." Its frown grew deeper before letting the perplexed Roseabelle go. "It appears I'll have to cut this reunion of ours short."

"This shall not be the last of our encounter, child." It assured with a smile, slowly disappearing into the shadows. "Nor will it be the last with that persistent Kaxarene."

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"Zeya!"

She finally came back to her senses after hearing Nevra's trembling voice calling out to her.

Relief immediately washed over Nevra's whole body when she noticed that she had Zeya's attention. As subtly as she could, Nevra tried to distract Zeya from the chaos happening behind her.

"W-we should probably get you out of here." She stammered, forcing a small smile to calm her obviously shaken friend. "Arius and I will deal with this so please-"

"It got to the villagers, didn't it?" Zeya whispered, realizing what had happened while she was gone. "I can smell their blood everywhere."

"... We underestimated its strength, Zeya." Nevra shook her head solemnly, not knowing what else to say. "The village is in shambles."

In that moment, everything around her felt as clear as day. She was surrounded by flames caused by the creature's wrath. Running around as they shouted orders, the townsmen tried desperately to stop the fires from burning down their humble huts though Zeya knew that all their efforts were all in vain.

In front of her laid multiple fresh corpses of all ages, all missing several limbs that appeared to have been bit off.

"Your Majesty!" Arius rushed towards her; a wave of relief evident in his voice. He must've been helping the villagers fight off the flames she thought, noticing the dark smudges all over his handsome face.

A new emotion washed over Zeya, and it wasn't guilt or sorrow— no, this was anger. An unquenchable, soul-crushing rage that she hadn't felt in a long time. Arius immediately knew by the look on her face that she was about to do something spontaneous again which he was absolutely right about.

"I am not letting you go there. How are you any different from that bastard if you decide to act out like this?" Arius questioned, struggling to keep hold of the furious Empress.

"Who said I was going to fight him?" She questioned her friend coldly, though it did not convince Arius in the slightest. "We're just going to have a little chat."

"With daggers?" He looked at Zeya's hands, dumbfounded by her brazen attempt. "Really?"

"Arius, this situation is between Varen and I." Zeya stopped struggling and looked at the minister directly. "So stay out of my way, or else I won't go easy on you too."

==========

The peace in the Exousian palace was short-lived when screams echoed through the corridors which lead to the throne room, where Varen resided. He merely glanced at the culprit who dared to intrude at such a late hour. His indifferent expression slowly turned to one of intrigue when he saw Zeya kick the door open — her expression had said it all.

He noticed that the men that tried to stop her from getting in now laid unconscious behind her, neatly piled up into a stack to prevent congesting the corridors.

The emperor merely smiled at the sight. She somehow managed to keep them all alive despite her anger.

"... What a surprise to see you here, Your Grace." Varen welcomed warmly despite Zeya's threatening aura. "What seems to bring you here to my humble home?"

The dagger just barely missed the unsuspecting Emperor's face, slightly grazing his cheeks.

"Oh dear." He reacted half-heartedly, touching the fresh wound on his face. "You never run out of surprises for me, do you?"

"Why didn't you do anything to help us?" She asked scornfully.

"... How will you learn your lesson if you lost nothing? Besides, haven't I helped you enough?" He replied nonchalantly, almost as if the answer was obvious. "Why should my precious citizens get involved in a fight they cannot win?"

His smile only grew wider when he saw Zeya agitated like that, riling up something inside him that had been asleep for far too long.

'This must be what I've been missing all along.' He thought to himself, clearly pleased by how his schemes were coming along. 'I should've done this sooner if I had known. I should've found you myself.'

Wordlessly, Varen made his way down the throne to greet her face to face, dying to see her expression closer. However, he only felt more confused when he noticed the slight redness around her eyes and nose. Zeya suddenly felt vulnerable to Varen, her glare was just a façade to hide what she truly felt watching all those people die. He frowned.

"Is this the attitude you give someone you wish to work with, Your Majesty?" She challenged, her anger only growing because of Varen's unapologetic behavior. "I'm beginning to doubt the urgency you expressed the first time you came to seek help from me."

"I warned you a fair number of times, didn't I? And you were the one playing hard to get." He challenged, dramatically feigning the look of disappointment. "This thing we're dealing with isn't something we can shrug of lightly. Today was one of those days you saw its potential yourself."

"And innocent people had to die for you to get that fucking point across?" Zeya yelled; her voice filled with anger. The stained-glass panels shook violently due to her outburst, desperately trying its best not to break. "Has the war's aftermath not taught you anything, Varen?"

"That violence is sometimes the only answer for certain problems?" He answered confidently, showing no remorse. "You were the one that taught me that, am I wrong?"

"I often wonder where this motivation of yours is coming from. Is it the guilt that's making you do this, or perhaps is it the fear of getting blamed for the destruction this monster is causing?" He held Zeya's menacing glare with a light-hearted smile. "Since when were you the one that felt sympathy for those you don't even know?"

"... Death, it seems, had taught me a lot." She whispered, secretly pleased when she noticed Varen's gaze darken. "Not that you would know, right? Not until it's your turn to go through the same things I did."

"... Is that why you're acting like this?" He asked, no longer able to read what was on her mind. "To seek revenge?"

"Just how low do you want me to stoop for you, Varen?" She frowned at the emperor. "This is more than just revenge for me."

"You have no idea how much it took for me to come back here after what had happened. None. So please, I'd appreciate it if you stop agitating me and behave, before I do something that both of us will regret."

"And what if I refuse? What if I decide to do everything in my power to make this alliance happen?"

"... You thought provoking me would work, didn't you?" She challenged the stern-faced Varen. "Is that why you were so distraught by my rejections?"

"You cannot catch it alone." Varen once again confirmed his assumption, frustrated by Zeya's persistence. "Did you not see what it did to your people today? What makes you think you're so capable, Zeya?"

"You'll see." She answered simply, much to Varen's dismay.

Without another word, the Empress elegantly made her way out of the palace, leaving behind her a pile of unconscious men and a dumbfounded Emperor whose plans have actually failed to work for the first time in a while.