Ant

Quai Victoria lifted her head slowly, she did not want to come off as arrogant, she felt that if she did she would meet her death and become unaware as to how.

Her eyes landed on the small child.

She could not help but be intimidated, her gaze upon this small girl of two not even half her size.

The image of flesh of blood is small but the aura… it felt as if she was merely an ant staring up at an unmovable mountain.

"Great Ancestor I have a sister who is eight and will be nine in a few months. I wish to request that since in the future you will be able to select servants at will. C-can you please consider this servant's younger sister?"

Terrified, Quai Victoria bent her head and prostrated herself before this great Ancestor.

All this while her head was bent, chin on chest, eyes on the nose not daring to look up or breathe too hard.

The aura rose higher, those nearby fell on their knees, weak and struggling to breathe.

If one had enough strength and flew or floated above they would see massive Jaws filled with several teeth yawning open and snap. The entire form would be that of a shark. The surroundings trembled, the aura was so powerful that it covered the entire Kai residence spreading further the entirety of the capital.

The Palace far away, even protected by powerful shields against malicious enemies, felt it.

The young emperor who was resting on a daybed, silky robes parted to expose a well-defined chest slowly opened peach blossom eyes, his curled lashes brushing majestic brows and a diamond-shaped face enough to make Celestials envy. The robes were a pale grey with golden threads, instead of dragons, there was a black serpent stitched into it.

The empire had found this insulting that a majestic sky Eastern dragon was replaced by an onyx serpentine.

Still, this emperor was powerful and like all emperor's before him, he had a right to choose which divine beast he wished to represent himself as emperor.

He had only wanted to visit this tiny kingdom to see if it was worthy of his protection but feeling that power, the familiarity of it made him open his eyes wide before narrowing them in thought.

A concubine he had favoured recently sat opposite on the far side watching him with a thirsty gaze, he pursed his flamingo coloured lips the young emperor decided that it was too fleeting and that it is best to wait.

What he has decided now, he will help protect this kingdom but with a few conditions.

Quai Victoria was stunned, unable to move from her prostrating position.

Sweat soaked her skin, blood dribbled from her mouth, her gaze became hazy that burst of power--she swayed and passed out.

Quai Victoria had no idea how long she had been out but when she awoke once again the room was dark.

There was someone minding her, she tried to turn her head but felt pain.

"H-how long was I out for?"

"Three days,"

Quai Victoria became stunned.

Three days?

So long?

She tried to sit up but the maid serving her pushed her back down,

"Ranked servant Quai, you must get some rest. The young miss said that once you have recovered; you may speak to her in the appropriate manner."

Absent-mindedly Quai Victoria nodded, the memory of the aura the Ancestor had released was simply too powerful. So powerful that she could still feel it days later.

The murderous aura was stifling, making her dribble blood the taste that had filled her mouth made her shudder.

Quai Victoria tested one more day before rising, cleaning herself thoroughly and once again approached the young Ancestor.

She struggled not to tremble, looking around she admired the surroundings.

The old madam and the young master had chosen well, the courtyard was magnificent.

The main was situated directly on top of a lake, the four Winding corridors were built from stone taking two days to complete, including the carvings on the path of various auspicious divine beasts. All of this was in mind to keep the young miss cool because when she became overheated she would fall into a slumber, both the old madam and the young master feared that she would fall into a slumber and not wake up for a long time, so the two thought of this.

The lake had been smaller but those with innate power who welded water were used to fill it while those with earthen power expanded.

Within the lake were freshwater fish, the servants when necessary would catch a few and prepare them for the young miss.

Passing over the Winding stone corridor, Quai Victoria used her inherent speed to move fast, arriving directly before the towering doors of the young miss.

The two guards glanced at her, scanning her rapidly with their talent before stepping aside and allowing her entry.

Quai Victoria nodded to the two, noticing that they had become much more powerful than a few days ago.

The young miss had wasted no time but thinking about it, what she had done was correct, guards guarding the entrance must be powerful because they are the first line of defence.

Within the inner courtyard, plants were scattered, towering trees producing blossoms, some with plain orange toned leaves and grey trunks, others had the rare green, some purple. The colour combined was beautiful against the white and gold backdrop of the building.

The courtyard itself is a small island constructed using the dirt that was dug from the surroundings and mixed with various minerals to enrich the soil and eliminate impurities.

Sitting in a chair that swallowed her form was the young miss, two young maids flanked her on each side with their heads slightly bent.

Quai Victoria knows that she would not be given face in front of the two but she did not care.

Just then the young Ancestor raised her head and looked directly in her direction and spoke.