Sacrificial Ritual.

Feeling the great pressure wash over him, Veritas was forced to kneel. 

In his life, this was the 2nd time that he felt a looming pressure that could make his Soul lose control in an instant. 

But, due to the constant training that he performed mentally, Veritas could handle the pressure brought upon by the feathered-serpent and the Queen of Elrod. Still, it was very painful and a loss of focus could make his identity split in a second.

"...who are you?"

Queen Valeira stood up and unsheathed her blade. She stared at Veritas with her hollow eyes and caused him to tremble due to the pressure.

"You...can see-...me?"

"My eyes do not deceive me boy. I ask again, who are you?"

Veritas gritted his teeth and remained focused on keeping his Soul steady.

"Krrk- I am.. the Prince of this Kingdom.. Veritas Alpas Elrod."

He coughed out blood and it immediately stained the marble floor.

 The Queen stared at him emotionlessly and raised her sword.

"Liar!"

Veritas was perplexed.

"W-what. But I really am-"

"Silence!" She let out a commanding voice that echoed through the mausoleum, "I shall ask you one last time. Who are you?"

"With all due respect, I really did say the truth. I am-"

Suddenly! Veritas hand was put up against his mouth, effectively making him shut up.

The feeling of dread suddenly dissipated, Veritas could feel his Soul tremble no longer and he was no longer on the brink of losing control.

'What just happened?'

To his surprise, Veritas' arm moved on its own and removed itself from his mouth. Then, his mouth opened and gradually said words that Veritas did not expect.

"Orpheus.. of the Song."

His eyes went from wide to emotionless. The deep-gold splendor had now turned into an eye that was devoid of life. Additionally, Veritas' crimson red eye was not affected at all, so he could still deem what was going on.

'Did I lose control of my body? And who the hell is Orpheus?!'

Veritas' screaming thoughts were then suddenly silenced by a deep voice in his head.

'Calm down, boy. This is a fight that you cannot handle. Let me take care of things for you.'

If Veritas still had control of his eyes, then it would've naturally widened due to the shock that he experienced.

'Who the hell are you?!'

'It doesn't matter, you will forget anyways..'

'What do you me-'

'Stay quiet for a moment.'

With that, Veritas was suddenly cut off by the mysterious voice in his head. Then, he started speaking to the Queen once more.

"Another Seraphim? No.." The Queen squinted her eyes as if she was observing his Soul. "A Fallen Angel, how interesting. Hmm? Yes, O, Great Guardian."

She stared back at the onyx eye behind here and nodded. It seemed that the feathered-serpent had told her something mentally.

"The Great Guardian has spoken. You... Fallen Angel, do not belong here."

"I know, but please.. your majesty. I- no, We are just mere observers that come from a faraway time. This body of ours cannot be damaged nor cause any damage. It is the unique nature of the Tree of Life and Death that you are even witnessing this puny body of ours."

She stood still for a moment and stared back at the onyx eyes. Then, after a few seconds, she looked back at Veritas and spoke:

"Very well. THEY deem you worthy of watching, it seems like the Song had past connections with the Great Guardian."

"I give you my sincerest gratitude, your majesty."

Veritas bowed and stood in the shadows where He could observe.

With that, Valeira sheathed her sword back in her royal scabbard and went back to the offering.

'There you go, boy. I shall grant you a touch of my power so that you could withstand THEIR pressure.'

'Answer my question! Who are you?! Why are you in my body?!'

'It's useless.'

'Damned mysterious voice in my head!'

'...'

'Answer me you bastard!'

Veritas called on the mysterious voice but it didn't utter a single word since. Suddenly, his loud thoughts were clouded by the Queen's gracious yet emotionless voice.

"Great Guardian, your humble servant offers you the body of a Seraphim, belonging to the Sun God."

She kneeled and offered her hands to show a gesture that signified her loyalty to the feathered-serpent.

The ominous onyx eye blinked and the surroundings felt as if a sudden rush of gale washed over. 

An abrupt couple seconds of silence passed and Valeira spoke once more:

"Truly, Great Guardian. She plans to use Elrod as a stepping stone for her ascension. It is as you've predicted."

Another silence ensued which was only broken by Valeira's sudden answer.

"It is my honor to offer this to you.."

With that, the body of the Seraphim suddenly raised up and her limbs seemed to spin around as blood gushed out of it.

It turned pale white, and then darkish purple, and ultimately ended up black and bruised.

However! That bruised body of the Seraphim seemed to move! She suddenly opened her eyes and looked around.

"It is thy! Where hast thou brought me?!"

Her ugly and beastly face screamed but Valeira looked up at her with eerie calmness.

"Shut your mouth, you are in the presence of Death."

"Death?!"

Her uncontrollable body was suddenly turned around and faced towards the onyx eyes of the feathered-serpent.

"Impeccable! So this is where thou had been hiding, Death!"

She grinned and her face revealed the sharp fangs in her mouth.

"Mine journey has been fruitful, at long last.. the search of the Sun God ends!"

And then suddenly, a steel blade was pressed down on her three faces. 

"That is if you still survive."

Valeira's cold eyes pressurized the surroundings and made the Seraphim feel drowsy. 

"Foolish Mortal!"

The Seraphim's face was suddenly cut off, all three of Her faces were gone just like that! With the authority of Death itself, Valeira managed to cut through the impenetrable body of the Seraphim of Feelings!

She was faceless, and her head writhed in pain. However, even though the Seraphim's face had been cut off, there were no scars or remnants that was left.

There should've been a hole where the eye had once resided!

Yet there was none...

What's left is only a faceless head, with no features, no eyes, no nose, and no anything!

Valeira shifted her head to the direction of the eye and said:

"Please. I can handle this quite easily!"

She waved her hand while holding a blade and faced the Faceless Seraphim.

The Seraphim was no longer raised in the air and instead, its bruised and tattered body was left groveling on the floor.

Rather than a battle, it was an execution!

Valeira wasted no time and rushed towards the Seraphim, aiming to cut her head off!

However... the Seraphim's head suddenly grew in size!

The face on the right shifted to that of a horned goat with no face. While the face on the left became a lion's that had no face. The features were there, but the faces were not!

As for the middle, it was the same normal faceless look with disheveled black hair and a broken white robe. Her delicate skin was showing but it did not matter as it convulsed and grew into a 4-winged abomination!

'This is Her true form!' Valeira thought.

It walked slowly, adjusting itself from the prior pain that had been caused.

Valeira, though, jumped forward and pierced her metal blade to its side. Golden blood gushed out of the wound and made the abomination kneel.

She rushed to the other side and slashed the abomination in a refined form. Another slash to the knee caused the Seraphim to lay down on the marble floor once more.

"This last resort of yours is useless. You cannot hope to defeat me while granted by a touch of death!"

She pointed the metal tip of her steel blade towards the Seraphim.

"Now fall under my blade.."

With a single force of a cut, the Seraphim's head that was composed of three faces was finally decapitated.

It felt awfully fast, but the job was finished.

The threat posed by the Seraphim was finally gone..

Valeira kneeled to the ominous onyx eye and offered the body of the Seraphim once more.

"Please, devour the body of this Seraphim and regain your strength, O, Great Guardian Death."

Thus, the decapitated body of the Seraphim rose up once more and began to decompose as if it were aging.

After a few seconds, it disintegrated, leaving nothing but a speck of dust that fell to the marble floor of the mausoleum. 

With that, the feathered-serpent left and dived back to the glowing water below the island. Splashes of water filled the surroundings but it was not too much to make the mausoleum drown.

Valeira stopped kneeling and stood up, she flickered the bloodstains off her steel blade and slowly sheathed it back into her scabbard.

She walked back at the entrance of the mausoleum to leave but was suddenly stopped by the sight of Veritas hiding in the shadows.

She remembered the boy's words, and his name..

"Fallen Angel, you.."

Veritas jolted up and was shocked by her sudden address.

"You mentioned your name.. the first name that you uttered, Veritas Alpas Elrod is it? Why does it seem so awfully familiar?"

She stared at him emotionlessly.

"And why do you share the same last name as me?"