Nohrell Voss Fenrith

In the heart of Ironhearth, the capital city of the Dunkelheit Empire, stood a gravity-defying metal structure — a castle that pierced the clouds, where the Astral Empress resided.

In Nohrell's private chambers, adjacent to her personal Armatus hangar, equipped with the latest weaponry, warcraft, cutting-edge Armatus models, missiles, and arsenals, a man strode through the sliding door. His movements were calculated and deliberate. He carried a tray of traditional Japanese cuisine — a beautiful arrangement of raw fish and seafood — prepared by the finest chef in the world.

The man, in his mid-thirties, had dark blue hair parted in the middle. His almond-shaped eyes glimmered with a bright golden hue, and he was dressed formally in a plain tan suit.

As he stepped into the room, he nearly stumbled as his half-closed eyes fell upon the naked back of a fox Wildren. Her pristine skin was as smooth as silk, and her nine tails fluttered in the air as she gazed absentmindedly at the summer clouds outside.

Hearing his footsteps, she half-turned her head, allowing him to see only her left golden eye. "Oh, you're here, Suingi Marchand…" She murmured, acknowledging his presence before returning to her cloud-gazing.

"Your dinner is ready, a truly exquisite delicacy from Solis Aeternum," Suingi replied softly, placing the tray on a luxurious marble table with fluid, practised motions.

Suddenly, she let out a sharp gasp, clutching at her chest as she hoisted herself onto the window ledge. Her face contorted with discomfort.

"What's wrong, Empress Nohrell?" Suingi asked hesitantly, stepping closer. She motioned for him to stop, and he froze obediently.

In the dim light, the essence of her fox form cracked, then shattered into nothingness.

Nohrell collapsed onto the plush carpet, gently stroking one of her tails as though it was her child, her expression shifting to one of amusement. "Fufu… what a ruthless ruler… Aurora Vere Borealis…" She said, watching as one of her white tails slowly disintegrated into thin air, eight tails left in total.

"But you'll need to try harder next time… perhaps eight times harder, fufufu!" She murmured as though Aurora could hear her.

Nohrell's power was not merely rooted in her technological advancements. Her reign, which had lasted an unbroken 79 years, was fortified by her mastery of the arcane arts. No Celestius mage from the Osten Empire had dared challenge her to a one-on-one duel.

As the occurrence of arcane energy in nature was scarce, Nohrell resorted to bolstering her power through technological weaponry. Her crowning achievement, the Armatus project, was a testament to her ingenuity — mechanical humanoid killing machines so advanced that even minimally trained operators could pilot them effectively. With these machines, even the weakest bronze knights were capable of defeating Noctivius mages with relative ease.

This innovation led to a meteoric rise in her empire's power, transforming it into one of the largest in history within just 50 years which was a feat achieved ten times faster than the Osten Empire, which had taken 500 years to reach its zenith.

However, limitations still lingered. The disparity in power between the higher ranks of her forces and Aurora's forces was glaring. While her gold and even platinum knights were formidable, they were no match for the 12 Zodiac Celestius mages of the Osten Empire. That would be her problem for another day to tackle, Nohrell thought. 

"At least, I only need to deal with eleven instead of the initial twelve, let's call that a win!" Nohrell murmured to herself in glee, then her soft chuckle broke out suddenly.

Suingi could only watch as his Empress laughed maniacally to herself. It was a display of madness he had long come to expect after a decade of serving under her supreme sovereign.

The sight brought to mind a quote, ancient and distant, far beyond his realm of comprehension.

The philosopher Aristotle was often paraphrased as saying, "No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness." He believed that creativity, brilliance, and unconventional thought often intertwined with eccentricity or traits that defied societal norms.

In this sense, Suingi thought, Aristotle might have been right about Nohrell Voss Fenrith.

With nothing more to contribute, Suingi quietly resigned himself to his study as he exited through the double metal door.