Serum - C190

The Sky King landed within the Sanctuary, a plot of land having been cleared for it in advance. 

From the deck, Pandora descended with her Captain. Other Shadow Troops looked down from the deck, all of them in uniform and armed. 

Pandora gave a courteous smile, “Madam Yumia. It’s been a while.”

“Indeed, Pandora. Come, we must talk.”

Yumia led the way, the two walking into the main building and ending up at the grand meeting room where most war talks were held. 

There were several high level advisors and troops that served under Yumia there, all of them gathered around the table. Pandora sat on one end of the table with her Captain, while Yumia and her advisors sat around the other end. 

There was some silence before Yumia spoke. 

“I’ll be blunt, Pandora. You’ve been causing a lot of trouble and now the Dark Kingdom is on the verge of war with the Otherworld. The Queen isn’t very happy about that.”

“I can’t imagine it would be that hard to fight off the Otherworld. They have to go to you, after all.”

“That’s not the issue. We shouldn’t be making enemies, especially right now.”

“I think right now is the best time to have an enemy, actually. Especially since the Otherworld is already your enemy. You think they’re genociding Vampires and Humans for no reason? Why do you think they’re eager to go to war completely unprompted? I have a feeling the Queen knows, and all I’m doing is accelerating the process, which you should be thanking me for.”

Pandora crossed one leg over the other, looking completely unconcerned with the discussion. She certainly didn’t want to be here, that much Yumia could tell. 

Yumia narrowed her eyes.

“What do you know?”

“Ask the Queen for information if you want it. Either way, my effort lies elsewhere. Rest assured that I’ve done all the damage to be done for now. If all goes according to plan then you won’t hear about me for a long while after I leave here.”

“That makes me more uneasy than otherwise.”

“Then I suggest you start making your moves now, perhaps ease some of your anxiety. The Dark Kingdom has been idle for long enough. I have no interest in waiting for the Kings, Queens, and Emperors of the world to slowly enact their plans. Thankfully for you, you have my advice. In fact, send this message to my mother.”

Pandora leaned forward with an eerie smile, her red eyes glowing with the power of light mana. 

“Secure the Dungeons, muster your armies, and prepare for Total War. Get on the good side of the Horizon Empire too. That Emperor has a good handful of powerful secrets, and you don’t want to be on the wrong side of them. As for the elves, you should want to be their enemies. They stand against you, and not just militarily.”

“...”

Yumia silently listened, a pause in the discussion pervading until one of her advisors spoke up. 

“What do you mean, not just militarily.”

“That information is far above you,” Pandora retorted lazily.

“Hardly.”

He uttered back and stood, anger perfusing his aura. Pandora had been speaking down to all of them, and he didn’t take to it kindly. 

Pandora just rolled her eyes though. He was a Rank 7, but she treated him as if she could swat him down like a fly.

“I care not for how you think of yourself. You’re a soldier, and you’ll be nothing more than that in the upcoming war. You’ll be at the mercy of those above you, the true players in this global game. You’ll do as you’re told, and you’ll hold no influence over any of the grand scale events you may be involved in. So stop trying to wave around your tiny slice of power and let the grown ups talk, little boy.”

“You bitch…”

The Rank 7, a man named Harren, seethed in sheer rage. Nobody liked being told how insignificant they were, and it seemed that Pandora’s words pierced especially deep. He was a bit ragged, wear from all the battles showing clearly in his eyes, and his mind was no better off. He stood no chance against Pandora’s power of instigation.

That was natural, of course, since she was doing it on purpose. She was angry herself and wanted to vent. Getting under people’s skin and watching them writhe in anger while being unable to do anything about it was a pleasure of hers. 

Suddenly though, Harren jumped from his seat and darted across the table. Multiple people were about to do something about it until a figure teleported in front of the man. 

Harren felt his hair raise, a blade appearing in his hands. He slashed before him in defense, but the only thing that was good for was throwing himself off balance. 

That’s when Pandora’s Captain appeared, his knife guiding Harren’s blade and knocking it away. After that he threw out a punch, Harren blocking it with another arm. 

He didn’t see the other arm coming though, the Captain’s fist pounding straight into Harren’s chest. Anima exploded between them, and Harren’ was blown backward, slamming into a wall and cracking it. 

Pandora looked over and smirked at Harren’s pitiful figure before glancing back at her nails. 

Harren peeled himself off of the wall as the Captain moved back to his seat. He was only slightly injured. A Rank 7 wasn’t so easily hurt. Still, it was apparent that he couldn’t keep up with this Captain, which was nothing less than humiliating. 

Yumia waved. 

“Stand down, Harren. Pandora, I ask that you stop antagonizing my advisors.”

“Only if you stay out of my business after I leave here.”

“If you leave at all. Say, what exactly is stopping me from bringing my unruly niece back home to her mother? I’m sure she would like to have a nice long talk with you.”

“Several things, actually.”

Pandora suddenly smiled. She looked really happy all of a sudden, as if Yumia suggestion was just what she wanted to hear the most. 

“Would you like to test me?”

“I’d at least like to know what one of those several things are.”

“Well, perhaps my biggest card to play is the fact that you’ll immediately make me your enemy. Family be damned, you get in the way of my goals, and I’ll put down the Dark Kingdom like I will the Otherworld and Unity Empire. If that’s not enough, I’ll put down your Resistance as well. If you want to know any more, then you’ll have to test me and see for yourself. They’re surprises, and certainly not ones that I want to use against you.”

Pandora continued to smile, and for the first time in a while, Yumia got a good look at her Mind of Delirium. Pandora’s mind was like an open book to her right now, and yet she couldn’t read the slightest bit of it. It was too chaotic, too insane. 

So she sighed and waved Pandora off. 

“Cool yourself, niece. As much as you would seem to enjoy it, I have no interest in interfering. Yet. I hope you don’t give me a reason to.”

“Then I’ll give you advice too. The sooner you stop being passive, the better off the Dark Kingdom will be. Take this war as your opportunity.”

“Yes yes, I’ll treat your words as prophecy. Now take my assassin’s message and go.”

Yumia threw over a small storage ring, Pandora snatching it out of the air with a hand and looking inside. 

She was shocked to find an entire Tier 8 Geode Heart Core, as well as a message from Dirk. 

She quickly read the message, her face twisting for a second before she smiled with clenched teeth. 

Her eyes snapped back to Yumia, “It seems you two have gotten close, thinking you can play me.”

“It was his idea, and you know exactly why I’m not opposed to it.”

“Yes, it’ll give you time. While I have to fly across the world and sort out that mess, you’ll be here, living in leisure. My plans get put on hold, the war turns unpredictable, the situation ends up… disadvantageous. If I go…”

Pandora stared off into space, her movements stilling, every fiber of her being sorting out her thoughts and the future. 

Then her eyes fell on Yumia, simply staring at her, the little vampire meeting Pandora’s gaze with a glass in her hand. 

They were both still, Pandora almost reluctant to turn her gaze away. 

Until the flow within her passed, everything settling into place, her thoughts turning coherent, a plan taking shape. 

Pandora bobbed her head. 

“Proceed, proceed. Plans must adapt, plans must proceed. I must use light to cure my blight, flight becomes my might. Leave now or forever hold my tongue. Hesitation might bring me preparation if it does not bring me a stronger enemy. Risk, reward, efficiency, cost. Parallel, parallel, two tracks, two devils, one lever. Nay, I say unto you,” Pandora suddenly looked at Yumia, “Bring me liberty, bring me death, I shall dole out which is best. For my eyes see innocence. I am blind.”

Her words paused, Yumia completely baffled by her speech. There was no reason to it even if there was rhyme. 

After a handful of seconds Pandora spun on her heel, taking steps toward the exit. 

“In time, Yumia, you will understand who has won. When victory is upon you, you will understand who is victorious.”

“...What’s that supposed to mean?” Yumia asked, despite Pandora’s unceasing steps out the door.

Pandora glanced back, “Those who can only see victory cannot guide victory. Woe to those who see the continuum! Victory is but consequence. May they find pleasure in the turbulence of equals.”

Leaving those words like scripture, Pandora finally left, her soldiers all following with her in lockstep, not a word from their mouths. 

……

…

“Lady Avalon, you must retreat!”

“Avalon it’s not safe here! We’ll bring you back to the rear!”

“Fuck! Just shut up for a second!”

Ava cursed and kicked an advisor off of her. The others in the surroundings disregarded her vulgarity and paused their movements. 

Ava looked off into the distance, seeing the troops clashing. After that Paladin from the Sovereign Church had been enraged by the death of his wife, he had started to go on a rampage. It took two Rank 8s to hold him back, his power devastating even for his level. 

On top of that, there were nearly 5 thousand troops mobilized from the Church trying to break their ranks, as well as an army of Sirenia merfolk that didn’t know up from down. Their leadership was temporarily out of the picture, nobody able to contact them, and Ava wouldn’t be able to try and convince all of them to join her, the losing side. They were being pushed out of the district. 

Ava had come into this expecting to fight, and expecting to use this sudden attack to catch the Church and Sirenia off guard. Without being able to mobilize everyone neither of those parties would be able to do anything about her, and with Dirk killing Hallia, the head of the snake, she would be able to take control. 

Yet a small group of 5 thousand troops from the Church was able to completely overwhelm her own force which numbered nearly 6 times more, and her Tier and Rank 8s were on the back foot, more Paladins from the Church joining to fight them to a standstill. 

They responded much faster than she thought they would, but more than that, she didn’t know where this fighting force came from. They had fought the Church several times before but they hadn’t performed like this. She didn’t know how they got this boost in strength. 

She clenched her teeth, looking out at the Church’s army and narrowing her eyes, bringing out her Key Artifact. 

Her pupils widened with the influx of magical information. 

“They’re using a large scale light formation! It’s empowering the armor of those troops! Hod your ground!”

Her voice reverberated through the buildings, her troops stopping their retreat as she jumped across a couple buildings. 

She raised the Artifact, the Gem of the Sea, and suddenly all the water in the surroundings climbed at her call. 

The entire Captial City of Unity was built atop what could be considered a small sea itself. Between every building, in place of roads there were canals, streams and channels of water, and countless boats that allowed transportation. 

From these canals water rose, flooding the streets that the troops stood upon. All the soldiers paused and watched as the water rose to their thighs. 

Ava’s troops found themselves empowered, the water doing nothing to inhibit their movements as if it were nothing but air. On the other hand, the Church’s troops found themselves attacked by the water around them, currents inhibiting and countering their every move, harassing their magic and driving out all other forms of mana. Even the water mana that remained was under Ava’s tight control, the control of her Domain, empowered by a Key Artifact. 

Ava smiled, waving, feeling her Artifact empower her troops. 

“Advance! Bring the Church down! Today is the day we unite with the Sirenia, for the sanctity of Unity! Advance!”

“Forward!”

The calls rang out as the situation reversed. The formation empowering the armor of the Church was inhibited alongside the troops themselves and Ava’s soldiers received their own boon. Now they could properly fight and utilize the numbers advantage. 

The church was instantly on the back foot, but Ava didn’t celebrate. The Tier and Rank 8s were battling it out around the city and those battles were the important ones. They were always the deciding factor, and she could only hope that her side was up to the task. The sight of that Paladin taking on two Rank 8s at once was worrying. She had a feeling someone would die today.

But the situation finally turned for the better, and she got some room to think. 

That’s when she saw that black cat appear. It nudged her leg, making her look down in surprise. She hadn’t sensed it at all. 

She put out her arm, the cat jumping onto it and walking across her shoulders. 

“What’s that cat?” One of her advisors asked, causing her to wave him off. 

A feminine voice floated into her ear alone, [Dirk has identified the roots of the formation that’s empowering the Church’s soldiers. He will destroy them one by one.]

She muttered quietly, “What are the roots? Spells?”

[Enchanted nodes, several planted in various buildings in the area. They’re guarded but by nobody Dirk can’t handle alone.]

“Give him my thanks.”

[Done. He also commends you for turning the situation around. Still, you must be careful. The Church is much more powerful than you think it is. It is dangerous for you to show yourself like this.]

“I know the Church is powerful,” Ava retorted with a sigh. She didn’t know how many times she had been told how dangerous it was by those around her, yet she still led her armies, and she still managed to win. 

The cat’s voice turned low, [No, Ava, you don’t know how powerful the Church is. They are capable of sealing and no doubt killing Dragons. They are a power that reaches across the world. Their work here in Unity is but a single campaign among many. What you’ve seen is but a fraction of their power, and the only reason you haven’t seen more is because they didn’t expect you to disrupt their plans like you have. Nevertheless, when they are finally able to respond, you will come to know just how fearsome they are. At that time, you must fear for your life.]

Ava frowned, pondering in silence for several seconds. The cat’s words weren’t degrading but she still loathed the idea that she would have to hide away like a coward, like the very people she hated. 

Her name was called from behind her. It was Tones. 

Ava didn’t mind the young man, but it was clear that he was after her hand and as their battles grew in intensity, he increased his resolve to win her heart. 

Unfortunately Ava was never in the position to give him the consideration. From the situation with the Church, to her acquisition of the Key Artifact, to the civil war that followed, she always had a lot on her plate. Not to mention, if there was anybody she thought about romantically in the little time she did, Tones was not the man to pop up in her mind. 

Now he was trying to get touchy. Ava noticed the hand that tried to land on her back, her gaze pulling away from the battlefield. Before she could do anything about it though, the cat suddenly hissed. 

Dark mana bristled around it and Tones jerked back, frowning at Spyte. 

“Avalon, what is that cat? I didn’t even sense it appear.”

“Don’t worry about the cat.”

“...If that’s what you wish. What should our next move be?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

Tones went quiet, Ava looking back toward the battlefield. 

She asked, “How powerful are they, then?”

“Sorry?”

“Ignore me,” Ava waved off Tones’ curiosity. 

Spyte answered, [We don’t know how powerful they truly are, but we do know that they stand against the Horizon Empire, and we have suspicions that they work with the World Tree, perhaps even the Haven. Their power has remained covert, and the only reason we’ve seen what they can do recently is because of War Cataclysma. Believe me, there are two sides to this war, and it is a war. It is a war between the dragons and the gods, and the Church is going against the dragons, which means they are likely backed by a god. This is nothing Dirk wouldn’t tell you, but let me be the first to say that the Tier and Rank 8s that they have here are but a small fraction of their real forces. They could very well have 10 times more, and they likely have a few Kings.]

Ava felt a headache coming on, “That’s the level of an entire Empire.”

[Yes, it is,] Spyte agreed, [And you’ve disrupted their plans. Given a short time, they will come with more, and they will try and wipe out all resistance. Unfortunately, the Church has always been heavily entrenched in Unity. The chance that you come out of this conflict victorious is slim.]

“Even with him?”

[If there’s anything Dirk loathes, it is his lack of power against the greatest forces of this world. Yes, even with him, you stand little chance. He cannot solve the real problems. However, the War does not end with this small conflict. There is a way to win.]

“How?” Ava asked, hopefully pessimistic. She had always felt particularly powerless despite holding the Key Artifact. Despite being able to empower tens of thousands, turning the tides of entire battles, she never felt like she truly determined any outcome. That was a privilege of the Kings and Tier 8s. 

Spyte looked off into the distance, [Dirk will tell you. He is returning. He recommends ending the battle early, before one of your Tier 8s falls. We’ve managed to kill Hallia, so our goal has been achieved. Don’t make this a pyrrhic victory.]

Ava bit her lip. Things looked like they were going well on all fronts. She could wipe out this small army of the Church’s soldiers. They were proving resilient despite the disadvantages though, which would draw out the battle, allowing the behemoths to make their moves. If it continued, some would die, and she had a feeling it would indeed be some of hers. 

The Strigiform, the Rangifer, the Aquila. They were wise races within Unity, but they were not great fighters. For all of Hybrid history the Veranus and Carnivora had fought battles and wars. There were always exceptions and fighters among the others but they were never the majority.  

She was one of those fighters, and she wanted nothing more than to jump in there and start slaughtering her enemies like she did the beasts during the outbreak of War Cataclysma. But she was one girl. She did not reflect her troops and she could not overestimate them. That was how thousands died. 

She grit her teeth, “Call back the troops. We’re retreating!”

“Understood. Generals, retreat!”

The orders went out, thousands of troops turning around and separating from their enemies. Relatively few had died but the feud was bloodier than ever. 

Ava hopped from a few buildings, eventually descending to the street where she retreated with the others. 

That’s when there was a massive explosion, a wave of light mana passing through everyone as a body came streaking through the sky. 

Ava’s head snapped over, seeing one of her Tier 8s blow through 5 buildings before cratering into a street. 

She pointed, “Get him up! We need to regroup!”

“I got him!”

One man jumped out and grabbed the Tier 8, everyone continuing to run back. Ava felt like she was escaping despite having achieved what they came out here for. She hated that feeling. 

Finally they managed to regroup in their district, Ava’s advisors giving out orders to manage troops. The center of the Ranfiger district was halfway rebuilt to become a stronghold, all the buildings outfitted to house troops instead of homes or businesses. 

After getting her affairs in order, Tones came with a report. 

“Avalon.”

“Tones. How’s Gummarich?”

Ava turned, keeping herself in check. She was on edge but didn’t want to be rude. 

Tones looked tired. 

“Gummarich has died.”

“...”

Ava looked at him silently. Gummarich was the Tier 8 that had to be pulled out of the crater earlier. It seems he had died of his wounds anyway.

They had lost a Tier 8. She couldn’t imagine how things would have gone if they didn’t retreat when they did. They may have lost even more. 

After some time she nodded. 

“I understand.”

“Priam asked me to bring you to the mansion. He said they have everything else under control. An envoy has been sent to speak with the Sirenia, and news about Gummarich’s death is being hidden, for now.”

“I will give Priam my thanks. But yes, for now I will go to the mansion.”

“I’ll accompany you.”

Ava didn’t respond, simply walking down the street, Tones sticking by her side. 

Spyte watched Tones the entire way, and under that hostile gaze and Ava's obvious desire to remain silent, he said and did nothing. 

Once at the mansion Ava retreated to her room. As soon as she shut the door behind her, she sighed and turned. 

Dirk was sitting on the bed, his face neutral. 

“My condolences for the loss of a Tier 8.”

“I’m glad I took your cat’s advice and retreated. It would’ve been even worse.”

“Yeah, the Church hides a lot of strength.”

“I want to hear about how to win against them.”

Ava approached, standing in front of Dirk as if interrogating him.

“I’m starting to feel a bit desperate. How do we beat the Church? I was told that my chances of victory here are slim.”

“Spyte, what did you tell her?”

The cat looked over from Ava’s shoulder, [The truth, but not all of it. Her chances of winning this civil war are non-zero, but still negligible. Yet, it is not the war she should be concerned with.]

Dirk sighed, wiping his face, “Alright, I told you that Pandora and I were given the task of retrieving the Key Artifacts. Well, you have one, Ava,” He looked into her eyes, “The Church isn’t after Unity. Sure, they might want more manpower and resources, but their real goal is the Key Artifact. If they get their hands on one, it’ll give them devastating power, and honestly, I think that the only reason they haven’t charged over here to wipe out all your troops and high level combatants is because they want you to stay here. They want you here so they can call upon more Paladins and slaughter their way through all your Tier and Rank 8s with overwhelming force. Then they’ll kill you and take the Artifact.”

“But what’s their end goal?” Ava asked, “What’s the point of the Key Artifacts? Is it just the power? Is this thing really that good?”

“It is, but the end goal is in the name. The Key Artifact is literally a Key, and it unlocks something called a Source. There’s one Source for each Element, and for all intents and purposes, a Source is the penultimate power, something that makes the being who wields it a god. That’s the end goal.”

“...Shit.” 

Ava cursed, turning and taking a few steps around the bed before suddenly grabbing her nightstand by the leg and swinging it around. 

It was pulverized on the wall, Ava’s breathing hurrying as Dirk simply sat there and watched. 

She seemed to calm down right as there was a knock on the door. 

“Avalon?”

“I’m fine, Tones!”

She managed to keep herself from yelling too loud, yet her frustration was still clear. 

His soft voice came through the door. 

“I’m here if you need me.”

Ava didn’t respond, but she felt another surge of irritation well up. 

Dirk decided to deploy a dark barrier to isolate the space. Once that went up, Ava spoke. 

“So what am I supposed to do? Run? I can’t abandon my people here and leave them for the Church.”

“You would be doing none of those things, but Ava, I’m not gonna lie and say that staying is the correct choice. By leaving, you would take the Church’s attention away from the city and your people. They might bring down the hammer here, but I’m sure less people would die, and you’d have the chance to come back and fix things later, once we’ve acquired more power. But the longer you stay, the more time you give them to bring in more Paladins. They’re probably on the way right now, and with an army that’ll likely lay siege to the capital. They’ll box you in, suffocate you, kill everyone around you before taking the Artifact from your corpse.”

“What makes you think we can’t fight back, Dirk?” Ava grit her teeth, her voice raising, “What makes you think we’re so weak? We can fight! You can help me fight! We can assassinate key figures, get the Sirenia on our side, and resist the Church! We’ve been doing it for this long! Why can’t we do it for longer?!”

“Because they’ve been preparing for hundreds of years,” Dirk’s voice was even, “Everything that’s happening now is long in the making. I may have been the spark for this War but make no mistake, the powers at play have been expecting it and preparing for it all. The Horizon Empire, the Otherworld, they’ve all been accumulating power. The Church is no different, and your resistance, composed of three non-warrior races, can’t stand against two warrior races backed by the Sovereign Church, which is in turn backed by the Sovereign Primordial, the god of light, a being on par with the Dragon Primordials.”

Dirk sighed, “Ava, you have less than a dozen Tier or Rank 8s. The Carnivora and Veranus can match that alone, let alone with the Church’s Paladins. Even if you get the Sirenia on your side, I only see it delaying the inevitable. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sirenia are already on the Church’s side. Maybe they’ll pretend to join you just for their Tier 8s to turn on you from the inside, and at a moment that it’ll hurt you most. They specialize in light magic, magic that can tamper with the mind and soul. I’ve seen how they bring people under their control. It’s not pretty, and there’s too much you don’t know to be certain that the Sirenia are trustworthy allies.”

“So what do I do?” Ava cried, tears watering her cheeks as she tried wiping them away, “These people need me here. My people need me here. I can’t just leave…”

Dirk stood, wrapping Ava in a hug. 

“I don’t mean to make you feel hopeless, Ava. I want you to know the reality. Regardless… I’m not going to ask you to leave. This is your battle to fight, and no matter what you do, I’ll be there with you. If you feel you should lead these people and fight, then I’ll be right there beside you.”

Dirk looked up, thinking about Pandora. She was probably on her way over, and she would not be happy to see the situation. But she would help. He just hoped it would be timely.