Magic... It was the very foundational pillar that allowed the Neugomian Empire to come into existence, an arcane force that allowed humans to tap into a wellspring of endless power.
What many weren't aware of, however, was that the origins of these ancient energies came from malign forces that sought to corrupt mankind for their own purposes, and it was, in truth, something that was never meant for humans to use in the first place.
This was the sole, greatest reason for the reformations that were taking place within the very same empire that had dominated the Xathran Continent for centuries, and all these changes were currently being spearheaded by the people who had subjugated the Empire's might in the span of mere days...
[...]
It was all because of those bastards who took control of the empire... Especially that pompous, arrogant woman who sought to rid the entirety of the continent of its access to magick, a vital lifeline that had kept every nation's survival for countless centuries.
For the humble mage known as Allahn, a high-ranking adept of the Crimson Tower, one of the 3 Orders of Mages who served the Neugomian Empire, it seemed that his entire existence had been reduced to a nightmare in the span of only a few weeks.
It all started with the empress' decree of the halted production of magick crystals in Xathra, which was then followed by the mandatory destruction of every magickal item in every individual's possession: while some of the nations, especially the Holy Polonian Kingdom, gladly chose to heed these commands, it was the Empire, as well as the other magick-dependent nations, who greatly suffered the most from these orders, though the decrees that would come next only served to drive even more nails into the coffin of arcane practice.
The Azur Tower and the Jade Tower, the 2 rival magick associations that once loyally served the Empire, were both recently forced to dissolve and had been banned from the use of magick. Despite this, however, an unfortunate number still chose to rebel against the empress' decree, and they had all been quickly dealt with through a quick and terrible efficiency.
This was the reason why Allahn, as well as the remaining fellows he could rally from the now perished-headmaster's previously failed insurrection, were all gathered in their tower's meeting hall to discuss the next actions they would take after their previous failure...
Each of them already knew, however, that their assembly had to be concluded as quickly as possible, as the movements of the imperial army were becoming hastier than ever.
"Is it true that the headmaster has perished? He couldn't have possibly been slain so abruptly!" one of the robed mages whispered to his fellows, to which his question would be responded to by an equally hushed voice.
"... U-Unfortunately, that is indeed the case. The imperial army has gotten too strong with those changes they've undergone..."
That much was true, Allahn said to himself as he heard the whispers of those 2 mages... For the 2 whole years when that demon woman ruled the empire with her tyrannical sovereignty, the already-impressive military might of the empire had been tremendously improved under her guidance: each of the imperial soldiers were equipped with grey, metal armour that made them resistant to conventional weapons such as blades and spears, and those terrible, brutal weapons known as 'guns' that they used to quell the orkish assault in Roztoc... Allahn could still remember the loud, thundering noises they made when they were used, sounds that were often followed by a dead, fellow mage whose partially-melted body would slump lifelessly to the ground before they could even cast a single spell.
What hope do they even have left with this failed rebellion they foolishly decided to enact? There were so few of them left, and they were gradually being routed and tracked down by this point... Would it have been better for them to have surrendered when the headmaster suffered defeat at the hands of that imperial swordsman who challenged him to a duel?
BOOM!!!
"They've arrived! Cast your defensive spells, do everything you can to-"
BANG!!!
Those monsters have finally come, and they've broken through the assembly room's walls as they immediately began taking down any who tried to resist... How did they reach them so fast? The castle's defensive arcane spells should've been able to buy them time for at least a few hours, yet how did they fall so quickly?
"You have nowhere to run to, there's no escape for any of you this time!" from the gaping hole, multitudes of imperial soldiers came rushing in as they pointed their terrible weapons against the surrounded mages. "Lay down whatever magick armaments you have and surrender at once!"
It was over, Allahn would think silently to himself again, as the sight of the masked, faceless soldiers slowly grew in number... There was no way they'd be able to make a run for it again. They were pinned to a corner right at their very own headquarters, and falling back was no longer a viable option they could choose.
"..."
"Surrender now, resistance is futile! Toss your staves onto the ground! There's no point in resisting!"
The only options they had left were to either surrender and finally end their fruitless rebellion, or to fight until the very end and inevitably meet their ends...
Unfortunately however, for all the surviving Crimson Tower mages in the disrupted assembly, the latter option was the choice that most of them would make, a terribly unwise decision born from their desire to keep the beauty of magick in the world they once called their own, and they would rather die than continue to exist in a reality without the arcane's connection to their lives.
[Oh thunderous bolts of light, strike these fools down with your merciless currents.]
Allahn began channelling his magick power to his left hand, in preparation for the massive lightning spell he was about to cast; simultaneously, the other mages would rise in resistance by casting several of their own spells, and although many of them were instantly shot down, the stubborn arcane adepts refused to back down without a fight.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
[Wind Gale.]
[Magick Missile.]
[Blinding Grace.]
The entire room quickly devolved into a slugfest of energy rounds and arcane spells: on the other hand, Allahn continued to charge the powerful spell he was chanting, and it would only be a few more seconds before he would finally be able to cast it.
"... Alright, this is it..." the chanting had finally finished, and blue, crackling energies materialised in the palm of his right hand as he spoke. "If we're all going to be defeated here, then we'll take down as many of you as we can!"
[Thunderous Ramp-]
SLAASSHHHH!!!
His spell would've instantly killed many of the imperial soldiers present within the room; to Allahn's complete shock however, before the powerful bolts of lightning could escape from his hand to unleash devastation, an imperceptibly quick force preemptively struck him and mercilessly cleaved through the flesh and bone of his arm, immediately cancelling the powerful thunder spell he was supposed to have cast.
"... Didn't they tell you to surrender? Stand down now, you don't want to lose your other hand, right?"
A man had suddenly appeared before his eyes, a tall figure equipped with metal armour similar to that of the soldiers, yet his bore a vastly different design and a far more striking appearance: the most notable thing about this man however, was the strange fusion of radiant light and lustrous steel that was his sword, as well as the infamous face he had that Allahn was all too familiar with.
"Y-you... You were the one who slew the grandmaster..."
"Ah, you mean that old man who couldn't stop talking about his attacks before he actually delivered them?" the man would answer Allahn's terrified mumbling as he moved his radiant, lilac blade closer to the mage's neck. "Well, to be fair, we did give him several chances to stand down, yet he still chose to resist. He even killed 2 of my men before I took him down. If anything, his death was entirely his fault."
"Y-you monster... Who... Why are you doing this...?" Allahn said weakly with a horrified, stuttering voice. "W-We haven't done anything wrong! All we've ever done has been of service to the empire... Why is this happening to us-"
"Hm, well, let's see... The headmasters of those 2 previous 'towers' we took down were actually cultists who worshipped this disgusting dragon... Then there was the issue of human sacrificing, specifically children... Then again, what can you expect from something as barbaric as magick?"
"B-But our tower has done no such things!" Allahn argued as he briefly raised his voice. "We've never done any of those abominable things at all! Our magick research has always been conducted with careful consideration, we would never sacrifice the lives of other people!"
"... You really don't know anything, huh? You'd be shocked by what's been happening right under your nose." the man responded with a small sigh. "Ah well, why am I even talking about this with you, you're someone I'm supposed to capture, not to converse with... Anyway..."
He would then point his sword towards his face again, making Allahn fear for his life once more as small drops of sweat began to trickle down from the adept's forehead.
"Will you be surrendering now? I strongly suggest that you do, given how you've already lost one of your hands. Plus, you're at my complete mercy right now, so I don't think you have that much of a choice."
He was correct, unfortunately... By now, only the relatively few mages who chose not to resist had survived the brief carnage with Allahn, and the only thing left they could do was to ensure their survival through capitulation: he couldn't concentrate enough to cast a spell right now due to the pain of his missing arm, and even if he still could, the chanting process of his spells would also require some time to cast, time that the man in front of him would obviously not allow...
"... W-We surrender..." Allahn remained on the floor as he looked down in defeat. "We of the Crimson Tower accept the shame of our defeat."
________________________________________
Nighttime swept through Vishnal's dark skies as the sun's presence would be replaced by the dim radiance of the moon– despite this however, the bright lights of the advanced infrastructures throughout its lands rendered the city immune to the potent shadows that would've left its people scrambling about in total darkness.
2 years had passed since the Mizraean Empire had capitulated to their cause: with the help of Thurien's legions of automative assistants and ancient engineering, as well as the additional scientific assistances of their newly obtained Nifaruscan allies, modernizing Vishnal and the other cities of the Neugomian Empire proved to be an incredibly swift advancement that brought them a few steps closer to the age of modernity that mankind once enjoyed.
Surprisingly though, it proved to be a bit challenging during the first few weeks, as the primitive foundations of the Neugomian Empire's cities made it difficult for them to kickstart any form of real progress. Thankfully, however, Whitlea's role as the new empress of the Neugomians made it easier to rally the entire continent to their cause; it took 2 entire years to finish these duties, and now most of the Xathran Continent had been brought up into a higher age of enlightenment, as even the other, lesser nations that had once been mere vassals of the empire had been modernised to a level comparable to the imperial capital as well.
As the dawn of night continued to pass by however, atop one of the centralised, most important buildings of the capital, a black-haired woman adorned in jet-black, yet plainfully luxurious robes stood atop one of its endless balconies, as she silently observed the mesmerising sceneries all-around...
"Your Majesty, we've received the latest reports from our forces." a soldier adorned in grey, unconventional armour uttered as he knelt respectfully before the lady's presence.
"The last remnants of the magick society have been completely eradicated. Those who've surrendered have been completely reintegrated and repurposed, as per your orders."
Within those 2 years of Whitlea's reign, the imperial mages and adepts alike had been forced into a new treaty that many of them refused to accept at first: to forfeit their utilisation of magick, and to abandon any attempts of innovating spells or researching its arcane presence.
In exchange however, due to their knowledgeable expertises, they were given other roles that many of them would be able to excel in due to their similar fields; indeed, as soon as they were compelled to listen to the sovereign's command, many of these mage has-beens excelled in the arts of scholarly sciences and technological research, and it provided a slow, tedious path that gradually shifted the empire into a nation that now relied on the foundations of science instead of that of magick.
... Of course though, there were still those who chose to refuse this order even until their last breaths, and in the end, all of them would meet a quick and merciless demise at the hands of their implacable ruler.
"Splendid~ I was expecting them to hold out for a little longer, but... Ah well. Anyway..." Whitlea mused as she turned around to meet the soldier's gaze. "What about that idiot 'bodyguard' of mine? I've been calling for his presence for a while now. Is he still 'busy' with that thing I told him NOT to do?"
The soldier felt hesitant to answer at first, though of course, with such a question coming from the highest authority in front of him, he knew he had no right to remain silent.
"... Unfortunately, he did. He was with the task force who dealt with the remnants of the Crimson Tower, Your Majesty. Although... I believe he's heading here right now as we speak, since they've just finished their duties."
"Hmph... That idiot, I told him not to join them since they can handle that situation by themselves. Well, nothing I can do about it now." the empress audibly sighed, her nonchalant, informal tone surprising the soldier a bit due to how cold and indifferent she normally appeared to be. "Enough of that, though... Do you have anything else to report?"
"None, Your Majesty, these are all the latest reports I currently bear."
"Well, alright then, since you have nothing else to tell me, you're hereby dismissed. If there are any new reports, report them to me as soon as possible."
"Of course, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave then."
[...]
CREAK...
"What the hell took you so long, you stubborn buffoon?"
The wooden doors leading into the balcony opened, and the one she had long been waiting for would finally arrive: it was none other than Novus, though this time he was adorning a form of armour upon himself as he opened the doorway with a single movement of his hand.
"... I'm sorry, Whitlea. I was... Ahem, testing out this new equipment I had Thurien make for me."
"Oh? And what were the results then? Were they so good that it makes it worth ignoring what I said earlier, hm?"
"... About that... Yeah, I'm sorry. I should've just left it to them in the first place."
Hearing his apology, Whitlea would simply give another sigh. "Well... As long as you're sorry. I'm already doing you a favour by doing all this ruler's work that YOU should be doing, after all."
The mission of eradicating the last pockets of resistance within the empire's reformed lands, a few, unnoteworthy patchwork of rebels who desperately still sought to keep the wonders of the arcane within Neugomian society– their final stand was assigned to be dealt with by the remodelled Imperial Army, a force that now used more modernised weapons from mankind's golden age, and it was a task that they would have easily finished, regardless if Novus had ultimately chosen to assist them or not in their venture.
"... Honestly though, throughout all the administrative duties I had to handle... Do you know what made my head hurt the most, dear?"
The man before her lightly shook his head, unable to understand what she was implying. "No, what was it?"
"Their maps... Compared to the ones we're used to, theirs are an inverted version of the ones we have, though they're both the same regardless."
"Oh, that. Honestly, you're right, even I got confused when I saw their maps at first as well. What's west and south in Thurien's archives... They'd essentially be east and north respectively, which is kind of ridiculous."
"You see my point? You and this damn nation are lucky I have such an incredible amount of patience~ Anyone else would've collapsed from all the work they had to do otherwise." Whitlea proudly said. "You have to admit, I did a really, REALLY good job as an empress, didn't I, darling? I've done in 2 years what others would've taken at least 10. Don't you think that's quite impressive?"
Empress Whitlea, the sovereign ruler of the Neugomian Empire, would playfully remark with a smile, her words directed to the man in peculiar armour in front of her, the same warrior who she cared for so deeply– in truth however, Whitlea desired for him to be the one ruling on the throne, as it was he who was the true mastermind of all the plans they've been conducting throughout the passing years.
"You definitely did. Do you want me to praise you a lot for that?" Novus agreed as he followed up with his own remark.
"Hm~ Of course I do, why wouldn't I want that?" her happiness practically beamed from her as he instantly knew what she desired from him. "Go ahead then, praise me for the job well done that I always do for you~"
As usual, despite having worked all day at her desk, she still had the energy to be like this with him... In any case, before Novus would do what she desired of him, he had something of incredible importance to ask of her.
"... Before I do that, would you mind if I were to ask you a question?"
Whitlea nonchalantly replied with a smile. "Go ahead, dear, ask away. You didn't really have to ask me for permission~"
"It's about that... Thing that happened back then..."
"Hm, well, like I said, ask away, dear. You know I'm always honest with you anyway~"
"Alright then..." he hesitated for a moment with a deep sigh, his mind mustering up the will to pose his question, as he knew just how incredibly dire and sensitive his query was. "I've already asked this before, but I really just want to clarify it again..."
He took a deep breath before he uttered his question, as the deeply sensitive nature of what he was about to ask made him think of pulling away for a moment.
"Is it really true that you died... When we used that final gambit to win that fight back then?"
The cheery expression of Whitlea's face would immediately drop, as she too would take a moment before she would say her own words in the matter: in truth, there were no lies or misconceptions in what he said, and what was truly causing Whitlea to delay her response was the countless, other complications that lay behind the seemingly simple answer she had in mind.
"... Hahaha, now I'm starting to regret mentioning it to you. Haven't you asked that question before already? Are you so dying to hear my answer again?" Whitlea playfully told with a chuckle. "I assume it's the reason why you've been testing out all those fancy new gadgets made for you by Thurien, right?"
"That's not what's important here. I need you to be honest with me, don't joke around, and just say the plain truth." Novus shot back with a serious tone. "You mentioned it back then, didn't you? Did you really 'lose your life' when we had to unleash all that power of yours?"
"Alright, fine~ I suppose I do owe you an explanation, hm?" Whitlea sighed as she quickly relented. "Before I give my complete answer though, let me make a small demonstration."
Her high-heeled shoes made light footsteps on the balcony floor as she made her way towards him, and as Whitlea finally got within an arm's reach of Novus, her right hand slowly moved to his face and began gently caressing him.
"... What kind of demonstration is this-"
"You'll see soon enough, now shush~"
With the index finger of her hand, the sharp edge of her fingernail moved itself in a diagonal direction, its pointed tip digging lightly into his left cheek with just enough force to make him bleed; surprisingly though, not only couldn't Novus feel the pain from what she was doing, but not a single wound had dared to even form on his face as well.
"Wait, hold on... Why are you the one who's...?"
"Are you starting to understand it a bit, hm?"
What happened next proved to be an even greater surprise: a bleeding scratch formed on Whitlea's beautiful face, and its location was the same place where he was supposed to have been injured by the tip of her index fingernail scratching his sensitive skin...
Unfortunately, however, Novus still couldn't comprehend what she was trying to imply, and it seemed that it would take another explanation before he could understand what exactly she was showing him, though Whitlea would thankfully follow up with another explanation to make things even simpler.
"When you wielded me as your weapon against that woman, the conceptual power I possessed began flowing into your body as well, and it rendered you immune to whatever chronological manipulation she could cast. In short, you temporarily became unaffected by the flow of time itself."
Her hand then moved to gently grab his chin as she continued to follow up with her explanation.
"However, it also means that, when that resurrection spell of hers reversed time to undo the explosion we unleashed, your very existence, which was completely destroyed by the devastation we unleashed..." Whitlea continued to explain. "... Was also unaffected by the reversion, and you were supposed to have stayed dead when everything was returned to normal by that rewinding magick."
"Even though I can imbue life into everything around me, I wouldn't be able to bring you back with my power if every trace and particle of you was erased~"
Another confused look formed on his face... He was supposed to have died? Why did he still live then? And what did this have to do with her dying?
"I... I don't understand. If that was the case, then how did I survive at all?"
"Your body, sweetie, you've seen it already with my demonstration, right? The moment you used me as your sword, our existences became closely linked." Whitlea said as she placed one of her fingers upon his lips to tenderly shush him. "When you get hurt, I'll get hurt too, and when you die... Well, I suppose you get the idea~"
The dots would finally connect within Novus' line of thought, and a horrific realisation rose within his mind as he understood what she had been implying all this time... This crazy woman, why would she do something so insane?
"You seem to be understanding it now, sweetie~ That's good~" a smile formed on Whitlea's face as she said that, though strangely, there was a faint trace of somberness hidden within her words. "What you're thinking of is correct, no need to deny it."
"The moment you died, I used and sacrificed my very own life to save yours~ All that damage that would've completely erased you, I transferred it to myself instead, and I was completely destroyed as a result~"
The main secret had finally been disclosed... Hearing her say this so nonchalantly, and seeing her seemingly unbothered by what she did, only made the situation even worse, however.
"What the hell... You crazy woman... Why would you do something so insane?!" Novus would raise his voice all of a sudden as he grabbed her by the shoulders. "And why are you saying it like you aren't even affected by it?!"
"It's so simple, really~ It's because I love you~" Whitlea answered back with a smile as she slowly removed his hands from her shoulders and placed them onto her waist, allowing her to pull him into an embrace that drew his face incredibly close to hers.
"While everything comes with a price, I'll gladly do something like that for your sake, even if it means I have to die~" she softly whispered into his ear, her voice seemed more gentle this time as she spoke. "I love you, dear... To me, you're the most important person in the world~ As long as you live, I'll always be happy~"
"... You've got to be kidding me right now... I already knew you were somewhat insane, but I didn't know it could reach this extent..." Novus answered back, completely in disbelief with her words. "Just because you love me doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice yourself like this!"
"Sweetie, we wouldn't have won against her if I didn't do this." Whitlea pulled away slightly, reassuring him as her soft voice turned slightly stern. "And besides, we all came out of this alive and well, you don't have to worry too much about me."
Why didn't she consider telling him this earlier? Was it perhaps that she knew he'd react like this in the first place? Regardless though, Novus still had more questions to ask of her, and the ever-growing concern in his mind only began to worsen as Novus' deep concern would force him to ask more questions.
"... Why the hell are you still alive then? Don't tell me that I'm speaking to some dead projection of yours after all this time..."
"Oh, you're not speaking to some worthless illusion, silly~ I'm still me, the same old Whitlea with the same old... Ahem, memories and quirks." she said with a faint, barely noticeable sadness in her tone as she looked away for a brief moment. "As a being whose power represents the concept of eternity, I can never truly die. Any damage or injury I sustain will just be healed, and even if I do perish, I'll just live again like some undying cockroach~"
"..."
"Hahaha, you seem confused~ Well, I suppose I'll just say it in a few words or less." she mentioned with a chuckle as her eyes noticed the bewildered look on Novus' face. "In short, I'm not some flimsy projection or a false apparition of myself. I'm the same Whitlea you know and love, there's no doubt about that~... However..."
"Ever heard of quantum teleportation? I'm what's called a 'perfect clone', sweetie~ I'm still Whitlea, with all the memories and quirks I have, as well as the same personality." she continued to explain, though this time, her voice contained a bit of... Uncertainty? "But... I'm not the same 'Whitlea' as the one who was with you before your fight with that woman. I'm 'Whitlea', but I'm not 'Whitlea' at the same time, do you get me?"
How was he even supposed to take this?She had just revealed another disturbing truth to him, and it brought another horrifying realisation to Novus. The fact that Whitlea seemingly wasn't even bothered by the terrible fate she went through, however, just made it even more disturbing...
Such was one of the few, terrible, hidden disadvantages that lied within Whitlea's immortality, a power that appeared to be a blessing to most, but would actually prove torturous to most sane individuals: her ability to live eternally and survive against all odds, as well as the ability to imbue life into everything within her vicinity... It was a power not meant to be wielded by most ordinary men, as only Whitlea herself could even hope to handle the full scale and magnitude of her terrifying abilities.
"So you're saying that… Identically, you're still Whitlea, but individually, you're no longer the Whitlea who was with me before that fight with Amenophis..." he spoke slowly as his mind pieced together what he could surmise. "And now, you're just a perfect successor carrying her memories, but not her original consciousness... Am I right?"
She hesitated a bit as she gave her answer, though she would eventually say it after a couple of seconds.
"... Yes, dear, you're correct. Frankly, even I find it a bit... Horrifying, even though 'I' was the one who did it~"
"Whitlea..." Novus spoke, his eyes full of concern as his hands moved to her shoulders again, this time with a slow yet firm grip.
"Look... Are you actually even alright right now?"
It took another few moments for her to respond as his words reached her ears– it was true that she had already accepted the horrifying truth of her sacrificial deed, but that didn't mean that she wasn't unaffected by the sheer burden of it all.
"... Of course I am~ Why wouldn't I be?" she would answer, though in reality, her inner thoughts were expressing the opposite of her words, as Whitlea herself was uncertain if she was even truly 'alive' anymore.
"You only told all of this to me just now. Were you planning to keep all of this hidden from me until I asked you about it like this?" Novus answered, the worry in his words evident despite his serious tone. "And besides, did you think I wouldn't notice the way your voice sounded like... You're carrying a heavy burden?"
Her eyes widened as he so easily took notice... Was it truly obvious from merely the tone of her voice?
"... You noticed, hm? How bothersome. It wasn't my intention to hide it from you though. I was planning to slowly break it down to you bit by bit so it wouldn't shock you so much, but then, well... Today happened~" Whitlea replied with a sigh. "Hmm, I think I'm starting to regret being honest with you, though. Now you're just going to be worried about me all the time~"
"Why wouldn't I be worried? Like how I matter to you, you matter to me as well." Novus told back to her. "If there's anyone who'd be worried about the things you're going through, I'm definitely going to be one of those people."
She couldn't think of a response to that, and it was probably because of the strange emotions flooding within her heart; did he actually still truly care about her so much, even though she was just a perfected copy of the one he loved in the end?
In truth, at the very least, she was already expecting the worst when he finally found this out, and this had actually been the reason why she only told all of this just now...
"But... I'm not exactly the woman you know and love anymore~ Doesn't that bother you, even a bit?"
"Look, Whitlea, even if you're no longer yourself..." Novus spoke again. "Even if you're the millionth or trillionth copy of the original you, I'll always love you, especially after everything you've done for me."
"As long as you and I are alive, I won't stop caring about you in the same way you care about me."
Only silence would be Whitlea's response as she heard that... His words seemed to have pulled on her heartstrings even more, and it felt as if she could cry out of appreciation for what he said.
"You're... Not angry with me for what I did? You seemed mad just a few moments ago." Whitlea asked, her beautiful, lilac eyes staring into his gaze as she did.
"There's no point in being angry with you since it's already happened, dwelling in the tragedies of the past will only make the present and the future just as tragic." he said rather thoughtfully. "What I can do instead is to limit having to make you do that kind of sacrifice again..."
"That's why when you mentioned it back then, I began testing the new armour prototypes I had Thurien design for me. Surprisingly, the one I have right now is the best one yet." Novus continued. "You're still the best, though. You as the sword I wielded was the best weapon I've ever used."
"... Ahaha, at first I thought you were testing those out because I was becoming a burden to you~" Whitlea said as she giggled a bit. "You're always so good with your words. It's lovely, seeing that you love me like this~"
"The fact that you're doing all of that just for yours truly... I feel so glad~ It's making me so happy to see that you're reciprocating my love for you~"
"... Well, as long as you're feeling joyful. You look more beautiful when you're happy, you know?"
A wide, beaming smile formed from her lips as he said that, with a faint, slightly visible blush simultaneously appearing on her face as she continued grinning happily.
"Oh? Being a bit brave again, are we~? Well, if you really do think I'm more beautiful when I'm glad, then why don't you prove it to me?"
"Uh... How exactly?"
Her arms then gently wrapped around his neck, as Whitlea took the lead and pulled him in again... Not for a kiss, but rather, a request she wanted to make...
"I'm tired, sweetie~ I don't want to be the captain of this stupid ship anymore." she whispered gently into his right ear. "You promised me that you'd take this role from me after a while... And it's been a while, you know?"
"Oh... About that..."
"Nope, no excuses. I want you to do it today~ You become the emperor now, you're the reason why we've all achieved this in the first place." Whitlea urged with her soothing voice. "I spent years in the other-world with you, to make you the powerful man you currently are... It's time for you to show everyone your manly side, don't you think?"
"..."
"Don't waste the opportunity, dear. It's time for you to shine~ Become the man you were always meant to be~" Whitlea butted into his silence, her words already beginning to convince him. "Don't worry about the trivial duties, I'll be the one to handle them in your stead~ I may often be a bit tired, but I'll always be there by your side to support you."
It would take a few more seconds before Novus would finally be convinced– if this was the way he could 'prove' to her how much she loved him, then perhaps he would indeed do it... Not for the sake of pride or honor, but to simply relieve her of one of the heavy duties she had already been doing for a while now.
"... Alright, fine. I'll do it." Novus finally relented with a sigh. "Let me guess, though... You're probably going to prepare a massive ceremony for this, I assume?"
"Ohh, you've read my mind, sweetie~ I'll absolutely be doing that, no questions asked." Whitlea teased mischievously, though it seemed that she was serious with what she was saying. "Now then, let me reward you for listening to me..."
With one gentle motion, she would finally pull his face towards hers for a kiss, and it was a moment of passion that neither of them would even wish to pull away from, and it was a shared moment that would have lasted for a good few minutes, were it not for the myriad of more-important things they had to do.
... And unfortunately for them, one of these important duties would come to directly pay the room they were in with a little visit, directly disrupting their briefly shared moment as Whitlea was forced to pull away from Novus to formally meet their sudden guest.
"Ahaha... Let's stop here for now, dear. Someone's about to come."
CREAK...
From the wooden doors came none other than Thurien herself, the pink-haired medicae who had been occupied for a while due to the latest project she busied herself with– the construction of a massive fortress that would serve as their headquarters, a stronghold located in a place far away from the planes of reality, that it seemed practically impossible to even lay the bastion's foundations at first.
"... You do know that I'm aware of what the 2 of you were doing, right?" Thurien stated as she pointed out the obvious.
"I do, ahem, now, anyway..." Whitlea then sat on the chair of her desk as she quickly tried to shift the topic. "I assume the reason you came here is because it's already finished, right?"
"Yes, but, before we go there... I'd like to clarify something important first." the pink-haired android replied as a nervous smile formed on her lips. "I'm aware of the relationship between you both, and I'm also aware of that... Er... Slightly possessive personality you have for him, Whitlea. I-It kind of creeps me out a bit, to be honest."
"... And what exactly are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that you don't have to worry about... Ahem, me, stealing him... From you." Thurien continued as she clarified her point. "You see, he's the adopted child of my good friend, so in my point of view, I see Novus as an adorable niece~ The mere attempt of even seeing him as a love interest..."
"I do think it's quite off-putting, don't you think so too?"
While the medicae's point brought a slight sense of relief to Whitlea's heart, she couldn't help but feel worried about how hesitant Thurien was when she mentioned her evident obsession for the man she loved; indeed, she was proud to call him her beloved and had no qualms with making her love for him known, but... For Thurien, who was one of the calmest people she knew, to be the one pointing out this quirk of hers...
"... I see. It does concern me a bit, now that you mentioned it. Well, anyway..." Whitlea remained silent a bit before she finally spoke in acknowledgement, though it quickly became clear that she was attempting to divert their conversation to the more important topic. "About the reason why you came here..."
"Yes, the thing I've been busy with for the past few months. It's done, the entire framework has been completed. It's now entirely operational and can be used as soon as possible."
What Thurien was mentioning was a massive construction project meant to build a proper headquarters to support and supplement the imperial forces under their command– a massive, hovering fortress equipped with various, powerful weapons and defences, one that was currently stored away within the confines of a place all too far away from the material planes of reality.
"Ahaha, excellent~ I knew you'd do well. I was expecting you to take a year, to be honest. Who could have known that you'd only need 3 months to build that gigantic thing?"
"That's the power of humanity's technology for you~... In their golden age, at least. Building something like that is all too easy with the help of my mechanical helpers."
"Have you thought of a name for it yet, though? Merely calling it a castle or a fortress definitely wouldn't fit its majesty."
"Hmm, I haven't yet. Why don't we leave it up to him to think of a name?"
The 2 women then turned to face Novus as they stared at him with their waiting gazes, waiting for him to come up with a name for the project that Thurien had recently finished.
"You heard her, dear. Why don't you come up with a name for it? It needs to have a cool feeling to it, alright? Don't disappoint us~"
"Oh, don't be worried about that. Novus is quite good at coming up with names, you know?"
It took him a while to come up with the most suitable name, as his thoughts ran wild with all the possibilities he could think of. Eventually though, Novus would finally come up with the perfect name for that powerful stronghold, and he wasted no moment to speak as the name emerged from his mind and immediately came out of his mouth.
"Star-Sea Fortress. That's the name I've come up with." Novus blurted out as he finished thinking. "What do you 2 think? Is it good enough?"
"... I suppose it isn't bad. You could have thought of a better name though." Whitlea expressed her opinion, which was quickly followed up by Thurien.
"I think it's pretty good~ It definitely fits it well." the pink-haired woman complimented. "Ah, by the way, if you really want to see how much of a good job I've done, why don't the 2 of you pay the place a little visit?"
"Don't worry about that, we already had that in mind." Whitlea answered as she placed her hand on Novus' shoulder. "We'll be holding a little meeting later, and we're planning to use it as an assembly area, you see..."