Lady Elyria opened the gate using a mechanism that required her to input a drop of her own blood for authentication, allowing Zaja to rush in, which the vessel did without delay.
"Lira! My sister!" anticipating the purple haired girl supposed to be waiting inside, the Crimson Deity Vessel blurted out. But barely had Zaja walked into the room that he noticed that Lira was nowhere to be found.
The room was completely empty, no furniture, no bed and beddings, no food plates serving as a reminder that someone was even here. It was stark empty, causing Zaja's breathing to even echo off the walls of the room.
Confused to the peak, Zaja blanked out, sweeping the room with insistence as he chased his sister's trails. Lady Elyria stepped in as well with her beautiful face twisted in a frown.
"What is the meaning of this?" the Valthrone matriarch asked out loud with a pang of confusion in her voice. She had been sincere with where she had kept Zaja's sister and was sure that Lira was safe from outside interference that wasn't her, so how come Lira was nowhere left to be found in the very room Elyria had last seen her, especially under strict and tight security protocols.
Kael who was hell bent on having Zaja's sister for the taking didn't even have the slightest idea of where she might be, for all he knew— Lira was tucked away by Zaja somewhere safe so that he will not be able to find her and defy her.
Lady Elyria was the only person, along side her a few of her trusted servants who knew about this location and only Lady Elyria had the authority and authentication to open it.
And in the case of her servants, they were hand picked individuals with a certain type of mutation that allows them to magically transport something from one place to another, under strict magical conditions. This was how lira was fed, clothed and taken care of while not making contact of any kind with the outside world.
The door didn't show any hint of having been forced open, the three headed demon dog was still in its instructed place. Yet, Lady Elyria could sense that someone who wasn't supposed to be in the room had entered. Else, how would one explain the disappearance of Lira.
To top off her suspicion, she sensed a familiar Arcane energy signature that cascaded around the room. There was no way it belonged to Lira because she had the inability to use Arcane energy, causing her to be sick. So this Arcane energy residue belonged to someone else, someone she knew.
And as the matriarch tried to cement her focus on the familiarity of the Arcane energy residue left behind, it hit her like a freight train.
Her memory jolted and a horrifying figure flashed in her mind, "This aura… I have sensed it before…"
Zaja turned to face her, it was at this moment he too realised that their was a deferent Arcane energy signature in the room, one distinct from his own and Elyria's, although it wasn't familiar to him at all.
"It likely belongs to a powerful Matriarch like myself.... Lady Xena Apotheosis, leader of the country Blackfield Gorge and their incredibly religious beliefs" the matriarch said with a slight pant to her breathing.
Zaja walked closer to her, his face rumpled up causing creases of frustration to be visible. "Who is this woman..." He muttered.
"The country of Blackfield Gorge is mediocre at best when it comes to the power rankings against Ironforge Dominion, but they are known for their strict religious beliefs in the gods and their 'never say die attitude' Lady Xena Apotheosis is their leader and she is the worst of them..." Lady Elyria explained as she backed up a few steps, noticing how Zaja towered over her, now it didn't feel sexy like before— it felt intimidating.
Zaja turned to face the wall of the empty room, in a spot that otherwise would be a perfect place to keep Lira's bed, he walked over to the wall and slammed his fist into it, shattering the wall completely.
His face was visible with anger and his breathing was jagged. The one thing he valued to perfection in this world has been stolen from him again.
"Tch! Lady Xena Apotheosis... How do I get to her..." Zaja said, turning back to Elyria as he adjusted his clothing.
Before Lady Elyria could speak, the intensity of Xena Apotheosis's Arcane residue increased a great deal. The pair immediately noticed it and turned their heads every which way to locate the matriarch.
Instead of the matriarch, they were met with a magic circle inscribed on the ground with golden sigils. And from the circle, a holographic image of Lady Xena Apotheosis and a younger girl stood before Zaja and Elyria.
"Lira!" Zaja yelled out as he recognized his step-sister.
"Now now, be calm Shadow Flame possessor..." Lady Xena's hologram spoke up, it's voice sounded backed up with thousands of background voices all speaking in unison.
"I'm sure Lady Elyria here has told you what I am capable of to seize power..." The hologram continued, taking a short glance at the Valthorne matriarch.
"You don't need to speak, I'll be quick as this magic circle will expire soon. I am Xena Apotheosis, Grand ruler of the Blackfield Gorge, matriarch of the House of Apotheosis and I thank you House Valthorne for offering this young prodigy. I promise I will take care of Lira as I would take care of my own daughter and I will raise her into a dominant force the Ethereal Realm has yet to see anything unlike..." The hologram said.
Zaja brain pounded with anger, but he remained calm, trying not give away any sign of weakness, and anger is a definite sign of weakness.
"Zaja... Brother..." Lira's hologram suddenly spoke up, her voice too seemed to be backed up by thousands of background voices speaking in unison. "It turns out I don't have Arcane Deficiency Syndrome, I just hadn't awakened as an Arcane Bearing human yet and I too also have mutation..."
Zaja's breath hitched, he couldn't believe his ears. Lira wasn't sick because she couldn't use Arcane energy, she was sick because she couldn't use Arcane energy YET!
And now the beautiful girl has a mutation and he is just being aware of that now!.
"Cursed Speech Control mutation, that's what she called it... It's a Special Grade mutation, and Kael was the one that initially found out and sold the information to Lady Xena who wants to use me to build alliance all for the benefit of her country and their religion, she aims to forcefully spread her religion throughout the entire realm at large".
Lira explained with an almost emotionless voice, as if she was being scripted and coached to speak.
"You've heard her, Shadow Flame possessor... You won't be seeing your dear sister for awhile, at least up to six months to train her as the vessel for the almighty god of the Blackfield Gorge— Lord Tenzen!" Lady Xena's hologram said with a loud volume.
Zaja knew Lira was in trouble, she wouldn't want to taken against her will to be the vessel of some deity and by the way she was speaking, he knew she was being forced.
Not to mention the consequences of having a deity like Lord Tenzen return to the realm of the living, and forcefully spreading his religion throughout the entire realm— it would be an era of slavery and sorrow.
In that instant, Zaja realized that he had made an incredibly terrible decision. From the moment that he awakened his Shadow Sovereign Flame mutation, he should have used it to take over the House Valthorne, he was lenient and now his sister has been taken from him the second time, by a matriarch again!
'What is it with you matriarchs and my sister! Tch!'.