Chapter 216 Family And News

- POV General -

The sun was peeking through the sky of Elysium, the birds had begun to sing, announcing the arrival of a new day. The day before, a bloody war had taken place in the lands of the Empire, but the victory went to the Empress and her soldiers. However, this morning was very different for the Imperial family, who, in spite of themselves, were not thinking about the butchery that had taken place earlier.

At that moment, if Freya, Gaya and Kira's minds were elsewhere, it was because of the woman in front of them. A beautiful woman with eyes ambered with tears, long hair as pure as the moon and intense purple eyes. Shining with moisture, like two precious stones, Kalaa Nightshade had for the first time laid eyes on the family of her sister whom she thought was dead.

The reunion was so sudden, so unexpected, and had even begun with a fight between Lucifer and her older sister. Yet, only a short time later, in this hospital, the time was no longer for anger or revenge but rather for joy and surprise. Treated by one of the doctors in the building, Kalaa had finally opened her eyes and fully realized what was happening.

Freya, her wife Gaya, her little sister Kira and even her daughter Shiro had been the first to smile at her with a tenderness that warmed the heart. A tenderness that the beautiful white-haired woman had forgotten for years, sinking into loneliness and anger. As the soft rays of the sun began to bathe the office with an almost magical light, this feeling that had been extinguished, had suddenly reappeared.

Hate had given way to love, sadness to joy, revenge to wonder, and crushing guilt to relieving relief. Kalaa never thought she would ever experience anything like this again and nothing could really describe how she felt. Except for the word "Welcome" she had not uttered a single word, too busy crying her eyes out at her new family.

"Kalaa, I..."

Freya was there looking at her, Shiro in her arms and unable to know what to say in front of these tears that she had anticipated but which nevertheless left her speechless. Then suddenly, while the she-wolf was as if paralyzed, the visions of the past she had lived in the crypt came back to her memory. Like a brief flash sent by her heart itself, it had broken the small remaining wall which made her hesitate slightly.

The Empress may have known her older sister's face, she may have known who she was and what she stood for, but the situation was special. Kalaa was no stranger, but without the memories Freya had yet to fathom, this meeting with the former Goddess of Time and Wisdom... was her first. However, remembering what she had seen in the crypt swept away that brief feeling of hesitation in an instant.

Without a word, the she-wolf beckoned her wife to take the still sleeping little moon in her arms so she could act. Nodding her head, Gaya grabbed Shiro gently while Freya finally made her way to her big sister, determined. It only took her a few seconds to find herself in front of the now tear-soaked couch. Lucifer and Kalaa Nightshade stared at each other for a brief moment before one made a move.

"Big sis..."

Before the shocked and dumbfounded eyes of Lia, Triss and the two elven doctors, the Empress had addressed this stranger like a sister. The next moment, in silence, the four people knelt before the new member of the Imperial family. Freya didn't even notice, as she was too busy wiping the tears that were still running down Kalaa's soft cheeks as she had done with her earlier.

Then, without warning, the dark-haired woman leaned forward to embrace once again the one who could not stop crying. This time, there was no smell of blood in the air, no cry of despair in the sky, and no dead bodies around them. Instead, a solemn silence filled the room, while a touching scene took place before the tender eyes of those who occupied it.

"D-During...all this time I thought you were dead...I...how ?? Why ? Who ? I can't...understand what's going on. Y-You're here, aren't you ? It's not a dream ? An illusion ? How long has it been ? Haven't you been thinking about me ? Titania, what has she done ? I'm lost...I-I...Luci...you..."

After a few minutes, Kalaa finally spoke and seemed to say out loud what she had been thinking since her reunion with Freya. She spoke quickly while sobbing, not knowing where to start, what to ask or even how. There was an overflowing joy but also confusion and for good reason, thousands of years had passed during which the woman had drawn a line under her past life.

"I don't know any more than you do...to tell you the truth...I only recovered my memories partially a short time ago. But...if I was able to find them again it was because of the "L & K" journal we wrote together and...the Time magic you used to protect it. Without it...I don't think I would have ever remembered the name Lucifer Nightshade."

"But...I failed to protect you as I promised. I-I failed...and.."

What her little sister had just whispered, had suddenly shocked Kalaa who for a moment began to smile innocently. She who had never lost her memories, making her loneliness more painful, remembered perfectly all her past life. However, even though Freya had been able to remember thanks to her help, her heart wouldn't let her enjoy it for too long, regret hovering like a dark cloud in her soul.

"You may not have protected me from Titania that day, but you brought me back and allowed me to remember one of the people who means the most to me...you."

"Luci.."

"And then, somewhere along the line, if I had survived the day I lost my Goddess status...I never would have been able to build all this. Never would I have met the people I care about and would protect with my life. Titania may have taken a family from me...but she gave me another and today, the two are reunited despite all that has happened."

"I..."

"The past is the past, from now on we are together again and even stronger than ever. Kalaa...dry your tears, you don't need to cry anymore because you are not alone anymore...never again."

Pressing her forehead against her older sister's, Freya and her closed their eyes as the embrace grew a little stronger. "You're not alone anymore", those words echoed in the woman's heart and even though she didn't know Gaya, Kira, Shiro and the twins yet...she felt at home. Finally...finally she could hear the words she had dreamed to hear, those words that in an instant made all doubts disappear.

"Let me make the introductions !"

Suddenly, for a few seconds, the Empress of Ice looked like an excited little girl as she stood up quickly. A radiant smile appeared on her face, still dirty with blood, providing a very disturbing contrast for those who knew the usual Freya. Moving aside a little, the she-wolf revealed behind her, her wife, her little sister and her daughter, the twins still sleeping a little further.

"Meet Kira our little sister, I'm warning you she's a real clown hahaha~ Always saying what's on her mind even if it's not always appropriate and first big fan of Shiro. This sly fox girl eats like ten, is clumsy, greedy, talkative, sometimes a little silly and you can always count on her in terms of prank hahaha~"

"E-Eh onee-san !"

"But...she is also brave, determined, smart, protective and I would never have wanted to arrive in this world without her. From the beginning, I could always count on her in the hardest moments or I even seemed to lose my mind sometimes. Kira has a wonderful personality and no matter what ...she will always be there."

"F-Freya..."

Kira who had been surprised at first by Freya's first words, was now blushing very strongly scratching the back of her head embarrassed. Her three silver tails were dancing in the air making her very cute, a sight that did not escape the young Lia. Then, realizing her behavior, the young Princess straightened up, just before Kalaa addressed her for the very first time.

"Nice to meet you Kira. Thank you for taking care of Luci...ahem...Freya all this time. It's nice to meet you and I hope...we get along well in the future."

"Y-You can call me 'little sister' if...*cough cough*...if you prefer. I-I'm also very pleased to finally meet you, b-big sis...ahem..."

Still smiling shyly, the young silver-haired princess was doing her best to make this moment comfortable for her new big sister. At her words, Kalaa's violet eyes lit up a little more as a new smile brimming with joy appeared on her beautiful face. It may have been nothing, but in that moment, Kira had recognized her as a full-fledged family member.

The setting was idyllic, the sun was in the sky, the birds were singing and somehow made this moment even more unique and magical. Leaving them a few seconds to appreciate what had just happened, Freya did not say a word before continuing. Then, as the two silver and white haired women seemed to appreciate each other, the she-wolf reached out to the one on her right.

"Kalaa."

"Yes ?"

"And her...I present to you my wife, Gaya. The mother of my children, the one to whom I have sworn fealty and with whom I have bound my soul for eternity. There...there is so much to say about the love of my life but we have plenty of time for that so I'll just say that...I love her with all my being."

Freya had grabbed the dragoness by the waist as she said these words before placing a soft protective kiss on her forehead as if to prove the strength of her words. Gaya smiled radiantly with all the love she had for her wife and she always gave it back to her. Then, reopening her beautiful amber eyes, she turned to Kalaa, bending slightly as a sign of respect before speaking first.

"Nice to meet you Kalaa, it is a real honor and pleasure to finally get to know you. I am sure from now on we will get along very well, again...welcome to our family."

True to form, the Queen of the Empire had spoken with great respect and impeccable manners, surprising the woman in front of her. First conquered by Kira's endearing side, she was now hypnotized by the dragoness and her noble aura. Smiling back at this politeness, the former Goddess of Time also bowed before answering with the same respect and kindness.

"It is also an honor to meet you Gaya, I never thought I would see such stars in Lu...Freya's eyes one day. The pleasure is obviously shared, I have no doubt of our future understanding and without lying, I am curious to hear your story about how you met."

"Pffffpffff~"

Still with Shiro who had fallen back asleep once the heat had passed, in her arms, the Queen giggled with a hand in front of her mouth. The Empress looked away as if she had not heard anything, suddenly slightly embarrassed by the situation. The Fox Princess raised an eyebrow in confusion for a few seconds before starting to giggle while Gaya spoke again, followed by Kira.

"Our first meeting ? Well...in a dark cave Freya threw an ice pick at my tail threatening to turn me into a dragon skewer pffff~"

"Hahaha~ and onee-san...pfffpffff~...she thought she was forming a master, slave pfffhahaha~ *cough cough* contract and ended up married without knowing it pfffhahaHAHAHA~ O-Onee-san, I...I...think you have a penchant for violent encounters"

In Commander Caipy's office, Gaya, Kira and Kalaa were laughing with an innocence almost worthy of the Empire's small moon. The Empress didn't know what to say, since it was all true, and tried to keep a straight face, but to no avail. Her little sister laughed at her and laughed until she choked, but instead of being offended, as Kalaa answered, the Empress felt her heart warm.

"I don't know if Freya has a penchant for violent encounters, but even though I'm practically healed, she still broke my leg fufufufu~"

"K-Kalaa !"

"PFFFHAHAHAHA~ S-Stop, n-no more *cough cough* HAHAHAHA~"

The laughter started up again and although Freya had no excuse to give, she too ended up giggling slightly. The first meeting of her wife, little and big sister had gone much better than she had thought and they were laughing as if they had known each other forever. The only ones who hadn't met Kalaa were Shiro, Angel and the twins but there was no hurry.

While in front of her, three beautiful women made her heart beat, a very sudden thought crossed the mind of the she-wolf. At the moment she didn't know it, but how could she hide Kalaa's existence from Titania ? Now that they were reunited, if the Goddess of Ice and Chaos were to discover her presence in the Empire, how could she feign amnesia about her existence as Lucifer Nightshade ?

The Empress who had decided at this moment to approach the subject later did not know it but, Titania was not going to discover it so soon, much too busy on her side. Indeed, far from Elysium, from the warm reunion of the Nightshade sisters, the enemy Goddess was not even above Kleisaria. Things were changing and plans were forming on Freya's side, but in the Realm of Gods and Goddesses, this was also the case.

____

Far away from Elysium, in front of a huge door made of stone, a very generously shaped woman stood there, motionless, waiting for something in particular. She had sky blue hair, pure white skin, deep black eyes and a haughty, annoying air. In front of this titanic door where an L was engraved in a beautiful way, was Titania, about to meet someone very important.

"There's nothing to worry about...I'm just reporting on the situation. Yes, tha's it ! No need to be nervous haha~"

The room she was in was of incomparable size, seemingly built by Titans, so much so that the Goddess, alone, seemed tiny. As she whispered a few words very softly so that they would not be carried away by the echo, the stone began to move. Finally the engraved door opened to let her enter and it is thus with cold sweat that the blue-haired woman rushed in.

The interior was just as large, pillars rising as far as the eye could see all along a large carpet embroidered with gold and green threads. The light was quite dim as only candles glowed, illuminating large flags bearing the same "L" as on the front door. Moving forward without turning her head, Titania reached the end of the carpet where a woman was sitting on a throne that was longer than it was tall.

"Well ? Titania. I hope you have some good news for me regarding our...little project."

Before the Goddess of Ice and Chaos was a woman lying cross-legged on a long throne made of gold and emeralds. She had piercing green eyes, very long blond hair that reached almost to her knees, which she blew with a fan. This woman, was of great beauty but the blue-haired one in front of her, dared not look at her, prostrating herself at the bottom of the stone stairs.

"H-Hello, Matriarch Goddess Pria Luxumbra"

"Hahaha~ come on, get up Titania...and tell me all about Freya."