- POV Freya -
An icy representation of Lady V containing a part of her soul for a little while had appeared on the floor identical to the statue. She didn't move, didn't seem to breathe which was normal but her lack of movement didn't hide any signs of imminent awakening. Magnus was next to her and although he didn't dare touch her, I could see and feel a mixture of fear, sadness, relief and above all joy.
He had his hands over her body, he wanted to wake her up but didn't dare to touch her, he wanted to cry but the tears wouldn't come. The Vampire had never met the imprisoned Lady V before he became a Priest, but he knew how much she had contributed to his people. He knew what she had done, he knew her without ever having spoken to her, he knew everything about her without ever having met her eyes, but today that would change.
The room was silent, everyone stared at the ice girl lying on the cold stone floor with bated breath. Was she going to wake up ? What had happened to her ? Yet after several long seconds nothing happened, no reaction, which I myself could not understand. As everyone started to move towards her, Magnus turned to me with panic in his eyes, leaving me speechless.
"Empress, w-why isn't she waking up ?"
"Why would she know ? Onee-san has done her job, now don't you have some kind of special rune or something related with blood that could make her react ?"
I hadn't even answered that Kira had done it for me jumping up and down beside me followed by Gaya and of course Kalaa who were also approaching. She wasn't wrong, I had used my Reminiscence skill and I knew the process had gone smoothly, for the rest I didn't know. I couldn't even find out what the curse was or even if it was one to begin with, Magnus and Jade could help.
They were the vampires who held this girl in high esteem and knew every bit of her history since she arrived. Plus, they were experts in rune magic, which was of interest to me for the future, not having forgotten the teleporter that had taken us underground. There had to be something they could do and as I thought about it, the black-haired Priest suddenly slapped his forehead.
"R-Right ! Yes the blood ! If we..."
"Let's draw a blood rune on her chest we could boost her mana especially if the blood is powerful"
Jade had cut off her subordinate's speech before making a dagger created from her own blood appear in her hand. I didn't understand everything, but this rune story was more and more interesting for me who was wondering if their technique was similar to my skill "Detection and Control of Mana". I had to ask for more information afterwards and the idea of discovering new things was still thrilling.
*Could it be that their blood technique is more powerful than I think ?*
Once again I found myself talking to myself if Kira was no longer in my mind but for some reason I never felt alone. Like one and sometimes two presences in the depths of my soul that I couldn't explain but that was natural for me. While I was lost in my thoughts, I saw Magnus tracing a rune on the girl's body, a process I had never seen before with my own eyes.
His fingertips glowed with a light that only I could see with my skill, but the vampire could feel it because it was his mana. He drew many symbols that appeared to everyone as glittering white lines that turned black as the time passed. After a few seconds, as I watched very carefully, the man turned to me along with Jade.
"Simply pour your blood over the rune to mix a tiny amount of your mana with Lady V to create a shock. If you really are the person she is looking for your blood and mana are both powerful and perfect enough to get an immediate reaction."
*I see...*
Stepping forward slowly, I grabbed the blood dagger before moving closer to the ice girl who lay like a statue. She looked so young, her feathered wings were open on her back giving her the look of a pure, innocent angel...but not as innocent as my little moon. In any case, it was necessary that she woke up because it was convenient for me, so...after having observed the rune and the girl for a long time, I finally brought the blade to my hand.
With a sharp blow I cut my palm letting my blood spill onto the rune which almost instantly began to pulse and turn red. I didn't know how it worked but I felt my heart speed up and my own mana get more and more agitated inside me. As the seconds passed I could not control anything feeling my own body change without me doing anything to make it happen.
Under the eyes of the dragons that I knew were totally shocked, my hair as black as night took on a color as red as blood. My wolf ears disappeared to make room for human but pointed ears, my fangs grew longer and my nails became black. Even my usually violet eyes turned red and black as the tattoos on my face grew and spread.
I felt a natural power come over me, even greater than in my wolf form, so satisfying that I could hear myself growling. I had only unlocked 30% of my Demon Goddess form, so I couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be at 100%. As the rune seemed to resist my mana with difficulty, I slowly backed away feeling all eyes on me as my wound disappeared.
However, attention quickly shifted as the next second the rune shattered like glass followed by what vampires might call a miracle. The girl suddenly opened her eyes before straightening up and inspecting her body as if she hadn't seen us.
"L-Lady V ?"
Startled at Magnus' voice she would turn around to finally face him not without a face lost in confusion and silence. The scene was very strange, as if she had lost her memory and didn't know what she was doing here or even where she was. However, aware that she was not alone, the girl finally swept her gaze around the room ignoring the vampire before putting it on me which had the effect of triggering my system instantly.
- PING -
[ Unlocking memories available due to the nature of the being present near the host. Would you like to view the corresponding red sphere ? ]
[ YES/NO ]
*Eh ?*
A message that I had not imagined appeared before me referring to my memories as Lucifer in the form of spheres. My system could not analyze the girl but had detected my connection with her and even linked it to my past ? How ? I didn't have time to ask myself more questions anyway because the next thing I knew, tears were starting to appear on her face.
Why was she crying ? Was I too intimidating ? I didn't know, but I stood still and watched Lady V without saying a word, staring at Magnus. Icy tears were streaming down her face, like a never-ending stream that couldn't seem to stop at all. She was covered in my blood and the scene was heartbreaking if you didn't know the context of the situation even though the dark haired vampire was glaring at me intensely.
"Empress, what could you possibly have done to make her..."
"I-...I-...I knew it..."
Just as he was about to ask me what I had done to make her cry, the girl's voice finally echoed through the room. It was weak, hesitant, almost silent, and most of all overwhelmed by a multitude of feelings that came with the tears. Who was this girl ? Why was she crying ? I didn't even know if it was joy or sadness, her icy face making it harder for me to interpret.
The situation was lunar, a girl was crying in front of a gathering of strangers without anyone knowing why or what was going on. Jade, Magnus and even the three clan leaders didn't dare to say anything, totally lost and only waiting for me to explain what was going on. Unfortunately, even if I didn't show it, I was probably the furthest from understanding, probably even more confused than them.
"First of all maybe we should cover and calm this child down ?"
"I agree, she must be disoriented..."
Suddenly, my wife and my sister guessed my confusion and came forward to break this kind of uncomfortable silence that had settled for several minutes. Animated by their maternal instincts, they approached me to go towards Lady V and cover her with their coat. However, Gaya and Kalaa had not even had the time to pass me that already the new awakened one started to cry more and more fixing this time my big sister.
Her little body was shaking, her eyes kept going back and forth between Kalaa and me which confirmed our theories about where she came from. Then, as if coming to her senses, she started to stand up like a newborn, staggering slowly in our direction. Only the sound of her footsteps bounced off the walls like clockwork, quickening our hearts to know what would happen next and what she would do.
After a long minute, the girl finally reached our level before suddenly falling to her knees with her forehead and hands against the cold ground. She had opened her wings made of ice feathers wide and as I watched, I was suddenly caught by an unexpected shock. A flash of a memory appeared before me superimposed on the scene I was seeing and although it showed a different life, the sight was the same.
A woman kneeling in the same position, her skin white and pink, her long black hair as dark as the feathers of her wings...a fallen angel. I remembered now, for them, showing their back and wings like that was a sign of submission and great loyalty. This girl...I knew her for sure, but I was missing something to fully remember what was soon to come from her own mouth.
"N-Never fear, never back down and n-never surrender. G-Glory to the Nightshade family..."
At that moment, as she spoke her words, a huge shock took me, nearly knocking me over. Like a single impulse of the heart, powerful, crushing, suffocating, I saw in my mind very quickly scrolling different images of this woman I had once known. Her words I knew them and obviously they had the same effect on Kalaa who had brought a hand to her mouth leaning even on my wife.
"Never fear, never back down and never surrender. Glory to the Nightshade family !"
As the girl spoke those words again more distinctly, without stuttering, finally I recognized the one before me. She was...different, younger, very young, made of ice but I had no doubt, I didn't remember everything but like my older sister I remembered little by little. I knew her, I didn't know how she got here, why but while I still felt less lost, I finally spoke.
"Valérie, raise your head~"
Yes, the one who called herself Lady V was none other than Valérie, a powerful fallen angel, serving House Nightshade faithfully and almost in a fanatical way. I remembered in spite of myself her obsession with Lucifer connected to an uncommon dedication and trust. It was her in the form of a young girl, there was no doubt about it, and as I saw her look up I realized that my past life was catching up with me much faster than I expected.
"Matriarch Lucifer, I knew you weren't dead, I-...I knew it wasn't possible and so did you Lady Kalaa. I-...I never believed your supposed desertion of shame...I-...I knew the Red Empress and the White Empress would return..."
Valérie was referring to one of our nicknames that I had found out about in the crypt from the L & K journal and its memories. The Nightshade Sisters, Lucifer the Demon with hair red as blood and Kalaa the Archangel with hair white as snow. In the Domain of Gods we were at the head of our House, I as Goddess Matriarch supported by my older sister who was as respected as I was feared.
It was always bits and pieces of memories, I only had the scattered pieces of the huge puzzle that was my life as a Goddess. In spite of this, little by little, helped by Kalaa, I began to remember without having to see my red spheres, which was very challenging for me. As I saw Valérie slowly rise to her feet new notifications rang in my mind accompanied by her voice saying words I was dreading.
"Your Highness Lucifer, Lady Kalaa I don't know what is going on here and how much time I have to talk to you but you absolutely must return to your House. If you do not, then...I fear that the world we are currently in will be destroyed."
- PING -
[ Congratulations ! Freya, you have unlocked 5% of your Demon Goddess of Primordial Blood and Death title > Demon Goddess of Primordial Blood and Death (former - until all powers are recovered) - 35% ]
My system had been triggered but I wasn't even paying attention to the words that were being displayed because I was frozen in place. Not now, this was not the time, there was still so much to accomplish here before I went back to take what was taken from me. Yet I hadn't hallucinated and while everyone in the room was silent and lost, I clenched my fists before answering very firmly.
"No. There are many things you don't know so I refuse...for now."
___
FULL STATUS
Names : Freya / Lucifer Nightshade
Age : 0 year old / Mentally : 25 years old
Sex : Female
Course: Ice Demon Wolf of Chaos - Adult
Race : Imperial Demon
Titles :
- Demon Goddess of Primordial Blood and Death (former - until all powers are recovered) - 35%.
- Wrathful Lucifer (7th Sin) - Master of the uniques Sins Demons (to unlock it, please gather the other 6 - 3/6 - (locked)
- Dragon tamer
- Ruthless slayer
Level : 47/70
Exp needed for next level: 7 000 / 48 000
HP : 170 000 / 170 000 MP : 85 000 / 85 000. BLOOD : 100 / 100
Strength: 660
Defense : 660
Agility : 666
Endurance: 663
Speed : 662
Intelligence: 660
Charisma: 500 (imperial she-wolf)
Attribute points to allocate : 1 600
Married to : Gaya Nightshade
Daughter : Shiro Nightshade
Twins (son & daughter) : Tyle & Altaïs Nightshade
Little sister : Kira Nightshade (Greedy Fox)
Big sister : Kalaa Nightshade
Empire (menu)
Subordinates: 10 801(keep growing)
Humans killed: 153
Souls: 0/3
Elements: Ice / Chaos (Freya) - Blood / Death (Lucifer)
Skills (all):
Attacks :
- Demon Claws (Lvl 5)
- Bite of hell (Lvl 6)
- Infernal ice spikes (Lvl 6)
- Fighting techniques (Lvl max)
- Mastery of the katana (lvl max)
- Demonic Empress aura (lvl 7)
Défense :
- Ice demon wall (Lvl 6)
- Demonic Cloak (lvl 5)
- Pain Resistance (lvl 6)
Attack/Defense :
- Domain of the Ice Empress "Frozen Wrath" (lvl 4)
- Death Gaze (lvl 1)
Others :
- Humanoid form
- Demonic form (linked to the title so incomplete) - 20%.
- Ice creation (Lvl 6)
- Detection and control of mana (lvl 6)
- Storage of chaos (Lvl 4)
- Devouring Chaos (Lvl 5)
- Master of Souls (lvl 3)
- Lucifer's Threads of Blood (lvl 3)
- Healing Blood (lvl 3)
- Reminiscence (lvl 2)
- Analysis
- Telepathy
Passives :
- Commander (lvl max)
- Natural Aura of the Ice Empress ]
