Chapter 23 – The Bleeding Edge Thorns

 

Sandra spoke into her device. “Xistress to Orchid, repeat, Xistress to Orchid.” Static static interference, the transmission was being picked up but not a reply yet. Sandra sighed. She decided to leave a message. “This is Sandra, Xistress of the Ximperium. I have the Domina’s Daughter, Thatti Nezura. Yeah, I’m here to take her back to Orchid. I’ll fly through the newest Interdimensional hyperspace-gateway and drop her off for authorities to deal with.” The ship soon flew through a swirling colorful spiral in space, a ravenous maw in the spaces

between reality that buckled the ship for a rocky shift, and then smoothly glided it along the reality native to its opposite face. A sea of stars, golden ships passing through as envoys to greet the Xistress’s vessel. Sandra looked at the purple and golden moons atop Gaia, connected to massive chains that stretched for thousands of miles in gleaming magnificence. The golden moon, so covered in cities and skyscrapers that its core lay sheathed within seemed to light up the void like a jewel in the night, its opposite violet twin in orbit on Gaia’s side visible from the ship. This gilded world had a name.

 

The Orchidans called it Prospit.

 

A dark and silent cloud of ships shrouds the moon, so massive to appear as a school of fish swimming through space. Looking up in front of a large stadium atop a massive tower, the Domina shines with a brilliance akin to the darkest of stars. With the sun long set for the day, the purple moon opposite to Prospit - Derse rises with an indigo light, an inky black shadow that the Domina embraces with joyous zeal. It casts upon her face as she sights the Xistress’s vessel slowly approach the playform bay. In Astrid’s control next to the Domina, a hummingbird flies by in the night, carrying with it the declaration of striving souls, both those who have sinned and those who have fallen from glory.

“So, explain to me this whole Challenge of God thing again? Succession Rites? I don’t really get it.” Sandra sat in a leather chair. This wasn’t good. Sandra released her prisoner’s flimsy restraints. Thatti crossed her legs. “I don’t really know, you already know I’m not from there.” Ameisa walked in. “I can explain it, my Xistress. I’m quite well versed in Orchid political structure.” She said.

Ameisa spoke as she opened up a folder. “Everyone on Orchid worships a woman called the Domina, also called the Goddess’s Gardener. She grants her clergy supreme authority over all law, science, politics and governance, in addition to their direct control over our armed forces.” She looked through her notes and the data on a laptop she carried with her. “To become the Domina, there is a series of rites. They involve either the Domina naming a new successor, who must survive challengers for a period of ten years, or a proper Challenge to the Domina’s rule by way of combat. If they succeed, and by that I do mean kill her or incapacitate her they are considered the de facto Domina and rule over Orchid, and within ten years as a trial period, if they’re not dead by other challengers or objections, De jure as recognized by the Goddess.”

Sandra scratched her head. Successions, multiple Dominas? It always felt a little

convoluted and overly impractical to her. “But wasn’t the Domina a different person, the only Domina a 1000 years ago?” She asked.

Ameisa nodded. “Yes, but in your time, there was only one Domina and she had held power for aeons. But things change. There have been multiple Dominas since, but they were all very short- lived, unremarkable. The current Domina has reigned for quite awhile now, and despite numerous challengers no one has come close to successfully dethroning her or defeating her.”

Becca spun around in a beanie chair, she recalled Thatti going over all this once but most of it went over her head. The few memories she had from that inner voice, when she closed her eyes, couldn’t penetrate her addled attention span. Most of Thatti’s knowledge went right through her in these instances. There was one phrase she remembered Thatti’s mother repeating every morning, every time Thatti visited her, whenever she could. “Survival by rightest. Sovereign by might.” It meant a simple adage, she knew. The most powerful take and rule, they strive and topple to the top of life’s great foodchain the bottom become merely footsteps and subsistence for those stronger than them. “Yeppp, if I’m remembering right the Domina gets plenty of challengers every single year. But, they all get mowed down like it’s a sport.” She added.

Ameisa nodded. “That’s why they have two tiers, a Red and a White challenge.” Ameisa looked out the window, the cities of Prospit now covering the entire horizon of their vantage in all their brilliant verisimilitudes of the eternal. “A Red challenge requires no approval, you just denote you’re planning to assassinate the Domina, and then you try to do it. It’s tacky, cloutless and earns you no allies or goodwill during the ten years you must survive after before made the permanent Domina. A White challenge is typically more honorable and legitimate, you do it in a public court in front of the church’s clerics and officiators, their families and often aristocracy. If you want to earn some goodwill, a White challenge is the proper respectable way to succeed, but just saying you’d like one isn’t as simple. There’s a very complicated and sanctioned process the church goes through to examine challenges and the legitimacy of them, how serious they should be taken- typically by looking at the Challenger’s rank, status in society, as those powerful and influential can more easily get a White challenge approved.”

Sandy puts down a handheld videogame and looks at the skyline. “What happens if you don’t tell the church you’re planning it? Can you kill her then, no red even?”

 

Ameisa shook her head. “No, in that case they wouldn’t consider you a usurper or challenger, they’d just consider you a murderer. You’d be killed on the spot and they’d pick someone else. There’s less legitimacy in a red Challenge, but without the heads up there’s absolutely none. You’re a persona non grata.” Ameisa closed her laptop.

“Wow.” Becca said, feigning interest. From Thatti’s memories, she’d remembered countless challengers and ceremonies like this, and Lyras struck every last one effortlessly. She couldn’t force herself to care about another show-execution like this.

Ameisa continued. “It’s a complicated process that involves several rituals and ceremonies, there are plenty of reasons why someone would be denied a White challenge.

There’s often all kinds of political and social agendas at play, but the church’s clergy has a lot of say. A lot of it is just nepotism and classism, they don’t give out any lowerclass boy or gem a White, only a few credible White challenges get approved every year. And needless to say, even those involved with the selection process are sworn to the selection process so even the Domina cannot control it, get intel about it or actively block it.” The ship finally began to lower towards the landing bay platform, everyone able to see the colosseum packed atop the tower.

“Looks like they’re gathering. The clergy, the royal family, even her highness.” Ameisa said, her eyes looking at the top of the golden tower, where they all must be waiting. The clouds parted as a massive beam of light struck the colosseum and hit the Domina, the light’s rays cascading over the royal family and even those who would be challenging the Domina’s rule. The light reflected, spreading from the Domina as her eyes shone, a holographic message from her own ship being displayed, the crowd falling silent as the challenge was read out in holographic projection by Lyra’s voice, then falling over to the clergy, the royal family and the Domina’s own vessel.

 

“I declare open the Challenge of God! Let Flora’s blessing strike those who remind Orchid of its one sacred rule. ” The Domina hollered in zeal. “Survival by rightest. Sovereign by might!”

From the side of the bay, Thatti Nezura was escorted through the halls as the spectators looked on in silence. She would be watching, this would be a show she could not hope to miss, all because the Domina had insisted on having Thatti present for this. Her mother’s eyes shone with a brilliance that lit up the entirety of Prospit and Orchid as her own gaze looked out towards Thatti, “We have two, from the church itself. Approved by the priestess and 3 bishops of the Succession Committee.” The hologram of the Domina said. “Their names will be withheld until their envelopes are presented, as tradition. First we have a little special public show. A display of the vaunted rebellion leaders, before their execution after the challenge’s end.”

On the side of the battlefield wall was Seth, Matt and Trey, three of the leading councilmen of the Boy’s Liberation Army, hungup in shackles by their arms against the side. A crowd full of onlookers, spectators and cheering royal guards stood and watched as the robed and armored clergy walked up to the trio, holding large golden axes on their belts, all bearing faces that looked at them in disdain, in disgust, in spite. Matt looked at the crowd, “LONG LIVE MEN!” He yelled. Seth smiled at the clergy as they approached him, they looked upon him with the contempt they would a beast. “The goddess’s gardener is a wicked and unjust woman!” Trey proclaimed. "Woman are to serve man, man shall not bow to woman!

When the Boy's Liberation Front succeeds, we'll rip the hearts out of every women in charge and slit the throats of every woman who tries to get in our way!” They shouted. “LONG LIVE MEN!” "CURSE THE VILE WOMEN OF ORCHID!" The three rebel councilmen laid there, limp. Thatti’s mother bellowed her voice across the city, the Domina’s voice being beamed to the people of Orchid, "Let these foolish eretics be stricken from this land, and Orchid will flourish! Let the men who defy the right of women be cleansed! If their 'liberation' intends to undo us from these chains, they truly must be maddened." Thatti’s mother raised her hands to the sky, the hologram above mimicking the action. “Let this be a warning, you men who would

defy the will of the church! Let the women of Orchid rise up and be victorious, the goddess will guide the hand of the Domina in this hour of peril!" The crowd cheered and shouted, going into a wild frenzy. Astrid took a drag of her pipe, it was the only way she kept her frayed nerves in check. She turned around as the Domina got up and went to greet her daughter who was coming out of the tunnel and into the colosseum, she gave a look at Nathan who nodded knowingly.

As the hologram dissipated, the Domina finally reached Thatti near the bottom stairs. "Mom.." Thatti said, trying to be convincing and apprehend the situation. "Thatti dearest, we meet again. How is my beloved daughter? How has she spent her time?" The Domina turned her head towards her. Thatti looked back.

 

The Domina chuckled as she walked towards her daughter. "I was so curious to see you back home, on Orchid. But, the leader of Xi, boorish she may be seemed very eager to get you here quickly enough, and so we were obliged to honor her request. I hope the Xistress understands how important it is to be respectful to your leaders." Thatti felt her stomach sink, everything about the Domina always made Becca uneasy. "You know how these Xi girls are. Always causing trouble." She added. "But, you seem to have been up to some trouble of your own. " She looked towards the captured boys.

“Those gnats? Hardly trouble.” Lyras said.

"I'm guessing they're your latest little victims." Thatti felt her mind go blank. She knew she needed to play it cool, pretend she knew nothing. "I don't know what you're talking about. These people are going to be executed anyway, and they're traitors to the Empire. I have no love for them." Lyras said.

"I'm sure you don't." Thatti replied curt. "You didn't for Nathan. Or has that changed since?" She looked up towards the Domina and tried to think of the least suspicious way to handle this conversation. She had been brought to the Colosseum just to talk to her, to bring her into this challenge and she didn’t want to fuck this up. Her mother sighed. "I've told you before, I have no son.”

The Domina turned and waved her hand. "Now, I must be getting back to today’s challenger. This is one of the rules of Orchid. It's sacred. Sovereign by might."

Thatti smiled, “Ah, if you say so.” She tried to hide her disdain.

The Domina patted her on the back. “That’s why I brought you back. I want to see you succeed me someday, you’ll step forward in that battlefield too and end the challengers that cross you. Come now dearest, we're about to begin the carnage!" The Domina said. She faced the field fired up. "That’s why I want to make sure you’re properly educated on the rules and ways of Orchid. Watch carefully Thatti. I know you have many disagreements with the way I run things.

Someday you will have the right to challenge my authority, to challenge me as Domina.

If you're capable of this, you may do it." The crowd began to roar as Thatti felt the weight of the Domina's gaze settle on her back. "But today, you'll bare witness to what an impossible task you'll face." With a shuffle of her heels, the Domina returned to the center of the plaza. Thatti and Veronica, Jel and Thatti began making their way up the stairs until they saw Astrid

and Nathan, on the opposite side was Caleb. "Yo!" Jel sauntered over. "Long time no see homeboy. They have you working out here or what?" She asked.

Caleb shot the three an odd look. "If you only knew." Caleb shrugged. "So, how'd you get back here?"

"Some lady calling herself the Xistress." Thatti said bluntly. "Maddened lad." "Did she stick around?" Astrid asked, casting her glare at Thatti like daggers. Thatti looked up, seeing the ship still having taken off and now in low-orbit. "Looks like she's got the best seat in the house."

Lyras Nezura stepped to address the entire crowd.

"It's time to begin. By the blessing of Flora, I grant the utmost limit of desire. Come forth, challengers."

The crowd chanted "Survival by rightest, Sovereign by might!"

In the crowd, Astrid got up and stretched. She looked at the kids. "Time to shine, kiddos." The woman began walking down the stairs and leapt to the center of the field, Lyras turning around. "In the name of the Flowering Order and her gardeners, I challenge you!" Astrid yelled holding up an envelope with the official clergy challenger's commission seal.

"Orion? Well isn't this bold of you. You took it upon yourself to eye my throne? I would applaud your ambition, my advisor, if it wasn't pure arrogance to think you can beat me." The Domina took out a golden sword, and tossed it to the cheering crowd. Her infamous taunt- In every challenge she did, Lyras never once used a weapon proper despite rules stipulating any allowed.

The Domina turned to the audience, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the challenge is real. Let it begin!” Lyras clenched her fist and charged towards her opponent, they clashed and Astrid was grabbed and shoved back roughly. "And end just as thusly." Lyra’s voice boomed over the stadium, her eyes fixed on her opponent as Astrid stood there motionless and injured. Astrid lunged, stepping into Lyras as their clashing hands broke each other's armored shoulderpads apart. Lyras smiled at Astrid's lackluster efforts, they both fell backwards as Lyras fell on her back and rolled across the field with a laugh, the Domina's fall broken by her bodyguard's hands.

The Colosseum crowd roared. Lyras stood back, smiling at the applause. The Domina turned back to Astrid. "You should learn your lesson, Orion." The two wrestled - Lyra’s grip being the stronger of the two as she broke through Astrid's guard and knocked her to the ground.

Lyras threw a punch into Astrid's gut as she got up, the two women trading blows and kicks, Lyras dodging her foes every move, her body shifting and avoiding their kicks and punches like a gymnast. She then slammed her fist into Astrid’s stomach as she turned, Lyras laughing as the woman staggered away, she then grabbed her hair, dragging her and throwing her back into the scaffold where the three BLF members were chained. "Y-you have to win Astrid!" Councilmen Trey said. "The hope of the Boy's Liberation Front depends on you!"

"Shut the hell up you gnats." Astrid shouted back, wiping blood from her lips. She clapped her hands together and produced a powerful staff, a golden shard within the end of its crook. "You're going to have to be better than that." Lyras taunted, watching Astrid speed ahead towards her.

"Let us test your strength, Orion." Their fists went flying at each other, this time Astrid's staff creating a rush of golden heated energy that curved around Lyra’s body, enveloping her and heating up her suit. She then released it, catching the Domina off guard.

Lyras laughed, "Magic? Is that all?" She clapped her hands together, Hex glyphs in her hands dissipating the golden field. Next she swung out numerous papercharms, each glyph creating explosions of fire, ice and earth like dropped mines towards Astrid. As they approached, Astrid was thrown back in a cloud of dust and debris. Astrid looked down at the ground, the Domina approaching, and her hand clapped, sending several dozen paper glyphs towards her face, exploding upon contact. The glyphs hitting behind her, just barely missing. Lyras flew through the debris and grabbed the woman by the collar, yanking her into the air as the Domina threw her high up. With a clap of her hands, the Domina grew numerous bug-like wings and 6 arms, her skin turning a shade of lilac as she flew up and fired a stormy bolt that illuminated the stadium, frying the advisor. The girl came out of the explosion charred, broken and bruised. The crowd cheered as Lyras held Astrid up. Astrid had a smile on her face as she held up her staff, a golden light entering Lyra’s eye, disorienting her for just a moment. Something unnoticed, something missed. A sliver of energy from Astrid’s wand entering her body, slithering in and taking root at a glacial pace. Astrid smirked at her trick. Trey screamed loudly "Astrid, keep going!"

The Domina caught ear of it. “Astrid, have you really gambled your future with these buffoons? I surely expected better of you than this.” Lyras laughed, putting together the falsehood of the woman who’d been serving her all these years until now.

Forcing her to the ground, Lyras began launching her 6 fists into Astrid at rapid-speed, swinging them into her face, chest and gut, bleeding her heavily and leaving her in a pool of blood. The Domina put her thumb and finger from both hands together. "Hex of Light: Everbright Catharsis." She yelled, causing a massive hexagon-shaped blast that sent Astrid body hurtling into a wall, the hexagon creating a smashed indent around her. She fell weakened onto the ground, Lyras slowly walking towards her and picking her body up. "I admire your ambition, but your resolve is still that of a child's." Lyras said. She threw her onto the scaffold with the rest of the councilmen. She got up slowly. "I should've known you'd challenge me- did those men not cheer for you? When I assigned you as a spy for the Liberation Front, perhaps your bleeding-heart sympathies got the best of you." Lyras began tearing at her hair, then her hands grew sharp carapace-shell layers hardened in a metallic glaze.

She then charged at Astrid, slamming into her in a kick, slamming her into the scaffold she was tied to. Lyras raised her leg above her head and swung it down, knocking Astrid out of the platform and into the scaffold, shattering it. The crowd booed and screamed as Astrid's body tumbled out, getting up and clawing her way out.

"The Liberation Front did have you, infiltrated you. You were just an empty shell, an instrument of war for them. You only ever saw me as an enemy, a tyrant. Not a leader of her people." Lyras held Astrid up again by the neck, her metallic hand ripping into her eye rapidly. "For your lack of foresight, you'll PAY THE PRICE." With a single agonizing swipe, she ripped Astrid's eye out. The women roaring in pain and the crowd going wild. Lyras tossed her away and Astrid landed on the ground, writhing in agony. She tried limping away. She put her hands to her bleeding eye socket, Lyras approaching her. Lyra’s claws tore through Astrid's

soon-dislocated shoulder and then ripped her leg off. The Domina held her body up by her collar, and with a titanic squeeze broke the bones of her wrist and shoulder. She punched her in the jaw, broke her nose and left her on the ground to pep up the crowd.

Astrid knew she had lost. Her body was bleeding and broken.

"For your years of service, I'll spare your life. Run back to your pathetic men, and give them my regards." The Domina said. "You're still just another weak wannabe to me. You're already dead and you'll never rise to power in your dreamed up world."

"Guess that wraps that up." Jel crossed her legs amused, while Nathan got up inbetween her and Caleb. Thatti’s eyes went wide. “W-wait, where are you..” She saw him walk down the steps. “Going?”

Barely able to stand, Astrid hobbled and held up an envelope. "We're not done." She said. "There were two challenges, remember?"

The Domina sneered. "So what, you had another red challenger employed as a hired assassin? A cheap trick as a contingency plan? Did you truly think you could harm me and wear me down so utterly that even someone as unremarkable as that could finish me off?"

The Domina tossed her off to the side, Astrid falling to her knees. "This is over, woman.

Send your fool to me, and I'll redirect them to their grave."

The Domina began walking away from Astrid, her eyes fixed on the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the first challenge is done." She looked down to Astrid, "Forget about my mercy. You and your lackey will be buried with your traitorous 'allies'." The Domina looked back. Nathan began down the steps walking towards her mother, looking at her. "Mother." He said, holding out an envelope in his hand.

The Domina turned her head and looked at her son, speechless for a moment. She caught her composure with a course chuckle.

"I see Orion taught you jokes! I don't know what kind of game you're playing. Is this the part where I humor you?" The Domina said.

"This is the Red challenge you've presented?!" She yelled, ripping the envelope in Astrid's possession to shreds. Inside, was a red letter. Her eyes widened.

She turned back to Nathan, who opened his- revealing a White Seal.

"What's going on here?" She looked to Astrid's face, then back to Nathan's. "As if my own concubine has the right to challenge me."

Nathan cleared his throat as he stood over the ledge of the audience. "I am not,

contrary the Domina's claims, her concubine or purchase." He looked over towards a wrapped figure coming this way, Marigold pushing her rubbery tied up form forward, something jangling in her backpack. "I am actually her son, Nathan Nezura." He declared to the uproar and confusion of the crowd.

Thatti turned to the two, her face filled with a look of surprise. "Nathan? As Domina, what the hell is he doing?"

The Domina let out a screech. "No! This is all a sick joke! A sick plot of heresy!" She yelled. The crowd began to get angry, whispering and booing.

"You know this is a falsehood." The Domina said, trying to keep her composure, taking a deep breath and turning around. "The boy is nothing but a liar."

Her 6 hands began to glow. "I can promise you this, when I return I'll cut out his tongue and make him watch his words." The Domina fired off a hexagonal blast, striking Marigold as she flew through the air. She crashed into the Colosseum audience, the blast scattering her into chunks of blood.

The crowd erupted into chaos, some cheering the woman on as she had struck back, but most were furious at the Domina. Veronica and Caeb reeled back, holding their faces in horror.

"What's wrong? You look pale." Nathan asked, undeterred by her display of violence. "You rule this nation with violence and with iron. You bring nothing but bloodshed,

and you dare to call it peace."

"Tssk." The Domina turned her head towards the scaffold where the traitors of the Empire were held up. "I understand now, are those where you throw your lot? You and your lackeys of the Liberation Army. You wish to challenge me? A proper Domina wins by rite of combat, not petty insurrection or by starting a revolt. Are you planning to murder me, to end me before I end you? To make woman subservient to you?"

"That is not what I want." Nathan said, checking on Marigold's bloodied corpse saddened. He rested her open eyes shut with his hands as he wrapped a cloth around her head and covered her, then turned to Lyras. "I’m not like them. They are a misunderstanding, a mere difference of our ideologies." He turned to the wriggling mass in a sack and pulled off her sheath, revealing a women underneath. Megumi got up, taking off her gag. "You! Y-you and that maddened women kidnapped me!"

A nebula, caught in the crosshairs of fate. He glared at her.

"Is it complete?" He asked, taking the equipment from Marigold's backpack- his overlord armor and the strange reef, with multiple arms attached. Nathan began putting on his metallic suit. She nodded, and under duress began to help him suit up, calibrating the weapon she’d once used, ensuring Dark Density was strapped around his hips to power it properly.

Becca watched with curiosity as the strange girl in a simple jade-green dress worked with the device, cranking it with screws and tools into Nathan’s armor. He smiled at her, feeling the armor powering up, a strange feeling of power, yet a feeling of relief that the stress that had

been choking him out for the last two years was now gone, like it had been just a dream. “Is that enough?” He asked, feeling his armor powering up. “Yeah, yeah.. should be okay.”

“But, y-you’re not going to be able to use it for long.. “ Megumi said nervously. “It’s too unstable. I worked on the technical issues for months, I tried to work out all the bugs, and it’s impossible. No one can handle that many N-novus abilities at once.”

“Let me be the one to worry about that.” Nathan said winking at her.

“Besides, I don’t intend to keep it on too long.” Nathan said. The armor began to grow and wrap around him, becoming the overlord armor. He was a force of nature, a god among men, wielding power as if it were a single grain. “This is madness, a sickness. Your own mother, a Domina, and you would defy her? Why would you bring such an end? She’ll kill you.” Megumi told him. The horrors of that woman when she shut down the Yawning Vault, the trauma still fresh in her mind. She never wanted to come back here, not after all her own plans had fallen through. She couldn’t believe anyone would be fearless enough to challenge the Domina, even with a weapon system she designed. Nathan’s armor and equipment finally fused together. “Is this why you kidnapped me? To see this mad ambition through”

Nathan dropped a golden stone in her hand. “Astrid told me to give you this, as thanks for your service. Do take care of yourself Megumi.”

He started climbing down the stairs to the field where he approached his mother. High above the battlefield, White Nebula and Edric watched on a broom. White took out a series of high-powered binoculars and looked on, observing Megumi below and the familiar weapon she’d given Nathan. What’s she doing here?

"How is this a White challenge?" Lyras shouted, her eyes now fixed on her new opponent. "So foolish, you're a mere boy! Not a warrior, hardly grown." She pretended to clap slowly. "Very amusing. But enough! You cannot challenge me or take the role of Domina. You are not full Orchid- you're a halfbreed."

Nathan glared down, the ancestral Set blood within him heating up as it ran through his veins. "And to whom do I owe that descent? If you saw fit to have a Set as your wife, the subjects of Orchid will see fit to have me as theirs. You will not keep me from ascending the throne."

The crowd went silent, their noise dying down as the Domina's hands moved through her clothes and she produced a black orb of magic, the Domina putting it on her neck and slamming her hand to her face as she put her helmet on. It came out with a golden hue, as the Domina began to glow with energy. She put her hand up and her armor melted away into a golden-hued layer that draped her body, a golden light blazing upon it - her Imperial Purge armor.

"Impudent brat, you should've died in obscurity months back, it would’ve saved you the humiliation of this farce. Come forth then and despair!" The crowd cheered as the Domina's body flared with radiance, gold filling up the arena. The Domina began to laugh loudly, as she clenched her fist and began moving through the air, her hair turning gold, the crowd began applauding as Lyras flew into the air, the Domina's light reflecting upon her face, revealing the

golden carapace she had grown.

Fully armored finally and with several orbs surrounding him from behind, a strange device in back of his hips, Nathan began levitating over the field, just slightly a few feed off as if gliding gracefully. She looked at his armor, Nathan’s body growing 6 arms to complete the 8 the armor allowed for. She snarled. “You think to challenge me in that ridiculous suit?” He glared back.

The two faced one another rearing for the fight of their lives.

 

The Domina began running towards Nathan, Nathan let out a low growl as his eyes turned red. To her surprise he swung his fist her way, a splash of red magic enveloping her. The Domina yelled, the magical blast barely hitting her and deflecting her back into the Colosseum wall. She then swung at Nathan, but her fist met an obstacle of air that stopped her. In turn she punched at Nathan again, and again, and again, his body flying back into the stadium, Nathan leaping back forward with equal velocity until he rammed ahead at her, his fist knocking the wall behind her down and shattering it. The Domina flew back, crashing into her fallen foe from before, flying forward and knocking him far back in turn. The two began a machine-gun spray of punches at one another in a prismatic clash. Their blows rapidly exchanged at a furious speed the audience couldn't follow, multicolored sparks spreading with every hit. Nathan was punched back, sliding along the ground, he cracked his head taking her fists, got slammed into another wall and then launched himself back once more with total ferocity.

This wasn't right, Lyras thought, her son had spent his entire life pampered and emasculated, how did someone like him grow capable of this sort of confrontation? She flew ahead, punching Nathan in the chest and in the face, her left eye glazing over as he punched back and got up and shoved her away. She then grabbed her fist, her hand changing to that of an insect-like mantis's blade, striking him in the face. Nathan fired out a massive blast of magical hexes in retaliation, pushing her off and shattering her in a massive wave of sparks and fire, the Domina's golden armor charred. The two rapidly shot bolts of light at each other, the Domina firing out more, bigger, faster, more intense, her body taking a flurry of red glowing punches while Nathan received bolts of lilac energy that threatened to overwhelm him. He was caught in the barrage of lilac and blown away. When he got up, Lyras was already inches from his face. With another punch she grabbed him by the shoulder and swung him into the wall, his shoulder smashing through the metal and the impact flinging him into forming cracks along the wall.

Despite his unruly strength, the Domina felt confident. "Is this all my lineage amounted to? Please, if that's it then I'll take your head n-" Her eyes froze up, body tingling strangely. The golden glow in her hair and armor began to slowly fade, she looked at her hands and felt her magic weakening. It became faint in her body, then as absolutely nothing she could sense within herself. "How?" The women turned to Astrid, who was smiling even with one eye gone. "It was imperative I challenged you first.." She waved her staff slowly. "Getting a slow-release effect was costly, but anything for my lord."

"Tsk, relying on treachery. Like you had a choice." The girl wiped a smidgen of blood

from her lip. "You're still too weak for this game, brat!" She yelled, the air around her flaring up, hands firing out, sparks of lilac burning on Nathan's armor until the curse on her drained her energy like a poison, bringing her bolts to nothing. Nathan clenched his fist, he then threw his arm around her shoulder, and threw her. The Domina felt a sharp pain in her spine, her body snapping in the air and she fell down. The Domina stood up, and discarded her front chest plate armor and boots. With a clap of her hands, a smooth blue fluid spread throughout her body, a latexy texture eloping her with acrobatic elasticity. Nathan made a warcry, the orbs around him powering up- a tail formed in back him and feline ears grew atop his head.

She then grabbed Nathan's left leg and pulled, his armored leg bending around the way a twig is bent, Nathan's leg breaking. His left foot hit the ground, his body rolling onto the dirt and then the back of his head met a wall, burying him into rubble. "Did you think," She slammed him by his bent leg back and forth. "That just because you sealed my magic-" Her body and head changed as she transformed, her arms becoming thicker and longer as her limbs changed to resemble that of an insect, clawed fists slamming Nathan's face again and again to crack his headpiece, taking one of the goat’s horns atop the helmet and breaking it. "You stood a chance against me?"

"Insolent halfbreed!!" Lyras said as she threw him down, taking a blade from the wall and stabbing it into his chest. Nathan held up his hand, causing the blade to break apart and melt into ash- the power of ROT disintegrating it.

Lyras leapt back then flew at him again, tackling him, but Nathan's was ready. He grabbed her fist and crushed it into dust, and the Domina began screaming in pain, his eyes flashing red as Nathan lifted her off the ground and crushed her left fist into the ground. He stepped on her throat.

"I'm done holding back." Nathan said. He coughed out a burst of blood, the strain from his body turning his momentum to jelly. Lyras took notice. "That weapon- whatever it is, you've been struggling to use it ever since you stepped into that suit, like a boy trying to wear clothes too big for him. Not enough time to sharpen your claws, ey kitty?" She scoffed. "You can barely maintain it while standing, don't you see? That inexperience and immaturity are going to get you killed." Her heel shoved up into his face and kicked him far back, Lyras getting up slowly. When Nathan recovered aswell, he smirked, putting his hand around the stab wound she'd inflicted earlier. Slowly the damage began to heal, the same gleaming light Lyras had seen gathering at the hole, before it was healed completely.

"Impossible.. Gem regeneration? Tsk."

She looked at her palms, the seal on her magic already beginning to loosen and dilute.

The golden glow around her was slowly beginning to return, Nathan realized his timetable was short. "Looks like your desperate ploy has run out. Game over, boy." Lyras began running towards Nathan and then flew up, wings flapping wildly.

 

"Hex of Water, Hex of Thunder: Whisperwind."

 

The words struck fear in many challenger's hearts when they heard it. The vapors in the air began to coalescence around the Domina like a shining liquid sheath, her wings

growing long trails of jet-like fans behind her. Her arms and body were circulated by a coil of electricity sparking rapidly at high-intensity speeds. She stuck out her balled fist, slowly opened it and in the next instant, Nathan was smacked hard into a wall, cracking the concrete. "Wha-" Before he could even get a word in, he was hit again from the corner, then side winded into the opposite side of the collessium a moment later. His mother appeared as a ricocheting, needled twister of piercing thunder, blinding to the eye. She warped and struck so fast the audience couldn't follow her at any second, her after-images trailing in her destruction over and over as she struck down Nathan from all places at once.

“T-that’s-“ Caleb watching from the audience couldn’t help but be reminded of the field fight back in Echostar, when Thatti had taken on the Gem of Greed’s monstrous form. The same technique, but simply accelerated even faster. He turned his head to Thatti who seemed off for a girl watching her mother and brother fight to the death.

1 week ago

Nathan stood in a shallow stream, flat stone rocks forming platforms while the water rustled about. Caleb sat on the sidelines, while Astrid, and a tied up Megumi observed nearby. While Nathan practiced the multitude of abilities he now possessed, black smoke would occasionally leave from Dark Density, the locking mechanism built to stop the system if it overheated or his health vitals were critical. “It needs to come out.” He looked at the small palm sized chip plugged into the side of his hips. “The safety, the mechanical valve. The entire self-deactivation, it won’t do us any good.” He was getting fed up every time Dark Density turned off, wispy smoky trails of sensual smoke etching into nothingness.

“Sire, with respect! We must accept the limitations of the technology. This power will be a great advantage in your struggle against the Domina, but it could be fatal. It’s not as safe as-is to take off the safety precautions. You could destroy the device and harm yourself irrevocably.”

“Astrid, please. If my life were worth that much I wouldn’t undertake such a dangerous endeavor.”

Caleb threw some rocks, skipping them along the river. “So, he needs that to use a bunch of different powers? But it doesn’t seem all there..” He picked up some more pebbles. Astrid turned to him. “Watch your tongue boy.” She cleared her throat. “My lord doesn’t need it to use many refined skills he’s mastered. But he cannot use them all at once, and even with this it’s not possible to fully circulate them without some drawback. The point is to allow him a synergy of 2-3, even 4 abilities in highly strategized bursts, which would otherwise be impossible..” She turned to Megumi, grabbing the girl by the neckcollar. “Or it would allow it, if you’re ridiculous invention worked. What did we resurrect this useless bitch for? Make it work right or feed your mangled body to my gryphon you shit-for-brains.” Megumi choked up as Astrid strangled her, her legs trembled in the intimidating sight of the Domina’s top sorceress. “I have tried my best to a-accommodate you guys. But to try and tamper with Dark Density to remove its safety and limitations..” Astrid’s grip tightened, Megumi’s knees fell into her own throat. “This is beyond reason.” Astrid let go. Megumi collapsed, gasping for air. “I have tried to find some way to use it without damaging it or causing a failure in the system.

As you can see, it’s not happening.”

Nathan turned to her. “Megumi, how would you like to see your precious church return? Wouldn’t you be happy to have a Domina that supports you, that can run the world in your favor?” He said kindly, giving a sweet smile to her. Despite being brought back to life, held against her will and kidnapped Megumi never did find Nathan Nezura wanting for manors.

“I understand, your highness. But that device you and that girl want to have, this will mean nothing if your power breaks down. And with the way you’ve been using it-” Megumi said in a low voice. “Your body, it’s strained too much. This will be your worst nightmare, I have to tell you.”

Astrid sighed and slapped her. “Shutup already.” She turned to her lord. “Nathan, listen to me. You’re a little wanting for memory since you woke up awhile back and I know you’re still having headaches. Forget about Dark Density or that armor for a moment. But there’s only one thing you need to remember. Of all the abilities in your Contract, there’s one you absolutely need to remember you have thanks to Jack...”

Present

In the stadium, Lyras circled the perimeter over and over at speeds that left a devasting windfall behind her, electricity crackling everywhere she went. He spurted out a trickle of blood, trying to catch a glimpse of her. As a glimmer of cyan rang in his eye, the temporal distortion that came to life within him raged against her speed. This was the technique she'd effortlessly crushed previous challengers with, the one he needed to overcome. Time began to slow down, he watched her punch him dozens, hundreds of times before he could even see her anything more than a blinding blur, then afterimages, and finally the temporal flow of perception equalized her technique. He grabbed her wrist, to her utter surprise. Nathan brought down his sword, Lyras blocking with an arm- it chopped clean off and sent her flying into the stadium with a crash. Astrid’s words from back then crept back into his mind like a cathartic balm.

“You need to remember how to utilize Cascade.”

"The Domina's finisher! How was it countered?!" A member in the audience yelled. "Is she losing? That was nuts, I thought she had him for a second!" Another shouted.

"Tsk." Lyras wiped the blood from her cheek, looking at her lost arm- only 5 remaining. She got up, throwing off more of her armor with a crack and shatter, loosening pieces of gold until her shoulders were fully exposed, and leapt back up. “Hex of Light: Melody Rain.” Her palms all pressed forward into the air, rings of light forming in front of them. A barrage of curved, long-trailed lasers began to spam the air with light. Nathan’s ringing blue-eyes saw the thousands approaching in slow motion, he rapidly absconded around the field, ardently dodging their detonations like a thief stealing victory in broad daylight. The attack sped up, more brilliant beams ringing like a parade of the macabre. He stopped at a far point and saw that there was a time difference that he could exploit. In the next second he was there in front of Lyras before she even realized it. “Pact: Rain of Spikes.” He unleashed a blizzard of sharp, steel spikes into the air, shattering lasers like he was battling a swarm of fireflies. Lyras was confused. “How did he-” Then the next moment she saw the spikes pierce her shoulders and

legs, a multitude of them slamming into her like missiles, tearing into the Domina. “Nathan-” She was hit hard, the debris and shrapnel throwing her blood into the air. The crowd watched her tossed high up.

Nathan leapt with the ferocity of a cat and brought his katana down, she blocked it with her arm, a hexagonal shield shattering but giving her the millisecond delay to fly away from the threat.

When she’d created enough distance, the Domina ignored her injured body and clapped her hands together. "This ends NOW! Zero’s End, Hail Purge-Light!" Particles from the air began gathering and charging into her hands, bloating and rounding until they became a massive sphere.

With a whale-sized ball of lilac colored magic charged up, she flew high into the air, compressed the massive ball into her palms and fired out a huge blast of energy at Nathan. The massive beam of annihilation roared through the air as it shot downwards in a straight line, the manila color spelling doom as it rained down. There was a sense of unease on his face, a simple clap of his hands had him catch the front end of the attack, it engulfed his entire arms and pushed him back like a train hitting him. His feet planted firmly in the ground, hands smoking, every second of determination riding on surviving this.

"AaaaaaGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Nathan shouted, bringing both fists forward and clapping together, he had caught the blast. The easy part, already feeling scorched burns within his armor. It expanded and began crushing him from above in a heated rancor. How many challengers could get this far? How many in Orchid could eat out their graceless heart for a chance at the highest powers, only to ride it on surviving his mother’s unforgiving and pitiless power?

Nathan knew he had to give more, more. No, everything. It was all or nothing.

He threw a punch forward as pushed ahead and he ran into it, tackling the entire blast- a move he found meant he had to use his entire body as a weapon, but it still felt like it wasn't enough. His body pushed back further and further, smoking the edges of his armor, threatening to devour him in holy light. The powerset of his equipment activated, with Cascade to slow the speedy thrashing buildup into a jaunty motion, Drive to push himself immensely to his limits, and finally Ion activated in his eyes. Nathan saw a translucent ring UI around the missile of light pushing against him slowly filling up to a graphic of a skull, he grabbed the

light-filled bar of the UI physically and twisted it back counter-clockwise with great difficulty in full rage, the muscles in his hands straining to stop his impending destruction. He utilized Pulse to weigh himself to the ground, anchoring his body in spacial place to resist being blown back from the shockwave alone. Finally Nathan was planted, he didn’t go backwards a single inch, but stepped forward, gripped the UI disc and crushed it, subsequently destroying the entire attack with his own two hands.

His efforts came through and finally disintegrated the blast into a massive cloud of ash and smoke. The boy's hands bled intensely, feeling cold and numb. Hands shaky, he pulled his fingers up at her as if controlling a puppet- a Link ability, her flesh becoming taut as if gripped by wires and becoming immobile. The boy yelled, charging the power of Drive

until he was a pure-red silhouette, then running at her with full force and smashing her through a Colosseum pillar, the heavy debris smashing down on her and burying her underneath. He began aiming his hand through her chest, red energy of concentrated rot in his palm. "That's enough, mom." He could hardly stand straight, the regeneration afforded to him kicking in far too slowly to still feel at ease. If the Domina struck again, he knew he couldn’t offer another counterattack. The red energy dissipated, going from a threat to an olive branch as he put out his hand and offered to help her up mercifully. "Let's settle this peacefully. Surrender and declare me the successor, you've lost." The Domina swatted away his hand, clenched her fist. "You think I'll ever acknowledge you? BRAT! I don't need your PITY!" and unleashed a blast of raw magic at him, catching Nathan midair, blasting him through the Colosseum and throwing him down grievously. Nathan's body broke and crumpled down.

"You're a weakling, a wretched boy that even after all this!"

She yelled. Lyras palmed her hands together, speeding up. “Whisper Wind.” With a sonic boom, Lyra’s form showed up as a squash and stretch through the air and her first clocked into Nathan again, piling him into the walls of the Colosseum and dragging him along, repeatedly slamming him as she ran along it’s circumference. After the third lap he swung his sword at her, Lyras easily dodging. He draw back from the energies of his device. Cascade surged in an ambient course of blue in his eyes, but the black smoke from his sides whirled and hewed his flux into an abrupt decline. Lyra’s unseeable form slowed to a blurry rush, but his perception could draw haste no further. Even as he levitated, Lyras clapped him continually, slapping him back and forth, sending him about 20 feet for every pitch. “Further.. just a little further!” He cried out, swinging again but missing. Lyras appeared above and tackled him into the ground, forming a large crater.

When the smoke cleared, the audience leaned forward in baited breath. She held her son up by the neck, his body a defeated wreck surrounded by a black plume of smoke. The gentle elegance of the wisp from prior had become a full -on storm.

“I'll give you the chance to walk away. Concede.” Her grip clutched. “Never.” He coughed.

“I will kill you in front of everyone, and you know it." The clutch tightened, her other opposite hand gathering a yellow sphere of flame.

“Why do you fight? For them, for those maggots?” She looked at the boy’s liberation members on the podium. “Perhaps to impress the crowd? Are you merely looking for power?”

 

Astrid yelled from the crowd. She smiled, his eyes opening to the crowd. “What do you think? He’s some stuckup church groupie like you?” The audience responded with great boisterous roars of enthusiasm. She cheered him from the sides. “Nathan my lord, LISTEN TO ME. You are not a weakling. You are a force of nature, the product of a million years of history, all condensed into a single boy who has earned the right to take on the most powerful ruler in the galaxy.” Lyra’s grip slowly faded. “Nathan of the House of Nezura will become the new Domina of Orchid. I’ve given everything to make sure this comes to pass!”

The Domina stepped back, her legs shaking. The golden flame began to swerve and then fade with a whimper, she could feel her body becoming taut and numb, the magic she cherished once again locking up to the deepest channels inside her. She felt every pore in her skin being stripped of it’s vitality, and she felt herself burning as the magic began to drain out. She watched her power fade, then leapt back to dodge the glowing beam shooting from the hilt of

Nathan’s sword, leaving her to tremble as she retreated. "Wha.. Wh-what’s happening??" She gasped, putting one hand to the ground to catch her balance.

“You see, here’s the thing Lyras.” Astrid said from the stands. “I knew that one dose of poison to seal you wouldn’t be enough, it was a longshot to think even a trick like that could weaken you enough to give my boy the win.”

Lyras hesitated at her use of my boy. “Then how?”

Astrid smiled. “That’s why I whipped up a magical cocktail and drugged you with a stronger, second dose.”

 

Everyone in the entire audience went dead silent.

 

She looked down at her own body. She couldn’t feel her own limbs, but she could hear the roaring crowd behind her and see Nathan laughing, the very last glimmers of the flames of her Whisperwind dying away in her backside. Lyra’s eyes went wide and she turned, looking at Astrid in the crowd. “W-when? There’s no way in that short time you could you have-”

“Yes, I didn’t think it’d be possible to get two doses in one fight. I prepared this seal with a delay- of about 3 months.”

Lyra’s eyes widened. Three months ago.. on the auction stage, her memory recalling a phantom prickling sensation as she walked up those stairs. Right as she walked away with Astrid’s eye, the realization hitting a wall of incomprehension. “That’s impossible!”

 

“I don’t share all my bag of tricks, Nezura.” Astrid stuck out her tongue. I had to practice that sneak ritual for months and wait for the right opportunity, readying to jab her while speeding myself with Pulse. Granted that fight and getting my eye jabbed wasn’t part of the plan, but it all worked out..

 

“Tsk..” Lyras pulled herself together, feeling the indignity of her subordinate.

 

Orion.. she’s way too gosh darn impressive.

It’s exactly as I’ve said. She’s a viper. Such a shame she did not focus that talent on her own ambitions, over choosing to enable your petulant son.

 

"Mother.." Nathan's armor began to glow red, his body turning bright blue and purple, the powers of Cascade, Drive and Pulse running through him at once. The boy's final resolve had come through, realizing she would never back down or surrender. "You still don't get it." He said. At high velocity he zoomed to the audience, Astrid hobbling and tossing him his long katana. "You’ve already lost. I've planned my entire life for this moment. I am," The next

moment, he moved at speeds an Xi sandevistan would deem paltry, traveling up into the air and zoomed towards Thatti. The audience barely had time to gasp, everything happening so quickly but Lyras taking notice and panicking. The blade began to vibrate and glow as it swung downwards. Her wings flapped, her heart beating at 200 beats per second as she sped faster than she ever had towards her presumed daughter to outspeed him. He struck. The sharp end met flesh.

"The next Domina." He said.

Lyras Nezura's decapitated head went flying off her body.

 

Becca stared, everything happening in slow motion. Something in her, an instinct, Thatti's memories, her own, every emotion at once threatened to overwhelm her and plunge her into grief as bloodlust spilled over. She didn’t know why, but the reactive state of being attacked like this, threatened and watching the Domina throw herself at her set her heart ablaze. 7 shadows rose up from the crowd, awaiting their time. The girl got up, rubbing the blood from her shoulder. She startled up slowly, taking out her black wand, spikes growing out her arm. "You.." She swung a sharp energy-blade of pure black denseness from said weapon, clashing with his katana.

"BASTARRRRD!!!!!!!!!!!" The marquise smiled, facing her down.