Fury stood up suddenly feeling his heart beating wildly, it was impossible to be settled when you were about to see the Empress of Trion and he was not immune to it, even if he called this woman mother in secret.
He vaporized the tiny beads on his forehead and began moving to the Throne Room but was stopped by a raised hand, "Forgive my impertinence Your Highness, but she waits for you in her Royal Garden, not the Throne Room, follow me."
The Royal Hand walked as if he was gliding, and Fury followed, before long they were in the Royal Gardens, a picturesque place with floating mountains, sparkling waterfalls, and the most beautiful flowers in the galaxy.
The Aether currents here were so thick it gave birth to various auspicious creatures that flew and crawled, in all that beauty was a single shining star that drew all attention, a presence that commanded awe, and like the sun you should not stare too long at her, or you would burn…
Fury braved one more second before he looked away.
Her mantle as an Empress of Trion floated behind her, shining with seven colors, they were like great pillars that stretched far into the clouds, and they reverberated with such great power that he shuddered.
'What would it be like to hold the powers of the seven gods of Trion?' His mind whirled with the possibilities before he shut them down.
As the Empress and greatest Earth god in Trion, her Mantle allowed her to call on all the powers of the seven gods without any limitation.
Her powers were unassailable. She had held this power for the longest in all of history, and she had become more familiar with it than any other Emperor or Empress in history.
The Royal Hand announced to Fury, "You stand before The Empress, Scarlet Sinshirin Kuranes, Daughter of the Sun and Earth, Ruler of Trion for 30,000 years and in time, another 10,000 more, Defender of the peace, Holder of…"
"Cut the lines…" The figure said, "My child knows me by names more precious than that."
Fury came before the Empress and knelt while kissing the left hand she presented to him, he did not dare look up at her face, but he could feel her blazing red eyes looking down and onto his being.
A brief wind brought her long red hair into view and brought with it her smell…
It was of roses and fire, of earth and blood. It was primal and all-powerful, and once again Fury felt as if he was before an erupting volcano and he was nothing but a mortal.
"You bring news of my wayward son's death without bringing me his killer, of course, I know of this lost Breaker of the Kuranes family and your encounter with Boreas. Do not despair for your first loss, but know in the nearest future your fated nemesis will return to Trion and you shall collect his head, it is your destiny."
Fury looked away, his shoulders shaking, her words always were like Divine laws. Every single statement made the surroundings shake.
"I can sense your fear and concern my dear child, this state does not suit you, my Fury. I understand your plight and I can feel your pain. I will not give you a task you will fail at. You are Fury, my blade, and I shall not leave you unsharpened. Take this…"
A fair hand with razor-tipped fingernails that were red like blood opened and a glowing pendant appeared.
The pendant was in the shape of a five-colored phoenix, and it emitted a lot of heat that was warping the air around it. If this pendant was dropped in an ocean, a hundred years later, the entire ocean would be boiling.
"This is your chance to take the inheritance mantle of the sixth Matriarch of the Sky Treading phoenix,"
A rune was created on her finger and shot into the Mental Space of Fury, "This is the location of a Divine Spark hidden by our Primogenitor Kuranes, and now it would find a worthy successor. The coming war does not require Earth gods, but stronger."
Fury's eyes were wide with astonishment. He may have delayed his advancement to steady his foundations, but one great reason he was not in a hurry to reach the fourth circle even after all restrictions on bloodlines had been lifted was that he knew his path would come to a halt.
For someone like Fury, such a fate was worse than death, he knew of the bloodlines of the Sky Treading Phoenix, this was a branch that was supposedly wiped out by the primogenitor Kuranes 400,000 years ago.
Before him was the key to a Divine Spark with the potential to reach the realms of a Major god and with the talents of Fury, he could push this power to a higher realm.
"Did I not tell you to wipe the dissatisfaction from your heart my beloved? Reach the peak of the fourth circle, become an Earth god, and make your way to the inheritance ground, the first god of Trion after a million years shall be you."
Her words were final and unshakable, and they seized his consciousness, he could not refuse her words even if he wanted to, and he would be crazy to do that.
"By your will Empress." Fury cradled the pendant like an egg and kept it safe inside his Spatial Artifact.
"Go with haste, your glorious destiny awaits you."
Fury bowed until his forehead scraped the ground and he turned and left, a spring in his steps.
The Empress watched him leave for a while before she sighed, "You do not agree with my decision Malekith."
The Royal Hand bowed, "Who am I to judge your decision, only the child is too weak."
His words were formal, but his tone was light-hearted, sometimes during the 30,000 years reign of the Empress, these two had become friends.
The solemn atmosphere was instantly shattered as the Royal Hand manifested a tea set and began brewing tea.
"Chamomile or Niccyll?" The hand asked.
"Niccyll, I will be deliberating with Bacchus tomorrow and I need the energy to handle his insanity."
"I do not envy your duties, Empress."
