Whispers of a Dead Empire - Chapter 132

The dust settled around us, and the torches in my office flickered as the flames burnt ceaselessly. Ah, it felt good to be home. I’ve spent far too long away. I cleared my throat as I took a step away from Nyx and Alessia and walked over to my desk.

My notebooks and pens were spread across the surface, as well as stacks of papers that I should organize at some point. It’s amazing what time away does to your perspective. I didn’t realize that I had left this place such a mess.

“You remember our arraignment, right?” Alessia asked just as I made it to my desk.

I pulled the chair out and sat down. “Of course. I will select my class and try to stick to just one path.” I recanted it from memory, but I also knew that, more than likely, I wouldn’t stick to just one path. But I will narrow down what I’m doing to make Alessia feel better.

“Good. The palatines should return to the stronghold here soon, and once they are, I’ll make a selection. Once that’s done, it should take about a week to get them into a good enough spot to fill the ranks.” She cradled her chipped polearm as she spoke. Her golden eyes were as vibrant as ever, and her flesh was more solid. In a way, it looked like she was human.

“I’ll miss you while you’re gone.” I sat forward at my desk and laced my fingers together. It was lonely when she wasn’t here. But thankfully, I have Nyx to keep me company.

“I’ll miss you as well, Empress.” Alessia walked over to me, and I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around her when she got close enough.

Her body felt so real under my fingertips, and at the same time, it felt so light. As if she were a feather that could be blown away by the wind. I felt a hand brush against my hair for a few seconds before it was retracted. I wanted her to be here for a while longer, but I also knew I needed to let her go so she could take care of the things she had to do.

But I still reached up and grabbed her arm and drugged her to me. “You can’t leave yet.” I pulled her down towards me and pressed my lips into hers. I felt her stiffen slightly under my touch before she relaxed and gently placed her hands on my face.

I broke the kiss and gave her a dopey grin as I pulled her into one last hug. “Now, you can leave.” My heart thrummed in my chest happily as my lips tingled. She made me so happy, and I would even say that I was falling even more in love with her. But, it felt too soon to say that out loud.

“Farewell, my Empress,” Alessia whispered in my ear as she pulled me into her.

“I’ll see you soon, darling,” I murmured back as she pulled away. She gave me a wink as she stepped back before turning and walking away.

“Mother, what do you call that thing you and Alessia do with your lips?’ Nyx spoke up next to me, and I shot her a glance.

“It’s called a kiss,” I replied as I sat back in my chair. I really missed this thing. At first, it felt a bit uncomfortable, but now that I’ve been away for so long, I realized I enjoyed it.

“Can I have one?” She asked me rather innocently, though I knew that there may be a bit of jealousy involved.

“Hm, I don’t think I’m quite that comfortable giving you a kiss on the lips, as I feel like that is something that should be kept between lovers. However, if you like, I’ll give you one on your forehead.” I sat forward in my seat and gestured for her to come over.

She slowly walked over to me with a smile plastered on her face. I grabbed her and a cacophony of giggles left her mouth as I pulled her over and pressed my lips against her forehead. Her flesh was warm underneath my lips. Not so much to be worried about, but it was definitely noticeable. “Thank you, mother.” She pulled away and walked around the room for a moment.

I smiled at her and worked on collecting my thoughts. It was about time to work and decide on my next class. It was something that I’ve pushed off for a bit too long now. I made a quick gesture, and my eyes quickly found the notification, but just as I was about to open it, Nyx took a moment to pipe up again.

“Mother, can I have a desk too?”

I pulled my eyes from the text and towards her. I suppose I could give her a desk. She would need a way to entertain herself while she was here since I didn’t want to send her away. I’ve done that enough as it is. So, I guess I could give in to some of her demands. “Of course. What kind do you want?”

“Can I have the same one as you?” She walked to the front of my desk and set her hands on the front of it.

I juggled the thought for a moment and closed my eyes. Of course she would. “Okay, that’s fine. Where do you want it?”

She pulled her hands away from the desk and looked around the room. Her eyes travelled over every inch, and she slowly spun around, at least until something clicked. “Right here works.” She walked over to my right a bit and pointed to a spot. It wasn’t close enough to be directly connected, but it was still far enough to be her own area.

I nodded my head and quickly dredged up the template for the desk and set it down, along with a few stacks of notebooks, pens, and other things that she would be bound to ask me for. “And, there you go. Once it’s done being built, it’s all yours.” I dismissed the build screen, sat back in my own chair, and watched the blue moats rain in a torrent from the ceiling. The build process has been getting significantly faster lately, which was good. It meant that I could expand slightly faster. It wasn’t much, but anything was better than nothing.

“Thank you, mother! I’ll be right back. I want to grab a few things from my bedroom.” She set her backpack down in the corner and made a mad dash for the door. I chuckled as I watched her run off. She was such a busybody.

Now, with my sole source of distraction gone, for the time being, it was time to focus on myself.

The list was far shorter than I imagined, yet the three choices there were extremely powerful. I didn’t imagine that the choices that I had made up to this point amounted to much, but here we were. I took a deep breath and carefully read over everything to make the best choice.

The first one was for a close-quarters combat class. Which was fair, considering that I’ve done enough that I was accustomed to it. In fact, I really enjoyed it. But the key point in all of it was the divine energy aspect. It would embrace my path to godhood. The next option felt extremely powerful, but the text made it clear. It would be a fight between my baser instincts and who I was as a person. The trade-off would be the power I was granted. But finally, the last option. I could shift reality, but only if I could convince it to be.

The last option looked as if it were designed for me, but at the same time, I don’t think I wanted it. I didn’t want to change the world outside of here because I honestly didn’t care about it. This place and the people in it are what I truly cared about, and the fact that I could change it all will be all that mattered to me.

The primal soul option, I felt drawn to. To be able to command primal powers and let loose my instincts was a very attractive choice indeed, but I didn’t want to let slip who I was. Identity death felt like a far worse fate than just dying. I was better than my instincts, even if they got the best of me at times. Ultimately, I would give up unimaginable power if it meant staying who I was. So I struck that one from the list. All that was left was the Divine Soul Fang Class.

It wasn’t an easy choice either. But I decided I would embrace godhood a long time ago. The undead in the domain needed me. They needed me to be a leader and guide them, and the only way I could do that was to be the light they could follow in the darkness. I took a deep breath, and I selected the class.

Nothing happened for a few brief seconds, but a heat sparked in my chest. At first, it was a singular spark, but it spread like a fire. I could feel it coursing through my veins. It hurt almost as bad as when I tore my soul apart. But this time, my ability to scream was ripped from me as I lost control of my muscles.

I felt them ripple and grow, and my mouth was locked in place. My heart hammered into my ribs almost painfully as the fire undulated deep within me. I wanted to pass out and escape the pain that wracked my body. I could feel every single nerve ending light up as I felt the bones in my body shift. Some grew in length, while others shortened. My flesh felt like it turned to jelly as it flowed around a body that was changing underneath it. I fought to hold on as best as possible, but eventually, the pain became too much to bear, and I passed out from it.

When I woke up, it felt like a lifetime had passed. I sat up, and surprisingly my mind felt pretty good. The pain I had felt had long since vanished, and so did the memory, for the most part, anyways. My eyes traveled around the room, and I could make out dust particles that danced in the air and some rays of light as they traveled to their destination.

Nyx was at her new desk and quietly hummed as she drew in her notebook. Everything on her desk was arranged perfectly as if she took a ruler to everything and ensured that it was in place. But suddenly, she stopped and turned her head to me. “Mother, you are awake!” She jumped from her desk and ran over to me and threw her arms around me.

My first thought was shock at how easily I moved. It was as if the air simply ceased to be. “Hey, Nyx. How long was I out?” My voice felt different. Not completely so, but it felt clearer and maybe just a touch more feminine than it was before.

“It has been a while. But I knew you were okay. Otherwise, I’d have hunted down Ms. Alessia. Mother, why do you look so different?” She asked as she pulled away from me, but my mind clung to the words. I looked different?

I stood up, wandered over to my bedroom door, and pushed it open. My body reacted with such liquid grace that I almost tripped a few times. I stumbled into my bedroom and over to my mirror to see what had changed.

My hair was about the same as it always was. But many of the frayed ends that I hated were gone, and now not a single strand was out of place. I was more muscular than I had ever been, but it wasn’t excessively so. But I could see the definition just under the surface. I could best describe it as wiry. All of the blemishes that had once adorned my skin were gone. Every burn, every cut, and scar had vanished and was now covered by inhumanly beautiful flesh. I could almost describe myself as glowing, but I wasn’t.

My face had changed slightly as well. My jaw was a little more defined, and my nose straightened out in a way I never really thought about. Teeth that were once stained with the passage of time were now radiant white, and the canines were sharpened to an impossible degree, yet they were not out of place. Everything was perfect, and if I was going, to be honest, it was almost uncomfortable how beautiful I had become. Was this the first trait of godhood? Was my body changing to match what I was becoming?