They could either continue to deceive themselves and pretend they still had control, or they could act decisively now and hope a new Aethelos would be built from the ruins of what would come of this bold move.

The Queen Monarch continued to give her orders, assigning roles to different seats of the council. She had already assigned those who were to carry the will of Aethelos and join the camp of the Error Bearer. But she also went on to assign those who would cater to the people and ensure the masses wouldn’t devolve into utter chaos now that their queen and the bulk of the kingdom’s forces would be gone.

By the time she was done, all matters had already been touched upon and everyone knew exactly what their roles were... but there was still one issue left.

The role of the queen herself...

Though without needing to be told, they could all guess what her role in this was.

Just like every other leader. Even though the situation looked grim and bleak, with the promise of certain doom, she still had to make the bold move and act.

The Ossuary had come into their... her lands, the kingdom and continent of Aethelos. They had come in force and committed an act of war. No leader could simply let that happen without a response. Yet there was no one capable or powerful enough to serve as Aethelos’ response against such a terrifying array of powers.

Only the Undying Flame, Queen Monarch of Aethelos herself, could do it.

And it was for this reason she said nothing else after giving out her orders. She only looked at each one of her subjects one by one, then nodded. There were no words exchanged.

Promptly, she turned and walked into the corridor behind her throne, heading to the deep recess of the palace to make her last preparations before going to attack.

The whole room had their fists on their chests in a sign of respect as she climbed back up to her throne and walked into the back corridor. And even after she left, their fists were still held up in that respectful pose, until Cassius’ voice broke the silence.

"Jordan. We move."

"Yes," the warrior head replied curtly, his eyes calm and focused. Everyone immediately moved to begin the tasks they’d been assigned.

This was the first of the three kingdoms to act with such a level of decisiveness. The same reports had reached the other two kingdoms: Feraxia — where the main base of the Seneschal family was wiped out — and Mechanus, where the leaders didn’t feel as threatened because there was no direct move on the sovereignty of their kingdom.

But whether or not the Queen of Aethelos was right in her decisive response, or whether the other kingdoms were right to remain calm, remained to be seen.

.

.

.

Hours later. In the skies above the waste that was previously the Seneschal Ossuarist School...

Althea stood on the flying Errant Sword, staring down at the dark blot spread out before her like an eaten chasm. Her face contorted and twisted in bouts of confusion, loss, disbelief, and rage as her mind tried and struggled to reconcile this image with the lively, fledgling-Ossuarist-filled green plains this place used to be.

Why? Why do this just to get me?

Althea struggled to wrap her head around the whole concept. Surely there were better, more humane ways to do it than kill off hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent, unknowing youths.

She had thought the loss of her grandfather alone would be the most painful part of it all. But during her bullet-speed charge from the world tear, all the way to the outside world and across the Feraxian continent to Aethelos and here, her pain and rage had had enough time to simmer and settle into something different.

Cold logic had taken control, and she had realized with clarity that her grandfather had always been prepared for something like this.

The old man was perhaps the strictest person she’d ever known. His talent as an Ossuarist was only ever able to bring him up to the peak of Grade 1 Adept, and that was why despite his iron will and bright mind, the Seneschal family had sent him to this branch school all the way here in Aethelos.

Althea, the vessel inhabited by Thalia, the Order Bearer, didn’t remember much of her early childhood, save for a few glimpses of something tragic she couldn’t really picture clearly anyway.

But Thalia knew full well what had happened. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Althea had been born with a supremely dense soul, even for a talented Ossuarist. It was enough that for the first time, Thalia’s preference to only choose vessels from the Seneschal family — a choice no one knew the reason for, but provided terrible vessels as a result of selecting from just one pool — seemed like it had paid off.

There was finally someone able to bear the full weight of her soul without her having to split into fragments like other Transcendents.

But that came with some serious side effects during the initial assimilation. Althea as a child hadn’t known how to control the flood of powers that now inhabited her, and as a result, killed her parents and a score of people during one singular terrible episode.

She remembered none of it, of course, but it had happened anyway. It was for this reason a talent like her was not allowed to reside in the main base of the family... to an extent at least.

The main decision was still driven by Thalia herself, instructing the Seneschal family head that it was for the betterment of the girl. First, to hide the presence of the order fragment from the eyes of the high-level Ossuarist powers the Seneschal family was usually involved with.

But also, simply because Thalia was tired of fighting and wanted a stable life for her vessel, away from any harm that might arise.

And who else was best to be the father figure for the girl aside from her own grandfather? He made the most sense to be sent to such a secluded side branch all the way in Aethelos. His talent meant such a move wouldn’t raise any suspicions. And for years, it didn’t...

But in the end, he still died because of me... Althea stared down at the blackened earth below, specifically at a black, earthen pedestal that was raised with some form of earth magic out of the ruins that were previously the school.

A young, blond-haired man rested on the pedestal, leaning languidly on his side with his chin against his hand and his head upturned and staring at her.

"Oii, when are you gonna come down? This old guy will give out while you’re still feeling bad about yourself, Althea."

Althea heard his words, but there wasn’t a flicker of change to her cold, dead-eyes. At least not until she actually processed what he had said and looked down again, her eyes now frantic.

What old man?!

Right there, on a more deeply scorched portion of the battlefield, indistinguishable from the black ruins surrounding him, was a man.