[21:08] Asta nods at Mikael.

"Spirits of war," she says, "are the products of war. This is why so many Teraphim are opposed to war. Life is all about balance. Cause and effect. Human actions have consequences that go beyond the physical world." She extends a hand back to the hilt.

"Proof of that, is there."

"As for the Realm of Heroes, it is a domain of the Spirit Realm where, allegedly, warriors of great renown often find their essences drifting to after death. Not unlike the Eternal Battle, the domain where Rhoynish spirits tend to go."

"If this conduit was properly... nurtured, you'd have an incredible weapon of inconceivable destructive ability in your hands."

She steps over to Regulus' side and gives him a mischievous grin.

"Fancy going to the 'party'?"
(Asta Hargrave)

[21:10] The nobleman offered his wife his arm. "Well, it would be rude not to make an appearance. Shall we?" With her grip, he'd proceed inside.
(Regulus ven Grimmore)

[21:13] "Regulus," Asta says, looking up at him with a coy, faux-shy little smile.

"This party is awful. Needs more... life, would you agree-?"

There's something awful stirring in her mind, and surely, he could begin to piece it together.

She was going to invite HER FRIENDS.
(Asta Hargrave)

[21:18] The nobleman's eyes flitted over to his wife's as they entered the ballroom. "Well, my love, I'll not comment of the state of the celebration, but more attendees always tend to liven things up." There was amusement passed along their bond, and slightly malicious approval. He didn't appreciate being so easily dismissed by the King, especially given the importance of what he'd been saying.

"I'll got claim us a seat." And then he was off, giving her the time to do what she wished before she joined him.
(Regulus ven Grimmore)


[21:23] The High Lady walks up to the center of the venue, shooting Alexander a quick nod and smile.

Funny. Nobody actually invited her to this little pow-wow. Why the Hel was she here?

"Congratulations, King and Queen Petrakis," Asta exclaims, clasping her hands together like a prayer! "The union of two souls is certainly a grand occasion to celebrate. But there are not quite enough people here for my liking."

She looks around the ballroom.

"More souls must be here-! To honor your new union!"

Asta's eyes turn completely white, and strange designs flicker to life where her pupils should have been. A uniquely-horrifying sight. Inhuman.

The room's temperature drops.

There's an invisible breeze.

Lanterns and torches hung around the room flicker on and off, briefly.

Dozens of strange, transparent figures of all kinds of shapes, human and nonhuman, begin toblur into sight all around the room.

The High Lady has called her friends to the party. Now there's about twenty to thirty-ish uninvited spirits mulling about the room, pestering everyone, mumbling some incoherent things, jumping off furniture, climbing on walls...

Making a general ruckus.

NOW it's a PARTY!!
(Asta Hargrave)

[21:24] Lloyd Durages says, "...Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa."

[21:29] With Asta's impromptu invitation of the spirits from the beyond and the thievery taking place against a group Finley could only assume was tonight's entertainment, the Mistseer held a hand to the side of his face in very mild shock and awe. Normally at things like this he'd be considered on duty, but some had made comments recently that he was always business and never doing anything personal, and given the setting, Finley had come seeking a personal evening.

How terribly wrong he was to assume it would be.

"I don't think this was the best wedding gift, High Lady-" Finley turned to her, doing his best as her advisor in this situation to try to show Asta the light and lack of logic in bringing specters into the ballroom. "I brought a flower. You brought." he blinked and looked around.

"Wedding-crashers."
(Finley)

[21:31] Asta raises her hands up at Finley, defensively.

"You wound me, sweet Finley, Mistseer of mine-!" she exclaims.

"This was not the only gift! Why, of course, I have brought the customary Cabbage of Consummation!"

She digs into her hip pouch, and retrieves two plain seeds.

"THIS is the gift. The spirits are just here to make things more... merry!"

A strange, flying critter descends down upon her head, and she takes a step forward, waiting for an opportune moment to present her gift to the King and his new bride.
(Asta Hargrave)

[21:36] With everyone's attention on the gambling group, it's no surprise that Asta's arrival - and the ghosts that are brought along with her - captivates Nebula. Her eyes are drawn to the High Lady, the queen turning to face her.

"Oh. I am happy you made it, Asta."

She smiles, judging the Teraphim with unwavering golden eyes. The spirits could wait.

"I wasn't sure if you'd come. The last time your presence was expected was when Theria struck the Grimmore Spire, but we know how that turned out. Oh well. As long as you are here now then I am sure all is well." Ah, how easy it was to mistake the woman's smile to be a gesture of kindness. It was nothing of the sort.

She might have been new to the job, but... It seemed like Nebula was settling into the role quite well. Almost as if Serea herself offered her a lesson or two.
(Nebula rei Petrakis)

[21:42] Asta returns the smile, almost completely mirroring Nebula's.

"I was not actually invited here, per say," she says, extending her finger up to the air so that a strange, butterfly-like spirit would land and rest upon it, wings flapping as fast as a hummingbird's.

"I just decided to stop by to pay my respects."

She directs her attention to the strange, misty-white, transparent being.

"It is a shame I was not at the Spire, yes? I would have single-handedly turned the tide of the battle... but at least you lot handled nicely without Myllenoran aid!"

She chuckles. There was a clear touch of spite in there, easily recognizable from one passive-aggressor to another.

"I have come baring a gift for yourself and Alexander."

She extends her left hand up toward the Queen. She held two strange seeds in her hand. In an instant, as if watching something grow in fast-forward, the seeds explode into perfectly-ripe, moist cabbage. Vines and leaves from the plant droop down from her hand.

The two heads of cabbage are stacked neatly atop one another in her grasp.

"Customary in Myllenoris," she says.

"The couple will feast upon a head of cabbage. This enhances virility and ensures a powerful heir-to-be shall be made."
(Asta Hargrave)

[21:47] "Ah. It looks like your leash on him has loosened up."

Who she was referring to should have been clear enough. "I am new to my role. Whereas some may ignore what he's saying... I might just find it to be enough of a reason to strip him of his privileges and titles," Funny how things turned grim all so quickly. "I have a lot I still need to learn, after all." What a great excuse.
And just as Asta's nature magic ripened the seeds, Nebula's own causes them to rot and decay within the Teraphim's hand. The natural course of plants, life-- and perhaps more. It leaves a sticky pile of messy goo in the hands of the High Lady.

"Perhaps it is best if you don't stay. You said it yourself. You were not invited."

The smile never once falters, its toxicity spreading within the room. "Go on now. You know the way, yes?"
(Nebula rei Petrakis)

[21:54] To deny the great gift of the Cabbage of Consummation...

It was not even disrespectful, though it certainly should have been. It was just sad. It's evident enough in the shocked look in Asta's face that she completely took her off guard!

She lets the goopy cabbage drop down to the floor and stares down at it sadly.

"Oh."

She then looks up at Nebula, smiling again. Though it is clearly uncomfortable.

It seems like something has either snapped or clicked in her mind, at this very moment.

Her eyes turn white, again. Glow with incredible spectral energy. The spirits mulling about the room all stop.

They turn, at once.

To stare upon the Queen. Completely still.

She begins to peer into Nebula's very body with her superhuman eyes. Attempt to probe the barrier of her raw soul with some form of unseeable magic that was unknown to humanity.

The High Lady is invading the Queen's mind and body to try to read her look a book. Perhaps, just to send a message that she could do this.

But an accomplished mage like Nebula could surely resist this.

"We'll..."

The spirits around the room disappear in a haze of spectral mana, one by one.

"Be going." She turns toward Regulus and shoots him a quick glare.
(Asta Hargrave)

[22:07] The nobleman's hearing was good enough to hear what was being said, naturally. He waited for his wife's response before rising to his feet from the chair. Rather than moving over to depart with her, however, he stepped past her to face Nebula. His expression was impassive, years of practice resulting in a masterful pokerface, although Asta would surely understand his current emotional state.

When he speaks, its soft, and calm.

"I would be very careful what you say. A King marrying a commoner is one thing. Said commoner threatening a Lord with revocation of titles is quite another. You don't have that power, and even if you did, imagine the public fallout. How the rest of the nobility who keep this Empire running smoothly would react to the Lord of one of the four great Houses of Esshar being stripped of rank for something that most of them would be saying themselves."

His eyes flickered over to Alexander.

"I've advised you for years, done my part in keeping your Kingdom from collapsing in the aftermath of a war, forged a peace between Osrona and Myllenoris with my willingness to sacrifice my personal happiness for duty. I gave you an out to this very situation months before your marriage. I've supported your reign as best I can. This is the gratitude I receive?"

Despite his placid, calm demeanour, it was clear he was anything but.
(Regulus ven Grimmore)

[22:12] Alexander had been preoccupied with the guests north but to say he missed the spirits was flat-out wrong. The way they hover around the room, causing ruckus.
.. However only when Asta's eyes glow a deep white and the spirits start to turn is when the King makes his presence known.

While Asta could control spirits, the Petrakis controlled time itself. It sat in his hand alone. And time knew no bounds. Now was no different.

The spirits freeze in spot, not even having the chance to face the newly wed Petrakis Queen.

And the High Lady would find her body stiff, slowing, decaying magics falling upon her. A sheen of magic explodes out from the King's blade, covering it within a thick, white cosmic glow that radiates something more than just magical potency.

He points it forward firmly. When the Crown of Aschea was used for evil and against someone close to him there was no other choice.

The Sword of the Stars.

Even now, everyone in the room would feel the time begin to freeze, even the Petrakis himself whose actions seem abnormally fast.

"Osrona."

Today they would not have the chance to slay a dragon. But to stop a tyrant.

"Capture High Lady Asta and remove the Crown of Aschea from her head."

That order alone spoke volumes of Alexander's character. Those close to him knew he was fiercely protective but the extent of which only becomes clear now. Lord Grimmore is ignored wholly.
(Alexander rei Petrakis)

[22:19] The High Lady could stare from dawn to dusk. The famed spectral sight of her kind could only see as much as Nebula allowed it to-- and at this moment? It was denied any sort of inner sight. The queen valued her privacy, blocking Asta off quite naturally.

She could stare, witness and admire Nebula for as long as she wanted. But today, that was all she'd be allowed to do.

"Farewell-"

Ah, but he had to speak up. A shame. But Nebula did warn his wife...
His leash should've been kept tighter.

"I am your Queen, Regulus. House Grimmore is loyal to the crown first."

He stepped forth, and so did she.
The difference between them?

She was born a commoner. The grace and tact most nobles possessed was not something Nebula was blessed with. Her arm is raised to slap him on his cheek, likely turning his head away and leaving a red mark then and there.

"If you'd like to test just how much this commoner can do, then by all means, do."

The declaration from the king comes next, Nebula momentarily turning to face him. ..Did he really just say that? She is likely as surprised as everyone else. The last thing she expected was...

Well.

This.
(Nebula rei Petrakis)

[22:20] Marie was standing smug at the pillar, arms crossed and watching as Nebula put down business - it was impressive, seeing the Queen taking such a stance so soon, her eyes resting on the woman, smile growing more and more as her teeth showed with each growth of her lips. She was impressed, that the wordplay could go so far - that a lifetime of annoyance was coming to a head of Nebula putting down the law, and telling it like it was, after the retraction of Myllenoris' help.

What came next, shocked everyone.

As the spirits grew to creep and become slow, the room seemed to change; the tone of it, the magic in the air, brought chills down the spine of Marie - and her eyes went from Nebula, turning before Alexander's first words were spoken even. She could tell he was doing something, and as his sword was drawn, the cosmic that enveloped it catching her eyes; the orders were heard.

And down her back ran a chill - yet her hand fell, almost as if by command, almost as if she couldn't look away from Alexander showing such a sudden change - it was an order, the first real order that she'd heard; and the entire room would be up in arms over such a thing. From her sheath, the sword was drawn, sliding from it with the twang of metal meeting the well carved wood.

And from the sheath? Flowed a contained burst of Light, one that chased down the blade and enveloped it, wrapping the standard long sword to turn it into a violent glowing mass of bright mana, that was only in the shape of a sword at this point - the blade too enveloped by the thick white light.

"Yes, King Alexander." And in both hands, the sword was gripped - squeezed in between shaking hands. This was no Dragon, this was no Wraith - it was Asta, and a life time of anger was coming to a head as the sword seemed to quake in her hand, like Marie had been waiting for the moment for some time. But was now the time?

Was thisreally good? Marie tried reasoning with herself, yet she didn't know the answer. Asta had changed, in her experience, over the years. Did that absolve her?

Would she really look to assist in what was about to happen? Even with rationalizing it, she was troubled - yet willing to attack. Steeling her resolve as Nebula walked forward, thoughts in her mind vanishing; nothing but Alexanders order.

Off with her head.
(Marie ras Petrakis)

[22:21] Finley blinked,

and what had started as a case of bad manners turned into another issue entirely.

Orders were given by none other than the king himself to remove the crown from Asta's head, an act that the Mistseer knew the High Lady would be unlikely to react to willingly.

Eyes narrowed and from the side he had stepped off to in order to avoid whatever small spat he expected to occur Finley reemerged, hands held up as if to ease the tension that had suddenly snapped.

"Hold a moment, if you would, King Alexander." Finley turned in place, keeping his left hand toward the king and Nebula while his right turned toward Asta. The palm facing the High Lady was notably not made of flesh, but solid crystal, and though it held the same sort of pause as his other, frost had begun to collect along its surface.

"Lady Asta would remove her crown of her own volition. It carries no such power over her. For whatever doubts you hold in her, you know my counsel is true to a fault."

The Mistseer turned to the High Lady.

"..Lady Asta.. don't listen to the shades. Listen now only to me. And remove the crown slowly."
(Finley)

[22:22] He stood off to the side, and when the entire party turns for the worse, the Felinae almost becomes completely stunned as the spirits that Alexander tries to stop with his time magic.

As the King of Osrona declares his intent, and makes it known to the Myllenorans who had gathered, the Hargrave doesn't know what to choose. Asta was his mother. But..

He wasn't stupid. He wasn't dumb. They were so clearly outnumbered..

"..No! Don't hurt her!" The hero speaks, glaring. Mikael, still would not draw his weapon.

When Siegfried steps before him, blade drawn, there is still a fury in his eyes regardless. He just hadn't acted upon it.
(Mikael Hargrave)

[22:23] The room grows dim in response to Alexander's words. Lights are, instantly, snuffed out.

Spectral energy begins to radiate from out the Crown of Aschea, the relic of solid arcanium. And seated on it, the physical, literal corpse of a Goddesss.

The Overseer. Crown of Aschea.

An incorporeal wind begins to pick up, shifting her robes and hair about.

"Any who touch me, or my husband, die today."

A shield of ruby crystals form all around her, bursting through the floor and earth of the castle.

Her eyes turn to Finley.

"I have come here a peaceful guest. I have done nothing violent against the Crown of Esshar. And I'm threatened-?" Her eyes narrow into a glare.

"Why would I comply with the King's outrageous orders? Besides. He did not order me to do anything. He ordered his people to remove my crown by force."

Thump.Thump.

Thump.

There's a strange sound emanating from Asta's body. Not a sound, but rather, some noise directly injecting itself into the minds of all those present.

The High Lady of Myllenoris.

Undefeated in battle.

Would anyone step forward and attempt to remove the Crown forcefully?

"We are leaving. Stop us, and you die. It is this simple."
(Asta Hargrave)

[22:25] It was far from anything that would be expected.

In fact, for a few moments, Romani is stunned to near freezing.

The eyes of the Priest, ever slightly watching what was going on, absolutely focused when Alexander spoke of capturing Asta. His gaze widens in seconds towards that, snapping to the king in that moment. A small swallow within his throat.

Time magic, used upon the High Lady of Myllesoris, the blade of the king pointed towards Asta, and time both seemed so slow and so fast that moment. A small breath inwards.

"I hope that you know what you are asking for."

And yet, he did not freeze. Holy magic would be used, coming to Romani's fist as, Under Alexander's orders, he would move forwards to engage, stopping only as Finley spoke. The Priest would not attack if there was any chance for a peaceful resolution, and since one had been slightly offered...

A last pause as Asta speaks her words. Instead of chasing her, Romani would stare towards Finley.

"She seems to refuse. Will you defend her then?"
(Romani cos Montclaire)

[22:30] "You would comply to show them you are not whatever they think you are. You would comply to show them what you've showed those in Myllenoris who held similar doubts. You would comply so that they may see what I saw."

Finley was tense. He had not expected such a situation to unfold, and yet here it was. A bad nightmare, something he felt collapsing at any second with any wrong move.

He frowned, looking around the room.

Marie, Romani, Seigfried,
fellow members of the Aegis that he himself was still a member of-
a bade he bore on his own cloak even now.

But only as an honorary member.

He had never been a knight, and even when inducted he had made his ultimate loyalty known; a loyalty to the Vale that superseded all others.

"Threatened after you've frightened them, my Lady. The humans don't understand. Don't give into the anger."

He didn't know what to say to Romani's question, an inquiry that echoed in his head for several moments after the Priest had spoken it. It felt like a dagger in the side, but Finley knew it wasn't a betrayal, even if it hurt as much as one. He could not fault any of those he called friends for staying loyal to their king.

"Alexander." he said without turning his eyes from Asta. "Please allow me this moment to speak with her. We don't need bloodshed. We don't need violence. She's a woman."

"Not a monster."
(Finley)

[22:31] He's struck by Nebula, too fixated on Alexander to even notice it, let alone dodge. Her words are heard, but in the absent, peripheral sense, as Alexander's declaration's weight settles on the room. His eyes widen, head turning from Asta to Alexander in turn. He seems to be trying to figure out who to speak to, but with Asta's words his mind is made up.

"Have you taken leave of your senses?!"

His voice is directed at Alexander, a instinctive reaction of illusion causing it to boom louder than it otherwise would have.

"The people have had enough war, and you seek to provoke another?! Alexander, see reason!"

Even as he said it, he'd begun inching back from the rest of them, closing the distance between him and his wife.

He'd hoped that the time where he'd never have to make a choice would not come, but here they'd forced his hand.

Naturally, as the rest of the situation had spiralled out of control, he'd not bothered to respond to Nebula.
(Regulus ven Grimmore)

[22:41] Where lights are snuffed out, Alexander's blade seems to glow that much brighter.

"This isn't war. You said it yourself, Lord Grimmore. The only thing stopping Asta from wrecking havoc on Osrona is you. And when she uses that crown against my own citizen? That proves even you can not stop her."

"Even now she results to violence and death like at her own wedding."

The Petrakis keeps his gaze forward on Asta. Perhaps Serea would have been better here because unlike her, Alexander acted. Just like against the dragon and now.

"The order is final. Del, Ophelia, carry the wounded aside. Romani, do not let anyone die. The First Light, capture her. Marie, you know what to do."

He orders around the battle positions, giving people space to group out. While a wedding was no place for this, this was the final straw, perhaps not something everyone else had seen but this had been a long time coming.

And finally, to the Teraphim.

"You have thirty seconds, Finley. But she is not leaving this room with that crown. It will go to another Teraphim," and, to punctuate his point. "Take off the crown, Asta Hargrave and you can leave here peacefully." His eyes need no special magic to pierce through Asta, they do it with sheer gaze alone.
(Alexander rei Petrakis)

[22:48] The order was final. A small nod would be given by Romani at that, not question what was said. If it was the right thing, if it was the wrong thing, that did not enter even slightly into his mind. Instead, holy magic would just begin to wrap around him, as he nodded.

"As you command, King Alexander. I will endeavor to do my best to ensure nobody dies."

Holy light would build up around him, surrounding his hands in those golden sacred fists. The sun and moon eyes closed as he took a deep breath in.

"Guardian of Ios, offer to me your assistance." It might be unneeded, but the massive statue of holy magic, an essence to protect, would form around the Priest.

"If any attempt to kill, I will interfere. If any First Light members are captured, I will interfere. Until the resolution of this situation, I will remain at the ready.
(Romani cos Montclaire)

[22:48] Thirty seconds.

Of all the thoughts in Finley's head at the moment, a prominent regret of being unable to turn around to thank the king floated by. The soft glow to his crystal right hand brightened some as Finley stared only toward his direct superior. An ebbing forth of some cold mana came nearer the High Lady, a magic that brought with it spirits that would quiet the others in her mind. Finley had yet to show much of his own mastery of the spirit realm's influence in the public eye of Myllenoris, but here he would ensure only his advice and his words would emanate with honesty and good will within the echoes the crown received.

"You promoted me for all I've done throughout the years, Lady Asta. You've listened to my advice on some occasions and rejected it on others. But you know-"

"You know-"

"That I will only ever speak the truth."

Finley's frown deepened, for he of all people knew how difficult it was to convince Asta while she was set down a path, especially one involving anger and pain. He wanted to plead with her not to force him to turn on all those present he had called friends. The Teraphim wanted enough time to explain to her why it was such a bad idea to harm anyone here.

But the clock ticked away.

"If there was ever a time to listen to my advice, it is now. Remove the crown from your head, please. My Lady."

Finley could only hope he spoke as true as Savael once did, as the spirits in her ears might. He could only hope she heard those spirits of truth that now resided at Finley's side.
(Finley)

[22:49] There's an explosion of magic from the young Knight. Her brow furrows. None of this was right, despite what she had thought. As one of the only sober soldiers in the room she does her best to gauge the situation.

Her sword floats out of its sheathe and into her hand. Now naturally in tune with the time-stream, parts of the Knight seem totally weightless. A simple pendant, a representation of the Lion of Leonaus, floats up, and her hair, tied neatly, now seems totally weightless. The tempest had washed over her.
(Hrist)

[22:51] The nobleman's expression is a mixture of panic and incredulity. Surely Alexander realised what he was doing? Even so, he felt the need to reiterate it, in the desperate hope of avoiding this eventuality.

"The crown is the marker of the rightful ruler of Myllenoris, and you've ordered her capture. You're ordering the assault of the essential Queen of Myllenoris, Alexander. Make no mistake, if you go through with this it is a declaration of war!"

The treaty was collapsing around his ears.

"I told you while I served Osrona there was no risk of Asta beginning a war. I didn't say that was the only reason she wasn't! Stop this Alexander, whilst you still can!"

Finally, his head whipped towards Finley, voice softer.

"The Crown has no hold on her Finley, it hasn't for over a year. But much like me, she will not stand for her life, or mine, being threatened."

Attention returned to the rest, even as the shadows around the room began to warp towards him. Not much, barely perceptibly in fact, but just in anticipation. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, but at this point...

He doubted it.


(Regulus ven Grimmore)

[22:55] It was a tad bit too late for Asta to warn Nebula about physical touch. She had touched Regulus already, and she had no plans to die today. Especially not here.

The queen cared not for the crown or petty insults, but rather, the fact that the lord of a house was willing to toss it all away for a foreign leader of a different kingdom. It was disrespectful. .. In ways she couldn't possibly explain. She was willing to allow them both to walk away, until Regulus opened his mouth.

Until Alexander decided for the both of them that this insolence will not tolerated. They've come into a foreign court, uninvited, to talk badly of the union between herself and Alexander. Why would anyone expect this to go any different?

Vines writhe bellow, burrowing beneath the castle to reach the person who had summoned them. It takes them only another moment before they rise and break through the tiles, making their presence known.
"You should listen to him, Asta. I would if I were you."

The hand of the Petrakis queen is raised, the vines standing guard. The spark of combat was bound to come should the Hargrave not comply with Alexander's demand, and all Nebula could do now... Was wait.

She waits as her thumb rubs against her index digit, anxious to see what the High Lady would decide.
(Nebula rei Petrakis)

[22:56] Asta's eyes squint into a narrow, focused glare. Her inhuman pupils constrict into impossibly-thin slits. Bothe eyes, focused on Finley. Largely ignoring everyone around her. If any were foolhardy enough to charge her, they'd be eviscerated by her field of ruby.

Thirty seconds.

"He doesn't understand that nobody but myself can wear this crown and live," she says. "It's not some fake, superficial bauble like his own crown."

She raises her left hand up to the air, and the Crown of Aschea atop her head fades away in a mist of mana.

It appears in Finley's grasp.

And instantly, his mind is invaded by a harsh cacophony of spirits, angered by the sudden exchange.

Words begin to spill out into the room. Dozens of voices, primal. Enraged.

WHY. WHY. WHY. HOW. WHERE. OUR MOTHER. WHY. WHY OUR MOTHER. WHY ASCHEA. WHY.

It's mostly nonsensical questions repeated again and again, but it is clear that some form of supernatural forces were greatly disturbed by what was happening.

And it was reflected in the death glare of the High Lady.

"I don't need the Crown, nor Aschea, to carve through all of your Knights."

She folds her arms.

"So go ahead. Betray your words, and order your people to attack. You know you want to. It is the human in you, the petty human, that yearns to."
(Asta Hargrave)

[23:04] The crown is suddenly within Finley's grasp, appearing there in the palm of his crystal hand, the solid gem fingers wrapping around its edge with speed and delicate motion. Almost immediately there was an obvious change, not only with the room being filled with the echoes, but in the young Teraphim who now held the sacred artifact.

The glow to his right forearm darkened to a grim violet, only to counteract itself into a brilliant blue. Finley grit his teeth, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead as he grappled over the weight the crown carried with it. His left hand came around, not to hold the relic, but to clutch the inner part of his opposing arm.

"Don't harm her." he called out, his voice louder and more firm than it had ever been within the walls of Osrona, perhaps even more than it had ever been on Esshar's soil.

"Let it end here."

He knew this was already the end to an era of neighborly peace between the kingdoms. The spirits that now coiled and hissed in his ears flashed a vision of those burning ships outside of Starfall, of bridges quite literally crumbling and burning away.

"Go."

he said to Asta, daring in this moment to command her, even if the word was an obvious plea.
(Finley)

[23:08] The gold and blue eyes would stare towards Finley, giving him a small nod as the Teraphim received the crown. There is a single swallow from the Priest, turning a small bit, if only to hold both Alexander and Asta in his gaze at once.

"She has given the crown to Finley. You asked for it to be removed from her head."

"What are our current orders, King Alexander?"
(Romani cos Montclaire)

[23:09] An auditory force had almost calmed his nerves for a few seconds, forcing him to turn behind the pillar to clear his head.. and once he had, the Hargrave returns. His weapon, still holstered at his side as the Wraith's hilt sat strapped to his other side, the Leonaus blessed's attention turns on Asta and Regulus.

"Leave. Now!" He shouts, trying to, as Finley had, command his mother and the nobleman. Even if he felt to be at odds, this isn't how he wanted things to end for the High Lady..
(Mikael Hargrave)

[23:27] "When my people are put under foul magics and their lives not considered then I act." A short few words to Ophelia. References to the fake holy-wars, the pull-out of the Siege. The King could not imagine walking up to someone and shooting time magic in their face, yet time and time again Asta seemed to push her bounds.

"Even now, without the crown, you still talk of murder. I am starting to think the person that wants nothing more than murder and bloodshed is yourself. I still remember what you said. And now I have a reply. Do not corrupt your own crown," eyes on Asta - a callback to their previous conversation, the exchange of the crown not unnoticed. Nor Finley's pleas. Blue eyes catch it, but he has his blade trained, focused like a laser.

"Lord Grimmore. Your final act between Myllenoris and Osrona relations will be a peaceful transfer of power. Write it down now. And then once you are finished, you can join your wife who will be waiting outside the city. For I have no trust that she will not take her rage out on my citizens. After that, you can both retire peacefully with your daughter."

With that said, he spares a glance to Asta Hargrave, then his Knights. She had the chance to leave peacefully and it was the final order he would bark.

"Go, Asta Hargrave. And do not threaten my people again."
(Alexander rei Petrakis)

[23:31] While Finley and Kofe jointly struggle against the Crown's influence, Asta cracks a strange smile and waves her hand in the air dismissively.

She turns around, faces the three knights to the south.

"Well, Finley, I will see you back in Myllenoris," she says.


"You can hand me the crown when we're home."

She looks over her shoulder at Finley, a look of concern spared toward her Mistseer. She knew that he probably was not taking the relic very well.
(Asta Hargrave)

[23:41] The alternating glow within the Teraphim's crystal forearm continued, a visual example of the ever present swinging pendulum of light and darkness that existed within the arcanium circlet. The veins in Finley's organic arm were strained, his grasp shaking, as he continued to keep his hold as the only person within the room who could even likely touch Aschea's crown.

It was only by the touch on his shoulder that there came a change, and though the Mistseer could not take his eyes from his target, a very forced and almost growled smile appeared on his face, the kind of rare sight that only few had seen before. It was just as strange as any of Finley's smiles, and though it was meant to be comforting, it likely came across more as something else entirely, given the gritted teeth and light snarl on his face.

But Kofe's music filled his senses, and just as Finley's magic had done a small part in anchoring Asta'smotives away from those of the shadows, the bard's tune did its job. Finley's crystal arm's pattern slowed in its tempo, until it came to a stop and settled on a low indigo, a compromise between whatever phantoms and powers were not filtered away by the song.

"Th-thank. You. K-kofe." he hissed through his teeth, still battling with the crown, even if the fight was coming to something of a steady close. It's weight would not leave his mind, it's power was not so easily banished. And its curse was not so easily ignored.

Finley's left arm finally released his right, if only to bring his cloak over his front so that he could stow the crown within it and away from sight. He held it there, as if he was clutching some wound at his side, and somehow appeared paler than before. Asta's words were heard, but the Mistseer could do little to respond aside from a single nod.

No matter what Regulus said next, no matter what Osrona declared, both Teraphim present knew that no words or official papers could change the course of the Vale, for its decisions were not those to be made by men.

The High Lord would only ever be chosen by spirits.
(Finley)

[23:42] There's a moment of complete and utter silence from the Nobleman at Alexander's demand. And then, slowly, he shakes his head.

"The only person not considering the lives of their people is you. You have no authority to demand a Myllenoran succession, as it is an independent Kingdom. You act in a manner that demands conflict. I taught you better than that."

He reaches into his coat, produce a pin with the symbol of Osrona upon it. His badge of office as Royal Spymaster. Its tossed at the King's feet.

"I hope you understand what you're doing here Alexander. You've broken an alliance and cast out one of your closest supporters at the same time." His eyes briefly flickered over to Nebula. "For her. Destroyed the work of the past six years, over a woman. And to think I thought you a better king than your father."

He looked over at those assembled.

"This is what I warned against. What I have struggled against. Consider your choices carefully, all of you."

He glanced over to Ophelia.

"Good luck, Ms Soleis. With a King so determined to break a treaty, you're going to need it."

He stepped back to his wife, illusionary magic twisting around him to display a normal appearance whilst he began to silently shift his fingers in the correct tuts to begin preparing several magical circles. Nothing any runescribe would see as aggression, if they could see through the illusion. Glyphs shaped with his fingers that seemed to suggest some sort of safety for a journey, even if no mana shimmered forth. That would come at the end.

"Osrona has no right to decide Osrona suggestion, and I'll not insult the spirits by suggesting they do."


(Regulus ven Grimmore)

[23:46] Hrist couldn't sustain this level of fight preparedness for this long without risking spiraling out of control. Her sheathe falls back to the floor, landing with a thunk and then spinning around like a circle.

An auric eye focuses, now, on the new Queen regnant. Hrist is inscrutable.
(Hrist)

[23:50] "An alliance that was a farce."

"A treaty that was only respected when it was convenient for Myllenoris."

If he was going to mention it, then so will she.

Alexander allowed Asta to leave, and frankly-- Nebula cared not for if it was with the crown or without. She knew it wouldn't strip the woman of the title, not until the Teraphim were willing to do so themselves. "One of his closest supporters... Yes, yes. We've heard plenty of your self-absorbed praise."

"And yet here you are, ready to toss your home away. Your name. Everything for a woman. Isn't that funny?"

The hypocrisy in his words.
Nebula and Alexander's marriage came from love, whereas Asta and Regulus' was only an alliance.

"She belongs in Myllenoris, I'll give you that. But you are still a citizen of Osrona, Regulus. You are still a member of the Grimmore house."

His words, his crimes, his insolence.

His punishment.

"So you will be arrested."

"A fair and just trial will be held for all to see where you've gone wrong, where you've sold your morals..."

"Arrest him."
(Nebula rei Petrakis)

[23:57] So. It was going to be a fight, after all.

She couldn't take every single one of them. She could take a fair few of them, but eventually, she would be knocked down and beaten.

"So be it. The Treaty of 1733 is now forfeit."

The High Lady raises her hand up to the air, and in an instant, the Crown of Aschea disappears from Finley's hand. Back to her head.

Her handing it over was only ever a facade. It's clear that she could just summon it back to her head at any moment. No paper, no treaty, could transfer the title of High Lord away from her. Only Aschea could. Only the spirits could.

Her voice rings out, projected with magic. It screeches, high-pitched, into the minds of all present. Like an enraged primordial beast.

"The kingdom of Myllenoris officially declares war upon the Empire of Esshar."

Without warning, the High Lady grabs Regulus' arm violently, yanks him toward her. Even with Alexander's time magic weighing her down, she manages to unleash a swift flurry of crystal spires in every direction.

Shadowy figures begin to fade into being and attack every member of the First Light, dueling them. Distracting them.

All the while, the High Lady engages anyone that attempts to block their escape.



War.
(Asta Hargrave)

[00:06] Alexander rei Petrakis has no words for what follows. He knew Asta to be evil but to blatantly declare war? Anything he would or had said is drowned out.

"Finley, stay back," a firm order.

And then the King moves forth, hand clenching air and the entire area coming into a cut-scene due to the dilation of time magics as Knights rush forward. The shadowy figures and the crystal spires start to slow, and Alexander, second of his name moves across the battle field.

"Regulus Hargrave, you dishonor your ancestors but more than that the stars," he moves from foot to foot, stepping across crystal. "Your nobility is revoked, your lands and titles."

"Osrona. Stop them."
(Alexander rei Petrakis)

[00:08] Asta called for her crown back, but before it could vanish entirely from Finley's grasp, the Mistseer's crystal hand tightened. With her words spoken aloud, another call for war that his heart very much opposed, his head began to shake in a panicked back and forth, a silent yet screamed,

NO.

Nebula called for Regulus' arrest. The knights that could moved to action did so. The people of Osrona moved to defend their people. Finley scowled, his distaste more evident with his efforts expended on maintaining his keep on the crown.

With his free hand he clutched Kofe's cloak and tugged backward, the two apparently about to collide with the floor-

only for a flash of blue light to disappear them both away.

Runic patterns of bright light encircled where the duo had fallen away, leaving nothing more than their ethereal whisper on the wind.

The crown did not appear on Asta's head.
(Finley)



[00:19] {NARRATION} Vs Asta Hargrave: Hrist, Romani, Nebula

Vs Regulus Grimmore: Andrew

Cap 3 dangerous


[00:23] Asta begins bursting through the room while her spectral allies attack and distract all the other Knights. But there stands Regulus' new Retainer...

IN HER WAY.

Without a care in the world, she waves a hand at Hrist and begins pelting her with a flurry of ruby crystals. As each whizzes by her and explodes through the stone walls, she feels a strange sensation in her body.

Like the crystal was stealing her mana.

Using the hole blown into the wall, she flees out of the castle and begins attacking her pursuer while navigating her way out of the city.
(Asta Hargrave)

[00:26] And then, she breaks. Still wordless, there's an explosion of magical energy in the young Knight. Totally untrained in magical theory, there's a burst of powerful gravitational energy from the knight. Though she was covered in flowers, it wasn't something she used in battle. Instead, it was a curse she had to endure.

She unsheaths her boar-slayer, and points it at the leader of the teraphims. This fight would be the hardest one she had ever experienced. The Lion pendant around her neck is roaring.
(Hrist)

[00:30] {Won Dangerous RPB against Hrist}
[00:35] He was not the first one. He just hoped to be the last.

Holy magic would rapidly consume the ground, striking against those shadowy figures that Asta controlled. At the same time, he watched as the Hargrave would collide with Hrist, the Knight being beaten through her gravitation forces as he grunted. A shake of his head as the holy magic he commanded would glow brighter then it was.

"Asta Hargrave; The order was for me to ensure that no one here was killed. You were given the choice to walk out of that castle with no problem. Instead, you decided to harm the people of Orsona. My people."

"You will be allowed fair trial. But you will not be allowed to harm people endlessly unwarranted. Guardian of Ios."

The holy manifest above him floated, extending its arms to be his weapon as the fist of bravery glowed. Swaths of the shadowy figures would meet his fists, being collided with.

"I will not allow more innocent people to come to harm because of you. Not if I can help it."

"But I do give you one last offer; Stand down. There is no more need to be further violence or lives at risk through these assaults. This 'war' of yours can end in the castle, right here and now."

A moment would be taken, for her to respond. But likely? If she would not stand down, he would engage.
(Romani cos Montclaire)

[00:41] With terrifying precision and ferocity Asta just cleaves straight through Hrist without a care in the world. She conjures a giant shard of crystal and tosses it straight into Hrist's torso. It's mostly absorbed by the armor she wore, but still a nasty defeat.

Not enough to kill or maim her.

She grits her teeth. More obstacles.

"You spineless COWARD-!" the High Lady calls out. Rage in her voice.

"Your King ordered my arrest because I stared at his BRIDE the WRONG way! Your King is no King at all, attacking his guest like a coward. Twenty of you against two of us."

She bares a cruel smile.

"I'd say it was unfair... if I couldn't cleave through the lot of you with ease."

This time, she draws the greatbow at her back. As opposed to when she dispatched Hrist without a weapon.

"This is only self defense. You attack me. I attack you."

"Balanced."
(Asta Hargrave)

[00:46] {Won Dangerous RPB against Romani cos Montclaire}
[00:46] ** Asta Hargrave has inflicted an injury upon Romani cos Montclaire. ("Temporary Injury", "Temporary Injury", "Temporary", "Duration: Medium (4 days)") **
[00:51] "I have to say... It's quite fitting."

Despite how tense the situation is, despite the fact that Nebula is chasing after the Teraphim who bested her Knights, worry does not sneak to her expression nor does it stain her features. Calm, like a sea before a storm.

"Us fighting each other, I mean. Don't you think?"

The vines aren't late to arrive, following the woman with each of her steps, regardless of the pace they took. A rose is plucked from the Queen's crown, its thorn used to make an incision on both of the Petrakis' wrists. Blood begins to flow from her wounds then and there.

"War is pointless. But if it is what you desire, Asta Hargrave, then it what you shall have."

She sucked a breath through her teeth before dashing forward, engaging the Teraphim finally.
(Nebula rei Petrakis)

[00:55] The High Lady had just finished dispatching Romani, firing an arrow directly into his leg, when the next person catches up to her. Another obstacle...

But this was no mere obstacle.

This was the CAUSE of all of this madness.

Asta ceases her fleeing to momentarily circle Nebula, an intense, almost insane look in her eyes.

"I'm going to destroy you..." she growls.

"You did this. It was you. YOU caused this!" Asta points a finger at the Queen.

"I merely attempted to see the secrets of your flesh-- your man-bride saw fit to have me assailed. Me. A guest to his own home... highest of shame."

"He may as well have declared was himself when he violated our treaty."

No more words. Asta leaps back and begins unleashing a frenzy of arrows down upon Nebula.
(Asta Hargrave)

[00:55] A coward?

"Hardly."

Ios' guardian spread it's arms, ever healing, ever protecting. He did manage to have luck, to make the leader of Myllenoris sweat, even with no weapon. Was he the strongest in Orsona? Not by far. But..

"It is not for looking at his bride the wrong way that I fight. It is because you attacked people and pit us into war." The Cruel smile is responded to with gritted teeth, fighting to the best of his capabilities. But as much as he fought?

It was never his strong suit. In fact, he was far better at things that did not require it. The great bow on her back finds purchase, or perhaps an opening.

Into his leg. A solid crystal would strike his femur, shattering it within. His mana would be drunk from like wine as he kneeled onto the ground. Not strong enough, but the wounds he lasted made him hope that others would be able to pull through. A final exhale, watching as the recently arisen queen would be the last to arrive. Digging into the ground for a few moments, he would launch himself back towards the rest of those in the throne room.

He was far too weakened to engage again, so instead he went to fall back.
(Romani cos Montclaire)

[00:59] {Won Dangerous RPB against Nebula rei Petrakis}
[00:59] ** Asta Hargrave has inflicted an injury upon Nebula rei Petrakis. ("Temporary Injury", "Temporary Injury", "Temporary", "Duration: Medium (4 days)") **
[01:08] Unfortunately, it seemed the guard had it - first Hrist, which she almost felt bad to watch, and then Romani who she felt had the best chance and then finally? Their new Queen, Nebula. Defeat after defeat, it seemed Asta's reputation was absolutely correct, that she was dangerous, powerful. And allegedly? Undefeated. With the capture of Hrist, in the crystal prison, she knew the Osronan would be whisked away, so in a sprint Marie jumped in, charging towards Asta.

In her run, the jacket of her outfit went flying off - and coaxing out of her form would first come the cascade of Cosmic, and then the layering of thick and pure white; a silver entity that danced along her blade, obscuring it, and partially obscuring her.

It was in this summoned strength that came speed, and she got in-between Asta and the Crystalline prison of Hrist's defeat; sword held in both hands, clenched tightly, as she grinned the way of Asta.

The blue eyes of thePetrakis family seeming to glisten with just the fight itself, but much more than that? The thrill of finally getting her hands on Asta.

"I've been waiting a long time for this one, High Lady." A sort of resentment - yet there was hesitation. She remembered the mercy on Biru, the slow changes she saw in just the side lined watching of Asta, not even interacting with her. The woman had seemed better over the years, better since the death of Weiss.

Would killing her matter? A shake of her head - Alexander had given her an order, and she would follow through; stepping forward, then slowly turning it into a sprint, directly at the High Lady.

The Princess has tumbled a Dragon, with much help - could she take down a Tyrant too?
(Marie ras Petrakis)

[01:11] During the bout with the Queen of the Empire, Asta seems to be growing more and more exhausted. Nebula's great bursts of blood, bone, and vines wear her defenses down. The crystal barriers floating around her body crack, and do not regenerate.

But since there were no more pursuers, she decides to go back.

HRIST SWORE. SHE IS A RETAINER OF REGULUS. HOUSE GRIMMORE. SHE BETRAYED.

Bloodlust and rage fills her eyes.

She can't let Hrist go. She can NOT let Hrist go unpunished for this. So, she goes back for her--

Marie.

"Waiting for this-...?" Asta asks. Her breath was heavy. Blood stained her clothes and skin.

"..."

She seems to lose her composure. Her limbs go weak.

"... Why? I just... wanted... to-..."

She closes her eyes and looks away from Marie. It looks...

Like she is about to cry. But regardless, she begins unleashing arrow after arrow at the Princess.
(Asta Hargrave)

[01:15] {Won Dangerous RPB against Marie ras Petrakis}
[01:15] ** Asta Hargrave has inflicted an injury upon Marie ras Petrakis. ("Temporary Injury", "Temporary Injury", "Temporary", "Duration: Medium (4 days)") **
[01:22] It was chaos, as the fighting did not seem to stop. His mother was unparalleled in battle, a fact that he knew, but as it kept going- on and on, he's not sure if it's the hate he grew for the woman, or the desire for it all to stop. Part of him, in the same, wanted to try and stop them from pursuing Asta. It's when she begins to take Hrist with her that he steps forwards.

"Mother. It has to stop." The Felinae declared, whipping out his pistol- and in his other hand..

The Wraith's Hilt, from the battle weeks ago. Spiritual magic wells from it, like a funnel of power as he stared down the Teraphim woman.

"Let the woman go. Leave. Or I'll.."

I am the strongest magi on this continent. Nothing can defeat me.

Nobody can best me in battle in this plane.

You would die if you joined the Aegis.

Like the Crown of Aschea that always sat on his mother's brow, it was like thousands of voices welled within his head. Words that his mother said that never meant to bring him down, but had stayed with him.

"I'll stop you." He spoke. On a sharp edge of the hilt, he cuts his own hand. It flows down his wrist, and then collects around him, creating lashes of riptide magic that his blood magic flowed through.
(Mikael Hargrave)

[01:26] Body after body falls before the High Lady. She lures Marie into a trap by riddling the battlefield with great spires of crystal. She has her right where she wants her.

She constricts Princess Marie in vines and injects potent muscular-degenerative toxin through her skin. She's immobilized. No longer a threat.

Next...


"Mikael..." she gasps. Part because she is out of breath. Part because she is shocked to see him standing before her. Standing in her way.

"You're-..."

Tears begin to roll down her cheeks. A crystal materializes from thin air, into her hand. Pulled straight from the energy of the lifestream. Solid mana. Red in color.

Lethal.

She nocks it.

"In MY WAY!!!!!"

She releases it at her son. No longer caring if he would live or die from the attack.

But he stood a fair chance, now that she was weakened. Wounded.
(Asta Hargrave)

[01:31] He knew there was nothing that he could do to stop her. She was too strong.

Mikael was a street-cat. He never had a mentor, a teacher, and he paled in comparison to the Teraphim with his magical power. Even so, he almost seems to stand still in the ballroom as his blood coats it, now that he shoots it at his mother.

"Mother-"

His lashes surge forward, to catch the crystal of ruby magic, stopping it narrowly before it can pierce his armor.

It is the only one that he's able to stop with certainty, before they begin once more. Hundreds of shots are sent by the machinist, and few hit as he, too, is in pain.

"Let her go. Let Hrist go. She-"

Another arrow strikes him, this time in his arm- this one is pulled forcefully, and the wound seals instantly. Something about him seems slow, dead, sad, in the culmination of everything.

"Don't do this. You don't have to. Just go," hespoke.

He knew there was no answer. Even without the crown, his mother was his mother. He can only fire more shots, hoping that at least one of them forces her to retreat.
(Mikael Hargrave)

[01:35] The High Lady's briefly pushed back by a wave of viscera and blood. It splatters against her clothes and leaves her reeling, for a moment. But the damage she's inflicted upon Mikael was grave.

The fight was already over.

Asta coughs and creeps forward, bow still pointed at Mikael.

"You don't understand- Mikael..."

"She just swore herself as Regulus' Retainer. She... turned her back to us, immediately. Immediately. This can't go unpunished. She is Regulus'." Her eyes narrow into a glare.

"She is mine."

She fires a quick arrow nearby. Not at him, but close enough to him that he'd be caught in the explosion that ensued. Fragments of crystal, firing out in every direction like shrapnel, intending to carve her son up.

"THEY started this! Why are YOU on THEIR side? The HUMANS! You see why I speak so low of them! Attacking a GUEST!"
(Asta Hargrave)

[01:37] {Won Dangerous RPB against Mikael Hargrave}
[01:41] The High Lady's crystal shrapnel does its work.

It knocks Mikael off his feet, sending painful fragments digging deep into his skin. But nothing a little bit of self first-aid couldn't handle.

"Hrist..." she exhales, hissing through her teeth.

With her every step, the world seemed to contort with the sheer magnitude of her spiritual presence. Strange shadows danced all around her. Everyone that may have been nearby would feel like they were being watched by dozens, if not hundreds, of eyes.

She reaches down to Hrist.

Grabs her by the scruff of her collar.

"WHY!" she shouts.
(Asta Hargrave)

[01:47] Nebula had the utmost confidence she could match Asta in battle.

However, fate didn't seem to share the same sentiment. The Queen was wrong. The vines that writhe about and circle the woman are barely a distraction, instead, only effective for halting Asta every now and then with her approach. Blood is shot at the woman in many different variations, spheres of it, daggers-- anything the woman could muster at the moment.

She thinks less, and does more.

For the first time in her life, she's pushed to an edge in a battle that progressively becomes only harder. Until she realizes that defeating the High Lady of Myllenoris was out of the question.

Today, she was the prey of the sleeping demon.

And lastly, the ex-bearer of Aschea's crown casts a spell on the downed, nature-magi. Its nature is unknown to her-- and of course, she has no experience tackling anything of the sort. She screams.

It hurts.

Shecan see herself dying, she can see Asta murdering every single person she cared for - a constant nightmare.

It's a miracle that Nebula can even force herself to escape, but not before shooting one last glare at the Hargrave and murmuring something under her breath. A promise that this isn't the end, and they will meet again.
(Nebula rei Petrakis)

[01:48] Mikael is stopped, again, and brought to his back as he lands on the ground. He, fortunately, expected this- an immense shroud of riptide magic, outwardly, flows around him to prevent any major injuries.

He knew his mother. Even if she wouldn't hold back, she wouldn't truly try and kill him.

Regardless, Mikael is the last to fall in this long battle, just like he would have been in the battle against the Wraith if he hadn't gotten in a lucky shot. The hilt of the ghost's blade clatters to the ground in his left hand as he comes to his knees.

"..I chose the humans because... I am human. You were a guest, but, you started this. You declared war, even if they were trying to depose you. You may be the strongest mage on this continent, but it doesn't give you the right to flaunt it-"

He coughs up blood. He can't do it anymore. His body gives in.

"..and when I'm stronger, I'll come for you to prove you that you're wrong."
(Mikael Hargrave)

[01:51] With the total route of the First Light against Asta Hargrave, Hrist finds herself suddenly alone, captured by the enraged servant of Aschea. She forces her eyes shut and clutches weakly at the wrought iron pendant of Leonaus she wore around her neck. Only the stars could deliver her. So fervent are her prayers, and so desperate, that the small thing starts to crumple into a single point.

As she's lifted up, beset upon by shadows and spirits, she's met with a force more foreign and more terrifying than any occultist she had yet faced. Unable to concentrate fully lest she explode, Asta is left to contend with incomprehensible religious babble instead of anything coherent. She had attacked Asta with complete clarity of purpose, and a glimmer of it was still there, but fear of her immortal soul and the imminent judgment of the stars had left her paralyzed from doing anything except recite the Codex Cosmos.


"The commands of the Divine are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Divine is pure,
enduring for ever.
The ordinances of the Divine are sure,
and all of them are righteous..."
(Hrist)

[01:54] Alexander rei Petrakis finds himself watching something un-describable in the halls of the Petrakis ballroom. The last wedding could not even be considered a red wedding compared to this. Thankfully the King had enough gumption and sense to not cause this on his actual wedding day. That had taken placed on another day.

His expression rarely shows little, but now it becomes tense with rage and grief. Marie paralyzed, Ophelia and Del wishing the night had gone different and magi all estrange. Romani had even struggled and Alexander's wife laid on the ground, suffering.

Still. There was one Knight left, that had not escaped.

And that was enough reason for the Petrakis to move. Out of the way of the wraiths and all that were summoned. There would be no time to engage Asta in combat it seems with Regulus Grimmore fast approaching and the runes lighting up for a quick get-a-away.

And war could not be stopped.

But, still the King moves and his frame accelerates in a burst of time magic as the wound in his chest burns. Faster. Faster. Faster.

"Hrist!"
(Alexander rei Petrakis)

[02:00] Asta stares wide-eyed at Hrist as she recites scripture upon her.

Tears still freely rolled down her eyes. She didn't know Hrist, truly. She couldn't empathize with her human suffering. But she wept, all the same. She wept because she violently defeated Marie. Someone she could have considered... a friend.

She wept because she had to put down her own son.

She wept...

Because the images of carnage and bloodshed invaded her mind. The spirits, even without the Crown of Aschea, spoke to her. They gave her visions of death. Visions of her murdering this Cadet. Doom.

"Humans..." she says, her voice low. Pained. Whiny.

"... Are so tragic, Hrist. I'm sorry you were born a human."

Before Alexander is able to respond, Asta lays a hand on Hrist's forehead.


"Maybe... you'll be reborn as a Teraphim..."

It's over.


Hrist can feel her literal soul being coerced out of her body. It's a comforting feeling. Asta pulls Hrist close. Intimately-close. Their eyes locked together. Asta's piercing, ghost-like irises fixed on hers.

It feels like a mother's hand reaching out to help her up.

It's a hard feeling to resist.


Everyone present can see something beginning to exit Hrist's head. A wispy mist of mana.

A soul. A person.

Alexander is too late. As he approaches, slowing time down with his magic, the wisp of mana begins to float off to the sky. Off to the stars. As it ascends higher, it fades from existence...

Hrist feels comfort, warmth, as she ascends back up to the stars.

"If you weren't a human, you wouldn't have betrayed Regulus."

She closes her eyes. The last tears fall. And she begins to disappear into the breeze, leaving only particles of mana in her wake.

Gone, with some strange magic only known to Teraphim.

Like this whole time they were fighting some incorporeal being. A ghost.

Aschea herself.
(Asta Hargrave)

[02:04] Falling back, needing to catch his breath. It was hard enough to do with an arrow lodged in his femur, and the bone shattering, but it was even worse when he had to watch what happened. The soul leaving Hrist, actions of Asta.

The same way that the King was too late? The Priest failed to do his duty. At once, a feeling is gone, just sitting on his knees in the numbness. It was hard to say it was anything but the holy magic that could even help keep him breathing. Teeth grit.

War was declared. The first life was lost. His hand curls up, before slamming into the ground.

Failure, again.

One that was worse then last time.

And then, as Asta escapes, he collapses, just breathing through grit teeth.

"Not again."
(Romani cos Montclaire)

[02:09] Regulus is bruised and bloodied, Kabal and Andrew's attacks together certainly having taken quite the toll. Still, those five linked circles drift above him, and he's prepared to spirt the both of them away.

And then Hrist.

He...did not expect that, to see her killed. It wasn't particularly out of character for Asta -and she'd promised death to any that tried to stop their departure- but still it strikes him. An Osronan, slain. Likely the first of many.

A beat of silence, then another.

His eyes shift to those in the ballroom. All of them except Alexander.

"I'm sorry, I truly am."

Its a gasp, a wheezed statement, but as his eyes fall upon Alexander, his face twitches, the full surging force of his reaction to what this brief period of time has resulted in.

"See what you have wrought, Alexander Petrakis, you're no King of mine!"

His hand flied up, the last circle connecting with the others. Portal. It surges with energy, but realising he's too tapped out for his previous intended destination, he shifts it to lower in the city, where there might still be time before words spreads. Silently the shadows open up, enveloping him as he takes to Wayfinding away.

He emerges, nearly exhausted into Sudbury, knocking any who challenge him away as non-lethally as possible as he staggers through a postern gate and out of the city. Free.

For now.
(Regulus Grimmore)

[02:09] "Asta don't.."

Marie hoped against hope.

They had failed - failed to save Hrist, each of them collapsing at the hand of the High Lady, yet she hoped. The Princess had seen the changes, seen the changes that made her hesitant to confront the High Lady; the little kindnesses, the games of Truth or Dare, the slow things that took Asta from someone she hated, to someone she felt she could understand - someone she had respect, and as she stared on at the captured Hrist, she hoped. More and more, hoping, on the floor of the ballroom, legs paralyzed and the Princess far too weak to stand to begin with after her defeat.

You're better than that, don't do it - she's not a threat Asta.

Yet as the hand would rest on the forehead of Hrist, for all to see, she watched the wispy white; the mist, that took her a moment, a moment to parse what happened until blue eyes softened and filled with tears. Alexander hadn't made it, she knew Alexander wouldn't; yet hoped Asta had changed.

And she was so terribly disappointed.

The head of Marie dropped, at her direct failure; tears flowing down the cheeks of the Princess who was wide eyed in hurt, pain at herself and what she couldn't do; the disappearing Asta, not even watched, uncaring of how she did it.

Like years of frustration had finally been heard, and confirmed in the moment.

Asta is just like Serea… The Princess thought, bitter at the death of Hrist; the failure, the failure of all of them, the representatives of Osrona as a whole.

Regulus' yelling finally broke her out from her daze, those blue eyes filled with tears glaring at him as he vanished, leaving, cheating - escaping, as one of their own died.

A life for a crown.
(Marie ras Petrakis)

[02:09] Her injuries are not physical. On the outside... Nebula appears fine.

All three types of her magic worked in unison with one another, all to ensure that the Queen sustains no permanent damage. It was like that usually, of course, but today... Was different. A beating like no other. Asta outmatched every person Nebula met on the battlefield, every occultic spirit she had to fight... All of them.

"I-- I am fine-" She tells Ophelia, her voice breaking.

And there it goes again. She sees another person dying, despite the fact that they weren't even here.

Nebula's eyes close, and the images persist.

When she opens them? She even sees Asta murdering Hrist, but...

What was even real at this point?
(Nebula rei Petrakis)

[02:11] There's little they can do, little they'd allow themself to be done. Del took cover as crystals fly about, clashing of weapons and magics. It's chaotic and unbefitting of a castle- A wedding.

Del watches as the High Lady practically tore through the advancing Knights, the Keeper Romani. Efforts valliant but the victory clear as each narrowly escapes. The Queen in bad shape- From what they can tell. So many advance the Teraphim, it's hard to keep track as they keep a more unresponsive Lloyd safe.

Like Ophelia, their attention fell to the Queen- Then to an advancement from the King. Too much is happening. Blood spills, even if life isn't lost.

Their eyes fixate on the High Lady, and Hrist- A body that the others practically fought on top of it. Del could feel it, faintly, like something was... missing? The woman, the Lily Knight's life waning and becoming an empty body- Her soul returning upward to the heavens and Stars.

To see another die right before their eyes once more- One of many. How many other people will die in front of them?

"...An evil brews before our eyes. Right beneath our nose. The Stars... They.. They..."

Del struggles to get it out, a prayer, an offering of words. Breath increases along with the shake in their voice, the hold on Lloyd tightened. Destruction brought about on a joyous occasion, life lost. Vision grows blurry- They've a job to do. Injured. The Queen.

A weak, teary gaze met Nebula.
(Del mer Joyau)

[02:15] Alexander is too late.

He sees the hand find it's way to Hrist's forehead, the words that leave Asta's lips. He can barely make them out, eyes squinting. His body shifting, jumping through the air. The wound from the Wraith causes him to jump several steps forward as if several frames in a movie fly by. But even that is not enough. Even with his time magic he could not stop time.

A hand outstretches but he is too slow when it matters. The only time it matters.

He sees it fade, that wisp of mana, Hrist's soul ascend to the stars but it does not register as real.

Asta vanishes into the breeze, leaving mere particles of mana in her wake. But if she were there, the King would have bulldozed her through. Completely. His only goal is Hrist.

Her body is gripped in a heartbeat, caught as the Petrakis flies all the way into the other side of the castle wall with a frightening crack.

The body of his Knight is cradled in his arms, held close, even despite her eyes being closed.

"Hrist," he stares at her furiously. "Hrist, wake up."
(Alexander rei Petrakis)

[02:28] "She did something-- I am just not sure... What.."

Her mind was deceiving her, her eyes were lying to her, and the magic of the Teraphim witch still affected the Queen. It's just that realization hasn't settled yet. No, she couldn't process that Asta Hargrave murdered a knight. Not when she thought this to be a nightmare. "I- What's wrong..?" She can hear Alexander.

Something is wrong.

She can feel it.

And then she looks past the nightmare, past whatever spell Asta cast upon her mind. Hrist's body is still there. She is still dead. It was something else. It was... Real.

"Del... Are they-"

She can't even say it.
(Nebula rei Petrakis)

[02:29] Death took her unawares and Hrist's body, armor and all, falls into the arms of the King. Tall and athletic and armed in full plate, the Knight is heavy in death. Hrist is quiet now, unstirring, unmoving, as her soul separates from her body. Uninjured from the fight, and in the bloom of her youth, she makes a rather comely corpse.

With her death, the parasitic flower stuck in her bodies stirs. The color shifts, first to a pink, and then to a deep red.

Sinka is said to grow when two mages battle for their lives. The lilies, feasting on the mana of the dead Knight, now look to be red roses.
(Hrist)











[02:33] Asta waits at the bridge of Starfall Tower.

Word hasn't quite yet reached the guards here that the two of them were enemies of Osrona, now.

She seemed wounded, but only slightly. She seems more exhausted than anything. From her lack of significant injuries, it seems- no, it couldn't be possible, could it?

She had decimated the enemy ranks undefeated.

But she stays, and waits for Regulus, before they catch the next ferry to Myllenoris.

She's kneeling on the ground. Wide-eyed. Disbelief in her eyes.

Just waiting for her husband to return. She'd sit here for the rest of her life, if he never returned. She'd sit here until the enemy came and slew her.
(Asta Hargrave)

[02:39] He's connected to his wife. He can feel her presence, use it to locate her after their escape. He's more injured than she is, and the Wayfinding his way out of the room -that cursed room- had taken its toll in exertion. Its about half an hour before he finds his way across the bridge, collapsing to his knees before her.

"You're alive. I knew already, but...I had see you with my own eyes."

He's reaching out, hands running over her as if to verify as much.

"Oh, my love. What have we done?"

All his plans, his image of the future. Shattered.

Eurydice, grinning and babbling away as he showed her around Osrona, the city of her father, where she would one day rule as Lady Grimmore. That dream was gone now.

If Asta's declaration hadn't destroyed it, his unwillingness to abandon her certainly had. But he couldn't forsake her. Would never. Itwould take his death to cause that.

"Oh stars, what have we done."

He's clearly shellshocked by the whole thing.
(Regulus Orn Grimmore)

[02:45] Asta knew that Regulus wasn't dead. Likely, they wouldn't just outright slay him, in any case. But she was going to stay here until she saw him with her own ghost-like eyes.

When he collapses before her, she reaches out to feel his face with her hands.

The whites of her eyes were red. Like she'd shed tears, recently.

"We married... to cement an alliance," she gasps out, closing her eyes in pain.

"And now, we're at war. We didn't do anything, Regulus- he violated the Treaty. He attacked us. There was no tangible, real reason for it. You know it."

She squeezes his cheeks roughly and forms a glare.

Images of Hrist's death flood his mind. She tore out her soul and sent her, peacefully, painlessly, back to the stars.

"... Eurydice... can still grow up in Osrona, my love-"

She breaks a crazed, sad smile.

"We're just going to have to conquer Osrona for her. It's clear that the Petrakis line is unfit to rule. So we will rule in their stead."

She presses her forehead against his.

"It didn't have to be this way... but it does now."

Before waiting for him to respond, she stands, and grabs hold of his hand. "We're going home, before the search parties get here."
(Asta Hargrave)

[02:54] "Everything we built. Everything we sacrificed...he took it. Made it worthless!" Years of talking, of goodwill, of blood shed thrown away for nothing but empty pride. Alexander may not have struck the blow, but Hrist was dead because of him. And Osronan lay dead for his pride.

Her words are met with a tired gasp. Not approval. Not disapproval. Osrona didn't deserve a war, the people had done nothing. There were only two people to blame for this.

Alexander Petrakis.
Nebula Winterbourne.

"You're right, we, we need to go. Yeah, need to go."

She'd be able to feel how lost he felt. His life's work was gone, stripped from him in a moment. It was as if someone had flayed him.

"W-what do I do now? Who am I, if not Lord Regulus ven Grimmore?"

He's not expecting answer, and he still manages to use her hand to leverage himself up, a gasp of pain as his stomach-muscles contract around the bruise growing there.

"Lets...yes, lets go."
(Regulus Orn Grimmore)

[02:55] "You're my husband," Asta says quietly, as they head to the ferry.

"That's all I care about. That's who you are. Regulus. That's who you are."
(Asta Hargrave)