After Erica and Darius revealed their identities, the wraith moons were not quite as hostile as before, but they were still on their guard.
Zheng was the most anxious, as he knew that Erica could likely send everyone here up into flames before they even had a chance to cut off a feather of hers.
"Why are you here, phoenix queen?"
"Isn't it obvious? I came here to talk."
"Talk? Or surrender?" Zheng asked firmly.
It took everything for Erica not to kill this man where he stood for such insolence, but since Abaddon had shown her respect by not killing Cypress in her domain, she at least had to do the same.
"...To talk, boy. Now would you mind escorting us inside so that I can discuss my business with your ruler personally?"
"There's no need for that."
The gates to the front yard suddenly creaked open, and the wraith moons all fell onto one knee when they saw who emerged from the house.
Gabbrielle was back in her childlike form, in the arms of her aunt Lusamine and accompanied by the angel Malenia.
Erica and Darius were rather confused to see why a baby was receiving the most respect in the house, and was even speaking in a rather authoritarian tone.
"My stars!"
The serious mood that was oh so prevalent in the atmosphere before was dispersed entirely as the leader of the dwarves threw himself at the silent and bewitching Malenia.
"I have seen quite a few beauties in this city this far, but you my dear are an absolute vision! I must-"
"Please release me."
Malenia wasn't particularly rude in her tone of voice, but it was very clear that she was not making a request, it was a demand.
"Oh, are you a bit too shy then, lass? That's fine, no worries! We can get to know each other a bit better over-"
BANG!!
Erica was just about the only one who was able to see what happened before Darius was sent flying.
In one moment the dwarf was holding hands with the lovely angel, and in the next he was sent flying by the small child that was no bigger than a three year old.
Gabbrielle's fist was covered in a glowing white power and she made a small flicking gesture, sending the miniature man into the air.
Darius landed in the flower bed several feet away, upside down and with his legs waving crazily in the air.
"Titi, are you alright now?"
Malenia felt her heart melt a little bit when she heard the children's new pet name for her, but she had to let it be known that it was unnecessary.
"I'm fine Gabbrielle dear, but you know you and your siblings don't have to call me that right?"
"Father says that we should." She reminded.
"Ah, right then... I suppose it wouldn't hurt."
"Hey, I'm your auntie too!" Lusamine yelled. "Why don't I get a pet name?!"
"Father says you don't deserve one."
"That bastard!"
"That is the reason why."
Erica was trying her best to come to an understanding of the present situations but it was proving to be rather difficult.
She was slightly curious about the relationship that these two might have had with Abaddon that allowed them to emerge freely from his home, but she quickly pushed such thoughts to the back of her mind.
Instead, she analyzed the young girl the two of them seemed to be fawning over, and then she had a recollection.
When Abaddon traveled to her lands a few days ago, he had an older daughter who looked scarily similar to this one.
So much so that they were practically carbon copies.
"My father is not here. You're free to wait for his return if you like." Gabbrielle suddenly said.
Erica thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "Thank you, but no. I want to find him as soon as possible. Would you mind telling me his whereabouts?"
Gabbrielle thought about it for a moment before she nodded her head in agreement.
"Fine, but you'll have to travel with Uncle Zheng so that you don't blow their cover. They are on a highly undercover mission at the moment."
Erica hadn't the foggiest idea of what sort of 'mission' Abaddon could possibly be going on but she nodded in agreement nonetheless.
"Alright... where are they?"
-
Audrina: 'I'm so fucking nervous!'
Lisa: 'Me too!'
Valerie: 'Why did we allow her to do this?!'
Abaddon: 'Because she asked us with those cute dumpling cheeks and doe eyes.'
Bekka: 'Ah, right.'
Seras: 'But still, what if she doesn't make it?!'
Lailah: 'She will, don't worry.'
Eris: 'And if she doesn't then we can console her for the rest of the day.'
Lillian: 'Well now I am almost hoping that she doesn't make it just so that we can cuddle for the rest of the day...'
This morning, Abaddon and his wives were woken up by a request from their second youngest daughter.
Today had been the day that Mira decided she was going to accomplish a longstanding dream of hers; becoming a member of the Euphrates.
Apparently, no one knew she had this dream in the first place aside from Gabrielle.
As such it really came as quite a shock, but it made sense in the end.
Why wouldn't the cutest and most bloodthirsty princess in the world want to join the most destructive army in the world?
It was truly a no brainer.
Abaddon tried to persuade Mira against joining right now, or even remind her that she might very well be leading them some day, but she remained firm in her decision.
However, she didn't just want to be handed a position.
She wanted to try out and earn the approval of Kanami through her own power.
As such, Abaddon nor his wives were even allowed to come.
Which was precisely why they were standing in the corner of the room, turned invisible by Abaddon's ability.
Mira didn't want to be the Scarlet Emperor's daughter in this moment, she just wanted to be a regular girl who was auditioning for a role with all of the sincerity she could muster.
But... that was proving to be significantly more difficult than she ever could have imagined.
"P-P-Princess, I truly do not agree with-"
"Pleaseeee Kanami! Daddy has already given me his permission so there is nothing for you to even worry about!"
"T-There is a lot for me to worry about!! The enterance test for our unit is rigorous and painful and I would never want to subject you to such torture!!"
Mira sighed and ran her hands through her raven black hair as she let out a deep sigh.
They had been at this for forty-five minutes already!
Kanami was so worried about hurting one of her god's children that she wouldn't even sneeze on her, much less subject her to any sort of physical harm.
'My god, please do not forsake me in this hour! The princess is so stubborn that I do not believe I can dissuade her!'
Kanami contacted Abaddon telepathically for the hundredth time, and yet she received only the same answer.
'It's alright, Kanami. This is what Mira has chosen, so there is no need for you to feel guilty for anything.'
'W-We could hurt her! Please god, persuade the princess to-'
'Kanami, if you test Mira without any more fuss then I'll invite you to come live with us.'
The red haired leader of the Euphrates froze like a deer in headlights, clearly not believing the words she'd just heard.
'You'll... what?'
'I'm certain you're not hard of hearing. If you test her fairly without pulling your punches then you can come to stay with us. Isn't that something you've always wanted?'
'Y-Y-Yes but I am certainly not deserving of such an immense-'
'Kanami, if an insect like Lusamine is welcome in my home, then you are too.'
'Can I... call you family too?'
'Yes, Kanami. You will be my precious sister.'
The leader of the Euphrates bit her lip so hard that blood started to pool within her mouth.
She so desperately wanted nothing more than to have that reward, just like Malenia and Lusamine.
What person wouldn't want to be embraced by their idol?
And not only that, but to be looked at as family?
But as badly as she wanted that future... she still had a few lingering reservations.
'I... truly cannot hold back against her, god. It would not be fair.'
'I would never ask you to. Just do as she asks and test her at whatever measurement you see fit.'
"Miss Kanami!"
"Ah, Y-Yes?"
"Why have you been spacing out for so long? Are you ignoring me?" Mira said with a pout.
"N-No, princess. I was merely lost in thought."
The young woman fell into silence once again before she slowly nodded her head and came to a decision.
"Alright... if this is truly what you desire then I will oblige you."
Mira's eyes lit up like twinkling stars as she clenched her fists in excitement. "Really?! You promise??"
Instead of answering, Kanami snapped her fingers and three of her brethren stepped forward.
They also looked to be a bit nervous, but if their big sister decided that this was alright then there was nothing else that they could say about it.
Kanami suddenly pulled out two items from her back pocket.
"Remember Mira, to be among the Euphrates means that we fight seemingly insurmountable battles where the odds are always against us.
But it doesn't matter. Your father trusts us because we bring him results everytime, without suffering a single casualty. You must uphold that standard."
Kanami slipped behind Mira's back and tied up one of her arms before tying a blindfold around her eyes.
"This is your last chance to back out, Mira."
The princess showed a maniacal bloodthirsty smile as she summoned one of her daggers into her free hand before placing it in her mouth and twirling the other in her palm.
Since she was clearly so excited, Kanami knew that she had her answer and backed away without questioning her any further.
"You'll have to fend for yourself until I say stop. If you fail to impress me within the alotted time then we are done, no questions asked."
Since both parties seemed to be ready, Kanami did not put the matter off any longer and let out a low whistle.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The three Euphrates lunged at Mira with enough force to crack the ground underneath them, and little Mira's test was finally underway.
Abaddon and the rest of his wives were all in one big lump, clutching each other tightly as they watched with anxious faces.
Suddenly, Abaddon felt a familiar tingling within the back of his mind and he knew that he was being summoned.
'Zheng, this had better be important.' He growled.
'Apologize for the interruption my lord, but...Erica Vermillion has come to see you. I have her down here.'
Abaddon was so surprised, he nearly lost his concentration and exposed he and his wives to the outside world.
'Right...bring me down then, Zheng.'
Abaddon quickly informed his wives about everything that was going on and asked them to observe everything carefully while he was gone.
-
In a world made entirely of pitch black shadowy darkness, Erica watched as a familiar figure descended from the sky above.
For the first time since Erica had known Abaddon, she saw a mixture of irritation and confusion in his eyes that was clearly directed at her.
She couldn't exactly pinpoint why, but for some reason it really bothered her to see him look at her like that.
"I had thought after our last conversation there would no longer be anything else to talk about until the war ended, and yet here you are disturbing me as I try to support my daughter."
It seemed like not only his eyes, but Abaddon's entire demeanor was cold when it came to her.
Suddenly she no longer felt like coming here was such a bright idea.
'For the love of the mother, what is wrong with me!?' She cried internally.
Erica shook her head a few times as she stuffed down her weird and unnecessary feelings and tried to get down to business.
"You... have my apologies for the disturbance, but this can't wait."
The phoenix queen reached inside of her thick robe and pulled out a long and dusty scroll.
She held it out in front of Abaddon and allowed him to read it.
Out of everything he was expecting from today, Erica bringing him the deed to Renanin wasn't within his plans.
"I need you to tell me what happens if I sign this over to you. No tricks, no secrets, just give me the entire truth, alright?"
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