"For a year I stayed in this place, all to create for myself a worthy image for Valentin. But in the end, I was still unable to get what I truly wanted." Her words were full of angst, frustration, and a trace of sadness.
In between her words, Empress Carolina could hear coercive whispers to influence her thinking, "Destroy… destroy all of them… The Palace… The Temple… Everything!"
It was as if the whispers were aligned with her emotions, Empress Carolina was unbothered by the voices in her head.
"Now everything is falling to nothingness, might as well see literally everything crumble!" She let out a soft chuckle under her expression that was already exhibiting delusion. "I'll start with this 'holy' place!"
She finally moved her hand and started to conjure a large amount of cursed power.
At first, it was the size of a basketball, but she slowly manipulated it to make the power more concentrated until it was only the size of a golf ball. The purple ball also darkened as it shrunk until it became pitch black at its final size.
It will only take one look at this particular jet-black ball to make a person fall into a state of panic and terror. It was like a gate to the underworld, ready to open for the beings below!
It was such a contrast as the sunshine was already peeking to bring a new beginning to everyone in this land, yet the jet black ball was something that would be the end of some.
The sinister presence that was emitted by the ball was felt by certain people of the Temple, particularly the priests, the temple knights, and their High Priest Enoch.
Upon sensing the threat, they immediately went out and checked who the attacker was. To their surprise, it was none other than the Empress of the Seirende Empire, Carolina!
High Priest Enoch leaped in the air, exemplifying his magical aptitude and power as the high priest, while the rest below divided their tasks.
The first were tasks to activate the defensive barrier of the Temple while the others were in charge of the evacuation of the civilians to a safe zone.
The appearance of Empress Carolina with an obvious intent to kill people has effectively determined that the Temple has become a battleground and was no longer safe for the injured who were just sent a few moments ago.
"What's happening?" Surprised at the sudden actions of the Temple, Kazimir was immediately alarmed. Something must have happened for the temple servants to suddenly instruct everyone to evacuate in haste.
"T-this… Your Highness, First Prince…" The temple servant Kazimir confronted became helpless, he did not know how to tell Kazimir what was actually happening.
Seeing the panic and hesitation in the temple servant's eyes, Kazimir already guessed in his heart. However, he still maintained his composure and asked calmly, "Tell me, so that I know what to do to help."
"T-this… Your Highness… Her Majesty Empress is currently outside in an attempt to attack the Temple." Although Kazimir was outwardly calm, there was an invisible aura in him that influenced the temple servant to succumb to his insistence. He eventually told everything that happened.
Kazimir's face immediately darkened as his doubts were confirmed by the temple servant. He took his sword and rushed outside the Temple after reminding the temple servant to take charge of the people that had to be evacuated.
There he saw the situation outside where both parties were on stand down. No one dared to budge nor breathe for the fear that the impending fight would explode.
"Empress… what is the meaning of this?" High Priest Enoch calmly asserted the power that has been conjured by Empress Carolina.
He was trying to buy time for the priest teams to activate the defensive barriers as such even if the threat was already up for deployment he approached the situation with an assertive and calm demeanor.
"Nothing, I just think that this place would be a nice location for my new palace." Empress Carolina answered in a rather confident manner. She no longer held pretenses and spoke her mind out without restraint.
"Empress, you know that what you are doing will make you the enemy of the Temple right? Not even your identity would protect you from this." High Priest Enoch replied, trying to calm the deluded Carolina.
Empress Carolina raised her brows, there was a trace of ridicule in her eyes as she looked at the High Priest. In her amethyst eyes, not a trace of respect nor regard could be seen when she looked and interacted with the High Priest. This conduct itself was already a blatant disrespect on her part, yet it seemed like this was not a matter for her.
"I wouldn't care about that!" Empress Carolina then raised her hands in a gesture to throw the jet black ball down the Temple grounds.
"Mother!" Before she could do so, a familiar voice shouted directly from below. The moment she saw who the owner of the voice was, she was startled so much that she even attempted to extinguish such a concentrated ball of cursed power on her back, like a child that was in a hurry to hide something from her parents.
"Kazimir, son!" There was a wave of shock and guilt in her tone. If not for Kazimir announcing his presence, he could have been killed by her attack. She could have killed her very own son!
"Mother, whatever you are planning, stop at once. Please, I beg you, let's end this now." Kazimir stepped forward, slowly moving forward to face his mother, Empress Carolina.
It was the first time he begged her in public like this, but Kazimir wanted Empress Carolina to still have a little way out even after inciting a rebellion against the Empire. As his son, it would be a lie if he said that he was alright with all that her mother was doing, that also goes with the consequences she would be facing.
It would be a lie if he said that he does not care! He cared! He cared about it a lot! He cared so much that he was doing this in hopes that everything would not end in an ugly way for the empire and his maternal family.
"Kazimir… please understand, I am doing this for you! I am doing this for our family. It is for our good!" Empress Carolina quickly regained her composure and spoke to Kazimir like how she convinced him every time he questioned why he must not regard his siblings as equals.
"Mother… open your eyes… look what happened to our Empire. Is this the thing that you are talking about? Is this all for our own good?" Kazimir couldn't believe what his eyes saw, his mother was no longer in her right mind. "Mother, please stop, this is wrong. Please stop all of this…"
"Kazimir, are you questioning your mother's decision? Are you betraying me now?!" When Empress Carolina heard Kazimir's words, all of her reasons disappeared. Her mind was filled with the fact that her very own son was now doing something against her wishes.
"No! No!! I raised you! I gave birth to you! And from the moment you are born, you listened to me! Why are you now going against my wishes! No Kazimir! Get up here or I'll be the one to drag you out there!"
"Mother, I beg you one last time… Please stop all of this. Or else…" Kazimir was extremely heartbroken that he was not able to make his words resonate with his mother. However, he had to do what was right, even if it meant arresting her mother.
He used his wind magic to float beside the High Priest who was still mid-air, "I'd have to stand on the opposite side!"
"You dare! Kazimir!" Empress Carolina's eyes widened in disbelief. The son she had painstakingly raised and spoiled with love was now saying to her face that he would face her as the enemy! "Kazimir, get back here!"
"Mother… you leave me no choice. The power you are using is clearly evil. Now you are even using it to bring harm to our people. As the firstborn son of the Seirende Imperial Family, I will stand in front of you as an enemy!"
Kazimir uttered these words with a heart that was utterly crushed. It still came to a point where he had to point his sword at his beloved mother.
"Ahaaaa… Ahahahahahaha!!! This is ridiculous! Ahahahaha… My son, my very own son!!!" Filled with disbelief Empress Carolina let out a crazed laugh that was almost thunderous. Her sinister laugh filled the grounds and everyone who heard it could feel the evil that was about to come forth.
"How remarkable of you to be so proud of your Seirende blood! But Kazimir, oh my beloved son, let me tell you, just as you are a Seirende… YOU ARE A VESALA TOO!"
As soon as she released these words, the pitch-black ball suddenly transformed into a long active vine and directly charged at Kazimir without any warning!
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