A Small World

Looking at her daughter the Queen went back and forth in her head about what to do next. They just needed a little bit more energy and then everything would be ready for the first step in her plan. "Those rats slowed things down quite a bit." She should have been done this step by now if it wasn't for the rate that everyone was healed at. She was forced to start poisoning her own city to help speed up the process. It was something she didn't want to have to do if possible however that was no longer an option. "They can die for the better." The longer Astral Zones were around the worse.

"Come with me."

Taking her daughter's hand the Queen turned around and walked up to the wall behind her. Quickly injecting some of her energy into it she let it open up as they walked down a set of steps. Walking down into an open room there was a giant vial filled with liquid that was constantly swapping colours. "Just a few more days." If she wanted to destroy an Astral Zone, all of this and more was going to be needed. "A place of greatness." That's what everyone described Astral Zones as and all the gifts they gave. People always ignored the large downsides to them like Astral overflows or how when they were created they obliterated the place previously there. Her whole life she had always been curious about them and even liked them like everyone else.

"They're how I got here today....with him."

Her and one man endlessly explored them and fueled her curiosity further with each one cleared. Every treasure they found made her get a rush of excitement but it also reminded her of the damage those kinds of places could do. For the longest time she had mixed feelings about them until she became the Queen. She found a book in the previous Queen's libraries along with other things. Memories and knowledge left behind and reserved solely for the next in lines. There she read about the origins of Astral Zones and their true purpose. "They're just weapons disguised as something else." Without being kept in check they could endlessly expand and consume a country or if someone figured it out they could launch large masses of energy at other places that could blow them to pieces in seconds.

"They passed on the information of treasures and training to bait people into them, to keep them under check without ever destroying them. Meanwhile each person that enters them slowly has their own energy drained by the Zone their in to power it. In a sense the poison I spread is a less restrained version of Astral Zones. Each person that got sick has a "Mini Astral Zone" it's just an Astral Zone that has set restraints and without that power I would never be able to destroy those disgusting places."

In those books she had read about some of the exploits people had done with Astral Zones like the Nepl's for an example. "A hated race obliterated off the map." There weren't too many details about them besides how they were eventually destroyed. It also talked about some of the wars and diseases it had spread or the mass overflow of Astral Beasts that rampaged out of them sometimes and finally the chance that they would explode if not supplied with a proper amount of energy. Thankfully smaller ones could survive off the natural energy in the air but larger ones required people as well and the mass amount they held.

"With this Felli, we'll finally be set free. We'll no longer be shackled down by the past's mistakes. Even if it kills me I will destroy each and every single Astral Zone."

Silently Felli stared at the mass of energy with fear in her eyes as she spoke.

"But people will die.."

"We've been over this before, I don't care who has to die to achieve my goal as long as two....."

Trailing off the Queen stared at her daughter before she shrugged it off. "For the best." If she completed her goal the world would be sent a few decades back in Astral Energy but they would eventually recover and find safer methods. All for the sake of two and that was worth it for her. "In the end this will kill me." Using that much overflow energy would eventually kill anyone, especially someone as weak as her. Normally she wouldn't even be able to do it but she planned to use her life as a medium. Usually someone at her level could live thousands of years just fine but doing this would drop it down to zero after multiple uses.

"Still...my...friends."

"Enough of that, I just wanted you to see this and also I want to give you this book as well. In the end my days are numbered and you'll be the next to take my place. Unwanted or not by others I don't care. It's my choice, just...read this and think about stuff a little more. In the end I'm sure you'll make a better decision than me. You've always been smarter than me."

"...huh?"

Ignoring her daughter's words she handed her the book she had kept by her side ever since becoming the Queen as memories flashed past her. She could still remember the young days when she ran around the empty streets stealing anything she could get her hands on. How a boy around her age would follow her around trying to impress her with the things he stole and how they taught each other tricks. Until eventually they fell in love. At the time she knew nothing about who she really was and the responsibilities on her shoulders. "I hope...in the end I can go back to those days." Life had always been difficult for her back then but she loved every second she spent with that man.

"A world for just the two of us...isn't that right...Aeon?"