The End of the Empress' Reign

"I'm sorry..."

Despite the pain that has left a chasm in her heart as she watched the person she had basically raised further embed the Holy Sword into her heart, the Empress looked at the boy in the eyes and smiled.

Despite the racing thoughts questioning everything that she did wrong for things to turn out this way, the tears that started to streak down the boy's cheek was enough to garner her pity.

She smiled, probably for the last time, as she reached over to caress his cheek tenderly.

The boy sobbed, using his other hand to hold hers while trembling. His lips wobbled pathetically as he continued to search her eyes for an ounce of hatred, shedding even more tears when all he saw were the simple acceptance in the woman's eyes.

"I am so sorry..."

"Finish it," Said the Empress, the finality in her voice enough to finally drive the man to finish the job.

He imbueded his mana to the sword as it grew brightly than it already was, almost blinding. The man cried as he finished the job, screaming as he does so.

It was done. Finally, after a year of intense battle, their match has ended. The 'evil' Empress' reign was finally over and the man was left with a Kingdom and an empty childhood home.

Standing at the crater of what's left of their fight, the man cried his heart out as he cradled the corpse of the woman that had practically raised him to what he was today.

The Empress' soul steadily left her body, watching the final moments of how her son grieved over a cold dead body before disappearing into darkness.

She sighed heavily, relaxing in her state.

'Finally. Peace...'

She accepted this, she accepted her fate. As soon as her deeds from the early days of her reign was revealed she knew that it wouldn't take long before she would finally be killed off. She was prepared to both lose and win whatever battle it might be that comes next.

The only thing that really threw her off was the fact that it was her own son that had challenged her for the title of the crown.

While at first she felt betrayed, the longer they fought the more she saw the determination in the man's eyes. It didn't take a month for her to realise what the fight was about and as much as it enraged her, she couldn't help but think that she would do the same things in his place. So she simply forgot about everything and continued on with the fight, knowing full well she could never take the life of the only person left of her long past.

'It's better this way...'

So she rested. For the first time in a long time, she rested peacefully. Accepting the darkness and her eternal slumber.

Millenia passed and slowly but surely her memories began degrading. The faces of her most loved ones blurred and all she had left was an empty identity.

"..."

A disturbance in the air.

"..."

There was something happening.

SHAAA-!

She felt a rush of air in her ears and nose. The sensation so sudden she couldn't help the cry of surprise with a healthy dose of pain.

'What the-?!'

Her thoughts immediately went haywire as she struggled at the sensations that were slowly coming back to her, one becoming more overwhelming by the second. Especially her hearing that rang again and again without stopping.

Confused as she was she didn't know what to do at the end. She couldn't see very well. By acknowledging that she realised that there were a lot of things that she couldn't do very well. Her body was incredibly weak, barely feeling an ounce of mana that settled in her pond. She couldn't move like she wanted to and breathing was an incredible task.

It didn't help that every sound was overwhelming to her. The scents felt too complex while the temperature too cold for her tastes. Her nostrils feel like she's inhaling sharp ice.

This was driving her more insane than the darkness. Were the millenia she spent in the void simply a test trial? Was this the actual afterlife that she would be cursed with?

All those thoughts however were immediately dispelled when she felt warmth embrace her from all sides. Her cries grew few and suddenly she can breathe better.

Her sense of touch dulled, so focused on absorbing as much heat as they could from the embrace.

Suddenly the scents didn't feel as complicated anymore. A sweet flavour tickled her nose as she comfortably dwelled in it.

She heard a steady heartbeat next. Almost like a lullaby it started to lull her to sleep.

For a moment she spent right there, in that warmth, just basking in it. For the first time in centuries she felt comforted and safe, like there was nothing—not even the threat of a demon lord—could ever take it away from her.

The darkness removed all of the things she had come to know. Now here she was in the a warm embrace as if welcoming the new soul that has come to their presence.

It didn't take long before finally, she saw light.

A bright flash before it started to dull down and she was able to see the next closest thing.

A head. A human. A smile.

Red eyes that reminded her of a campfire in a cold winter night.

"..."

The smile stretched into words that she has yet to understand but there was one thing that whispered to her once the woman finished what she was saying.

"...Erika"

Oh.

As if the stars and planets aligned and the galaxies chimed her of how the future would come to be in her favour, the realisation daunted on her.

'I'm alive again.'