The cognate Empress

Chapter 11. The guardians of the dawn

When her feet had both touched the ground, the compelling feeling she had felt before had instantly vanished, so she could choose to step towards the coffins, or simply walk up to the platform that kept hovering above the floor again. But even without being forced to, Nova wished to approach the coffins, she wanted to see them better.

A feeling which she listened to, as the gold fluttering dress swayed slowly, and with her feet silently moving, she steadily approached the first tomb. Standing in front of the object, she extended her hand and gently touched the letters that formed the being's name.

'Gula." Articulating the name written in the archaic language, an explanation for his name swiftly appeared inside her mind, "The one who devours races". She smiled as the feeling she seemed to harbor inside her heart was only respect rather than fear at the knowledge. Was this because she sensed the loyalty from the being directed to the position she currently held?

She did not linger too much, as she retrieved her hand and walked to the second tomb.

'Luxuria." She voiced the name that felt quite noble to her ears, bringing with it a feeling of being deeply admired by the dweller inside the tomb, though as the title "The one who covets power" displayed inside her consciousness, it felt a bit ironic.

'Avaritia." She called the name as she stood in front of the third tomb, with the explanation also echoing, "The one who desires lands". It made her wonder how could the one slumbering inside got himself such a nickname, when the lands he was supposed to desire would be offered to the cognate empress without a second thought if he conquered them.

'Ira." Was the name of the fourth being, a name that brought a small smile to her face, as this was perhaps the only name that felt the most accurate yet. The meaning of wrath that stood behind this particular name, was quite fitting for the dormant being. Though to say the wrath was his own, or the wrath of his ruler, well this was anybody's guess. "The one who wishes for war" is it?

Arriving in front of the fifth coffin, the name inscribed on it immediately caught her attention.

'Acedia." She slowly said the word using a leisure lazy tone, just as unbothered as the meaning of the name in the archaic language. Perhaps this being also fitted quite well with his name... As "The one who gains control" preferred to use a mind controlling power, rather than his own physical strength in everything he endeavored to realize. The cognate empress being the only one who could make the slumbering individual move for her own wishes, even if perhaps he would be too lazy to do so for his own desires.

'Vanagloria." "The one who seeks glory" and 'Superbia' "The one who yearns for greatness", she read the names that complimented each other on the only tomb that was the sleeping place of two beings. Chuckling at the thought of the two residing in the same place, though they would only prank each other were they to be awake, the playful twins inside could never be described by anyone as those who would desire greatness, were they to know their real mischievous personality. Not that they would allow anyone to know, as the only ones who were aware of it were the cognate empress and the other dormant individuals.

Still smiling a bit, she stepped towards the last tomb, the resting place of the being who contrasted the twins as the dark of night would the light of day.

'Tristitia." This was the name of the last being. The individual whom the voice made her seek out. Why the grey woman would make her search for" The one who longs for nothingness", was a puzzle she could not piece together. The other name of Tristitia was The vanquisher, he was the one who left nothing in his path, other than despair. Though the significance of his name mirrored the hopeless woman's expression as she had called Nova the receiver of their collect yearning... she could not tell why the grey woman had wanted for only him to be awakened.