Emperor Belos silently made his way towards one of his secret passages, his experimentation room being his destination. He had become more frustrated than usual because he had to rely on underwhelming witches to do the physical work for his plans. Just as he was reaching for the door to the passage, he heard a faint cry from somewhere relatively close by. Since he was bored out of his mind and was in no rush at the moment, he decided to adhere to his curiosity, going on a search for what could be making the noise. The emperor was surprised that no one else had noticed it yet, but he appreciated the fact that no one would be getting in his way.
It didn't take too long for him to finally find the source of the crying. It was a slightly shaking basket with sparkling golden ribbon on the handle. As he got closer, Belos saw a blanket that was covered in animal constellations and shooting stars. He lifted the blanket a bit to reveal a small infant with turquoise fuzz on her head. On the edge of the blanket, a name was sewn on with golden thread. "Astraea?" Belos read aloud with intrigue. He summoned a pacifier with his magic and gently placed it in the child's mouth, effectively calming her as he gently stroked her soft cheek with the knuckle of his index finger.
After a few minutes of looking at the infant, Belos decided to bring her inside the castle, making sure to avoid everyone as he made his way to his room. He set the basket on his desk gently before taking off his mask and carefully picking up the child within it. She wasn't scared at all as she opened her sparkling violet eyes and stared up at Belos. The emperor was shocked when the infant smiled at him, feeling a gentle, calming warmth surround him. "You're definitely a strange little one. I wonder who your parents are" he muttered as he slowly rocked Astraea. Suddenly, a childish giggle echoed in his room, making him sigh in irritation. "Oooo! A baby! She's soooo cute!" the Collector chimed as he saw what Belos was holding. "When you free me, I'm gonna play with her alllll the time! It's gonna be so fun!" the celestial child beamed.
For some reason, Belos felt a jolt of anger and protectiveness at the Collector's words. "No! You won't go anywhere near her!" he growled as he held Astraea close to his chest. The Collector was shocked by Belos' sudden outburst, but it made him burst into a fit of laughter, further angering the emperor. "You're actually gonna keep it?! Hahaha! You?! Of all people?! The decaying monster that wants to destroy all witches?! You're gonna be its dad?!" The Collector asked through his giggles. "I am. I will raise this child in my image, and she will help me with my plans. I can tell that she contains powerful magic within her, and she will become my secret weapon with that power" Belos declared sternly before leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.
~ Time Skip - 6 Years Later ~
Astraea tried to stifle her giggles as she crawled through the secret tunnels all around the castle. Belos had told her that she needed to stay hidden, so this was the compromise that allowed her to see other people. 'This is so cool! Father is the best!' she thought with a smile as she continued. It didn't take long for her to come up to a metal grate, giving her a clear view of a few of the coven heads. "I'm telling you, I've been hearing very soft footsteps, but never find anyone they can belong to. It's frustrating that His Majesty just acts like he has no idea what I'm talking about" grumbled Kikimura. "If there was any threat or spy roaming around the castle, the emperor would know and have already sent out people to find them. You're just being paranoid" Darius sighed as he rolled his eyes. As he was looking up for a split second, he saw a flash of turquoise disappear into the shadows of the vents in the ceiling. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously before turning and leaving Kikimura without another word.
The dark skinned coven head quickly made his way to the throne room, making sure to knock and get permission from the emperor before entering. "Your Majesty" Darius greeted as he knelt before the older man. "Darius. What brings you here?" Belos asked, not expecting to see the abomination master. "I believe there is someone sneaking around the castle and spying on us" Darius reported seriously. Before Belos could reply, a painting on the wall opened like a door, a child giggling as she climbed out. "You! Stop right there!" Darius demanded as he summoned an abomination to grab the girl. Astraea didn't struggle, but her face showed her shock. "I'm sorry, Mr. Darius, but can you please make your abomination loosen its grip a little? This kinda hurts" the child asked politely. Before the coven head could spit any more questions, Belos quickly stood, letting out a growl as he instantly destroyed the abomination that held his adoptive daughter.
Astraea landed on her feet and took a few deep breaths before smiling at the emperor. "Thank you, Father" she chirped, making Darius' jaw drop in utter disbelief. "Father?! When did you have a child, Your Majesty?!" he quickly asked the man that lifted the girl into his arms. "Relax yourself, Darius" Belos sighed with irritation. "I can't tell you all the details, but this is my daughter, Astraea. I've been keeping her a secret from the Boiling Isles for the last six years, and I expect you to keep it that way" the emperor replied, his voice turning dark and threatening at the end. "R- right. Of course, Your Majesty. You have my word" Darius said with a bow. "Good. Now, since you've met, I suppose you should introduce yourselves" Belos said as he set Astraea down and gently rubbed her head for encouragement.
"Hello, Mr. Darius, my name is Astraea. I'm sorry for coming in unannounced, I thought you were still speaking with Kikimura" Astraea apologized as she looked the man in the eyes, showing him respect. She knew that she was above him, but she wasn't going to let that make her cocky and arrogant. "It's an honor to meet you, Princess. There's no need for you to apologize, for this castle is your home, and you have the right to move about it as you please" Darius responded as he knelt in front of Astraea, bowing his head in respect. "Please forgive my rash behavior, Your Highness" he pleaded, still keeping his head down. "There's no need to apologize, Mr. Darius. I know you were just doing what you were trained to do" Astraea said sweetly as she extended her hand to the man in front of her, making him look up at her in confusion. "Come on, you don't need to keep bowing. You're super strong and should hold your head up high" she stated confidently.
That was the day that Darius vowed to himself that he would lay down his life to protect the princess.
