The next morning, Celine and Akihiko immediately sat down for another serious conversation. The topic was Zavia, the Zionitte Emperor's concubine.
After Celine realized that Zavia was actually some sort of evil being, she immediately realized that the concubine was probably possessed.
"When I saw her on the battlefield, she nearly looked like a corpse. Maybe Zavia is a rotting, empty shell that the devil possessed?" She wondered aloud.
"Yeah, the body itself is probably still alive, but barely. The body is heavily malnourished and on the verge of death, which makes me wonder if the devil will find a new host. "
Celine sighed, unable to grasp the present situation. "If someone outside overheard our conversation, they'd think we're crazy. We're talking about a concubine who currently commands the strongest army in the world and also happens to be possessed by the devil. But I can't even reject this possibility because we were born with a dragon and fish as our familiars! I guess anything is possible here." She sounded dejected.
The emperor smiled lightly at her tone. "I find it odd that only the blood of Zionittes received such a blessing. I think it is safe to assume that the gods are real and once favored the Zionittes before abandoning us."
"You think the gods gave us another chance to save the world?" Her eyes widened.
"Of course. You happen to be a genius and we possess the strongest familiars. We were also able to obtain our memories from our past lives. Do you think this is a mistake and only possible because of my wish? I believe that there is a stronger being who helped bring my wish to fruition." He paused. "I also received news from my soldiers."
The emperor informed her of the events that had transpired the previous night.
It had come to light that Celine's father and many of his devoted soldiers had died instead of obeying Zavia's orders. They were found rotting deep within a nearby forest and Akihiko had given them proper burials for the sake of her step-family. However, Celine's father had still been alive, fighting until his very last breath to deliver a message to Celine. He had informed the emperor of Zavia's mind control and Emperor Laith's condition, along with a wish for Celine to protect his wife and son.
The emperor was reluctant to share the news, knowing exactly how Celine would react. He didn't want her to save his family, for it was a dangerous mission and they couldn't afford to lose any more soldiers to carry out this task. The emperor also didn't want to lose sight of her.
However Celine surprised the emperor again. "Let's find a way to save the innocent families and Emperor Laith."
******
Celine was currently flying on Draco's back and overlooking a burning city.
The Zionitte empire was currently burning and engulfed with flames.
She had barely convinced the emperor to let her go alone in order to not waste any soldiers. In fact, she had marched out after the emperor denied her proposal and flown straight to the Zionitte Empire in the middle of the night. Celine had pretended to reject the emperor when he wanted to accompany her to sleep. She had tightly closed the tent and instructed Eli to make sure no one entered, especially the emperor. Knowing that Celine was upset, the emperor reluctantly gave her space, which gave Celine a chance to leave during the dead of night. However, she regretted this decision and wished she had came as a group. The ashes fell down like snow as if the world was ending. As she looked down at the melting buildings and terrifying black smoke, Celine realized she could only save a handful of people.
She only had two choices; save her step-family and leave or return with a bigger group to put out the fire. However, even if Draco used water to put out the fire, he'd run out of energy to save and carry her back. If she went to call for help, there would be no one to save. Right now, the fire was spreading too fast for her to save the city and Celine had to make a quick decision.
The consequences of her future actions made her tremble and shake as she located Oren and his mother. They landed on a safe spot in the middle of the market. Celine had helped the emperor install a fountain in the middle of the town square, creating a water system that had made the town cleaner. Now, it was the only structure standing as the fire burned through the city.
A group of people stood inside the fountain, huddled close to one another and soaked in the water, hoping that it would save them from the fire. They were the survivors who had somehow escaped the flames before it engulfed their homes.
The people saw Celine and cried out in relief. However, the crowd became silent again as they realized she was the only person who had come to save them.
She desperately scanned the crowd to find the duo and was overwhelmed with the feeling of helplessness.
"Celine! You came to save us!"
A small boy called out to her, jumping out of the fountain to run towards her. His eyes were filled with hope as he dragged his mother by the hand.
"Oren!" The mother struggled to jump out, and Celine saw the bulge in her stomach.
She's fucking pregnant. Celine cursed at the situation at hand and strode towards the woman.
In a hushed whisper, Celine greeted her. "I came to save you two because of his dying wish. But why is the city burning?"
The mother's round eyes flashed with grief and defeat for a split second, and she held her son closer to her. She shook her head as if she was also clueless. Celine only nodded and guided the two to Draco, holding back her questions until later. The pregnant woman accepted Celine's help and carefully climbed onto Draco's back.
Celine felt the guilt crawling up her neck as the people from the fountain watched. There wasn't much time left, and she couldn't spare any more thoughts. She didn't want to imagine where the rest of the citizens were and she attempted to drown out the screams of the people in the background. However, a desperate woman grabbed onto the sleeves of Celine's dress and begged.
"I beg of you to save the children, miss. We don't expect to be saved, we are not greedy. Our children are young and have much to experience. Please take them with you and at least save them." She cried, and Celine frowned, her heart shrinking inwardly.
It thumped loudly against her chest as four, small children were ushered towards Celine. Each child cried, not wanting to be separated by their families. Celine swallowed a sob as she realized they were the only surviving children in the group. There were only a few families in the fountain, and all of the adults' expression was resolute. They knew that Celine couldn't save all of them, and the adults collectively came to a silent agreement. They exchanged a single glance and looked at Caline. They put up a strong front and looked at their children with the kind of love that moved Celine's heart. The parents weren't scared of death. In fact, they trusted the strange woman who had come to save them. It was eerily peaceful as the parents embraced their children for the last time.
She helped the children climb onto Draco's back, and they all clinged to one another.
After a few minutes, Celine looked back and felt a tear trickling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."
The adults looked at Celine in amazement. It looked as if her tears were made out of crystals. They were only thankful that the children would be saved, and the savior appeared to be a maiden from an old legend. They felt rather reassured that their children would be in good hands and they smiled.
"Don't be sorry miss. Thank you for saving my child. Thank you very much, may the gods bless you. Thank you." The mother cried and smiled, waving at her child seated behind Oren. She couldn't bare to hold back her tears and looked away, motioning Celine to escape quickly. The woman turned her back, which was the last image that the child saw.
Celine climbed onto Draco's back, who slowly drifted upwards as the flames began to reach the town square. The children cried as they watched their parents grow smaller like ants.
Celine broke down at this scene. However, she mentally clutched her heart and gripped Draco.
"Until we meet again!" A mother shouted.
"Live the life you want!"
"I will always love you!"
"Always do good!"
The parents had appeared strong for their children until the very end, smiling and waving at the children as if they too would be saved shortly.
Celine carried out this mission alone and brought them to her mansion, offering refuge and a new home for the children. The siblings were excited to see Celine and their new family members. Ichika and Eizi's mother quickly greeted Celine's step-mother, who was exhausted from the travel. Meanwhile, the children were confused and needed time to adapt to their new environment. However, Hala welcomed them warmly and nearly cried once she heard their stories.
Celine felt numb as she returned to the battle grounds alone. The Zionitte empire had truly fallen. The empire that Laith had loved and wanted to protect, the empire where Celine spent her early years with Akihiko. She grieved silently at the lost city, as she realized that Zavia truly meant to destroy the world. Even as Celine felt miserable and desperately needed to see the emperor, she forced herself to concentrate on the war. There was no running away now, Celine had to gather all of her knowledge and skills to defeat the evil in this world. This was her sole purpose.
The tears slowly began to dry as she flew quickly. Her newfound sense of purpose drove her to another length as she felt strength and feelings of vengeance mixing seamlessly together.