Looking at the forest that has now regained its colours, s.h.i.+ro nodded in satisfaction.
"Right then, where is she." s.h.i.+ro muttered. This time, she wasn't going to directly scan Niphim so that she would begin combat again.
Brining up the map, she could see the tracker that she had previously placed on Niphim blink periodically. She had placed this after scanning her for the first time. Unlike her normal tracking methods, this one was special.
It was a rune that attached itself to her aura.
Once the satellites lock onto you, this rune will appear and it would be hard for you to break yourself free from it. Unlike the trickster Queen, not many can change their aura so this would work almost 100% of the time. It even tracks them through the different realms since it's made using divine runes.
Seeing that her speed had increased, s.h.i.+ro could tell that she was in a hurry after their last fight.
"Shall we follow?" Nan Tian asked as s.h.i.+ro thought about it for a moment.
"Maybe… But not yet. We'll see how things go and see if we can find out why she became fallen."
###
Das.h.i.+ng through the shadows, Niphim had cold sweat on her forehead as she needed to rush towards the south quickly.
Gritting her teeth, she continued to dive through the shadows.
"I need to hurry." She muttered as her vision blurred.
Feeling her body freeze up, she was expelled from the shadows and thrown onto the floor.
"Gah!!" Cras.h.i.+ng against the ground, she could feel her insides twist and churn as she felt something travel up her throat.
*COUGH!!
Coughing it up, a black goo splattered against the floor and started to squirm.
Flinching in disgust, Niphim clenched her fist and the shadows disposed of the black goo.
Wiping the corners of her mouth, she took a few deep breaths before continuing. She needed to put an end to everything. That man's goals, his ambitions, everything. She needed to stop it.
Travelling through the shadows once more, she remembered how things were like back then.
He was a small deity that ruled over a unique Shadow Plain back in her world. After she became the Shadow Queen, she naturally obtained his favour.
From then on, they worked together closely to win the new age but as a Queen, it was difficult for her to match against the Empress' that dominated the top.
Then he came to her with a suggestion, a surgery. He wanted to help her reach the Empress status so that she could get the power she had always desired.
Back then, after working together for such a long time, she trusted him. In fact, deep down, she knew that she loved him.
Everything he did, he did for her. All of his sacrifices, all of his worries were all for her.
She had thought that he wouldn't do anything to harm her so she agreed.
When the first procedure was done, she didn't feel a thing. Her connection to shadows improved and so did her connection to him since he was the G.o.d of the Shadow Plain.
After this surgery, she started to win more. Defeat the Queens that came her way but it still was lacking compared to the Empress'.
He had explained that this surgery wasn't a one step process, it was many so she agreed to the second, then the third and so on.
She knew that he was doing something in the dark that he didn't tell her but she didn't question him since his motives was to help her. Or at least that's what it seemed like.
Until one day she watched her skin split apart and a black substance leaked from her body.
Horrified by what she saw, she quickly healed herself thinking that it was just the after effects of her battles.
She obtained the Empress t.i.tle but felt no joy. Since she discovered that her body was indeed collapsing from the inside out.
She figured that it was probably the surgery so she confronted him about it but all he had to say was "Ah, you found out. I'm surprised you kept at it for so long. I'm impressed."
His nonchalance sent a shock through her mind as he played around with his tools.
"To make an Empress is not easy, their authority is much higher than a normal Queen. What a normal Queen considers to be 100% of her authority is just a fraction of the authority owned by an Empress. At first, my idea was to infuse your body with the essences of my Shadow Plain to increase your power. It worked, but only for a short time. So I thought to myself, what else can I do? I know, there was a way to obtain a portion of a Queen's authority, through contract. So I became a seller. I sold portions of your authority in return for theirs, obtained the things that a Queen wants and offered it for their authority. Then when the time came, I enhanced your body so that you could withstand all of this." He spoke without turning around.
"Then you obtained the Empress t.i.tle that you've always wanted and I obtained my breakthrough. But your body was unstable. I was unsure of how long you can hold on for but it was much longer than I expected so I started experimenting. See how far I can take this. I have tried the same experiment on others but they simply couldn't compare to what you could do so I chose the perfect candidate in my mind. Your sister, Arnea, your physique is similar to yours as you are sisters. Her trust in me is the same as yours." He curled his lips into a smile.
"Absolutely delightful. And my theories were correct, all of my ideas, my experiments produced not one, but two Empress's. This time, she is more stable. Well.. her body is. Her mind? Not so much." He chuckled, stepping aside to reveal Arena strapped to the stable with her body opened displaying a crystalline core implanted where her heart should be.
[Arnea – Chimera Empress]
"While she isn't a Queen, she managed to become a Chimera Empress. It makes sense though, Chimeras are a fusion of many things. While I don't know how well she can use her abilities, I look forward to the future. As for you, I'm more curious now. What will happen if an Empress falls. So I prepared a little gift."
Revealing his workshop, Niphim could see all of the ones she held dear being operated on. All of them were either strapped to a table or dismembered. Their eyes extracted, body hollowed and limbs replaced.
Collapsing on the ground, Niphim could feel her heart being crushed as she kept questioning why.
However, the man only looked at her with disappointment.
"Not enough huh? Maybe this will help you."
Clapping his hands, all of the bodies in the workshop started to thrash around as screams of agony rang out. Tearing the hooks, pins and scalpels from their bodies, they looked around in panic before seeing Niphim.
Hearing all of them attempt to call out to her, she backed off in fear.
They didn't understand her panic. The fear in her eyes, the tears that rolled down her cheek. All of them were confused until they looked down and froze in horror.
One by one, they charged towards her as their bodies were beyond their control.
Their howls, pleading for help echoed in Niphim's ears. Their twisted faces and muted bodies twisted and morphed while attacking her.
Remembering to this point, Niphim held her head and stumbled in her step.
Her memories were incomplete, they continued to fade day after day. She no longer remembered their connection to her except for Arnea. Her sister. All she knows is that after that day she became fallen. Drifting from one new age to another, forever looking to put an end to the Raven Merchant but never being able to find him.
Finally, after searching for so long, the connection between her and his divinity resonated. She knew he was here, in this world. She also knew that Arnea was here but every time they have met, it was always combat. No matter what, Arnea would begin to react negatively and attack her as though there can only be one of them in the world. Such a reaction, Niphim figured that it was probably Arnea's hate for her, hate for not being able to save her.
So she was going to end all of this. She'll kill the Raven Merchant, end what she helped start.
She'll put an end to everything while she still had the chance.
Continuing to travel towards where his divinity could be felt, Niphim finally arrived in the frozen landscape of the far south.
Seeing nothing in the horizon, she scoffed as she knew his habits.
Slamming her hand down, a line of shadow shot into the distance before splitting the land in two, revealing a building beneath the frozen surface.
Walking down, she was now in front of a set of doors with a familiar design.
Pus.h.i.+ng it open, she experienced the feeling of déjà vu. A familiar man with his back to her, the operating table and the test subjects.
"Welcome. How long has it been now? Quite a few years since the last I remembered." The Raven Merchant curled his lips into a twisted smile.