Chapter 144: Stormy Night

Chapter 144: Stormy Night

Constance piloted a militarized cargo plane of the BloodStar Empire as Ashrok sat in the holding area in the rear with Xenia’s corpse, or at least what remained of her corpse.

Constance spoke into her headset speaking to Ashrok, “Is it done?”

Ashrok looked onto a tablet monitor in his hands observing live feed from a drone they had left behind to view the battle. He turned the monitor off and leaned his head back sorrowfully against the hull of the plane. He then quietly replied, “It is done.”

Neither Constance nor Ashrok knew what to say. They kept to their own thoughts maintaining a silence for the remainder of the flight. The BloodStar Empire was currently without an Emperor or Empress, and the long reigning and revered Empress Victoria was dead. What lay ahead was nothing but uncharted territory for the empire.

The plane began to rock and bump due to turbulence as they entered into a storm system taking a direct flight path to Bella Domina.

With their minds racing of what was to come following the events they had just played part in, the flight to Bella Domina seemed all too short. Constance performed a vertical landing down upon the plaza of the cathedral with the storm raging on ever more.

As the plane landed, lighting struck all around and rain poured down hammering the plane’s hull. A hulking figure ran out from the church, and Constance immediately lowered the rear cargo bay door.

Nero rushed up the ramp in the back of the plane and waved his arm, “Let’s move! Quickly!”

He threw a black silk blanket over Xenia’s corpse, and Ashrok picked her up running with her from the plane to the cathedral. Constance followed in pursuit.

The three entered the cathedral to the muffled sounds of rain and thunder with lightning streaks vaguely observable through the stained-glass art on the walls of the cathedral.

Nero turned to Constance, “You first. How long will it take? It has to be exact.”

Ashrok placed Xenia’s body atop the stone altar at the head of the church, and Constance pulled back the silk covering to view Xenia, “Ten minutes. At most.”

Ashrok looked to her, “Just ten minutes?”

Nero too replied, “If you need more time, take it. It has to be perfect.”

Constance eyed them both, “Ten minutes is a long time for what you’ve asked me to do.”

Constance whispered to Ashrok, “Should we help?”

He shook his head and leaned in to whisper back, “We are of no use. Empress Victoria promoted Nero to a BloodStar Immortal because it takes a BloodStar’s ki to undo the Invictus Sanguis. I’m afraid if he cannot do it, then no one left alive on this planet can.”

Constance bit her lip and looked on as Nero continued to power up with an ever louder battle cry until finally the orb began to drip from solid form to liquid.

The liquid melting away from the surface of the orb seemed to evaporate into Xenia’s body as a gaseous ki energy.

As Nero continued, the orb slowly but surely began to melt faster and faster as it slowly seeped into Xenia’s body. The power of her mother, the power of her own body, and the power of the Blood Wraiths amounted to an overwhelming collective of energy. The infusion of such dense and great energy into a body would likely destroy any other; however, Xenia’s body was not just any other body.

With a final loud cry, Nero focused all of his ki energy onto a pea-sized core of the remaining orb and evaporated it into energy which found its way into Xenia. Her body began to glow with a black and red aura of sinister and overwhelming power.

The aura expanded from Xenia’s body to fill the entire church. Nero, Constance, and Ashrok crouched in fear knowing that such energy could easily annihilate them all if it were to run rampant.

However, just as quickly as it had filled the church, it slammed back into Xenia’s body and stayed as if accepting its new home.

Nero was the first to stand, “We are successful. And Empress Victoria is dead.”

Ashrok and Constance hung their heads and nodded with sorrow. Nero looked to the two of them, “This could take a number of days. Maybe even weeks. Hopefully not months. But the truth is, I don’t know.”

Constance said, “I will prepare and make arrangements for the funeral. It will take place in three days.”

Ashrok looked to them both, “I will be in attendance at the funeral; however, without an Empress to serve, I will now take my leave until I have a new one. And it does seem I will have a new one soon.”

Ashrok turned and exited the cathedral braving the storm raging outside. A clap of thunder shook the cathedral, and Constance looked to Nero, “Get some rest, Nero. You will need to be at full power should anyone come looking to disrupt our new Empress’s sleep.”

He nodded, “I will take her to the rejuvenation chamber and meditate next to her day in and day out. Disturb me only if necessary. I will leave the funeral details to you.”

Nero carefully and respectfully lifted Xenia’s body with both of his arms as he retreated into the depths of the church behind the altar. He took her to a high-security room with a rejuvenation tank where he connected all electrodes and breathing apparatus before filling the tank with a nutrient liquid completely submerging her body.

Meanwhile, Constance wasted no time arranging the funeral details as she quietly said to herself, “This will be the most formal and grand funeral the world has ever seen. Everyone will be invited. Open casket for the world to see. There will be no doubts left of her death.”