When Camelot was busy crushing the Pict Separatists, who had raised their banner of rebellion, Krul Tepes took her chance.
She tracked down the Eclipse Princess, brought her to her knees, and stripped her of her pride by tossing her straight into the Seraph of the End world, a realm where the blessings of the Nasuverse could no longer reach her, where her once almighty conceptual power was utterly useless.
Heavily nerfed, weakened beyond recognition, she awoke in that alien world only to find Krul's crimson eyes staring down at her, glowing menacingly in the dark.
"What did you do to me, traitor?" Altrouge snarled, fury boiling inside her, though the weakness in her voice betrayed how fragile she felt now.
Krul smirked and leaned closer, her cold fingers trailing across Altrouge's cheek with an almost motherly tenderness. "Have you noticed, my dear daughter? You can no longer speak to Gaia, nor summon your precious conceptual powers. You've been cut off. That means I no longer need to explain anything to you."
Altrouge slapped her hand away in disgust or at least tried to.
Krul caught her wrist mid-swing with effortless strength, her nails digging slightly into her pale skin.
Her crimson gaze hardened as she leaned in, voice low and commanding. "In this place, you shall respect me as your mother. Do you hear me, brat?"
"I'm not your daughter," Altrouge spat, her voice dripping venom.
But then, without warning, her lips betrayed her. "Yes, mother."
Her eyes widened in shock. Her body froze. She couldn't believe it, the words had slipped out of her mouth without her consent. She was being forced to call her enemy mother.
Even worse, she could feel her body refusing to disobey.
"That's the power of contract… the power of blood, my dear daughter," Krul whispered with a smile that was both cruel and sweet.
Her thumb brushed against Altrouge's trembling lips. "I know you were never given real love from your father. But don't worry… Mommy will love you very, very well."
She chuckled darkly, her fingers sliding into Altrouge's silky black hair, stroking her with a twisted gentleness. Altrouge's crimson eyes filled with despair.
No matter how much she wanted to lash out, to unleash her killing intent, she couldn't muster it against this woman who had humiliated her so thoroughly.
And yet, deep down, something twisted sparked inside her.
A disgusting warmth.
She hated it, but part of her wanted to lean closer, to accept it, to let this woman care for her.
A sick, perverse relief crept into her chest as Krul's cold affection wrapped around her.
Her heart trembled with confusion, but then her eyes hardened again.
"I will never forgive you," she hissed, voice trembling between defiance and submission.
"Never."
Krul only smiled compassionately at her rebellious daughter, pulling the girl closer into her embrace. "Don't worry, sweetie… take your time."
Her smile, however, was far from normal. It was the kind of smile that crawled under the skin, too soft, too calm, almost too loving and it made Altrouge's body tense.
The more Krul smiled, the creepier it felt, until Altrouge instinctively stepped back, unsure why this woman's presence was so suffocatingly weird.
Yet Krul didn't react with anger.
She said nothing, only reached out with slow, deliberate movements, her pale fingers running through Altrouge's dark hair, petting her like she was a precious doll.
Every so often she pinched at her cheeks with playful affection, though Altrouge jerked her head away every time, sharp eyes glaring with defiance.
Krul's patience, however, never faltered.
She played with her daughter for a while as though this was some casual game, her lips curled in that strange blend of motherly gentleness and predatory control.
When she finally stopped, Krul looked at Altrouge with eyes that carried both warmth and an unsettling motherly love.
Altrouge immediately turned her gaze away, refusing to meet those eyes, her body stiff, her heart pounding.
"You are no longer in your world, Altrouge Brunestud," Krul whispered, her voice sweet and melodic, yet heavy with finality. "Here, you can do as you wish. You can leave and spread chaos, tear this place apart if that's what you want. Or…"
Her fingers cupped her daughter's chin, forcing her to look up. "You can stay here. Sleep. Rest in my arms, if you desire. I will not restrict your freedom, sweetie."
Leaning forward, Krul pressed a slow, lingering kiss against Altrouge's forehead.
The contact was deceptively tender, yet it carried the weight of ownership, of chains invisible but impossible to break.
Pulling back, she whispered with a farewell that sounded more like a curse than a blessing:
"Goodbye, my darling. I hope you come to love your new life."
When Krul made a move to leave, Altrouge suddenly grabbed her wrist, yanking her back into her arms.
Her crimson eyes glowed darker than usual, hollow and hungry, her lips trembling as her fangs peeked out.
"I don't care what your little game is right now… but I'm thirsty. I want nothing else but your blood."
Before Krul could even answer, Altrouge pressed her lips against her neck and sank her fangs deep into her flesh.
The sharp pain made Krul flinch, but the sound that followed was a muffled, sultry moan.
Her so-called adopted daughter was clinging to her, holding her in a shamefully indecent way, greedily sucking and swallowing her blood as if she couldn't live without it.
Krul, instead of resisting, simply smiled with that gentle, twisted motherly warmth.
She stroked Altrouge's dark hair with her fingers, caressing and comforting her like a child throwing a tantrum. "Drink, my sweet girl… feed until you're satisfied."
Altrouge only pulled away once her thirst had been dulled, blood still staining her lips.
Her gaze sharpened into a glare, but her voice carried forced authority. "I'll forgive you this time. But I won't stay here under your leash. I want to go out… to see with my own eyes if this really is a new world. If it is, then maybe, just maybe, I'll play along with your rules for now."
Her tone was cold, but her confidence faltered the moment Krul tilted her head and saw Krul's smile twist into something darker, sharper, creepier
"What did you say, sweetie?" Krul asked, her tone playful yet commanding.
"I said… I'll go out, mother," Altrouge muttered, her face twisting with humiliation at being forced to acknowledge her as such.
Krul's smile only brightened, satisfied by her submission.
She cupped Altrouge's cheek almost lovingly, her thumb smearing the streak of blood at the corner of her lips.
"Good. Remember this well, sweetie. In this world, strength is the only thing that earns respect. And you? Right now, you are weak. You no longer hold your old status, your power, your territories. You live under me now. Don't ever forget, I am your mother, your queen, and from you, I demand nothing less than complete respect."
Altrouge broke eye contact, looking away as her fingers fidgeted with the frills of her gothic dress.
She hated how powerless she felt in that moment. In the past, she could have crushed Krul with ease.
She had wielded reality-warping might, conceptual authority that bent the world to her will.
But now?
Now, she was pitifully diminished. She still had her Mystic Eyes, yes, and she was still a Dead Apostle Ancestor, still standing above most others, but in front of Krul, that wasn't enough.
Her pride burned. Her humiliation grew.
And yet, her body still shivered faintly under the weight of Krul's hand, still reacting like the obedient daughter Krul wanted her to be.
She didn't mind her adopted daughter's silence and simply kept humming softly to herself, almost like a lullaby twisted with malice. "I know you resent me, daughter, but in time you'll realize there are countless worlds out there waiting for us. You'll discover new power, new kingdoms to conquer, and so much more to take for yourself. But all these words will mean nothing if you keep clinging to your old world. Death isn't the end, it's just the beginning. If you're still attached to your former subordinates, your knights, or whatever scraps of love you once had, then claim them again. Resurrect them, bind them, use them however you see fit. They're yours to play with now."
She leaned closer, whispering the last part like a wicked tease. "But for now, mommy has something important to take care of. If you're still hungry, you can go out and hunt some fun for yourself. Don't be shy about it."
With a final slow stroke through Altrouge's silky black hair, Krul turned and walked away, still humming that eerie little tune, completely nonchalant about whatever plans or twisted desires her daughter might harbor.
She left Altrouge to her own devices, free to indulge in her own cruelty, lust, or hunger.