"... What?"
Vespera's sharp gaze landed on her brother's face, searching for any sign of hesitation. She found none. She had been slouching lazily on the couch, but now she sat up straight, fully alert.
Gallows swung his long legs off the bed and made his way to an armchair. He sat down and stared directly at his sister, his voice low and solemn.
"The Lord showed me a vision while I was meditating... Vespera, the Church of Light will fall in the near future. The world will be purged, and a new god will take over—one of darkness and chaos. That being's Holy One is a boy. A human boy, about seventeen or eighteen years old. As for where he is or who he is... I was not shown those things."
Vespera tapped her nail guards against the arm of the couch, causing the crisp ring of metal to resonate in the still air of the massive room.
"... Hmm. What were the Lord's instructions?"
Gallows leaned back. "Find the boy and kill him."
The air grew heavy. Vespera frowned, prompting Gallows to mock her. "What? Getting nervous now that you know your target is a child?"
Vespera rolled her eyes. "... I have killed many, but I have never had to go through the trouble of searching multiple continents to kill one boy—one so young at that. What a task."
She sighed, and Gallows echoed it. They were both weary. "I just got back from a crusade today, and now I have more work... Tsk," Vespera murmured under her breath.
"Well, Your Eminence," Gallows started mockingly, "you are the Pope. You must do what the Lord asks."
Vespera hummed. "So, how do you think we should find him?"
Gallows leaned forward, a glint in his eyes. "This boy is a Vessel for the Darkness, right? If so, he would need to 'devour' to remain alive. As a Vessel myself, I know that the power of gods isn't something mortal bodies can easily endure. Even someone with Dragon's blood like me must endure pain; imagine what it's like for a human child."
"I think we should mobilize the churches worldwide. We need to monitor all activity from the Spiritual Plane. If the emergence of those creatures drops in a particular area, we investigate. After all, the Darkness is all-consuming... What do you think?"
Vespera nodded. "A good plan, but slow. Mobilize the army under your command as well. Have them ransack cities that aren't too prosperous, yet aren't impoverished. If I wanted to hide, I would choose a place where I could get resources without stirring up trouble."
Gallows furrowed his eyebrows. "If I send the troops out, who will lead them?"
Vespera looked at her brother as if he were an idiot. "Luo Yue, of course. Who else besides the two of us has the qualifications?"
Gallows' expression soured. "No, we can't move Yue right now. She guards the island; she is my shadow. Plus, you know her condition. If she enters a state of excitement, it becomes... difficult to clean up."
Vespera narrowed her gaze, locking eyes with him. The atmosphere turned tense.
*BOOM!*
The ground shook as a deafening crash echoed. The two simply relaxed back into their chairs as Yue walked into the room. A few servants followed, carrying trays of food which they placed on a low, polished sandalwood table before quickly retreating.
Yue stood to the side and bowed respectfully. "The meal is served. Please excuse me."
Vespera hummed, then asked, "What is outside the dome this time?"
"Replying to Master: it is a herd of migrating Frost Wyverns," Yue answered. "It seems the island drifted into their route. I shall deal with the problem."
Gallows glanced at her and spoke softly. "Yue, you may eat."
Yue paused briefly, then bowed once more. "Yes, Master." She exited the room quickly, heading toward the palace entrance where she approached an imposing stone lion.
"Brother," Vespera's eyes flashed with mischief, "when was the last time you fed Yue?"
Yue reached the stone lion and pressed its right eye. It glowed an electric blue, scanning her face before turning green. The stone lion rumbled open to reveal a swirling portal.
Gallows thought for a moment. "Three months ago."
Vespera looked like she wanted to hit him. "I find a good beast for you to raise, and you want to starve her? Tch. I should have kept her for myself."
Outside, Yue stepped through the portal and emerged from another stone lion at the edge of the island. She stood a few hundred meters away from the golden, honeycomb-patterned translucent dome that shielded the land. Outside the barrier were massive dragon-like creatures with white scales shimmered under the faint moonlight, their powerful wings fused to their front limbs, ferocity evident in their ice blue eyes
Back in the palace, Gallows rubbed his temples. "Sister, we both know that if we feed her too much, she will go into Mania. How do you expect me to manage that?"
Vespera chuckled darkly. 'Foolish brother of mine... does he really not know how to feed her emotionally? She's closer to Mania than ever.'
Vespera turned to the window as the sun began to rise.
Meanwhile, Yue inserted contact lenses that turned her eyes an electric blue. As the Wyverns smashed against the dome, she remained calm. She disabled the barrier and shed her coat.
The Wyverns instantly surged toward her. Suddenly, the sound of snapping bones filled the air. Her under six-foot frame distorted, growing until she stood over eight feet tall. She shifted into a terrifying hybrid: hind limbs like a lion, a plush jet-black fox tail, dragon claws, and black fox ears adorned her head. Her pupils constricted into slits as scales shimmered across her skin, her lips twitched revealing pearly white teeth that could pierce steel.
She crouched low then pounced. Her razor teeth clamped around the nearest Wyvern's neck like a vice.
*ROAR!!!*
The beast's cry was cut short as she ripped out its throat. They plummeted together, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. She landed on the corpse, gnawing on the bloody throat like a treat, her tail flicking in delight. The rest of the herd, intimidated, turned to flee.
Yue gnawed on her snack, then reactivated the dome. "Eris," she commanded.
An inconspicuous watch on her wrist glowed.
"Yes, Luo Yue?" a mechanical voice replied.
"Enable all energy blasters at max power. Target the fleeing Wyverns. Decimate them."
"Understood."
At the base of the island, seven massive ports opened, revealing blasters larger than residential buildings. A low hum filled the air as they charged.
"Firing now."
*WONG!!*
Streams of blue light incinerated the sky. When the light faded, the Wyverns were gone—reduced to nothing.
"Target eliminated. Retracting blasters," Eris announced.
"Send servant bots to preserve the corpse," Yue commanded before stepping back into the portal.
In the palace, the two figures watched the display without surprise. "... Hmm. Maybe it is a good idea to keep Yue here for now," Vespera murmured.
Gallows merely glanced at her, looking back out the window in deep thought.