BloodStar

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.”

She looked back to Xenia’s body and hovered both hands over her. She formed a layer of ki which started at her hands and spilled out onto Xenia’s body covering her from neck to toe.

She then turned 180 degrees to a table that Ashrok had placed behind her. As she turned the silhouette of Xenia’s corpse outlined by her ki moved with her. She then closed her eyes and held the silhouette in place as she concentrated with every ounce of energy she had.

The ki silhouette slowly began to fill-in replicating every single detail of Xenia’s corpse including injuries, scrapes, clothes, and all. She concentrated for ten minutes until finally she retracted her hands with a heavy sigh of fatigue.

She took a step back and looked on at the replica clone she had made. Ashrok was amazed, “Such perfection. A useful skill Mistress Khan. If things don’t go to plan here, I would have great use of you in my service.”

She shot him a side-eye, “Things are going to plan, Blood Wraith Ashrok.”

Nero stepped forward as well, “You may not have an Empress to serve today, but you will soon Ashrok.”

Ashrok smirked, “I only mean a compliment. Nothing more.” He looked on to Xenia’s body, “Less you all forget, I nearly died creating the very item that will bring her back.”

Nero nodded and turned to Constance, “Begin the embalmment process of the clone. We need to have a funeral in no less than 3 days to answer questions the world will have. And that includes the Heraklinos Empire. After her revival of sorts against The Holy Light Empire, people will want to be certain of her death this time.”

She smiled at Nero, “I will give them certainty. Do not worry.”

He nodded and then retreated to the head of the church where he retrieved a steel box. He picked it up and moved it over to the stone altar table with the real corpse of Xenia. He opened it carefully and lifted a black and red orb out.

Ashrok whispered, “Invictus Sanguis.”

Nero held it in one hand and looked to Ashrok, “You are certain that Empress Victoria is dead? There can be no room for uncertainty at this juncture.”

Ashrok confirmed, “I watched the drone footage with a keen eye. She is dead. I am certain.”

Nero turned and looked down at Xenia, “I suppose we will find out soon enough. If Empress Victoria is alive… if any part of her is alive… the Bloodline Power within this orb will seek her out to no end. However, if she is truly dead, it will rush in to Xenia’s body bringing her life and power. And if the legends are true… she will have an unmatched power the world hasn’t seen for many ages.”

He took the orb and placed it in the hole where her heart once beat. With the orb within her chest, he began to power up his own ki as he placed his hands upon the orb infusing massive amounts of ki to release the power within the orb.

Nero had grown ever stronger surprising both Constance and Ashrok as he shook the entire cathedral with his might. He yelled as he called upon every last ounce of strength at his disposal and yet… the orb stood solidly without change.

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.”

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