Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

About thirty minutes later, the dual monarchs who had done some quick clothes changing, Irly, Chief Persophone, Lady Val and the pair of former demonkin royals had gathered back in the throne room as a certain prison was escorted back into the castle she was sent away from. 

Walking into the chamber, escorted by demonkin guards and an entourage of demonkin nobles, the demonkin princess saw several people near the throne. On the right of the throne, there was an elf with green hair holding a clipboard and ledger while staring at her with scrutinizing eyes, and next to the elf was a pair of sirens, one was a handsome man with blue scales and hair while the other was a woman with fiery crimson hair cascading down her back. On the left, she saw her father and Viktor, both of whom were staring at her with expressions she could not read which made her nervous, but she understood their conflicting emotions brought about by her supposed treachery. Toria then finally laid eyes on the two women standing in front of the throne of her kingdom, the two women were wearing different outfits, with the taller woman on the left wearing a black overcoat above her white shirt and maroon skirt, her black hair cascading down the back and her purple eyes boring into Toria with a serious glare, while the shorter woman of the two wore a simple white blouse with some black slacks, her golden hair cascading down her back as well but the crimson eyes sending and eerie vibe down her spine. Stopping before them, Toria gulped down building nervousness and anxiety inside her that had been building up to this moment. She had not met either of the monarchs before her as she usually communicated through her handler and a kitsune named "Percy" in her intel debriefing. Needless to say, she was pretty much shaking inside but did her best to not show it despite everything. 

"I greet Your Majesties" Toria said as she bowed, with the entourage behind her doing the same 

"Hmm, it is good to see you well Fulcrum, or should I say, Princess Toria" Ophelia began as she looked down at her 

"I am no longer a royal Your Majesty, I believe I was promised to be made Governor of the island chain?" The former princess spoke as she dared not to raise her head without being told so, just like the rest of her entourage 

"You will become Governor, that is certain. But to us, we would like to ask a few questions from you, so if you would please all raise your head" Amelia stated as she also looked down at the former princess 

"Ask away Your Majesty, me and my subordinates are happy to answer" The future governor replied as she and the others did what was ordered

The two monarchs then took a few steps down and got closer to the future demonkin governor, their eyes scanning her appearance and the appearance of those nobles who were accompanying her. But that was not the only thing they were scanning, the dual monarchs were reading their stats, seeing the powers they wielded, and began sharing a conversation via telepathy as they looked at all of them without showing any emotions on their faces. 

[She has brought a bunch of powerful nobles...all of them are S-Rank] Ophelia remarked to her beloved 

{Well Ophie, did you really think that she would not try to stack her deck with as much firepower as she could? She was nervous this whole thing could boil over into a civil war with her family, I would do the same as her if I was preparing for a possible war} Amelia replied to her beloved 

[I understand that Amelia, I am just voicing my reaction darling, I am not giving her or the nobles shade for their actions] The raven-haired empress stated with a slightly amused tone 

{I know, I know. I just wish to humor you} The blonde empress replied with the telepathic equivalent of a smile 

"Right, first question. How are the current territories that you control? Are the islands in need of immediate help? Give us the situation" Amelia began as she looked at all of them before her 

"Well, Your Majesty, if I may answer that question for all of us?" One of the nobles, this one wearing a sleek blue suit,  asked as he raised his hand, with Amelia nodding at him to give his answer

"Umm, the current territories we hold are the ones in horrible conditions. The dungeons on our islands have been used up or destroyed outright. Making our islands dependent on the imports of magic crystals from the mainland" He began as he could barely keep eye contact with Amelia and her unreadable expression 

"Ah..aa...Adding to that, we have been making deals with the populace on our islands about their situation, most if not all of them have given us their support in a change of government while there a those few who wish to stay loyal to King Alfonsis" The noble added as he glanced over at Alfonsis who was looking at him with a defeated smile the noble took as malice 

"Hmm, and what about the military assets on your islands? Earlier today we attacked your military here on Nas and wiped out several Royal Navy fleets on Pattu, Virt, and Harlow, all of these islands are military islands yes? So we are assuming that you have no military backing whatsoever, are we wrong in our assumption?" Ophelia asked as she looked at him, her unmoving and unflinching eyes boring holes into the group before her 

"Your Majesty is correct in that assumption, we had no military backing or at least too little to count as many of the soldiers in the army are loyal to their generals who are all loyal to the king, and many of them are on our islands awaiting orders from Nas as some of us have been informed by our sources that the army is currently trying to make contact with the navy that you have most likely shattered to try and transport them here" The noble answered again, his expression of anxiety and nervousness visibly clear now 

"Hmm, that would pose a problem for the transition to our government, wouldn't it Toria?" Amelia chimed in as both monarchs were now looking at the still-silent future Governor, a hint of challenge in their voices as they goaded her into giving them an answer to show her skills 

"While it can be seen as such Your Majesties, I see it as an opportunity" Toria answered with a determined gaze as she looked at both of her monarchs, a subtle but still noticeable fear and anxiety in her voice hidden beneath her determination 

"Opportunity you say? Explain" 

"Firstly, since we still have Father alive and well, and most likely accepting of the situation, we can ask him to order the army to stand down and disarm, considering that they have no options to cross the island chain without further damaging their relationship with the populace, it will be nearly impossible for them to secure transport. Moreover, if they did try, the fleet you have here, one that already wiped out our Royal Navy in a short amount of time, can easily pick off any ships carrying them" Toria answered with an aura of professionalism 

"That is true, but do you have a backup option if they will not listen to your recently deposed Father?" 

"I do, if they will not listen to reason...then we will have to use force. The populace is already on our side and they will surely help us deal with the remnants of the army, it will cost lives but it will all be worth it in the end. Alternatively, we can show them the firepower of the ships you brought, I may not know how strong they are, but from the prison, the explosions were very loud" The future governor added 

"And what if the loved ones of those people were killed by our forces during the naval battles earlier today, will they still help us after everything we have done in their home island chain?" Ophelia added, her arms crossed

"Well, it is expected that they will not. In fact, I believe it will drive them into the corner of the army and further fuel resistance" Toria answered with a grim expression 

The dual monarchs shared a glance and both of them nodded at their satisfaction with the answers given for the situation presented, they even turned to Alfonsis who simply shrugged and nodded at the answers of her daughter, proud of what she was able to do. 

"Good answers, clear, concise, and a good grasp of the consequences of each...you truly have proven yourself in our little game" Amelia stated as she walked down and placed her hands on the shoulders of the former princess, a small smile on her lips that calmed her down. 

"If you had given us a more ridiculous set of answers, I would be questioning the viability of you being the governor, but after your answers, it has solidified our choice of keeping our part of the deal and ensuring you are the future governor. Congratulations Governor and Chief of the Demonkin Tribe, Toria Amma, you have earned our respect" Ophelia added as she looked at her, a small smile forming as well 

"Thank you for the praise Your Majesties. I will ensure it will not go to waste!" Toria replied with a smile and a determined expression as she looked up at both of them 

"Good, now that we know you can do the job, let's get down to business" Ophelia began as she and Amelia walked back up the stairs 

"To start, we are going to be implementing a very strict land reform policy for the island chain, we are going to strip all nobles of their titles and seize most of the wealth and land owned by them here, and begin a redistribution and development program once we have secured everything" Amelia added, with her words making the jaws of the nobles gathered drop

"Wait! Your Ma-" 

"Furthermore, we do have a plan to ensure that both the rebelling army and the populace submit to the new government without a fight" The raven-haired empress added before shifting her eyes to the female demonkin noble who tried to interrupt her, the empresses' gaze turning icy and the room temperature dropping in turn 

"Yes? Miss?" 

"Umm, Duch-I mean, Miss Harkaw, Your Majesty...I would just like to express my opinions on the reform policy, particularly regarding the seizing of funds and land" Harkaw stated as she was shaking from the gaze of the woman she interrupted 

"That is noted, but since I do not recall asking for your opinion, I will not hear it. If I want to hear an opinion I will ask for it. This is not the high society of Amma, where you can act all you want and keep up a facade while dishing out words that are daggers and openly insult the monarch before you, but a new high society that puts people who have earned that position on top and those people are expected to help serve the masses. But considering that you interrupted me, I am going to assume you are not one of those people like the latter but instead of the former who would just trot around their estate and insult those of lesser wealth. So please, shut the fuck up" Ophelia added as she bored a fucking hole into the soul of Harkaw who was on the verge of tears who then nodded as she lowered her head in shame 

The other nobles, Toria and her family all unconsciously gulped at her words, with Amelia looking at them with a bit of pity at the sharpness of her beloved's words and took a small breath as she looked at them. 

"What my beloved is trying to say is that we do not tolerate disrespect and greed. Although we do not know you personally, Toria does, since she appointed you to be part of her group here today. So do not be disheartened but keep that in mind, and let's continue" She stated with a calming smile that brought relief to the people in the room

"Ahem, continuing on, the plan we have is very much simple. I have here, a mark of your creator, the God Harcun" She added as she revealed the mark on her forearm, 

The demonkin in the room all gasped in surprise except for the two former royals who had seen it earlier. The same effect of seeing a true mark of Harcun sending shivers down the spines of those who were gazing upon it. 

"This mark shows that I have certain abilities granted to me by the gods of this world as I also used to be a saintess blessed with Holy Magic. Although I can no longer use most of it, I am still able to use it to bring back the dead. For as long as I have a piece of them and a name, they shall be brought back to the living world" Amelia stated as she used some of her Holy Magic to bring forth a pair of wings akin to an angel to sprout from her back just to show them she was not lying, entering a praying position with both eyes closed as she hovered for a bit

{!}

The sight of the angel wings, with a soft light shining down while a more sinister purple light came forth and was emanating from the floor, all focusing on her, made Toria and the rest of the room unconsciously fall to their knees. They had heard about those of their kind who were chosen by Harkun to bring about world-changing events while they also knew of the Saints and Saintess' of the Goddess Histy who were also tasked with doing the same, but never before have they ever heard or seen one person who was chosen by both to do such a task. At the same time, the woman beside her also unfurled a set of jet-black wings the likes of which none of them had ever seen, her head sprang forth long and jagged horns that were larger than any of theirs and there were black marks akin to tattoos with swirling and jagged patterns appearing upon her fair skin, her purple eyes shifted to pitch black and her gaze sent shivers down the spines of all in the room, all the while a dark and eerie purple light surrounded her. 

 "By the gods" One of the nobles muttered as he laid his eyes upon the sight before him, while others in the delegation also thought the same thing as none of them were expecting this  

After that small display, Amelia withdrew her wings and her mark, with the light from both disappearing in kind, with Ophelia doing the same. 

"Now that you have seen who I am and my spouse are in the eyes of the creators. Will you serve without question?" Amelia asked as she looked at the delegation 

"We shall serve" The group responded in unison, 

"Good, let's begin with this island and then move on from here" Ophelia said as she nodded with a small satisfaction 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Gathered in the largest garden of the castle was the Nas capital garrison who were all loyal to Trocious before his death, the survivors were on their knees and kneeling before knights of the royal guard who were tasked with watching over them. The contrasting conditions of the soldier's situation were apparent as their suits of grey plate armor were all dusty, dented and even damaged to the point of some pieces missing while the Royal Guards watching over them still had their pristine and shining gold and grey armor, the irony of the situation was not lost on them as since they were all traitors, they were nothing more than dirt and filth while the loyal Royal Guard still had their pristine honor and the like. 

But besides the kneeling traitors was a gallery of corpses and body parts, all of which were separated into rows and columns while other loyal Guard knights were busy bringing in more chunks that were pulled out of the graveyard that was the port area. Many of them had their eyes glued on what the Royal Guards were doing as they tried to figure out why they were arranging the corpses and body parts, as the standard procedure was to keep the mostly intact corpses while dumping the limbs and other chunks without anything else into pits and buried or cremated. 

"Is that all you could find?" The captain of the Royal Guard, a demonkin by the name of Wesslet asked as he turned to one of his subordinates 

"Yes Captain, that is all we could find in the rubble, the rest was just blood splatter or ash" The knight answered him

"Oh those poor bastards" Wesslet remarked as his face had a stunned and pitiful expression 

"By the way sir, why are we doing this? Isn't against standard protocol?" Then knight asked as she tilted her head 

"Normally yes, but we have been told by our new overlords to do this, for whatever purpose I am unaware of, but if it means we do not have to fight and experience the same death as these traitors, then I am all for it" The captain replied 

{!} 

Suddenly, there was a sudden change in the air as a strong gust of wind came in from nowhere and began swirling around in the corner of the garden. Everyone was looking at the vortex being made and saw the clear air switch to a bright purple light and then saw a portal at the base of the vortex open up and a person rose up from the swirling hole. Once the gust and the light subsided, all in the garden were left shocked and in awe, as they laid their eyes upon a figure that dwarfed even the tallest among them by a mile, his horns were long and elegant and the body that he had was muscular and built, with muscles exposed to all thanks to the loose black tunic he was wearing. His fluttering white hair and purple eyes that rested upon his chiseled face made all of the demonkin before him swoon regardless of who they were, and that smile could kill if he felt like it, his arms were crossed as he looked at everyone and flashed a bigger smile that almost killed some through sheer swooning power.

{!} 

A few of the Royal Guards fell to their knees as they quickly gathered themselves from the initial shock and bowed their heads. 

"We greet our creator, Harcun!" One of them shouted, with everyone else present having wide eyes as the words registered and did the same 

"Hahaha, thank you my children thank you. But please, raise your heads and smile" Harcun replied, his deep voice booming all around and sending shivers down the spines of his creations. 

A few of the traitors tried to crawl over to him but when he looked at them, the smile was gone and replaced by a cold and unforgiving gaze that spoke volumes. They all felt an invisible force clamping down on them that restrained them from moving ever further to him, while some were confused as to why, most understood that since he was their creator, he knew of the actions they had done and the betrayal they had committed against the crown, as most legends go, it was stated that the monarchs and rulers of demonkin kind were ones appointed by the creator himself, and their actions against these appointed ones presumably made the Demon God furious. 

{To those of you who can hear my voice inside your head, I know what you have done. And yes, I am furious} Harcun sent a telepathic message to them as he kept his cold and uncaring gaze aimed toward the group of traitors

His words caused most some to break down into tears while others began staring at the ground, their faces unmoving as they repeated his words over and over again in their minds. Some of them tried to run for it but a sudden pair of restraints around their wrists and legs appeared and kept them from going far before being dragged back by some of the Royal Guards. 

{!} 

Then, appearing from one of the entrances to the garden, was a group led by Alfonsis and the demonkin delegation. The group stopped after they saw Harcun stand before them and fell to their knees and bowed their heads, except for two women who walked closer to the Demon God and curtsied right before him and Harcun doing the same at the two, with his smile noticeably larger. 

"Ahh, so good to see the two of you again. When Histy told me of the plan the two of you cooked up, I was so ecstatic to help you!" 

"We are happy as well that you accepted our request" Amelia replied with a bow

"Of course! Me and Histy are always happy to assist if need be. So, I recall that the plan is for you to revive the dead here using your abilities?" 

"Yes, but I can only revive those with bodies or even limbs, but those who had been vaporized are those I can't bring back" Amelia answered him 

"Ahhh, I see now. I can bring back those who were not so fortunate to have any fleshy remnant here in the main world....and all of this in exchange for loyalty and fealty. Smart moves if I have ever seen any" Harcun commented as he flashed a proud smile on his face 

"Thank you for your help in advance" Ophelia chimed in as she bowed her head 

"Oh no need to thank me, but I shall take the thanks anyway. Now, shall we get started?" 

Both monarchs nodded and a few moments later, the trio stood before the arranged formation of corpses and body-less limbs, with everyone from the Royal Guards, to the traitors and even the demonkin delegation watching with baited breaths as they wished to see a miracle with their own eyes. 

 "Alright. Let's begin" Harcun stated as his eyes turned white and a pair of large feathery black wings sprouted from his back and he raised one hand into the air

Amelia also did the same, her pair of angel wings returning to view with a halo this time around above her head, this was then followed by several hundreds of fleshy tendrils sprouting from her back. The tendrils snaked and wrapped around the limbs and corpses tightly, then the tendrils began to glow with a mixture of white and purple light. 

"From the land of the dead, I call upon you to return to us <Resurrection>!" Amelia shouted

The tendrils wrapped around the corpses and limbs suddenly flashed a bright light that blinded most of the people watching, a low hum and rumble could be heard but it was drowned out by a heavenly chorus with trumpets and harps playing as the light grew brighter and brighter. But when it all subsided, the demonkin present were left speechless as the limbs and corpses were restored to full and living demonkin like nothing ever happened, but to those with keen eyes, there were many more demonkin present than the number of limbs and corpses before the blinding flash of light. The recently resurrected as well were speechless and surprised as they looked down and at one another, seeing their bodies clad in their plate armor in pristine condition before they met their demise, the sounds of disbelief and cheering erupted in the garden as everyone was amazed by the miracle. 

{!}

Suddenly, a single shockwave washed over everyone and all eyes were on the Demon God who was looking down at them, his arms crossed and his smiling expression gone and replaced with a serious one, 

"I believe you all have something to hear" Harcun stated, his deep booming voice washing over everyone 

Toria nodded as she stood in front of the everyone and by Harcun's side. She took a deep breath as she looked at everyone before her, their curious gazes filling her head with different reactions, but when she saw the faces of the dual monarchs and her father and brother who were smiling at her for encouragement, she steeled herself. 

"People of Amma, ever since the founding of our nation, there has always been the theme of missed opportunities and bad decisions. We have spent countless wars amongst one another in attempts to unify this island chain throughout our history and now when we are finally unified, we have thrown it all away. The dungeons of the island are destroyed and unusable for harvest, the rich nobles of the nation are busy squabbling among themselves instead of trying to use their wealth for others and my own father has failed to address any of these issues. We are a nation beyond repair at this point" Toria began 

"Our arrogance and prideful nature has caused us to stumble and fall in the dark time and time again, and without the intervention of these monarchs from another nation, we would have been in another war with one another...I do not want that. In fact, I would not be here without the encouragement of those two monarchs to begin with. Ever since the death of my mother, your Queen, I have been trying my best to help fix this nation, but it was not enough. But in my attempts to find solutions to save us, I found their nation, the Halkare Empire, an empire that is taking its first steps but feels like it has been around for much longer, the people of that nation are not like us, they are not prideful nor are they arrogant, they do not let those traits consume them and force their hand" 

"They are a nation of different races but unlike us, they put their heads together and work with one another to build their nation, heck, they have surpassed us in terms of living conditions and military equipment, you should know! You were just brought back from the results of their advanced technology" She added as she turned her gaze towards the recently brought back 

"And to think! They are led by a duo who have been chosen by the gods for crying out loud! They, two humans, were chosen instead of us, the demonkin, do you not see how bad that makes us look?! Do you not feel shame for your race?!" She asked, seeing many heads turn their gazes down and away from her, even her Father and Brother

"If even our creator, our God sees us as a failed state, what then? Is this how you want our race to be remembered by future generations? As a race that continuously stumbled into extinction? Do you?... Answer me!" Toria roared as she looked at the crowd 

Many were silent as they still failed to meet her gaze, a silence filling the air as they could feel the judgment coming from the gazes of their creator God and Toria herself, with many of them cursing at themselves for the truth in her words, 

"No" A voice rang up from the crowd, with many turning their gazes to Alfonsis who stood up and looked at his daughter and then his creator 

"No" Another voice came out, but this time from a traitor soldier who had just been revived 

And then, a chorus of no's erupted as many in the crowd lifted their heads and looked at the former princess until all of them did the same thing and stared at her, many of them trying to keep calm and collected expressions as they could feel Harcun's gaze looking down at them, something that made many of them want to vomit through sheer anxiety and uneasiness 

"Then, do you wish to be remembered as a race that helped bring peace and order!" 

"Yes!" 

"Do you wish to be remembered as a race that helped break evil and bring forth the righteous judgment of your God?!"

"Yes!" 

"Then my fellow demonkin, hear me now. We are no longer going to be tied to the dying tether that is our links to the Kingdom of Amma, no. We will forgo this idea and instead, work with the one's who had been chosen by the Gods themselves to bring forth a new dawn. We will work hand in hand and side by side with the people of the empire, not as allies, but as brothers and sisters. We shall be the tip of the spear that drives through the black heart of evil, we shall be the strength to help others carry their burdens. We shall serve with utmost loyalty and dedication to ensure that the goal of the empire for full continental control is achieved and whatever happens thereafter, to banish the slavers and the pirates once and for all. So tell me my fellow brothers and sisters. Will you serve?" Toria asked as she looked at all of them, a fire in her heart burning with passion 

"I will serve" Alfonsis chimed up as he knelt before her 

"I will serve" Another voice followed, this time being a Royal Guard 

"I will serve" Another voice added 

And another and another until all of the people present gave their word and fell on one knee before her. She then looked up at Harcun who nodded at her and then locked eyes with the dual monarchs looking at her next to Harcun. 

"I, Governor Toria Amma of the Governate of Amma. Hereby declare my and my people's loyalty to the empresses. We shall serve" She stated as she bowed her head and fell on one knee 

"HAHAHAHA! So let it be said! The people of the Amma shall become one with the Halkare Empire and serve the people We have chosen for now and forever more. So says I, Harcun, God of Darkness and Creator of the Demonkin. But beware, if you ever backtrack on those vows and statements, I will strike you all down as punishment. So beware" Harcun bellowed, with his voice grabbing the attention of all in the garden 

"Understood!" The demonkin gathered replied in unison as they looked up at him, steely determination in their eyes 

"All hail to the Empresses! All hail to the Empire!" 

A/N: And here we go. The final chapter of Annexation and the end of Act I of the volume. It is now time to truly fulfill the main goal of this novel. To march southward. I hope you are all ready for the rest of the volume bc oh boy boy I have many things that I have planned for our dual monarchs to encounter. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and if you have questions or reactions, you can leave em below. And as always, Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!