Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

The cathedral proper was filled with the sounds of children and adults walking towards their seats, the grey-colored stone walls reverberated the sounds of everything going on. The cathedral had only one entrance, that being a pair of gigantic wooden doors, while the seating arrangements were around the altar that was centered at the center, with smaller rows of pews to either side and the back, with the largest amount being right in front of the altar and in front of the large church doors. 

As the clock struck 11:30, the ceremony began inside the cathedral, the chants of the choir and the tolling of the bell filled the air and insides as the procession began. The procession walked down the aisle from the entrance in pairs, with the altar boys and girls first, followed by a few priests, behind the priests were a pair of bishops, and behind them was Pope Liliana. The pews on either side of the aisle were filled to the brim with civilians of all shapes and sizes, believers of the Histy faith, and all devout followers of her teachings. In the front row nearest to the altar sat Gaius who was at the edge of the pew closest to the aisle, beside him was a Vangian Guard that separated him from Visnet and Merwick and Nerwick, they too had guards sitting beside them, their own Praetorian Guards. Along the columns of the cathedral were more Varnagian Guards, all of them standing at attention.

On the other side of the aisle sat Jacon and his sponsor Father Alen, neither of them was picked for this ceremony which neither objected to. Next to them were other members of the clergy who were loyal to them, all of them wearing fake smiles as the procession made its way to the altar, trying to hide their disdain for their pope. 

As Liliana stood behind the altar, she gazed upon the cathedral with a smile that captivated almost everyone, with a nod she began the ceremony. She opened up the Holy Book, it was a book filled with scripture and gospel that priests would normally use during Homily, and today was no different. Liliana looked out to the crowd as she preached from the book, reciting scriptures of love, compassion, and generosity towards one another like Histy commanded, telling the gathered that the Holy Festival was a time for those commandments to be enacted in full, despite knowing that would not be the case. She continued on, preaching about the good that can come from such acts, how they bring about positive change in the world, and how they are necessary for each and every one. The ceremony continued on like this for a while, with some choir songs tucked in as Liliana recited scriptures that were marked for singing, soon it was 11:50. The glass dome in the ceiling above Liliana gave her a good indicator of time as she saw a shadow that approached closer and closer. 

“Now, it is time for the crowning of the new Saintess!” she called out to the crowd, her hand gesture pointing towards the main cathedral doors. 

Heads turned towards the entrance and their eyes rested upon a beautiful young blonde girl dressed in a flowing white robe that fluttered just above the floor, escorted by a knight with white hair, with a woman with silver hair clad in a black overcoat and a nun behind them. And behind those two were two columns of ten Holy Paladins following,

“Knight Captain Triost, bring forth the Saintess!” Liliana commanded 

At her command, Lance and Amelia slowly walked forward, with the precession behind them following at the same pace 

“This is going to be close” Lance whispered to Amelia as they proceeded down the aisle 

“Your telling me. I can see their smiles and it’s making me angry” Amelia replied as they continued 

As the pair reached the front, Lance separated and walked to the right side, while Mother Felice, Sister Mary, and the accompanying paladins did the same but this time to the left. Leaving Amelia alone in the center, facing Liliana who was gazing down at her. She then began to walk down the steps to the young girl and stopped right in front of her, wearing a smile. 

“Your Majesty, the briefcase if you will?” Liliana asked Gaius as she turned to him

With a nod, Gaius slowly rose from his seat, assisted by Sir Antwerp, they slowly walked towards the Pope and handed over the briefcase he was holding onto, with Liliana thanking him with a nod.

Opening the briefcase, the room was basked in the glow of a bright and warm light. Liliana carried out a shimmering golden halo, the darkness brought about by the slowly approaching eclipse was drowned out in its Holy Light. Stepping closer to a now kneeling Amelia 

“As Histy’s voice upon this world, I ask you Amelia Rothild, will you uphold the duty that is bound to a Saintess?” She asked as she held the Halo over Amelia’s head

“I will” 

“Will you perform to the best of your abilities to help the people who are downtrodden and in need?” 

“I will” 

“Will you help bring about change and light to the world?” 

“I will” 

As she finished the vows, the sky above had finally darkened. The sun was at its zenith and at the same time, the eclipse was now in full effect. Across the empire, and inside the cathedral everyone felt their magic suddenly vanish from their bodies, it was as if it was not even theirs anymore. Spells that were upholding barriers disappeared, incantations and magic runes that powered facilities suddenly stopped and were now of no use, even tracking magic was rendered inoperable as the flow of magic from the originator had ceased to be.

Even the halo that was being held above Amelia flickered and sputtered out, drowning the entire cathedral in darkness, people muttered amongst themselves, with parents reassuring their children or friends trying to calm one another down. Torches were lit by the guards but shock filled the room as on the altar, Liliana and Amelia had disappeared, causing Visnet and Jacon to both stand up in shock, meanwhile, Gaius smiled as he finally slumped over, his time was up. Sir Antwerp, who was told beforehand this was to happen, stood up and quickly made it to the top of the altar

“The Emperor is dead!” He shouted, causing the people who were already in shock to become even more distraught as their combined voices began drowning out the attempts by Visnet and the paladins to calm everyone, 

BOOM! 

BOOM!

BOOM!

KRAKOOOOOM!

As if that were not enough, the sudden sounds of abrupt and violent explosions rocked the cathedral as the shockwaves tore through the stained glass and destroyed the gigantic wooden doors. People who turned their gazes outside saw raging fires across the city, roofs and buildings were on fire due to the explosions, the screams and cries from the people outside paved the way to more anxiety and now fear as everything fell apart and total chaos ensued with the sounds of armor shuffling, screaming citizens and noise from outside filling the air. 

“Praetorians! Defend me!” Visnet shouted as he and his brothers were surrounded in a protective circle by his personal guard, 

“Where are the Varangians?!” Merwick shouted 

“I do not know!” Nerwick added, 

Visnet noticed it too that Lance and his father’s personal bodyguards had disappeared as well the moment the explosions occurred, even his father’s corpse was gone. But before he had time to think, several smoke bombs exploded in the center of the cathedral, scaring the people even more and causing some of the paladins to go into battle mode, encircling the altar and demanding who was there, only for a party of bounty hunters to emerge and start fighting, with Visnet hearing one of them shouting “Where is the Saintess?!” 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Meanwhile, General Fang and his insurgents emerged from the undercity and other hideouts spread across Scaneth, engaging and clashing with the city garrison that was loyal to Visnet, said garrison also being greatly reduced in combat strength as the explosives implanted on their stashes of armor and weapons triggered by Fang when the eclipse occurred had taken out chunks of them. 

“Come on men! Down with the bastards!” General Fang called to them as he emerged from the undercity. Clad in a disheveled and dirtied gold armor with red trim that had the old banner of his army tied around it 

“URRAAAAAH!” His insurgents cried as they flooded the streets and engaged Visnet loyalists, turning the vast city streets into massive melees 

The garrison troops were surprised as they were outmatched by the skill and ferocity of the insurgents despite their military training, with the city guards falling one by one in quick succession. This was due to the fact that the insurgents that made up Fang’s army were all former members of the Imperial Army, all of them being dishonorably discharged due to Visnet’s policies for Human Supremacy. This gave the attackers an advantage as they were all battle-hardened veterans of many campaigns a few years ago. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

BOOM! 

BOOM!

BOOM!

KRAKOOOM!

Linora observed the Imperial Investigation Bureau go up in smoke and raging fire after the charges she planted inside the building were set off, her eyes narrowed on her place of work. The building was filled with loyalists to Visnet and his cronies, as the week prior a lot of the old staff was fired and replaced, most of them by incompetent yesmen or harsh believers in Visnet’s policies, all except Linora who was able to keep her job due solely to the fact Visnet wanted results from the investigation she was “conducting” on Ophelia before her banishment. As she saw the building crumble, she heard the sounds of fighting nearing her

“Tch, serves them right” Linora mumbled as she moved away from the window and approached the cellar of the building she was in

She looked down and saw her Lamia secretary, Geneva who was also her lover waiting for her, a smile graced Geneva’s face as she pulled up a large packed bag that she handed over to Linora. 

“We should get going fast, we don’t have much time” Linora told her as she slipped on the bag and grabbed her by the hand 

“I will follow you anywhere love” Geneva replied as they made their way deeper into the tunnel. Further into the darkness

………………………………………………………………………………………………

As the cathedral descended into chaos, currently running out the back entrance that had been secured beforehand by Alistair and her paladins were Amelia, her two mothers, and Liliana, with Lance following behind along with Sir Antwerp and the rest of the Varangian Guard, with Sir Antwerp cradling the body of Gaius with immense care despite running at full speed. With a nod from Sir Antwerp to Amelia, his group of Varangians dispersed, off to complete their own objectives.

“So what happens now that the Halo is useless?” Amelia asked as they ran through the cathedral grounds, making their way to the exit near the treeline 

“That Halo was not the one I was to give you, it was a ruse. This was the one” Liliana replied as she tossed a small golden bracelet 

“That is the actual Halo, the one I showed before was a decoy, just in case someone overheard us” Liliana added 

As they finally exited the cathedral grounds, Amelia slipped on the bracelet, feeling Holy Magic surging through her veins, her golden eyes flickering with power. A smile crept onto her lips as she channeled the energy through her. 

“Alright, I think I have two or three charges in me, most of it will be used to get our people out however” She told the party following her 

“Alistair will be coming with us, she and her paladins are moving ahead of us to secure the teleporter site, Sir Antwerp I believe has his own mission” Mother Felice told her as she looked at her pocket watch 

“Four minutes, we have to make it quick” Sister Mary added as she glanced at it and stated it before her beloved could 

“Let’s go then” Amelia finished as the resumed their sprint through the trees 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Meanwhile at the Erstad Duchy 

“Send those blasted traitors back where they crawled out from!” Dame Belle shouted as she thrust her lance into one of the knights from Count Chernin’s territory, skewering him alive

A moment before the eclipse had reached its zenith, the magical alarms went off as the knights from the territories entered the duchy. Thanks to this poor timing of their moves, Dame Belle rallied her soldiers and met them head-on, using the moments before the eclipse was in effect to great effect as she ordered her mages to “Lob a spell at the bastards and hope they die” 

Now as the eclipse was in full effect, the battle was in full swing. Her Imperial Guard was the best of the best of the army, and it showed as they effortlessly cleaved through the territory knights in droves. For example, One Lamia soldier swung her battleaxe and cleaved through eighteen knights in front of her, while a harpy soldier slashed open several knights with ease with her blade-tipped wings. 

As all of this was happening, the civilians quickly made their way to the teleportation points hidden within deep patches of forests that dotted the duchy, standing inside the large teleportation circles and awaiting their activation, all the while their eyes gazing up at the eclipse that was slowly going by. 

“We need to be patient, everyone get ready” Percy commanded as she stood near the circle designated for the manor’s workers and maids. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

As Amelia and her group reached their teleportation point, she could feel a group chasing after them. When they reached the clearing, she spot the inscription glowing on the ground and ready to go, with everyone taking their positions except her. 

“What are you waiting for Amelia?! Get in now!” Mother Felice called out to her as she noticed her unmoving 

“Amelia what are you doing?!” Sister Mary cried as she noticed the same thing too 

“Miss Amelia don’t!” Liliana added,

Amelia simply turned her head, tears in her eyes as she mouthed the words “I’m sorry” before using the Holy Magic in her to activate the teleportation array, 

As she did so, the teleportation array underneath the trio glowed a magnificent gold as it blasted into the sky a gigantic beam of gold, captivating the many people in the capital as they looked up in awe, the golden pillar enlightening the dark streets and dark atmosphere that had clouded it. Visnet and Jacon, with their respective bodyguard who was chasing after her, all saw the gigantic beam of gold, their eyes widening in shock and terror as they quickly doubled their pace, hoping to catch her. Roimir and Emilio, both of them in the mage tower saw the gigantic pillar of light, with both of them similarly speechless as they were captivated by its glow. Lance, however, glanced at it once before he continued on with the rest of the Varangian Guards, helping citizens spread across Scaneth into the undercity with the help of the insurgents. 

Meanwhile, in the duchy, the same pillars of golden light came erupting out of the ground, illuminating the entire duchy in its ethereal glow. The knights who had come to slaughter them all stood in awe, their eyes filled with the sight of these pillars that numbered in the tens. They even stopped attacking the Imperial Guard as they too began to glow, with Dame Belle smiling as she felt her essence being whisked away along with everyone else. 

After a few moments, these pillars of light disappeared, and the fighting resumed, while in the duchy, the knights were left shocked and puzzled as to what had just happened, their opponents no longer in front of them, with towns and villages empty. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Amelia quickly brought out her pocket watch, 

“Two minutes…I can make it” she mumbled as she stashed it away and readied her weapons, tearing off the robes she had been wearing 

Her mind was running through so much as she contemplated on her decision, was it stupid? Yes, was it unnecessary? Yes, but she was confident. She still had one last charge of Holy Magic left in her to activate it, and she would, but not before beating the shit out of the crown prince and pope to be that were about to arrive

“hAH…Hahh. Looks like you have nowhere else to go, Amelia” Visnet said as he, Jacon, and their guards made it to her 

“Why would you want to leave us? Are we not good enough for you?” Jacon asked as he stepped forward, his expression that of worry but Amelia knew he was angry 

“Yes. none of you are good enough for me” Amelia answered calmly as she unsheathed her daggers 

{!} 

As she did, all of the bodyguards the two brought rushed her, their weapons raised. Amelia ducked from the slash of one and countered by thrusting her daggers forward, straight into the knight’s heart and skull, quickly retracting them as she dodged another set of slashes from another knight that also met a quick end. She then went on the attack, slicing through several guards at once, using her immense strength and speed to basically become a blur to them, her SS-Rank skills and stats paying off as they could barely hold their own against her, she cut off the arm of one before thrusting her blade through his throat, another met his end by her driving her daggers through his gut before slicing him open with one cut, while another failed to land an overhead strike and got tossed around like a doll after she ran her dagger through his body.

At the sight of their bodyguards failing, Visnet and Jacon entered the fray, both of them trying to help subdue Amelia, 

SWING

CATCH!

{!}

“What the-”

BAM!

“GNGHH!” 

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

“GHAAAA!”

Jacon tried to land an overhead strike with his staff but Amelia dodged it, grabbed it with one hand, and pulled him closer, delivering a headbutt that sent him sprawling onto the dirt floor while also delivering several cuts to his limbs and even severing his right arm that he loved

SLASH!

PING! CRRIINNGGG!

VWOOP! 

BAM! BAM!

“GUGH!” 

SHRING!

CUT!

Then, Visnet unleashed a slash that Amelia caught with her daggers, sparks flying off their weapons, with Amelia pulling back and sending the Crown Prince to the ground with a double kick and a slash across his cheek, causing a wave of deep red to spill down it,

She then engaged the remaining bodyguards and all of these bodyguards died one after another in quick succession, their blows hitting air and their defenses nonexistent, by the time the last bodyguard fell to the ground, there was only a minute left. 

“So, its like that is it?” Visnet growled as he stood back up gripping his sword even tighter, with Jacon doing the same with his staff his staff, using his barely functioning left arm

“Like what?” Amelia asked 

“I give you everything, my love, my care, my affection…and you throw it all aside” He snarled as he walked forward

 “We cared for you Amelia when no one else did, we gave everything we had to you because of our love, was that not enough?” Jacon added as he approached her too, his breathing ragged

Their words made Amelia’s eyebrows furrow as an angry smile graced her lips 

“Care for me? HA! Do you think threatening my friends with death is caring for me?! Do you think controlling everyone around me is caring for me?! Do you think that treating me like an object is loving me?! In what world did you all live in where that was ok?! All of you are so deluded in your fantasy of hypocrisy that you all fail at doing what you said your doing! You do not care for me! You do not love me! You used me to raise your title, crowning yourselves as saviors of a lonely maiden, you created an image that is not only false, it is an outright lie!” Amelia replied to them as she slowly stepped back onto the magic inscription, with thirty seconds left, 

“Where do you think you are going huh?! YOU WON’T SURVIVE WITHOUT ME!” Visnet shouted in anger 

“I am going to where she is going. And a word of warning. I will be back with her, to burn this place to the ground” Amelia finished as she activated her final charge, with the gigantic pillar of light returning to engulf her 

In a rage, Visnet tried to lunge at her but was sent crashing into a tree by a shockwave from the pillar. Both he and Jacon looked as Amelia smiled and flipped both of them off, something she learned from Ophelia. And as she disappeared, the eclipse ended. With bright sunlight shining down on both of them, 

“FUCCCCK!!!!!!”

A/N: And here we are! THE END OF VOLUME 1 WOOOO, Ahem. Anyways, I am glad that a lot of you have enjoyed this series from beginning to end, and I admit my writing for the first few chapters sucked. I sorta believe it got better overtime and now here we are. The end of Volume 1,  well not really, there are still 4 or 5 chapters left to round it out but this is about it for the 1st Volume. I plan to shift my attention to academics and even my other story "The Old Scholar" for a while until 2024 when I will release the 1st chap of Volume 2. and boy oh boy are we just getting started. Anyways, If you have questions please let me know either in dm or in the comments as I plan on doing a Q&A chapter if there are enough questions. Anyways, thanks for everything and as always Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day! 

 

P.S: Will probably start a kofi just to have something to help keep my financially alive