Orb starts shifting his head around again, and again. He runs towards a wall, and activating his legacy, he smashes his fist against the wall, trying to break it down, causing the three beside him to grab him and hold him back.
Bătrânula says, "Do not damage our country's most beautiful building, human!"
Willow says, "Orb, have you finally gone insane?"
Cyrus says, "Plea-ase stop."
Orb struggles against the 3 of them while trying to move forward, but snapping his head around, he smiles at Cyrus and says, "Cyrus, absorb this wall with your legacy."
Bătrânula, confused, says, "Like hell you will, this is a historic piece of architect-."
"SHUT UP!" Orb yells as his hair turns bright red. "Cyrus, please do it."
Cyrus, extending his tail, activates his legacy and absorbs the parts of the wall in front of him, and Orb peers his head through the new opening. Manifesting his dog ears, Orb listens around.
With panic creeping up his face, Bătrânula says, "I can't let this happen."
But grabbing him by the side, Willow says, "Please just give them a moment, Orb would never get like this without good reason."
Bătrânula stopping says, "Okay. But you'd better put that back, dragon!"
Cyrus nods, Orb comes back inside, and says, "Cyrus, we're ripping our way right through the building."
"NO YOU ARE NOT!" Bătrânula shouts. "This is the Queen's castle, and any unnecessary damage to it will never be tolerated."
Orb smashes his head against Bătrânula's and says, "THIS IS FOR THE QUEEN! RIGHT NOW THIS ENTIRE PLACE IS IN DANGER!"
Location: Soarele Blestemat, Balaur's Voice
Φ Turning her head all around as she sits beside Avram, Stelara says, "Where is the toilet squad?"
Avram says, "Probably walking around, and using the opportunity to get a good look at Balaur."
"WHAT!? They tricked me!" With tears flowing down her eyes, Stelara says, "I thought Orb was a good boy, I didn't think he was an evil, venomous liar like you are?"
"When did I become all of those things? Also, can you record your cries on an omega bat, and send it to me? It will help me fall asleep."
"EVIL!"
Laughing Avram says, "You just make it far too easy. Besides making sure I hear and see all of the emotions that leak out of my elders is important. I don't want to forget when they pass."
Staring at Avram's face, Stelara says, "I never met your wife. Was she nice?"
"She was the best. Brave and headstrong. Thought being married to her was going to kill me way too often."
"It seems like the Messiah finally answered my prayers?"
"What? Did you want me to fight with your wife?"
"Since your little caretaker got married to a human, I was praying for you to have another woman to whip your stupid face."
"Well, it worked. A good 60% of all the emotions I have towards all the things that made me angry have gone towards loving her."
"Even now?"
"Forever."
Laughing, Stelara says, "You would have died rather than say something like that when you were younger. It really is amazing what life can do."
"You aren't bored with it yet, hag?"
"No way."
"Even though you have to watch some many people you knew since birth die before your eyes."
"What do you care for me now?"
"Of course I do. And I feel like it would be better if you spent the remaining century getting married, then travelling the world. To my knowledg,e you have almost never left the country outside of diplomatic missions. I think you've given enough for us and should go enjoy yourself."
Looking down towards Căderea-Dracului, Stelara says, "You've probably felt it, that feeling of staring at a newly born baby, and seeing the innocence and kindness that lies deep within it. The shining potential for almost anything in the world. Seeing that light move forward throughout all the trials and tribulations faced and overcoming them one by one. Yet sometimes they fail, sometimes they crash and can never get up.
But even in that despair, sometimes a little push on their back can get them going again, to realise and manifest that light into some form. This country is built by the grand and minuscule manifestations of all those lights, and watching that be built over these last 600 years has been an honour that not many have. Every single corner of this country has a story, and I have been allowed to witness and aid that progression over time. It might be a life in service of others, but that has truly given me more than I could have ever asked for. I think I understand why the Queen still fights for us all, and why we were called by the Messiah to stand with each other. It's all just way too beautiful, and it is in no form a prison."
"Yet, isn't it scary that they might all pass one day?"
"It is. But when you look at the faces of those who leave you very were they started, you can only look at their lives with smiles on your faces. Even the most pathetic ones of us have moved far further than they were on their first day. I have collected a list of fallen friends, but of beautiful stories that I can only have heard by having lived this long."
Sighing, Avram says, "I understand, but still, Orlok should start doing more than just waving his sword around and suckling on the Queen's breast milk."
Laughing Stelara says, "He is strong enough to kill you and all your friends, you know what he would do if he heard that right?"
"Then can I count on you to protect us?"
Wrapping her arm around Avram's head, Stelara gives his forehead a giant kiss and says, "Your big sister will always keep you safe."
"Big sister? You mean great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, Grandma?" She tightens her grip around his neck, causing him to beg, and says, "Granny, granny, I am sorry!"
Her hand tightens, and his face quickly starts to turn blue as he struggles to get air in.
Walking in front of them both, Iancu flies towards their feet, and Suzuka quickly jumps on top of him and starts pushing her hands against her face.
"You stupid fox!"
"You annoying bloodsucker!"
Stelara, breaking them up, says, "That isn't a nice way to treat each other. Playing around is one thing, but friends should treat each other nicely, especially on important days."
Suzuka, calming down, jumps off Iancu and reaches out towards him, saying, "Do you need a hand?"
Jumping up, he says, "What? Are you backing down? What I expect from an inconsistent, violent, dog-like you."
Forcing a smile on her face, Suzuka grips her fist and says, "You know what, I don't want to do this anymore. Grit your teeth!"
Suzuka swings her fist, but Stelara places her hand out to block her strike, and then moves Suzuka's body onto her lap, and rubs her head, saying, "Boys like Iancu are really dumb, but you're such a nice girl for trying so hard."
With a relieved expression on her face, Suzuka says, "I KNOW RIGHT! HE IS SO LUCKY I AM SO KIND!"
Touching his wounds, Iancu says, "A dullard like you is no-." Iancu freezes for a moment, then says, "How annoying."
"SHUT UP!"
Stelara rubs Suzuka's head and says, "I saw you trying to head over to me earlier. Did you want to ask something?"
"I was just wondering when Orb, Cyrus, and Willow will be returning."
"I was wondering the same thing."
With fear creeping over her face, Suzuka says, "Maybe they got lost as I did. What if Orb ends up close to the Queen's bedroom as well? If Dragoste isn't there to stop him, I can't imagine the incident he would cause."
Confused, Stelara says, "Wait, the Queen's bedroom? Do you mean you found it, and you saw Dragoste there?"
"Yes, he stopped me before I entered when I got lost."
"That's impossible. No one is allowed to go anywhere close to them on their own, with the exception of Orlok and I. Everyone else must go there in large, monitored groups."
"I didn't know that, I just kind of ran into him when the voice stopped talking in my head."
Avram says, "A voice?"
As Stelara sits lost in thought, Suzuka says, "I was hearing this voice talking in my head, it was leading me forward towards the Queen's door."
"Isn't that like what happened earlier when you went missing from the park. If so, this isn't a minor thing, and it might be your legacy controlling your body, Suzuka. Why didn't you bring this up?" Iancu asks.
A face of anger quickly rises on Suzuka's face as she lowers her head and says, "I thought of that, but I didn't want to bring it up."
"Why? Do you know how dangerous it is for us to not know if you're in control of your body or no-." Iancu glazing at Suzuka's face, which has a quiet anger far more intense than anything he has ever seen before, becomes quiet.
Avram, grabbing her hand, says, "I know you don't like talking about things like this. But do understand we will never hate you, no matter what. Now, is there anything else you can tell us?"
"There were two instances in which I heard a voice in my head leading me. Once was in the park, and another was when I got lost from the dinner table. In both cases, my mind felt really foggy, like it could barely make sense of the world around it, and my body was moving towards Soarele Blestemat in both cases guided by a voice. Saying things like, 'We are both the same,' And 'Free me from that witch' over and over again, but in the middle of that, another voice popped into my head, which forced me back to my senses."
Iancu says, "I don't think that was your legacy."
"Really?"
Avram says, "Iancu is right. There is no reason for a legacy to speak like that. If anything, it would have been trying to make you submit to it, not guide you anywhere. I think the other voice was something trying to manipulate your curse."
Stelara grabs Suzuka with fear and panic across her face and says, "Suzuka, how does your curse work? I know your here thoughts, but is that all this is?"
Suzuka looks at Avram with a worried look on her face, and he says, "You can trust her."
Looking directly at Stelara, Suzuka says, "I am what's known as a Hiruko, or a Norowareta-ko from Seirei. We have a curse that allows us to hear the voices and emotions of all those around us; this is being amplified by my Legacy, Tamamo-no-Mae."
"Tama Lux?" Stelara says as her eyes fill with fear and dread. "This can't be happening? There is no way, is there? But why would he do th-." Freezing, Stelara tosses Suzuka over to Avram and dashes towards the four ministers on stage.
Location: Fallen Pirates Bay, Underground Tunnels.
Φ Slamming the body of the Nightmare Dav against the side of the tunnel, Antica says, "Bastard, tell me why this is here."
Dav, with a smile across his face, says, "You already know why a revolution, you can send all your soldiers back to report this, but it doesn't matter, it has already begun. All shall be cursed."
Antica, turning his head over to the true form of the tunnel, looks at a giant piece of Balaur's bones hollowed out, for people to pass through.
Location: Soarele Blestemat, Balaur's Voice
Φ Rushing towards the ministers as Vėja gives her speech, Stelara cuts her arm and from it manifests a spiked blade made out of blood, and swings it towards Dragoste, shouting, "DIE MIRO!"
Dragoste's face quickly changes, and a smile crawls up it as he snaps his fingers. Throughout all of Căderea-Dracului from the highest bone of balaur to the lowest alley, a giant explosion goes off, rocking the entire area, sowing chaos through the minds and hearts of each and every Nightmare in sight.