The Empress began to tremble violently. The last remnants of color drained completely from her face, leaving her looking like a freshly exhumed corpse.
It was the absolute truth. It was the deepest, most sacred secret of her existence—a divine pact she had never spoken aloud in twenty years, hidden in the darkest corner of her mind.
Heena watched the sheer, cosmic terror completely consume the older woman. The mocking smile faded from Heena's face, leaving behind the grim, merciless gaze of a veteran who had slaughtered these anomalies across a dozen dimensions.
"You arrogant, stupid woman," Heena said calmly, the weight of the universe pressing down on every syllable. "Have you ever thought for a single second about who that so-called being truly is? The entity that claimed to love and care for you, giving you endless chances to rule?"
Heena leaned in closer, her dark eyes locking onto the Empress's shattered soul.
