Angel Monarch

Whenever Bea thought back on her current life, an unbearable sadness washed over her. Even with her friends nearby, with her daughter loving her, Bea felt an inexplicable loneliness.

Nothing made sense in her mind. She let herself float atop the bubbling water, while her teary eyes stared up at the stars above.

"Wonder if she's seeing these beautiful stars too… I don't even know where she is… Is it day or night there? Is it cold like Antarctica, or hot like a desert? Maybe there is raining there… Does she have any shelter, or home…"

The words left Bea's mouth in quick succession. These were her locked away thoughts, which she kept locked away from everyone, even herself. She was barely aware of their meaning as her mind moved on.

"I should ask Vicky for her location. Maybe she can schedule a meeting?… But what if she doesn't want to see me… Or even worse. What if she can't see me?… What if the reason she ran away still plagued her… Is she suffering? Is she safe? Does she need help?…"

Bea sighed deeply and closed her eyes for a few seconds. In the darkness, images popped up… Memories of the past, of better times. When life was easier and the pain in her heart didn't exist yet!

She remembered her first meeting with Sera, not on that horrid rooftop, but back at their base in Havel.

A small shiver arced across Bea's body when she recalled getting pinned to the wall. She would've never admitted it, but her heart skipped a few beats when she felt Sera's hands on her body.

Back then, when Bea first laid her eyes upon Sera's clean face, she couldn't believe someone could look so perfect and divine. Now, however… Her opinion hadn't changed!

That look in Sera's golden eyes was one Bea would never forget. Even after everything she suffered, she had no fear. Her eyes hid immense confusion and a bit of anger, but never fear!

A small smile appeared on Bea's face while her eyes stayed closed, enjoying the moment.

Her thoughts took a naughty turn as she remembered the first night she spent together with Sera. The joy she felt when she confessed her love. The warmth in her body as they devoured each other ferociously.

Another shiver went down as her face blushed heavily. While remembering the moment was enjoyable, it also felt wrong somehow. Especially recalling Sera's perfect heavenly body.

It seemed wrong to remember Sera's naked body, like she had no rights seeing her like that anymore!

She shook her head gently, chasing away the dirty thoughts, and instead remembered a much more wholesome memory.

The first time Bea met Victoria, the girl already knew everything about her. Even before they made it official, the small girl already treated both Sera and Bea as her mothers.

Throughout all the suffering she endured, her bright spirit never became tainted. Her cheerful, joyous self on brightened as time went on.

Bea was extremely proud of her daughter. She knew Vicky's self-growth wasn't because of her parenting, but she still felt immense joy when thinking about the young girl.

Lots of happy memories appeared in her mind. Like both Vicky's and Sera's first time at the sea, or their meeting with Kastral. The time she spent together with Sera on that rooftop, in some destroyed city…

Her lips twisted into a permanent smile as she remembered all her best memories, but the more she thought about Sera, a strange feeling came over Bea.

At first she just shivered, like an icy wind hit her body. However, she still floated atop the scolding bath, while the nearby Tree of Life provided a temperate environment.

The feeling felt stronger than a mere wind. It was closer to a powerful feeling of dread, like the coldness touched her very existence!

She tried to suppress the feeling, the terror, the constant fight against losing control. Her muscles flexed as she struggled against the infinite pressure. Slowly, bloodlust washed over her…

Somehow, even through her struggle, Sera never left her mind. She felt closer to her than ever, even through the distance between them… North America was quite far away!

Suddenly, Bea's reddened eyes snapped open. She panted quickly as the bloodlust and dread gradually left her.

She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to her dark surroundings once more. Slowly, she looked down at her hands. They were bloody from her nails digging into her palm.

"That… Those feelings… It wasn't me…" She said, while calming her breathing.

"But then who?… Wait! North America?… That's where Sera and Faith are… But how do I know that? I never asked Vicky… Those feelings… They were hers…"

As her thoughts aligned once more, everything became clear. Somehow, she connected with Sera's mind. She felt all her emotions, and even received a bit of knowledge, like her current position.

Suddenly, Bea burst into laughter, as sadness filled her heart and tears ran down her face.

"I guess I should've known! The famous Angel Monarch would never run away if she had no reason to!… You're suffering greatly, I'm sure of it!"

With the sadness came clarity. Bea glanced down at her bloody palms once more. The crimson flowers grew from her blood, while the golden flowers grew from her tears.

Slowly, her the melancholy left her, as a determined look appeared in her greenish-gold eyes.

"I don't know how much you're suffering, or if I can do anything to help you. However, I might as well try!… How can I say I still love you, then leave you to suffer alone! I might not be the vest person, but I'm never hypocritical!"

Bea chuckled to herself, then leaned back atop the water and let her mind roam free.

She focused on Sera, tried remembering everything about the woman. Her shiny, golden hair. Her fierce golden-green eyes. Her strong, perfect body. Her holy, pristine wings.

As she concentrated on Sera, a picture appeared in her mind. It wasn't a memory; it didn't even feel real. She just saw abstract shapes and colors moving in a vast emptiness.

Strangely, unlike the abstract shapes, Bea held onto her body. She stood naked, her feet pressing into some alien material. It felt both soft and hard, while being hot and cold simultaneously.

"Now that I think about it, this entire place feels like that. It's both gigantic and miniature. Everything feels both menacing and beautiful. The colors are full of life while reflecting death… Even my voice…"

Only after a few seconds of talking did Bea realize her own voice felt only like a whisper as it vibrated her vocal cords. However, as it left her mouth, it sounded like an extremely loud shout!

Curiosity took hold of Bea, and soon she began walking to the right. Or maybe left? It also might've been up or down. Or backward and forward simultaneously?

Reality itself felt wrong in this strange space. It bent on itself, distorting everything. The abstract shapes moved and changed without uniform, purely chaotic.

Bea tried not staring at the shapes. She felt like those strange shapes could drive her insane… Or more like Mad!

As this thought appeared in Bea's mind, a loud noise shook her very soul, while a gentle, annoying buzzing echoed inside her skull.

The noise was similar to amused laughter, while the sound of clashing weapons quickly followed.

She moved towards the direction of the fighting, while the buzzing continued in her head. But even after minutes or maybe hours of walking, she hadn't gotten any closer.

In fact, she felt like the noise was coming from the opposite direction she had been walking.

"I hate this fucking place. How is this abstract bullshit related to Sera's suffering? I don't understand anything and this stupid buzzing is driving me Mad!"

As her anger rose, she swiftly took a few calming breaths and closed her eyes. Slowly, the buzzing became more silent, but never quite went away.

"Okay, if this is Sera's mind or something, then I must have a way to find her!"

She took another deep breath, cleared her mind from any useless thoughts, and summoned Sera's image once more.

The fighting, which echoed all around her, suddenly came from a singular direction. Slowly, step after step, Bea followed the sound while keeping her eyes closed.

The sensory overstimulation became much more manageable blind, and only seconds after beginning following the sound, she heard it getting closer.

Excitement grew in Bea's heart, but she didn't lose focus. While continuing her concentration, she walked towards the sound, until she felt close enough.

Bea took a deep breath once more, and slowly opened her eyes. The colors and abstract shapes overwhelmed her near immediately, but after a while, the picture became clear in front of her.

Her breath caught in Bea's throat as she gazed upon something barely comprehensible.

A dark, void-like shape moved between the abstract ones, attacking its opponent. The bright, ever consuming light fought off the void's attacks while delivering her own.

She had no clue what the void was, but just from a glance, the light's identity became obvious. While it held no obvious shape, within its depths, Bea saw a tiny green sapling, grown from her own seed… The Seed of the World Tree!

The light also held a holy, pristine, flawless beauty within. Only a very special individual would possess such traits. Someone whom Bea once loved more than anything…

The light decreased in size, until only a 1,8 meter tall woman stood on the abstract battlefield. Behind her back, three pairs of wings stretched far and wide. Her only weapon was a pair of silver gauntlets with deathly sharp talons.

The divine woman grinned widely at her opponent, then laughed with insanity and dismantled the darkness with ferocity!