Alyssa's POV
Kaizer carried me on his arms. With breaths heavy and sweats profuse, he ran amidst this chaos. His coughs and flush signified the side-effects of esper charge depletion.
The ground was roaring with hordes of rebels attacking the nobles and the skies growled with UU6's attempt to break the energy field. The sakura petals were tainted with blood, and reeked of death.
I hadn't recovered from the shock of losing two of my precious bonds. My mind was numb as I recollected the Oracles' predictions.
[Why? It said the only one dying would be me. Yet...]
A horde of rebels surrounded us. They possessed primitive weapons. Blood dripped from their knives as their eyes sought to pierce my flesh. Kaizer dashed towards them and apprehended two. A cut breezed my face missing my neck. Gunshots were heard as three dropped dead.
All his attention was focussed on defending me but that gave them an opening to attack him.
One of the taller civilians struck his sword in Kaizer, piercing his left flank. He squelched with agony. Blood spilling all over, he lost his balance. He was further attacked from the flanks with knives piercing his lungs. This was it, I could no longer bear watching another die for my sake.
Despair and guilt struck me. My mind dazed and eyes still unrecovered from the shock, I pleaded them to stop and to take my life instead.
Kaizer held me tight and laid on the ground on top of me. He provided his body as a shield, which the angry civilians slashed and slashed, again and again.
I tried to push him away, to let go of me. But my powerless pushes and helpless cries did nothing. I attempted to use my tic, but fear struck my heart as I recollected the incident that occurred the last time I used it. I could no longer rely on my powers. I froze.
The ground shifted amidst this assault and the fierce attacks stopped. Another officer pulled Kaizer's body and helped me get to my feet. Looking ahead, Officer Shinomiya was there. She was a talented middle-aged soldier and my mother's best friend. She used her tic to teleport us to another location nearby.
Two of her subordinates, Penny and Mpendelo rushed to Kaizer with first aid supplies to stabilize his condition.
"Forgive me, my highness. I couldn't come to your aid sooner." She bent her knees.
I did not deserve her kindness nor protection. My mother and childhood friend died in my stead. The fate that declared my death was put onto someone else. Why was I the only one saved? Wasn't I supposed to die the day I became the Ice-Queen?
She accepted my silence and hugged me close to her chest.
"You aren't responsible for the civil war nor the casualties that followed, and you don't have to blame yourself for it. We as your people have the duty to keep you safe. And you, as the new Ice-Queen have to lead us and bring back peace to this nation," she said.
Her words could not shake the despair which my heart was consumed into.
"It's alright, my highness. Sometimes it's good to cry. I won't tell others about it," She pat my back and all my feelings came out with an endless flow of tears.
I could no longer hold back my emotions, I cried loudly like a child who lost her mother, like a deer whose home was destroyed by hunters. I cried, cried, and cried.
Everything was unclear to me, I focussed solely on my emotions.
The air was suddenly rent by the sounds of the breaking energy field. There was nothing that got my attention sooner or heart accelerating faster. The spaceships of UU6 broke in and prepared to drop manned droids; the demons prepared to invade us. And there was no one that could stop them.
[UU6... they used these innocent civilians and now they plan to massacre them with us?]
[The civilians were instigated by the terrorists of UU6 to attack us? Even if they weren't, their wrath towards us was probably a direct result of our bad ruling. My job as the Ice-Queen is to protect them, nothing else should matter now!]
[I don't have a choice here. I don't see any other way to save my planet, my people. I must offer my life in exchange. I need to... Surrender.]
Violet Collin's POV
7:30 am
[Whaâ?]
[Alyssa is alive? How? Why? I clearly saw her death in my foresight. And my vision is absolute truth, so how?]
Omnifuture: the power to see the absolute future is what my tic granted me. Yet, the current events perplexed me. It was as if fate itself was forced to retreat. That which was not supposed to happen happened. And that what was supposed to happen didn't. As a result things went against my plans, and UU6 will decide to eliminate all of us.
[I can't believe it. I who possess the same powers as the first Ice-Queen:Â Emylia D'Este, got betrayed by my foresight?]
I did sense Kali's powers when fate changed its course, and that perplexed me even more. As more than anyone else, Kali desired Alyssa's death. What exactly happened? In fact, even now my vision is not clear, and this was the first time I have experienced anything like this. My Omnifuture was constantly changing its outputs and not fixing down to one possibility! It was almost as if an entirely new timeline was created all to keep Alyssa alive.
The battleship breached Palladium's atmosphere and was about to send manned drones to the ground. Well that was only expected after we were unable to finish off the new Ice-Queen. Now UU6 will turn against all of us, and everyone will die cause of her. If only I could see a clear vision, I could have put an end to all this. I froze.
the melodious song that we heard every day sung again, but this time with such a huge intensity that it reverberated through the entire Palladium's atmosphere!
It soothed everyone and made all the rage and hatred my people had, disappear. All the chaos and havoc immediately stopped.
The song was followed by the appearance of an impossible existence! Something that I never saw in any of my visions. Something about which neither had I heard about nor had I read anywhere.
I, Alyssa, and everyone in Palladium witnessed a huge Dragon traversing the skies of Palladium. It was long and beautiful. And was of white in color. I was well versed in the history of blue, red, and golden Dragons; a white Dragon was absolutely out of this world. Its shape resembled the Chinese folklore of dragons.
It was a lot smaller than what we had learned in scriptures, however, it was large enough to impress us. It was clear that it was hiding its true size. The only sound that existed in its presence was the song.
The Dragon was not here to impress us. It was here to save Alyssa. I had no idea who sent it, or why it was sent, but it came from the Sacred hills suggesting that the Angel who sung that song wanted to keep Alyssa alive?
The white Dragon swept through the enemy ships and destroyed all of them. In a twist of events it forced UU6 to retreat and instantly stopped the civil war that had broken out. All the rebels surrendered and my supporters ran with fear, forcing me to retreat as well.
The white Dragon revolved around Alyssa, making sure she was safe. Alyssa was clearly surprised but her ice-cold calmness had returned. And more than surprise, I could sense emotions of nostalgia from her.
She extended her right hand in an attempt to touch the Dragon's scales, which she successfully did as well. And for some reason, the Dragon seemed ecstatic. And this scene that completely contradicted my omnifuture in all possible ways, broke my heart and my resolve to destroy the Ice-Queen's family. A single drop of tears came from my eyes out of frustration and helplessness.
[Are you telling me that all the forces of the universe, seen and unseen are trying to save Alyssa's life? Why is her life so important, why can't she simply die!!]
She immediately took the lead of the military and helped her reinforcements fill the gaps. They safely apprehended the citizens who revolted against her family and soon the Dragon left without any warnings, the same way it had appeared out of nowhere.
***
A few days had passed after our uneventful attempt at finishing off the Ice-Queen's family. We had now confirmed that the former Ice-Queen had indeed died, and fragments of her body were recovered from Palladium's grounds. But, this news brought neither satisfaction nor happiness to my heart, as Alyssa was still alive and well.
The events regarding the white Dragon that appeared were also very puzzling. Not everyone believes in its existence, only the ones who witnessed it with me know it wasn't a hallucination and was real. The war was officially over, with no further supports from the UU6. But the rebels in our district were still causing riots to dethrone Alyssa from the ruling. No one acknowledged her as the Ice-Queen, and no one will ever acknowledge her. I am the only one who deserved that title.
laying down in this slum, I pondered over these thoughts that went through my mind amidst the noise caused by the riots. Adjusted to the foul smell of the drainage and wastelands of Area 77, and unable to bear the rotten smell of my teacher's corpse lying in this room; my poor teacher that was murdered by Prince Charles.
[It's funny isn't it Alyssa? I lost the last person whom I could call a family and you lost someone with a similar position as well. We are indeed sisters, by blood and by fate.]
I stared at my teddy and went to grab it when suddenly the door barged open and two of my mother's followers anxiously shouted,
"Goddess! You need to escape, quick! Our helpers in Ice-Queen's army informed us a State-level threat had been initiated to seek you! We were also informed they would shoot you dead on sight, you need to run!"
"Ohh? That's all?" I stared at them with no concerns. Getting my attention back to the teddy which was so dear to me.
I could not even rely on my tic now. Not after it betrayed me in Palladium: it showed me a false future, a false hope to hold onto.
"If that's the case then let them come here and kill me. I don't really want to live anyways. Let this world go to DISTANT OBLIVION for all I care, I am tired of all this." I continued after a long sigh.
To be honest, I actually knew a perfect way to suicide if needed. Just calling out Kali's name while imagining his infinite details would instantly kill me, splattering my brains out. Not that I would actually dare to do that.
Even this brief thought gave me a headache.
"Please, Goddess! Don't give up hope... you are all we rebel have! You are the rightful heir of the throne, so you must stay alive to lead us out of DISTANT OBLIVION, that the previous Oracle; may her soul rest in peace; warned us of. Please don't leave us alone, young Oracle," Rubert pleaded, while Brutus stared at me with ambiguous expressions that suggested worry and lust?
I would have filed for a sexual harassment case on Brutus for ogling me like that if it was any normal day.
I ignored them and focused all my attention on my torn teddy again; hugging it, I stayed quiet.
But, those two stubborn idiots lifted me and forced me out of the slum.
"Wait! My teacher's body, take her as well! Please, take her too... she is inside." I cried with my right hand stretching towards the door that Rubert closed.
"She is just a corpse, Goddess. There is no point in taking her with us. You need to escape, we will provide a proper burial to her body later," Rubert said while forcefully making his way in the riot, and Brutus tightly held me, especially the skin near my private areas, not letting go of my tiny body no matter how much I pleaded.
We were too late, as the military had already entered this area. They used a high-pressure water gun to shut down the riots, some of them engaged in combat too.
On reaching the corner of the street, I was pushed into the Cylcrafter; a cheap hovercraft meant for one person's ride. Its single wheel hovered in air to give a forward thrust with the help of its low cut engines behind.
Brutus got inside the Cylcrafter, even though it was meant for a single person. My tiny body was adjusted with Brutus' hefty physique. My body screamed sexual harassment from its every cell if it was any normal day that is.
"I would have to bid my farewell, Goddess. May you be safe, and one day return when the military calms down. Brutus will take you to the Sacred-hills, cause that is the only place where her men won't enter. Noblesse Oblige!" Rubert said his final goodbyes, saluting me.
As the Cylcrafter hovered forwards, I saw another kid interacting with Rubert, who shape-shifted to look somewhat similar to me and wearing a robe they approached the military.
"What are you thinking? That is suicide!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, but they fell on deaf ears with no one to respond back.