Angel Monarch

"So let me get this straight… Agnes given birth, Astrid has a girlfriend, Vicky acquired three city-states in Europe, she learned how to fight and even had her first kill?… All this happened in the past two weeks?"

Sera stared at the majestic woman with pure shock. Faith had little to report in two years, but it seems everything became hectic very quickly.

Bea just smiled gently, seeing the worry in Sera's eyes. She gave a small reassuring squeeze to the Angel's hand, which she still desperately held onto.

"Everyone is fine, by the way. There were a few close calls, but we haven't lost anyone since the attempted kidnapping!"

The angelic woman nodded thoughtfully, but it was clear something bothered her quite a bit. Her eyes glanced around, as if revising her knowledge.

"Bea, don't you think it's strange, how suddenly everything is moving faster? Faith had little to report in the past two years, but in under two weeks, so much happened… I wonder if it's already beginning…"

She only whispered the last sentence, but Bea heard it clearly, even though she hadn't understood it. Eventually, Sera sighed deeply, letting go of her frustration about the topic.

The comfortable silence stretched between them, each occupied with their own thoughts. After a while, Bea remembered their earlier conversation. She swiftly turned towards Sera, full of curiosity.

"You never actually explained anything about this place, or Madness. How can we even exist inside your subconscious?"

"Ah, well, that's a long story and fairly complicated. Let's begin with the easier explanation… Madness!"

Sera took a deep breath while compiling everything she knew about her current circumstance.

"I left Europe, because after reaching Transcended, I got partially corrupted by Madness. Probably my emotional half carried the seed and when reunited, it bloomed inside of me!"

"Immediately after becoming a Transcended and resurrecting, a strange bloodlust took hold of my mind. Even after quenching it by killing hundreds of Horrors, it came back a few hours later. So I decided to leave… To keep everyone safe from myself…"

Bea never learned about the reason Sera left. Nobody really knew, other than Vicky and Henry, but even they kept it a secret.

Now, she finally understood what the look in Sera's golden-green eyes was… The angelic woman felt ashamed!

She left everyone without any orders or goodbye. Her nation, built upon the Angel's image, became leaderless and fractured.

Vicky and Henry managed to pull everyone back together. However, it didn't make Sera feel any better.

Her actions caused a pair of children to take her position. It forced her daughter to step up, because of Sera's inability to control her bloodlust!

With this understanding, Bea squeezed Sera's hand once more, while gently smiling at her. The shame slowly left her eyes, and she even gave a quick, fleeting smirk.

"Anyway. I wasn't certain, but as time went on, everything became more obvious. After the first year, Madness's influence became more predominant. My subconscious constantly fought against it, while my body wanted to kill everything in sight!"

"That's when I learned how to enter my own subconscious. With Clear Mind, my body continues to fight on autopilot, while I can destroy the Seed of Madness here!"

While speaking, Sera lifted her arm and made a sweeping motion, accentuating her words with body movements.

"That void you saw was the Seed of Madness, while the light was my subconscious fighting against it. When I gained form, that's when my actual consciousness entered the fray!"

Bea nodded, even though she barely understood the meaning behind Sera's words.

"But how can I be here? I assume only my mind is here, so does that mean my body is still just floating in the hot tube, unconscious? I should probably leave then. The others might get worried!"

Sera just raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress her amusement.

"You don't need to worry. Time goes by extremely slowly in here. We could spend days talking, and only minutes would pass outside… Anyway, hot tub?" Asked Sera with a bemused smirk.

A small blush took over Bea's greenish face. She took a deep breath and shrugged innocently.

"It's cold in Antarctica, so I dug into a geothermal water source and built a hot tub. It's really comfortable, you would love it!"

The angelic woman snorted and giggled to herself…

"Well, maybe we can try it out when I'm back…"

Bea glanced into Sera's loving eyes, but found mostly sadness within… "And when's that?" She asked curiously.

Sera just shook her head dismissively…

"I don't know exactly, but soon. Everything moves faster, the locks will soon break and the Gates will tear open… 'When Heaven's door opens, and the gates of Hell burst wide, The Angel rides back home, to save and kill all her kind!'"

The quiet left by her statement quickly turned awkward. Bea never heard of Fate, so in her mind, Sera just began rhyming for no apparent reason.

She felt a bit creeped out, so instead of asking further questions about those strange words, Bea steered back the conversation to its main topic!

"So, you're fighting against Madness in your mind, while your body also struggles with the bloodlust. When do you rest?"

This question pushed Sera out of her burdened silence. She chuckled for a few moments before sighing deeply.

"Rest? Who needs rest? I hadn't actually slept for the past few months! Even when I'm not fighting either here or in the real world, I can't sleep. If I lose consciousness, it's game over…"

Bea raised a concerned eyebrow while looking at Sera's face closely. Her flawless beauty hid most of the telltale signs of exhaustion, but Bea's keen eyes and nature sense found them quickly.

"What do you mean 'it's game over'?" She asked, unable to hide the worry from her voice.

The angelic woman just glanced at Bea like she was stupid…

"It's a metaphor used for death. You know, in video games, when you die…"

Before she could've continued, Bea raised her empty hand and flicked the Angel's forehead. Sera yelped from surprise, then giggled at her friend's annoyed expression.

"Fine, sorry! It was just too great of an opportunity to miss!… Anyway, if I lose consciousness, even my subconscious can't fight against the Seed of Madness in my head. That means I'll immediately get corrupted by it!"

Bea already guessed as much, but hearing it only filled her heart with more fear. She trusted in Sera's ability to hold out against Madness's influence…

But how long will she need to? Throughout the rest of her life? Can the Seed be destroyed?

All these questions popped into Bea's mind. However, she didn't ask any of them. It was useless to worry about it, instead she needed more information, so she could find a way to help!

"So is that how Madness works? All monsters we ever fought against got corrupted just like you?"

Sera made a wobbling motion with her empty hand, while staring at Bea appreciatively. They knew each other well, so hiding the intent behind her questions was impossible.

"Yeah, the more powerful ones who can resist. However, most creatures can't even struggle against Madness. Then there are His followers, like Harold or Amygdala, the acolytes. They don't lose their minds and even gain benefits from the corruption!"

Bea paid attention to the angelic woman's every word, trying to find clues within.

"Hmm… So the Seed causes all these issues, and succumbing to it means losing your mind forever to Madness… Then I guess we just need to destroy the Seed!"

A cheeky smirk spread across Sera's face as she pointed at Bea…

"I like your optimism! However, removing the Seed isn't as easy as beating it in combat! We need someone with a specific power that could help!"

The majestic woman nodded, but Sera's next words shocked her…

"I already found him, but removing the Seed isn't optimal for now!… I'll need the bloodlust in the upcoming battle. Without it, I'll lose!"

Yet again, Bea ignored the Angel's creepy words, and instead focused on the new information she gained.

"Where is this man? Maybe we can ask for his help and keep him safe until you need to remove the Seed! It would be safer to have him on standby constantly!"

"Good thinking, but it's unnecessary. Faith already scouted him out, so if we need him ASAP, Vicky could teleport there anytime… Also, he's on the other side of the world, in Australia!"

Bea felt surprised hearing this. By Lilith's and Adam's account, out of every continent, only Europe, Asia, South-America and Antarctica survived. It was nice to hear, some humans survived in Australia too!

They both fell into silence once more. Bea looked around, glancing at the abstract shapes, then down at herself.

At some point, clothing appeared on her, which she hadn't even noticed. But her confusion appeared for a different reason.

"Sera, I have one final question! How am I here exactly? How did my mind travel into your subconscious?"

Sera also became thoughtful, hearing her question. She wasn't quite certain, but had an obvious guess.

"I'm not sure. However, it's probably related to the Seed of the World Tree you used on me! It didn't just heal me, but boosted my regeneration and gave me a bunch of abilities. It even changed my eye color and yours too!"

Shock appeared on Bea's face as she remembered everything that happened after she placed the seed inside Sera's chest.

"I guess so. It's weird. The description had mentioned nothing about its purpose. It was merely a last ditch effort to save your life!"

Suddenly surprising Bea once more, Sera reached out and hugged her, while whispering into her ear.

"I don't think I ever actually said it, but just in case… Thank you for saving my life. My rational half didn't care about such formalities as appreciation, but I'm glad for your help!"

Bea just awkwardly stood while Sera hugged her. She could barely form a thought under her gentle arms. Her voice felt sweet as honey, as her close breath brushed against Bea's ears.

The majestic woman's face turned red as a tomato, while her hands shook with excitement.

"N-no… There's no need… There is no need to thank me! I just did what any friend would do… Anyway, I should probably head back home!"

Desperately, while trying to hide her heavy blush, Bea tried pushing Sera away. However, the angelic woman's arms stayed firm.

"Do you really want to go? Don't you have any more questions about the past two years? Aren't you curious about what I went through? How I survived?… Who I've been with?"

The trembling in Bea's hands stopped immediately. Her blush also disappeared as if someone poured a cold shower on her head.

Finally, Sera took a step back and smiled gently at Bea, who wasn't so eager to leave anymore.

"Well, I guess I could stay a bit longer!" She said while mirroring Sera's smile.

The Angel laughed at her sudden change of heart, and asked, "So, what do you want to know?"

A cunning grin spread across Bea's face, surprising Sera. The majestic woman leaned forward and said a single word… "Everything!"