Rushed footsteps came from the corridor behind her. Several succubi came floating toward the entrance, accompanied by a group of armored demons. "Your Majesty?!" One of the demons called out while one of the succubi asked worriedly. "We sensed your mana flaring up through the entire castle, did something happen?"

The succubus followed Esperia's gaze, seeing the soulless bodies of the corrupted Seraphim. "It seems there was quite a party ongoing~ Pity I wasn't invited~" The succubus chimed playfully while Esperia noticed movement in the corner of her eyes. The demons were about to unsheathe their weapons, but noticing the light gesture of their queen, alongside the kneeling motion of the corrupted Seraphim in front of their queen they knew all too well that everything was alright.

"Please allow me to serve you: Queen of Debauchery." The Seraphim asked humbly, making Esperia wonder if she had overdone her brainwashing on the poor lass. "Fine, I will allow your contributions to my cause." Esperia spoke while the other demons looked at each other for a moment and then nodded, leaving the room to return to their patrol and leaving Esperia with her new servant.

"What will you do next Queen Esperia?" The Seraphim asked as Esperia turned toward her and smiled mischievously. "Getting dressed of course~ I can't just go to Earthland naked~ Besides you should do the same, since you'll be accompanying me."

The Seraphim's gaze drifted to her own attire, or rather the lack thereof and started blushing intensely.

WC: 255
Total WC: 255/1500

It didn't take too long till the two were properly dressed and back at the throne chamber. So far it seemed only the two of them were inside the chamber, leaving them with a certain degree of privacy. Still, it seemed that Aseria had some questions for her, questions that Esperia was more than eager to clarify further. "Queen Esperia, why are you looking to return to Earthland?" The question made her smile as she gently rested a hand on the arm of her throne. "Although I might be a Demon now, I still hold onto my origins as a human. Even now, I still consider myself just as much the Demon Queen of Debauchery, as I consider myself Esperia, the Blue Pegasus mage~"

Aseria seemed quite lost in thought about these words, seemingly considering them carefully. "So you are saying that because of your past, you are able to overcome the traditional destructive behavior that demons tend to possess?"

The question was a curious one, one that made her bring a hand to her cheek as she pondered for a while. "I'm not sure, I'd say it might be partly because of that. Although one could say that the mortal races are similar in that regard right? Whether human, elf or dwarf: they all possess the possibility to do things that could be perceived as good or evil. What makes us different from them? Perhaps the Obscura might make us lean toward darker tenacities, but what if one conquered it? Wouldn't that show how strong our will is? How determined our resolve can be? I'd say that even demons are capable of accomplishing good things."

Aseria nodded her head lightly as she listened to Esperia's opinion, leading to her to clarify soon afterwards. "In hindsight I'd say it is likely because of my past that I am so determined. I seen both the good and bad of mortals. The beautiful and the ugly, and even then I can't help but desire to leave Earthland's fate to its own denizen. My entire life I asked why there was never divine intervention. Not during the civil war, not during the demonic invasion or even during the time the darkest timeline raiders crossed over into our world. But perhaps it is because these other-realmers never really cared or considered it their responsibility? Whatever the case might be, I know my place~ and it is among my friends."

As she rose from her throne Esperia walked over to the black-winged Seraphim and gently extended a hand toward her. "How about it Aseria? Would you like to see for yourself the beauty that Earthland has to offer?"

The angel nodded her head in response, gently grasping a hold of her hand as she felt Esperia gently tug her along, but rather than going downwards they went up, this time to the balcony that overlooked the castle. Once there Esperia could see her demonic subordinates had gathered, the legions she had attained by usurping Ulquirr's throne revealing she had grown a fair degree in influence within the abyss.

As she stepped toward the balcony's railing she spoke, although she could feel that due to her power her voice seemingly resonated within the minds of her followers. "My loyal followers, the time has come at last! We have reclaimed our freedom, vanquished the false king from his throne and celebrated and feasted as if there was no tomorrow!"

The demons roared in cheers as she resumed. "But tomorrow has come~ And so I bring new orders: Grow our numbers! To these who wish to join us, recruit them to our side. To these who oppose us? Strike them down! Be free and show me a grand festival upon my return!"


And with these words the Demon Queen of Debauchery returned to the castle, preparing to descent toward the deepest chambers of the keep alongside Aseria. The portal leading toward Earthland was waiting for her. Soon she would be able to return home once more!

Arriving at the gateway chamber the machine that would empower the portal was waiting for her, her hand moving quietly toward it as the ring around her finger pulsed with eerie energy and then... Woosh! a large portal spread open in the gateway, seemingly granting Esperia access to the realm she had once called home. Aseria waited beside her, a mixture of curiosity and excitement visible in her expression as the Demon Queen approached the portal and stepped through it, thoughts of Hargeon drifting through her mind as a wave of blue energy surrounded her being.

WC: 775
Total WC: 1050/1500

Soon she felt the gentle breeze of the sea passing through her hair, leaving Esperia with an immense sense of nostalgia as she found herself standing at a cliff overlooking the harbor port of Hargeon. A glimpse behind her showed the gateway was closing just after Aseria stepped out of the gate, leading Esperia to wonder how she would get back to her castle in the future, but these were thoughts for later. She took a deep breath, an innocent smile appearing on her lips as she turned back toward Aseria. "Can you feel it Aseria? This wind breeze? The sight of the beautiful sea, the lively port of Hargeon in the distance? This is Earthland, the realm I call home~ The realm I want to protect."

Aseria smiled briefly at these words, closing her eyes as she allowed the breeze to wash over her being. Although she could understand the beauty of this place, she lacked Esperia's innocent enthusiasm. No, if anything she was excited because Esperia was here, she wanted to see and experience what type of future the Demon Queen would bring.

"Although I'm not certain how long it has been since I died as a mortal. Perhaps it would be best for us to take some human disguises. While Hargeon is not exactly known for racisms, it might cause some alarm to see a Demon and a fallen Seraphim to walk side by side into the town~"

Esperia thought for a moment about the earlier advice she had been given about human disguises, trying to visualize herself the way she wanted to be seen: A beautiful and strong ruler, a queen worth admiring and following. As her transformation started to activate she turned back toward Aseria who seemingly had already transformed back into her human-like look. Her wings had disappeared and her armor looked more like that of a normal knight. "Won't people recognize you?" She asked Aseria but the woman shook her head, explaining how she had died many years ago and that there was nobody left alive to remember her. With these thoughts in mind Esperia started to descend along the path leading toward Hargeon. She had some ideas in mind already, one of them involved talking to Alisa, but equally important was her desire to return home to Priscilla and Hasani to let them know everything was alright.

Yet little did Esperia knew what would await her. Making her way toward the entrance of the city she decided to take a shortcut through the woods, knowing it would take her to the part of the outskirts where her house had been situated, but as she arrived there the thing that shook Esperia the most was that she found it abandoned. Not even a trace of her family was left. Gripping her gauntlets lightly, Esperia's hands balled up into fists as Aseria tried to approach her but hesitated, for among the tearful expression of her queen she could also see some underlying anger in her eyes...

WC: 507
Total WC: +1500/1500