The two figures watched, as their brother, emerged from the roaring flames. His skin, visibly peeled and raw, began to knit itself back together with an unnatural speed.
"Finally," one of them murmured, the word a soft exhalation of relief.
Their attention, however, was swiftly drawn to the approaching figures at the gate. Matilda and Joshua strode towards them, their presence cutting through the lingering heat of the conflagration.
"You! Do you plan to kill us?!" one of the brothers bellowed, his voice raw with accusation, aimed squarely at Matilda.
"Shut up!" the first one snapped, silencing his sibling. He then turned his gaze, sharp and accusatory, upon Matilda. "Are you so ambitious that you don't care about the lives of your own people?"
Matilda's eyes swept across the devastation—the shattered remnants of homes, the earth scorched black and barren. A low chuckle escaped her lips, devoid of humor.
"My people?" she echoed, her voice flat, emotionless. "My goal is to rule this galaxy, and watch everyone bow at my feet! Killing a few to accomplish this isn't bad."
"What about him?" the man pressed, his head tilting towards Joshua.
"He already served his purpose," Matilda replied, her tone unwavering.
"What?" Joshua's voice was a stunned whisper, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Matilda turned to face him, a single eyebrow arching in a gesture that was both dismissive and predatory. Joshua, however, remained rooted in his deepening confusion.
She moved towards him, her steps unhurried, and placed a hand on his chest. "Shhh… Don't be like that, I said you already served your purpose because you already did."
"Ah!" Joshua's guttural cry was ripped from him as a searing pain lanced through his head. He looked down, his eyes widening at the sight of a small needle protruding from his chest. "This?!"
His gaze shot back to Matilda's face, where a cold, triumphant smirk played on her lips. "You made me do this," she said, her voice dropping to an icy whisper. "I despise weakness, and you are always questioning my plan and actions! I told you, I can't have any loose ends in my plan." A smile, devoid of warmth, touched her lips. "A ruler must be ruthless and cold, even to his or her loved ones and subordinates, to live long…"
"You bitch!" Joshua roared, summoning his sword with a desperate surge of energy. But before he could launch his attack, he vomited a mouthful of thick, black blood, his body collapsing to his knees, his sword the only thing keeping him upright. "You bitch! You won't end well!" he spat, defiance warring with the encroaching pain.
"Look at you! You betrayed your best friend who treated you like a brother! What will you do when you have enough of me?" Matilda asked, her voice laced with chilling curiosity. She knelt, her eyes locking onto Joshua's fading gaze. "I asked these three behind me a very important question. You are about to die, so I will tell you."
She gently placed her hand on his cheek, her touch a morbid caress. "My dearest, they said before I can unlock my bloodline, I need the heart of a powerful warrior… My plan was to take Vancouver's heart, but," she sighed, a hint of genuine disappointment in her voice, "he doesn't have a body left, so I had to change my target… You are one of the strongest, and also someone who knows almost all of my secrets."
She leaned in closer, pressing a cold kiss onto his lips, pulling back quickly before Joshua, in his weakening state, could bite her.
"Fufufu… So funny," she chuckled, a sound like glass shards. "You said you love me, so why are you so angry? You also said you will give me your heart, then why are you refusing now?"
Her palm rested on his chest, her gaze fixed on his dimming eyes, as she applied increasing pressure.
"AHHH!!" Joshua's scream was a raw, primal sound of agony as Matilda's hand burst through his chest, emerging with his still-beating heart.
She rose, the bloody organ clutched in her hand, and watched dispassionately as his body slumped heavily to the ground, utterly lifeless.
"What next?!" she asked, turning her head to address the man over her shoulder.
"Not yet the time. Wait till there aren't any blood on it, then infuse your celestial energy into the heart and eat it, everything," he instructed, his voice growing serious. "By doing this, your bloodline will mutate and turn into the blood elf bloodline… And you might become a half-demon."
"As long as it makes me stronger, I don't care," Matilda stated, her voice unwavering as she stored the heart in her spatial dimension.
WEEEEE!!!
A distant wail pierced the air, and Matilda and the three figures turned their heads in unison. In the distance, a multitude of lights twinkled—vehicles and battleships, their destination clear.
"Go!" Matilda commanded.
The three nodded, their forms dissolving into the encroaching night. Matilda, with a deliberate calm, wrapped her hand in a cloth, picked up Joshua's fallen sword, and with a swift, calculated slash, inflicted a deep scar upon her own right cheek.
With one final, sweeping look at the desolate scene, she threw the sword beside Joshua's corpse and collapsed to the ground, feigning unconsciousness.
[Two Minutes Later!]
VOOM!
The air thrummed with power as vehicles and starships descended, surrounding the area. Men and women, clad in gleaming armor and armed with plasma guns, shields, and various weapons, leaped from the craft.
"Survey the surroundings!" a soldier ordered, stepping forward, his night-vision helmet sweeping over the grim tableau.
The fifty soldiers behind him nodded, fanning out, their weapons held at the ready.
"Who would dare attack the Star Empire?! Even firing a missile!" he muttered, advancing cautiously.
"Right clear! No survivors!"
"Charles clear! No survivors!"
"Bravo clear! No survivors!"
The man listened to the grim reports, his eyes scanning the desolate landscape. He spotted two figures on the ground and immediately rushed towards them, followed by his ten-man team.
"Oh my God! That's the Empress and the Commander!" he yelled, skidding to a halt before the two prone forms.
"Vice Commander, what should we do?" one of his subordinates asked.
The Vice Commander dropped to his knees, his practiced hands checking Matilda for a pulse.
"I got a pulse! The Empress is alive! Fast, take her to the doctor!" he bellowed.
Two women in armor rushed forward, carefully lifting Matilda and carrying her towards one of the waiting spaceships.
The Vice Commander then turned his attention to the man beside the Commander's body. They watched as he gently turned Joshua over.
"...?!!!"
All ten soldiers gasped, stunned by the gaping, bloody hole in Joshua's chest.
The Vice Commander's gaze shifted to Matilda, who was being carried away. His eyes fixed on the tell-tale bloodstain on her hand. Then, remembering the raw, bloody scar on Matilda's face, his expression hardened, turning cold and calculating.
"A battle happened here." His gaze swept around the ravaged landscape.
"Vice Commander, we got news!" a soldier yelled, rushing towards them.
"What happened?!" the Vice Commander demanded.
"Vice Commander! The missile has been tracked. The missile which hit this place was sent from our own silo! And the Commander is the only one with the control! And we also got a report from the command center that the Commander gave the order."
The Vice Commander's teeth gritted in a silent fury. He nodded, his resolve hardening.
"All forces retreat! Search the vicinity! Look for survivors! And… bring the Commander's body back."
"Yes, Vice Commander!" The soldiers snapped to attention, saluting before dispersing to carry out their orders.