Chapter 1097 Fenoras's Secre
"Emperor-."
"Please, call me Fenoras. Long before I became the Emperor, and even after, that is what those I trust called me."
If Eloise's mind hadn't been filled with worry, she would have been filled with pride on hearing that she was trusted by such a legendary figure.
However, standing on the roof of the Palace of Lanthanor, her eyes and thoughts were all fixed on Daneel who sat in front of her in a state of near-death.
It felt as if a lifetime had passed since the morning, which had started so wonderfully as she had still been able to feel the warmth of him left behind when she woke up. Something that she had dreamt of for years and years had finally come true, and even though this was hardly the first night they had spent together, she still cherished each and every moment that she had been with him.
Thinking that he had just gone out to look over some preparations or something, she had stayed in bed and hugged the sheets on which he had lain. His musky scent that she loved so much clung to them, and for a few moments, she forgot herself and just prayed that things would never change.
Beside her, Xuan had been sleeping like a rock, as she was wont to do after a tiring night. She was a snorer, so just after the second night they had spent together, itself, Eloise and Daneel had both taken the decision that a spell should be cast to let them have a quiet night.
All of these casual thoughts had fled her mind when she saw a note on the table beside the bed.
She had never liked notes. Back when she was a princess, her father had often used notes to communicate with her as it was often that he was too busy to give her any time. It was also using notes that she had been able to talk to her mother who had been locked inside the concubine wing of the Palace, so every one that she saw made her remember all the difficulties that she had had to go through to obtain them and know whether the most important person in her life still remained alive.
Even now, she could sense that something was wrong even though there was a possibility that it might just be something sweet left behind by her kin-… no, by her husband.
That thought once again filled her with the giddy happiness that had dominated her mind during the ceremony the day before, so drawing strength from it, she stretched forward and picked it up.
Her hands had started to shake when she read the contents, and not even a moment later, she found herself frantically flying through the air to the terrace where she found him, as had been written in the letter.
He had looked so peaceful that for a moment, her mind toyed with the idea of convincing herself that he was just meditating, but she could hardly ignore what he had said. Running forward, she shook him as hard as she could, and just as she feared, he did not stir.
In one moment, it felt as if all the peace she had been enjoying had shattered. She almost broke down in tears, but everything she had been through until now had helped to condition her enough that she could hold her own in times of stress.
Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the letter to see if she could find any more clues.
"My dear queens. If you're reading this letter, that means that something might have gone wrong. I'm embarking on a dangerous journey that I think will equip us with the last trump card that we desperately need. But in a few hours, if I still don't return, go forward with the war with the assumption that I will not be joining you. All the parts that I need to play will not be affected: I have made sure of that. Just bear me in your thoughts and I promise that as soon as I can, I will be by your side again.
-Your husband."
That last word made her want to hug the letter, but knowing better, she had hastily contacted all the sovereigns and the Emperor.
That was why the man was here, so after nodding and hearing him speak, she continued.
"Fenoras. Daneel…"
She told them everything that she knew, and towards the end, all of the sovereigns had extremely worried expressions on their faces.
It was only the Emperor who stood there, unfazed, but even that changed when he walked forward to Daneel and laid a hand on his shoulder.
As if struck by a lightning bolt where he stood, Fenoras lurched back and almost fell on the floor.
He was caught in the last moment by Arafell, who quickly cast a spell to check him with fear in her eyes.
Just like her and Xuan, Arafell was also someone who had finally managed to get together with the one she loved, so this fear was something that she shared. However, she was lucky enough to find that her husband was fine, so together, the sovereigns waited for the man to stand up and speak.
He left them waiting, though, when he hesitantly took a few steps forward once again. He stopped short, this time, before bending down slowly and looking at Daneel's hand.
Following his gaze, everyone saw that there was a small droplet of blood floating there serenely.
This time, the Emperor cast a spell that none of them had ever seen. It almost felt like a…copy of his consciousness went forward to touch the droplet, following which it was consumed in the blink of an eye.
All of the blood left the Emperor's face as this happened. Pale and sweaty, he sat down on the floor as if his legs couldn't bear his weight.
The suspense was almost too much to bear, but thankfully, after gulping and pausing for a bit, the man finally spoke.
"As you all must know, I made my name during the War of the Godbeasts. Then, every time that we killed a major member of them, they would always say one thing. 'Our mother shall avenge us'. You don't know the way they looked at us when they said it, so finally, we tired of not knowing what they were talking about. Together, some of us committed the grave sin of breaking into a Godbeast's consciousness to find out who this 'mother' was. This was not recorded in any history book, and it was even deleted from my own memories because of the pact we made. But now I remember it… The Mother they mentioned was the mother of all Godbeasts, who was supposed to have lived long before humans even found the Paths to Power. When I was inside the consciousness of that Godbeast… I felt her aura, which seemed to be a memory passed down in the blood of all powerful Godbeasts. I don't know how… But he has obtained her blood. I felt that same aura now from that droplet. And from the remnants of the barrier around it… I can tell that he must not have known. Show me the letter."
Eloise did not know what to make of all this, but when asked, she quickly thrust forward the piece of paper he had left behind. She had already mentioned it in her short explanation, but when the Emperor read it, his expression changed to show deep concern.
"He did tell us once that there was no limit to his Fighter path as he could repeatedly empower himself if he kept finding the blood of powerful Godbeasts… So he must have prepared himself, at least. Those Godbeasts that you killed might just have been bluffing, right? He'll definitely walk out of this unscathed! We just have to wait…"
Xuan initially looked as if she was asking the Emperor, but towards the end, it sounded more like a desperate wish to the Heavens.
Eloise and the rest of the sovereigns turned to Fenoras, waiting to see what he would say.
His head was bent in thought, but after a minute, when he raised it and gave the answer, his words sent a chill down all of their spines.
"Let me put it this way. Imagine that the ruler of a race that has hunted your children to extinction places himself at your mercy. What would you do? I don't know about you, but if I were the Mother… I would make sure that he will never return."