CHAPTER 584: THE CHAOS QUEEN (II)

An island stood suspended in the embrace of the Void Realm. Its landmass stretched for tens of kilometers, a barren bed of purple stone shimmering faintly beneath the dense blanket of ever-shifting gray energy.

The Tendrils of chaos energy swelled and fell across the surface like the slow, restless arms of some slumbering colossus.

At the island’s heart, a silver and white sanctum stood afloat above the restless sea of gray and white chaos.

Its eleven towers rose in a perfect circle around a central platform open to the sky. From their terraces, streams of water spilled into a pool below, its surface glowing faintly violet beneath the light of the enormous moon that hung impossibly close above.

That moon bathed the place in a constant wash of silvery violet radiance, soft and dreamlike.

At the center of the platform was a silver throne, with a tall, ornate backrest, and upon it sat a girl no older than eighteen. Her black hair tumbled over her shoulders, veiling part of a pale and delicate face, her features soft with a quiet beauty.

Her white dress was simple and plain, covering her slender form from throat to ankle. Her hands were hidden in pure white gloves, giving her a noble elegance.

The young girl was surrounded by little animals, a small parliament of creatures that lent the scene a strange, innocent charm.

A black cat curled in her lap. A white owl perched regally upon her shoulder. An emerald-green snake coiled in gentle loops around the throne.

A Panda, a Rabbit, a pair of wolves, foxes, birds, even a tiny fawn dotted the platform, no fewer than two dozen in all, filling the air with a quiet sense of companionship.

Suspended above the silver table before her floated a dozen sheets of parchment. She frowned at them, tapping her gloved fingers against the throne’s armrest.

The sheets glowed faintly. Equations were scribbled across them, lines of numbers and symbols she clearly wished could just vanish into thin air.

"Why do I have to do this?" she muttered, pouting like a child forced to swallow medicine. Her voice was soft and clear.

She exhaled tiredly and said, "A computer could solve these equations instantly... I don’t even want to be a mathematician. I want to design, paint, draw, and create."

"All of that needs art, not... algebra and geometry." The girl complained, tossing her head back against the silver throne.

Her gloved hands balled into fists as the floating parchments before her shuffled and rearranged themselves, the equations refusing to vanish no matter how much she glared at them.

The black cat in her lap shifted, rubbing its head against her body. Its voice came out soft, almost musical, yet carrying a strange weight beneath the gentleness.

"My queen, you said it yourself. If you fail, the Great Mother will make it so you cannot enter this realm again for months." The note of worry in her words was clear, though she tried to mask it with encouragement.

The girl sighed and stroked the cat’s fur, her fingers gliding over the soft black coat. "If only I had you all back home," she laments, "I wouldn’t need to go through so much trouble."

The moment the words left her lips, every creature around her stirred. The emerald snake tightened its coils, the owl ruffled its feathers, and even the placid panda across the silver table shifted uneasily, as though her longing had awakened something deep inside them.

The owl spoke next, its golden eyes gleaming with calm certainty. "My queen, you have all the time in this realm, so there is no need to rush or despair."

"Simply work hard, and with your brilliant mind, you will unravel these little equations in no time." Its tone was smooth and reassuring.

She leaned forward with her chin in her hand. "But I don’t want to unravel them. I want to paint and design, which requires colors, not numbers."

The emerald snake lowers its head from the side, its emerald scales shimmering in the violet light. Its voice was steady, slow, and deliberate.

"My Queen, even beauty needs a structure. Without foundation, art crumbles, and these numbers... they are the bones beneath the flesh of creation." She wrinkles her nose but doesn’t argue, tracing idle circles on the throne’s armrest.

From across the table, the panda finally lifted its head, its black eyes soft and calm. "My queen, this small step is essential for your growth. The path may not be pleasant, but it strengthens you for the journeys ahead."

She looked between them all. The cat pressed warmly against her, the owl perched proudly on her shoulder, the snake coiled protectively around her throne, and the panda sat like a patient guardian.

"I wonder how Big Brother Alex is doing," She murmured, her thoughts wandering as she tried to push aside the frustration of her math problems.

"Likely busy pursuing some goal... and knowing Brother Venedikt, he would be the same." She exhaled, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. "Maybe, only Big Brother Andrei would be enjoying himself."

Her pale fingers tapped the silver table, the floating parchments covered in equations swaying slightly with her movement.

"But then again, whatever they are doing, it would still be more enjoyable than my war with these math problems."

The owl, perched proudly on her shoulder, tilts its head. Its golden eyes gleam with too-calm wisdom: "My Queen, your brothers all face their own challenges. The sheer fact that they are willing to spend an entire year away from their loved ones in the ancestral realm speaks of their dedication to growing stronger."

Sophia sighs softly, glancing down at the cat in her lap. "I know..."

She lingers there for a moment, her voice softer now. "That’s why I want to grow much, much stronger, so they don’t have to work so hard,"

"And if they are sacrificing and enduring so much, surely I can endure a little math..." Her lips trembled between a pout and a smile, as if she herself didn’t believe the comparison.

"Yes, that’s the spirit," The owl said, and the snake followed second, "My Queen, just remember your end goal."

She looked up at the circle of watchful companions. "You are all ganging up on me again," she said, though the corners of her mouth twitched into the faintest smile.

The cat stretched lazily, then purred with her head raised, its voice smooth and fond. "Only because we care."

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"So tell me, Agneyi..." Dýseira’s voice slipped through the chaos like silk, steady and emotionless. "How much of your Queen do you see in that child?"

As if in answer, the endless clouds of chaotic energy around them parted, pulled back like curtains to reveal a lone floating island. Suspended in the embrace of the Void Realm, its jagged edges bled gray vapors into the air.

At its heart stood a silver sanctuary, glowing faintly beneath the pale light of a large moon.

The two women were still kilometers away, but such distances were meaningless to beings of their stature. From where they drifted, their gazes pierced through the chaos and into the sanctum itself.

Silence reigned, vast and suffocating.

Agneyi’s face betrayed nothing, a mask of calm sculpted from stone. Yet her eyes... her eyes burned hotter with every heartbeat, two suns flaring in the void as they fixed upon the figure within the sanctuary.

There she sat, a girl draped in white, pale as moonlight, black hair framing her youthful face. Around her gathered beasts in playful postures, creatures that would seem innocent, even adorable to mortal eyes.

But Agneyi and Dýseira saw the truth beneath the veil, seeing them for what they were, nightmares draped in softness, horrors pretending at gentleness.

Seconds passed, and then minutes, yet neither of them spoke. Only the hum of the Void Realm stirred around them, until finally Agneyi’s lips parted, her voice low and uncertain.

"How... why..." The words fractured in her throat. She appeared to be at a loss for words, unable to piece together what she wanted to know.

Dýseira’s gaze stayed on the girl, her tone soft yet sharp enough to cut through the stillness. "How is her soul not corrupted?"

Agneyi’s eyes flicked toward her companion, the faintest nod betraying agreement. Yes, this was the question that gnawed at her, the one she dared not voice.

"Or perhaps the better question," Dýseira continued, "Why is her soul not fully anchored to her body?"

Agneyi’s breath caught, her jaw tightening, and again, she nodded, slow, deliberate. "It is as if she is... not real. A clone, yet not one controlled using a mere soul-wisps, but rather she has tethered her awareness to this body."

Her blazing eyes narrowed further, the fire within them restless. "...Her soul is too complete and unguarded," The words hung, heavy with disbelief.

"But why..." She murmured, half to herself, almost forgetting Dýseira’s presence. Her voice was thick with a mix of emotion, restrained fury, confusion, and urgency.

"Why take such a risk when she is so weak? What madness is this?" Agneyi whispered, her voice trembling with confusion and urgency.