A maelstrom of Arachna clashed against a fleet of the Great Races. The flying vessels flooded the firmament with a murderous glare, filling the air with dense Fons. Countless fireworks exploded into blood and gore. The world screamed in fear and despair.

Atop the commanding vessel, many a great man watched the corpses and wreckages sunk beneath the clouds. Their colossal silhouettes gradually shrank into insignificant to the infinite whiteness.

Before such scenery, the meeting room stood motionless, unmoved and untainted by the chaos outside. The commanders watched and discussed like an audience criticizing a faulty film.

"General, we detect an anomaly at the edge of the left wing."

"Show me the scene."

The wall hologram flashed. The sea of blood mist changed into a calm sky, filled with fragile peace maintained only by pure chance. A fog stretched its hands from the clouds beneath and grabbed the vessels.

An outline of a floating complex emerged from the fog, its shadow towering the vessels and halting all movement. A wave of stillness it radiated painted the world gloomy.

Like the doomsday judge, Shifting Mist rained down a swarm of exotic Arachna armoured in golden-carapace and technology. They shone like stars in the vast darkness as they annihilated all opposition. Gradually they paved a path for Shifting Mist to advance.

"What a tragedy," the general said. "We'll disengage and raise the flag."

Before long, Shifting Mist hung above the commanding vessel, surrounded by the ocean of golden Arachna. The ordinary Arachna had already dispersed, leaving the Great Races to deal with the anomaly alone.

The commanding vessel swayed, its ceiling torn into pieces. The golden Arachna jumped down and inspected the Great Races. The Arbiters and the warriors readied their power, but the general stopped them.

From the sky above the clouds, a figure cloaked in a brown mantle descended. A strong wind howled against her body, flicking her clothes and rippling her hair.

With a light step, she landed on the floor in a soft bounce, generating no audible noise. Under the hood, a pair of dull azure eyes swept the room and locked on the general.

"Do I need to introduce myself?" she said.

"Your highness, please pardon our late hospitality. We welcome you aboard." The general stood from his chair and knelt before her, the same way he did before the royalty.

"I don't take offence from the like of you. I'm here for the part."

The members of the Great Races exchanged eye contact before they focused on the general. He held the highest authority and had to shoulder the responsibility for everything that happened here.

"Your highness, I'm regretful to say we have no such thing."

"I don't want to repeat myself."

The golden Arachna growled and shook their weapons. The air around them quivered and tainted the surrounding blood-red, instilling the dangerous silence into the tense staredown.

The general gazed at the Elemental Arbiter behind him. "We'll get you the best we have. Please spare us."

"If I don't see them in five minutes, heads will roll."

In the next five minutes, the room paused in anticipation. The officers counted the second while breathing ever so softly, their heart threatening to stop pounding. The Elves prayed to their Gods and Goddesses, not knowing whether they received their calls or not.

Before the countdown ended the door swung open and revealed an Arbiter holding a decorated chest. He offered it to Princess.

She stroked the smooth chest and turned back, floating skyward and entering Shifting Mist. Her eyes only lingered on the chest and disregarded everything else.

"Take comfort in knowing you never have a choice," she said.

"Your highness, please be well." The general saluted, watching her figure disappeared into the pale mist.

The golden Arachna knocked their weapons against the floor and ascended to Shifting Mist. Their clicking noises faded to silence as the mist and they submerged into the sea of clouds.

"General, are we letting her go?"

"Treat it like repaying her kindness. She's our saviour."

"The rumour . . ."

"The late Princess of Resolution—formerly her highness Peritia Memorae—now crowned herself as the Fallen Princess," the general said before turning to the Elemental Arbiter behind him. "What do you think about her power?"

His eyes met a frozen body, dimmed in colour and faded in life. It collapsed and shattered into specks of light, leaving only pieces of torn uniform.

The general observed the corpse and spotted a hidden distress-signalling device. Its internal composition burst, turning inside out from extreme pressure.

"Take this as your reason. Do not defy her."

The terror within the room lingered after her departure, though soon the order of the general prompted everyone to get working, reporting the casualty and progress.

...

Inside the hall of emptiness, Princess strolled past two rows of elite golden Arachna. The lighting beneath the garnet carpet highlighted the vastness of the hall.

The crimson roses hung on both sides and imitated the elegance of humans while releasing the fragrance of nature. The red and golden colour combination strangely blended into the background, giving the stage to the lonely figure.

When she arrived at the gigantic gate, she took off her hood and adjusted her mantle, dusting her clothes and checking her appearance. After she deemed herself clean, she entered the room.

"Angelica, I'm back," she said. "Sorry if it takes too long."

A cylinder filled with semi-transparent liquid stationed at the centre. As the only place lit in the room, it was a small yet persistent flame of hope in the boundless darkness of despair.

Like looking at her lover, Princess walked to the cylinder and touched the protective glasses. Her hand sent a wisp of Fons into the liquid and caressed the mechanical body floating in it.

The flawless body donned a lovely maid uniform, her appearance devoid of sadness and dirtiness. Though perfect, she lacked the only essential part of herself, Angelica's soul.

"I hope you're dreaming and waiting for me."

Princess took Angelica to the top of Shifting Mist, and through the crystalline glasses, they watched the movement of the stars.

"Endure for a while. I promise I'll wake you up." Princess leant on the cylinder. "Don't worry. I'm not sad, just disappointed. Sometimes hope brings about disappointment, but I won't give up."

She showed the chest to Angelica. "I've got you a few more parts, and this time I manage to find you a new A-graded circuit. When you come back, you'll be the best android in the world."

As she talked, the only response she got was the occasional burst of bubbles inside the cylinder.

Gradually, the moon moved through the sky and fell under the horizon. Princess had been talking about her life and journey for the whole night.

"Anyway, the sun is coming up. You should sleep soon." She took Angelica back and bid farewell.

After the gate closed shut, her azure eyes dimmed. She wore her hood and shifted her attitude. The warmth in her demeanour froze and hid inside the deepest part of her heart.

Her human-self left her body and lingered in the room, watching over Angelica while her Arachna-self commanded the ruthless massacre, working toward the same goal.

"Your highness, you should rest," a voice said. "To hurt yourself is to hurt her."

Beside Princess, a blue glow emerged from the darkness, revealing a floating cube-like structure with an eye staring at her. Shifting Mist had been watching her ever since the beginning.

"My rest time is sufficient. Tell me the result."

"Your rest time is only at bare minimal, your highness." Shifting Mist expanded a window detailing the result of the experiment. "From the chart, it is possible to bring her back, but—"

"I only need that."

"The probability of your success is only one per cent."

Princess only laughed, her voice hoarse. "I'll try and fail and no one can stop me."

"There are people attempting to establish contact with us."

"Who would want to talk to the enemy of the world?"

"Would you like to meet your old friends and enemies?"

"No need. It won't do us any good."

Princess dismissed the golden Arachna and entered the laboratory. The gloomy thin air permeated the room. The dimly lit light paved a pathway with the tanks overlooking on the side.

Princess walked past the tanks containing deformed Arachna and wreckage of androids. The monstrosity of science took the shape of horror, having their skin inversed, their body filled with eyes. One of them twisted under the restrained of the viscous liquid.

At the main display, Princess and Shifting Mist monitored the specimen. When they found a failed experiment, the chains would reach down from the ceiling and hurl it into a pit of acids.

The six-armed humanoid Arachna screamed in female-like voice. Its tentacle-filled mouths begged in an incomprehensible tone, but the words didn't reach Princess.

One minute later, the Arachna dissolved into meat plate. The pit drained the acid and took the meat plate using an acid-proof mechanical arm.

Princess took a small sample of the meat and sent the rest to the innermost room. The meat plate dropped into the floor, filling the room with its bloody aroma. The Broodmother, its body half-mechanical-half-organic, feasted on the food.

"Failure is the mother of success," Shifting Mist said.

"The weak die when they fail. The strong die when they succeed."

"Your highness, what are you implying?"

"I'm resolute, not suicidal." Princess gazed at the ceiling. If above her was the sky, then her eyes would meet the sun. "Only those prepared to risk everything will prevail."

"What about those who have nothing?"

"Those who have nothing fear nothing. They are the scariest kind of enemy."

"They are insignificant in the grand scheme of things."

"In the megastructure that is this world, everything is significant." Princess pointed at herself. "I was once an ordinary girl who dreamt about having a big garden. Don't you know?"

"Only time will tell."

"Let's not make it wait."

Princess left the laboratory and headed to the study room. In the empty room, she sat in the middle, her eyes scanning the map of her world pinned on all four walls.

With marks of many colours indicating her visiting and arrangement, she painted half the world with details more elaborate than any project she had ever done.

"When one enters, they can never come back."

The Fons flooded the room with intense luminosity. Princess closed her eyes and concentrated. Little by little she compressed her pure distilled Fons and trimmed away the polluted Fons.

As her grinding accumulated, she approached the realm of divinity.

...

In a floating glass dome, a maiden sat and admired the blossoming flowers, her mouth whispering something inaudible. She dressed in a flower-patterned dress and concealed her appearance under a white veil.

Her finger tapped on the table, creating muffled noises simulating a heartbeat.

"I told you never to contact me in my garden," she said, turning to a man rushing in. "Consider this your last warning."

"Apologize, but this is urgent."

"Nothing is ever urgent. Nothing is ever significant."

"We've located her whereabouts and sent a team to investigate."

"Where?" Her gaze shifted from the flowers to the man. "I dislike disobedience."

"We expect the confirmation in six hours."

"Send a real team in."

"But if—"

Her finger ceased tapping. "Do what I said. We don't have times to waste."

"Yes." The man sighed and sent her command word by word to the others. "That's all. Please enjoy your time."

"One thing." She showed him her snow-white finger. "As long as the android is safe, I don't care about anything. That Fallen Princess can die or whatever."

"I'll see to it your request."

"Remember my warning. Disobedience is a grave sin."

Before long the maiden was left alone in the garden. The flowers didn't capture her attention anymore. Only the image in her heart, lingering ever since that day they parted.

GDLiZy

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