Malicia comforted the crying baby on her bosom. She remembered feeding and changing her, maybe she was crying because of being cold? It could be from either the frigid night air or the magical portal draining the heat from the area around them. The little treasure was cold, so she relented and cast a temperature regulating spell around her, seconds passed and the infant calmed down gradually and snuggled more tightly against the sorceress. Malicia’s cold, little heart warmed at this sight; her goddaughter was one-of-a-kind.

Six months ago, she helped bring little Elissa into the world at the insistence of her friend, Empress Daphne. Then, everything changed when the Dark Lord attacked. He took over villages and hamlets at first, the soldiers sent to stop him and his growing army didn’t take him seriously. After his crushing victory against the Phantasian troops, more discontent Fallen had flocked to his banner. Now everything seems lost as the Dark Lord imprisoned her best friend and killed her husband.

*Daphne my beautiful friend, I will save your daughter even if I must leave the star that nurtured us.* Malicia thought.

She remembered her Empress with fond feeling; a platinum blonde beauty with piercing green emerald eyes full of power with an omnipresent superior grin on her face. Men and women stared breathlessly when she smiled. Daphne was not only blessed with beauty but was also a warrior and an elemental ice mage. Traits that she seems to have passed to her daughter, Elissa; the girl has soft pale blonde baby locks on her head and a tenacity rarely seen in six months old babies, as she demanded milk from Malicia’s breast. The Dae relented and uncovered a breast to let the infant suckle. Thanks to magic, Malicia was able to induce lactation; this much was necessary since she has become Elissa's godparent and nursemaid.

Malicia looked around her, they were in the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to the Dark Goddess of Magic and Sorcery, Hekate. Even with its disused appearance, the security wards protecting it were bristling with power. Malicia could literally see the magic in the air around her, the temple’s mana was fed by a powerful natural mana node.

*Great for defense, but extended habitation would not be an option.* The sorceress guessed.

Malicia didn’t intend to stay here for long; she had already taken the treasure in this temple's sanctuary, Hekate’s amulet, which was a repository of the magical knowledge of this world. The sorceress had received a divine vision from Hekate, she saw this abandoned temple and the artifact inside. When the goddess told her about the power of the amulet, Malicia almost couldn't believe her at first.

The amulet was the key to a tethered pocket dimension called “the sanctum” where there was an untold amount of knowledge, materials, and an ideal place to practice magic. But wasn’t the only ability it had; Hekate’s amulet also gave the wearer the power to create portals between worlds, or on the same world in a more localized manner. The amulet would have to recharge after being used to open a portal to a different world, and unfortunately Malicia didn't know how long it would take to recharge between uses. However, The amulet would be able to create localized portals using the ley lines and mana nodes of the world she would flee to. Hekate had promised to open a portal with her own power and send them to a safe place she called Gaia.

Malicia took her eyes away from the portal, she had tried to pass through it already, but the goddess’s voice told her it wasn’t time to leave yet. There was going to be people coming with her, and that she would be happy to have them. Hekate sounded like a bossy, master mage and treated her like a lowly apprentice, and it didn’t sit well with Malicia… but she was nothing compared to her patron, the Goddess of Magic. So, the sorceress petulantly waited for those people to come, but still got bored midway.

It annoyed Malicia, she decided to look around to see if she had missed anything in the temple worth taking. Everywhere, she could only see tarnished marble statues of Hekate practicing different magical arts; another artwork of her teaching the first circles of mages and witches on a mural. There was a faded tapestry of the goddess bestowing sorcery to Magda Stormborn ten thousand years ago. Nothing worth taking, unless you count the historic and cultural value of those items.

The sorceress sighed and looked at the baby in her arms. She felt sad and a bit unwilling to go through with her decision, but she had to do it. Giving up her fiancé, friends, heritage, roots, and world to a Fell creature, which will oppress her people and undo what the dynasty of her friend had accomplished. Certainly, as a hybrid Fae and Demon, Malicia wasn’t a virtuous or good person; she had killed her fair share of Faeries, Demons, and Humans in horrific ways, but she never treated them like livestock, or mana-batteries to feed on.

She had a bottom line.

*Phantasia will have to hang on until we are ready to take everything back.* She thought while gritting her teeth.

Malicia heard noises from the entrance of the temple with her enhanced Dae hearing, she couldn’t ignore it, as it continued. Those were footsteps, the sound of boots resonating on the marble tiles.

*At least two people.* She counted.

Without an incantation, she cast an invisibility field spell around her, but still hid behind a pillar. You never knew if the intruder had a Dae hunter with them, they can smell most magic users. Just in case, she traced a Rune of Silence on Elissa who could reveal their position simply by giggling, the little imp was prone to it. The glowing lines of the rune shined on the little one's body before disappearing.

Malicia focused on her hearing and listened.

“Is she really here?” A light masculine voice said skeptically.

“That Priestess sent us here after we failed to free the Empress, she swore on her eternal soul to Hekate that she wasn’t lying.” She heard another man’s voice.

The two men’s voices could be heard reverberating in the temple’s Narthex and approaching her position. Malicia readied a magic missile and a blinding spell but hesitated when recognized the voices she was hearing.

“Malicia? Sweetness, are you there?” The tenor-like voice inquired.

She knew those voices!

But before answering to the familiar person, Malicia used her mage sight to see through any glamour her enemies might use. The two men in the antechamber looked like her fiancé, Heracles, and his brother. No, not looked like. It was them, only the glow of their enchanted light armors and weapons glowed in her sight. Happiness and excitement at seeing them here made her let go of her spell, straighten the baby in the wrap around her, and go toward them.

Heracles was a big man, two meters tall with a body thought to have been crafted by the gods. He was muscular and fit, had long red hair in a warrior's ponytail falling on his back. His face was ruggedly handsome with aquiline features, blue stormy eyes that made Malicia lost when she stared into them. The man was stronger than anything on this planet but knew how to temper his strength, he had never been rough with her. Heracles wore Phantasian dark body armor, with a multi-laminate, nano-scale reactive coating, and a chameleon enchanted cloak. His trusty battle axe was strapped to his hip.

His brother, Achilles, wore the same armor and cloak, but he had an energy spear as a weapon, standard issue of the Phantasian Army. Achilles looked similar to his brother, but he was shorter and leaner, with the build of a martial artist. The man’s hair was more auburn than red, his eyes, sapphire blue. Achilles was a ladies man and never fell in love with anyone. He was rather promiscuous and that never sat well with Heracles, his brother who fell in love with the Dark sorceress Malicia, heir of the faerie dells.

“Cles, my lion!!” Malicia shouted in joy.

“Mal!” He surged toward her and hugged her.

The man lost himself in the softness of his Dae sorceress; how he craved the scent of her raven hair, the sparkles of mischief in her glowing green eyes. He was on the front the last time he saw her, with the Empress. She was Daphne’s best friend and bodyguard. Elissa protested but the silence rune didn’t let her voice escape. The couple hugged, but Heracles felt the little baby in the grey wrap around his woman.

“What have we here?” The imperial guard captain looked at the little baby.

“Oh, I forgot.” Malicia touched Elissa and nullified the silence rune effect.

Loud crying could suddenly be heard. Malicia took out her naked breast and let the baby calm down by smelling the milk scent from her nipples. The little girl viciously took Malicia’s breast between her hands and began to suckle and stopped crying.

“Is that…?” Heracles stepped back from her, his eyes lit up with recognition.

Malicia looked at her fiancé and his brother, who’s face reddened by looking at the baby being breastfed.

“Yes, this is the Princess.” The sorceress said whilst nodding, acknowledging his assumption.

“Huh, what are we here for?” Achilles asked frantically. “A Priestess of the Dark Goddess told us to come here and help you save the kingdom. The resistance failed to take back the Empress, that Sabrak demon guy crushed us. Now all the armies and officers scattered with their family to the sweltering wastes and the Dwerm Kingdom.” The young man sounded desperate to do something, anything, to resolve the situation.

“I intend to save the world, yes. But-” The sorceress began.

Adept of the Dark, it is time for you to depart. You may go with my blessing

A powerful, feminine voice echoed in the temple, interrupting Malicia and startling both brothers. Elissa wasn’t concerned at all and continued feeding.

“Now I can go and bring my love with me, I thank you, my goddess.” The sorceress kneeled, baby in arm and head bowed.

The men were lost and didn’t know what was going on.

“Where... Where are we going?” Heracles asked with anxiousness.

“To a new world, on Gaia, to raise Elissa for her to become strong enough to retake her throne. The goddess guided you to me because your strength and knowledge will be needed. We cannot retake Phantasia and save Daphne yet, only with Elissa’s powers can we manage such a feat. A prophecy was given to me about her, I am to be her guide and teacher.” The sorceress informed them.

“I will come with you, it is our duty to protect the heir either way,” Heracles said with a roguish smile.

He helped Malicia to her feet and touched the little baby in her arms. Heracles couldn’t wait to have his own children with the sorceress, names to give and activities to do with his future offspring already filled his mind.

“We will have to go through that portal here, I guess?” Malicia nodded at her man’s question.

The captain put his arm around the shoulders of the female Dae and they approached the tear in reality with trepidation.

“Sigh, I guess I will come too. But leaving like this without telling anyone...” Achilles said, his hand tightening on his spear.

He followed his brother and future sister in law.

“Don’t worry, the Priestesses of Hekate will pass on the message to the population and people of importance. Never underestimate the divine.” Malicia reassured him.

“Ah, that’s better.”

The three, plus Elissa, went through the portal, suddenly they were propulsed into the tear’s corridor. They saw strange things in it, other planets and stars, and the corridor wasn’t straight; it has many turns and curves. The green and blue light show of the corridor suddenly stopped and they exited the portal. Malicia was in Heracles arms, and Achilles looked around him, spear in hand, ready to attack any threats to them.

It was night, and before them was a pyramid of metal and glass, illuminated by a light within. Behind the pyramid was some kind of old palace with yellow sand like stones and a blue tiled roof, reminding the group of modern Eline architecture, but the similarity stopped there. Marble statues of men and women could be seen decorating the palace, they, weirdly, looked like they were made in the same style as the one in Hekate’s temple. There were fountains around the pyramid and the palace, not in working order obviously.

“Where are we?” Achilles asked.

No one was there to attack them, he kept his spear in hand and looked toward the palace.

“This is Gaia?” Malicia commented.

She wasn’t impressed. It looked old and she could feel that the ley lines were weak in this place, far from an ideal place to build a palace. There weren't any nodes to power wards or defenses. She could sense that there were people inside this place with her mage sight.

“Mal, can you read the panel there?” Heracles pointed toward a blue and white panel with inscriptions on it.

“I don't recognize these letters, I'll have to cast a translation spell. Hold Elissa for me, I need my hands for this spell.”

Heracles took the baby from her arms, and Malicia placed the baby wrap around Heracles shoulder and chest.

“While you are at it, she needs to burp with all this milk she’s ingested. Come on, do it while I cast the spell on us.”

Malicia used her hands to trace arcane runes in the air and voiced her intent. All three adults felt a sharp stab of pain in their head when she finished casting the spell, but the pain disappeared as quickly as it had come. Now they could read the panel before them.

BIENVENUE AU MUSÉE DU LOUVRE

Ouvert du Lundi au Dimanche

De 9 Heures à 18 Heures

“It says we've arrived at a museum called the Louvre. This place isn't actually a palace, so we won't be arrested for loitering in some king's courtyard,” Malicia said, smiling wryly.

Heracles managed to get Elissa to let out a loud burp and got a bit of puke on his armor, but it made him laugh rather than react with disgust.

“Great. Now we need to know the lay of the land, money, and somewhere to stay.” Achilles addressed the issues they were fated to stumble upon.

Malicia wasn’t worried, she could use her magic to provide a place to stay, she had some gold in her bag of holding, and she might have to hire out her services as a sorceress to support her companions and goddaughter. No, she would be raising Elissa as her own daughter now. She intended to marry Heracles and find a house where they could live and train the little one as she grew into her powers. The sorceress looked at the big man behind her and he would be a father soon enough, it shouldn't be a problem for him to act as Elissa's father as well. The road ahead promised to be full of obstacles, but there would be happiness as well.

“Is that a bird?” Achilles asked as he saw something flying in the dark sky.

“No, it’s someone who can fly!” Heracles bellowed.

“So they do have magic here!” Malicia said, happily.

Yes, this was a brave new world.