Demon continent Alsace in the year 237 in the 6-month Aeigum on the 14th day after the shattering of the empire.
She was surrounded by a warming blackness that made her feel like she was swimming. But as time went by, it became deeper and deeper, just as it became brighter and brighter. The dark space was filled with ever brighter, more colorful light. Which seemed to come from directly in front of her. Arcs of light extended from the source of the light further into the blackness that surrounded her.
But she perceived this spectacle not with her eyes, but with her other senses, which allowed her to look into the light, although she could see nothing but the light and how it changed from one color to another. The light pulsed in time with her heartbeat. And with each new pulse, it seemed to create new arcs of light that reached back into the blackness.
It always reminded her of the sun above Arcane, even if she did not know from where she had this memory. And as always, it was this moment when she woke up, she never got further in her dream, or was it a memory?
Now and then she could catch other scraps, but they were always confusing and had a distance and emotionless view that she wasn't sure they were really hers. She always had the feeling that they were someone else's memories. Because they didn't trigger any emotions in her, only this one, moved her emotionally. As if she were witnessing something monumental.
It was one of her earliest dreams or memories, which appeared to her over and over again. The others had been added over the years and these were not tinged with any emotion and were gray or without real any image. They were smells or sounds.
Like all her experiences, this memory-dream had been burned into her memory and she would never forget it.
Every single time she had this dream, she woke up before she got too close to the sun. And like the other times, she was somehow empty. As if she had lost something important. She could feel the tears on her cheeks.
For a few moments, she sat in her bed and just looked at the wall in front of her before a servant stepped into her room and opened the curtains. "Good morning young lady. Your parents are waiting for you in the dining room, today is your big day." Already the servant came to her bedside, grabbed the blanket, and pulled it off her in one fluid motion.
As if remote-controlled, she got up and went behind her dressing screen, the next moment another servant handed her her clothes for today. With pure machine movements, she dressed herself.
Slowly she came to, this dream always left her in a state where she was always looking over her shoulder and not really coming to influence. She shook her head to get rid of the last effects.
At this moment she was already in the hallway and was on her way towards the dining room. She walked through a large and wide hallway, which was carpeted in dark red with large windows on the right side, from which there was a good view of the city below.
In a few minutes, she was in front of a large double door flanked by two servants. Which after only a moment opened the double door. In front of her was a large room in light colors with dark columns on the walls. With a large round table in the center of the room with four chairs.
Her parents sat across from each other while she took the seat opposite her aunt. The breakfast passed for the beginning, without talking, which was quite fine with her she was still struggling with the aftermath of her dream. But as time passed, a conversation began between her parents, which she followed only with half an ear. "... va, Minerva." Her head jerked to her mother.
"Well, finally, it would be nice if you also joined our conversation." Informed her mother as soon as she looked at her. "Yes, mother forgive me, what were you talking about?" Her mother just smiled at her.
"We wanted to talk to you about your school and how thanks to it you will participate in military Campania." Interjected her father. "It was important to us that you get this chance, and we were wondering how things were going with your new comrades?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly as he spread jam on a slice of bread.
"Well, we haven't even known each other for a whole month, but they knew each other before and have good teamwork. All that matters now is that I'm involved in that teamwork. Once that's done, we'll be active-duty military." All three nodded with understanding after her explanation.
"Good good. I'm glad to hear that, so then we can see you on our Campania. Which is good for you, through this the people will get to know you, see us that we are approved by the gods." Which was something her parents had told her many times.
She looked at her aunt across from her. She had announced the message from the gods almost a month ago, ushering in the revolution. After which, alongside her parents, they had stormed the palace, which they had inhabited for a month. After all the fighting in the capital came to a halt, her parents were proclaimed the new rulers of the new strengthening demon kingdom in front of everyone. To the thunderous applause of the crowd, they had moved in a ceremony from the temple of Lilith and Asmodus to the palace. Children were held out to them so that they would benefit from their blessings from the gods. Whether this really worked, she did not know, but if it did, it was a good thing, she thought.
"The young mistress must be off now then." Ah, it began another week at the military academy for her. She had been at the academy all week, and it was only because of the revolution that she had come home and gotten to spend some time with her family, partly because her mother had given birth to her brother.
Which had been born in the rare colors of Asmodus. Which was a fiery gold with the cutest horns on his forehead she had ever seen on a baby. She sighed, she wouldn't see him for quite a while, she and her troop still had to adjust to each other she had continued to go to the academy for in the weekdays. During that time they had gotten to know each other and she had learned that they were all four Cirkati. Which was a thing of impossibility, as she first thought. But her new comrades were really Cirkati and they were a level higher than all the other demons at the academy.
Which, of course, had caused quite a stir and made her and her new comrades the center of general interest. This was only reinforced by the fact that people associated them with the new ruling house.
At her school, there was a strict rule of equality, only those who had the talent for it got into the officer's service, not because you were noble. At least that was the principal of the school. But of course, the offspring of the nobility were taken care of, and the more powerful the parents, the better the personal protection. That's why she got the best subordinates.
She did not need to change much, that the servants, as she realized now, had already given her her uniform. Books and other materials she had in her room at school, hers were just copies of them, so she didn't need to worry about that either.
After a long goodbye to her parents, she was in the carriage that took her to school. During the ride, she could look out of the windows and observe the hustle and bustle of the people. The ride did not take long at all and she was already in front of the big gates of the academy.
About three weeks ago her new comrades had arrived at the school and they had spent weeks training as a unit. However, since she had been given time off for her parents' coronation and herself, she had not had the time to train with her comrades.
But starting today that would change, they would be forged into a unit and then act as such. She strode through the large entrance gates of the academy and immediately oriented herself. After only a few moments, in which more students passed by her, some of them pointing at her and talking in hushed voices. Something she was used to since she had been hailed as a genius before. Now, of course, some would become even more envious of her since she was now a princess and a genius. On the other hand, more would also try to get on her good side.
Something she had to stop immediately since some of the other nobles who had rebelled against the old king were already coming towards her, they must have been waiting for her otherwise she couldn't explain it.
However, before she could do anything and the young nobles could do anything, Rezac one of her new comrades was already standing in front of her. "And your highness, how was your own coronation? I can report that Flure and Lexington fought each other for group leaders in your absence. Don't let that unsettle you, however, as Arle and I have already kept them both in check." She turned to the young nobles, raising an eyebrow questioningly. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" Immediately, the group of young nobles dispersed. Some were left alone, others stayed in groups of up to four.
She had been able to tell that Rezac worried the other students; there was something of an omniscient goddess about her. No matter what happened, she knew about it and she also knew everyone who needed to be known, and even those no one knew, she knew. On top of that, she and her other family members had made all the other squads look old when they had fought them for their test.
"Mhm, they didn't seem to want anything from me after all, too bad, I really wanted to talk to them." Which she punctuated with a laugh. "Come the others are just waiting for you." She took them by the hand and pulled them toward their individual squad training.
She didn't know if Rezac knew that the young nobles wanted to talk to her, not with her. She cast a cautious glance at Rezac. She had told her during the first week that she looked a lot like a friend. Which she found rather cryptic.
They both walked through long large hallways, like everything the classrooms were large, they stopped in front of hers.
