...

In a room of the great Flumin mansion, a white-haired, blue-eyed beauty could be seen reading and writing a series of different papers stacked on top of each other.

This beauty was none other than Zoe Flumin, the current Head of House Flumin who was going about her daily paperwork with a bored expression.

"...So they want a loan to repair the branch...but they're asking for too much...I'll just give them a..." Zoe murmured as her eyes quickly scrolled through the series of papers at hand, before grabbing a blank sheet of paper and quickly starting to write. "Mnnn... I wonder how Sophia's doing..."

That passing thought brought the pen to a halt in Zoe's hand, with a blink she simply shrugged and went back to writing.

It's strange that Flora hasn't come to see me... it's a pity that just when Sophia enters the Academy Flora has finished it, I guess those two will have to wait a little longer before seeing each other's faces again....

After finishing writing, I look out of one of her windows to look towards the beautiful garden of the mansion with a bitter expression, in it some servants could be seen watering the flowers and cutting the grass with care.

I wonder if I have been a good Mother... although I sure was better than my Mother, that's for sure. Zoe thought as she let out a sigh to dispel the unpleasant thoughts from her head. Flora has always been a cheerful girl, I wonder how she's changed with those years at the Academy....

Suddenly Zoe could hear some quick footsteps down the hallway, when they arrived right in front of Zoe's office doors they silently stopped as if they were preparing to enter, after a few seconds a soft sound rang at the office door.

"You may come in."

It took a couple of silent seconds before the door slowly opened to reveal Zoe's head maid, Clair.

Zoe smiled at the sight of her maid but frowned at the icy stare and the very slight frown on her face, the maid spoke more coldly than usual. "My lady, I have something important to report."

Zoe raised an eyebrow while still sitting her chair and beckoned Clair to speak, in Clair's hands could be seen an open letter with the seal of House Flumin.

"We received this letter after we dropped Sophia off at the Academy, the person who gave it to us was the former Student Council President, apparently he said it was from Flora, and from the seal on the letter it looks real" Clair explained as she slowly approached her mistress's desk, when she was close enough she passed the letter to her mistress to read.

Zoe began to read the letter and with each passing second her heart sank lower and lower.

Suddenly the air in the room became colder than usual and small drafts began to appear around Zoe making the papers fly in all directions.

She crumpled the letter as her eyes flashed with the anger of a typhoon.

After a minute, the Magic in the room calmed down as Zoe took unsteady breaths before looking at Clair with serious eyes but to Clair they looked like they were on the verge of tears.

"Look for her. Now."

 

---

 

"Well this place brings back memories" Said a melodious voice coming from a hooded figure, which was walking through a thick forest... or what was left of it.

Every so often you could see broken and burned trees, the earth was strangely uneven and a color that made it clear that it was not fertile. The remains of a large battle could be seen in any direction you looked.

The figure kept walking, going deeper and deeper into the forest.

Where the situation of the forest only worsened, suddenly there were no longer any moderately healthy trees, now there were only old pieces of them, hollow trees deformed in strange abnormal angles.

The land was not much better, it seemed to have been burned to never again bear fruit of anything, leaving only a dry and hard gray earth very similar to stone. Every few steps you could see small craters as if someone had bombed them.

"It's a shame, this place used to be so beautiful..." Spoke the figure wistfully. "Well it has improved since the last time I came... but there are still many years to go before the damage is completely reversed. Maybe I should force Thea to try to fix it?"

When she saw a slight hill in front of her she smiled -or tried to but it was more like a bitter grimace- as if she had found a treasure and began to climb it gracefully. "No that would bring trouble to the elves I've already bothered her too much... fufu~ I definitely have to bother her more."

Reaching the top of the small hill, he looked up at the beautiful sky with a smile before turning her gaze downward losing her smile and replacing it with a grimace.

The small hill was not so much a hill, but rather the edge of a huge crater.

In the middle of the huge crater, a completely black sphere could be seen giving off what appeared to be arcs of purple electricity. The sphere seemed to have had a hard time because of the countless cracks around it.

Umm... I wish it was just a meteorite or something....

The hooded person let out a sigh before moving so fast that he seemed to have blurred into space, appearing in front of the creepy sphere.

Being closer to the sphere she could feel the coldness grip her skin and a chilling feeling of uncertainty grip her heart.

The hooded woman reached out to the sphere and touched it gently, in response the sphere emitted what could only be described as a pulse, similar to that of a heart.

Withdrawing her hands from the sphere quickly the figure just looked at it with a frown. "I know these there I don't have all day."

From the sphere emerged two pairs of hands stretching the sphere in a strange, almost gum-like manner.

After a moment a vaguely female figure emerged from the sphere with a strange growl that did not resemble that of any animal or person.

The figure had only emerged from her torso up, hiding the other half of her body inside the sphere.

The figure could only be described as black, totally and utterly black, even the darkest void would pale against the figure. It could only vaguely be deduced that it was a woman from her long hair and the shape of her head.

The strangest thing was the figure's smile which instead of showing real human teeth, was just a large drawing of a poorly drawn pure white smile.

"Oh! It's been a long time since I last saw you! It's a pleasant surprise to see that you've grown since we last met!" spoke the figure as it looked at the hooded woman with her painted smile that somehow got bigger. "Astrid~!"

Astrid looked at the figure with a frown as she pulled her hood off revealing her glorious white hair. "I could say the same thing, but we know that's not true, at least not after your 'little game'"

"Haha~! You have to admit I looked good!" The woman's shadow burst out laughing with laughter that sounded in different tones of voice, as if her several people were talking at once. "It was incredibly funny! You should have seen Elena's face when she found out! Hahaha~!"

This is what my daughter feels every time I talk to her? Now I see why she can't stand me... well, there are more reasons but... Feeling her pain in her head increasing, she shook her head to focus on the smiling figure, Astrid spoke casually. "I guess controlling minds and then destroying them is your fetish?"

"Of course it is~! Seeing the expressions on their faces as everything they worked for begins to fall apart at their own hands is simply amazing!" The figure raised her hands as if to emphasize what was obvious to her. "By the way, you have a daughter?! Congratulations! Is she eating well? Is she happy? What is her name? Is she an elf or a human? Is it a reincarnation?"

Astrid refused to react as her mind went into momentary chaos, she cleared her throat as she continued to stare at the figure blankly. "Have your delusions increased or does she just like to make things up out of thin air?"

"Fufufu~ you can't fool me Astrid! Reading people's minds is a very basic thing for me! I may be locked up here because of your sister, but I'm still strong enough to kick your ass a few times! The minds of mortals are a delicacy! Too bad my new superior doesn't like me messing with mortals, but that's his loss~!"

"Superior?" Astrid asked unconsciously, as the figure was about to answer Astrid interrupted her with a murmur. "Wait a minute, your superior is..."

"Yes! Indeed a Lesser God!" Announced the Figure as he clapped... or not, the applause was coming from all directions but the figure wasn't clapping. "I didn't think my little game would draw the ire of one of them, but I managed to have enough fun that I didn't mind the punishment...besides I'm not the priority to supervise so I have no problem with it."

"Fufu~ so you're not the priority, what a disgrace knowing how much you like the attention" "Must be a shame not to get the attention your Original Plane didn't give you."

"Hahaha~! You never change, do you! That venom deep in your voice... it's delicious~!" The figure laughed out loud for a good minute, before suddenly shutting up giving Astrid a smirk "Well, now that you're here I can get rid of the queen on the board..."

Suddenly the black sphere began to pulse loudly cracking the earth and causing a small earthquake. The sky darkened as lightning began to strike above the sphere.

"What?!"

"Hahaha~!" The figure burst out laughing as the rest of her body began to come out of the sphere.

"The first game was fun but how inconclusive! How about we go for round two!! But this time no reincarnation will be spared! Hahaha~!"

Immediately after her words the shadow turned its right hand into a large claw with which it began to crack the air or rather the space around it, generating what appeared to be a portal to a meadow. "Sayonara~!"

Astrid immediately charged towards the shadow, her hands were engulfed in a strange blue fire as she threw a punch at the shadow. "First dead than let you go!"

The latter only gave her a huge grin that stretched beyond what was humanly possible.

The shadow twisted on itself turning into a black water as it circled Astrid's arm dodging the punch and placing itself behind Astrid before returning to its human form and with its puff pushing Astrid towards the portal.

"Now, not to take all the fun out of it but you are a nuisance to my plans, no offense!"

"BITCH-"

And with that said the figure with a snap of her fingers forced the portal closed.

"Now with that ready... Umm... well... I don't have my full power yet... but I want to start playing now!"

The figure began to walk in circles with her hand on her chin as he muttered. "What to do, what to do, what to do, what to do, what to do"

The figure stopped as she gave a glance at the black sphere in front of her. "Bingo!"

Touching the sphere, the latter shuddered before expelling what appeared to be a jet gas which was contained in the figure's hands. "While I'm looking for my pawns, this should cause some trouble, too bad I won't be around to see it up close... but oh well! Ta-ta!"

And with that the black gas shot off in an unknown direction.

The last game  I was the Queen and the King at the same time... this time I can't interfere directly in this world, but I can interfere indirectly! I am a genius!

"I'm back! Hahaha~!"

...