"There she is! Quick, call the ambulance!"
The guards of the Rosenfield estate pointed to a woman lying on the grass in the distance. A large pool of blood had formed beneath her body as she struggled for breath, fighting to stay awake.
"Mummy!"
Two girls screamed at the top of their lungs as they ran toward the woman, who welcomed their arrival with an affectionate embrace.
The woman had been the victim of an assassination attempt, and each second wasted lessened her chance of survival drastically.
As the guards worked to stabilize her wounds and stop the bleeding from a gaping hole in her abdomen, a man descended from the sky in a burst of bright light and landed beside them.
"Salimony. You will be fine, don't worry."
With a weak voice, she implored the man to take care of their children if anything should happen to her.
"Irving, keep them safe please… Keep our kids safe."
What followed was a total loss of consciousness as the woman succumbed to her injuries.
"She's not breathing… Where is the ambulance?!"
The guards scrambled around trying to revive her. The girls were taken away from the scene by their step-brother.
---
An hour later, everyone sat in the hospital lobby waiting for any news on Salimony's wellbeing.
The girls were attended to by maids who provided anything they wished in order to distract them from the dire situation.
Their father, Irving, watched the surgery from behind transparent glass, quietly analyzing the potential outcomes and what he would need to do to deal with the consequences for his children and family.
The door behind him opened and a gorgeous red-haired woman walked in and hugged him from behind. It was his current wife, Minerva.
"She's a fighter, and so are you."
"Can you find out who did this?"
Minerva rolled her eyes in annoyance at the question.
"We already have. Just another one of our family's countless enemies. We've already taken care of him, of course, but I did tell you—a non-divine like her shouldn't have anything to do with people like us. They just end up getting hurt."
Her consoling was cut short as the door burst open and armed men in military uniforms walked in hurriedly.
"Lord Irving, the eastern border is under attack. The country requests your immediate assistance."
Minerva rubbed his arm and reassured him. "Go do your job and expect good news when you return."
Irving sighed and left with a nod, following the soldiers. As he was about to board a helicopter parked in the lot, he saw one of his daughters, Ercher, escorted by the maids and her step-brother with an ice cream cone in her hand.
"I'll be back."
He left his children with these words and flew off to where he was needed.
Ercher tugged at the collar of her step-brother, Mikael.
"Yes?"
"Where is Lord Irving going?"
Ercher hadn't acclimated to the idea of accepting Irving as her biological father yet and instead resorted to addressing him formally, unlike her bubbly sister who immediately jumped at the thought of her father being an icon. That privilege was reserved for Sultan, her godfather and, for most of her life, a genuine father figure.
"There are bad things hurting people somewhere, and Father is going to take care of them."
Ercher, unsatisfied by this simplified answer, pried deeper. "What happens if he doesn't?"
Mikael paused, then spoke quietly. "Then more people get hurt."
Clara, Ercher's personal maid, gave Mikael a pointed look. "Lord Mikael, now isn't the time for such discussions. It would have been enough to say that the Lord simply had other business to attend to."
"Understood."
When the three re-entered the building, the atmosphere in the lobby had shifted drastically from somber to uneasy. This was the result of a standoff between Minerva and the recently arrived Sultan.
"Uncle!"
Ercher, surprised but happy to see her godfather, ran up to him. Their reunion was met with hugs and joyful squeals from the delighted duo.
"Look at you, all grown up."
"You said the next time you came, you would take us to your castle."
"Yes, I did, and I'm here to keep that promise."
Minerva interrupted. "Ercher, dear, we were in the middle of something. Go join your sister in the doctor's office for now. Mikael, take her."
Mikael complied with the order, and so did Ercher.
---
Now left alone, Sultan and Minerva continued their conversation on the roof, away from prying eyes. Even the security had been rattled by their earlier confrontation. Seeing two god-like beings about to clash in their building was enough to make anyone's heart race.
"Salimony and the girls will be coming with me."
Sultan's words were resolute as he sat down on a bench.
"Both of us know that won't be possible. In some alternate reality where that woman hadn't given birth, then perhaps such a thing could happen."
The tone at which she delivered her words showed plainly the depth of her seriousness. Sultan chuckled lightly in defiance.
"So the goddess of war has finally been tamed. I always knew that would happen. Still, I am their registered next of kin, and any other arrangement will not be legally acknowledged."
"The children are of the Rosenfield bloodline and will remain with the family."
"True, but I don't give a damn. I will tear through anyone I have to in order to get them out, so don't worry."
Minerva's expression turned cold. "You seem to desire a war?"
"Yes, I do. But it won't come to that, since you and I both know that after what your family did to Salimony, asking her to stay or release her children is a fool's wish."
An old man brazenly walked in on their conversation. The two instantly recognized the iconic patriarch of the Rosenfield House, though their reactions differed. Minerva immediately bowed while Sultan remained seated but acknowledged his presence with a nod.
"Lord Maxwell."
"Ah, Mister Sultan. It seems you have returned. Tales of your great deeds on the front lines have spread further than you might think."
"You honor me with your words. I simply returned to take someone important with me."
Maxwell's eyebrows furrowed as his tone turned serious. "You don't mean..."
Minerva revealed his intention. "He wishes to take Salimony and Irving's children with him."
The old man sighed in disapproval. "You and my grandson were so close until that girl came between you both. I had hoped time would mend the rift, but with each year, that seems less likely."
Minerva stated it plainly. "We have no intention of releasing the children to him."
"Salimony will decide that, not you. And like I said, I am their legal next of kin."
Sultan's words rang true. When Salimony was forced out of the house, Irving had relinquished all claims and rights over her and, unbeknownst to him at the time, she was carrying his children—something that shouldn't have been possible given the fact that she wasn't of divine blood.
"Let us wait and see what happens first."
The old man de-escalated the tension as best he could. But they weren't given a reprieve when the head maid, Clara, came to inform them.
"My lords." Her voice was steady but somber. "Lady Salimony has passed."
The words hung in the air like a death knell. Sultan's expression hardened, while Minerva's face remained unreadable. Maxwell simply closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.
The battle over the children had only just begun.