Lira and I sat on the bed beside the one I'd broken. This bed held memories. I fought to suppress the flashbacks—after all, only hours had passed.
"So, here's what you need to know. Several events across history contributed to the construction of our calendar—how times and seasons of the past are dated. Most of these events are considered mythical these days. They never happened. But for some, the signs are there..." She paused. "My opinion? The Church of Eternal Light went to great lengths to use their propaganda to bury those truths.
"Events like the Calamity Wars. Devastating conflicts across all seven continents that marked the fall of the Zharic Empire, the powerhouse of the Central Realm. From its ruins, with what remained of the Eternal Light Church, the Solaris Empire rose. The force behind the Empire's destruction? A woman known as the Blood Conqueror. She'd once been the second Empress of the Zharic Empire. She killed her husband, slaughtered all her stepchildren, destroyed nobles, and burned the Church and Empire to ash... all for vengeance."
My heart hammered against my ribs as she spoke.
"Even before this, she was known as the Tyrant Empress—a devastating war maiden. A force before whom men bowed their heads in terror. She'd risen from slave to the strongest knight in the Zharic Empire. After the first Empress's death, the Emperor married her to win the soldiers' loyalty and bolster the Empire's military strength, which the Eternal Light Church was siphoning away. I'm unsure what happened. Different books offer different perspectives. Some say she wanted to avenge her family. Others claim politics drove her mad and use it to justify why women should never enter the court. Various speculations exist. No one ever reached a conclusion."
I locked eyes with her. "What about the Church? What did they say?"
Her gaze met mine. "They called her a member of the Demon Cult—said they'd cultivated her since childhood and placed her strategically. It was an easy way to explain her extraordinary talent and strength, even though she was no summoner."
I rubbed my chin, processing her words. Tyrant Empress. Regardless of the murky reasons behind her actions, the deeds themselves were crystal clear, and the lodestar had branded her a villainess. This had to be true.
'I need to be more careful around her.'
I'd never realized she was such a terrifying force, and I'd tried to have sex with her. Now, thinking about that moment with her history laid bare, something twisted inside me—a dark desire to truly claim her, to make her get addicted to my dick.
'Dammit, am I twisted?'
I shoved the thoughts aside, refocusing. Questions swirled through my mind, but Lira continued.
"Many other events mirror this. The Calamity Wars alone? I can count five disasters that wrecked kingdoms. No continent escaped calamitous damage—from catastrophic Spirit Beasts spawning from S-rank gates to individuals with terrifying abilities tearing the world apart piece by piece. It all consolidated into an era of Calamity. Before that came the Era of Broken Thrones, and I remember villainesses who built their reputations by razing kingdoms and burning millions alive. The Era of Broken Thrones was even worse—a time when nations warred endlessly against each other."
She exhaled, her eyes bright with excitement, her smile satisfied.
"It's been a while since I went through the history books. If you want to know these things, you should find a Golden Library. I don't think any exist here in Aethermere—you'd have to reach Willowsvale. That'll be a long journey."
My frown deepened as I mulled over her words.
"What is the Golden Library, though? Shouldn't there be history books at Luminaris Academy?"
Lira leaned back and rolled her eyes. "Luminaris Academy was created by the Eternal Light Church for the sole purpose of cultivating summoners. Everything around you is designed to control spirit summoners toward an expected end."
I studied her, suspicion hardening my voice. "Does that mean I have every reason to be suspicious of you right now?"
A deep frown creased Lira's brow. "I wouldn't need to fuck you to deceive you. Do you take me for a cheap slut who throws her body around to control people? Men, nonetheless?"
Heat flushed my face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way, I—"
Not sure what to say, I clasped my hands together and exhaled. "It's easy to overlook because of all the excitement, shock, and surprises in the past twenty-four hours. But I can't go home. I'm stuck in a strange world with people who could deem me worthy of killing for any justifiable reason. I don't know who to trust. It's overwhelming. I might've hated my life on Earth, but I don't know if this is better."
She folded her arms, casting me a brief, pitying look before turning away, determination flashing in her eyes.
"It's not complicated. You might be F-rank, but you have leverage no one else does. You summoned one of the greatest villainesses who wrecked an entire Empire. Just get stronger—become so powerful that the idea of killing you seems absurd and laughable. The Blood Conqueror made the Church tremble once. You can do it again to protect yourself and find your way home."
A smile tugged at my lips, and I straightened. 'To protect myself…'
That was valid. Finding my way home? I didn't want false hope. I preferred tackling one problem at a time. For now, I needed to stay alive, and to stay alive, I needed to get stronger.
To become stronger, I needed to control another villainess and gain her attributes—perhaps something combat-related.
However, for that to be possible, I'd most likely need to expand my Spirit Plane.
There was only one way I suspected this could happen.
Sex.
'I have to fuck Kassie... to get stronger.'
***
[Author's Note]: Another info dump, I apologize. We are dealing with a very big world, rich in a lot of things, history is just one of them. I have to hijack chances like this to do some little exposition so we all done get lost when the story starts flying around. Thanks for reading till the end, if you can see some potential in this book, please add to your library.
Wink ;]