She walked out of the building, not bothering about finding Serine anymore. She was exhausted, and she had a weapon to finish creating.
The next day, all those who had successfully manifested their weapons were congratulated by the administrator, but Serine was not among them.
'Neither was Tane.' Minerva thought smugly.
The ceremony ended with much applause, the administrator giving each one a congratulatory handshake.
His hands tightened around Minerva's hand as he shook it, his smile forced. She knew he had probably been informed by the authorities to keep a close eye on her, and so she smiled brightly.
They would not find anything off about her, she would make sure of that.
The day went by slowly after that, the bright sun up in the sky suddenly reducing in its harshness as if a sunglass had been placed over it.
Minerva looked through the window but could not really see anything. She walked out of the hall, looking at the sky from one of the open balconies.
A barrier was sealing them away from the sky.
She watched as many watched curiously, reaching for their devices and realizing it was not allowed here, and so they were not with it.
It all happened in slow motion in her head, the barrier sealing seconds before a dark ball landed on it, and blew up like fireworks.
The sound was loud somehow, her ear ringing painfully from the effects.
The others around her seemed fine, and unaffected, looking at her like she was faking it.
They did not hear the sound of it.
She felt a warm liquid flow down her nose, and she touched it with a finger.
It was blood, she was having a nosebleed.
'Why is this happening?'
But there was no answer to that.
She walked away, heading to the clinic, but changed her mind and went to her locker room.
The nurse might have also been informed about her, and she did not want another watchful eye on her.
The day faded quickly after that, the night sky of the divine state basically on fire.
News had reached them that the whole of Olympus had been sealed away in this barrier, and now she was sure that Dogan was no longer joined to the realms. Or if it still was, it was almost done detaching itself.
She watched the night sky, and the explosives that lit it up almost every few minutes.
It did look beautiful from where she was, but she knew it was only because it stayed far away.
She smiled wistfully, knowing that it craved for blood.
'Alex must have been recalled again.' Minerva thought.
She knew Alex and Lena just like Merva did, and she was close to them even though they did not know that she existed.
She heard a knock on her door, and looked away from her window, removing her elbows from the window will.
She used her power to release the lock.
"Come in." She said.
And the door opened up, Serine walking in.
She had invited Serine to stay with her today majorly because lately she had been the one in full control of the body when she was in, and Merva was more subdued.
Dogan could be full detaching tonight, of that she was sure.
She did not want to destroy the building if her power acted up like the last time.
"Minerva?" Serine asked.
"Yes." Minerva replied.
Serine walked to one of the couches and sat down, picking up a parchment that was on the couch, and reading it to kill time.
They both waited for when the inevitable would start, Serine looking up from the parchment and at Minerva, while Minerva looked at her hand and body for any changes.
She wanted to ask Serine about the weapon manifestation, but almost could not bring herself to do it.
"I saw you yesterday." She stated, glancing at Serine briefly, letting her decide if she wanted to say anything.
"I did not want you to see me." Serine answered, folding the parchment and keeping it down.
"I just wanted to know how it would look like, and did not complete it." She said, finally giving Minerva what she wanted to hear.
"But how did they let you? They don't allow foreign students to try out." It puzzled Minerva, and so she could not hide her curiosity anymore.
Serine sighed. "I took weapon construction and creation as an elective once, and I was the best at it. When I asked to try, it was on the basis that they will get the design and prototype as theirs, and I will not replicate it." Serine said, clasping both her hands and placing them on her laps.
Minerva felt the abyssal shadows spreading from the tip of her fingers, down to the rest of her body.
She stayed within Merva's body, hoping that her suspicion that the reaction of her power would be less potent if she was inside a human form would be true.
"Don't you think its dangerous here? What if things go contrary to your plan?" Serine asked as she stood up.
She had a throne to fight for, and she did not want to leave Olympus in disgrace.
"It will go according to plan." Minerva assured her, as pain began to set in.
The pain left her in a daze, but she bore it like she had years of her grandfather's abuse.
The shadows tried to get into her skin, but she resisted.
This body was Merva's, and she would make sure it remained that way.
A piercing scream that only she could hear filled her ears, the sounds of bells and gongs, and chants of ancient words filled everything around her, caging her.
She growled lightly, the abyssal shadows forcing her out of Merva's body.
She saw the body fall, and Serine lunge to catch Merva before all went dark.
The clash of eerie music went with her, the sound of the bell and gong fading as the chant increased in momentum, drawing her closer.
Darkness watched her, making way for her as she walked through.
"Princess of the abyss." She heard a voice call, and she followed it, trying to find it.
She found herself in a place of ruins.
The ancient markings on the stone and broken pillars shone.
Minerva gasped.
They resembled those in the place where the weapons manifestation had been done.
Wind blew furiously, her hair loosening suddenly. The wind blew her clothes furiously, dragging her hair along.
Several abyssal creatures came at her, striking her repeatedly.
"Who are you?" She screamed, turning about in anger, but they continued, trying to get a reaction out of her.
She was angry, furiously so. Her purple eyes darkening, her double edged spear appearing in her hands.
She struggled to suppress it, a darkly wicked part of herself that she had always contended with since she was little. They struck her again, her face contorting.
"I said stop." She said, punching the ground before she knew it.
The ground shook, her blood dripping to the floor as she stood.
The pain did not matter, it felt heady and exhilarating, and so she inhaled deeply, taking it all in.
She exhaled, stepping down from the elevated platform where she was. Her vision brightened, and she looked about to see who dared to challenge her.
The air stilled for a bit, as if time itself paused, and then suddenly she felt a large ripple in the atmosphere like time had pressed play.
Old and powerful abyssal beasts were coming for her.
"You called for me." Minerva announced, trying hard to control her rage. "You brought me here, and all for what? To kill me?"
Her facial muscles ticked, and she brandished her spear.
She felt her body shift, her horns and wings looking as intimidating as ever.
Minerva did not wait for them to come at her first. She ran towards them with a speed that defied even the normal of the abyssal realm, leaving dust like shadow in her wake.
Her spear met creatures that were older than the realms, but the power she controlled was older than theirs, and it was not weak.
She fought them, a certain kind of exhilaration that was akin to madness taking over her.
They were strong, but she was Cairo's daughter, and in this realm her power was absolute.
"I am your leader. Your superior." She screamed for all of the abyss to listen. "I am abyssal, I am a hybrid. I am the one you should pledge your allegiance to. The one you are supposed to worship." Silence answered her.
"I Minerva, daughter of Queen Cairo never beg or plead for leniency or loyalty. If you dare to defy me, come and face me." Minerva spat, her eyes brightening as she sneered into the darkness.
"You are no ruler of the abyss." A deep voice answered, as it approached her.
"I would not mind showing you an experiment." Minerva warned, the corner of her eyes crinkling as she smiled provocatively.
"You are just like your mother I see." The voice spoke, a large beast passing by her. "A replica of Cairo. Too bad she has fallen." It finished going away.
Many lesser abyssal beast came to her, clinging to her, mixing with her spirit self.
She saw a large abyssal spirits army all waiting, and suddenly they came at her.