Chapter 85 - Chapter 84: Crimson Quarrel

In quick succession Nova arrived in the Nether Realm; she was flying over the city of Kigen and started looking down at the lively city. She flew down onto the nearest building and then said, "This place really is thriving under Maria's rule. I'm glad." Nova felt the mana shift in the air as a portal opened up on the building. Kairi walked through the portal and said, "You got here quite fast, dear." Nova walked towards her and then said, "Of course, with this big of a threat, I must inform Maria right away." Kairi nodded and stood in front of Nova, then gently rubbed her head. Kairi said, "You're so full of confidence, and I love it." Nova blushed slightly and said, "Let's get moving." They both swiftly jumped down from the building and headed up to the castle's entrance. The guards slammed their spears on the ground and said, "Nova, Icyln, and Kairi Aozora, the queen, is waiting for you in the gathering hall." The large castle doors opened wide as Nova and Kairi headed inside. While they were walking through the castle, one of the guards ran up to them and said, "Kairi Aozora, General Selena has requested your assistance at Obsidian." She stood there in shock as Nova said, "You should go; I will speak with Maria." Kairi smiled and gently crouched down, then kissed Nova on the cheek before saying, "Alright, I will see you later, dear." The guard and Kairi ran towards the exit of the castle. Nova went deeper into the castle until she reached a door at the end of the corridor; the door had a sign on it that said "gathering hall". There was a loud noise coming from inside the hall. Nova stood up against the wall as she heard multiple chairs move in a quick succession. The door opened as multiple people came coming out of the room. As the last person left, a voice from inside the room said, "Nova, you can come in now." Nova quickly entered the room as she shut the doors behind her. Maria turned around and looked at Nova, saying, "It's been a while, Nova. What brings you here?" Nova stood next to Maria, leaning against the table, saying, "Back in the human realm, I heard a voice that came from the sky; it told me a reckoning was coming." hearing these words Maria looked at Nova and realised her eyes and voice were shaky. She touched her shoulder and then said, "It's okay, Nova, take a deep breath." Nova placed her hand on her chest and took a deep breath. She looked at Maria and said, "The voice sounded like my former partner Hanako Shinseina." Maria said in response, "Kairi told me about her before you guys ran into her during the battle with Oblivion. From what she told me, Hanako was devoured by the sin of gluttony, so she shouldn't be able to come back to life. However, it looks like she was able to. I was curious about it, so I asked Testarossa to look into it for me. I suggest you go talk to her; she might know something." Nova stood up straight and said, "Alright, I will go speak with Testa to see what she knows." Nova opened up the door, but before she could leave Maria said, "Nova, thank you for telling about this. It is my duty as queen to protect this realm from any incoming threats." I will inform everyone about Hanako shorty." Nova nodded in response as she left the gathering hall and walked down the corridor until she saw a pair of stairs leading to the basement. She headed downstairs and saw a door that was slightly open; she heard people arguing inside of the room. Nova quickly stood against the wall and quickly realised the people inside of the rooms were Testarossa and Jade; both of them were arguing quite loudly as Nova heard Jade say, "I know that you care about me, but you need to stop trying to push everyone away from me; it's giving everyone the wrong impression of you. We need space." Testarossa's voice suddenly got quite shaky as she said, "Please, Jade, don't leave. I will do better; just give me another chance." Jade fully opened the door as she headed upstairs away from the basement. Nova stood there in silence as a red A serpentine-like tail started dangling in front of her as a gargoyle Slithered onto Nova's shoulders, saying, "It's been a long time, Miss Icyln. Are you here to speak with Testarossa?" Nova smiled and nodded in response. She slowly entered the room and then said, "Is everything okay, Testarossa?" The room was quite dark; the only light was a few candles that were on the desk, but Nova was still able to see Testarossa's crimson hair and fiery eyes. Testarossa turned around and looked at Nova, saying, "I wish everything was okay, but I and Jade have been having issues recently. I just hope everything can go back to normal soon. Anyways, what brings you here, Nova?" She grabbed a ball full of her hair while looking directly at her. Nova said, "I wanted to ask about the information you found out about Hanako." Testarossa smiled in response, as she was expecting Nova to ask about her. Testarossa walked behind her desk and pulled out a file and said, "From what I found out, Hanako was able to come back to life by obtaining something called the Death Essence. Its origin is unknown, but I have a feeling it's from another universe." Nova moved her hand and placed it on her chin and said, "What makes you think this essence is from another universe?" Testarossa placed her hands on Nova's face and pulled her cheeks gently, saying, "There is nothing in this universe with that kind of power, dummy. You should use your head sometimes." Testarossa let go of Nova's face, leaving few marks on her cheeks. Nova smiled and laughed slightly. Nova said, "That's true. Thank you for your help, Testa." The room went silent for a moment before Testarossa said, "Did you hear what's happening to Shiki?" Nova had a confused look on her face before saying, "No, what's happening to her?" Testarossa spoke in a serious tone, then said, "Apparently she lost all her vision in her eyes, and she hasn't eaten, drunk or slept in almost a month now. Something is happening to her." Nova responded, saying, "Could it have to do with the spell she used at the end of our fight?" Testarossa shrugged her shoulders, but before she could respond, a massive alarm went off in the castle as a voice came through the speakers on the wall saying, "Alert: a hostile threat is entering the atmosphere at high speed." Nova said, "It must be Katerina." Testarossa responded fast. "Let's go meet up with the others." Both of them ran back up stairs into the gathering hall, as the room was full with Maria and lots of guards. Testarossa walked up to Maria and said, "Where is she heading?" Maria responded, "It looks like she's heading towards the human realm." Testarossa had a worrying look on her face and said, "Jade, I feel her presence in the human realm." Everyone went silent; Maria shouted, "Everyone prepare for battle; we have no idea what to expect." Nova thought to herself, saying, "Why show up now? We haven't seen her in months, and now she randomly shows up out of nowhere. How interesting." Everyone shortly left the room to prepare for battle.