For Uriel, this was the third—or perhaps the sixth—time he had met face-to-face with a sane Sovereign.
His first encounter had been with Skadi, all those years ago. Then he had met the majestic Daeron in the depths of oblivion. Later, he had crossed paths with Chronos when the latter attained supremacy within the bowels of Ariel's Tomb. The other two occasions had involved the future versions of Sunny and Nephis within the same time loop...
And now, at long last, Ki Song.
Without a doubt, his very existence seemed to be an irresistible magnet for all kinds of events and beings far beyond any logical scale.
Emerging from his thoughts, Uriel raised his head and stared at the pale-skinned boy dressed in red who housed the will of the Sovereign of Ravenheart. The entity, speaking through her puppet in a voice that resonated with ancient coldness, broke the silence.
"You are quite an elusive Transcendent..." Ki Song remarked, studying him carefully. "Entering my domain undetected and causing chaos by killing Great Abominations is no feat just anyone can accomplish."
Uriel smiled faintly. Turning his head to the side, he shifted his gaze toward a massive monster lying a few meters away.
It was a colossal creature, comparable to a small mountain of corrupted flesh, razor-sharp claws, and frozen fur: a Great Demon that Uriel had killed only minutes earlier, quite honestly, just because it had given him a dirty look as he passed by.
At that moment, the titanic corpse trembled.
With a horrifying crunch of broken bones and frozen flesh, the monster slowly began to rise from the snowy ground. Each heavy step made the frozen earth rumble as it obeyed an invisible will that had just seized control of its lifeless body.
It was truly astonishing to witness Ki Song's ability at work with such speed, effortlessly adding the corpse of a Great Demon to the endless ranks of puppets guarding her territory and crawling beneath her fortress.
Uriel turned his attention back to the puppet controlled by the Sovereign and replied in a carefree tone.
"I'd say I did you a favor by cleaning up your backyard. A creature like that would only cause trouble for your patrols."
Ki Song's puppet stared at him silently for several seconds before releasing a dry, raspy laugh.
"You speak of killing Great Abominations as though they were nothing to you, Transcendent."
Uriel shrugged, keeping the lukewarm cup of tea between his hands.
"They were annoying, that's all. Nothing a good punch can't solve."
Suddenly turning serious, Uriel's faint smile vanished. He fixed his dark eyes on the Sovereign's puppet.
"But let's call things what they are, Your Majesty. Did you really come here in person just to recruit me? I've heard rumors about a certain Saint in Godgrave who openly rejected your invitation to join your clan."
Ki Song fell silent. The winter blizzard seemed to pause around the boy in red as she studied the man standing before her.
"You seem to know quite a bit about what's happening in the world for a loner," the Sovereign remarked in a measured voice.
Uriel thought to himself that, of course, he was well informed. Sunny never stopped talking about how he had driven Mordret away from his temple in Godgrave, boasting about his accomplishment in excruciating detail whenever he got the chance.
"My knowledge isn't that extensive," Uriel replied aloud, "but it's enough to deduce something simple: if a Sovereign decided to manifest here in person instead of sending one of her lackeys or commanders to find me, it's because she genuinely needs all the help she can get."
Ki Song's puppet smiled. It was an amused, serene smile, devoid of anger—the expression of an ancient predator entertained by the audacity of its prey.
"You're not entirely wrong," the voice of the Queen of Worms admitted. "It is true that I need every available Awakened and Saint for the battle that's approaching. However, don't misunderstand me, Transcendent: I beg no one for help. My own power is more than sufficient to deal with any troublesome creature that crosses my path."
"And yet, here you are, standing right in front of me," Uriel interrupted without the slightest trace of excessive reverence. "Let's get to the point, Your Majesty."
Ki Song let out a weary sigh that sounded incongruous coming from the body of a little boy.
"You must be perfectly aware of the growing tensions between my clan and the House of Valor, as well as the inevitable war that is about to erupt between us. The mortal world and the Dream Realm are far too small for two Supremes. Only one of us can guide humanity toward the future. Therefore, I offer you the opportunity to join my ranks as one of my chief commanders."
Uriel lowered his gaze to his cup of tea, pretending to contemplate the proposal with profound gravity. After several seconds of calculated silence, he raised his eyes again.
"All right," Uriel said calmly. "I accept your offer and will join your side... but I have one non-negotiable condition."
The puppet dressed in red tilted its head curiously.
"And what is your condition?"
Uriel fixed his gaze on the boy's lifeless eyes.
"I need the Beast God's lineage."
Ki Song showed no surprise. On the contrary, a faint glimmer of satisfaction crossed the puppet's gaze. A Transcendent seeking to strengthen himself with the divine lineage under her control could only mean that she would have a far deadlier warrior under her command when the battle began.
The request directly benefited her.
Without uttering another word, the puppet slipped a hand beneath the layers of its red robes and produced a small vial made of reinforced glass. Inside flowed a dense, shimmering golden substance—a purified drop of her own blood, containing the pure essence of the Beast God's lineage.
With a fluid movement of her hand, she tossed the vial through the air toward the man who, despite having lived for eons in Ariel's Tomb, appeared to be no older than thirty.
Uriel extended his hand and caught the glass vial in midair with absolute precision. He examined it for a moment beneath the dim light before slipping it into his heavy brown coat.
"Then it's official," Uriel said, looking at the Sovereign's manifestation. "But let's make one thing clear: don't expect me to show up in your halls or at your parades. I'll only appear on the battlefield once your war officially begins. Not a moment sooner."
Ki Song slowly nodded, accepting the mercenary's terms.
"We shall meet on the battlefield, Saint," the Queen's voice murmured.
A second later, the pale boy's body began to blur. His figure dissolved into a reddish mist that was immediately swept away by the snowstorm, vanishing without leaving a single trace upon the white blanket of snow.
Uriel was left alone with the freezing wind and the giant mass of flesh lumbering away into the shadows.