Angel Monarch

Sera looked down at the crowd of people. Unconsciously, her bored expression turned happy, and a small smile appeared on her face.

The room exploded into cheers, started by the commanders who did not know about the rescue mission.

The crowd chanted her name and title, which brightened her smile even further. When the shouts reached their apex, she spread her arms and summoned her wings.

The pristine white feathers glowed with a small, radiant light. Her wings of golden flames ignited the very air with their pure presence.

The hundred people around the hall abruptly turned silent. They watched with awe and love as Sera rose a few centimeters above the ground.

The silence in the room was palpable. The cheers didn't start again, but a new sound appeared as people fell to their knees at the foot of the staircase.

Lilith and Adam were the first, but Bran and Melinda quickly followed. The people slowly got knocked out of their trance and each of them went on one knee until only Bea and her group remained.

They stared at the crowd and at each other awkwardly. As Sera's eyes landed upon them, a few of them caved. Faith was already on one knee, but soon everyone other than Bea and Vicky were kneeling.

Without beating her wings, Sera gently floated to the daughter and mother. Their eyes were teary, and Bea tried to speak, but no word left her mouth.

Sera landed in front of them and looked both up and down carefully. Her wings closed in, but stayed summoned.

Vicky's eyes never left them, while Bea could only stare at the ground. She tried to hide her face, which was blushing heavily.

Sera stared at them for a bit longer, then reached out her hand.

"Good evening. As you probably know, my memories aren't intact, so I would like to introduce myself. I know this is hard for you both. I heard stories about my past, but I'm sorry to say that we have to start everything from the beginning."

Her speech still wasn't perfect. There were quite a few pauses and placing emphasis on the wrong words. It also sounded rehearsed, but neither Bea nor Vicky cared.

They each took her hand and introduced themselves, one after the other. Vicky's hand was especially trembling, but what Sera said next calmed her turbulent emotions.

"Nice to meet you Victoria. I heard a lot about my daughter, and how much she had accomplished. I hope we can rebuild at least some of our previous relationship."

This brought tears to Vicky's eyes, and before anyone could stop her, she jumped up and put her arms around Sera's neck. She hugged her tightly as she cried and mumbled.

Quite a few people gasped at this revelation. Most of them hadn't heard about Vicky's and Sera's previous mother-daughter relationship yet.

They all watched with wide smiles and teary eyes as Vicky hugged her mother. Sera placed one trembling hand onto Vicky's back and made a few gentle strokes.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, before Sera bent down until her small feet were firmly on the ground.

She seemed to get the message too, and with reluctance, she let go of her mother's neck.

They smiled at each other with teary eyes, then Sera straightened and shouted over the murmuring crowd.

"Thank you, everyone, for attending! And thank you everyone for your help! I wouldn't be here without all of you, and rest assured, we will get revenge for what those fuckers done to me!"

Her voice sounded enraged. It was in a tone nobody had ever heard her. Even Bea seemed surprised by how she spoke, and how much anger she held inside.

Her expression went through drastic changes as well. At first she seemed happy and content, then her face twisted, her eyebrows furrowed and she grimaced. Afterward, she began grinning brightly as she shouted...

"Let the New Year's festivities begin!"

A halfhearted cheer went up in the crowd, but people were still a bit confused and weirded out.

Sera didn't care what any of them thought. She grabbed onto Vicky's hand and led her into the lounge area, leaving everyone behind.

Vicky stared at her mother with concern, but said nothing or acted out.

While walking, she dismissed her wings, and when everyone was out of sight, her breathing grew heavier. On her face and neck, sweat condensed.

"Mommy, are you alright? You look sick!" said her daughter in a small, concerned voice.

Sera smiled down at her. It was a weak and sad smile.

"I'm still adjusting to everything. My sessions with Lilith helped a lot, but I'm still socially anxious. This speech and the whole charade were very tiring... Those looks they gave me... I hope I can hold on..."

She whispered the last lines to herself, not intending for Vicky to hear. She heard her though and gave a reassuring squeeze to her hand.

"You will get through this! You are the strongest person I know! With my and mother Bea's help, you can get through anything!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Vicky sounded very genuine, but Sera just didn't share neither the mental capacity nor her conviction. She just wanted to find a nice, comfortable place to sit and maybe have a drink.

The two of them entered the lounge area. This was the first time Sera saw it in its decorated glory.

In the corner, a large evergreen tree stood, with ornaments and light all over it. Fire burned inside the enormous fireplace, illuminating the couches and armchairs near it.

To the side there was a table with a silver tray full of different alcohols. Each was labeled so regular humans wouldn't accidentally drink the Critter Bite.

Sera didn't want to get drunk, so instead of the hard liquor, she opted for a regular glass of wine.

Vicky watched her pour, and in an embarrassed voice, she spoke, "Can I try some?" Read exclusive adventures at empire

For a moment Sera's hand slipped, and she miss poured a little. At first she wanted to refuse, but since her daughter was an Ascended too, drinking wine wouldn't hurt her.

After finishing her own, she took out a smaller glass and poured a little at the bottom.

"Here you go, but I warn you, you probably won't going to like it!"

Vicky took the glass in both hands with excitement, giggling all the way. That giggle brought a genuine smile to Sera's face, which was strange since her emotions were still mostly turned off.

She walked to one of the armchairs, and just as Vicky would've sat in another, Sera grabbed and placed her on her lap.

One of her arms held the large glass of wine, while the other hugged around her daughter. Vicky smiled radiantly, then giggled a bit more.

That sound. Her laughter sparked something deep in Sera's broken soul. It wasn't quite love, but the feeling of comfort, of warmth, of being at home.

Her arm unconsciously closed further around her daughter's torso, pulling her into an even tighter hug.

Vicky's white eyes turned watery as she stared into Sera's own greenish-gold ones.

"I missed you... Every day I have spent in that Realm... Every hour I thought about you... Please... Never leave me again..."

Tears ran down Vicky's face, but she wasn't full on crying. Sera pulled her even closer, and let Vicky rest her head on Sera's chest.

She leaned in and gave a kiss on the top of her braided white hair. Then she placed her own head on top of her daughter's.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened. I hope you can forgive me, since it was partially my fault you all got stuck in that Realm... I will never leave you, and if you want to, I will try to be part of your life again... Would you like that?"

Sera spoke in a whisper. Her words were blunt, and she didn't sound nearly as emotional as Vicky. But her heart was in the right place, and Vicky understood that.

"There is nothing to forgive. I had forgiven everything a long time ago... And yes, I would love for us to be a family again... Mother Bea would love it too..."

This caused both Sera and her daughter to laugh. It was an obvious attempt of brining her parents back together, but Sera wasn't ready for that topic. Not even close.

Before touching that beehive, she wanted to reconcile and spend time with her daughter.

"I can't say what will happen between me and Bea in the future, but you will always be our priority! Even if we stay apart, we won't neglect you. We both love you very much, and will stay with you until and after the universe ends!"

This brought another round of tears to Vicky's face, but they weren't sad at all. If her mother wouldn't be holding her so tightly, she would be jumping around the room from joy!

"I love you too!" she said ecstatically, then she lifted her small glass and tasted the wine.

Sera watched as her face scrunched up, and she immediately spat it right on Sera's dress. This caused Sera to die of laughter, while her daughter made disgusted noises.

She teleported both the glasses away, and the wine from Sera's dress. Then she joined in on her mother's laughter.