Established Pinnacle: The Enigma

"...It's just that, right now, I'm still waiting for the father of my daughters to return from his journey. Until he does, we cannot leave this place, lest he might never get the chance to see his daughters again." She responded, a hint of sadness and helplessness drifting within her eyes.

"Is... Is that so..?" Meanwhile, being reminded that Cheryl was a person belonging to another lucky man, Prince Red let out a sigh of his own. 'Was it... all for nothing?' He thought to himself.

He always knew about this when considering his chase for her. Yet finding out no information on the so called father of her daughters, he had a small hope that it was a lie. Even now, not seeing anything resembling a child anywhere, gave him more hope.

Even Albert had not seen her children when he made his visit a hundred years ago. Hence perhaps all these words were just for shielding herself from men?

'But what if it's true?' He thought in despondency, and bitterness. What would he do, if it were?

"Mhm. So I'm sorry. I'll have to trouble your highness to relay my message to the senior for me. Thank you." Cheryl said with a bitter smile. 'Am I being too hard on him? Well, yeah, I refused something that was supposed to help him return a favor. So, yes, yes I am. But... should I have agreed to this demand?'

"It's not much of a problem. Thank you for your participation, and once more, it's been a pleasure meeting you, lady Chelsea. You as well, lady Tiara. I hope we meet again soon. Enjoy your day." Prince Red said, standing up and slightly bowing as farewell.

"Please, the pleasure is mine." Cheryl said, waving after their disappearing figures into the portal that Tiara responded. "I'll be back, my lady. Please wait for me." Tiara said with a bow, going after the two.

"Okay, dear. Take your time." Cheryl responded, sighing once more, when she was sure that she was all alone. "Life... can be hard at times. Especially so, when you're a single mother." She said, in a daze of her own.

When will it be the time for the mysterious man behind her to show up? When will she have a shoulder to rely on when times like this arrive? When will she finally feel the embrace of the concept of "Love"?

"When..?" Her words trailed away throughout the room, being heard by the two little pumpkins peeping at her from the corner of the passage way. Their pairs of sky blue eyes, with a hint of gold within, shimmering at the beauty of their mother.

"...."

"...."

Meanwhile, at the same time, Tiara led the two gentleman out of the Heavenly Dao World, and into a bustling street within one of the many cities of the Great Rubrum Empire. "This is my limit, unfortunate fellas. The rest is up to you." Tiara said from within the portal.

'From good sirs to unfortunate fellas once we are out. As expected, this woman... is two faced.' Albert sighed to himself, yet he did not judge her negatively. He was no different himself. In fact, no noble was different than her.

"...Thank you, lady Tiara." Prince Red responded, a light small on his face. "You should be." And Tiara responded as such, making him sigh in defeat. "I deeply am." He added.

"Mhm. And oh, by the way, you should do a proper job at hiding away your feelings. My lady doesn't need them." She added, the portal slowly decreasing in size. "She's been fine by herself thus far, and doesn't need a man as a burden. Stay away from her."

The portal completely closed off at the end of those words, leaving Prince Red standing there in shock. He was not given a chance to retaliate. 'Ah... What..?' He was left greatly confused, not understanding what he had done.

"Ignore her, my lord. That's just her behavior. She finds pleasure at leaving others greatly unsettled." Albert said, already understanding a bit about Tiara and her antiques just from their little interactions.

"Ah, yes yes. I'll not overthink it." Red said, taking the lead and flying away from this city, headed towards the capital city itself. Albert followed after him, his expression carrying a small frown. "My lord, what will you do now?" He asked.

"About what, Albert?"

"About whether the young miss has daughters she's taking care of." Albert responded, causing Red to pause mid air and turn around with a bright smile on his face. "What do you mean? Of course, if that was the case, I'd have to be a great father figure in return." He responded.

"You mean..?"

"Yes, Albert. A man who can leave his woman behind for a hundred years... I don't know what you'd call him. But to me, that definitely seems like neglection. So if he will neglect her... I will do the opposite instead." He added with an even brighter smile, yet hiding within his eyes, was uncertainty.

'Is that... the right thing to do, though?' He thought. Was it right to destroy a happy family, even if he, himself, found it to be full of faults? He contemplated on the matter, a his desire saying yes, yet his reason saying otherwise.

"...I see." Albert nodded, guessing the thoughts of his prince. Yet once again, he did not say anything to them, instead, he took the lead and added, "Regardless, I'll always be on your side, my lord. Forever." He said.

"Albert... Thank you." Prince Red smiled once more, flying after his escort. And from there, the duo flew towards the capital city at lightning speed, returning to the old man's abode.

Meanwhile, at the same time, within one of the imperial chmabers of the Red Emperor, a conversation between two established beings was under way, above them, being a reflection of the conversation that Prince Red had with his escort, Albert.

One being was tired with delicate chains enscribed with Runes, which did not restrict her movement much, within this well decorated room. While the other was full of secrecy and mystery.

"See, your majesty? This is the child you're so proud of. Your most favorite, and only child. The one you have placed all your time and resources nurturing. The one whom you sacrificed everything and ended up being sealed here for." The gray cloaked being whispered into the ears of the chained woman of beauty and elegance.

And she continued to whisper sweet words of enticement, with a playful smile on her lips. "Yet here he is, being led around by another person. A little girl of unknown origins, to boot. How ungrateful. So my dear ex empress, what will you do?" She added.

The cloak She wore covering her body and identity, but her figure and tone were clearly feminine. The only thing the cloak revealed was a smile of playfulness within the cloak.

"What will you do when another thing you hold dear is swept away from your hands again? Just like your position as empress, just like your husband, just like your power, your beauty, your goals. What will you do when even your son, the only thing that remains yours, is taken away from you?" Her words continued, causing ripples within the heart of the other woman.

She was a crimson haired beauty, with a busty figure and a mature countenance. Yet her expression was pale, her eyes dull and her body thin. She kept quiet and clenched her fists tightly beneath her long sleeves.

"...I..."

"Will you just stand still once more?" The gray cloaked woman disrupted her words. "But didn't you sacrifice everything for him? Isn't it because of him that you lost everything? Isn't that why he is now your everything? Isn't it true? Or is it not?"

"No... I..."

"Or perhaps... like everything that used to belong to you..." The smile on the gray cloaked woman intensified as she whispered softly and devishly, "...he was never yours to begin with–"

"NO..!! NO NO NO NO!!" The crimson haired woman snapped. "MY SON IS MINE, MINE AND ONLY MINE..!! I CANNOT LOSE HIM TO ANYONE!! NEVER..!!" She, the ex empress of the Rubrum Empire, finally responded with desperation and desire.

For some reasons unknown, she suddenly saw visions of the past when everything that belonged to her, left her grasp. Her throne, her beauty, her power, her influence, her dreams, her goals... everything, left her one by one.

And at the whisper of the gray cloaked woman, she saw her son, her one and only son, follow after everything else. Taking the same path. And that... was enough to break her. That was enough to reestablish her anger.

"So what will you do, ex empress?" The gray cloaked woman retreated as she asked, "He is a growing young man. He needs to find love out there–"

"NO..!! I... I HAVE ALL THE LOVE THAT HE NEEDS!! I CAN GIVE HIM ALL THE LOVE HE DESIRES!! WHAT MORE DOES HE NEED?!" She shouted out in desperation.

"Oh? But the question still remains... so what will you do, ex empress?"

"I... I... I don't... I don't know!! I don't know what to do!! I don't think there's anything that I can do!! I've tried to fight it, yet I failed. But... But I can't lose my baby, I cant lose my child!! I can't!! I can't. I can't. I CAN'T!!" The room quaked at her torn out voice, her body collapsing down on her knees in despair.

"Hmm? So, ex empress, you don't want to lose your everything, but don't know how to keep it to yourself?" The gray cloaked woman appeared before the ex empress, lifting her chin up with her fingers, their eye level aligned. "But have you thought about the idea of unleashing... that?" She added.

"...!!!"

And the ex empress' eyes widened in shock and dread at hearing those words. "Bu–But... that's impossible. It's improbable!! How can I become 'that' again, when I cant even access my power?!" She strongly retorted.

"A very good question." The former responded, retreating a few steps back, and spreading her arms apart, waves of golden essence drifting around her. "But since you are able to see me, an entity of miracles and power, that means we are fated."

"Your dread, your despair, your grievances, I'll wipe them all away. I'll give you the chance to get your comeback. I'll give you a chance at self redemption..." She spoke, the waves of golden essence bursting out in activity.

"This..!! This is..!!" The ex empress exclaimed in shock at the golden essence swimming within the room. This amount of faith... was too immense, and too pure to be true!!

"True power. The essence of Miracles." The former responded, her countenance become Supreme for a brief moment. "And I can do all that for you, in exchange for you to bring about neutrality within this ending Age."

"Neutrality..?"

"Mhm. Neutrality. There's too much chaos spreading everywhere during this ending Age, and to return everything to neutrality... you will have to bring about order. Become the Crimson Devil, the new agent of Order, the redeemer of the dammed!!"

...!!!

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