Angel Monarch-Chapter 385: Operation’s End

The enormous tree's presence made Henry's job much easier. While Astrid, Yvonne, Kim and Yannick hunted down the rest of the ravens, he ran straight for the military headquarters.

When he stepped inside the conference room, without even saying a word, every military official bent the knee before the Prince.

They witnessed the disparity between their military might and Bea's power. They also valued their own lives a lot more than their allegiance and loyalty. There were even Angelic Order spies in their midst!

The military officials also ordered any guard and soldier to stand down. Most citizens were already on the Angelic Order's side, since most people followed their faith.

Operation Castlefall ended as a resounding success. Other than a few wounded Transcended, whom Bea swiftly healed, everyone was fine. About a hundred Transcended attacked, and not a single loss of life.

The citizens celebrated this event as their liberation day. Otto's rule was fine at first, but they weren't stupid either. The people quickly figured out the cause of the strange deaths.

Slowly, every citizen began hating Otto. However, they couldn't do anything against a Stellar. They couldn't even escape the city, since for regular humans, it's a death sentence!

They suffered under his hidden cruelty, fearing the moment he would finally snap and kill everyone.

News about Castleburg's revolt quickly spread throughout the world, reaching every important ear, including Otto's.

The dragon-like man became so enraged, he nearly burned down one of the Asian cities. Luckily, his brother was there to calm him down.

A day after the operation. Henry and everyone else worried about the Order of the Raven's retaliation, or Otto's desperate attack. Surprisingly, nothing happened.

Even after dealing all those deaths, the Asian city-states released no statement of the attack. Obviously, they tried to hide their involvement!

While everyone was healed within hours of the attack, Vicky only woke up two days later. Bea healed all her physical wounds, but even she couldn't heal her daughter's soul.

Out of the five Transcended, the man who touched her forehead caused the heavy damage, plunging the young girl into a short coma.

While nobody could heal her soul, given time, it'll always mend itself. Two days after the operation, Vicky's eyes began fluttering.

The young Princess took a deep breath and groaned from the pain in her chest. Her eyes gradually opened, revealing a horribly blurry world.

She blinked a few times, confusion evident on her face. Suddenly, her white eyes widened, and she jumped to her feet, terrified.

"Mom!" Shouted Vicky, then fell to her knees, while coughing up blood…

"Fuck… What happened?… Where's Bea?"

She continued coughing, while fast footsteps approached. The young girl glanced at the nearby wooden door, vision still not clear.

Someone, possibly a woman wearing a bright red dress, stepped through the doorway. Vicky blinked frantically, trying to escape the blurriness. But before she regained her vision, the woman suddenly lunged at her!

The young Princess fell back, her face full of fear. She tried summoning her dagger, however, her essence was in disarray.

Vicky opened her mouth to scream for help, but before any voice could've left her vocal cords, she recognized her 'attacker's' scent.

The scent of fresh flowers. The scent of the forest after rain. The scent of dewy morning grass. The scent of life. The scent of nature itself!… Her mother's scent!

Tears welled in Vicky's eyes as her mother tightly embraced her seemingly fragile body. She instantly felt the shakes of Bea's shoulder as she began weeping.

The sobs soon arrived at Vicky's body as well. She threw her arms around Bea, relived and joyous about her wellbeing.

They stayed hugging for long minutes, maybe even hours. The long year apart took its toll on both mother and daughter.

Neither could bring themselves to begin the conversation after spending so much time apart… Not like either needed to…

Just their closeness spoke volumes of their feelings. It told everything either wanted to know, and instead of bringing up the past, they worried about the present.

First, Bea explained everything about the current state of Castleburg, bringing Vicky up to speed.

The Princess continued smiling as her mother spoke. With her head in Bea's lap, she enjoyed her gently patting her white hair.

While Bea continued talking, Vicky glanced around her room for the first time. It was a cozy chamber, with a tall ceiling and wide windows covered by curtains.

Strangely, only natural materials like wood and leaves made up the room. Even the lighting above their heads, a small golden flower gently glowed, illuminating the chamber.

She reached out and touched the bed below, and just as she guessed, it was made of moss, leaves and flowers. The material was extremely soft, but also firm.

"Mom… What is this place?" Asked Vicky, in confusion and curiosity.

Bea just gently smiled. She placed her daughter down on the bed and walked to the large curtained windows. The leaves pulled away on their own, revealing a breathtaking sight.

More than a kilometer away, a gigantic tree's trunk stretched high above into the sky. It reached even the Aegis System's barrier and somehow connected to it.

Golden flowers glowed brightly all over the tree, bringing the light of day to the enormous city.

Vicky couldn't even recognize the city. The tree's roots spread all over the place, crawling over houses and streets. It brought a natural aesthetic to the otherwise modern infrastructure.

Smaller trees, reaching only a few hundred meter height, also grew from strange places. Atop buildings, from the middle of roads, in parks, all over the city. They all bloomed with golden and crimson flowers, bringing light and beauty everywhere.

"Is this… What is this?… Where are we?" Asked Vicky, still in awe, her eyes glinting with the city's allure.

Bea chuckled at her daughter's words and walked back to her side. She placed her arm over Vicky's shoulder, pulling her closer. With her other hand, she pointed towards the few kilometer tall main tree.

"See that ruin below the Tree of Light? That was a gigantic castle once!… This is Castleburg, but I remodelled it a bit! Do you like it?"

No words came to her mind while staring out at the magnificent, glistening city. Even more surprising was the laughter and joy echoing from the streets below.

Curiously, she walked to the nearby window, which was actually a balcony. This cozy chamber was part of a larger structure of different houses, all built upon a smaller tree.

Its trunk grew in a strange way, forming a staircase leading up to its branches. A few dozen meters below, there was a larger platform where people sat, drank and celebrated their recent victory.

She instantly noticed Kim's snake-body and Astrid's golden wings. Other Transcended attended the gathering too, and a lot of faces Vicky didn't recognize.

"They are the military and civil leaders. We thought inviting them was the right choice, since their main headquarters is now a giant tree trunk."

A small smile grew on Vicky's lips, listening to the familiar voice coming from behind. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she recognized his voice.

With a beaming, bright grin, Vicky turned around and sprinted into Henry's arms. She hugged her with the speed of a rocket, then proceeded to give her lover a big, long kiss.

"Okay! That's enough, you two! Can't believe you're so shameless to kiss your boyfriend in front of your mother!" Said Bea in faked outrage, but she couldn't wipe the obvious satisfied smile from her face.

She spent a bit of time with Henry, talking things through with him. The young boy was extremely polite. Even after a few minutes since meeting him, Bea's mind was already at ease.

He seemed to truly love her daughter, which was all that mattered to Bea. Henry even told her about the 'engagement' between him and Vicky.

Bea couldn't help but laugh when he told the story about Elizabeth's misunderstanding. She also felt at ease when learning that nothing more than kissing happened between the two.

Henry even swore there will be nothing more between them before marriage, which Bea obviously didn't believe, but appreciated the boy's lie.

The two lovebirds soon separated. Henry even apologized for his discretion, while Vicky just turned away, trying to conceal her meek, shy, adorable blush.

They walked back to the balcony and leaned out, staring at the celebrating masses.

"How did they receive the change in leadership?… Well, judging by their happiness, they don't seem too heartbroken about losing Otto!"

Henry's joyous smile soon turned grim. He took a deep breath before glancing down at Vicky's curious eyes.

"No, they don't care, but... Lilith managed to interrogate hundreds of enemies, and it's not looking good… Their knowledge about us and our plans is vast. Secrets that were supposed to stay hidden!"

Vicky stretched her arms while curling her neck. Her bones cracked from the lack of movement in the past two days. She sighed deeply after a few moments, her eyes regaining its regal clarity.

"So… Where will they attack first?" Asked Vicky, perfectly guessing what Henry didn't want to bother her with.

Both Henry and Bea glanced at each other with worried, unsure expressions. They weren't sure if telling Vicky was the right option, however they knew that concealing was impossible.

A simple message to Lilith or Adam, and both would tell her everything. So, instead of trying to keep worry off of the young Princess's shoulder, they helped her carry the weight of her people!

"Their target is… Antarctica… And they are already there!"

The Princess glanced at the tall Tree of Light as a sad smile spread across her face. She turned back towards her mother and her lover with hope and determination.

"Rest is for the weak anyway!" She said, as the people's joyous celebration contrasted the young girl's inner fear.