The Legend of the ruthless Empress Freya

? - POV General -

In a large room far from the revelry that Freya's family was currently experiencing, a most important discussion was taking place. The Goddess of Ice and Chaos could not have imagined that Kalaa Nightshade had joined the Empire before finding Lucifer. Believing her to be sealed forever, Titania had missed this information and would probably have changed the course of things if she had known.

However, at this moment, she was not in Kleisaria watching her "puppet" either in a deep sleep or in her divine space. The manipulative Goddess was kneeling in this great hall, in front of a staircase where at the end was installed a long throne of gold and emeralds. On it, a beautiful blond woman was lying, making her hair made of gold fly with a huge fan.

"H-Hello, Goddess Matriarch Pria Luxumbra."

Titania had her head down and was almost shaking uncontrollably, swallowing as she did her best not to let anything show. And for good reason, in front of her stood the Matriarch of the House Luxumbra, the one who for so many years had stood against her enemy: Lucifer Nightshade. In front of Titania stood Pria Luxumbra herself, the one who wanted at all costs to become the very first Supreme Goddess that the Realm had ever known.

"Hahaha~ come on, get up Titania...and tell me all about Freya."

Pria was dressed in a long green dress split mid-thigh, revealing her pinkish skin, shiny and devoid of any scars. On her head, a huge crown almost representing her ego was placed, covered with gems in the colors of the universe. She was alone in this huge room and her calm voice resounded from all sides, making the Goddess of Ice and Chaos shiver in spite of herself.

"T-The plan is going as planned without a hitch your Greatness, Freya suspects nothing and has, as promised, not recovered her memories. Her trip to the crypt allowed her to unlock her Goddess blood making her regain her Blood and Death elements and her Demon form, though they are still very weak and incomplete."

"What about the 7 sins ? What about that famous journal gathering the secret of the Nightshades ?"

"Well..."

At that moment, although Titania was not stupid enough to dare to lie to the Matriarch of her house, her brain was working at full speed. She had planned to follow Pria's orders but still wanted to stay one step ahead in order to carry out her side plan. The idea was to deliver Freya once her powers had fully returned, but the blue-haired woman wanted a piece of the pie as well.

She wasn't as powerful as Pria, but in her mind, Titania had one thing the great Goddess didn't: Kira's trust. It may have seemed like nothing at first, but it was her trump card for the moment. Kira Nightshade, Lucifer's little sister herself, holding the title of Greedy Fox 6th Sil Demon and second in power only to the 7th.

Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that the young Fox Princess had Nightshade blood running through her veins making her even more powerful. With a bit of luck, Kira would be able to approach Freya's power, which suited Titania well. Having the trust of one of Lucifer's family members meant controlling her in some way and that, the Goddess of Ice and Chaos wanted to hide from Pria at all costs.

"Well ? Have you lost your tongue ? Speak up ! Don't make me wait, you know I hate that ! Besides, I have a dozen of Gods and Goddesses waiting for me to wound them with my divine presence, I don't have your time !"

The Matriarch's voice was still soft but for some reason, it felt like daggers in Titania's heart. Her natural aura was more than oppressive, so much so that if she didn't breathe softly she felt like she was suffocating. Not wanting to prolong this interview any longer, the blue-haired woman huffed to give her the information she wanted while leaving out some details.

"I-I...L-Lu...Freya is in possession of two of the Sins, the Prideful Griffin and the Envious Snake which she should release at the end of the war taking place in Elysium. However, she must find Greed, Sloth, Lust and Gluttony in order to regain her power as the one and only Mistress of the Sins."

"Mmh go on.."

"Unfortunately for the journal, Freya says she left it in the crypt as the Time magic dispersed making the room look like it was originally there. It...it's probably buried under vegetation, ruins or even perhaps in a state of dust."

Finishing her sentence, Titania closed her eyes with fear, fearing that Pria would explode at any moment at this latest news. However, the silence remained and no shouts followed the words of the one kneeling at the bottom of the stone stairs. After many long minutes, footsteps sounded as Pria slowly descended the stairs until she presented her high heels under Titania's nose.

The Goddess of Ice and Chaos couldn't see it but at that moment, the Matriarch was staring at her with eyes that looked at her like a common pawn. Her beautiful long blond hair was almost touching the ground and her very sexy dress, was hugging her more than generous forms. Pria was a beautiful woman although she seemed more innocent than mean most of the time, having a very mature and childish side at the same time.

Yet she had that presence that every Goddess possessed and due to her great lineage, a little something that instantly inspired respect. Titania hated to be in her presence, knowing her angry, unstable and narcissistic side. Yet, despite this, she respected Pria and didn't forget that she had chosen to place her family under the protection of the House named Luxumbra.

"I..."

"Do you know that my rise as Supreme Goddess depends only on the success of your mission, right ?"

"Y-Yes, Your Greatness."

"Then it seems that you are not as stupid as you look. In that case, how is it that after the wonderful plan I have been concocting for years, the journal is not in my hands ? Destroyed you say ? This diary holds all the secrets of the Nightshade family, how could it be destroyed so easily ? My God make your brain work."

Unlike Titania who had swallowed Freya's story without question, it was a different story for the golden-haired Goddess. Kalaa's magic had even been able to very easily prevent Pria's subordinate from rummaging around inside, it couldn't have destroyed itself so simply. It was a treasure trove, a wealth of information that had been written by the Matriarch of the House and her sister.

For Pria Luxumbra it was all possible, despite the fact that she "hates" Lucifer more than anything in the world, the two knew each other very well...too well. Indeed, as sworn enemies for thousands of years, Pria and Lucifer had indirectly gotten to know each other. Because of this, she knew that Titania had either been too stupid to realize that she had been lied to, or that Freya had been too stupid to leave it there.

"I-I don't know...it...it could be that I was wrong."

"It could be ? Are you saying that <strong>I</strong> could be wrong ?"

"N-No I..."

Titania didn't even have time to rectify her sentence when suddenly an immense pressure fell on her shoulders while all the flames of the candles flickered. The shadows of the room began to dance then to take shape on the ground, sliding towards the kneeling Goddess. Swallowing, suddenly, the shadows grabbed her by the arms and legs before stepping off the floor and lifting her into the air facing Pria.

"I-I apologize your...your...Greatness, that's not what I meant ! I-If you think Freya lied I...I can go find her and threaten her a little bit for..."

"HUH ?"

"Arg."

The Goddess of Ice and Chaos didn't have time to finish her sentence as the shadows around her limbs began to tighten a little more. Her life was not in danger but she felt that she had offended the Matriarch but did not know how. Pria, had her green eyes plunged into Titania's and when she had mentioned Freya, they had suddenly become very cold and frightening.

"Do...not...touch...a...single...hair...of...Lucifer !"

Nodding vigorously at this one sentence said slowly and menacingly, Titania was immediately released, shaking like a leaf. The Matriarch had said the name she herself had banished from her House, why ? Was it inadvertent ? She didn't understand, but at that moment she didn't care. She just felt bad that she hadn't chosen the right words, knowing Pria's temperament.

As quickly as it had appeared, the pressure, the suffocating aura disappeared in the blink of an eye, along with the shadows moving on the floor and the flickering flames. Within seconds it was all over and the room fell back into a solemn, almost deafening silence. Pria had returned to her throne without a sound while Titania gasped on her knees, hands on the floor trying to make herself as small as possible.

"Don't threaten Freya you fool, our whole plan is based on her trusting you. You've got her on a system after all, don't you ? Whatever happens you'll know if she miraculously remembers her memories or not."

At that moment, the blue-haired woman's spine was running with a big cold sweat, unable to refute or confirm these words. Indeed, she had felt a little more than a month ago that her connection with Freya changed or even disappeared against her will. Thus, it was impossible for her to know if she had really remembered, what her elements were and that was something Titania could not say.

"Y-Yes Great Goddess Pria."

"Good, now go. See that everything goes according to plan, I'll give you three months to come back here and give me some very good news. However, leave Freya alone for a while and instead focus on raising your son to the rank of God."

"M-My son ?"

"Yes your son, didn't you give birth a hundred years ago to a young God ? It seems to me that your blood runs in his veins so he should quickly evolve as a God. We still have time but our House must grow stronger as soon as possible because once Freya's great power is in me...we must destroy House Nightshade !"

Pria's plan was rather simple, create an army worthy of the greatest House of Gods and Goddesses that had ever existed to destroy the other. For thousands of years, House Nightshade had two beings that were difficult to defeat, making their House the most powerful. Now that Lucifer and Kalaa were out of the picture, Matriarch Luxumbra still wanted to do her part.

Even though the Deadly Nightshade Sisters were gone, their House was still a threat not to be taken lightly. The current Goddess Matriarch and the families of Demi-Gods and minor Gods were more numerous and devoted a frightening loyalty to Lucifer even after her death. Pria having less Gods on her side, wanted to bet everything on the power to end this Cold War that had lasted too long.

"Once I take the powerful mana of the terrifying Goddess of Blood and Death...nothing and no one can stop me..." 𝙛𝘳𝘦e𝓌e𝗯n𝗼ѵ𝙚l.𝒄𝚘𝑚

Pria Luxumbra's green eyes glowed with a frightening, feral glow and her excitement could be felt in the air around her. Becoming more and more oppressive once again, an almost too perfect silence settled down while once again the shadows danced. Titania didn't dare to move or look up, praying with all her might that this horrible interview would end as soon as possible before she passed out from the physical and mental strain.

"Yes...Pria Luxumbra...first Supreme Goddess of Dancing Shadows and True Light."

As her family name indicated spanning thousands of years of powerful Gods and Goddesses, the Luxumbras were users of Shadows and Light. Only one child, however, was born into the family with hair as fine and shiny as gold and eyes of unmistakable green. Destined to become Matriarch from birth, Pria Luxumbra wanted to make her mark on the history of her thousand-year-old House and even on the history of the deities.

To do so, she had to do the impossible and go even further than Lucifer Nightshade had done, no matter what. By becoming a Supreme Goddess, she would have the power to destroy the House of Nightshade and rule the entire Divine Realm. This simple idea made her smile wildly, especially since so far everything was going according to her excellent plan, only patience was now required.

The blonde woman had her fan in front of her mouth and could not help but giggle, first softly and then louder. Her Machiavellian laughter echoed throughout the room, bouncing off the walls and shaking the gigantic stone pillars. She was so close to the goal, so close to one of her biggest dreams but she had to keep her head, suddenly stopping, she noticed Titania again.

"You're still here ? Didn't I tell you to leave ?"

"R-Right away, forgive me !"

"Tch !"

Not wanting to stay in this empty, heavy room for another minute, the blue-haired woman bowed respectfully before bolting for the exit. She didn't want to be too quick so as not to appear too frightened, but she also didn't want to incur the wrath of the Matriarch. As Titania reached the huge door once again, which opened on its own, Pria's voice echoed behind her one last time.

"Oh and for Freya...don't forget, leave her alone for a while and make sure she doesn't remember anything thanks to the system."

"Yes !"

It was too late, Titania had lied and couldn't back out now if she didn't want her head to end up on the end of a spike. She was going to have to play it strategic to both obey Pria's orders but also keep an eye on Freya, which wasn't going to be easy. But despite her fearful air, Titania was determined because if she got her way, she could make a name for herself in the future most powerful House of God.

"I have three months...I'll take care of my little bunny for a month and a half and then I'll find a way to watch Freya."

As the big doors closed, the Goddess of Ice and Chaos had made her decision and was going to play it all out...after all, you don't get something for anything. Her sky blue hair disappeared behind the dark stone, leaving the Matriarch alone on her throne of gold and emeralds. When all was calm again, a sad and angry look appeared on her face

"Luci~ honey~...you made me do it...I didn't want it to come to this but you made me do it. We could have been together and ruled the Divinities and the worlds that populate this universe but you refused. Two perfect beings like us can only be together, our love should be stronger than our family and our House and yet..."

...

"But it doesn't matter, I will take everything from you, destroy everything... your family, your House, your powers and when you are on the verge of madness...I will be there to comfort you. Once I have absorbed your whole being we will be together for eternity, you and I...together. Lucifer...I love you as much as I hate you...but this will all be over soon...you will be mine and we will be one. "

[N/A: Lux = Light / Umbra = Shadow]