Angel Monarch

A week has passed in relative normalcy.

Currently Sera and everyone else sat in a large room around a table. It was inside the mansion Cassandra has chosen for herself, but most of them lived in the same building as well, since there was no point in having their own.

The building was huge with about two dozen different size bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. There were five different kitchens and many different dining and recreational rooms.

The mansion was so big it took one person a few minutes to walk from one side to the other.

The room they were in right now was previously a recreational room with a few different tables for games. But to Cassandra's dismay they changed the setup quite a bit.

They took out every non essential furniture and brought in a large round table in their stead.

Maya ––the little girl in Frank's group–– turned one wall into a whole different variety of monitors and TVs. They each showed something different. Some were hooked up to city camera's, or other important pictures, like maps and such.

The whole place was nice and organized, for which they thanked Cassandra's maid. Her name was Agnes, and saying that she was just a maid was quite the understatement.

She was the one who took care of everything mundane. Starting from the house, their clothes, laundry, food, cleaning, basically everything that they had no actual time for.

Agnes was more of a housekeeper than a maid, she hired actual maids for these mundane tasks, but she made sure that all of them done their assigned tasks perfectly. Not like any of them dared to make mistakes.

Working in the house that contained the whole city's leadership was a great honor for all of them. They were very respectful and shy. Sera only met a few in the past week, and only some of them passed out from stress.

Around the table six people sat. With the fireplace to her back Sera was leaning back in her chair. To her left was Cassandra, next to her David, then Frank and Jill. To Sera's right sat a new person, one that many only recently got accustomed with. Your journey continues at empire

Lilith wore her usual robes, but there was something new on her too. She finally got a watch, which she hated.

Once she got late from a meeting, because she didn't know the exact time, so Sera made sure she began wearing one. Lilith wanted to grumble, but with the watch she had gotten another gift.

Both her left and right hand now had one mark on each. Sera made them with her flames, burned right into her skin, which was a special kind of honor for Lilith. It was a seven pointed star... Who could've guessed...

The burning hurt, but her excitement was so big that her pain receptors malfunctioned.

After that she spent hours showing to everyone in the Angelic Order, it was really cute, like a girl getting a new dress and showing it off to all her friends and family. All of her Brothers and Sisters, oohed and awed.

They even began asking her how to get one themselves, which proved to be a great motivational opportunity. Sera told each that in order to get one, they would have to prove themselves!

Needless to say that each new evolved became an ascended by the end of the week. They were still away on a long hunting trip, but they are heading back to New Constantinople.

They had to travel quite far to find monsters to hunt, but eventually all the few dozen evolved became an ascended, there were about fifty of them now, and about a hundred or two new evolved, fresh recruits that passed the test and started their arduous journey.

Lilith was really proud of them. From everyone at this table, she was the only one who wasn't living in the mansion. Instead she still lived inside the cave with all her Brothers and Sisters.

While thinking about all this, Jill and David were talking about the hunt.

"...So there is still no sign of either the Empress or Dwight's Crew?" Asked Cassandra in annoyance, which Sera sympathized with.

Her failsafe was already nearby and ready to give support anytime, but it didn't make her feel that much better.

Jill:

In short yes, we have no idea where they disappeared to. After searching the scene where the three Order members perished, we found a few tracks, but they were dead-ends.

"That's unfortunate... If we can't find them, then we have to prepare for them as well as possible! Sera do you have any suggestions?" Said Cassandra.

In the past few weeks she changed probably the most. Sera didn't really understand what happened, but dealing with all these tasks, making decisions, leading a city, it seemed to suit her quite a bit.

And after learning of the Angelic Order she became way more enthusiastic about the cathedral, which was still in its early stages. Secretly Cassandra changed the plans a bit, and a few of her most loyal evolved will begin to dig out a gigantic secret facility underneath.

When Sera asked her why, she said that the church should be the Angelic Order's main headquarters. Sera wanted to object, but Lilith seemed way too enthusiastic about it.

The statue still wasn't being built yet, since Sera had dodged their requests every occasion she could... Sadly she was running out of excuses.

Sera turned towards Cassandra, then at every other person sitting at the table. Her face was deathly serious, no sign of the usual hollowness.

"It doesn't matter... There aren't any real precautions we could make, there aren't any preparations that the Empress hadn't thought of..." The others looked worried, but not because of the Empress or Dwight.

Non of them dared to say it, but Sera was acting strangely in the past week. She was constantly doing something, or checking on something, by their account she had entered her room only for a few minutes per day.

Her eyes that were usually bored and terrifying, but at least healthy looking, were now red rimmed and baggy. The were all worried about her, she doesn't sleep or eat, its like she's scared that the moment she closes her eyes, the world would seize to exist!

What they didn't know was that the reason she wasn't sleeping, was only partially because of the Empress.

A day after her resurrection the buzzing returned, and it was slowly driving her insane. It took most of her concentration to focus on whatever the others said.

After speaking, Sera turned away and began to try to think, it was getting harder each day.

From her right Lilith gently placed her hand on Sera's. Her red veined eyes snapped to Lilith instantly, but she didn't pull her hands away.

Lilith tried no to flinch at this sudden movement, or from the look on Sera's face.

"I think you should sleep..." Said Lilith in her gentlest voice, but Sera response came quickly... "I don't need sleep, that's what death is for!"

They didn't understand what she meant by that, but how could they... Non of them felt the calmness and quietness of the sweet embrace of death. It was both liberating and tranquil.

Sera's mind was so absorbed in its insanity, that she thought killing herself just to get some respite would be a good idea.

Cassandra looked at each of the worried faces, then spoke with anger, that she didn't even knew she had...

"I had enough! Sera, as your superior I order you to go to your room and sleep! I forbid you from leaving your room for the next two days! If you need anything send a message to Agnes, but you aren't allowed to leave! UNDERSTAND?!"

The people looked at Cassandra with pure surprise, but nobody was as shocked as her.

For a moment she became a bit scared that Sera would be angry at her, but her fears were unwarranted.

Sera stared into Cassandra's eyes with pure boredom, and without any prompt she placed her head down on the table and passed out...

Everyone stared at her sleeping form in pure bewilderment, then eventually they all began to laugh... Non of them thought they would see the famous Deathless Phoenix get defeated by one of the most mundane things, exhaustion.

While laughing David and Jill gently lifted her and they brought Sera to her room. As they entered, they realized just how little it was used.

Her clothes weren't even put away, they were just haphazardly thrown all over the place, which meant the maids were afraid to even enter her room. The bed was perfectly made, like she never slept in it, which was an actual possibility.

After getting her tucked in, which was quite funny, since nobody thought that they will put the famous Angel Monarch to bed, like a child who tried to stay awake, but couldn't.

With this small turn of events the meeting ended abruptly. Everyone went to their own rooms, except Lilith. She stayed with Sera, and even ordered some of the nightly maids to clean the room.

The few men and women walked in the room and cleaned everything without looking up even once. Their eyes never left the floor, or the object they were holding. While leaving Lilith commended them for their professionalism, then sent them on their way.

As Lilith stayed inside the room, she asked some her Brothers and Sisters to take watch outside. They would immediately report if anyone unwanted was approaching.

They spent the next 14 hours like this, that was when Sera finally decided to wake up...