– POV General –

"Today, they laid down their lives for all of us, to protect our city and became the hope for the future. I, Freya Nightshade, Empress of Elysium, I kneel in honor of their deaths"

In front of thousands of saddened families and tired soldiers, the Empress had spoken these words just after kneeling before her Empire. The Queen and the two Princesses had followed right afterwards under the shocked look of absolutely all the citizens. No one had ever imagined seeing an entire Imperial family bowing before its people and yet...their eyes did not deceive them.

No more complaints, no more reproaches were raised in the sky of Elysium and the cries, the tears had been replaced by a sudden silence. How could one dare to speak ? How could one dare to protest or even make a single sound in the face of such a spectacle ? Faced with all the pain, the distress of those she had sworn to protect, Freya had preferred a single action to a thousand words to prove her sincerity.

Not only her but her whole family followed suit, making this moment even more unforgettable for those who were speechless. At that moment, the men and women who had unjustly vented their anger on the Empress felt without exception the same sense of guilt. This act was obviously not going to bring back those who had left, but it meant much more to everyone than an apology.

After her solemn words, Freya, Gaya, Kira and even Shiro stood there, motionless, hand on heart and eyes closed. The plain of Elysium was bathed in complete silence as a sudden weight was lifted from everyone's chest. The pain and sadness were still there, but the anger had given way to a saving, inexplicable and reassuring calm.

"An Empress never kneels, huh ?"

Nixia who was standing next to the other nine Commanders had spoken these few words as flashbacks of several months came back into her mind. She remembered her first meeting with Freya and the day she, Ralph, Emilia and Thorunn fought her. They had all ended up on the ground, exhausted and defeated while the she-wolf had pronounced these words which they had not forgotten: "An Empress never kneels".

However, it was the opposite that was taking place before her eyes and it had been stronger than her, Nixia had not been able to stop herself from thinking aloud. She was shocked, but she was smiling because she had not seen this situation coming. For hours the Commanders had been trying to calm the citizens, the broken families and what the she-wolf had just done was incredibly powerful.

"It feels like it was so long ago."

"She has changed..."

"A lot since then...her Highness is definitely not an Empress like the others, she is unique haha~"

Beside the snake woman, the three Commanders who had been present that day as well, were smiling just like their friend, once again surprised by their Empress. It had been a while since they had seen their leader as an ordinary person and yet Freya still managed to surprise them. Kneeling down, the she-wolf for the very first time had gone back on her own words which had never happened before.

"Umu...but that's why we love and admire her so much, isn't it girls ?"

"Yes, definitely !"

Na?a the young vixen had said out loud what everyone else was thinking down low, so much so that they had all responded in unison to her statement. The she-wolf kneeling before them was the Empress of a growing Empire, she was the most powerful being they had ever known, Lucifer herself...and yet. Yet she had not hesitated to do what no King, Queen, Emperor or Empress had done before to honor those fallen in war.

"There is no more powerful ruler than one who knows how to be humble."

Persea had added her words in a soft whisper with palpable pride, for the one she admired but also for herself for deciding to follow her. The Imperial family had even had a knee on the ground and for the dryad, it had never shown itself as worthy to reign, as worthy of the crown as at this precise moment. For her as for everyone else, they ironically proved their greatness by being capable of such an action.

Then, after long minutes of silence, Freya would slowly raise her head, causing the entire crowd to hold their breath. Just as slowly, she would open her eyes, exposing her two unique purple eyes that everyone in the Empire already knew. They were sparkling, deep, vibrant and despite the coldness they emanated, the people of Elysium also saw in them a singular sincerity and compassion.

Suddenly, a few seconds after the she-wolf's gaze met those standing before her, absolutely all the citizens knelt in turn. All of them as one, instinctively showing the same respect to their leader. They had all seen that glint in her eyes, that little something that meant everything, and despite Freya's cold and closed face, they understood what she was feeling.

The Empress's long black hair fluttered in the wind, her red and white locks shining in the last light of the sun. Her two magnificent black horns, engraved with demonic symbols were frightening but commanded respect. The tattoos under her eyes emphasized the power of her gaze which seemed to be able to read all the darkest secrets of a soul.

Freya was terrifyingly gorgeous, always inspiring a natural fear even though many had grown accustomed to it and yet she exuded a protective feeling. She was a divine beauty, she was mesmerizing and it only took one look at the Lights of the Empire to remember who she was. As the Empress stood up followed by her family who was equally amazed by the sight, Kira was the first to whisper followed by Shiro.

"Wow...they're all...just wow...this is..."

"It's mommy's power hihihi~"

The Imperial family had certainly put on an unexpected show for their people but now the roles were reversed which was sure to dazzle the two Princesses. The little Moon of the Empire was at a stage where she marveled at everything but for the fox, it was a different matter altogether. Since Kira had a body, this was the first time she had experienced this and seeing an entire city kneel before her was breathtaking.

"Please stand up."

Freya's powerful voice suddenly rang out, startling everyone as it carried far, always so authoritative no matter the circumstances. At that moment, all the heads were raised at the same time as the bodies to face the one who had just spoken. Sadness could still be read in the eyes of the citizens, but a new will to overcome this ordeal together animated them deeply.

For a few seconds, the Imperial family and the crowd, who had risen face to face, watched each other in silence, waiting patiently for the leader's words. The Queen on her left still held her two sleeping babies and the two Princesses on her right were still side by side. After sweeping her citizens with her eyes and taking one last look at the bodies under the white cloth, the she-wolf finally began her speech.

"Earlier, as I walked through the Empire, I was desperately searching for the right words to give you courage and ease your pain, if only a little. Now I stand before you all and to be honest, I still haven't found those precious words. For the first time since I became Empress, never has a speech been so difficult to make especially when it comes to a subject like...death."

Rather than lie which she hated more than anything, Freya had chosen to tell the truth even though at that moment she was leaving her crown. She had not spoken as Empress but as a sister in arms who had like so many people lost companions...friends. This was what the Imperial family had proven by kneeling: in mourning, there were no barriers, no titles, only people sharing the same pain.

"But no matter how much I don't have the words, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies before you all today. I know that many of you harbor anger towards me and given the situation I understand that, so please forgive me."

"..."

"I apologize that you have to find someone to blame for your sadness, regret, anger and pain. However...I will not apologize for what happened because that is the lot of all wars ! Coming back without a victim is impossible and all those who think otherwise are unfortunately very naive. But, this does not take away the courage that these warriors have shown and I can assure you that those you mourn today fought fiercely until the end !"

Under the unsurprised gaze of the Commanders but surprised by the citizens, the Empress had once again spoken in a harsh but sincere voice and stated a painful but real truth. At that moment, with those few words, many realized that they had almost blamed their leader for what had happened. Why should she apologize for the deaths that occurred when this outcome was in a sense inevitable ?

Yes, the Empress had led the army, but despite the great power she had, even if she wanted to, she could not control everything. The warriors under the white sheets, the soldiers they all honored for their bravery, were proof of that. The soldiers took the salute as the crowd began to nod their heads while Freya continued still carried by her own feelings.

"Together we will overcome this tragedy and together we will continue to grow, mature and live to honor those who are no longer with us. What you feel, this pain, this guilt I feel them.... my wife feels them, my sister and even our little princess. But remember one important thing...the highest tribute to the dead is not grief...but gratitude."

The Empress who had seemed so humble when she was on her knees was no more and had given way to the Empress of Ice whom everyone knew well. She had said she couldn't find the words for her speech but the smile that appeared one by one on the faces testified otherwise. The she-wolf spoke with passion, determination, anger but also with gentleness, sincerity and especially with pride.

"Let us be proud of the courage they have all shown without exception, let us be proud of the future they have offered us and that we must cherish in their memory. I know you would have liked to see them one last time, to say goodbye and thank you...but that is not possible. That's why we..."

Suddenly, as Freya was caught up in her speech, she stopped in the middle of one of her sentences as if struck by something. No one knew why she didn't continue, so the Queen also frowned in incomprehension. What was going on ? Was there a problem ? But there was no problem, because the Empress had just had an idea that she would have thought impossible until now.

_____

- POV Freya -

As I was speaking in front of my people, who I knew to be hurt and angry, a sentence I had just uttered shook me up. At that moment, my mind started to work at an incredible speed while a crazy idea was germinating in my head. Everyone was hanging on my lips, some were worried but I only needed a few minutes to evaluate every possibility.

"Freya ?"

"M-Mommy ?"

"Onee-san ?"

"Gooo ?"

"Baaaa ?"

Beside me, the voices of my family members were rising, even my twins who seemed to have been awakened by the power of my voice. They were worried and didn't know what was going on so with a slight wave of my hand I signaled to them that all was well. I was at an official event, the houses were empty, the whole Empire was gathered on this plain but I was unable to give them an explanation for the moment.

*I think it's possible. During my last fight I noticed that, so I would just have to....and then....before....then I could offer them this privilege*

historical

Everything was going so fast in my mind that I didn't even have time to sum it all up to myself knowing exactly what I wanted to do. My intelligence was at such a level that this speed of processing every possibility required me to concentrate more than totally. The more the seconds passed, the more confident I became, but the more I could feel the commotion in the crowd and beside me, which was normal.

"Freya, honey...what's going on ?"

As my dragoness asked this question with a trace of worry in her voice, taking the trouble to whisper so as not to worry the others, I had figured it out. Inspired by my own words and what I had experienced during my fight with Kalaa, I had found a way to make this funeral unforgettable. Then raising my head towards my wife, a smile on my face, I finally revealed what my mind had been thinking about.

"I can't bring the dead back to life, I can't give back to their family and friends those who have fallen bravely in war, but...perhaps I can allow their loved ones to say goodbye."

___

FULL STATUS

Names : Freya / Lucifer Nightshade

Age : 0 years old / Mentally : 25 years old

Sex : Female

Course: Ice Demon Wolf of Chaos - Adult

Race : Imperial Demon

Titles :

- Demon Goddess of Primordial Blood and Death (former - until all powers are recovered) - 20%.

- Wrathful Lucifer (7th Sin) - Master of the uniques Sins Demons (to unlock it, please gather the other 6 - 3/6 - (locked)

- Dragon tamer

- Ruthless slayer

Level : 45/70

Exp needed for next level: 0 / 46 000

HP : 163 000 / 170 000 MP : 66 000 / 85 000. BLOOD : 100 / 100

Strength: 560

Defense : 560

Agility : 566

Endurance: 563

Speed : 562

Intelligence: 560

Charisma: 500 (imperial she-wolf)

Attribute points to allocate : 600

Married to : Gaya Nightshade

Daughter : Shiro Nightshade

Twins (son & daughter) : Tyle & Alta?s Nightshade

Little sister : Kira Nightshade (Greedy Fox)

Big sister : Kalaa Nightshade

Empire (menu)

Subordinates: 2239

Humans killed: 153

Souls: 2/3

Elements: Ice / Chaos (Freya) - Blood / Death (Lucifer)

Skills (all):

Attacks :

- Demon Claws (Lvl 5)

- Bite of hell (Lvl 6)

- Infernal ice spikes (Lvl 6)

- Fighting techniques (Lvl max)

- Mastery of the katana (lvl max)

- Demonic Empress aura (lvl 7)

Défense :

- Ice demon wall (Lvl 6)

- Demonic Cloak (lvl 5)

- Pain Resistance (lvl 6)

Attack/Defense :

- Domain of the Ice Empress "Frozen Wrath" (lvl 4)

- Death Gaze (lvl 1)

Others :

- Humanoid form

- Demonic form (linked to the title so incomplete) - 20%.

- Ice creation (Lvl 6)

- Detection and control of mana (lvl 5)

- Storage of chaos (Lvl 4)

- Devouring Chaos (Lvl 5)

- Master of Souls (lvl 2)

- Lucifer's Threads of Blood (lvl 3)

- Healing Blood (lvl 3)

- Analysis

- Telepathy

Passives :

- Commander (lvl max)

- Natural Aura of the Ice Empress ]