The Legend of the ruthless Empress Freya

Chapter 142 The True Demon Within [Interlude II]

-- POV General --

In the forest of Syn there was a clearing where a magnificent tree stood proudly, majestic, as white as crystal, magical and even seemingly eternal. The moon shone down on this wonderful, quiet place where the wind whispered softly in the night. Under the starry sky, there was a soothing and unique atmosphere, but thousands of meters below it was not the case.

If one went deep into the earth...very deep, the cool air was no longer cool but heavy, the moonlight no longer shone, and was even replaced by darkness. The place was far from magical and in one of the deepest rooms, a young woman was undergoing changes. In a place almost cut off from the world, the Empress of Elysium had entered an unknown state.

Freya, who until now had remained calm, had not been able to control the outpouring of feelings that had suddenly flooded into her mind and heart. It had all started from nothing, but it had all happened so fast that in a moment, for the first time, the she-wolf was no longer acting on her own. Something had been triggered in her, something different and more complex.

Unlike when she lost control and activated her Domain of the Ice Empress - Frozen Wrath- skill, her hair hadn't turned white and no frozen domain had been activated. What was different was that this time, Freya had just acquired a new title that had activated preventing her anger skill from being activated in the first place. Why had her title activated ?

It had activated because in the moment the she-wolf had lost control, she had not only been angry but more than that. In that moment she had wished for power, for destruction, for chaos activating her Demon side once again as it fed on her darkest desires. Since it had awakened, Freya hadn't been aware of it yet but now she possessed every feature of her course.

The title "Empress of the three colors" was nothing more than proof that the Empress had finally reached the potential of her course. Her evolution would continue as normal, but now the she-wolf could access all her powers. All the feelings that had been mixing inside her had broken the last barrier to discovering who she really was.

"Empress !"

"Your Highness !!"

"What's going on ?"

The Lieutenants watching the scene were panicked and didn't know what was going on but the Commanders kept their calm. They knew their Empress was a special person and waited patiently, ready to act at any moment. As the Commanders signaled to the others to calm down, the heavy air of the humid cave became even heavier as everyone concentrated on not passing out.

Everyone's eyes were on Freya, and while some were more afraid than others, no one knew what was going on. The mana was surging around her like a colorful and powerful dance. The Empress in the air in the middle of this storm did not tremble and let the waves carry her along.

Freya was floating several feet above the ground and almost touching the ceiling. For the first time, the mana normally invisible to others was now clearly visible. The she-wolf's mana swirled around her in three distinct colors: white, black and red. As a powerful wind stirred the acid beneath her, Freya seemed to be asleep, her long black hair billowing but her face not moving.

Freya had been born a wolf but what she really was now, was an Ice Demon Wolf of Chaos. She wasn't undergoing any evolution because she had always had those sides to her since birth so nothing would change. All the pieces of Freya's being were finally coming together, letting her true potential, her true power emerge. Suddenly, one by one the light entered her from her heart as her eyes still closed she didn't even seem to breathe.

The white mana representing her main element accompanying her since the beginning was the first to sneak into the chest of the she-wolf. The air suddenly turned cold as it did so and for the second time and for all to see, her hair turned as white and pure as the moon. An icy coldness swirled through the room as the color carrying her anger, her coldness, her sincerity, her love finally disappeared completely in her body.

Black mana was the second to enter Freya's heart as the atmosphere changed. Coming from Chaos, it represented its second element but also its hypnotic side, like Limbo or the Abyss, unfathomable, unperturbed and mysterious. A black veil now fogged the room while once again, the Empress' hair returned to its original color.

Red mana was the most unfamiliar to Freya as she had never really had to deal with her demon side before. However, for some reason yet unknown the mana particles were denser, more numerous and inspired terror and death. Unlocked since her battle with the Nightmare Demon and fully activated thanks to the title, a unique Demon was born before the eyes of her soldiers.

The moment her title had been activated, her desires for destruction and domination had been mixed with the cruelty, sadism, and anger in her heart. This deep desire to be the master of her destiny and her wish to have more power had pushed the Empress down a path that even the Goddess had not foreseen. In that moment, the unique being that was Freya, through her determination and anger, had embraced all of these feelings without resistance which was the key to opening a new path.

As the red mana completely enveloped the Empress, for the first time her black hair turned blood red. Her horns grew larger, her tattoos repeated the same demonic symbols covering her face while her nails and teeth became as sharp and deadly as daggers. The air that had become cold and then heavy was now incredibly hot, suffocating as the Empress remained motionless in the air.

Each color meant more than it seemed, and each one represented Freya, who she was at her core, beyond even the system. It wasn't just about race or course, but about her entire being. Her personality, her powers, her soul, her body, her entire existence was held in three shades. The title was only useful once and had activated...now Freya was finally in tune with herself.

Every particle of mana belonging to one of her peculiarities, was now flowing through her body while the Empress stood still. The soldiers on the platform next to her were all lying on the ground, covering their heads to protect themselves but still watching. Everything had become calmer, the air was no longer stuffy and the temperature had returned to normal, as everyone watched the she-wolf, no one saw certain red particles enter Inferno.

Suddenly, Freya began to tremble as if convulsed, and this time, each form she had taken returned one after the other at an incredible speed. In front of the worried soldiers scrolled, the Empress of Ice with hair as white as the moon, the She-wolf of chaos with hair as black as the night and the deadly Demoness with hair as red as blood, as red as...the sun. In the minds of the Commanders and Lieutenants, the Empress of Elysium alone was the Moon, the Night and the Sun.

___

-- POV Freya --

I didn't know what was going on, but right after I got lost in the emotions that had overwhelmed me, I was in an unknown place. Just like when I had that dream a few days ago but this time it was different because I didn't feel the same things. I felt incredibly good, at peace as if all my negative thoughts had disappeared at once and my body could move.

The place was quiet and there was nothing around me except a field of what looked like crystal balls, sometimes white, sometimes black. What was also strange was that the more time I spent in this place the more I began to recognize it. I was still in my body but I was traveling in my own mind and those crystal balls were my memories. I couldn't explain how but I knew.

*Kira ?*

My sister was not there as I imagined her to be, for I was in the depths of my mind, in the depths of my soul where no one could ever set foot. Walking through these balls, a particularly dark and foggy one caught my eye. Kneeling down, I instinctively put my hand on it before my mind was sucked away and the still painful images scrolled before me.

I was replaying the day my father had beaten me for simply asking for something to eat. I was watching the scene like a movie and the little girl in front of me with the purple eyes swollen from crying and the body full of bruises...that was me. My father's voice seemed to shake the walls and even now it made me sick as he spat in my face and screamed.

"Get out ! You're useless ! Why the fuck did that bitch have to make me such an incompetent, weird kid ? Go cry somewhere else and if you're hungry just eat your shit ! If you come back I'll put your eyes out ! Tsk...seriously what's with the cursed look ?"

At these words, I broke the black ball in my hands, making me come out of this memory instantly as my hands trembled. The next moment, it reappeared at my feet as new, because after all, I could never forget these events, even if they were buried deep in my heart.

*That... that bastard ! I should have killed him with my own hands !

Calming me down, another small globe drew my attention right next to it but unlike the first one, this one was white and shiny. Putting my hand on it once more I found myself this time on the roof of a house and in front of me I saw myself sitting with a little girl on my lap that I knew very well. It was night, our black and white hair as hypnotic as the night and the moon above us, floating in the wind under this starry night that I would never forget.

"So from today, you will be Shiro. Wear that name with pride throughout your life and be proud of who you are."

I could see myself hugging Shiro as she snuggled into my embrace with an innocent smile before saying one of the words that had changed my life.

"Mommy..."

The next moment I was thrown out of that memory and this time my hands were shaking not with anger but with emotion. I had seen the night of the Yarlford Festival again, where my destiny had been linked to that wonderful little being, my daughter. One by one I touched each crystal ball beside me, sending me into a flood of memories, some happy, some sad.

The white ones seemed to be my happy memories and I could see my meeting with Gaya, my mind registering it as joyful despite our rather cold and violent first exchange. There was also the day Kira became my little sister, my meeting with Shiro, the creation of my Empire, my wedding, the announcement of the baby and many others. I was reliving every emotion, every sensation and the further I went, the more I felt the tears rising.

The black ones, on the other hand, were my most violent, sad and harsh memories of my entire life. I saw my childhood, my problems, my weaknesses, and how I went from an innocent child to a heartless leader of a mafia organization. All the times I was beaten by my parents, humiliated, hungry and weak. I felt every blow I was dealt, every wound that was inflicted on me and the pain that tore and broke my heart more than my body.

Not surprisingly, all the black balls were almost all connected to my past life and the white balls to my new one where there was everything I had never had before. As I stood up shakily still in the middle of the crystal ball field, I looked as far as I could but there was nothing but this as far as the eye could see. As I took a deep breath, I noticed something new. A little further on, there was debris that was neither white nor black but red.

I had no idea what the memories were, and the closer I got, the more the broken pieces began to shake. As I reached out to touch them, they suddenly came together, forming a single bright red ball much larger than the others. My fingers were not yet touching the smooth glass but for some reason, I hesitated. This thing seemed to be calling to me and a strangely familiar feeling emanated from it but something inside me told me that once I put my hand on it, there would be no turning back.

*...let's go...*

With a sure and determined gesture, I finally placed my hand on that large globe and once again my mind was sucked into a memory I could not wait to discover. What memory of my two lives could have this hue ? While I was asking myself this question, I finally arrived at a place that told me absolutely nothing at first sight. Unlike the other visions, this memory was hazy and dark as if it had been erased or forgotten.

I could not tell where I was and as I looked around I could not help but wonder if I was hallucinating. I could not see well but it seemed that I was in a dark and hot place where only torches of fire were burning. Suddenly a shaky voice sounded behind me, startling me just before I turned around in a hurry.

"Please...I...please your Majesty !!"

I didn't dare move forward yet and as I squinted my eyes, I could see the person who had just begged. He had the wings of a bat, the feet of a bull and the horns of a goat...he was a Demon. He was on his knees, shaking like a leaf, and as he waited another, colder voice sounded.

"No mercy for traitors !"

In front of this traitor, I discovered another figure rising from her throne after she had spoken these words. I was behind and had not seen her at first as she was hidden by the seat but now there were two people in this memory. The voice was cold and scathing and the person who had just spoken them, even from behind, let me see some of her features as her voice echoed again.

"Yet you know that one of the things I hate most...is betrayal !"

Her words made me unconsciously smile despite the situation because I totally agreed with her because I said that as often and at that moment, I felt no pity for the poor Demon.

This woman had long black hair with a red streak at the back of her head, large horns adorned her forehead and an unbelievably powerful and familiar aura emanated from her body. I couldn't see her face and like the unfortunate man on his knees, I had no idea who it could be. The memory told me absolutely nothing and yet it was in my mind and belonged to me.

*Is it...me ?*

I moved closer to get around this woman whose eyes I couldn't see, but suddenly an excruciating, violent pain gripped my head shaking my entire mind. As I fell to my knees and closed my eyes, the next thing I knew I was back and my little sister's voice was screaming in my mind.

[Freya !! God damn it you're not going to do this to me again !! Freya up !!]

[ ALERT : SYSTEM ERROR ! ]

[ System rebooting in progress...30%...60%...80%...99% ]

[ System rebooting is 100% successful ]

[ The Empress system has become Freya's system. From now on, no third party will be allowed to interact without the host's consent anymore ]