At last, on the horizon, the walls of Light Palace City came into view. Alex had been away for only a short time, trying to restore peace among the three kingdoms and prevent war from breaking out. And she had succeeded. Only one final obstacle remained: her mother, Giotto Sansta, had to put an end to all hostilities and free the Underworld from the timeless eclipse.
But the closer they got to the city, the clearer it became to Alex that it was going to be impossible. The farmland was deserted. Hundreds of tanks, strategically placed, blocked access to the city, and not all of them were aimed outward—some were pointed inward as well.
Alex’s Lunar communication device began to ring.
—Hachisuka? —Alex said, pressing the communicator to her ear.
—Sister, the situation has become very tense —Hachisuka said from the other end of the line.
—Where are you? I’m arriving at Light Castle —Alex said.
—I’m already here. Moonglow attacked while you were away —Hachisuka replied.
—Is Mother all right? —Alex asked, worried.
—The siege on the castle has lasted several days. We… —Hachisuka’s voice was abruptly cut off.
—Hachisuka? Hachisuka! —Alex called, but her sister was no longer on the other end of the line.
The closer they got to the castle, the clearer the sounds of battle became. Flames licked the inside of the walls, where the tanks and the army of bandits had clashed. Bloodstained ground, corpses, and scorched earth were everywhere.
The entire entourage came to a halt. The gate they had planned to enter through was a warzone: bandits and Light Castle soldiers fought fiercely among fallen tanks, fire, and devastation. Alex gathered all the troops she had available and devised a plan.
—We must get into the castle no matter what! —Alex declared.
—No, not all of us. As long as you reach the throne room, that will be enough —Bianchi said.
—I’m not leaving you behind —Alex protested.
—You won’t. We will be your transport to get you there safely, Princess —Bianchi assured her. The skulk cheered in agreement.
—We will clear the streets for you, Princess! —one of the automatons said.
—The Makoto Cloth Corps will hold the rear! —one of the monks added.
Alex didn’t know what to say. Feeling such support was something new to her. Her confidence had been growing since she formed the Coalition in Academy City, but this… this was another level. These people, werefoxes, monks and automatons, were willing to die for her cause. To die for her, for their princess. And though the thought of anything going wrong pained her, Alex knew this was exactly what she had to do.
—Let’s go —she commanded.
Engines roared, and the entire group moved forward once more.
The caravan charged toward the burning city with unwavering resolve. The skulk moved with agility through the rubble, finding alternative routes, while the automatons fired at any soldier or bandit who stood in their way, aiming only for non-lethal wounds. The battle within the city was absolute chaos: Light Castle troops entrenched themselves in buildings, shooting from above, while the bandits attacked with brute force and desperate ferocity. There was no safe place, inside or outside the buildings, everything was chaos.
Alex and Bianchi led the way, riding on a skulk’s motorcycle. Every second counted. Hachisuka and Moonglow were inside the castle, though she had no idea where. And there was a chance they would face their mother alone, which could mean the downfall of one side. Alex swallowed hard, thinking of the terrible consequences.
—Over here! —one of the skulk shouted, pointing to a passage between two ruined buildings.
—Cover the rear! Move! —Alex ordered.
The Makoto Cloth Corps stayed behind, stopping anyone who tried to follow them. Their brute strength was such that they could block bullets and swords with their mantra, releasing waves of electric energy from their fists. The skulk and automatons slipped through secondary alleys, trying to advance unnoticed. The stench of death filled the air, and the ground was covered in ash and blood. In the distance, the castle loomed, its silhouette cut against a sky choked with smoke and fire.
As they moved forward, the clashes became more intense. A burst of gunfire erupted from a ruined building. Fortunately, Bianchi was an expert driver, quickly maneuvering to evade the bullets. The skulk split into two groups, trying to draw attention away, while Alex and Bianchi pressed toward the castle, increasingly alone.
Finally, after crossing an alley littered with corpses, the castle’s entrance appeared before them. But a battalion of soldiers and several tanks stood in their way. The automatons charged against the queen’s forces, giving Alex an opening to enter the castle.
Without looking back, Bianchi’s motorcycle soared over a tank, executing an acrobatic maneuver worthy of the best pilots. At last, inside the palace grounds, the soldiers hesitated upon recognizing the one trying to enter—and begrudgingly, they allowed their princess to pass.
Alex pushed through door after door, storming through torch-lit corridors. Bianchi had transformed his motorcycle back into a gauntlet, ready to protect his princess. Alex’s heart pounded in her chest: her mother awaited her at the end of this path.
The throne room doors were open. There, seated on the throne, was Giotto Sansta. She wore a gleaming silver-plated armor beneath her royal cloak, and her magnificent battle lance rested on her lap. Beside her, on the floor next to the throne, was a cage. Inside, dressed in an absurdly tiny outfit that made him look like a jester, was Wu Xiaohu.
—Get me out of here! —screamed Wu Xiaohu.
—Shut up, cat! Pets don’t talk! —Giotto snapped. Wu Xiaohu shrank back, too scared to reply.
—Your Maje— no. Mother —Alex said.
—Aleksandra —her mother replied. Her voice echoed through the great hall, her gaze severe.
—I’ve come to put an end to all of this —Alex declared.
—Have you come to surrender? —Giotto asked, rising slowly with the confidence of someone who had never been defeated.
—I have signed peace treaties with the other kingdoms, as I promised —Alex said, showing the documents. Her mother did not even raise an eyebrow.— The Underworld must be freed from the Timeless Eclipse. Fulfill your part, Mother. You have the power to do it. Stop this madness.
Giotto smirked, though her lips remained tight.
—I can't, daughter. All of this... is necessary. This world is mine by right. Protopatérpolis belongs to the Sansta —the queen declared.
—The world belongs to its people. Haven't you seen the pain the Conqueror's magic is causing? The city is in flames! —Alex exclaimed.
—And so, it must be. Those who want something must pay the price —Giotto said, caressing her lance.
—Then I have no choice but to ask you to yield the crown to me. Abdicate in my name, Mother —Alex said. Bianchi looked at Alex in astonishment. Not even she could believe the words she had just spoken.
—If you want my kingdom so badly, daughter —Giotto said—, come and take it.
Like a bolt of lightning, queen and lance launched toward Alex. Giotto Sansta's killing intent did not waver, not even for her eldest daughter. Fortunately, Thir'ahmh, deep inside Alex, reacted in time and manifested a massive claw around Alex's left arm, allowing her to block her mother’s attack, though she was pushed back several steps. Giotto's strikes continued in a deadly dance, steel against flesh, splattering monstrous blood with each impact, though none of them caused physical harm to Alex.
The battle raged on, the two of them spinning through the hall. Giotto showed no mercy, every thrust of her lance forcing Alex to move with precision to avoid a fatal wound. The entire hall trembled with the force of their attacks, though Alex remained purely on the defensive. She had not once attempted to hurt her mother. Meanwhile, the lance twirled, whistled, and struck like lightning, forcing Alex to summon more and more of Thir'ahmh with every second they fought.
—Not bad, monster! —Giotto taunted, attacking with calculated expertise.
—I am your daughter! Stop this madness! —Alex cried, her defenses weakening.
"You must strike back, human!", Thir'ahmh growled in her mind.
"She is my mother. I don't want to hurt her," Alex thought.
A lance strike caught her in the shoulder, sending her crashing down. A streak of crimson blood, the princess's blood, stained the floor. Alex let out a piercing scream as her mother stood over her, lance poised.
—You are careless, daughter —Giotto said—. You cannot defeat me.
—Not alone —Bianchi said, stepping into the fight.
—And what do you think you can do, dog? —Giotto scoffed— This is a family matter!
Bianchi looked at Alex. She shook her head.
—Bianchi is my family, Mother —Alex said firmly.
—You’ve fallen in love with a dog? He’s just a pet! —Giotto sneered, striking Bianchi with her lance. The gauntlet absorbed the impact, but the sheer force of the queen’s blow sent him flying across the room.
Alex leaped to her feet, her chest beginning to glow green, her eyes burning with fury.
—You can hurt me if you want, but don’t touch the one I love! —Alex roared. She gasped for breath and closed her eyes for an instant.
"I trust you, Thir'ahmh. You and I are one", she thought.
"I am going to kill her", the monster replied.
"No, you won’t. Because I have seen your mind and your heart. And you have seen mine. Do what you must, not what you were programmed to do." Alex thought.
And she released Thir'ahmh. A dark aura swirled around the princess as the beast emerged. Her body transformed, and the amulet detached from her flesh, returning to its pendant form.
—Alex, no! —Bianchi shouted.
—It’s all right —Alex and Thir'ahmh spoke in unison. Two voices, one body, one mind, one heart.
—How...? —Bianchi whispered.
—Your friend is very persuasive —Thir'ahmh replied.
Giotto smiled.
—So, you choose to embrace your true power. Good —the queen said.
The battle resumed with renewed ferocity. Alex and Thir'ahmh moved with their usual superhuman speed, their claws slicing through the air in brutal arcs. Giotto met them with equal skill, spinning her lance faster and faster. The floor cracked beneath them with each impact.
After a series of rapid exchanges, Giotto's lance reflected the eerie light of the eclipse, momentarily blinding Alex. A single second was enough for Giotto to strike her in the stomach, sending her crashing into a column. Gasping, Alex fell to the ground, breathless. She felt the blood on her lips, the strength draining from her limbs.
"Your mother is tough", Thir'ahmh murmured.
—You are strong, beast, but not strong enough to be a queen —Giotto declared, stepping forward with her lance poised for the final blow.
—But I am! —Hachisuka’s voice rang through the hall.
Giotto turned her head. Her youngest daughter, Hachisuka Sansta, accompanied by Moonglow, the king without a throne, stood at the entrance. The queen's gaze hardened.
—Hachisuka... traitor! —Giotto spat.
The princess pulled a knife from her robes. The queen smiled. Alex shook her head.
—I couldn't defeat Mother even with the power of a Sacred Beast, Hachisuka! —Alex warned.
But Hachisuka had other plans. She pressed the knife to her own throat, drawing a thin line of red along the blade.
—If you kill my sister, you kill me too. Your legacy will vanish with us —Hachisuka said.
Alex looked at her mother. Giotto did not react, as if the death of her daughters meant nothing to her. But a slight twitch in her eye betrayed her. For the first time, Giotto Sansta, the most powerful woman, the conqueror of Protopaterpolis, hesitated.
Alex sharpened the tentacles sprouting from Thir'ahmh and aimed them at her own head.
—You choose, Mother. The world, or us —she said.
Giotto swallowed but did not lower her weapon.
—Tell your "friends" to leave —Giotto demanded, referring to Bianchi and Moonglow.
—They are not just our friends, Mother. They are our partners —Hachisuka corrected.
—What? —Bianchi blurted.
—What do you mean, you and I, what? —Moonglow asked, bewildered.
—Seriously? —Alex nearly burst out laughing.
—He is the rightful heir to the throne, sister. And I am of marrying age. So, I decided to unify our families with a political act: marriage —Hachisuka declared.
Silence fell over the hall.
—Do you agree, King of the Bandits? —Alex asked Moonglow.
All eyes turned to Moonglow, who gripped the hilt of his sword. Giotto raised her lance and pointed it directly at him.
—I may forgive them one offense. But you, bandit... —Giotto hissed.
—No. Your daughter is right, Your Majesty —Moonglow said, releasing his sword to everyone's surprise—. It is time to settle this once and for all. The throne is yours, though by right, it belongs to me. Would you be willing to agree to a truce and a political alliance to save your daughters' lives?
Giotto's lips trembled.
—Are you willing to forfeit the throne? —Giotto asked.
Moonglow looked at Hachisuka. She lowered the knife.
—As long as you grant me your daughter's hand, yes, I will renounce it —said the bandit king.
Giotto lowered her weapon. Alex let out a long sigh. The metallic echo of the lance hitting the ground resounded like a final verdict.
—Very well —Giotto murmured.— You win.
—And the eclipse? —Alex asked, reverting to her human form.
Giotto took the orb she used to communicate with Gill Lapis and smashed it against the ground. Slowly, the sky began to clear.
Alex exchanged glances with Hachisuka, Bianchi, and Moonglow. They had done it. The battle was over.
