UE Rewrite: B4 — 28. The First Supper
Added 2025-04-04 19:41:37 +0000 UTCPoV:
1. Elinor (Our Lich Empress!)
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Exiting their Inner Sanctum, Elinor opened her eyes as the whistling wind tickled her ears. To her left, she studied the military helicopter with its US-geared troops hanging around it. Carlos was already with them, gathering information and logistics on what was happening with the people heading their way—people who would need the basics, such as food and shelter.
What a mess… I suppose we’ll have to send out more hunting parties. Lucky will organize all of that, though. But we have a helicopter… No, probably a few. The issue is fuel and maintenance. I’m sure we can figure out a ritual solution. For now…
She turned to her sister and showed a small smile to her beaming, energetic grin. “Shall we head into the tent? Dad and Tiffany are already waiting for us—Butter!”
Her fatty twin latched onto her arm with a giggle, unapologetically informal as she dragged her toward the opening. The smell of heated food was already wafting through the air toward them from an adjacent tent that had been set up nearby.
“Oh, quit being so stiff! This is a celebration, Priss, our first meal! I can feel my stomach eating itself already, the saliva, the anticipation—ah! This is what it means to be alive!”
“…It’s not like I can’t feel those things. They’re only dulled.”
“Which is a pure tragedy! And you must be our famous cook, Antonietta,” the blonde chimed as they entered and spotted her; she wasn’t alone.
Elinor watched Antonietta’s proud smile as the woman directed her sons in placing an array of steaming dishes on the large wooden table. Tiffany and Edmon were off a bit aways, speaking internally to one another about the crisis waiting to happen with 50,000 people being brought to their doorstep.
For her, that was a topic for another hour. The scent of exotic spices filled the private dining tent, awakening senses that Elinor hadn’t indulged in since her transformation. After a short exchange, the maids changed them into more appropriate attire for such an important event. After donning their new garments, they entered the dining area—a table for four.
Dressed in her favorite gothic attire—a high-collared black dress with emerald accents that matched her eyes—Elinor studied the spread with clinical interest. Her undead nature made eating unnecessary, but tonight was special. Tonight was family.
My first meal with Butter. Her gaze drifted to her provocative twin, practically vibrating with excitement as she swiftly took the head of the table opposite her. I never thought I’d see the day where we’d make it here… Yes, it was a goal. But so many things stood in our path.
The blonde’s aquamarine eyes sparkled as she surveyed the feast, her liquid-gold locks cascading over shoulders, exposed by an elegant white dress with golden filigree. It really was like her twin to stand out, and it was actually cute to see her so hyped.
“Have we outdone ourselves, Empress?” Antonietta asked, her Spanish accent more pronounced. Though the woman’s perfect sun-kissed skin reflected the perfection her brand of resurrection provided. “I told my Manolo, I said, ‘This isn’t just dinner—this is a reunion!’ It must be perfect.”
“Mama exaggerates,” Manolo chuckled, setting down a platter of what appeared to be fish wrapped in large, unfamiliar leaves. “It is the best we have discovered but many more surprises lay hidden within the jungle. Though, we did catch some special cave-fish for tonight that we have found particularly well-flavored.”
“Is that what I think it is?” Butter exclaimed, leaning forward to examine the dish. “Oh my glory, I’ve heard some of the maids talk about this. They called it an umbra-fin, if I remember correctly!” She caught herself, a momentary shadow crossing her features before her brilliant smile returned. “Well, that was a tad unpleasant. In any case, it’s been ages!”
Elinor didn’t reply, knowing she must have far more interactions with their past lives, considering she’d already faced one of her previous incarnations. She had yet to face Irkalla or any other.
“You’ve had this before?” Tiffany asked, settling into her chair beside Edmon. She’d chosen a sophisticated violet dress that complemented her witch-queen status, her hair styled elegantly atop her head. “And here I thought this was our first meal.”
“Oh, it is. Just in another life,” the blonde dismissed with a wave. “Literally! Not worth mentioning. I was such a brat! I almost feel embarrassed even thinking about it.”
Their father took his seat with military precision, his movements fluid despite his impressive frame. Unlike the women, he’d opted for functional elegance—a deep blue button-up shirt with black trousers, his ever-present frost manifestation forming delicate patterns along his collar. She could see Tiffany stealing glances at him, trying to be discreet but failing spectacularly. If he noticed, he didn’t show it.
“Then we put that behind us. What would you recommend, Ms. Briseno?”
“The volcanic-basted venison is my personal recommendation,” Antonietta continued, directing Enrique as he placed a platter of dark, sizzling meat at the center of the table. “We marinated it in the heat vents near the eastern ridge.”
“And this,” Ramona added, bringing forward a bowl of vibrant purple vegetables swimming in golden sauce, “is glitter-pod stew with saffron cream. Very rare, or at least what the ri’bot claim. The pods only grow during moonless nights.”
“Intriguing.” Elinor nodded her approval. “It looks wonderful, Antonietta. Extend my pleasure to those who supported you in making this a priority.”
The dead chef beamed with pride, ushering her family out with a gentle wave. “We’ll leave you to enjoy. Ring if you need anything, Empress.”
As the chef’s family departed, Butter practically bounced in her chair, finger hovering over each dish like she couldn’t decide where to begin. “I’ve been waiting for this moment since I got this body! My first real meal in… Well, ever!”
“That we know of in this life, perhaps,” Elinor corrected, reaching for a crystal decanter filled with homemade deep red wine. “We’ve had many incarnations and it wasn’t as if we were starved in the womb.”
“Must you be so accurate, Priss? Be happy!” Butter huffed with a dramatic eye roll. “And I’m starving! Do you have any idea how much energy it takes to control an ancient crystal battle royale? My metabolism is through the roof!”
Tiffany chuckled, accepting a glass of wine from Elinor—she knew exactly what the witch would go for since it was what her mother would have sampled first. “Perhaps we should begin with a toast? To the family.”
“To family,” Edmon echoed, his voice carrying that frosty undertone that had become so familiar as of recent. Yet there was something more there between the Nexus, hidden from them. His eyes lingered on Tiffany with a complex emotion—something between regret and renewed appreciation. “To new beginnings.”
Elinor lifted her glass, emerald gaze sweeping across the table. “To victories won and battles yet to come.”
“And to me, the glue of this family!” Butter cheerfully added, raising her glass high. “And for being absolutely fabulous and bringing fifty thousand humans to bolster our empire!”
A hint of a smile touched Elinor's lips as they clinked glasses. “My ever so humble little sister. Yes, to you too, Butter. We’ve aged a lot in the past few months.”
The blonde took a dramatic sip, eyes widening. “Oh! Longer than that for me. This is divine! What is it?”
“Fermented bloodberry wine,” Elinor explained, reading from a list of items Antonietta had written down for them to examine, “from the Wixum’s new experiment—a collaborative effort between a few wine enthusiasts with the tradesman. Chief Yimara sent it as a personal gift since it was given to her on the first harvest. Huh. I had no idea we were even cultivating a type of wine but I suppose that isn’t exactly military data that I’d be interested in during our war.”
“You’re just too formal and focused, Priss,” Butter complained. “Liquid diplomacy is certainly something I can approve of! We must develop our own cultural cuisine that will become famous in other nations. Power is far more than military and force.”
“Something actually wise from my fatty twin for once,” Elinor snickered, earning a pouty glare that didn’t last long.
“We each have our strengths.”
“Indeed, you both excel in your own ways.” Their father began serving the various dishes, his movements precise and methodical. “Now that we’re settled in, I think it’s time we exchange reports. Who should we hear from first, Elinor?”
She gave him a gentle smile, knowing it was hard for him to concede leadership to her at times, no matter how reserved and formal he looked. He was her dad, and it meant a lot that he supported and respected her. Her twin on the other hand…
“Always the commander,” Butter teased, piling her plate high with samples of everything. “But can’t we just enjoy the food first? I’ve been looking forward to this since waking up, bleeding out all over my big sister’s soul.”
“Quite the image there, Sis. We can do both,” she replied, accepting a small portion of the umbra-fin from her father. “There’s too much to discuss to waste time and you’ve kind of forced me to bump up my timeline. We can’t just house 50,000 people who have needs.”
“Fine, fine,” Butter sighed dramatically before taking her first bite. Her eyes immediately rolled back in pleasure. “MMmmphh! This is,” she swallowed hastily,” incredible! Sorry, don’t mind me, and carry on with your boring empire reports while I have a spiritual experience with this fish.”
A faint smile lifted the corner of Elinor’s mouth. Her twin’s theatrics were exasperating but oddly refreshing after months of strategic planning and political maneuvering. She took a small bite of the fish—the texture was unusual, almost melting on her tongue, with a flavor both smoky and sweet.
“Mmm. It is good… As you know,” Elinor began, “the Xaltan are fully subjugated. Their remaining leadership has pledged fealty, and we’ve integrated their citizens into our numbers while dissolving their military structure. It isn’t as if I need it. We need gatherers, though.”
“Boring,” Butter sang under her breath, though her eyes remained attentive.
“Oh, well, pardon my insensitivity to your palate. Perhaps this will tickle your fancy… The Scarlet Hand operative, Jennifer, escaped with a nalvean and stole a thélméthra egg—specifically Camellia’s younger sister. A living sister she didn’t know existed.”
Butter swallowed a mouthful of glitter-pod stew. “Now you are speaking my language. I’ve heard about this Camellia! Your little spider monarch, right? The one who spooked me in our battle? The Life Circle mentioned something about ancient brood nests in the mountains. I left a message about it at the mines.”
Elinor paused, setting down her fork. “I never saw any message from you.”
“What?” Butter’s brow furrowed. “It was very clear—I scratched it into the wall near the cave you wanted investigated. If you didn’t see it…” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Either the Prume destroyed it, or Shade manipulated events through external means. Should we take this to the Nexus?”
“Anything we discuss Shade would have already known. The Prume are the more likely culprits in any case,” Tiffany interjected, sampling the venison. “They’ve been monitoring our activities closely from what we’ve been able to gather.”
“And we still know next to nothing about them,” Edmon added, his frost-touched breath visible as he spoke. “We have our speculations, considering their warning about the Susime. There may be something deeper between them.”
“They have direct connections, I heard it from the Susime’s leader over Life,” Butter confirmed, gesturing with her fork. “The Susime were a failed branch from the Prume—and I do mean failed. Like, spectacular failure.” She took another bite, chewing thoughtfully before continuing. “But the Prume have a direct line back to the Supreme Chiefs. If any ri’bot on this continent are truly powerful, it’s them.”
Elinor nodded slowly, processing this information. “Did you learn anything else about them during your time with the Susime?”
“Fragments,” Butter admitted, reaching for what appeared to be a brown bread roll. “The Supreme Chiefs of Life and Death were quite chatty at the end. I got to speak with both of them as their final wisps faded away.”
“And?” Elinor prompted, recalling her own interaction with the Supreme Chief of Life.
Butter’s expression sobered slightly. “The Supreme Chief of Death was…depressing. You’d love him! No, but he basically wanted his people wiped out because they’ve fallen so far from what they once were. He called them ‘irredeemable disappointments.’ ”
“Harsh,” Tiffany murmured, “but likely very true. Going from what they were as Supreme Chiefs, I assume it was quite the collapse.”
“That’s the general consensus. He really wasn’t entirely wrong,” Butter continued, swirling her wine. “The Susime won’t last another year before they fade out completely. I’ve already broken the hard news to them. It’s necessary, really. They need to enter the life cycle to reinvigorate their souls, or they’ll face complete dissolution.”
“Dissolution?” their father inquired between bites.
“A total wipe of who they are,” Butter explained, her tone uncharacteristically serious. “Their base Intelligence would reset. It would take many generations of failed births for them to fix themselves.”
“So we just…let them die?” Tiffany asked, her voice carefully neutral but Elinor knew she didn’t like the idea of losing resources.
Butter shrugged, the golden highlights in her hair catching the lamplight that had been lit for them to provide ambiance. “It’s not death—it’s transformation. They’re on the cusp of dissolution but can recover by entering the afterlife. It’s the rejuvenating process they need. Trust me, if there was something I could do, then I’d do it since they have some unique talents I loathed to lose.”
An oddly comfortable silence fell as everyone processed this information while eating. Elinor observed that Butter attacked her food with gusto, savoring each bite as if cataloging new experiences. Tiffany ate with refined precision, while their father seemed to approach the meal as a duty rather than pleasure.
“…You mentioned the Supreme Chiefs’ ascension,” Elinor prompted after a moment. “What exactly did you learn about that? I’ve heard a great deal about Supreme Chiefs but most of it is steeped in myth.”
Butter brightened, clearly eager to share. “Oh, it was fascinating! They were not native to our world and were enslaved by a Crystal attack over ten thousand years ago. The race required maintenance they couldn’t do on themselves. Well, that was until some big bad took out them, and the higher beings controlling them.
“The toads used their leftover technology and knowledge to become so advanced that they ascended to the fourth dimension! They were fighting Crystals, expanding their empire across the entire continent—this continent, I mean. They conquered everything up to the northern divide. By the way, there is an angel that fell somewhere to the north.”
“An angel? When did this happen?” Edmon asked, eyes snapping up with intrigue.
Tiffany tilted her head to the side, staring into her glass of crimson liquid. “Mmm. An angel would be fascinating to study. Dead?”
“Who can say? All I know is she was attacked by something that retreated further north after wounding the angelic figure. When did it happen? Millennia ago,” Butter replied, waving her hand vaguely. “The exact timeline is fuzzy to me, but it was long before any of the current ri’bot clans formed and during the fall of the Supreme Chiefs.”
“And what happened to them?” Elinor pressed, figuring there wouldn’t be much else involving the angel if Butter wasn’t expanding on it. It was something to keep in the back of her mind, though.
Butter’s expression darkened slightly. “Shade happened. The Whispering Shadow manipulated them into creating Crystal Gateways. They were used as weapons against celestial beings and other civilizations that furthered his cause.”
She leaned forward, voice dropping dramatically. “As I said, they challenged an angel—a six-winged angel; a higher-tier god—and it wiped out billions of ri’bot in retaliation. Shade took advantage of that, sealing them into prisons that can be used as power sources… Power sources their own descendants used to fuel their ambitions.”
Elinor raised an eyebrow. “Billions? The planet’s ri’bot population now can’t be more than a few million across the known areas, considering other nations and races have moved in.”
“Exactly,” Butter nodded emphatically. “They were an interplanetary empire, Priss! The ri’bot were conquerors who expanded across multiple worlds through the Crystals. Then it all came crashing down.”
Tiffany’s eyes widened. “Similar to the thélméthra. Do you suppose some of that matches with what we learned from the Prume spokesperson, Jet’al. He cautioned us against the northern mountains. Does that include the mines we are now snooping around in?”
Elinor shook her head. “Those are east of the northern mountains. Maybe if they wrap further west, but we can just mark those as off-limits.”
“There’s also that ri’bot kingdom to the west that we need to explore,” their father added, meticulously cutting his venison. “And the Nalvean Empire to the south is of paramount importance, considering they are our most powerful neighbors, who now have a tempest brewing within it that is Yesenia.”
“Speaking of which,” Elinor said, turning to Butter, “have you gleaned anything about our former prison warden after your visit to Earth? I assume you actually did a little research when you had the chance.”
Butter perked up. “You know me too well, sister. Yes! Including much about the Scarlet Hand but I’d rather save that more toward the end of this discussion.”
“Very well, it’s another problem though,” Elinor sighed. “But first, we secure the Black Keep—Kel’mal’tha is a necessity, now with our numbers.”
“That’s going to be our capital, right?” Butter eagerly inquired. “Please tell me we get actual bedrooms there. I love tents as much as the next conquering empress, but a girl needs her privacy and a place to express herself!”
Elinor suppressed a laugh, reflecting on how her twin decorated their internal world. “Yes, that’s the plan. Camellia is already scouting for entry points. Grace, Ash, and Valentina have their own angle. And the yaltha'ma may have a way inside as well—they used to live there.”
“Who?” Butter wrinkled her nose, glancing off to the side. “I don’t know who the yaltha'ma are. Some new ri’bot clan?”
Shaking her head, Elinor chuckled. “No, more like monkey-foxes.”
“Ooh! Cute. I want to see them!”
Edmon cleared his throat. “With all these developments in mind, we should address the immediate concerns. Butter, you mentioned fifty thousand humans joining us? How are they traveling here? Where will we house them?”
“Always the logistics man, Dad,” Butter teased, helping herself to more venison—apparently the deer here were three times bigger and had horns tipped with gem-like diamonds. “They’re making their way through the jungle as we speak. Some have Seeds, most don’t. Many came with their families.”
“Seeds,” Tiffany mused. “You mentioned a bit earlier about an Oscillation. Perhaps you should elaborate on that.”
Butter set down her silverware, suddenly animated with excitement. “Oh yes! The juicy stuff then! So, the First Oscillation affected one out of every one hundred twenty-five to one hundred fifty people. Most got lesser Seeds, like Valentina or Carlos, before Priss absorbed his, that is.”
“But what caused it?” Elinor pressed, reaching for her wine and picking apart every word Butter threw out.
“That’s where it gets interesting.” Her twin leaned forward conspiratorially. “Even Rachel and those on Earth don’t know for sure, but there may be an Eldritch connection or even a tie to Primal Gods.”
“Eldritch?” Elinor's interest visibly piqued, recalling her pre-death fascination with Lovecraftian horror—at least for a few weeks. “So, we’ve even delved into that area now, hmm?”
“Oh yes! Rachel—you remember the flash of her during our fight with Ashrit, right?—she cut Fate’s thread after being manipulated. In doing so, she triggered the Second Oscillation.”
“Which affected…” Edmon prompted, having already heard a little about it but not the details.
“As I said, about one out of every twenty-five humans were affected this time,” Butter replied casually, as if discussing the weather. “Not only that, but it changed landscapes, introduced magical beasts—former animals who were changed via Seeds—triggered transformations in even inanimate objects. Well, some inanimate objects, and, of course, added more Seeds. It’s caused quite a bit of unrest, which is partly why I was able to recruit so many humans.”
Tiffany’s eyes widened. “One out of every twenty five?! And that’s an estimate? If it includes inanimate objects and animals… That’s billions!”
“Hence the fifty thousand volunteers who willingly stepped into our world,” Butter nodded. “Earth has become fairly chaotic, but through my amazing presence and speech, I’ve helped calm the masses. I’m such a glorious public figure, both physically and spiritually.”
Elinor snorted softly, shaking with laughter, which was something rather hard to do as of recently yet her little sister managed to do it in spades. “I’m sure it was exactly as grand as you’re portraying it, my humble twin.”
“Grander! And I’m so humble—some may say the most humble!” Butter insisted with a grin. “But that’s not even the interesting part.” She leaned forward, voice dropping dramatically. “Some of our family has decided to join us.”
Tiffany choked slightly on her wine, while Edmon froze mid-bite.
“Your sister?” Edmon asked, looking at Tiffany with an unreadable expression.
Elinor immediately had flashbacks of private drama they didn’t know she’d heard.
Tiffany’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You know, I always wondered if there was something between you two.”
“We’ve already discussed that,” Edmon evenly replied, yet the exhaustion was written across his face. “Her not moving to California and staying in France was the best thing that happened to us, and now she’s decided to move worlds to be closer? No. It was one-sided and I hoped I misinterpreted those one-sided signs.”
“Hmm. We’ll see,” Tiffany said, swirling her wine and looking somewhat torn on the idea. “Things have changed a lot…and I’m trying to expand my horizons to view us as family again… A rather pushy sister who I didn’t exactly get along with that well could be a wrench in my plans.”
“Edmon’s parents are dead, I learned, and that was a while ago,” Butter continued, seemingly oblivious to the tension. “But Tiffany’s grandfather is still alive. I wasn’t sure about bringing back coffins, so I left them to rest. But everyone who wanted to join, I welcomed in.”
An uncomfortable silence fell over the table.
“That’s…” Elinor began, searching for words. “Mmm. Yes, we’ll cross that bridge when they arrive. What about Nungal? You mentioned something earlier.”
Butter’s expression brightened immediately. “Yes! The fascinating thing is that the Scarlet Hand was likely working with Fate. Then again, working with may be a tad strong of a statement,” she revised, locks brushing against her shoulders as she tilted her head left and right. “They both wanted to kick specific individuals off Earth—troublemakers, like us.”
“Why?” their father pressed, more than willing to escape their previous discussion, no doubt. “Was it because you are reincarnates?”
“Mmm. More like…because of Nungal,” Butter replied, as if it were obvious. “And figures like her. I suspect there are much higher entities at play than what Earth understands. Rachel and I speculated together at one point. She’s such a smart cookie! And she actually can have some fun while being serious, Priss.”
“I’m sure…”
Her golden twin set down her fork, her tone becoming uncharacteristically sober. “Levity aside, there’s the seventh wall—with creation deities below it. The creation deities exist in the seventh dimension, overseeing multiverses. Rachel breached that wall when she broke Fate’s thread, and on the other side are Eldritch creatures…but also other things.”
Elinor leaned forward, genuinely intrigued now, considering the enigmatic personage that was Shade. “And Nungal is beyond that wall?”
“Exactly!” Butter clapped her hands together. “Here in the Outlands—it’s what she calls it—the walls are thinner compared to the center of the ‘Maelstrom.’ Rachel calls this big collision of Existences the ‘Red Sea,’ which is connected to this adorable vampire lady named Scarlet. We’re on the outer edges of it. That allows higher deities to have more influence—not just fourth, fifth, or sixth-dimensional entities. These are much higher beings. Beings Fate doesn’t want to deal with.”
“And Nungal is one of them,” Elinor concluded.
“Yes. She’s likely part of some greater scheme,” the blonde continued, reaching for a new glass of wine Tiffany poured for her. “She has a brother that she’s annoyed with, or hides from. We already discussed that. There’s something more going on and she made some kind of deal with Rachel and her associated deities. I can’t be sure on the details.”
“A higher war?” Tiffany suggested.
“Or a stalemate,” Butter nodded. “Between these much higher beings. You have two distinctive Eldritch factions on one side and what Rachel terms ‘Primal Gods’ on the other. It’s a placeholder name. Nungal wasn’t particularly helpful on that end. All lower deities are possibly shadows or reflections of these Primal Gods. It’s a scary thought for them!”
“So, even if we did rise to the power of higher goddesses, Nungal is greater than that, which is how she managed to kill me every time,” Elinor murmured. “There’s levels higher than merely multiversal.”
“What a statement, but precisely my thoughts. There’s another Nungal on Earth—a seventh-dimensional being. But our Nungal…” Butter shook her head in amazement. “She makes those gods look like ants.”
“And she’s invested in us,” Elinor concluded, a bitter taste now coating her tongue as she reflected on the evening out she’d shared with the Primal Goddess. “That’s why the Scarlet Hand and Fate wanted us off the board entirely. It makes sense. We have ties to beings that are troublesome to deal with…but clearly not impossible. Nungal couldn’t do anything about Fate’s actions and that tells me she’s not at the top of the food chain, even if she’s very high up.”
“Ooh. Good and sound logic, sister! Death wasn’t even an option for beings like us, whatever we are,” Butter confirmed. “We were far too dangerous with Nungal hovering over us. Rachel was in that category too, but she slipped through the net via Eldritch machinations.”
Edmon leaned back in his chair, his expression contemplative. “All very fascinating, but it raises the question—is there any way back to Earth?”
Butter shook her head. “Not currently. We operated through a proxy, entering another world from the Crystal, then from that world into Earth. It was a battle royale in a third-party land. Now it’s closed. Believe me, I looked for a way to bridge them but Nungal said trying to do that was, and I quote, ‘the utmost folly,’ which is quite something from her.”
“That’s probably for the best, in all honesty,” Elinor hummed. “For now, we should focus on the Empire. Getting this home—the Black Keep—and settling inside. Grace should return soon with more reports, and Camellia seems to be returning from her last scouting mission.”
Butter sat a tad straighter, looking as if electricity was sparking through her radiant locks—she was actually glowing. “Agreed. But before all that—the coronation. We get to be crowned and have speeches, right? Yes! That’s happening before we take the fortress, right?”
Suppressing a smile, Elinor folded her hands in her lap and nodded. “It needs to happen, but it needs to happen with your 50,000 humans present. It’s to inform the people about what has happened, our accomplishments, and what is to come. I’ll walk among them in the coming days, hear their thoughts and concerns. Will you join me?”
“Of course! While we wait for my fifty thousand humans to arrive, we’ll learn what has been happening at home while we’ve been busy conquering peoples,” Butter proudly beamed. “Is there anything more we can do?”
“Possibly. We’ll send help to support them,” Elinor promised. “Perhaps the witches and warlocks can assist… In fact, hmm, if Castria can come through the portal, she might even help transport some of the more important items.”
“A solid plan, girls,” their father noted. “We can redivert some of the unintelligent undead to quicken the journey, as well.”
Tiffany raised her glass. “To the future of our Empire, then. To family.”
“Again, Tiff?”
“Of course! Am I wrong?” she pressed with a challenging smile. “I…am family, am I not?”
“It…appears so. To family,” he quietly whispered, his gaze lingering on the tentative witch queen.
Butter lifted her glass high. “To finally having a body and the ability to enjoy this absolutely divine meal with my big sister and parents! This…was amazing, Priss. It was everything I dreamed it would be.”
Elinor’s lips curved into a genuine smile as she raised her glass. “To shared victories and continued growth. This is only the beginning.”
As they clinked glasses together, Elinor felt something she hadn’t expected—a sense of genuine contentment. With Butter returned, her empire united, and the Black Keep within reach, the pieces were falling into place. Her empire was falling into place.
Of course, new challenges lay ahead—the Great Clans, the Nalvean Empire, the mysterious Prume—but for this moment, surrounded by family and celebrating their achievements, even the Empress of the Undead could allow herself to feel…almost human.
“More venison?” Butter asked hopefully, already reaching for the platter.
“Don’t be so greedy,” Elinor chided, though there was no bite to her words. “You really might get fat at this rate.”
“Oh please, Priss, I’m built for beauty,” Butter scoffed, showing off a blinding smile. “I’ve waited literal lifetimes for this moment with you. Let me enjoy it!”
“Butter… I suppose you do have a way of buttering me up.”
“I do actually love my name!”
As her twin piled more food onto her plate with childlike enthusiasm, Elinor exchanged glances with Tiffany—no, her mother—and father. She was trying, and that was something worth exploring. Their subtle smiles confirmed what she already knew—despite all the chaos and battles ahead, this strange, undead family they’d created was stronger than ever.
And in this world of gods, monsters, and cosmic wars, that might just be enough to see them through.
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