Angel Monarch

During the night, Vicky couldn't sleep. For hours she tried, but eventually she gave up with an exhausted sigh. A soft chuckle reached her from the other side of the bed.

Before she knew what happened, Henry's muscular arm wrapped around her, pulling Vicky into a cuddle.

They continued to chat throughout the night, enjoying each other's company.

He held Vicky more firmly when her emotions about the celebrations surfaced, and tears ran down her face.

Together they laughed and talked about the future until eventually the sun shined through the windows.

It was a new day. May 12th to be exact…

Outside, the Peacemaking Celebrations already began!

…

The first year after Bran's sacrifice, people's morale was down. The numerous deaths caused them profound sadness, shaping a bleak outlook.

With the rising tide of depression, Henry suggested making May 12th a national holiday, a time of celebration.

On this day, working wasn't permitted, and everyone had to solely focus on enjoying themselves, in remembrance of their lost loved ones.

People were skeptical in the upcoming weeks, but soon the Angelic Order announced a nationwide praying event, which Queen Seraphine's daughter, Victoria, also attended.

The rise of Sera's religion also increased after the war's end, but with their Goddess missing, many people turned away from the faith.

Rumors rose about Sera abandoning everyone. Some even believed she died during the war, and the Angelic Order only hid it to keep their hold on the city-states.

These rumors continued intensifying, and no matter how hard Lilith and Adam tried, they couldn't find its source.

Pushed into a corner, the Angelic Order was at the brink of collapse. The civilians stopped listening to their orders, and the Gate Openings became ever more frequent, causing disasters left and right.

Amidst all this chaos, nobody noticed Henry's and Vicky's missing presence. They disappeared before autumn. Henry was only a regular human, while Vicky was an Ascended.

The attacks grew in number until eventually the Pragua Disaster happened.

A Mass Gate Opening, as the scientists called it… Dozens, if not more than a hundred, Gates opened at every corner of Pragua…

Their council cried for help, from any other city-state, but nobody cared. The Stellars turned away from Pragua, each having their own reason for abandonment. The only nation that sent help was the Angelic Order.

Thousands of warriors, using their hippogryphs, flew to Pragua's aid.

The streets got flooded with the blood of monsters, Evolved and regular humans. But even after that many sacrifices, the city's destruction seemed inevitable.

When all hope seemed lost at the end of winter, something amazing happened. Like a Goddess arriving to save the city, Vicky stepped out of a portal in an unseen form.

She walked across the bloody streets, wearing nothing but a long dress seemingly woven from the night sky.

Wherever she walked, the nearby Realm Gates forcefully closed, killing any monster trying to climb through.

Only an hour after her arrival, every single Gate closed within Pragua… But there was still much to do…

Pragua's streets swarmed with thousands of monsters, causing widespread death and destruction.

Vicky hadn't relented. She swept through the streets, leaving only corpses in her wake.

She met lots of surviving soldiers from both the Angelic Order and from Pragua's defenses. They all kneeled before her, conveying their gratitude and obedience.

The regal Princess only nodded at the soldiers before moving on to kill more.

People who watched Vicky fight also reported a strange blur, which always stayed near the Princess, causing just as much death as the young girl.

It didn't take long to figure out the blur's identity. It was Henry, London's Prince and Vicky's boyfriend.

The news about the Prince's power shocked Europe, eventually reaching her mother's Queen Elizabeth's ears.

By that point, the two barely spoke, but the last straw for Henry was when her mother ordered him home after he helped save Pragua.

As a response, Henry released his messages with his mother, asking her help to save the city-state, and her clear refusal.

While the civilians of London became enraged at their Queen, the Angelic Order and Pragua enjoyed their newfound connection.

After long discussions between Henry and Pragua's council, they came to a compromise…

Pragua would join the Angelic Order's territory if they could keep their inner governance, but accept the Angelic Order's faith citywide.

These were acceptable conditions, and on April 15th ATA 29, Pragua officially became the 14th city-state within the Angelic Order.

This was surprising to every other city-state nearby. The Angelic Order already controlled the southern and eastern parts of Europe, but they slowly crept closer to the north and west.

While the other city-states tried keeping their citizens calm, because of the backlash of not helping their fellow humans, the Angelic Order enjoyed their new upcoming holiday.

With Vicky's new fame, and restored hope in the Angelic Order, the people became excited for the Peacemaking Celebrations.

Another good news, which further increased everyone's enthusiasm, was that the New Constantinople cathedral was finally ready.

Nearly two years' construction payed off. Vicky personally opened the Cathedral of Light, only days before the celebrations.

They didn't plan on naming the cathedral, but when everyone saw its glowing splendor at night, people began referring to it as the Cathedral of Light.

Its new name perfectly described the intended effect of the cathedral… To bring hope…

The building had seven entrances, each leading into its own separate churches. At the end, the seven buildings connected with the main structure, a gigantic open space, with a hundred meter tall statue of Seraphine as the centerpiece.

Around the room, wide, open elevators let people travel to the upper floors. The building comprised seven floors, decreasing in size, but even the top floor could accommodate a few thousand individuals.

For the Peacemaking Celebrations, everyone assembled inside the Cathedral of Light and many other churches around the Angelic Order.

Lilith, Adam, Vicky and Henry stood on the top of a floating platform, which moved around Sera's statue.

They used a wireless device, which amplified the voice of anyone atop the platform. From there, Vicky addressed the hundreds of thousands assembled inside and outside the Cathedral of Light.

Her speech also got broadcasted all over Europe. Everyone with a holo-screen could listen.

Vicky's speech was awkward at first, but she held on firmly until she reached the end. Her speech was very moving and beautifully composed. Henry put a lot of effort while writing it for his girlfriend.

After her speech, Lilith and Adam spoke to the masses as well. Then the real celebrations began.

Before noon, most civilians were already drunk, enjoying games, celebrating their lives and mourning their lost ones.

While the entire nation celebrated, Vicky and Henry spent their time quietly in the empty mansion.

All the other kids and their parents were out having fun, while Lydia volunteered to help keep the peace. Drunk people often don't mix well, leading to fights breaking out quickly.

Even the maids were off duty during the celebrations, leaving only his sister and her boyfriend to watch over little Nick.

Vicky's brother wasn't even three months old, so leaving him alone wasn't an option.

He was born on February 14th, less than two weeks before the Pragua Disaster. Following the birth, which Vicky and Henry assisted with, the child was taken from its mother only days later.

By that time, everyone of Vicky's old friends tried establishing their outposts thousands of kilometers away, so Vicky and Henry had to tackle the Pragua Disaster alone.

During the celebrations, Vicky felt especially sad and lonely, so spending time with only Henry and Nick felt like a breath of fresh air.

After the Peacemaking Celebrations, nothing too important happened. The year went by in relative peace, with Gate Openings becoming more frequent, but also less dangerous.

The celebrations inspired lots of people. The Angelic Order's military rapidly grew, and all the Evolved they lost during the Pragua Disaster got replaced by ten new recruits.

With this increase in number, a new problem arose across Europe… They were running out of monsters…

The hunting parties had to travel further each month. All the new Evolved hunted any monster below Horror to extinction.

But even the Horrors weren't safe, since the Transcended count increased too, reaching more than a hundred.

Interestingly, two solutions existed for the monster problem…

People either waited for Realm Gates to open so they could kill as many as possible, or they volunteered to join an outpost on another continent.

The more patient and people who didn't want to risk their lives stayed defending the city-states. However, bolder individuals explored volunteered at the outposts.

This emigration of soldiers caused the Angelic Order's influence to grow across the globe.

More outposts needed to be established. More soldiers became stronger. More people ventured out of Europe's safety.

During the year after the first celebration, the Angelic Order's position skyrocketed. By popularity and influence was a two-sided blade.

Other factions didn't spend the time idly, either. As May 12th approached, the shadows moved and prepared making their move.

Vicky knew nothing of this. The young Princess was blissfully unaware of the crap storm heading in her direction.

She just felt immense joy at finally reunite with her old friends following more than a year's separation.

After getting a proper breakfast, she ran to the science building and began opening portals atop the podium.

The early morning mattered little to everyone, since they all came from different time zones.

Vicky opened about a dozen portal, each leading into slightly different areas around the world.

Some opened into jungle-like forests, others into frozen tundras, rocky plains, mountain ranges, whimsical forests, and even deserts.

Each path led to enchanting destinations, yet Vicky's gaze remained fixed on the approaching individuals…