The Emperor’s Angel of Death

After the bath, Sorsaryan picked up Veronica and walked to the soft bed next to the hot spring, which was shaped like a giant open shell. He enjoyed the feeling of the warm wind blowing over him, and shared with his wife many interesting and trivial things he had encountered in the past few days. Veronica lay on his broad body, treating him like a warm cushion, blinking her eyes and listening to those things with a curious expression. Occasionally, she would also mention some interesting things she had encountered, but she talked most about her dreams.

As her pregnancy progressed, she slept more often and for longer periods. In her dreams, she was occasionally chased by grotesque and twisted creatures, but almost immediately, a chanting sound she couldn't understand would calm her dream.

Every time that happened, a vast and boundless flower field would appear in her dream. It was a flower field on the water, growing some kind of pink multi-petaled flowers, surrounded by round green leaves. When Veronica wandered in this sea of water flowers, she would always encounter two people.

Two people who were both far and near, sitting facing each other, wearing scarlet shawls and robes. She wanted to see their faces clearly, but she could never see them clearly. She only heard them seemingly talking or chanting, but no matter how it ended, this kind of dream could make her sleep peacefully and soundly, and she would wake up full of energy.

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But she also noticed that the flower buds on the unique bracelet that Sorsaryan had given her had turned into a state of being about to bloom, which Sorsaryan could also see.

With her intelligence, she naturally thought of the dream and that Ananda.

"Husband, what do you think that Ananda is up to?"

Hearing the question from his wife who was lying on his chest, Sorsaryan, with his hands behind his head, slowly exhaled and then said in a low voice:

"I don't know, and I can't guess. I just feel that Master Ananda must have secrets that I can't even imagine. Do you remember what I said? The establishment of the Votan Alliance should be Ananda's work. His wisdom and power must be no less than the Emperor's. The things they do are actually very similar, but Ananda's difference lies in knowing when to let go in time. The current Votan Alliance may not be what he once hoped for, but at least it's not the worst. If he tried to force the Kin to be the ideal image in his mind, what would the final result be? It's hard to say... Of course, this is just my guess, maybe he has other goals."

"Then do you think we should still trust him?"

"Madam, are you worried that Master Ananda will be detrimental to our child?"

"I... I can't say. I'm just a little worried, or rather, anxious. I can feel those malicious gazes from the Celestial Heavens. They hate us, they despise us, and they will rack their brains to destroy us."

Sorsaryan gently hugged his wife with his strong arms.

"If they want to hurt you, then I will destroy them first. Anxiety and fear are meaningless. When we are stronger than them, they will be the ones who are afraid... As for Master Ananda, I think he can still be trusted. I can't say for others, but I still believe in Rozim's feelings, and my intuition also tells me that he won't harm us, but I may not be able to understand the thoughts of people at his level."

"Yeah."

After the two had been intimate for a while, at Veronica's suggestion, they went to see a very ancient dance, which was even extinct among the current Aeldari groups, called the Six Praises of the Mother Goddess. This ancient dance is said to date back to the era when humans and gods were not separated, and is a completely different form from the current dances of the Harlequins and Troupe Masters.

Veronica had wanted to see it before, but she kept delaying it to wait for Sorsaryan. This time, she wanted him to go with her no matter what.

Because of the presence of the two saints of the royal court, this dance was also personally presided over by the Isha priestess with the title of "Basvatidass", the most outstanding dancer in the Kingdom of Helo. This title is very obscure even when described in Aeldari, and Veronica's translation for Sorsaryan roughly meant "Holder of the Treasure of the Four Aspects of Life, Death, Joy, and Anger".

The dance venue was in the Isha Temple, with a bluestone slab surrounded by green vines as the stage, surrounded by many trees of various shapes, purely with nature as the background. In addition to the important ministers of the royal court, the hunting kings of various city-states accompanied them to watch.

When the dancers, dressed in light green sleeveless waist-tied robes and loose leggings with tied ankles, walked onto the stage barefoot, Sorsaryan's attention was immediately attracted. The other party's dress was very simple, except for the emerald rings and bells on her hands and feet, but that wasn't the point. The point was that she didn't wear any masks or anything like that. Sorsaryan remembered that most Aeldari dancers liked to use masks for their performances.

Standing in the center of the stage, the dancer straightened her body, closed her eyes slightly, and then put her hands together, a gesture that made Sorsaryan raise his eyebrows.

Suddenly, the dancer widened her eyes, hooked her left leg, bent her right leg slightly outward, formed a mudra with her left hand in front of her, and raised her right hand over her head. Then all the lights went out, all the light gathered on her, and at the same time, the surrounding trees chanted with an ethereal voice.

Compassionate Mother of all beings, beloved by the Father God,

Crowned with a new moon, not eating a single turnip,

Radiant and serene, the supreme ancestor of all gods,

Wife of the Hunting God, spreading compassionate sounds,

There is a daughter, a moon goddess, the breath of eternal dreams,

The spirit creates and nurtures, a loving mother,

Like the sun in the sky, her fragrance is forever beautiful,

Auspicious manifestation, bestowing grace upon the world,

Supreme and unparalleled, her holy appearance is solemn,

Mother Goddess Isha, we bow to you.

This was the first time Sorsaryan had watched an Aeldari dance so seriously. As Veronica said, it was indeed very different. Although it was a solo dance, it vividly demonstrated that sense of power and mythology, especially the dancer, who used expressions to reflect the many changes of the gods. Compared with the "lazy" way of using masks, it can only be said that the two are not at the same level at all. This was truly using dance to interpret mythology. The movements and lyrics were in harmony, and they revealed worship and praise for the gods. The expressions were rich, complex, and intense. Every mudra, every physical movement, even Sorsaryan, who had no artistic talent, could see was extremely meaningful, and many of the movements had a sense of familiarity to Sorsaryan, such as the unique mudra, and the postures similar to squatting and sitting cross-legged.

Suddenly, a rapid drumbeat sounded in the chanting, and then the dancer, who had been showing a kind and joyful expression, suddenly flashed a look of anger.

Loving Mother, graceful and charming,

Powerful in all directions, commanding all realms,

Compassionate and protective of life, always bestowing blessings and joy,

Her tongue blooms like a lotus, her words sing like a zither,

Extraordinary auspiciousness, her face is like the bright moon,

Evil spirits and monsters, scattered and annihilated,

Supreme and unparalleled, her holy appearance is solemn,

Mother Goddess Isha, we bow to you

The dancer, who was sitting on the ground in a posture of holding a baby in the previous second, suddenly turned the loving expression on her face into a furious expression in an instant, and suddenly jumped up, opening her arms as if roaring.

Mysterious and wonderful spirits, she is my virtuous mother,

Using anger to strangle the enemy, ten thousand phoenixes spew flames,

The power of life and death, turning all cities into dust,

All gods pay homage, shining like a treasure torch,

Cutting, attacking, and killing, protecting and benefiting,

Beloved wife of the God Father, the main mother listens on the side,

Supreme and unparalleled, her holy appearance is solemn,

Mother Goddess Isha, we bow to you

Sorsaryan stared at the agile and lively dancer on the stage, and the expressions that were sometimes happy and sometimes angry, and gradually seemed to overlap with an image that he could not express.