Angel Monarch-Chapter 306 : The Calm Before the Storm

Time went by quickly as everyone prepared for war. Well, over a month had passed since the attack on the castle.

Warm, early May breeze swept through the streets of New Athens, as Sera stood on her house's balcony, with Bran beside her.

She watched with a small smile as Vicky and the other kids ran around playing tag. Their parents sat nearby, enjoying their 'vacation'.

In reality, it wasn't really a vacation. New Athens had the strongest defenses out of every city-state. This was the Aegis System's origin, so it lost barely any power when activated.

Parents, including Sera, Elizabeth, and Bea, decided where the children would be safest during the fighting. The Queen was against sending Henry away at first, but after a quick reminder of her castle's state, and the demolished towers, she relented.

The parents also didn't want to leave their kids, so everyone came to New Athens to stay in Sera's mansion. Her enormous house contained numerous rooms, so even though her friends occupied most, there was still plenty of space for guests.

Her friends didn't disappoint either, and held a large party for the new arrivals. Bea and Otto attended as well, which proved a bit awkward at first, but everyone was mature and kept their opinions to themselves.

Vicky was especially ecstatic. She became much happier after the uncomfortable distance between her mothers disappeared. Like a dark veil finally lifting from her mood, Vicky turned back to her usual excited self, which she lost after the breakup.

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After the celebration, the parents and kids spent lots of times exploring The City of the Phoenix, as her citizens often referred to New Athens.

Vicky happily showed them the best places, acting like a tour guide. Sadly, she couldn't do it a lot, since unlike the other kids, she needed to work.

As the drums of war beat over Europe, people began panicking. The refugee count grew by leaps and bounds. The Angelic Order faced an exponential increase in help requests, meaning the time and rate portals needed to be opened went up too.

Despite continuous portal maintenance, Vicky didn't complain. Instead, she spent time with Henry. Everyone knew not to bother her, while she kept portals open, since it took quite a bit of concentration, but Henry was the exception.

He always stayed nearby, especially when she needed to focus on work. At this point, Henry knew her schedule better than she did, and he gladly coordinated everything around her work schedule.

Bea wasn't exactly the happiest for the elongated length they spent one-on-one, but Otto was there to comfort and shower her with attention.

She, and everyone else, was pretty busy with the upcoming battles. They spent a lot of time preparing, Sera especially. She couldn't explain why, but she felt the need to practice fighting without using abilities or transformations.

Something in her had changed after that defeat on New Year's eve. Since then, she felt compelled to improve, and after each fight lost against Damien, a deep sense of approaching doom grew in her chest.

The idleness was eating her up. She spent most days the same: waking up, working out, eating, working out again, attending war conferences, working out a third time, and finally going to sleep.

This exceeded mere waiting-related stress. It was purely obsessive, and she couldn't figure out where her anxiety stemmed from.

Even standing on this balcony with Bran next to her, she felt the uneasiness grow. Her hands slightly trembled, and she wanted nothing more than to enter the gym and fight against a stronger opponent, who would certainly defeat her.

Only at Bran's and Bea's insistence did Sera stop. They were concerned about her spiraling behavior, and they also didn't want to cause Vicky any further stress.

She thrived in this new environment, and neither parent wished it to end. They allowed Vicky a peaceful existence, despite the war's imminent arrival and the fleeting nature of happiness.

Henry was not as easily deceived. The little prince payed more attention to his surroundings than most Evolved. Luckily, he agreed with the parent's mentality keeping Vicky stress-free. Bran only had to speak with him once, and he agreed wholeheartedly.

That talk was a week ago, and no incident happened, so it was safe to say that Henry kept his word.

From her balcony, Sera watched as the kids chased each other around her garden. Although Vicky's enhanced body was much faster than the other children's, she always allowed herself to be caught, to keep the fun going.

Their laughter echoed around the mansion, bringing a smile even to Sera's otherwise troubled expression.

"You know, you should smile more often. It looks good on your face, enhances your beauty!"

As Bran spoke, he came closer and placed a hand on hers. Sera just snorted and continued to watch the kids play.

"I don't know if you have noticed, but I don't exactly have reasons to smile often…" Sera trailed off by the end, as her imagination ran wild with the upcoming slaughter.

Her mind began spiraling again. Bran felt the tremble in her hand, and so he reached forward and gently moved Sera's face, so their eyes met. Those bewitching golden-green eyes stared at him with a deep sense of worry.

"Stop it!" said Bran in a low voice. "Stop what?" asked Sera, pretending to be confused, but her voice sounded so lifeless even she didn't believe her words.

"You know exactly what…" Said Bran, then shook his head and sighed with exasperation. "Look, I understand things will worsen. Believe me, I know it more than you…"

For an imperceptible moment, Bran's eyes widened at his own words, but like nothing had happened, he continued. Sera became a bit confused by his words and reaction, but her own troubles overpowered her lingering curiosity.

"Yes, the war is approaching, and maybe none of us will survive…" Before continuing, Sera cut in with another snort and a tiny smile. "Wow, you are amazing at cheering people up! The possibility of death always brings me joy!"

Bran chuckled for a split moment, then leaned in to give a small kiss atop Sera's head. Her golden hair felt like silk under his lips, their smoothness incredible and stunning.

During the small kiss, he couldn't help himself. His left hand stayed on Sera's, while his right slipped behind her back, gently caressing and playing with her long, shiny hair.

Sera's smile stayed persistent throughout this ordeal, and as Bran moved away, her eyes noticeably brightened. She also leaned in closer to Bran and placed her own empty hand on his firm chest. A prolonged gaze passed between them until eventually Bran continued speaking.

"We should enjoy these moments, this calm before the inevitable storm… Our survival is uncertain at best, so let's spend as much time together… If the worst happens, I wish to leave this world without regrets within my soul."

There was a deep sadness in his light hazel eyes. Sera couldn't understand why, but something felt wrong with his gaze.

Bran must've noticed the change in Sera's expression, since in a blink the sadness was gone, like it never existed. For a split moment, Sera even questioned her own sanity, since the change was so abrupt.

Before Sera could've raised any concern, Bran leaned in and gave a long kiss on her lips. She didn't object. With both her hands over his shoulders, she pulled him even closer. Bran did the same. His hands moving in circles across her back. She arched, pressing her body against Bran's.

A few minutes later, Sera ended the kiss but stayed close to Bran. She wanted to pursue the reason for the sadness in his eyes, but Bran shook his head gently, his eyes full of desperation. He didn't want to talk about it, and so Sera, instead of asking a question, moved back to continue their kiss.

She knew it was a mistake, that she should've pressed him, but right now she didn't want any sad truths. Everything was already bad enough. Sera wanted comfort. She needed peace for as long as it lasted.

For this reason, she abandoned the topic, and instead enjoyed the tranquility. The children's laughter continued to echo around the yard, and the closeness of her lover brought indescribable happiness to Sera.

As the kiss ended, only a few centimeters long bridge of saliva separated their lips. From the side they heard approaching footsteps, but neither payed attention. Their eyes only held each other.

Faith stopped in the doorway and forcefully coughed. Bran glanced at her and blushed a bit from the sudden audience witnessing their intimacy.

Sera didn't seem to care, though. With one hand, she gently brushed Bran's face and gave another small peck on his lips. She then leaned in and whispered into his ears.

"This isn't over yet. We will continue when I come back… Prepare, my love, for a lengthy night!"

Both Faith and Bran blushed extremely hard as Sera moved away, walking inside the mansion. Faith followed close-by, and together they went away to the last war conference before the war tomorrow.

They walked down the stairs towards the garden, so Vicky could teleport them to London. Before reaching the door, Faith collected herself, finally voicing a persistent question.

With one hand, she stopped Sera, who stared at her with curiosity. She noticed a long time ago how Faith looked at her. She wasn't like most of Sera's followers, her devotion rivalled even Adam's and Lilith's.

Sera wasn't exactly sure where her piety stemmed from, but she was interested in learning more. So she stopped and silently awaited Faith's next words.