Angel Monarch-Chapter 321: Europe Aflame (13)

Lilith, in her faceless tall monster state, sent out a full force attack against the mist monster. The singing abruptly stopped as the beast went to sleep, and after taking a deep, calming breath, Lilith followed.

The sight in front of her appeared strange. She'd explored monster minds before, yet this one was profoundly different from those experiences.

Instead of a relatively large island, which represented the creature's mind, Lilith stood on a lone rocky outcropping within an endless ocean.

It was daytime seemingly, even though the sun was absent from the sky.

The waves crashed into the rocky cliffs a few meters away, showering Lilith and everything around her in seawater.

She stared across the approaching waves, towards the horizon, which seemed endless. It made no sense.

Mind islands typically possess distinct boundaries; however, this one felt uniquely tangible. It felt real in some capacity.

It was also extremely wrong. Every mind island had and needed a boundary, an edge to prevent thoughts from slipping outside of your influence. It also stopped other islands from affecting you.

Without a defined boundary between the monster's mental island and the others', information would flood her constantly, overloading her mind. Maintaining sanity was simply impossible amidst the influence of every surrounding mind.

While Lilith thought about this, the mist monster's singing began echoing around the ocean.

The voice held no power, but its beauty itself felt enthralling. It originated from behind her, so Lilith quickly spun around, prepared for a fight, but the sight wasn't what she expected.

Instead of seeing a monster ready to attack her, she only saw a relatively small woman, with long, bright red hair and milky white skin.

She sat sideways, with her bare back towards Lilith. The gentle wind played with her wet hair, while waves kept showring her body, which glistened under the nonexistent sun.

The woman would've been normal, but one feature stood out from the rest, her legs… She had none. A long, azure-green fishtail replaced them, occasionally slapping the wet rock.

The singing continued for a few minutes. Lilith tried staying alert, but at some point, her attention slipped from the woman, and focused on the song.

She couldn't understand a single word the half-fish, half-human person spoke. The language somehow felt familiar. It had some relation to the human language, but it was definitely much older.

Even then, Lilith recalled that a few elderly residents in New Athens spoke similarly. Her words weren't the same, though. They felt much older, full of emotion and power.

Lilith knew that long ago, when humanity wasn't as united, people spoke different languages based on their birthplace. These languages survived centuries, holding onto their cultural significance.

These languages mostly perished during the Last War and Apocalypse, leaving no surviving speakers.

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Europe was luckier than most, since in most ways they won the Last War, but even they lost most of their previous cultures.

New Athens and its surroundings stayed unharmed in most ways, and its elders knew everything about their old culture. They thought their young about it too, including Lilith.

She knew the language the woman used was called Greek, albeit a much older version of its current state.

Lilith couldn't understand even a word, but she felt the emotion in the singing… It was sad, full of anger and despair…

When the song finally came to an end, Lilith found herself back in her human form, with tears streaming down her face. She instantly went back on high alert, but the fish-tailed woman stayed unmoving.

Upon careful consideration, Lilith decided not to transform, and instead waited for the woman's next words.

She didn't turn around, but her alluring voice echoed around the outcropping, reaching Lilith's ears with ease. It wasn't loud, but cut through the sound of crashing waves without issue.

"You know, I to love the waves and seas. Just spending my days staring out into nothingness, singing to my heart's content…"

The woman wasn't talking in ancient Greek, so Lilith actually understood what she said. Her voice held a strong accent, which made a few pronunciations scuffed, but otherwise, it was alright.

Her reminiscent voice was full of joy. Lilith could hear her smile as she spoke.

"I would go swimming all day, talk with fishes, laugh and braid my hair with my sisters. We were peaceful and kept away from society."

She paused for a long moment, then continued, her voice turning angrier.

"But you people couldn't stay away. You moved your ships too close to our cliffs! Our singing was never meant for human ears, only for the gods!"

Rage visibly shook the woman as she drew a deep breath. She continued with her charming voice full of venom.

"You stupid humans came near our cliffs, heard our singing, and drove your ships straight into the rocks! Then you dared blame us for murdering you and even began hunting our species!"

Finally, the woman snapped and turned her body towards Lilith. She wore no clothing, but her long, bright red hair covered her voluptuous breasts.

Her angry face was one of the most beautiful sights Lilith had ever seen. Her beautiful, frowning mouth had the same redness as her hair, while her eyes were azure green, just like her tail.

She looked Lilith up and down once before turning back towards the ocean, ignoring her presence.

Lilith raised an eyebrow at the dismissal, but didn't question it. She waited for the woman to continue, but she seemed content with the silence.

Eventually, Lilith had enough, and tried engaging again. Lilith found her words captivating, prompting further inquiry, hoping to learn as much as possible about this woman.

"I think I haven't introduced myself yet! My name is Lilith, Co-Commander of the Angelic Order, and loyal servant of Lady Seraphine, the Angel Monarch!… Can I ask your name please?"

Despite her best efforts at kindness, the woman's response surprised her. Her ears perked up at something Lilith said. Her anger lessened, shock replacing it as she turned.

The woman's facial expression continued to change as thoughts zipped around her mind. After a few seconds, she remembered Lilith's watchful eyes, so she forced her face to stay neutral.

Her voice became also emotionless as she answered her question.

"My name is Aeleophia, and I'm one of the last Sirens… It seems you are much more interesting than I initially assumed, Lilith. Let me ask you this, before we continue this exchange… How much do you know about the past?"

Lilith stared at Aeleophia in confusion, not understanding the question at first. After momentary silence, she just shrugged and recounted her very lacking knowledge about history.

Her words painted a picture of the Last War, the Apocalypse, and the subsequent 28 years. As she finished, the siren seemed bewildered.

"That's it? You only know a few hundred years of humanity's history? What about the old religions and mythologies? Ever heard about ancient Egypt or Greece? Ancient Rome? The medieval period? Norse mythology or the Celtic pantheon? Nothing? What about Asian or American religions?"

Lilith just shook her head in a lack of understanding. Rome, the city, was familiar to her; however, she knew nothing about ancient Rome, nor ancient Greece.

She also knew a place called Egypt from older maps. It was a state in northeast Africa, but sadly, most of it got destroyed.

The Last War had a large impact on Earth. Europe lost relatively few places, but not every continent fared so well.

Africa was one of the richest places on Earth before the Last War, but its close proximity to Europe was its downfall.

Weapons of mass destruction landed on the continent, eliminating everyone, destroying the landscape, and cracking the earth.

By the time the war ended, the African Continent was ninety percent underwater. The bombs broke the ground, leaving gigantic craters, which filled with seawater.

Africa's land got flooded as the Arctic ice melted from the war, resulting in the region being commonly called the Mediterranean Ocean now.

Aeleophia's mouth tightened as she saw Lilith's blank stare.

"I assume you know nothing about these places and cultures. That's too bad. It will make everything harder for you. Anyway, I don't have nor the time or patience to explain everything…"

Turning back towards the sea, the siren hesitated before jumping. She seemed to struggle with something inside her mind. Before leaving, she glanced back at Lilith and spoke in a serious tone.

"Let me give you one unsolicited advice before I leave… Do not go against the prophecy. We Greeks know exactly how inescapable fate is. Just accept it, and move on with your life. It will be better for everyone!… Be sure to forward my advice to your Lady!"

Lilith, utterly bewildered, watched the siren turn away again. She splashed her strong tail and jumped down from the cliff into the endless seawater.

Her singing echoed throughout the ocean, and mist rose everywhere, obstructing the infinite view.

Lilith saw the mist creep up, absorbing everything. She blinked once and suddenly she was back in the corridor.

Quickly, she turned towards where the mist monster, Aeleophia, was, but she saw nothing there. Not even a hint of the thick fog remained.

Around her, the fight continued, but Lilith simply couldn't push the siren's words out of her head.

She knew nothing about prophecies. The closest encounter she had gotten with fate was through The Oracle, but she sensed this wasn't as simple as the nonsensical ramblings of that peculiar hag.

Aeleophia's words felt especially ominous. Lilith couldn't understand it, not yet at least, she need to know more!

But not now. The day wasn't over yet. She placed the thought in the back of her mind and joined the fight alongside her family and friends.