She was sitting in her garden, admiring the flowers with her returned sight. Her face looked a lot better than the first time they met. In recent days, he understood what Larza meant.
Without her powers to haunt her, the Daughter of Ice and Fire was a beauty that toppled kingdoms. The cracks that lined her face before were nowhere to be seen, only a smooth and unblemished skin was left. Her clear eyes regained their color after that layer of frost was washed away.
As he walked closer to her, he got to see her heterochromatic eyes again. He was amazed the first time that he saw it. One of them was ice blue and the other was blazing crimson. The change in Dia could be called nothing less than miraculous.
'Even still,' Arthur bowed as he stood in front of her. She turned to him with a smile. 'I'll test her just once. That's what the barrier is for.'
"I heard you've met the Knight of Courage," Dia asked curiously. "How was it?"
"It was a meeting, no more no less." Arthur shook his head. "Have you heard your father's orders?" He probed and Dia carried a sad expression.
"It pains me that he chose power over me, but there's nothing that we can do." Dia shook her head. "I believe that I can overcome it."
"During the ceremony, your father will make sure to strengthen the Bloodline Order," Arthur said. "My lady, I think we need to change our plan."
"What do you mean?"
"I can awaken your powers now," Arthur said as he slid his hand into hers. His aura flowed into her. "We can do it now so that your father wouldn't be able to strengthen the order."
"Didn't you say it was risky to hasten it?"
"It's the same risk as tomorrow," Arthur said. "However, we'll have the advantage once we do so."
"Do it," Dia said without hesitation. "I don't want to be restrained anymore." She stood up and grabbed Arthur with her other hand. "Do it and stay by my side forever."
"Yes, my lady." Arthur shook his left shoulder and the bag fell to the ground. The leaf floated from it and stood between them. Its barrier was stronger than before, but it didn't matter. Arthur could've awakened Dia long ago but he chose not to because he wanted to plant the Bestial Order.
Arthur reached out toward the leaf and grabbed it. He stopped the aura from seeping into it and the barrier weakened. After that, his aura gushed into Dia who grunted and took root in her body.
Her core was filled with his powers and the bestial order formed fully. The seed grew larger and took root in her core.
"Use my powers to break the leaf's barrier," Arthur said and Dia did as she was told. She reached out with her hand overflowing with the aura of creation and broke the barrier of the leaf.
Once she touched the leaf for the first time, the process began. A giant pillar of light shot out toward the sky and the mansion began to shake. The night turned to day as everyone in the mansion was alarmed by the influx of power.
'Her traits are merging with the herb as a catalyst.' Arthur felt Dia let go of his arm. Her body was a warzone of conflicted powers with a newly arriving pacifist. The herb turned into a stream of gentle mana that slipped between the two.
Arthur saw the change firsthand. The icy mana melted and the fire mana turned blue. They wrapped around each other as they turned into something else entirely.
From her back, a set of wings began growing just like the ones her father had. The only exception was that it wasn't blazing fire, but a gentle blue flame that gave bone-chilling coldness.
Two red sharp horns grew from her forehead as Dia rose in the air. The magnitude of power that she released made Arthur breathless. This was the power shown by the merging of two high-grade traits with opposing characteristics.
"Dia!" Duke Zenos descended from the sky and shouted. He looked on with confusion at his daughter. "Slave! What is the meaning of this?!" He turned toward Arthur with rage.
However, Arthur didn't answer but waited for Dia to awaken fully. The garden was soon swarmed with people who have been invited by the Duke, including Larza. She looked at Arthur with cold suspecting eyes but couldn't do anything because Dia's powers were pushing everyone away.
The Knight of Courage also arrived and looked on with a smile. Arthur's eyes met hers and he saw a questioning look on her face. All of these people gave him different orders and proposals, but he chose none of them.
The light gathered above Dia and condensed into a giant bird. With long wings and icy feathers, the bird looked like nothing that any of the present people have seen.
"Is this... an Ice Phoenix?" The Duke's disbelieving words shocked the present people and even Arthur. He looked at the Ice Phoenix and its red eyes. The Phoenix looked at him and Arthur saw something that made him relieved, it was submission.
The Ice Phoenix flapped its wings and rose high in the air before diving toward Dia. Ice exploded everywhere and blinded everyone's sight.
When Arthur opened his eyes, he saw the ice settle down as Dia walked out of the cloud. She had ice blue wings that burned with icy flames and red horns that shone brightly in the light.
The two shards on her ears held red flames within them as if to prove that the Phoenix's powers resided within. The power she radiated was on a different plane of existence, even stronger than her father's powers.
"Dia!" The Duke came forward. "My lovely daughter! You have awakened, what a joyous occasion!" Even though he didn't manage to strengthen the Bloodline Order, he still thought he had a small amount of control.
He made sure to shower her with affection once he realized it was too late to do anything. Dia, however, seemed like a completely different person.
"How are you feeling?" The Duke asked but Dia simply looked at her hand. A thin smile hung on her lips.
"Ah, at last." Dia's voice was clearer than ever. "I have awakened at last. I need to visit my mother's grave." She started walking away.
"What should we do with him?" Neray stepped out and pointed at Arthur. His eyes held killing intent and all of the present people seemed aware.
"Ah, him?" The Duke smiled. "You can kill him slowly for his past offenses." His words made Larza's face grow pale. However, he was still a duke and she was only a marchioness. She was quiet but looked at Arthur with a desperate look.
"Is that okay with you, Lady Dia?" Arthur interrupted, unfazed. She paused and turned to look at him with her icy cold eyes. "I thought we had an agreement."
"Agreements are between equally-standing people," Dia said slowly. "Never say my name, slave." She turned to her father. "Do as you wish."
Her wings spread and she flapped them to soar into the air. Arthur looked at her departing back as Neray rushed in and clawed his way.
A barrier appeared around Arthur that deflected the attack. Gala walked out of the group of people and stood beside Arthur.
"It seems you have been betrayed, Dear Seika." Gala smiled at him as she surveyed the surrounding. "What are you going to do now?"
"Gala?" The Duke's face was ashen before turning purple. "What is the meaning of your actions?" His powers were threatening to break.
"Ah, dear Zeno boy." Gala smiled as she referred to him as a 'boy.' The duke's face was growing more furious but she didn't care. "I simply found a more interesting person to follow. Right, Young Seika?"
"Do you think that you can get out of this alive?" The Duke laughed. "Take them down! I'll kill them myself!" The Duke's guards surrounded them.
"It's time, Seika," Gala whispered. "Show me that I made the right choice."
"Gladly," Arthur smiled as he walked forward and looked at Dia who was flying a distance away, almost turning to a dot. He took a deep breath before roaring. "Dia, descend!"
The world's strings were pulled and power spread from Arthur. An invisible link was formed between Dia and Arthur as he felt her resist his order.
"Have you gone mad, slave?" Neray laughed. "You dare order our princess like this? Death is too easy of a punishment."
"You..." The Duke's face turned pale. "How can this be... this power is..." He pointed at Arthur with a shaking finger. "Impossible!"
"How about you ask your daughter?" Arthur smiled as he looked upward. The rest of the people looked up and saw Dia fall like a meteor.
Without pausing, she crashed into the ground to create a crater. When the dust settled, Dia was sitting on one knee and glaring at Arthur with hateful eyes.
"You bastard... what have you done?!" Dia roared.