Reading settings
Chapter 319: The Light of the Star Sapphire
Almerac, the Royal Palace.
"My dear daughter, that's not how things work."
The Old King was sweating profusely.
"You can't just see some guy on the street, decide he doesn't look like a good person, and order people to beat him up."
"Who said that?" Maxima's eyes widened. "Slander! Nothing of the sort happened."
"Hmm? But that's what all the attendants with you said," the Old King said, puzzled.
"Nonsense, I didn't order anyone to beat him up. I did it myself!" Maxima placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly.
The Old King: "..."
He couldn't help but start wondering again if passing the throne to his daughter had been a bit too hasty.
Perhaps he should have waited until she found a more reliable man before bringing this up. But then again, his daughter was stubborn, insisting on finding a man stronger than herself. With her abilities, finding someone who could fight better than her was already a one-in-a-million chance. To expect that person to have brains as well was a tall order.
He'd be a brute, nine times out of ten. That is, if she could even find one.
The Old King's head started to ache again just thinking about it.
Truly a difficult problem.
"You are the ruler of a nation now; you can't do things this way." The Old King coaxed patiently. "We are a law-abiding planet. Perhaps he did deserve it, but everything requires evidence.
"If you can just say whatever you want by relying on your power, couldn't I then accuse you of secretly hiding inappropriate books?"
Maxima was shocked. "Father, you already knew?"
The Old King: "..."
My god, a surprise bonus.
Maxima's cheeks flushed slightly as she whispered, "It's not really anything too explicit, it's just... just that kind..."
"Stop, stop, that's enough, I don't want to know." The old man sat down, panting. "I'm afraid my heart can't take it."
Maxima quickly scurried behind him. "Then let me massage your shoulders."
"No, no."
The old man's expression changed, and he quickly dodged away again.
"Your status is different now. You must always remember that."
"Oh." Maxima nodded obediently.
The Old King let out a long sigh of relief.
In fact, the bones his dear daughter had snapped the last time had only just recently healed. His silly daughter possessed immense divine power, and he was afraid his old bones couldn't take it.
"Alright, I know your mind isn't on this," the Old King sighed. "But this nation is counting on you now, especially after the recent incident. The people adore you; they only see your great side..."
"I understand," Maxima nodded. "I will strive to be better, and this nation will definitely—"
A sudden alarm cut her off.
"Alarm. Unidentified Flying Object intrusion. Extremely high speed. Defense protocols ineffective."
The expressions of the father and daughter changed in unison.
An intruder, in the royal palace?
"Has Apokolips returned?" Maxima was startled.
But it wasn't. With a crisp bang, the outer wall of the room was blasted through. A streak of light shot in from the other side, tracing a violet trail of light as it rushed into the room. After circling halfway, it locked onto Maxima's position and flew toward her.
"Maxima of Almerac, your heart holds immense love..."
"You will become the Queen of Love, an incubator for the Star Sapphire..."
The violet light crashed into Maxima, seemingly enveloping a crystal that reflected a brilliant glow, and entered her body.
"Ugh... ahhh..."
Maxima fell to one knee, clutching her head and groaning.
The violet light was endless, pulsing with a rhythm that seemed to strike at her very heart. Maxima felt her senses blur. She could vaguely hear her father calling her name, but even the sound grew more and more distant.
The Old King cried out and moved forward, trying to reach out and touch her. But the eerie violet light had already enveloped her entire body, and the energy radiating from it blasted the unprepared old man to the ground.
"Father!"
Maxima cried out, trying to reach for him, but it only felt as if the distance grew the more she reached out. Then she realized her body had, at some point, risen into the air, crashed through the wall, and was flying into the sky amidst the shocked cries of countless people below.
In the final moment before her consciousness was submerged, she heard that eerie female voice again.
"It is time to spawn, time to love..."
"Maxima of Almerac, you shall become..."
"...a Star Sapphire."
Earth. HISHE Coffee Shop.
On a quiet afternoon, the coffee shop was closed. Kara sat alone and comfortable by the window, sipping coffee while studying scientific works left behind by one of Brainiac's lost civilizations.
No, that's not right, she wasn't exactly alone. Because across the table from her, the super-orange cat, Stryker, was mimicking her, lying primly on the table. He was seriously reading a book, occasionally pausing to lick the special milk beside him. With a pair of glasses perched on his nose, he looked just like Dr. Cat.
Orin Vale had gone to Central City with Barry to research a new direction for the Speed Force, and had apparently brought two new friends along. Uncharacteristically, Batman had gone too, supposedly to meet some kind of "daughter who isn't a daughter"...
It was a bit complicated; Kara hadn't quite understood.
Actually, she had wanted to go too, but she had an unresolved issue with her research project. With no other choice, she stayed behind at the shop with Stryker to focus on her research.
Just as she was engrossed in her book, Kara's ears suddenly twitched.
"Uh... did you hear something?" She looked up from the ocean of knowledge and turned to Stryker.
"Meow~" said Stryker.
Kara nodded seriously. "You're right, I should go check it out."
Kara seemed to have unknowingly mastered Cat Language Level Ten. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought they were witnessing some kind of encrypted communication.
Donning her custom suit, Kara became a red-and-blue afterimage, flying in the direction of the sound.
"Strange, the sound seemed to come from over here." Kara hovered in mid-air, looking around. "But my super-vision doesn't see anything..."
Suddenly, a beam of violet light, as if shot from the heavens, slammed into her back like a laser beam. Kara grunted, stumbling in mid-air before steadying herself. She whipped her head around and saw a blurry afterimage charging straight at her.
"Where. Is. He!?"
The woman roared from within the violet light, charging directly at Kara.
Kara took a closer look and was startled.
"You... Maxima?"
As she spoke, she sidestepped slightly with her upper body, avoiding Maxima's supersonic punch. Immediately after, her right hand shot out and grabbed Maxima's wrist. Her body moved in an arc behind Maxima, where she used a clever grappling move to pin her arm behind her back.
"Let's calm down. Can we talk this out first?" Kara asked, holding her arm from behind. "How did you end up like this?"
But the violet glow on Maxima's body flared, and a surging wave of energy erupted, blasting Kara backward.
"I said..."
Maxima turned and dove at her again.
"...Where is he!?"
(end of chapter)
Almerac, the Royal Palace.
"My dear daughter, that's not how things work."
The Old King was sweating profusely.
"You can't just see some guy on the street, decide he doesn't look like a good person, and order people to beat him up."
"Who said that?" Maxima's eyes widened. "Slander! Nothing of the sort happened."
"Hmm? But that's what all the attendants with you said," the Old King said, puzzled.
"Nonsense, I didn't order anyone to beat him up. I did it myself!" Maxima placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly.
The Old King: "..."
He couldn't help but start wondering again if passing the throne to his daughter had been a bit too hasty.
Perhaps he should have waited until she found a more reliable man before bringing this up. But then again, his daughter was stubborn, insisting on finding a man stronger than herself. With her abilities, finding someone who could fight better than her was already a one-in-a-million chance. To expect that person to have brains as well was a tall order.
He'd be a brute, nine times out of ten. That is, if she could even find one.
The Old King's head started to ache again just thinking about it.
Truly a difficult problem.
"You are the ruler of a nation now; you can't do things this way." The Old King coaxed patiently. "We are a law-abiding planet. Perhaps he did deserve it, but everything requires evidence.
"If you can just say whatever you want by relying on your power, couldn't I then accuse you of secretly hiding inappropriate books?"
Maxima was shocked. "Father, you already knew?"
The Old King: "..."
My god, a surprise bonus.
Maxima's cheeks flushed slightly as she whispered, "It's not really anything too explicit, it's just... just that kind..."
"Stop, stop, that's enough, I don't want to know." The old man sat down, panting. "I'm afraid my heart can't take it."
Maxima quickly scurried behind him. "Then let me massage your shoulders."
"No, no."
The old man's expression changed, and he quickly dodged away again.
"Your status is different now. You must always remember that."
"Oh." Maxima nodded obediently.
The Old King let out a long sigh of relief.
In fact, the bones his dear daughter had snapped the last time had only just recently healed. His silly daughter possessed immense divine power, and he was afraid his old bones couldn't take it.
"Alright, I know your mind isn't on this," the Old King sighed. "But this nation is counting on you now, especially after the recent incident. The people adore you; they only see your great side..."
"I understand," Maxima nodded. "I will strive to be better, and this nation will definitely—"
A sudden alarm cut her off.
"Alarm. Unidentified Flying Object intrusion. Extremely high speed. Defense protocols ineffective."
The expressions of the father and daughter changed in unison.
An intruder, in the royal palace?
"Has Apokolips returned?" Maxima was startled.
But it wasn't. With a crisp bang, the outer wall of the room was blasted through. A streak of light shot in from the other side, tracing a violet trail of light as it rushed into the room. After circling halfway, it locked onto Maxima's position and flew toward her.
"Maxima of Almerac, your heart holds immense love..."
"You will become the Queen of Love, an incubator for the Star Sapphire..."
The violet light crashed into Maxima, seemingly enveloping a crystal that reflected a brilliant glow, and entered her body.
"Ugh... ahhh..."
Maxima fell to one knee, clutching her head and groaning.
The violet light was endless, pulsing with a rhythm that seemed to strike at her very heart. Maxima felt her senses blur. She could vaguely hear her father calling her name, but even the sound grew more and more distant.
The Old King cried out and moved forward, trying to reach out and touch her. But the eerie violet light had already enveloped her entire body, and the energy radiating from it blasted the unprepared old man to the ground.
"Father!"
Maxima cried out, trying to reach for him, but it only felt as if the distance grew the more she reached out. Then she realized her body had, at some point, risen into the air, crashed through the wall, and was flying into the sky amidst the shocked cries of countless people below.
In the final moment before her consciousness was submerged, she heard that eerie female voice again.
"It is time to spawn, time to love..."
"Maxima of Almerac, you shall become..."
"...a Star Sapphire."
Earth. HISHE Coffee Shop.
On a quiet afternoon, the coffee shop was closed. Kara sat alone and comfortable by the window, sipping coffee while studying scientific works left behind by one of Brainiac's lost civilizations.
No, that's not right, she wasn't exactly alone. Because across the table from her, the super-orange cat, Stryker, was mimicking her, lying primly on the table. He was seriously reading a book, occasionally pausing to lick the special milk beside him. With a pair of glasses perched on his nose, he looked just like Dr. Cat.
Orin Vale had gone to Central City with Barry to research a new direction for the Speed Force, and had apparently brought two new friends along. Uncharacteristically, Batman had gone too, supposedly to meet some kind of "daughter who isn't a daughter"...
It was a bit complicated; Kara hadn't quite understood.
Actually, she had wanted to go too, but she had an unresolved issue with her research project. With no other choice, she stayed behind at the shop with Stryker to focus on her research.
Just as she was engrossed in her book, Kara's ears suddenly twitched.
"Uh... did you hear something?" She looked up from the ocean of knowledge and turned to Stryker.
"Meow~" said Stryker.
Kara nodded seriously. "You're right, I should go check it out."
Kara seemed to have unknowingly mastered Cat Language Level Ten. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought they were witnessing some kind of encrypted communication.
Donning her custom suit, Kara became a red-and-blue afterimage, flying in the direction of the sound.
"Strange, the sound seemed to come from over here." Kara hovered in mid-air, looking around. "But my super-vision doesn't see anything..."
Suddenly, a beam of violet light, as if shot from the heavens, slammed into her back like a laser beam. Kara grunted, stumbling in mid-air before steadying herself. She whipped her head around and saw a blurry afterimage charging straight at her.
"Where. Is. He!?"
The woman roared from within the violet light, charging directly at Kara.
Kara took a closer look and was startled.
"You... Maxima?"
As she spoke, she sidestepped slightly with her upper body, avoiding Maxima's supersonic punch. Immediately after, her right hand shot out and grabbed Maxima's wrist. Her body moved in an arc behind Maxima, where she used a clever grappling move to pin her arm behind her back.
"Let's calm down. Can we talk this out first?" Kara asked, holding her arm from behind. "How did you end up like this?"
But the violet glow on Maxima's body flared, and a surging wave of energy erupted, blasting Kara backward.
"I said..."
Maxima turned and dove at her again.
"...Where is he!?"
(end of chapter)
