Sanctuary Agency-Chapter 25: A New Purpose

〘Date: 2/11 - Monday〙

〘Time: 8:30 PM〙

〘Location: Texas, Crystal City - Reigns' Residency〙

A few hours had passed since the Gauntlet, everything now settling down from the tension and emotion of the battles. My body felt completely rested after reaching Stasis due to overexertion, my eyes scrunching as I began to wake up from my slumber.

I opened my eyes slowly, noticing I was in a guest bedroom, the walls adorned with royal point and the furniture made of pure diamonds and gold. I rose my arm, noticing they were wrapped delicately in bandages with faint healing aura imbued. I slowly sat up on the bed, holding my head and grunting softly, the side of my head throbbing with discomfort.

"Master! You're finally awake!" Phroa said excitedly, flying toward me and began to hover in front, her head tilting cutely as she wondered what was wrong with me. "Master..?"

"I'm fine...just have a splitting headache. Ugh...this is the worst I've ever felt after passing out. Feels like I just woke up from a wild party," I groaned softly, laying back down and covering my eyes with my arm.

Phroa levitated over me, gently plopping down onto my chest and looked at me closely. She used Heart Scanner on me, checking my vitals to make sure I recovered properly. "Hmm, let's see..~"

〔Ryder's Mood: Neutral〕

〔Art of Love Overall LV.: 2〕

〔Luscious Ambition: 5%〕

〔Vitals: Moderate〕

"Mmm, maybe you just need to rest a bit more. After all, you fought four consecutive matches against Military Grade people! Maybe a few days of rest before getting back out there would do the trick," Phroa suggested, sitting up on my chest and looking down at me with a sweet smile.

I let out a low sound of acknowledgement, exhaling softly and uncovered my eyes to look at Phroa. "Yeah...I would certainly like a few days of reprieve, but I still have things to do. Things that need to get done..."

"I know, but...you've been going pretty hard recently. You've completed a massive goal. You've got allies now, you can take a break and focus on the Art of Love!~ Speaking of which, I've got your results right here!" Phroa hummed, displaying a holographic screen in front of me with the results of my Gauntlet Match.

〔Art of Ambition - The Fallen Queen〕

〔New Main Objective Complete: Complete the Golden Crystals Gauntlet.〕

〔Task Failed: Defeat Anastasia in the Initiation.〕

〔Partial Rewards Earned: Credi +1500, Ambition EXP +500〕

"Mmm, pretty taxing considering what happened," I said, moving my head to glance over at Phroa.

"That's just the rules of the System unfortunately. But!~ During your fights, you got extra rewards!" Phroa cheerfully hummed, displaying a second screen for me.

〔Ambition/Charisma/Talent/Passion/Luck/Empathy EXP +5000〕

〔Ambition Level UP!!! 1 ↠ 3〕

〔New Award Unlocked: Ambition EXP Gain +20%, Ambitious Release Unlocked〕

〔Passion Level UP!!! 1 ↠ 3〕

〔New Award Unlocked: Passion EXP Gain +20%, Desire Exhibition Unlocked〕

"Two new abilities unlocked after the Gauntlet, and they sound great as well," I said, scrolling through the rest of the results screen, noticing I was given an S Rank by the Sanctuary Agency for my performance.

I sat up quickly on the bed, practically throwing Phroa off my chest from pure excitement. "I got a—" I grunted heavily, the whiplash I received from my swift movement causing my head to spin.

Phroa grunted as she landed on the bed, looking up at me feigning an upset expression. "Hey! You threw me off you!"

"Sorry, sorry, I just got a bit excited..~ The Agency gave me an S Rank for my performance. I'm guessing Rhea sent them data from my fights...wow, my first S Rank," I gasped softly, mentally cherishing the results and placing it on my mental shelf of memories.

As I admired my S Rank, a knock sounded on the door, causing Phroa to quickly warp back into my phone and conceal her presence from everyone else. The door cracked open, Anastasia's head poking through and seeing I was finally awake.

"You're finally awake," Anastasia said, walking inside the room with Maika in her arms. "She was sitting outside the guest room...I don't know how she got here."

I watched as Anastasia approached the bed with Maika, a soft smile forming on my lips as I slowly reached up to take her from Anastasia's gentle hold. "I wonder as well...she was supposed to be with Jaiden, but I guess she just misses her Papa.."

Maika chirped with happiness, rubbing herself all over me to leave her scent on my clothes, purring softly with affection. I chuckled softly at her, stroking her fur slowly, rubbing behind her ears which caused her to purr louder.

Anastasia watched me with a soft gaze, seeing the real me without any titles or masks to put on for anyone. She gently sat down on the edge of the bed, gathering her thoughts before finally speaking up.

"Are you...okay? Did you recover well?" Anastasia began, turning slightly to face me, watching as I cradled Maika in my arms lovingly.

I looked up at Anastasia, meeting her eyes with a soft smile and shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly. "I've recovered better...but it's really nothing I haven't been through before. You should be checking on Bernice, Reinhart, and Phanie.."

"I did earlier and all three are doing alright. It's you I'm most worried about. You've been out for nearly four hours, and I've had to listen to your Agent threatening my life for an hour before your eventual first breath," Anastasia said with slight inconvenience in her tone, holding her arms and turning her gaze from me.

"Well, maybe if your psycho Bishop didn't try to kill me and the rest of your people, I wouldn't have went through Stasis. I've been through Stasis twice in three days now, so I'm sorry if me saving your life was such an inconvenience," I shot back, rolling my eyes at her with my usual sass.

Anastasia glanced at me with a fiery glare, but also with a hint of gratefulness. She softened her gaze slightly, lowering her head and sighed once again. "I didn't mean...for it to come out like that. It's just been very stressful for the last four hours...losing Silas, betraying the Riches, everything is just—"

I reached forward, gently placing my hand on top of hers, holding her hand with gentle care. "I know...you're stressed. I'm stressed. We're all stressed right now, and I know it looks as if everything is going to fall apart...but I promise to not let you fall again."

Anastasia looked down at our hands, turning her hand slightly so she could hold mine as well, giving my hand a gentle squeeze of hope. She looked up at me once more, a soft twinkle forming in her eyes. "I've...heard that line before. And look where I'm at now...how can I be sure you'll hold true to your words..?"

"You don't...but honestly, that's the beauty of the unknown. However...I shifted your people, so that must mean I have to truly keep my word, not because it's a King's Duty, but because I am a man of my word," I answered softly, meeting her eyes with warm comfort.

I slowly shifted on the bed to sit next to Anastasia, keeping her hand in mine and gently rested the back of her hand on my lap. "This revolution...is about more than me. I don't care about the fame or reverence I receive, my revolution is about breaking everyone else from their chains...even you."

"Even me..? But why? I hired the Lost Syndicates, joined their purpose. I'm the one who led that attack to La Vernia, I attacked my own blood just for survival...and now I'm more trapped than before. A pathetic Queen trapped in between two Kings..." Anastasia belittled herself, lowering her gaze to the polished floorboards below.

I gently reached toward her, lightly placing my hand on her cheek to make her look at me. I saw the pain and regret in her eyes, the look of a woman who's lost her way. "You're not pathetic, Anastasia...you had no other option then. But you have one now, with me you have your own autonomy. I can't make a choice for you...but I can help lead to one.."

"But what about my city..? My nation? The Riches fund my city..." Anastasia questioned once again, trying her hardest to believe everything I said was too good to be true.

"The Dawns will now fund your city..~ The Mojisola took in multiple families and the Mojisola are the wealthiest family in the world. You will be financially covered, but all I need from you is acknowledgement," I said, subconsciously interlocking our fingers together as I waited for her answer.

Anastasia locked eyes with me, her gaze never daring to break. She could feel her heart starting to burn again, her beating heart overwhelming her slowly, unshed tears starting to well in her eyes. "Why..? Why do so much for me when the Agency hates me and my people?"

"Because...I know it's not your fault," I said, giving her a comforting smile.

Those words seemed to be the tipping point for Anastasia, her tears finally falling as the words, "It's not your fault", echoed in her mind. Those words seemed to be the very words she wanted to hear, just the one emotional clarity she needed from anyone who knew her situation.

Anastasia wanted to speak, but her words got caught in her throat, her body falling to lean on me, her forehead pressed gently against my shoulder. Her grip on my hand tightened as if she didn't want to let go, her nails lightly digging into my skin to latch onto me.

I gently set Maika down on my lap, wrapping a comforting arm around her. After only a few hours of knowing Anastasia, I managed to break down her walls with one simple sentence, the few words she wanted—no she needed to hear.

After a few minutes of crying on my shoulder, her tears finally stopped, the room falling into soft, comforting silence. I turned my head to look at Anastasia, noticing her resting comfortably in my arms, cuddled up next to me with her eyes closed.

"Ana..?" I spoke softly, gently rubbing her shoulders for any reaction.

"Mmm..?" Anastasia responded tiredly, opening her eyes slowly and turned her head to look up at me. "What..? Why did you call my name..?"

I met her tired violet eyes, my heart skipping a few beats as I stared at her. I didn't know if I was already falling for her or if I felt bad for her, but being this close to her made me appreciate her unique beauty.

"Nothing...I was just going to ask...if you wanted to sleep in here for tonight," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

Anastasia stayed silent for a few moments, closing her eyes to think about her answer. She let out a soft hum, looking down and opening her eyes to see our intertwined hands once again. "I suppose there is nothing wrong with a Queen sleeping with her King. Wait, I mean—"

I chuckled softly at her answer, noticing her face flushing into a blazing red color from embarrassment, strands of her hair setting ablaze from her own flustered frustration. "Well, the Queen has spoken."

"Just shut up!" Anastasia barked, using her free hand to hide her embarrassment.

Reinhart chuckled softly as he listened to our conversation, happy to hear the old Anastasia returning back to the Golden Crystals. He turned to look at Donna and Cameron, giving the two of them nods.

"Wait, so it's confirmed? Ryder is our new King and the Mojisola are becoming allies..?!" Cameron asked with wild excitement.

"Shhhh!" Reinhart and Donna both shushed, causing Cameron to cover his mouth.

"My bad," Cameron said, his hand muffling his words.

Reinhart and Donna glanced at each other, chuckling together and decided to take Cameron and meet up with the others to tell them the news. The three of them set down the corridors with a mix of curious excitement and a new purpose in front of them.

With everyone settling into the home for the night, the entire mansion fell into a soft silence and preparing to rest up after the day of excitement. With tomorrow's adventure approaching, everyone knew to get a good rest to be prepared for the next day's series of events to come.

〔Anastasia-Aurora's Affection for you increased to 15%〕

〔Bond with Anastasia-Aurora greatly increased!〕

〘Date: 2/12 - Tuesday〙

〘Time: 8:30 AM〙

〘Location: Texas, Crystal City - Reigns' Residency〙

The next day began to start, the sun's smile radiating across the lands of New America, her rays of light peeking through the windows of the mansion to give each of us a good morning kiss. While the sun's rise was gentle, the morning with the Golden Crystals were not.

I grunted softly as I heard commotion from downstairs, opening my eyes slowly and letting out a low groan of awakening. I turned my head, seeing that Anastasia was still asleep in my arms, seemingly sleeping through the riot outside.

'Damn...she's a heavy sleeper? No bueno, Hermosa,' I thought to myself, reaching behind me slowly to grab a pillow.

"Wake up! There's an intruder in here!" I yelled out, hitting her head with the pillow.

Anastasia let out a low groan, keeping her eyes closed and mumbling softly in her sleep. "Nice try...Cameron...that doesn't work on me...I can...sense danger..."

〔Phroa: Ah hell naw, if I gotta listen to this, she gotta listen to this bullcrap too! Tag me in, Mahoe!〕

'By all means, do what you gotta do, sister,' I replied mentally, placing the pillow back down behind me head.

I laid back down on the bed, waiting to see what Phroa was planning to wake up Anastasia. As I waited, the sound of an annoying radar alarm began going off, the sound of the alarm causing Anastasia eyes to snap open.

She quickly sat up, turning to her side of the bed to check her phone on the nightstand, but her screen was completely off. "Wha..?"

"Sorry, sorry...that was my phone," I said, grabbing my phone off the nightstand on my side, looking at the screen and noticing Phroa still holding down the button to play the alarm. "You can stop now..."

Phroa looked at me, giving me an airhead style smile and slowly took her finger off the alarm button. I chuckled softly at her and set my phone down, looking over at Anastasia and gently rubbed her head, her body gently shifting to lean closer to me.

"Mmm...why do you have an alarm on? Do you have classes today..?" Anastasia asked, letting out soft sounds of comfort as I ran my fingers through her hair.

"I typically don't have classes on Tuesdays or Thursdays, I just like to go to see my friends and whatnot. Why? Do you have classes?" I asked, continuing to affectionately run my fingers through her hair. "Is that why there's commotion downstairs?"

"No, I don't have classes today...Cameron, Lief, and Bernice does though. The rowdiness must be their usual send offs...I usually just ignore it at this point," Anastasia answered, gently playing with my fingers and gave a soft yawn.

〔Phroa: They must be preeeetty rowdy often then if she can just sleep through it. I'm AI and even I need my beauty sleep!〕

I chuckled softly at Phroa's quip, laying back down with her and let out a soft exhale. "Well, if that's the case, there's nothing wrong with a little more relaxation..."

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"Good, because I wasn't planning to get up until later..." Anastasia said, laying back down as well and immediately closing her eyes again to get some extra rest.

The morning continued to breeze by smoothly, the commotion downstairs finally calming into a restful peace. After another hour of resting, Anastasia decided it was time to finally get up, dragging me out of the bed with her after a bit of back and forth between us.

Reluctantly, I began allowing her to drag me with her out the room, her hand holding mine as we traversed the long corridors. We began to head downstairs, the scent of a delicious breakfast being made lingering in the air.

Anastasia turned the corner, entering the kitchen and noticed Donna and Phanie working together to cook breakfast while Reinhart set the table. "Good morning, Donna, Phanie, Reinhart."

Donna turned to look at me and Anastasia, her lips curling into a bright welcoming smile. "Good morning, Anastasia~ Good morning, Ryder~ Breakfast is nearly ready, and Reinie is just about done setting the table!"

Phanie turned toward us, bowing toward Anastasia with a smile. "It is of the goodest of mornings today, Lady Anastasia and Moi~"

Reinhart looked over at us with a smile on his face, finishing with his preparations on the table. "Ahh, Lady Anastasia and Lord Ryder, I'm glad you could join us this morning."

"Ahh, I don't need the formalities. You can just treat me as you would your own," I chuckled softly, walking over to the table with Anastasia.

Anastasia pointed at the seat I was supposed to sit at, which was the seat directly across from hers at the table. I looked at the grand, golden ornate chair, gently running my fingers along its smooth surface. Pulling the seat back, I sat down and let out a soft sigh.

I let out a soft hum as I adjusted myself to the seat, my body not familiar with royal furniture. "I can't lie, the way these cushions feel are a bit uncomfortable.."

"Ahh, yes. Those leathers are made from Teishei, Japan. They are supposed to be the most comforting cushions, but even Anastasia feels discomfort in them at times," Donna explained, setting down a plate of scrumptious food in front of me.

"Don't worry, I'm getting them replaced soon. An order from Fujitori, Japan should be coming soon. Apparently, it's a Valkyrie Company that makes them. They are said to be the best comforters in the world," Anastasia said, subtly adjusting herself in her seat to find the comfortable spot, watching as Phanie set down her plate.

"Hopefully they arrive, I don't know how much more my butt can handle," Reinhart chuckled softly, sitting down at the table with us.

Each of us finally sat down at the table, ready to indulge in the meal prepared by Donna and Phanie. As we enjoyed our meal, we began making small talk with one another. We briefly talked about the events from yesterday, Anastasia still silently hurting over losing Silas, but keeping her best outlook for the future.

During the small talk, I began learning more about the personal relationships between the Golden Crystals like Donna and Reinhart being in a relationship, Phanie's hidden love for the Moji Culture, and Anastasia having secret respect for Juliet's way of ruling Oceanview.

Once we all finished with our breakfast, Anastasia watched as I gathered the plates from around the table, her gaze following my every step as I helped with cleaning. As she watched us clean, she couldn't help but to feel a quiet happiness seeing me getting along with everyone else.

〘Date: 2/12 - Tuesday〙

〘Time: 10:00 AM〙

〘Location: Texas, Crystal City - Reigns' Residency〙

Anastasia began leading me around the mansion, showing me around each room to get me used to being around. The mansion was quite larger than I expected, having 9 bedrooms, ten bathrooms, a ballroom for their celebrations and traditions, and a plethora of other rooms waiting to be found.

After showing me around for a few moments, we began to head toward her study, making our way toward the large, beautifully made golden door down the main hall. Once we made it, Anastasia brought me inside, closing and locking it shut with an alchemic seal.

"Welcome to my study. This is where I go over important strategies, plans, or when I'm reading reports about the city from the others. Usually, I would have Silas with me...but now he's gone, and I will be needing a new aid at my side," Anastasia said, walking toward her desk and sat down on her throne like seat.

I looked around her study, noticing shelves filled with books of Earth's History, maps and posters of the Old World hung on the wall, and four holographic screens displayed with CCTV footage of various locations within the city.

"You want me to be your aid until you find a new Bishop? Why not ask Lief? He seems like a Bishop like guy," I said, walking behind Anastasia's seat and leaning against the back of her chair.

"As much as I want to, he is actually very lazy. He's the smartest one in our faction, but he never truly applies himself. And it's not that he can't, he literally won't and he's a future valedictorian student, sooo...no," Anastasia answered, logging onto her computer to check for any incoming reports.

"Okay, what about Donna? She seems rather intelligent, hard working, and has a good head on her shoulders," I suggested once again, watching her scroll through a series of short and long reports.

"No. Donna is tied to Reinhart, I can't promote her from a Pawn to a Bishop since it will literally tear away their Pawn and Knight dynamic. Besides, she has a honest heart... I doubt she would lead with an iron fist when needed," Anastasia answered once again, leaning back in her seat and looked up at me.

"Why won't you just be my Advisor...just for now," Anastasia asked, locking eyes with me once they met.

I looked down at Anastasia, letting out a soft exhale and closed my eyes. "Because I'm already leading a faction of my own at TVU. I won't be able to be your Advisor and the People's King at the same time."

"C'mon... You're the smartest guy in the university and smarter than even Lief, you seem to know the battlefield in and out, you can walk through the system without being detected, you're a perfect Bishop," Anastasia said, trying to coerce me into taking the spot as her advisor.

I let out a soft sigh, lowering my head with a small, reluctant smile, shaking my head slowly. "Alright... Alright, I'll be your Advisor for now until we find someone more suited for the role."

Anastasia smiled gratefully at me, reaching behind herself to take my hand in hers. "Trust me, you won't regret being my Advisor...You will be absolutely protected, just as a real King would.."

I looked up at Anastasia, feeling her hand gently squeezing mine with a soft reassurance. I returned her smile, seeing the genuine sparkle in her eyes for the first time. "You don't need to do all of that for me. I don't need anyone to castle around me.."

"I know...I just want you safe at all times when we are outside these walls. You're my King now...if you end up falling, the board falls with you and so do I..." Anastasia said, her gaze lingering upon mine for a moment longer.

"This King won't fall...I can guarantee that. Before you know it, I'll have you truly with me... basking in true royalty and wealth. You wouldn't even have to lift a finger, just sit here and look pretty for your people," I assured, keeping my voice in a low, hushed tone, my words quietly slipping into her ear.

Anastasia shuddered softly at my whispers, closing her eyes as she listened to my soft whispers. "Really..? No one has made that promise to me yet..."

"That's because they don't understand your true worth...but with me, you'll know your worth and I'll be sure to make sure you understand how special you truly are," I replied, my tone a soft flirtatious whisper.

Anastasia tilted her head slightly, her entire body tingling with a feeling she couldn't truly understand. She bit her lip gently, her blush intensifying as she listened to my whispers. "I...I don't know how you do it...you make me actually feel good inside and you haven't touched me once.."

I chuckled softly at her, gently running my fingers through her hair. "Well, that's the power of love for you. The power of the tongue as my Aunt would say..~"

"Well...I like it. A lot..." Anastasia admitted, her face shooting into a blazing red at her own realization. "Wait, no I don't!"

I laughed softly at her slip up once again, standing up straight with a teasing grin on my lips. "Oh, so you like when I talk to you in a husked tone huh..?"

"I literally just said I didn't, you pion! Y'know, just shut up and let me work!" Anastasia barked once again, leaning forward on her desk in attempt to ignore me as she worked.

I chuckled softly at her, watching as she aggressively scrolled through her reports, her ears steaming with fluster. I decided to just let her work and cool off because I knew if I told a single joke, the entire office would be up in flames.

〔Anastasia-Aurora's Affection for you increased to 20%〕

〔Bond with Anastasia-Aurora increased!〕