Chapter 87: the original trial part 1

When she saw the familiar face, she realized it was none other than herself. However, this reflection lacked the majestic, imposing, and regal aura she usually exuded. Instead, she looked utterly exhausted. Heavy black bags hung beneath her eyes, and her complexion was pale.

?Scarlet suddenly remembered this exact moment. This specific memory dated back to the time when her daughter had been kidnapped alongside many other noble children in the underground arena.

?Now, more than seven years after that event had transpired, she remembered that this was the exact place and moment when she had first received the news.

?On the other side of the vision, her past self spoke with desperate urgency. "So the spy has already brought the news? Then why are you still standing here? We must go there immediately and hurry down to rescue my daughter!"

?The commander bowed his head deeply and replied in a trembling voice, "My Queen, I have already dispatched an elite force. They are on their way right now, following the exact coordinates we were given. As we speak, they are reaching the area, and other frantic parents have already went."

?Scarlet’s past self knew that the situation was far from right. She took a sharp breath and said, "Okay, give me a second."

?She breathed a brief sigh of relief, thankful that her daughter had finally been located. After taking a few short minutes to tidy herself up and change into a more fitting, presentable dress that would suit her status, she prepared to depart. Even though she was in a hurry to see her daughter, she still needed to maintain her public image.

?Accompanied by her royal guards, she rushed out of her private chambers. She did not even bother to order a carriage, opting instead to mount a horse directly. With a swift kick against the horse’s flanks, she charged into the city streets. The commander leading the way clearly knew the precise location, and Scarlet, who was observing the entire scene as a spectral spectator from the future, decided to follow closely behind. This was a past she had already experienced herself.

?As they raced through the winding streets, they reached an abandoned residential area. This zone had been completely deserted for a very long time. Originally, an ambitious official had claimed that he intended to develop the land into a massive architectural project, but due to unknown reasons, the project had been abruptly abandoned. The previous residents had all been compensated and had long since relocated, causing Scarlet to brush off the matter at the time without following up on the true motives behind the failure.

?However, the Scarlet watching this memory now knew the truth. The abandoned construction project had merely been a clever disguise used by corrupt officials to cover up the existence of a massive underground arena. her past self had been completely ignorant of this fact.

?Upon reaching the area, her past self found that all her royal guards were already present on the scene, and the kingdom’s military forces had completely surrounded the immediate perimeter. The guide dismounted from his horse, and Scarlet’s past self followed suit. But just as her feet touched the dirt ground, a catastrophic earthquake ripped through the entire district.

?The shockwave was violent and terrifying. Surrounding structures and dilapidated, abandoned houses began to shake uncontrollably. Unstable buildings collapsed into huge piles of rubble, sending thick clouds of dust into the air, while stronger structures barely managed to remain standing. The unexpected devastation caused widespread panic among the surrounding citizens and soldiers alike.

?For several seconds, the earthquake felt as though it would shatter the very foundations of the kingdom’s capital, but then it suddenly ceased. After stabilizing herself on the shaking ground, her past self watched as the immediate panic slowly began to die down. Unwilling to waste a single second thinking about the wider consequences or structural damages caused by the tremor, she rushed directly into the dark tunnel entrance leading underground.

?The only piece of good news was that the tunnel had not collapsed during the quake, remaining wide enough for them to pass through. However, as she ventured deeper, every step forward revealed a horrifying trail of carnage. Bodies of arena guards were scattered everywhere across the floor. It was clear that they had tried greatly to resist the sudden military invasion, but they were no match for the kingdom’s elite army.

?As they pressed deeper, the resistance grew fierce, evidenced by the increasing density of fallen bodies blocking the pathway. Yet, her past self did not grant a single glance to the dead. She did not care if her boots stepped through deep pools of fresh blood; she had only one singular goal in her mind: finding her daughter and ensuring she was unharmed.

?Suddenly, a sharp, terrible premonition struck her heart, filling her with a heavy sense of discomfort. Ignoring the rising anxiety in her chest, she pushed forward with frantic speed.

?Just as she neared the entrance of the massive underground arena, a sharp, agonizing wail echoed from the cavernous depths ahead. It was the frantic cry of a grieving mother, quickly followed by a heartbreaking chorus of weeping and loud screams.

?Hearing those voices made her heart sink straight into an abyss. She knew those voices very well—they belonged to the noble mothers whose children had been kidnapped alongside her own daughter. Hearing them wail with such unbridled agony meant that something truly catastrophic had taken place.

?Her mind desperately refused to accept the truth of what those cries implied. A profound sense of hesitation settled over her limbs, making each step toward the main arena floor feel heavier than the last.

?When her past self finally stepped inside the grand Colosseum, she found thousands of people standing inside. These were the original spectators of the illegal underground fights.

?At the very center of the arena lay massive mounds of shattered concrete and structural debris, likely caused by the powerful earthquake that had just struck. Soldiers and parents were frantically digging through the rubble with their bare hands, desperately trying to pull out anyone trapped beneath the heavy stones.

?The overall atmosphere inside the underground hall was suffocatingly silent, save for the unbearable, gut-wrenching wails of the women. The men stood nearby beside their sobbing wives, their heads hanging low in utter defeat and hopeless despair. Mothers were crouched on the dusty floor, clutching the lifeless bodies of their children tightly against their chests. Others held only severed limbs or bloody scraps of torn garments, weeping uncontrollably as they cradled the remnants of their loved ones.

?This horrific scene made the blood in Scarlet’s veins run completely cold.

?As her past self stepped closer to the center of the destruction, her eyes suddenly froze on a specific spot amidst the rubble.

?There lay a child’s body that was missing its entire lower half. Only the small torso and head remained intact. The head itself was partially pinned under a jagged slab of concrete, severely bruised and covered in crimson blood, making the features almost unrecognizable to a stranger.

?Yet, instantly, Scarlet knew exactly who that head belonged to.

?In that moment, all strength drained from her body. Her knees buckled, and her past self collapsed directly onto the blood-soaked ground. She scooped up the crushed head of her daughter into her arms, clutching it tightly against her chest as she broke down into wild, uncontrollable sobbing.

?The royal guards standing around her remained motionless, their heads lowered in solemn, silent respect, unable to offer a single word of comfort. The other mothers, consumed by their own unimaginable agony, did not even pay attention to the queen kneeling in the dust beside them. Everyone was trapped in their own personal hell, mourning the brutal destruction of their children.

?when after a few minutes of grieving for her daughter when she stabilized her emotions and stood up while holding the remains of her daughter she when started to walk back to the palace in a mechanical way like a puppets being controlled, but the royal guards followed her without a word.

? Coming back to her senses, she was sitting upon her throne inside the grand hall. This was the majestic room where she usually conducted her courts, issuing commands and managing the kingdom’s vast affairs. But now, the hall was entirely empty, silent, and cold.

?Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the throne room burst open. A breathless guard hurried inside, his face pale with utter panic as he made a rushed announcement.

?"My Queen! My Queen! There is urgent news from the border forces!" the guard shouted frantically, holding a messenger’s scroll high in his trembling hands. "An official message has arrived stating that the enemy kingdom has launched a massive, full-scale attack against our borders! The front-line commanders urgently need your immediate authorization to organize a counterattack, and they require instant military reinforcements from the central capital!"

?Under normal circumstances, Scarlet would have severely reprimanded any guard who dared to enter the royal throne room without explicit permission. But this time, she did not utter a single word of scolding. She slowly extended her hand, took the messenger scroll, and looked up at the guard with cold, lifeless eyes that resembled those of a dead fish.

?The guard felt an immediate chill run down his spine. Seeing her terrifying, emotionless expression and knowing the recent grief that shadowed the royal court, he instinctively froze. He knew that entering without permission was a punishable offense, and he stood prepared to accept whatever execution or severe punishment the queen might decree.

?Scarlet stared at the scroll for a long, quiet moment before speaking in a completely hollow, emotionless voice. "Just give me a moment... and I will handle it."

?The guard bowed deeply and carefully backed out of the throne room, closing the massive wooden doors behind him. He stood outside in the corridor, waiting for the queen’s orders.

?Minutes passed, stretching into a full half-hour. No orders were issued, and no sound came from behind the heavy wooden doors.

?Unable to bear any longer, the guard slowly reached out and pushed the heavy doors open once more—only to witness a horrific scene that made his heart stop, nearly causing him to faint on the spot as terror gripped his very soul.