The evening cool that followed in the echoing footsteps of my heels against the marbled floors, was washed by the shuffling silk of the robes I had worn.

In my best thoughts, the idea of taking over my grandfather's throne had never been something I had ever desired, nor pictured myself following through... nevertheless, where I stood now was upon the pinnacle of my prime, long had the brash and forceful nature of my youth settled in the quiet resolution of my mind, and I stood tall, regal, and grown.

My rebellious teenage years were set behind me, awaiting ahead of myself at the throne were my grandfather and his chosen, Feng... my Guardian and Mentor, Touya and Avalore... the reborn form of a King I had not ever met, but knew somewhere in the pit of my deepest remembrance and the androgynous form of the one whom he called his Queen.

My father-figure... Borleo... and Koukuen, quiet and gently smiling after years spent recovering... my young son... Aki, and his younger brother, Masahiro, clinging to my husband's legs.

The Gods standing in uniform procession, a meeting of all the world's forgotten nobility, supernatural and human alike, were present to see the passage of the crown.

Itsuki, my twin and most trusted, stood as my awaiting Right Hand, we agreed to share the burden of the Kingship as two parts of one whole, unifying the dark and the light of our hidden natures and beginning the cycle of things all over again. It was a beginning, as much as it was an end.

My grandfather's face was drawn with gentle pride, as I approached him and stood before his hold, he reached for my face with cool fingers, capturing my chin and lifting my head so that I would have to straighten my back, tip my head and drop my shoulders, showing the regal bearing of my bloodline and lineage, I held a countenance of pride in both my position... and my people.

Though I had at one time been their most rejected, in this day where a peace was established through trials and hardships I had partaken of, I knew somewhere in my heart that this was not the end of our war.

In our universe there were still doubts, there was still corruption, and for as long as there would be light, darkness would also reign, and I was to be ready to protect all whom saw fit to stand at my side.

As the King, called Gilgamesh, set before me the Orichalcum blade that had once been a symbol of fear and anxiety to many of my kind, he spoke plainly and urged me to take it within my grip, a symbol of both strength and shelter, I kept the blade's tip down, and cupped my fingers around the hit, feeling the shuddering cold that spoke of how deadly such a weapon could be.

My grandfather spoke, his words fluxed in ancient thought. "This sword has been both bane and boon to our kingdom since it was brought here, over ten-thousand years ago by the Great Sumerian King and his band of travellers... it has acted as witness to the rise and fall of many a well known and forgotten kingdom, and marked the passage of an era in which we were once strong... In this age where humanity has taken precedence over the existence of that which holds power of a spiritual sense, the prophecy of our ancestry has come to be known as a calamity and blessing to our kind. We are not as numerous as we once were, but in the time since your birth, our memory has returned, and grown exponentially. It is with this marker, that I do so ask you to take up the throne and leadership of our people... and by doing so, therefore swear upon your life... to rule us justly, benevolently, and with the conviction to fight when necessary... to assure unto us, our existence for all time..."

Yuuhi Enma © Dnangel
[Medium] Adobe CS6 (Photoshop)
[Approximate Time] 3hr 29 minutes

I don't put a lot of details into my sketches, I know I don't, but the majority of my work comes from something that hits me on the fly. I don't have enough conscious thought when I draw to map out every part of an outfit, scene, or object with the details that I have in mind... so a lot of my sketches are simple, black and white.

That doesn't mean however, that I won't take them to someone who DOES know how to map out details... and see my sketches come to life. Its one reason I love Fengzhou so much for helping me with a lot of my work... my favorite sketch, colored by him, is a gift I can't nearly begin to replace.