Constantine watched Catherine sever Maximus's head. Gripping the great beast's recurved horn, she raised the head high. Foul-smelling black blood still dripped from the sword-seared stump of its neck. The head alone weighed nearly as much as she did. Even without counting the grotesque horn on its forehead, it was far wider than her shoulders, yet she raised it effortlessly with one hand.
"I offer this head to my lord. He is the supreme King of the Human Race, the guardian of human civilization, and the Savior of humanity's continuation." After speaking, she set the head by her feet, then walked over and cut off Black Bolt's head, repeating her earlier words. "My lord has accepted the offering." As soon as she finished, the great beast's body turned into black sand and slid down the slanted deck into the orange-red molten iron below. Only the heads remained flesh and blood. She looked at Constantine and sheathed her longsword wreathed in white flame. "Our mission is not yet complete."
Constantine ignored Catherine's overly ritualistic actions and words, watching their surroundings warily.
"Why have we returned here?" the Praetorian Commander asked. "No matter how long we spend here, only an instant passes in the Material Universe. But the Aether creatures controlling Black Bolt and Maximus have already been driven away. There is no reason for us to remain."
"Our master possesses many secrets. His thoughts cannot be fully expressed through language alone. But as an Artificial Human born from the radiance of my lord's soul, I can answer your question—or rather, I answer it on His behalf." Catherine's expression was calm, far less noisy than before her body had been destroyed. It was as though immersion in Aether had made her mature somewhat. "That Aether entity is fated to be present at