Inside a great house at the end of a long corridor there was a locked door. On the other side of the door was a room lighted by numerous candles. In the middle of the room was a coffin seated on top of a long wooden bench. In it, there was a young woman with her eyes closed. She was clothed in black, making a contrast to the white satin flowing around her in the coffin. Her hands rested on her chest, on top of a marvelous decorated knife handle. At the base of her neck, there was a gash visible in the flickering candlelight. She was dead.
An old woman stood by her side, looking at her with a grief stricken face.
"You're lying here, and the ones responsible for your death are free to wander around and enjoying the life stolen from you. And that idiot who was so blinded by his own pride! Not only did he kill you for something that you had no control over, but he even dared to claim that he loved you! Good thing I gave him a visit to where he was and took care of it myself! Now, I promise you on my name that I will find the rest of those who wronged you and help you get your vengeance!"
Suddenly the air trembled and the candles flickered, their flames growing stronger. The old lady kept looking at the young woman, but her face changed immediately. Her eyes changed colors from blue to the left one becoming black, while the right one becoming white.
"Come out! Stop hiding in the shadows! I know you have arrived!"
Her eyes shifted focus looking into the empty space to her right. At the same time a laughter sounded from that place as a middle aged man appeared in front of her.
"Baba, you're still so ferocious as ever! You dared barge into my domain and set free one of my condemned! Not only that, but a servent sent to welcome you was also erased from existence. Sure, it had no practical value, but still it was under my protection! Can you give me an explanation for that?"
"An explanation? Sure! I did it because I felt like doing it! Do you have any problems with my explanation?"
The expression on her face changed as she looked at the man in front of her. There was no more grief in her eyes, as it was pushed to the back of her soul. Instead there was a sneer of utter contempt and provocation at the address of the man.
The man looked at her for a while and snorted. But he couldn't stop the flicker of fear that flickered across his eyes for a short moment.
"Baba, you know who I am! We're old acquaintances that shared a common goal at one time! Why would you throw it all away just for a mortal girl? She is dead now. Can't you just let it go?"
The old lady started to tremble as her eyes opened wide, appearing ready to spit fire. She gritted her teeth making them crunch against each other as she started growling in a sudden gruffy voice.
"Let it go? Me? Huh, it seems that being surrounded by a bunch of morons made you into an instant moron too. It seems like you have forgotten a few things along the way! Let me remind you of a couple of them."
She closed her eyes and kept muttering something unintelligible to ajy other ear than her own. When she opened them again, the space around the middle aged man trembled as his face became pale due to the panic he felt from deep inside his soul. He tried to struggle as he felt time accelerate around him while his life-force was being sucked out of him. But he was unable to put up even the most insignificant defense. His appearance started to contort as he felt centuries worth of life-force being siphoned off with every moment that passed. His face started to become wrinkled and his hair started to gradually turn grey.
At this moment, the old lady closed her eyes again and when she opened them again, he felt the restriction put around him vanish. He sighed in relief while looking at the old woman in front of him. She snorted seeing him cowering in front of her.
"Do you remember your place now? Your ego is inflated due to everyone around you kissing your ass all the time! So a brutal awakening to reality works wonders. Don't forget, you never were my equal. And you'll always be beneath me. Not to mention you, even your creator, the one playing God with his illusions of grandeur is not my match. When he started awakening his sense of self, I was already old. When he started toying around with his dreams of owning a world, I didn't care. He was too insignificant to me. When he started barging in my domain, I still haven't interfered. When he started killing my subjects I had already grown tired of the endless eons of time I had lived and retreated to this small patch of dirt, letting him play as he sees fit. I didn't care! When he banished you here making you his guardsman over the undesirables, I made him a visit, forcing him to relinquish his dreams over this last vestige of my former life. He acknowledged his wrongdoing. But what did he do next? He sent that abomination of a son of his to infest the world with his believers. I ignored it, as it didn't affect my life. But now, he crossed the line! And I will make sure he will pay for stepping on my toes repeatedly along with his gameplay involving my innocent descendant. Between me and him there will be no peace anymore until I smite him in his own throne room in front of all his petty little fuckers with wings. You can go tell him I said so! And now, scram! If I see you ever again, it will be the last moment of your life!"
The man didn't need to be told a second time as he instantly vanished from in front of her eyes.
She closed her eyes and sighed. She felt alone all of a sudden.
"All my dreams, gone just like that! I have finally found a worthy inheritor and she was snatched from me. Fine, if you like these kind of games, let me join you in playing around with what you cherish the most!"
The old woman started laughing and crying at the same time with an unhinged expression on her face, her eyes glowing while their light and darkness started revolving around each other. She leaned over the coffin and grasped the knife taking it from the young woman's grasp.
She looked at it for a few moments and her expression became even more insane. Her laughter resounded in the surroundings. But she didn't care anymore about anything. All she had left was her vengeance.
"Yes, his soul is still lingering inside, just as I thought! How fitting for my plans. Everything will be undone by the servant of the one responsible! Let my vengeance begin!"
She gripped the knife, plunging it half in the young woman's chest. A flashing of red light enveloped the coffin as muttering of unintelligible words were sounding around the room, becoming faster and louder with the passing of time. In the end a scream was heard as the old woman passed her right hand along the knife edge, cutting her palm and letting her blood drip along the blade and seeping into the young woman's body. The red light exploded with a blinding flash that made the room appear covered in flames. And when the flash disappeared, the coffin was nowhere to be found.
The grin on the old woman's face grew wider.
"Let's see when and where you'll end up causing panic, destruction and despair!"
She raised her head toward the roof and watching beyond, her eyes connected to the one meant to be.
"You started this game, now I've finally joined you. Let's see who laughs at the end of it all!"
.......
The wind was blowing across the forrested roadside, scattering the snow flakes that were falling from the skies. The frozen snow crunched under the steps of the horses dragging the sleigh. Trying very hard not to slip and fall, they were emboldened with loud shouts and whips by the tired man holding the reins. The man was looking from time to time back towards the closed cubicle with a worried look in his eyes.
There, a young woman was sitting, covered in furs and blankets. The coldness made her face turn red while her warm breath rose white into the air. Her blue eyes were looking back to the direction which they came from. Her alert gaze didn't let anything slip past her.
Around a dozen horses neighed alongside them while being slapped by their riders with the flat of their drawn swords. All of them looked bedraggled while their appearance had traces of a fight and their blades had frozen blood on the edges.