Melissa always thought Thwar was hers and hers alone until that fateful night. She will never forget what she saw. It still made her skin crawl and try as she might, she could not erase what had happened. 'How could he do this to me?, she had asked herself the same question every day in the past few months. She had escaped, left it all behind and never looked back. But she knew that it was only a matter of time before he found her and made her pay. He was an Alpha and they never forgot. He did once tell her that if she ever left him, it would be the last thing she would ever get to do. Melissa was pretty sure, Thwar would make good of his threat. He was looking for her. Boy! could she feel it. Their bond was deeper than anything ever experienced but he forced her into something she knew nothing about. 'You chose for me Thwar, how could you? she screamed, feeling her skin shred.

Thwar felt betrayed by Melissa, after everything he had done to protect her from the others. He could no longer do it and had to find her soon before he lost all control. By her running and taking, their son away from him, she had not only taken half of his powers but his legacy as well. It was only a matter of time before he slipped back into the unwanted, unhinged, deep and dangerous past. If that happened, Thwar could not account for his actions. He was both "King of the living and the dead", the only thing that kept him sane was his family and now they had disappeared in the face of the earth. The darkness was threatening to envelop him forever, he felt suffocated by the rotten smell of the dead as they tried to claw at him.

She stood by the corner, watching him through the window as he paced up and down in his bedroom. Neila could see that he was in pain. He was after all about to lose himself forever. There was no coming back from what that bitch, Melissa had done to him. Oh! How Neila had warned him about her. She had fooled them all, including her own family. The fucking little princess, whom everyone else had to adore and worship. 'Well, I for one, am done walking on eggshells, she sneered pitifully. I shall find you Melissa and when I do, I will tear your skin from you and wear it for extra heat. The two of you betrayed me and now you are pregnant with his son, heir to the throne. The King is mine, forever, she cried bitterly, watching him still and yearning.

Leksoa seethed, kneeling on the castle's rooftop, watching Neila speculatively. Did she really take him for a fool? Did she think that he didn't know? He had to live with the King's shadow for the past seven years of their marriage. Even knew that he was the rebound guy as Neila could not have Thwar. How could she do this to him? His eyes narrowed as he watched how mesmerized she was by Thwar, watching him through the window. If the rumors were true, then Melissa and her unborn baby were in danger. Leksoa knew exactly what Neila's plans were and he decided that the time had come to choose sides. Besides Lord and Lady Drigtwer were looking for their only daughter too, it would make sense to swear loyalty to them than Thwar the "King of Darkness". His instability made him unpredictable and weak.

EMERGENCE

Her parents, Lord Shilas Drigtwer and Lady Zious Drigtwer were highly respected in the community. Melissa was an only child and heir to all the fortune, which included land, properties and businesses all over the country. She had no idea what exactly her parents did, except that they were rarely home. Her mother and father lived a high-jetting lifestyle and there was always company around then when they were home. They were very social and enjoyed entertaining wealthy guests and spent lavishly on expensive wining and dining. The funny part was that no matter how busy they were, they always somehow found time to spend with their only daughter. That was her greatest treasure, her parents' attention and adoration.

Her father loved telling her tales of how his great-grandfather had crossed oceans and braved the harshest weather to get to the country, where he established his Empire. Lady Zious Drigtwer never told her story, but Melissa knew that her mother was abandoned by her parents as a baby. A kind husband and wife found her crying in the woods, wrapped in a blanket. They took her home and raised her as their own. It is rumoured that the couple had strange habits, which they passed on to her mother. Try as she might, Melissa could never get her mother to talk about the rumours, she just shrugged and dismissed them with a smite.

Lady Zious looked much younger than her years. Melissa remembered how in her childhood, her mother showed her a fountain. It was located in the basement of their enormous mansion. The story her mother told her was embedded in her mind and Melissa could recite it word for word. 'Long, long ago a man and his family wondered into these plains and ended up in this house, hungry and cold. They decided to stay for a while as they had found it abandoned. There was plenty of food, drinks and wood to keep them alive for days on ends. So they hung on for a while longer until one day the young girl woke up and saw I.T with them. I.T was a thing of nightmares and she closed her eyes tight as I.T enveloped her, sinking its dirty fangs into her flesh and pulling her into the fountain. When she emerged, the young lady was never the same again. The end.' Her mother would then kiss her and switch off the lights before saying goodnight and walking out.

Melissa had never thought the story that Lady Zious had told her as a child was true. She knew better now, as she stood there in her apartment, hidden from the world. They had all lied to her and it hurt her so much. Even Thwar had been a part of it from the beginning. All those children who had disappeared. My god! She wanted to vomit. Now she was carrying his child, probably the only thing keeping her alive or was it? She touched her stomach as she could feel it/him kicking. The doctor had told her it was a boy. Melissa could see her hesitate a little as if she wanted to give her more information but thought better of it. She could feel eyes on her as she rushed down the street, to her apartment, but no one was in sight. 'I must try to be more relaxed, I need to blend in', Melissa thought as she finally sat down on the bed.

DEFICIENT

She was so excited as she ran towards the gates, almost kicking them as she needed to get to 'H.I.M'. No one had ever seen his face or knew his name or who he was, all his followers knew him only as, "H.I.M". Trixael remembers her first recruitment as if it was yesterday, she smiled as she walked through the long dark corridors. H.I.M had summoned her, which made her feel important. Her parents never understood why she had chosen to be a doctor, instead of being an astronaut, following in their footsteps. Trixael realized now that she was the chosen one who will lead next to H.I.M as they take on the King of Darkness. She was done playing second fiddle to anyone, and the information she had about Melissa was the reason H.I.M had summoned her. He had finally emerged from the fountain, much stronger than before he was banished.

Trixael Frez was from a family of Explorers and Scientists. A third born in a family of five children, three boys and two girls, she always felt second fiddle to her perfect siblings. Two of her brothers had followed in their parents' footsteps and became astronauts, while her other brother and sister became scientists. Trixael was the only one who had become a doctor, which somehow made her not good enough for her family. Although she had fought to open her own private practice and was established with lots of patients. It all meant nothing to her family. She still could not match up to the other siblings' standards who had farms, estates, and other properties worldwide. Hence when the call came to her, she had taken the offer. It was just after Melissa Dwigter's monthly visit. The voice had informed Triaxel that the time had come for her to choose sides, she hadn't hesitated. Excitement had overtaken her, because now finally, she could show them all what she was capable of. No one would ever overshadow her again.

Apprehensive and a little bit overwhelmed, Trixael finally reached the door but stood outside for a while, undecided. The voice had told her that there was no way back once she went through this very specific door. She had read the books, recited all their slogans and waited patiently for this day and it was finally here. Why was she hesitating? 'Because you are still human', she jumped back as a voice hissed behind her. She almost choked in fear as she could make out a slithering figure from a distance. Hesitant, Trixael looked around again but there was no one else there, the slithering had disappeared. Making a split-second decision, she broke into a frantic run, her heart beating fast. She ran through the gates and all the way to her car, back to her apartment.

Oh! My goodness, what was I thinking? I have to warn her. She thought, frantically searching for Melissa's number. 'What have I done? I am a bad person', Trixael screamed as she dialled Melissa's number. Hello! Hello! Hello, who is this?, Melissa's voice rang through the apartment but no one answered. She put the phone down and redialled. 'You've reached Trixael Frez, I'm not available right now, please leave a message.