"So, tell me, Nikolas, how was your trip, and how's my dark Queen's host doing?" said a young naked man, well-built with dark short hair and glowing olive eyes, engrossed in a book. "Lord Magellan, please put on some clothes. I've sent one of my subordinates to get her...it would be advisable for her to see the dark Lord fully clothed, looking regal and powerful," the 9-feet-tall monster that had kidnapped Bruce's daughter responded, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Alas, clothes, a burden on my skin's delight,
Naked and free, my soul takes flight!
Why must I wear clothes, this custom so absurd,
When beasts of the Earth roam free, my buttcheeks feel disturbed!
Am I not powerful then, Nikolas?"
Magellan spoke in an overly dramatic way, standing on top of his reading table with his manhood in full view. Meanwhile, his servants, including Nikolas, palmed their foreheads in embarrassment.
"My Lord, please, the girl should probably be on her way," Nikolas pleaded with the dark Lord.
"Alright, Alright... Nikolas, you're too square buddy, lighten up... By the way, the girl. Where is she… she should be here before I get back," Magellan instructed and tapped Nikolas on the shoulder while laughing. The dark Lord then went to his room to get changed into his regal attire, even though he could magically do that easily from where he stood. He thought that would be a waste of magic and kill the whole fun.
Meanwhile, not too far from Lord Magellan, the Dark Queen's host was frozen in fear by the sight she had just beheld. What her father had told her as scary bedtime stories was standing in front of her, far more terrifying than she had imagined.
The creature sent to fetch her, per Nikolas' orders, was not human, and she could tell. 'Did you see it?' the woman sent to fetch her was asking with rage as her voice grew louder. April's hands were frozen with fear, and she nodded no, trying to save herself from this woman's wrath.
The woman looked at her cursing under her breath and composed herself before talking to the girl. "Ok, now come here... You're being summoned...Behave, and you won't get hurt, brat...rather, Miss April," the woman talked to April in a condescending manner, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the Dark Lord's Library, where he commanded.
As they walked, April's fear multiplied a thousandfold as she saw and realized where she really was—the Dark Lord's castle. It was as grim as it was beautiful, and the aura sent shivers down her spine. Her small legs worked frantically as she tried to match the pace of the adult next to her.
They passed through cold and bleak hallways, where only a little light tried to invade through the stained glass windows. She shivered a bit and gestured to warm herself by rubbing her hands on her arms but quickly stopped when the woman scowled at her. Despite being a child and used to feeling small in almost every place she went, she felt like an ant amidst the unnecessarily huge and massive pillars supporting the grand hallway. This was a different feeling.
On their way, she began to notice stares from strange beings in her direction. She was being watched—she didn't know; she just felt it. Passing by a room, she saw a group of people. Most of them looked human, but she couldn't be sure anymore, and her fear intensified by the sight of a tail on the woman escorting her, which she briefly caught a glimpse of.
She was definitely not hallucinating; she just saw a tail on this woman. "Humans don't have tails," she thought. The noise around her grew, and murmurs became more audible as they passed a door. "Hey... Bertha darling, come have some fun with us…" A strange man came out of the door, calling out to the woman escorting her. "Urgh... Not now, I'm busy," she responded, gesturing at April.
"Oh, that's our Queen?... Pardon my intrusion, Queen April... your majesty, I am but your humble servant...at least not for long though," the man said, taking a bow as he laughed at April. "Come on, let's go," the woman said, grabbing April's hand, and they proceeded to the library, which they finally reached moments later.
"My Lord, the girl is here," the woman who escorted April stood at the library door, expecting a response. "Come in, Bertha," it was Nikolas who responded. The door opened to reveal the beautiful library, shaped like a massive cylinder with towering books everywhere. April, who was already shocked by what she had seen so far, was even more terrified by Nikolas and the two guards next to him.
Her heart raced faster than a Formula One car, its rapid beats echoing in her ears. Her hands were as cold as ice, and her mouth couldn't utter a word as her wide eyes filled with tears and fear.Fear coursed through her veins, making her tremble uncontrollably. Her breaths came in shallow gasps, and she felt a knot in her stomach, as if a whale was pressing down on her.
Her eyes darted around, scanning every shadow, every corner of the library, looking for any sign of danger with the obvious sources of danger being the four strange people around her. The four strange beings that looked like something straight out of a fantasy horror Storybook.
Her senses were heightened and seemed to be running overtime with adrenaline pumping through her veins. Every sound seemed amplified, making even the slightest noise seem ominous. She could hear the ticking of the old giant grandfather clock in the room and the fidgeting of one of Nikolas guards, waiting for his shift to be over as soon as possible.
Her palms were sweaty, and her body felt weak. She could collapse at any moment. The world around her seemed to blur, and she felt disoriented and trapped, as if there was no escape from the overwhelming fear that gripped her. Despite her best efforts to calm herself, wishing all of this was a bad dream, she pinched herself until her arm got red and closed her eyes multiple times, but the terror only intensified, leaving her feeling vulnerable and alone.
She longed for the comfort of familiar surroundings, the reassuring presence of her doting father—anything that could provide a sense of safety and security. But in this moment, all she could do was try to find the strength to endure the fear and hope that it would eventually pass.
"Bertha, you'd have to wait with the Dark Queen's host, the dark Lord is on his way," said Nikolas in a commanding tone.
Meanwhile, Lord Megalon was making his way to the library, deep in thought. "Finally, I'd get to meet my soulmate Persephone after what feels like an eternity...it's only been 7 years though...and she might not recognize me... Well, that won't be for long after the convergence, she'll get rid of her mortal host and become my sweet Persephone once more," as Magellan was thinking, he finally reached the library to find a young girl terrified and frozen with fear, unable to even speak.
"My Lord," all the people in the room spoke as they took a bow, except for April, who was clueless to what was going on.
She was hassled by Bertha to follow suit and bow, but Magellan stopped her and approached April. "Oh Persephone... It's been a while, Persephone... Why are you crying...who is responsible for this?" he said angrily while gently placing his hands on April's shoulders and ordering for a napkin to wipe her tears. "You did... We umm kinda kidnapped her, remember... She's not your Persephone, at least not yet, so basically she's in her captor's house, not her lover's," Nikolas whispered to Magellan when he got up.
"Oh yeah that's right…" Magellan whispered back. "Oh... So tell me, little one, what's your name?" Magellan asked April while smiling. April saw this as the closest thing to safety and responded, "A...April...my name is April... Please, I want to go home," April finally mustered the courage to speak, her voice breaking, tears in her eyes, and stuttering from fear.
"You don't have to be scared, April. You're safe now... I'll make sure of it," Magellan responded while still giving a reassuring smile. "But... But... I want to..." April saw this kind response as an opportunity to talk but was interrupted by a random guard. "My Lord, she's ready, and she's waiting for you in the chamber," said the random guard.
"Okay, I'm on my way... Nikolas, have the girl escorted to her room," Magellan ordered. "Yes, my Lord... Bertha, escort the girl to her room and make sure she's well taken care of," Nikolas ordered, raising his huge menacing hand and pointing to the door. Bertha obliged and followed the order, taking the scared but now hopeful April to her room.
"Nikolas...come with me... It's Genevieve, the temptress. She's arrived, and she's finally ready to go on her mission..." Magellan spoke with joy in his voice and a spring in his step. "She's finally agreed to go to Cugeria...that lazy slut is always troublesome, but at least she's useful," Nikolas spoke with annoyance and spite towards Genevieve in his voice.
"She sure is... I would have loved to make her my concubine, but Persephone would kill me when she finds out," Magellan spoke with love-shaped emojis in his eyes.
The two finally reached the meeting room. "Greetings, my Lord. You're looking handsome and regal as always... Let's get married," Genevieve said in a very seductive way, using an alluring voice and purposely exposing her cleavage to Magellan. "Genevieve, stop this...you know that I'm in a committed relationship... even though my partner is inside a seven-year-old girl who is terrified and doesn't recognize me at the moment... You know what, yeah, let's get marri..." Before he could finish his sentence, Nikolas interjected. "My Lord, please, let's get down to business," Nikolas cleared his throat and spoke.
"Awhn... Nikki bear, you're such a killjoy... I would have married you, but you're so boring... And ugly," said Genevieve, still in a seductive way, which drew a laugh from Magellan. Nikolas cleared his throat again and spoke, "Hey Geny, it's okay. Let's be serious now... How are the preparations for you going to Cugeria? It's important for us to get their support in order for our plan to work... We need the Vamprys with us, not against us... We can't afford to be their enemy."
"Geny? You used to call me that a lot when we were kids... You don't have to worry, Nikki bear, Maggy, I mean my Lord, I'll have the Vampyrs under my control in no time... By the way, when is Persy waking up... it would be more fun stealing you from her when she's awake?" said Genevieve, still in an alluring voice.
"Soon... Probably three months from now in the convergence... I'd have my queen back," Magellan responded.
"Alright, Nikki, Maggy, my Lord, I'll be on my way to Cugeria... I hope I find handsome men that want to marry me... Bye," Genevieve said while walking away in an alluring manner. "She's always like this," Nikolas groaned in disappointment.
Thousands of miles away in a luxurious apartment, our very own father of the century woke up disoriented and hungry as always. He kept hearing a very loud flapping of wings alongside loud chirping, and he could hear the sounds of a bird swallowing a worm.
It was as if someone had put headphones on him and blasted the volume up to full. He reached to his ears but could only feel the warmth of his earlobes and was confused.
He looked in the direction from which the sounds were coming and was worried that a tree was right outside the window, but he could notice at his peripheral vision layers upon layers of images. His vision was super focused and he was worried if he was wearing a compact binocular as his vision zoomed out to reveal that the bird and the tree were about 3 miles away from him.
"What the hell is happening?" he thought