Gawain
The morning birds sang gracefully to the rising sun. All creatures of the night went into hidden in the dark forest and it's shadows. The enormous mansion buried in the depths of the dark forest peeked out of the tree tops feeding on the little sun rays escaping the dark clouds of cerdonia.
"It's done." Monisha stood up slowly while holding a test tube in her hand. The green liquid in it bubbled viciously and steam escaped. "The last of father's experiment."
Albert stared at the bottle in Monisha's hand with uncertainty and anxiety. He could only pray for the worst, many times had Monisha created an antidote that it slapped her across the face.
"Don't be so doubtful Albert." Monisha said as she took out a syringe and took in some of the potion. "This one is different."
She threw the empty test tube away and walked over to the cage. Her eyes glued to the beast that is growling at her. It's blood stained eyes slowly starts to tear up blood. Monisha's lips curved deeper and her hand dug into her hair.
"Albert."
Albert bowed deeply. "Yes milady."
"No matter what happens," she turned to him with a menacing aura. "Stay there." Albert already had a feeling Monisha was going to do something illogical. He was determined to break the rule and end that beast if warranted.
Monisha opened the door of the cage and stepped in unfazed by the heavy scent of blood and overbearing aura of the beast. The cage of the door shut tight and the sound of clicking metal echoed in the room. Both locked on each other, as they were determined to devour and to save their prey.
"Come on," Monisha coaxed. "You don't want to keep a lady waiting." She took a stance and readied her body for impact. Albert had also took a stance to murder the beast. "Don't you dare Albert." She cautioned calmly but one could tell it was more than just a warning.
The atmosphere turned heavy and overpowering. Death's scent lingered in the air and time stood still. Monisha took in a deep breath and sighed out heavily. 'Any minute."
In an instant, the beast was right in front of Monisha, it's mouth aiming for her nape. Reflex kicked in and Monisha replaced her neck with her arm. Albert's eyes widened and his body froze. It jabbed out her arm and flung her across the cage. Her body hit the metal bars with a great force that dented it. Monisha breath in and out trying to compose herself and gather her thoughts. Blood spilled down her gown and stained the floor. Her hair was disheveled and her head bleed from impact.
The beast gulped in her hand in one go and turned to her, it's bloodlust evident in his eyes. It's inch long teeth dropped down blood. "Did you enjoy it?" Monisha smiled darkly.
The beast launched forward at her but fell before her. Monisha's expression was plain and merciless. The creature howled in despair and rolled on the ground. Monisha took the leisure time to stand and arrange herself. Her arm had already begun to heal and form. Steam emitted from the skin of the beast and a thick pungent smell of decayed body filled the room.
"Ha ha, ha ha, HA HA HA." Monisha's voice echoed in the room. She laughed out wholeheartedly and her arm began to burn as her hand rapidly formed back. "HA HA HA!!"
"Interesting, truly interesting." Albert fell to his knees in fear and awe. Just as the steam around the cage began to disperse, the ground began to vibrate heavily and the items on the tables fell off, crashing one after the other.
A loud ear piercing shriek filled the air, Albert held his ear in pain. The windows of the Moralé's Mansion all cracked and bursted into pieces. The entire forest echoed the heavy cry of beast, all living beasts and birds ran in fear.
As the sound gradually died down, Albert stumbled to the floor and breath in and out. His face dropped sweat and blood from his ear. He looked up and hurriedly lifted himself as he made his way to Monisha. "Milady!!" He cried.
Monisha was on her knees, her body shivering and her ears gushing out blood like a water fall. Horror plastered on Albert's face, he immediately broke the cage and ran towards her. "Stop." Monisha commanded.
Albert ignored her and picked pulled off her jacket and ran over to cover her. A figure slowly crawled into Monisha's embrace causing Albert to stand still. It's aura was suffocating, overbearing and deadly, the air was thick enough to cut through. "An Archon." Albert couldn't control his body and succumbed to the power by paying respect and bowing to silhouette on Monisha's body.
"You noticed too." Monisha's eyes were glued to the little boy who held her tightly and snuggled into her bossom. Never had she been overpowered by such a being. "Albert what did I save?" Her voice quivered as her hand gently touched his pale white skin. "It isn't human is it?"
Albert turned to her immediately, he was scared that she might try to kill it. "Don't kill it Monisha, you might die in the…" Monisha had a warm smile on her face and her hands held unto the child tightly.
"Why would I kill such a being?" Her voice quivered in awe and admiration. "He is beyond magnificent." She turned to him with peachy doey eyes.
Flashback (during the cry of the beast)
I held my ear tightly and stared at the shrinking body of the creature crying. I felt clogged in my throat as it seemed as though I was walking down memory lane. When? Where? Why? Why does it seem i was once standing there screaming out my lungs just like this child?
" Isha calm down!! Van Del what's going on with my child."
"Albert get more water."
I fell to my knees in pain right after my ear drums bursted. My body shook violently and yet my eyes were glued to the figure standing in the steam. Bright glowing blue eyes gazing on my pitiful self. It's aura enough to make anyone jolt from it's presence but for some reason it calmed me and gave an unusual sense of peace to my heart. I could barely hear a thing and my body felt weak, I let go of my ears and my arms fell to the ground.
The boy stood naked staring at me with fear on his face, a stack contrast with the look in his eyes. His black messy hair stuck to his sweaty face and neck. A few seconds had passed but it felt like eternity to me. Tears began to roll down his eyes and his feet moved towards my direction. Albert had already arrived. It seemed as though I was running to myself, as though I had woken up from a terrible nightmare and need someone to embrace me.
He slowly crawled into my body and hugged me tight. For the first time in a century, I felt warm and wanting. I loved this calm and soothing warmth. I loved the feeling this child gave, infact I love the fact I saved this child. I'm keeping it.
The Moralé's Brat.
Horses galloped through the dark steep paths of the forest. The hard clicking hooves against the ground echoed in the eerie landscape. Two huge carriages were being pulled by two black horses each, the carriage were both painted magenta with silver coating at the edge of each side. Their doors bearing the crest of the royal family.
"I never knew this paths of the forest still had roads." Ruth peeked through the black drapes of the window and stared at the bone chilling trees and darkness beyond. "I wonder how the heir is going to react to our unannounced visit."
Fraden folded his arms quietly and closed his eyes. Nicholas had his eyes fixed on the paper in his hand. Lawrence on the other hand rested his head on the carriage seat and stared at the ceiling blankly. He was oddly focused.
"What if she gets mad?" Ruth directed her question to Lawrence but he completely ignored her.
"Be at ease," Nicholas replied to her question. "Monisha Morale is more human than people think." Fraden's eyes fluttered open and turned to Nicholas questioning his words.
"Have you in anyway had an encounter with her or something?" Fraden asked a bit rude.
"No, but I can tell." Nicholas chuckled and then turned the attention in the carriage towards Lawrence. "You seem awfully quiet."
Lawrence was quiet for a while but then sat straight and sighed. "I'm always quiet."
"Is something bothering you?" Ruth asked with a concerned look.
Lawrence didn't spare a glance at her and just folded his arms and rested his head back. "I wonder what the Moralé's heiress is truly like?" Fraden had a displeased look on his face as he stared at his hand. He could vividly remember the remains of human body he had carried out of the meeting room.
"No doubt a murderer." Lawrence said calmly.
"I don't like her, she's too fishy and has a lot of loop holes." Ruth scoffed and adjusted her jacket.
"There's more to her murderous intent that meets the eye." He continued. "But I'm definitely sure, the recent killing has nothing to do with her."
"How are you so sure?" Fraden blurted out a bit flustered. Nicholas stared at Lawrence with skeptical eyes but tried his best to hide it.
"Well I guess we'll all feed on our curiosity once we get there right." Ruth sighed.
The carriage rode deeper into the forest until it was completely swallowed in by the mist. They had finally came to a halt and the sound of metal doors shrieked in the air causing a discomforting sound.
Ruth held her ears and closed her eyes. She sighed when the sound stopped and peeked outside. "We're finally here." She seemed excited about the whole thing but the guys were more or less unfazed.
The doors were opened and all were shocked to see a human standing by the door. "Welcome to the Morale Mansion." He bowed deeply and directed them towards the front yard. Lawrence stepped on the ground and breath in heavily, the scent of the damp earth and eerie feeling of death swept in his nose.
At the front yard stood General Storm Bjorn, he was dressed just for the occasion. He had a stern look on his face as he craned his neck to view the top of the massive building. He had an uneasy feeling swelling in his gut.
"Let's go." He said to his subordinates who stood behind him. The double door was open by the two guards who were heavily armed. They stepped in with tension gripping their hearts. The large room came to light, the candles glowing brightly with light flames, each drapes hung was blood red with black lacy patterns in it. The huge rug that stretched up the massive staircase had intricate patterns of the Morale family crest on it. The room gave off a scent of roses and an unusual feeling of cold against bare skin.
"Talk about spacious." Ruth was dazed by the size of the building but right now the exterior design was no where close to the the interior.
"They aren't the most wealthiest for nothing." Nicholas nodded as well with a smile.
The sound of a high clicking shoes stole everyone's attention, climbing down the stairs was no other than the heiress herself. Monisha's hair was packed in a low ponytail that flowed down her shoulders like waterfall. Her red eyes stared at the men in front of her as worthless creatures. She eluded grace and majestic elegance in her red and black dress.
"Good evening my lady," General Storm bowed deeply and so did his subordinates.
"You didn't state your arrival." Monisha's full red lips parted as she brushed away their greeting and went straight to the point. "Has King Sirius gotten a fever or something?"
"He sent us to pay a visit to you." General Storm smiled warmly but met the gaze of a displeased woman.
"Visit?" She arched her brow and sighed. "Why did Sirius send you here?"
Her words tensed the atmosphere and her eyes glimmered brightly as she scrutinized them. "The reason might be offensive to you milady." General Storm replied with a calm smile.
"You expect me to turn a blind eye to your unannounced visit?" Monisha tilted her head slowly and then back, her eyes trailed round his subordinates and then stopped on Lawrence. He stared at her with a hidden glint.
"We apologize milady. We were sent to inspect your house." General Storm said respectfully and bowed to her. "Please we beg for your cooperation, it is all in an act to bring good will to your family."
She was silent for a while before sighing. She could already senses there was a hidden agenda to this visit that even the General wasn't aware of.
"Welcome to Morale Mansion." She said coldly. "As you can see, your visit wasn't mentioned so I didn't quite prepare an entourage for your coming."
"We are glad you welcomed us in regardless." General Storm bowed once more.
"Dinner would be served in a hour, why don't I give you a tour?" She offered calmly.
"We wouldn't want to impose on you…" general Storm started but was cut off.
"Isn't that why you're here?" She hummed.
"In honest truth I never did have intentions of imposing on your home." He replied. "If I had refused, it would have cost me a great deal."
"I decided to use the opportunity to find favor in your eyes personally." Ruth was shocked by the general's confession, Fraden looked irritated and annoyed with the way the general was treated like a child infront of such a girl.
Monisha was silent for a while but gradually her lips curved upward and her eyes were less daring. "I like your way of thinking general. I'll accommodate you for the night, while at it let's hope you truly find favor in my eyes."
She took a few steps and turned to them. "Shall we?" General Storm nodded and climbed the stairs. His subordinates all trailed a step behind him.
Bursted
Ruth fed her eyes with every artifact and design she saw, she marvelled at how unique each were and the possibilities of it's age. They all passed by some servants, a few creatures of the night and most were humans.
"You have a lot of human workers." Ruth commented in awe.
"Mostly because the Moralé's mansion was once a fortress during the early stage of rogue outbreak." Monisha replied calmly and stood in front of a black wooden door that was relatively smaller than most doors in the room.
The door creaked opened and it's echoing sound spread down the long staircase that stretched deep into the earth. At the flick of Monisha's fingers all the torches hung on the wall were lit. "Shall we?"
Ruth was eager to walk in, she thought of this journey as more of a vacation than an investigation. Fraden had a displeased and skeptical look on his face. The general bowed slightly and tailed Monisha so did his subordinates.
"If I may ask?" Nicholas looked intrigued by the structure of the building, he found it hard to believe something this big resided underneath the mansion. "How long has this building been in existence?"
"About seven hundred years." Monisha replied shortly.
"You mean the Moralé family is that old." Fraden was the one to speak. He was most uncomfortable with Monisha's compliance and willingness to answer questions.
"Yes, the family has long been in existence even before the rampage of Dracula." She replied calmly not batting an eye with either of them. They had walked for a while and then came to a halt in front of a metal door.
"Where are we milady?" General Bjorn asked calmly and Monisha turned to him with a meek smile.
"A prison meant for intruders." She replied and then opened the door. Ruth hiccuped while fraden held his sword ready to unsheathe it. Nicholas held his arm and shook his head.
"You're quite a comedian milady." Nicholas chuckled lightly to ease the tension.
She ignored him and stepped in right after her was General Bjorn, the four soldiers stepped in cautiously.
The scent of chemicals and subtle heat wrapped them. They all stared at the large laboratory room. It has all sorts of concoction on the large wooden tables and a huge shelf resting on a part of the wall.
"Welcome to my study." Monisha raised her hand and gestured to the large room.
"More like laboratory." Ruth said subtly and walked in like a curious cat. Lawrence stepped in as well and let his feet dance around the room as he pleased. Nicholas tailed Lawrence while fraden stuck to the general's side.
"This is huge milady, you seem to be a scientist." General Storm praised.
"The Morale family are known to be doctors, mad doctors." Monisha leaned on a table beside her and folded her arms. "I believe this is the only place you can find solid evidence of my innocence right."
"Yes milady." General Storm bowed as went on sight seeing. Fraden stood in the center of the room never taking his eyes off the general.
"At ease, Fraden." Storm called out to him and he signed and walked towards him.
"What is this cage for?" Lawrence asked coldly as he pointed at the enormous metal barred cage behind him and turned to Monisha. Monisha smiled darkly and the candles in the room all flickered.
"What do think it's for?" She retorted with a smirk. "I told you the Morale family are known to be mad doctors." The room tensed up and both glared at each other as though they were in for blood.
"You run experiments then. That's the only plausible reason to have such a cage." Nicholas stared at Lawrence a bit confused about his new interest in the woman. He seemed more or less in for journey the whole walk here. "What was in the cage?"
"Long ago, a doctor wanted to test the true divinity in night creatures. In his quest he built that cage and experimented on as many slaves as possible." Monisha stood from the table and took slow steps towards him. "In that cage, men bleed to death, women shrieked in madness and children convulsed in pain."
"Why are you saying this?" Lawrence stood tall unfazed by the deadly aura the woman gave off.
"You all are in the same room where the first rogue was created." She smiled brightly and walked past Lawrence and then held a bar of the cage. "My father created rogues about two hundred years ago. He died before he could atone for his sin."
"You're experimenting on rogues." Fraden cut in angrily.
"Of course I am." Monisha replied proudly. "I'm tired of constantly feeding a kingdom where the elites are the only one who feast and then turn the masses against me."
"Why haven't you told the king about this, milady?" General Storm walked towards her a bit wary.
"Even if I told Sirius, he'd still approve of my actions. After all no one knows my heart like the king does." Monisha replied shortly and then turned to Ruth and sighed. "You'll die if you touch that." Her words made Ruth's fingers retreat from the bottle on the table.
Just then the door of the room creaked opened and Albert stepped in. His aura sent shivers down the spines of the soldiers, for some reason he seemed angrily and displeased.
"Dinner is ready, milady." He announced.