CHAPTER VI

(THE UNKNOWN COMMANDMENTS)

    “WAKE UP.” 

     To the icy whisper of her voice as she breathes a life unto a lifeless doll where the image resembles hers. The puppet by which is the puppeteer had finally been complete. 

    Opening her eyes reflecting the perfection of her being the doll, a puppet, and a soulless creation. In her glassy grey-green eyes, the artificial soul was created from a part of her creator and master. The doll formed to be a perfect vessel, and the job as the puppet’s puppeteer will continue the flow of time and the plans of the responsible beings who took their turns playing their strategy in the game of chess they are unknowingly playing. 

    “Here to serve my master.” 

     Bowing as her emotionless face reflects the perfection of her creator. The doll that she is, adores, loves, and feeds by the mission her creator gave her, she smiles as her creator did the same as her string of life is connected to the fingers of her puppeteer. 

    Commanding her creation to stand up as she whispers her command, the doll she created, the shard of her identity, the piece of a whole of her entire soul, and to the time void where she lies. Her being the witch of time and space, the seer of the loops and the destruction of the 7 dimensions, and the priestess of time behind the shadow of space, she smiles knowing that everything will change as the Princess finally awakens and the flame prince already knew who he truly is. She whispers the words chanting. 

    “Guard and protect that is your façade. Play and be played that is your game. Command and be commanded that is your identity. Now, take the lead, be the Chie in that world.” 

     Chanting the poem-like command as the puppet’s eyes beat its life, her life worth, and the direction she will walk into had finally started.

    In the 2nd book, the alternate world, the equivalent played souls and sacrifices. The dolls that hold the original’s shard heart, and the sin of pride their world is holding. She will be played along as she named her. 

    “Shall we begin, my dear me,”

    “JAIRA.”

    Stealing her attention as she slowly opens her eyes fixing her sight to the dark alley in their dark haven she calls and claims. The echoing footsteps of beauty wearing high heel shoes somehow and somewhat filling the silence in the entire main room, the planned hall, and their meeting place. With her beauty reflected on her ice-blue hue of eyes complimented the crystal-like Victorian-style mansion of their sanctuary, hidden and reflected by the darkness of the void where it is placed, distorted from reality and unknown from each dimension.

     The foul smell of the decapitated head of a demon with its blood that's dripping onto the glass floor as the silhouette of the beauty is slowly becoming clear, her smile draws making her presence known as the commandment of loyalty and obedience, greeting. 

    “The 7th.” 

     Jaira counted as a demon’s head comes rolling over onto her feet where she sat in her little throne room. Fixing a smile as this commandment is still not satisfied with her kill for the night. Dragging her sword that’s dripping with the demon’s black blood as its creeks filling in the silence for once in a while. 

     The beauty with her long wavy ash brown hair that sways and creating a rhythmic pattern as she walks marking the untainted orange rank uniform of the University as the central mist. She nodded as she giggles, asking permission. 

    “Shall I continue for the night? You know there are so many of them by these days?” 

     She admires with arousal, blushing red as she plays with her sword impatiently, wants her next kill. 

     “Do not worry, you shall have it, Gwen.” 

     With a soft voice calling her name recognizing her from their leader, Gwen smiles in excitement and now is even itching for more kills. 

     Then a loud thud echoes the place as a red shoe tap the glass crystal floor, a silhouette of a person with a petite stature with her short red-brown hair that sways up and gently down as she perfectly landed on her feet from the hollow void she created and jumps from. With her recognizable yellow school uniform and marking rank of the Academy she gracefully made her way greeting their leader as the commandment of love. 

     “Good morning” She gently greeted and adding, “My present.” She whispers, snapping her finger and upon in a split second, a dark void is formed from the ceiling by which heads of a thousand monsters and demons fall like a waterfall that flooded the space, and enough as its foul smell stinks reeks the entire place. 

     “My, my as promising as you always be, Valerie.” 

     Gwen complimented as she seconds vanish from sight and pop into the other corner beside Valerie and evading the pool of rewards Valerie reaps. Gently tapping her head smiling proudly to the youngest, yet the unpredictable sly commandment that defies her order of Love, Valerie shove her hand protesting, as patting its head and treating it like a kid is worse than being trap with the S class demon in the demon realm.

     "So cute." 

     She retorted back giggling to its protest when a distinct laugh made them all look back, a commandment's voice reels in.  

     “Playing too much is not good.” 

     Stern, authoritarian, and a hard-headed one, his voice that is deep, yet loud as it can be everyone turns to fix their eyes to his direction, that with his calculated steps no one can deny his high rank as a military general of once from his past alternated life and now as the commandment of wise.

     “Good morning, Nick.” 

     Gently greeting as Valerie moves a step back from Gwen, who in return smiles slyly waving her hand towards Nick. He made his entire figure known as he set foot in the middle, giving a salute to their puppeteer. 

     “Got any present?” 

     Quite nosy sometimes, and only when they are around and around them. Gwen swiftly shifted her stand in a split second as she is now standing next to Nick eying his news at hand and before Nick could protest to the sly and cunning commandment that she is, a voice steals their attention.

     “Flame on!” 

     Filling the place with a scream as a cheerful voice set the reaps of their reward on fire, marking that mischievous voice with his cunning blue fire from his stolen and owned demons' flame. His once pure soul tainted as a known mafia in his alternate world marks his very commandment of Faith and Honor. 

     Taking their heads and sight looking up and directly unto the direction and claiming the glow of someone’s golden eyes, he jumps right in the middle of his flame snapping it gone together with the rewards that did not leave a trace behind.  

     “Show off.” Nick blabber, quite irritated, yet still in his composure as they are all used to by being one with the questionable, yet a very skilled, commandment of all. 

     “Welcome.” Gwen giggle entertained as she waves her hand along with Valerie whose face is quite disappointed and irritated from turning her reaps into nothing in oblivion by a few seconds. 

     “Good morning, big brother Carlos.” 

     As Valerie address him formally by calling his name with an honorific as an older brother and the only commandment, she treated like one, for being the closes one to her, for him and each other. 

     "Good morning, Valerie." As he returns the greeting, smiling from ear to ear making his mischievousness heard along with his green mark of the Academy’s uniform. “Yo! I’m here!” 

     Imitating Nick’s salute, but in a funny way possible, he places his hand tapping Valerie’s head gently. Then, giving Gwen a cheerful high five before facing their puppeteer whose emotionless eyes pins to the four. 

     Taking their place as they all four bows in respect, taking the seriousness within as their eyes shut in a complete kill, the puppeteer smiles as Jaira calls. 

     “The time is drawing near the clock is speeding its game as the ones involved are being chased unknowingly from their backs.” She reminded nailing the identity of the owner of the cards. 

     Just then Nick raises his head asking for permission to speak by which she immediately granted nodding her head in response. 

     Standing up as Nick snaps his finger turning everything into complete darkness, engulfing them into his premise, 78 looming in a spinning motion of neon velvet light-colored cards emerges around them. Snapping his finger once more 7 distinct cards slowly spins as it descends lining up in front of them. Facing forward as its light faded, the images of the first 7 major arcana's are presented. 

     “The fool, the magician, the high priestess, the hierophant, the chariot, strength, the hermit.” 

      As Nick chants, somehow calling the cards by their name one by one in order with the Roman numeral that symbolizes the alignment and meaning behind each card that also pertains to the seven that the blessing and the cure are encircling into.

     “The elites.” Gwen whispers giggling, with the thought and the mission they all pledge behind the shadow of the ultimate fool God and all to make everything right. 

     Marking a sinister smile out from all of them, Nick snaps his finger one more time, as everything went back to how is all been together as he declares. 

     “He’s here.”

     Warning, yet a hidden blessing, the person they waited and expecting to come is finally making its way back to stir everything from the impending chaos that should burst out from long ago.  

     Raising her head and looking at her pledge commandment, Jaira instructed. 

     “Take your places, know your stand, guard the one that was assigned as I will wait for his return.” 

     With a firm nod and a yes, heeding her command, they all vanish and back to the reality where time flows continually, unlike the sanctuary they all call home. 

     HOWLING as the hunter’s dire wolf's signal’s its master for the upcoming prey they have been searching. From the mist of the icy breeze under the full bright moon. Its scarlet eyes that painted its blood shut anger curdles as its black fur shines in the moon's rays of light. Taking its steps perfectly in both defense and fight mode circling the target up close as its foul smell boils its wolf instinct to hunt and kill. A growling demon is shifting its ten-foot-tall skinny and thorny body that is bleeding with its black blood from head to toe, it's hissing in response as it opens its wide mouth showing off its sharp teeth and with its sonic hearing that can detect even the slightest sound from a mile, it growls as it senses the Hunter.

     “Luna.” 

     Calling in a whisper as the wolf recognizes its master. It took a fast-swept back as it jumps ten feet high running at speed and creating a running illusion in the air. Howling in anger as it lunges an attack biting the demon's neck targeting its temple, it twitches as it's screaming in pain and more as the wolf took a deeper bite. Defending as a spike appears unto its back sending the wolf just in time from a split second evading the attacked, the wolf bite tore a piece of its flesh and taking it as a trophy. In time as it howls once more after throwing the flesh aside, a reflected light shines from above marking a distinct hunter’s eyes with the blade that lunges a swift attack cutting the demon's flesh in return as its blood splatter all over the place. Leaving it screaming to its end with its blood that boils like a chemical reaction from an acid substance, he landed without a sound and swiftly as he came and end the prey's life. 

     “Luna.” 

     As he calls and immediately with the wolf's response taking his side with pride and dignity, he sways his sword fast, hard, and once clearing the blood on its blade. Stroking the wolf's head, commenting on it in return with the demon’s corpse burning in ashes as an aftermath of his flaming hunter’s sword, the wolf’s tail wags, accepting its reward. 

     Just then two distinct sounds stole its attention as it walks forward, sitting and waiting patiently as its eyes pins above. Looking back, four ringing bell chimes gently together with the wind. Then a heavy chain creates a dragging sound from a weapon that holds with the other of a scythe of a reapers instrument. Two perfectly resembling one another, yet holds the very opposite ends. The first one who owns short black hair with the velvet distinct eyes of a purple that holds the sun’s crest as the daughter of the day and the other with the long dark brown hair and golden-brown eyes that hold the moon’s grace as the daughter of the night. To their step that didn't make any sound, the twins come representing the highest spirits of once foxes as the maiden’s knights and bound familiars.

     “Jessa, Hannah.” 

     The Hunter calls, calling their names as they both slightly bow in respectful response to the hunter and a master that share's the maiden's name.  

     “Good work, young master.” 

    Claiming as the twin and daughter of the day silently in an almost whisper compliments him in return, marking the seriousness and stiff expression of her personality, she holds the contradicting symbol of the day as the bright daughter of the sun with her reserve and introverted nature. Setting her weapon at bay turning it into a bracelet that symmetrically loops unto her right hand. Her twin cheerfully jumps hugging the wolf as she plays with its fur with its response that addresses in return with its perfect enthusiasm wagging its tail towards the twin. 

     “Of course, you too Luna, good work!” 

     Giggling as this twin cheerfully made her presence be known as she defines herself out from her twin, yet the same like her twin but different in every way, she is a contradiction as the moon’s daughter by which holds her quite mischievous nature expressing her emotion perfectly making her an open book but the deadliest one from the two. Where protecting and killing those who will do wrong and tick a warning of danger unto their maiden is a sure bloody cry at the end as she is a beating merciless guardian holding a slight sadist nature her twin is monitoring on her about. 

     Immediately hiding her scythe as it turns into a key chain dangling on a chain on her waist. She looks straight at the hunter as she slowly stands up, relying upon the message from their mistress. 

    “She’s waiting, young master Kyle.” 

     She smiles taking it not as a request but a command that he should comply. He nodded as he cannot protest nor argue as the twin wouldn't take a no for an answer especially if it is a command from their Maiden.

     Taking the ability of the sun and moon shared and bind from the maiden’s soul, the twins' life and very identity only revolve to guard and protect the Shrine Priestess. With their life linked with each other, powerful as one and greater with each other’s race and company. They are the twins' guardians of the day and night by which ability comes from the heavens Seraphim and the underworld’s death reaper. 

     Nodding in response, they three took a step with the dire wolf vanishing insight. Following as what’s left is the dust, they left behind with the wind that swiftly blows into nothingness like they never been there. Yet to the moon that howls its full bloom, a smile from afar, but near echoes as a commandments voice responded. 

     “Hey, just how long should we be here? They’re already gone and as expected, concealing your very presence is admirable.” 

Complimenting as he leans on a tree sitting on its thickest branch. Carlo's distinct eyes shine as his face is shadowed by the full moon shining from their back. Drawing his sly smile as he’s been all along observing, moving swiftly as he perfectly concealed his very presence all but to guard and patiently waiting for their awaited one to make his presence known. 

    The mystery of the person he is guarding temporarily right now is gazing up to the moon as his eyes deepen with the mix of wants, longing, and adoration to the person he long-awaited to see and be with. 

     “A bit more.” 

     Timid yet authoritarian. The one who is hiding in the shadows is marking his presence as his distinct purple dark to light colored hair that represents the night and purple dark eyes that represents the twilight, resembles the feature of the twin who never knew him, but he forever wanted to call and be called, her older brother. Concealing himself perfectly as he records every move that the hunter did for the entire night of his hunting spree, he draws a smile taking with pride as he thinks that he is much stronger and the rightful one beside the person they all wanted to protect. 

     To the guardians, he knows from the very detail to the tiniest one and the grandest. Their name and their birth, as well as their weapons, all of those were his, and only his, creation. To his identity that was shut and away, he comes back to take what is rightfully his, starting from the ones that he should make known.

     “Let’s see just how would you play this time, Kyle.”

     Whispering the name that strips him of everything. The demon’s blood that he owns, the one that he seeks to claim and back, Carlos giggles as he marks his sinister smile loving the exciting play that is about to unfold. 

     “Shall we play then?”