The rogues in the rogues’ forest were like an informal pack, led by Fenrir. They do not submit to him, however, he just created the community that kept them alive. The rogues’ main source of income was theft.Like a gang of bandits.They cohabit in the forest and ultimately create families, thus growing to be the small community they’d come to know in the present. There was no solid hierarchy in the town, Rogue town, more commonly called by the rogues as ‘home’, but there was an unspoken title worn only by Fenrir—Alpha. He was the considered leader, as he did everything a leader does. He protected them, built them their homes, and helped them survive in the wild after being castaway from the pack.Most of them were reformed rogues. He did not accept anyone that was otherwise. For the purely vile and heartless, he’d leave them to fend for their own.And thus, after years of peacefully existing in the woods, they’d recently faced their most challenging foe—the plague.It haunted in ever
…An offering?She mentioned an offering, an act of paying tribute to the foot of the statues of the deities. She was perfectly aware of what it meant, but in this realm, offering to a deity’s statue is highly sacrificial.It is only done when a mortal is desperate and seeks divine intervention. And it’s almost taboo since the ‘offering’ is a soul in exchange for salvation. Or in this case, enlightenment. They cannot very easily hear a response from the deity unless their sacrifice is sufficient.Blood always spills when an offering happens.“It is risky, but it’s the most promising tactic we have. It will be in exchange for information on how to deal with the plague for the miserable,” Phaedra explains. “I’m certain you know which deity I plan to seek.”“The Goddess of the Moon.” Akira did not need to ask her who, or why her.“Indeed.” She nodded. “Only she can tell us what she witnesses in her domain and how it can be stopped.”She’d never thought of it before, but now she was wonder
Night was fast approaching.But it was different this time.This was the first night after the enlightenment.I may not know exactly what to do, but Goddess Selene already helped me as much as she could. It’s all up to me now.Now, I must believe in myself—that I can save the world. Rid my lands of the plague and let my people live peacefully during my reign. That was what I swore when I became Queen, and that is what I shall accomplish.Thus was how I got the reckless idea of spending a night in the woods of the House of the Wolves, where the plague first striked.I had no sound logic to explain to Flavian and Phaedra on why I wanted to do this; I merely asked them to trust me. The two were heavily against my idea and even though they also couldn’t voice out their reasons, I had a feeling. I knew I was the perfect victim for the plague, because I was as miserable as any walking undead.I’ve already experienced it all. I’ve suffered through Hell on Earth; been killed, betrayed, taken
“Ah—”I almost cursed, my breath stolen, as I dodged a brutal claw slash at the last possible minute. I ought to glare at his ruthlessly continuous attacks, but he was already preparing to swing his arm at me again. Ultimately, my chance to reprimand him got lost in our parry of attacks.He was faring well with my power-infused tackles and attacks (in fact, he was the only one who could go against me) and he was also getting better at his own pace. For him, this must also seem like taxing training.I gasped when my vision was suddenly turned into a clean 180৹ as he swiped my feet, not only making me lose my balance but also fly vertically. My head was first to land on the soil, making me grunt at the expected headache. I used my energy to cushion my fall, or else I would’ve snapped my neck.“Couldn’t you have been any gentler?” I grumble, groaning as I stood. His big hands escorted me up from the shoulders, but I shrugged them off, sulking. “I can stand up on my own,” I whisper, grit
It was safe to say he arrived in Roguetown looking bloody but with a wagon full of food.He might look like he killed for that food, thus the dubious looks from the others, but he needn’t explain as long as he had brought food to the table.“Fenrir! You arrived perfectly on time,” greeted the rowdiest yet kindest rogue, Nicholas. He grinned at him from ear to ear as he draped an arm over his shoulders. “Leila is just about to pop the pup out!”“The entire town’s been fussin’ over her labor all day! We betcha it’s a boy,” he says, laughing. Fenrir smells his breath and smirks.“Looks like you’ve already been celebrating. How many bottles have you had?”The latter hiccupped. “Three…?”He shakes his head and walks to the wagon. “Alcohol is never good alone, good thing I brought food. We’re feasting today to celebrate a new pup in the town.”“Oy!” Nicholas’ drowsy eyes widened at the sight of the wagon towering with food crates. Immediately, their cooks poked their heads inside the crates
The Queen had spent the next day in her room, her meals left at the door.And the entire palace knew why.The sounds of rhythmic moans and creaking on the floorboards were answer enough. Both the Queen and Fenrir Fauntleroy were nowhere to be seen that day, which made the servants smirk and snicker. Thankfully, the Capital has been peaceful and no urgent matters needed the Queen’s attention. The plague that had built its strength was weakened overnight, and thus reports of citizens falling to its demise fell to one to two every night, like before.The youngest of the Queen’s lady maid ambled in the courtyard with her chaffeur, enjoying their day off. She says, “Truthfully, I do admire their stamina.”Her chaffeur giggled. “My lady…!”“What?” She glanced, chuckling. “It’s not like it’s a secret we have to keep anymore. The entire palace, if not the Capital, already knows. I don’t think they’re keeping it a secret as well.”“That’s true…” she nods. “Though, my lady, should we not keep i
When the blanket of the night has draped over the sky, the Children of the Moon are wide awake, especially their alpha.He sat atop his chamber’s balcony railings, his feet dangling and gently swaying with the wind. The House was gloomy today. The House has been gloomy for a long time, since the events that transpired in its walls. Akira may not know it, but the impact of her departure from the house heavily impacted the household. The staff felt guilty for treating her horribly, especially when she was almost killed in these very walls.The blood of the Queen will forever stain the House’s floors.Mayhap not physically, but emotionally.However, the person most affected by everything was Flavian. The weight of his sacrifices for the pack had recently been weighing in on him, as his title was becoming more of a burden than an honor. The biggest factor being… his mate that turned her back on him after he chose the pack’s well-being over his selfish desires. Their selfish desires.And b
“And, well,” another elder said, clearing his throat. “Do you have a successor in mind, Alpha?”Ridiculous. It was blasphemous to speak such to his face.“Successor to what?”“The title, of course.”They looked at each other and nodded. He watched, a scoff uncontrollably leaving his mouth. They turn to him in surprise.“I am perfectly alive still, I need no successor. Atleast not in the near future,” he firmly answers. But it seems the table is anything but convinced.“Indeed, Alpha, but we must be… prepared for all circumstances, pleasant or not.”“Please choose a suitable successor to lead the pack.”The table was quick to agree and support each other’s statements, and all Flavian could do was stare at them incredulously.He could not believe they are disrespecting him outright. If that is so, then he shall play their game. A smirk plays on his lips as he comes up with a wicked idea.“Then…” he trails off, and the table falls silent. “I shall choose my brother to succeed the title.”
Well, you've flipped to the last page of this book. Thank you for seeing it to the end with me. I'm sorry for the errors. I will edit it diligently now that I've completed it. Please leave your thoughts in the reviews! I'd really appreciate it, constructive or negative! I'll read it all. ^^ Love, zav
Spring has arrived. Its breeze welcomed the new blooming flowers in the flower shops, the redolence of the Capital’s symbolic flower, a daisy, circulating down the streets of the city. It was the perfect weather for a festival, a rather young festival only celebrated for three years.Amid the bustling townspeople, a young girl wandered around, her simple straw slippers softly hitting the cobblestone as she glanced around seemingly lost, eventually stopping in front of the flower shop to admire the daisies. Her wide, curious eyes neared the daisy and sniffed it, sighing at its alluring scent.The old man running the shop spots the young girl, wearing nothing but a humble dress and straw slippers, visibly a farm girl. He smiles, plucking a daisy from its bunch. He hands it to the girl who looks up at him, surprised.“Happy cleansing day, lassie.”“Eh?”He chuckles at the girl’s tilted head with confusion spelled out on her face.“Don’t ‘ya know what day is today?”“Uh-uh.” She shakes he
“She’s taking too long, is she not?” Flavian wonders aloud as they look up at the sky, violent and storming with frequent flashes of lightning and thunder. It had been thirty minutes since they took to the sky. The vampires and trolls are all absorbed and rotting in the clearing, ending the battle. But they were still yet to see even the two’s silhouettes in the sky.Beside him, Fenrir was frowning quietly. He could not feel her. Something… or someone, was intercepting the bond.“What if the purification failed? Will she be alright?” Phaedra worriedly asks and turns to her mother. “Does it really take this long, Mother?”Priscilla crossed her arms, a similar frown on her face. “Let us wait a while longer. It is no easy feat, but I believe in her. What do you say, Fauntleroy?”Two ears perked in her direction. She clears her throat and clarifies, “The older one.”“What?”“Do you still feel your mate?”Only the rustling leaves of the trees answered her. All heads sharply turned to him a
My mind drifted back into the discussion we shared between the advisors, before everything.“Thank you. I’m feeling well enough to hunt down the plague again.” She meets everyone’s eyes. “But I doubt I’ll get lucky and find it at the first forest I go to. Do you have any ideas where it would likely be?”And just like that, the table was open for discussion.The hunt for the plague continues.“How about this?” I pitch in. Expectant eyes meet mine as I continue, “We take a different approach. If I absorb any more, I’m afraid I will explode.”“That is realistically possible,” Priscilla confirms, and my face blanches.“Then, what approach do you have in mind, Your Majesty?” The generals ask after darting a narrowed glance at the retired priestess.I shrug. “Anything that would not include me having to ingest any more power is preferable.”It’s true. I felt like puking the day after I absorbed the plague. It was like eating a dirty cloth, with all the corrupted souls it absorbed. It was no
“Aren’t you tired?” I ask, my eyes warily scanning him from head to toe. He really is here. Right in front of me. In the flesh.That same tall, slender, build with a ghastly white complexion and gravity-defying black hair.The same man in my dreams—nightmares, rather.He looked as if he was swallowed by darkness, with the smoke all around him. He was a terrifying opponent. But I was not one to back down. I bared my fangs and summoned Celeste’s eyes, making mine slit and glowing a brighter purple. If I could, I would’ve sneered and tested the firmness of his will, just to see if I could do to him what I did to my past enemies.Hearing my question, a slow grin spreads out on his face, sending goosebumps down my spine. I felt Flavian flinch from my left.He spoke, his voice thick and yet silky smooth as if he hadn’t been around for centuries.“The pursuit to a peaceful world is a tedious task, thus one must not feel lethargic.”I narrow my eyes at him. “Pursuit to a peaceful world? You m
Expert bodies move out of the way with a smooth tilt of their body, easily evading a lethal charge to the shoulder. Xiao’s murderous glare pinned on the vampire that dared to charge at him.“How foolish,” he remarks and brutally stabs its chest with his wooden staff’s pointy end.Despite the chaos that ensues around him, he keeps his cool demeanor and composure as he breezes through the swarm of enemies that outnumbered them. Realizing a stab to the heart that was long done pumping would not kill the vampire off, he calls for the attention of the wicked witch on his back.“Do finish off this one, Priscilla.” He flings the vampire overhead, using the poor soul’s attempt to charge on him another time as momentum to take him flying.She scoffs from behind and he could already imagine a scowl on her face.“You cannot even finish a mindless vampire? Tsk. This is why I do not desire to live too long,” she says just as the ground that the vampire landed on was scorched. There was no need to
The crisp leaves of the Witches’ Forest greeted us as we arrived, the rich, wide forest being the place we theorized would house the world’s oldest living plague. It made sense. This forest was rich with the energy of the witches, and the coven was temporarily abandoned for the sole reason that the plague was strongest in the forest.Priscilla told me during our meeting that the number of victims in the coven never decreased when the rest of the world did. When I absorbed a fraction of the plague’s strength and weakened it, I thought it gave the world a few weeks of respite. But it never reached the coven.After learning about it, guilt gnawed at my stomach. I immediately ordered the witches and their families to seek refuge in the palace, where the rest of the witches I took to war were. Now, we arrive at a barren coven in the middle of a dark, ominous forest pulsing with energy.I could feel the earth’s power in my veins. Pulsing. Throbbing. Like a streak of power terrorizing my blo
It was a quiet, sunny day for the palace.It was on that quiet and sunny day that the Queen’s advisors were summoned into the meeting hall. They quietly shuffled inside, Priscilla meeting Xiao’s eyes. She observes him. They had not crossed paths in the castle for weeks. She, preoccupied in the witches’ tower and he, cooped up in the archives. The two places were almost on opposite ends of the palace. And yet he looked no different.Xiao feels her gaze and turns her way. He raises an inquisitive brow and she shuts him off with a roll of her eyes. The man, confused, tilts his head. Quietly, they occupy their spots on the right and left of the end of the table, where the Queen’s seat was. That was and had always been their position—they are the left and right hand of the monarch.Two of the most unique hands, at that.All advisors rose at the arrival of the Queen.She wore a modest gilded purple gown with simple gown shoulder caps that drape to her back. Her humble tiara sat atop her bra
“Don’t you look pathetic down there?”Her sarcasm was spot on, her voice crystal clear.Perhaps he truly is nearing his demise. He yearned a little more of her tonight than usual.He waited for the pain of Rognac’s vicious bite, but it never came. It must’ve tripped or something because Flavian heard rustling and struggling. However, when Rognac growled and his heavy claws fumbled on the wooden floor as if lunging, the pain still did not come. And he heard her voice again.“Will you continue to pathetically lay there?”Puzzled, Flavian flutters his eyes open. And the scene before him just felt… impossible. As if he was hallucinating. He gaped at the situation for a while, belatedly registering to him that they were in the middle of a life-or-death situation.Against Rognac was Phaedra, in all her petite glory. She looked at an ant next to Rognac’s giant form. Yet she could still hold her ground as specks of dust of magic floated around her, her hair floating, and her hand up against R