The dungeon was never quiet. It was always filled with the voices of people in agony, the cry of people that were starving, or the relentless pleading of those who yelled out their proclaimed innocence. The dungeon was never bright too, it was always too dim to see anything. The darkness was torture and the noise wasn't helping. If they could all just be quiet!He needed silence to plot the death of his brother when he would finally make it out of here. Kenji sucked in a deep breath and the stench of the place, stuck to the roof of his nose.For how nosy he was, this wasn't the first time he would be trapped in a place like this, but this was the first time his brother would be the one tossing him in and locking the bars. He hadn't had a bath ever since he had been thrown here, he stank so much. His hair needed to be washed, and combed, the curls were starting to tangle and he was terrified of how much hair he would lose when this was finally over. Also, the food here was terr
Although, the point of control had already been decided, Belladonna couldn't help but suspect something else. It was the round blue gem, the one she had seen in the Forbidden Room, the one that was always changing colors and emitting smoke like it was burning anytime it came in contact with her hands, the very one she had seen in her dreams some time ago. Despite the electric feeling the ring gave her, she felt the need to confirm things.Although, the gem seemed to be more linked to Lex than to Kestra, even though Belladonna believed Kestra's link to the ring was indirect. It had been the one in the family painting Eli had shown her. In that painting, 2 years old Lex had been playing with the gem in that picture, at least, the gem had looked similar to it. Eli also said something about Kestra taking over the gems that were in one of the forbidden rooms.To put all doubt at rest, Belladonna went to the forbidden room and grabbed the gem. On her way here, the hallway was empty, lit b
She shivered from the memory.Something about the strange woman didn't feel good. Alaris words rang in her ears about how Thanatou had never lost anything before because he would always claim back whatever was his. Right now, he believed she was his. She wasn't though, so she dismissed the thought. She was probably just overthinking this. The thing she saw, it had to be from the past. There was no way they could still be going after her.They couldn't come here. What was she thinking about, they couldn't even get to Me'k! That wasn't how it worked. Right?Yes.Why was she even worried about this?Feeling much better, she went out of the tub. She took off her gown and dumped it on one side of the bathroom floor. Then she wrapped a towel around her. It smelt like Eli. A smile crossed her lips and she wrapped her arms around herself.Now that she didn't feel like her head was ripping apart or busy making the ingredient to take down the witch, she realized how much she had mi
Belladonna folded her arms across her chest, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. She kept her eyes trained away from the paintings pasted on the walls. They were her's and Eli's.Very intimate paintings. It gave her mixed feelings to be back in here after everything that had happened. Lunch was in a couple of hours, she intended to miss it. She didn't feel hungry, all she could feel was impatience.She couldn't wait for the Blood Moon to finally be here, she couldn't wait for everything to be over, also she couldn't wait for Eli to finally tell her what he had called her here for. Her eyes followed him as he moved around under the candlelight that brightened up the room with its golden glow, busy with something she couldn't see from here, because his frame was blocking her view. Despite it being in the afternoon, the windows were down and the room was a little dark, so candlelight was needed."Get comfortable." He turned to her, his brown eyes glimmering with excitemen
By the time they pulled apart, they were both breathless. Eli's eyes widened when he remembered the painting that still wasn't dry yet. He had some on his hands--gloves. He would need to wash the black-smearing liquid off his gloves and give her henna tattoo a little retouch. It was a good thing it hadn't been really affected.He wanted to pull away but he couldn't, his Donna's legs had him caged to her, the heels of her feet digging slightly against his butt, as she threw her head back with an almost silent moan, resting heavily on her hands that were pressed flat against the surface of the table for support. It was a sight. One that Eli liked. He craved to see her naked under the candlelight, delirious from his effect on her. A moan resonated through his chest, the warmth his Donna had trapped around him was starting to feel like intoxication.His hand cupped the back of her neck and he moved her to face him. She was panting from robbing against him, her eyes clouded with lus
Trigger warning - I can't even say it is gore, but it gets... oh well._________The dungeon gates were thrown open and the unfortunate prisoners, chosen.Amongst them was a baby fresh out of his mother's womb, still bathed in blood, his newborn cries filling the dead night and the stinky dungeon.Weak, and forced down with after-birth pains, his mother begged for the King's witch to take her instead. Her blind silver eyes sent chills down the new mother's spine, the red slightly glowing light on her forehead, terrifying. The witch towered over her and if it wasn't that she valued her baby's life more than her own, she would have surrendered to defeat, scurrying away, despite the pain she was feeling. Her long fingers trailed down the side of her face, her long red polished nails digging lightly against her dirty, sweaty, and tear-stained skin, as she gave her a blinding smile. "Save him if you can." The mother's eyes flickered to her baby in the witch's grip.She had not even ha
To tamper with nature was to tamper with balance, and for everything there were consequences. Ever since Kestra's ritual had started, the whole of Ignas had been thrown into total darkness.A never-ending night. It was as if the sun had told them all a final goodbye. It wasn't just that the moon stayed constant in the night sky, but it was slowly turning crimson. The people were petrified.It was something that they had never seen before. Even the people of the Capital who had their minds altered not to worry about things that were out of order, started to... worry.The effect of the Alterer on them was glitching, for many reasons. The Village Heads wrote to their King about what was going on, and blamed it on the presence of the witches. They pleaded for their King to make an order for all the witches to be killed, blaming their presence for the abrupt imbalance.The distance from the villages to the Capital didn't allow for quick and easy communication, still, the King tried h
The sound of someone trying to force her door open made her stand straight, her hands curled around the handle of her frying pan, her gaze set on the door despite the dimming light of the candle. Everyone knew about the red moon and what had been happening after that. The madness that spread through the people, and how sometimes, their homes weren't even safe. Aniya took in shaky breaths, she really hoped whosoever that was would just go away. All she wanted to do was listen to her physician as she always did, and get better so that Lytio would finally let her see her son again.It had been months since her baby had been taken away from her. How long? She couldn't tell. Her time in confinement had messed up her calculation of time, but she had been out for a while now and she had been becoming better. The door shook violently in its hinges and her back pressed against the rough wall. There was really nowhere to run, this room was small and had everything in one. The bedroom, the
A pregnant woman's unwanted friends were swollen feet. Eli would usually help her massage them just as he was doing now. She was reading a book to him and he listened with rapt attention. His paintings adored the room, a piano at one corner, her sewing equipment at another corner with two studies joined to the room.He chuckled at something she read and she rolled her eyes. She had become quite irritable lately, little things would get on her nerves. It was just an interesting change to watch, especially because food was usually the cure, all kinds of food in their weirdest combinations. He had tried one once, it was terrible. She snapped the book shut. “By Ignas, do go on. I take back my laughter.”She seemed to have something else on her mind though. “Do you think I’m fat?”He smiled, “Like I always say, you are not fat, you are just pregnant.”“So you would want me like this?”He chuckled, the sound throaty as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. He moved quickly, she c
Eli and Belladonna had come a long way. After death pays a visit, who would expect a joining ceremony?The trail was only hours ago and everything still felt shocking to Belladonna. She was the Kore and Eli was the right-hand man to the UnderLord. She was no longer a ghost but a High Realm that could move from one realm to another, and grant to only those who deserved it a second chance at life. She was a Kore with no realm of her own but one she must build from scratch. The Fate had dissolved the Kore’s realm after they based their judgment on the previous one. Luna and Ama had promised to help her in all ways they could and Belladonna was grateful for the offer. She was more excited about her ability to move from one realm to another though. She couldn’t wait to see her sister, Arlo, and Alaris even though they might not be able to see her. As Eli had told her, the UnderLord didn’t have a right-hand man for a very long time. Many Thanatos had been trying to acquire the position.
“She passed two tests!” Ama sprung up from her seat., “There must be something—““You are not one of this council,” the Ghost High Being turned to her sharply, “so keep your voice out of the decisions.” Belladonna's eyes widened. Two tests! So Eli—- Ah by Ignas, she had been right. Where was Eli? Why hadn’t they let him come in yet?Ama smirked, “Still holding a grudge, Phosi? I see.”“Passed the two tests? It is obvious that she has failed. The rules are the rules,” The Sea High Being spoke, “she has failed. Pass the judgment, I have places to be.”Failed? Belladonna felt that painful jolt in her heart. What were they even talking about?!The hall seemed to share the same confusion as Belladonna, they whispered amongst one another. “Failed?!” Luna snapped. “How did she fail? It is not her fault that her soul didn’t align——““The rules are the rules! And you are not a part of this Council, stay out of it!” The High Being of the Sea snapped. “End this already,” he said to the Fates,
The days that followed were fast and the training was tedious, Luna helped as much as she could, probably more than any mentor ever would. Life in the Moonrealm was wonderful, but for the things that shattered her peace. After training in the Moonrealm for two moons, Luna had not-so-pleasant news for her. Eli was to undergo a test too, a single test.“He has to fight the UnderLord and defeat him.”“Who will train him?”“The UnderLord.”There was no way the UnderLord would train Eli enough to be able to defeat him. “He chose him to be his master.”Belladonna paused. Eli was definitely plotting something.“Also, the failure of one is the failure of both of you.”Belladonna blinked, the times and the trails were against them but Eli was no fool. He definitely had something planned. ——-——-[TRIAL DAY]The first thing Belladonna saw when she stepped into the hall was a woman on her knees screaming in agony, while three faceless people with the staff in their hands stood around her, the
Preparation“It is believed that holding the title of the Kore is a curse and there is a reason for that. Everyone that becomes the Kore always has a terrible end.” Luna paused as if considering her next words before she finally spoke. “Reincarnation should be beautiful, not filled with so many problems. Reincarnation and second chances, do you not think so, Belladonna?”Belladonna nodded, wanting to know about the Kore already, but instead of continuing with what she had to say, Luna drew a line in thin air, and a floating lightly illuminated map unraveled between them. There were different floating objects on the map, probably to signify places. “For your third test, you must be chosen as an apprenticeship for one of the Realm Lords.”“Chosen?”“It is quite tricky as it is your soul that chooses for you and if the Realm Lord of the one your soul along with thinks you are fit, then you will have passed the third test.”“I don’t understand. Something seems to be missing. What about t
“What?!” Belladonna yelled, grabbing Ama’s wrists tightly with rage. “How could not tell me?!”“How dare you disrespect me?!” Ama snapped her hands away from Belladonna’s grip, fury blazing in her eyes as she started getting bigger, losing the frame she had fitted herself into. Belladonna stayed firm, her anger refusing her to feel fear. How dare they drag Aniya into this? How dare they? If she had known, she wouldn't— By Ignas, she wouldn't have done this!To ruin another’s life for the sake of her happiness? Never!No.Then Ama stopped, looked at the castle, and was back to normal in a flash as if a thought had flashed into her mind to make her reconsider. “I will spare you the wrath of my mate only this once. You will not disrespect me again,” She said firmly but those were words Belladonna couldn't hear.They sounded like echoes in the background. Anger changed into fear, not for her but for Aniya.She fell to her knees and wept. “You must reverse it. Please, I am begging. Ask f
“Eli.” Tears were streaming down her face now.Finally, they could touch but this moment wouldn’t last forever, and they intended to exploit it for as long as they could.“Do you love me, Donna?” His hand cupped the side of her face.“You know I love you.” She slipped her fingers through his hair which had grown longer than she remembered. She had certainly not seen all of the real him when he possessed Jyris’ body. Now, he looked so different. “By Ignas, I do. I love you, Eli.”“And I love you too. No amount of this torture, nor of passage of time will take that away. I grant you the permission to forget me. You need not feel any guilt, it will be the best way of loving me.”Belladonna wiped her tears away. “It is ironic, you begged me to choose you in Gaya’s garden and I did not, and now that I want to choose you, you are begging not to.” The words spilled quickly out of mouth, as they tried to make the best use of their borrowed time.A glimmer of a smile snaked into his eyes. “It
The journey to Eli’s dungeon felt like a repeat of past events, it was like a flash of what had happened after the Red Moon Ritual, a reminder of the time Alaris had led her to his dungeon. She had followed Alaris with worry and love for him in her heart, then she found him in chains and finally, she left his presence betrayed, sad, and a grounded hatred for him.It felt sickening to be in this type of situation again though under different circumstances. She wished it was over, she wished she had seen him and saved him. She heard his voice before she saw him. A shout filled with agony. Her heart clenched with pain as she prepared herself to see the worst. Ama stopped walking and Belladonna who was following her did the same. Why had they stopped? She couldn’t see Eli anywhere, in fact, she could barely see her surroundings; she could still hear his voice though, and that in itself was too painful to bear. What type of torture were they putting him through? Suddenly, the growls of
The next thing Belladonna knew, her blindfold was ripped away from her and she was tossed roughly to the floor, her hands and knees bearing the brunt of the action. She expected pain but that never came. Oh, of course.The room was lit with red dim lights, however for Belladonna who had stayed in the dark for too long, the light felt blinding. The structure of the hall seemed like a throne room but it was of such an intricate design that she had no time to access it, the only thing that caught her eye was the strange, massive, dangling bed-like structure with curtains, connected with a chain to the roof of the hall; she could only assume that, it was too dark to see into the distance above. She rose to her feet and froze when she heard growls and gnashing behind her and she turned to look back, frightened. This beast, she had seen it before. Four-legged with three heads of mighty wild dogs, rough rocky skin with visible maps of the lava contained within. Vicious and ready to kill.