[ IN WHICH SHE BEATS DEATH ONCE AGAIN ] NOVEMBER’S P.O.V— I thought I had died. Or no. I did die. I remember falling into the void. I remember falling backwards, heading for the ground, but the thing is, I never reached the ground. I kept on falling, endlessly. It was like I had been falling and screaming at the top of my lungs for what felt like an eternity. It felt scary. It felt terrifying. Death. That is another thing it felt like. I could not call out for help. I could feel myself falling out of the living world; dissociating from my body— the living body. And it was like I was falling into the darkness; the darkness that has been calling out to me for so long; the darkness that I had been trying so hard to resist. In simpler terms, I could feel myself dying. And no one was coming to resurrect me this time. I had swung my arms and legs, trying my best to hold onto life. But I kept missing it each time I swung an arm. I could not grasp onto anything for dear life –there was
[ IN WHICH HE SIGHS IN RELIEF ] SIN’S P.O.V — I look down.Vomit.“That’s the parasite!” Greed screams from somewhere behind me. That is when I notice something moving in my lap. This thing in my lap is green amidst her dark, red vomit— she had coughed up some of Rome's blood. But that is the least of my concerns. I am more concerned why this strange green thing has been coughed up along with the blood. This greenish organism is in the shape of a slug; something I have never seen before. The tiny creature wiggles its body repeatedly in the space of my thighs, scurrying around as it looks for another host to feed on and poison. But before it can search any further, Greed materializes beside me and picks the parasite up. He pinches it with his index finger and thumb, grimacing when his fingers grazes the vomit that had exited my Queen’s mouth. As he picks it up, the green parasite squirms, letting out a loud, shriek. I watch with my eyebrows furrowed as Greed lifts the slug into the
[ THE VAMPIRE'S STORY ] ATLAS'S P.O.V— "When will all this end?" I ask myself. As I walk further into the fields of grass, my back begins to ache badly. These past few months have been trouble. Nothing but trouble. One problem after one problem.I am sick of it all already.Feeling a cramp on my foot, I wiggle it in the air. I nearly lose my balance as I do this. Standing on one foot should be a professional sport, because as fast and agile as I am as a Vampire, I cannot stand on one foot. I drop my foot back onto the ground, and continue striding through the grasses. The daylight bites into my skin. And it isn't as uncomfortable as most people would think. I enjoy taking strolls during the day. This might come as a shock to most people, but the day time is my favorite part of the 24-hour long day. I get to perceive nature at its brightest and at its best. The night time, everything goes to sleep, and there is not much to perceive. I can walk out during the day, unlike majority
[ THE VAMPIRE’S STORY ] ATLAS’S P.O.V— The calm wind whooshes past us. It ruffles through the fields of grasses, filling the air with the sounds of leaves slapping against leaves. The serene quality of the environment is supposed to extend towards me to help me feel calm and peaceful, but with the man in front of me, it is hard to feel calm. The man in front of me is the opposite of calm. He is chaos. He is mayhem. He is havoc. And he is promiscuousness, himself. He loves stirring up chaos — he feeds off of it. I guess that is what he has come to do. “What do you want, Luca?” I pause. “Or is it Lust you prefer to be addressed as?” Lust says nothing for a while. And it looks like he is taking his time to observe and enjoy the serenity of the field. But I know he is thinking of his next words; the next words that would trigger me. After staying silent for a while, he gives me a toothy smile. A toothy smile that tells me he is up to no good. “Call me whatever you please. It doe
[ IN WHICH THERE IS A REFLECTION ] NOVEMBER'S P.O.V — I remember these words. ...[“Before anything else, you need to know those who are on your side to know those who will stab you in the back in the nearest future.”]... This was from the conversation I had with the spirit of vengeance. I had just walked through the door of the reborn. I had been in a trance at the time; in the spiritual or a mental state — however which you choose to describe it as. And in my mind, my feet had been buried in cold water. I could not see through the water. The water had been dark as the night on a moonless hour. It stopped just above my ankles and it made my skin crawl in discomfort. But it was the words of the spirit of vengeance that really made me fall into discomfort. The spirit had hinted about enemies who would surface once I sat on the throne. I already had a name in mind. I had been so confident in who the supposed enemy was. And I had boldly made mention of the enemy's name. “Luca.”
[ IN WHICH ROME WILL HAVE HIS LUNA ]ROME’S P.O.V— Anger. That’s an understatement. Because I am beyond angry. Multiple words can efficiently describe how I feel: furious, numb, defeated, humiliated, overpowered, useless, and broken. In my own home, I had been brought to my knees and ridiculed in front of my people. My worst enemy had me trapped. He pushed me to my weakest point and he used that to his advantage. He disgraced me -which is worse than death- he ruined my pride and stomped all over my ego with his dirty feet. He pierced a stake right into my heart. Though, I persevered and conquered death, I still feel like I am dead. Losing a battle against Sin had left me feeling incompetent and worthless. And atop all this, I lost my Luna. My wolf whines and cries within me. The sound causes me to grow teary-eyed. Ever since she became bonded with King Sin, I have not been myself. I have been consumed with sadness. It seems as though I have developed one of those mental disorders
[ THE VAMPIRE’S STORY ] ATLAS’S P.O.V— My mind is restless. Thoughts from this morning continues to trouble me. These thoughts are about my conversation with Luca. It has been hours since I faced him, but it feels like it just happened, because my heart cannot stop beating rapidly. Even as I take a stroll down the halls of the Grand Alkhemi, the loud voices in my head refuse to quiet down. Instead, they grow louder. They trouble me and scream at me to make up my mind; to make a decision.Team up with Luca,orStay loyal to the King. I know what Luca's plan is. It is a typical plan of Lust. I have been toyed with and manipulated by him long enough to know what his classic moves are. Once bitten, twice shy. I could decipher what his plan was from one conversation. To him, I am an easy pawn to play. He plans to use me to destroy the King from the inside out. Since I am a vital pillar of the Grand Alkhemi, he believes he will obtain a fraction of power in the enemy's territory once he
warning: this chapter of The King's Maiden you are about to read is marked mature because of its triggering contents; self-harm, suicide, mental illness. mental disorders will be discussed in this chapter. this chapter may not be suitable for all readers. viewer discretion is advised. [ THE WARRIOR'S STORY ] JACQUELINE’S P.O.V— The cold air bites into my skin as I march up the hill. My hand is attached to the thick straps around the horse as I guide the brown-furred animal behind me. Once I reach the top of the hill, I stop. I exhale. I have arrived at my destination. The Land of Avsky. “You will be punished, Greed.” I whisper under my breath. It took several days to find the Kingdom that didn't want to be found. But finally, I have done it.Thirsty for blood, I quickly mount my horse. I give it a pat, and it starts to move. I redirect it down the hill, and it gallops back in the direction we came in. The easiest way to penetrate a Kingdom that has been hidden for so long is t
[SIN’S EULOGY] I am cursed. I have been cursed to never find love. It is a curse placed on me by God to forever live my life in bitterness and loneliness. It is the price I have to pay for waging war against Him and leaving the Heavens behind. I am sorry I dragged you into this mess. I am sorry you had to suffer with me, November. And because of this, I will let you rest. I will not reincarnate you this time. I will not put you through this rivalry and madness again. It is hard to let you go, but I know it is what I need to do. I will let you go. I will let you go, Gwyneth. I will let you go, Faye Donovan. I will let you go, November Starkey. It is time for you to rest. You have been an impeccable Queen over the years. The whole Kingdom thanks you. I just wish those years were longer. You always get taken away from me when I need you the most. Or maybe that is how it was always meant to be. I was meant to never have you. You solved the riddle. Rome’s death was the only way
warning: you may cry.[ IN WHICH SHE DIES ]November’s last p.o.v —Rome’s body trembles beneath the sword. Rome has been stabbed in the heart with his own sword. He died by his own sword, both literally and metaphorically. I watch as he immediately drops to the ground. Veins pop out of his neck, head, and hands as he starts to lose oxygen. Rome’s bloodshot eyes glare angrily at me. I can see him fighting his own death, so I push the sword in deeper so that he can't fight it.This time, I have not been possessed by Faye’s vengeful spirit. This time, it is I, November Starkey that has decided to kill. I kill Rome, because it is what that is needed to be done. This is what I should have done a long time ago.“The Kings have to leave for a purer world.” I say as tears well in my eyes. I do not know why I am weeping at this moment. Well, I guess it would make me a total psycho if I don’t feel any type of pain after killing someone. “You are polluting this world, Rome. Your rivalry with th
[ IN WHICH ROME DIES ]NOVEMBER’S P.O.V —I slam the sword onto the metal bar. The action causes a clanging sound to echo through the Castle.The most important thing that the disturbing sound does is that it causes the Lycan to drop to the ground. Since he is at his highest level of power, it means that his senses are at the highest level as well. He gets triggered by his heightened sense of hearing. Rome’s monstrous voice growls in irritation as his hairy hands clutch his ears. I watch him with teary eyes as he drops to the ground.I don’t stop there.I keep on hitting the metal bar with the steel sword.Sin’s eyes search the room for the source of the sound. Confusion swirls in his grey eyes when he sees me with the sword. His size slowly decreases as his anger turns into confusion. I watch with teary eyes as his wings shrink to normal size.I stop when Rome has attained his normal size as well.Now, he is naked, but I don’t pry my eyes away. It is normal for a wereanimal to have n
[ IN WHICH SHE MAKES A DEATHLY DECISION ]… [you have conceived a child. Luca isn’t telling a lie] …Tears form in my eyes. “No.” I stare at Luca’s face which has now assumed the color of his red hair due to the reduction in oxygen. “It can’t be.”“Please, don’t tell me you are in doubt.” He grumbles. “You sleep with a man, without contraceptives and expect to not get pregnant? Come on. It can be. You exhibited all of the signs. The morning sickness. The emotional instability. The nausea and the pain.”Right there on the floor, I start to hyperventilate.My hands start to shake.Am I not too young to carry a child? I would be twenty soon, but right now, I am nineteen years old with a child growing inside of me. What is this? This wasn’t supposed to happen. I did notice that I didn’t get my period while I served as Queen, but I always thought it had something to do with my awakening as Faye Donovan. Faye Donovan is dead. My blood is black which clearly means that I died. Dead people ca
[ IN WHICH SHE LEARNS A SHOCKING TRUTH ] NOVEMBER’S P.O.V — I rise from the ground. The air is musky. Dust particles has polluted the air. My throat closes up at the reduction in oxygen and I begin coughing hard. Tears well up in my eyes at the painful action, but soon, my lungs grow accustomed to the dirt in the air. I take in deep breaths before I begin walking. Waving my hands in the air, I try to push the smoke and dust out of the air so I can see, but it is of no use. The dust settles in the air, refusing to leave. Realizing that my efforts are useless, I blindly pave my way through the Castle. I blink several times to get a clear vision of my surroundings. That’s when I see the body of the sorcerer laying half-dead in a corner. “Lake!” I yell as I hurry towards him. I drop to my knees instantly. I pick his body into my arms, shaking him awake. It doesn’t work. Lake continues to lay unconsciously in my arms. His arms fall to his side, limply. There is no blood on his cloth
[ IN WHICH SHE HAS TO SAVE BOTH KINGS ] NOVEMBER’S P.O.V — In no time, we get to the Castle. However we stop in our tracks when we spot something unsusual — the gates. The gates are always shut and heavily guarded. But not this time. This time it has been left wide open and unguarded. “Seems Sin has already made an entrance.” Lake squats, and when he rises back to his feet, he holds a huge black feather in his hands. It is the feather from Sin’s wings. “We have to get inside now.” I nod. We leave the feather laying there on the ground as we run past the gates. Once we get inside, we spot a crowd of guards gathered at the door. Their voices are louder now that we stand close to them. They’re all speaking in a thousand tongues, so I cannot decipher what it is they are arguing about. But from the looks of it, it seems that they are struggling to get the Castle doors open. “Come on.” I tap Lake on the shoulder, and he follows me. We both run towards the guards surrounding the Cas
[ IN WHICH SHE DEBATES ON THE LYCAN KING’S DEATH ] NOVEMBER'S P.O.V —“Hurry up, Lake!” I scream, not bothering to look behind me. “We need to get there on time.”“Queen November, wait up.”“There's no time, Lake. Let's go!” That's when a hand pulls me back, forcefully. I whip my head around, my curls slapping me in the process. Once I have been forced to a stop, my chest begins to rise and fall as I pant, struggling to breathe. “Why don't we think this through for a minute, huh?” Lake asks me, panting hard as well. We are both tired. We would kill for the opportunity to find shelter and catch our breaths. We have been running through Lucian City, trying our best to get to the Castle as fast as we can. The King had let his wings out and flown over to the Kingdom. He is fast. We are slow. If we waste any more time, Rome might have already been killed by Sin. “There's no time for that, Lake.” I glance in the direction of the Castle. “We need to get to the Castle. He could be killin
[ IN WHICH SHE TALKS ABOUT LYCAN BLOOD ]I feel worse than I did earlier this morning.My hands grip the sheets as I try to reposition myself on it.After my interaction with Luca on the roof, I immediately called on Eirene to help me back to my chambers. I couldn’t walk on my own. I felt dizzy, weak, and felt like throwing up for the second time. Eirene had noticed this and quickly informed the maids. When nothing they could do helped with my fever, they called on Lake. He did all he could to help. His sorcery of healing and medicine helped bring my fever down. But I still feel like something is wrong with me. Something or someone is still swirling within me, and it doesn't feel good.… [there is something wrong with you] …Her voice echoes in the empty room.“Yeah, no shit. You don’t think I know?” I groan in pain as I try to sit up on the bed.… [no, i don’t think you know] …“What are you trying to say, Faye?” I complain.My headache gets worse each time I open my mouth to speak.
[ IN WHICH ROME DECIDES TO SETTLE ] ROME'S P.O.V —“You are here.” I say.There's a ruffling sound behind me, and then, his voice sounds. “It seems you have been expecting me.” “Yes, I have been expecting you for a weeks now. We haven't spoken in a while. I figured you were due for another visitation.” I turn around to face him. When I catch the livid expression on his face, I decide to add, “Also, I could hear your heart beating angrily in your chest from many kilometers away.” Lust has a grim expression as he glares at me. “Good,” he says. “Then you know that I am furious. That I am angry with you.”With a sigh leaving my lips, I straighten my clothes. I do not want to have a conversation with Lust this early in the morning, but knowing how he is, he wouldn't let this slide until I give him my ears. “Don't you think it is too early to be angry?” I say as I turn my back to him, facing the full-length mirror. “And don't you think you shouldn't provoke me?” I move my hands to my