(Teallach's POV — Empress of the Great Universal Parallel Kingdom)
There she is.
Just as beautiful as ever.
Ethereal. Untouchable.
At least that irritating smile is finally gone.
I can't stand her.
The day she entered my life was the worst day of my existence.
I was nine.
Just nine.
And she ruined everything.
My father and mother had gone riding that morning.
They left me with my tutor, and I remember feeling restless. Uneasy.
As if something important was about to happen.
Something wrong.
But I didn't know it yet.
I only understood later, when I saw them return.
Smiling.
Happy.
Carrying a bundle wrapped in blankets.
And that bundle was her.
Pale skin.
Rosy cheeks.
Blue eyes.
A bright, open smile.
She cooed.
God, what an annoying sound.
I hated her instantly.
What I didn't know then was that one day she would drive me out of my own kingdom.
"You have a little sister now. Aren't you happy?"
Happy?
Oh, absolutely.
Ecstatic.
I remember making the ugliest face imaginable before running out of the palace in disgust.
I didn't come back until evening.
That's when I learned her name.
Titania.
Titania.
My nightmare.
Little Princess Titania...
The child who got everything she ever wanted from the moment she drew her first breath.
She could command the elements as effortlessly as other babies learned to laugh.
A touch.
A glance.
The flutter of an eyelash.
That was all it took for the world to bend to her will.
She wasn't like the other fairies.
There was something different about her.
Something special.
She was as powerful as I was.
But she was also my exact opposite.
My perfect nemesis.
Where I destroyed, she created.
Where I brought sickness, she healed.
Where I killed...
Well.
She never managed to bring back the people I killed.
So in the end, I'm still the stronger one.
And yet my idiot parents always chose her.
Always.
"Hello, little sister," I say sweetly.
Or at least I pretend to.
Titania lifts her head.
The surprise on her face is almost comical.
Ah.
Wonderful.
"Teallach... what are you doing here?"
I glance around.
Where else would I be, you idiot?
"My home, perhaps?" I ask lazily. "It's prettier than I remember. I came to visit you, little sister. Unless my presence bothers you?"
"N-No. It's just..."
"Just what?"
"I wasn't expecting you."
I.
Wasn't.
Expecting.
The words slam into me like a blade.
Rage coils through my stomach.
Hot.
Violent.
Hungry.
"Of course you weren't," I hiss. "Why would you expect me? You took my place. Meanwhile, I'm supposed to stay in that other kingdom forever, right? Maybe die there while I'm at it. Wouldn't that make things easier for you? Safer?"
I smile.
Slowly.
"Well, surprise."
I'm still here.
Like a stubborn weed that refuses to die.
And I've come to take back what's mine.
She stares at me as if she genuinely doesn't understand.
I remember her being smarter than this.
"Haven't you noticed?" I ask. "Your kingdom is starting to look exactly like mine."
Her expression falters.
"Barren."
I take a step forward.
"Dark."
Another.
"And perfumed with fairy blood."
Her eyes widen.
"W-What...?"
Her voice trembles.
"You... you're behind all of this?"
I laugh.
"Who else?"
She looks horrified.
It's adorable.
"You're completely insane."
The smile on my lips deepens.
Insane.
What a fascinating word.
"If wanting back what belongs to me is madness..."
I shrug.
"Then perhaps madness depends on perspective."
I let the silence stretch.
"There is, however, one thing still missing before I'm completely satisfied..."
Footsteps.
Fast.
Desperate.
I don't even bother turning around.
Edouard.
My half-sister's useless husband.
He comes running toward us.
"Teallach, stop!"
I almost burst out laughing.
They're ridiculous.
"Oh, how touching."
I glance at him over my shoulder.
"The brave husband rushing to save his wife."
My smile sharpens.
"But who's going to save him?"
"Edouard, stay out of this!" Titania shouts without taking her eyes off me.
Smart.
She knows better than to look away.
Our powers used to be equal.
Used to be.
That was centuries ago.
I've spent lifetimes growing stronger.
Surpassing her.
Transcending her.
I'm not some mischievous little fairy casting cruel spells anymore.
I've become something far worse.
The darkness itself.
Pure evil given form.
And this time...
Little sister...
No one is going to save you.
(Titania's POV — Queen of the Fairies)
We raise our arms at the same time.
Two shields bloom into existence around us.
Mine shines with pure white light.
Hers...
Teallach...!
What have you become?
Darkness spills around her.
Not ordinary darkness.
Not shadow.
Something deeper.
Something wrong.
Black as a starless sky.
Black as a void.
It looks as though the darkness itself has swallowed her whole.
And it's enormous.
Expanding.
Growing.
Until it engulfs both Edouard and me.
I try to move.
To speak.
To look at my husband.
Nothing.
My body won't respond.
We've been immobilized.
How?
How is this possible?
"You actually thought I was still your equal?" Teallach asks.
Mockery drips from every word.
She's enjoying this.
"That was your mistake, little sister."
A smile curls across her lips.
"A very grave mistake."
Then I see them.
The chains.
Huge.
Massive.
Terrifying.
They tear themselves free from the darkness with a deafening metallic shriek.
And come slithering toward us.
Like serpents.
Hungry serpents.
They coil around my body.
Heavy.
So heavy.
The instant they tighten, agony explodes through my bones.
I gasp.
It feels as though they're being crushed.
Broken.
I shut my eyes.
Re...lease...
Nothing happens.
No spell.
No power.
No response.
I try another incantation.
Then another.
My mind feels foggy.
Sluggish.
Confused.
I can't think.
I can't remember.
The chains aren't just restraining us.
They're suppressing magic itself.
They slither tighter.
Creaking.
Grinding.
Coiling around us again and again.
My chest tightens.
I can't breathe.
(Dorcha's POV)
We've been sitting on this couch for hours.
Every so often, another muffled sound comes from the room.
A sharp noise.
A dull thud.
Then silence again.
I stare at the door.
Aileen...
Is Fayrin saving you?
Can she save you the way she saved me?
I can't take this anymore.
I need to do something.
Anything.
I get up and start pacing.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
After a while, Grogher and Gaithy start staring at me.
I sit down again.
Damn it.
This is torture.
If I'd gone with them, none of this would've happened.
That cursed mongoose would've never gotten near her.
I'd have crushed it with my bare hands.
Aileen...
I bury my face in my hands.
There's nothing I can do.
Nothing except wait.
Another sound comes from behind the door.
What's happening in there?
...
It's four in the morning when the handle finally turns.
All of us jump to our feet.
The door opens.
Fayrin steps out.
She's pale.
Exhausted.
Barely standing.
I rush toward her.
"Well?"
My voice comes out harsher than intended.
"I stopped the bleeding and closed the wound."
She hesitates.
"But that's all I can do. The fever isn't going down."
Her eyes lower.
"Now we wait."
My stomach twists painfully.
Fayrin gently places a hand on my arm.
"You can go see her."
I don't wait for her to repeat herself.
I push the door open carefully, trying not to make any noise.
Then I step inside.
Aileen lies buried beneath an absurd number of pillows.
Her skin is pale.
Her lips nearly white.
The soft glow that always seems to surround her...
It's gone.
She looks so fragile.
So small.
I walk to the bedside and sit beside her.
Then I take her hand.
It's tiny.
Fragile.
Ice cold.
My eyes sting.
Aileen...
Please.
Come back to me.
Without you...
Nothing makes sense anymore.
No.
Enough.
I can't keep sitting here while that bastard breathes.
He needs to die.
I rise abruptly and storm out of the room toward my armor.
I can feel everyone staring at me.
"It's too soon, Dorcha. You're not fully recovered yet."
Fayrin's voice follows me.
"Fayrin's right, Dorrrcha."
Grogher's deep growl rumbles through the room.
I don't care.
"Someone's behind this."
My hands clench into fists.
"I know it."
The rage boiling inside me threatens to spill over.
"He's going to pay for what he did."
My voice drops.
Cold.
Deadly.
"I'll kill him."
Gaithy drifts toward me, her wings beating softly.
Without a word, she takes my hand.
The effect is immediate.
The fury doesn't disappear.
But it loosens its grip.
Just enough.
"One more night," she says gently.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll all go with you."
I close my eyes.
One more night.
Just one.
Then I turn around and return to Aileen's side.
(Teallach's POV — Empress of the Great Universal Parallel Kingdom)
"I remember you being far more powerful than this, little sister."
I tighten the chains.
Then loosen them.
Then tighten them again.
The screams that tear from Titania and Edouard are like music to my ears.
A balm for the soul.
"I could kill you, you know."
I pull harder.
Hard enough to bring them to the edge of shattered ribs.
But...
"No. Not yet."
A smile curves across my lips.
"First, I want you to witness your failure."
I lean forward slightly.
"And my triumph."
I give the chains another vicious yank.
Their bodies jerk.
The air leaves their lungs.
Then...
Nothing.
Oh.
They've passed out.
How disappointing.
I don't remember them being this weak.
The chains have served their purpose.
I flick my wrist.
They crash to the floor with a satisfying metallic clang.
I watch.
Waiting.
Perhaps the noise will wake them.
Nothing.
Not even a twitch.
They're truly unconscious.
How boring.
Then again...
That works in my favor.
I have more important matters to attend to.
Richard.
I reach for him through our connection.
His face appears before me almost instantly.
"Richard."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Good.
Still obedient.
Still eager to please.
"The Black Knight will come here eventually."
I settle back into my throne.
"Clear the way for him. Make sure the Olc Fairies don't interfere."
His expression doesn't change.
"When he reaches the castle, join us."
A pause.
Then:
"I need you."
"It will be done, Your Majesty."
Excellent.
Such a good little pawn.
He's proving more useful than I expected.
For now.
I relax into my seat and wait.
(Richard's POV — Blood Knight)
The rain has finally stopped.
The air here is nothing like the air on Earth after a storm.
There's no scent of wet grass.
No damp soil.
No freshness.
Instead, the wind carries something metallic.
Something sharp.
Something foul.
Blood.
Fairy blood.
Sometimes it smells fresh.
Sometimes rotten.
Like death that's forgotten whether it wants to linger or decay.
I look toward the house.
Still no movement.
No voices.
No sign that anyone has noticed me.
Only the whisper of dead branches swaying in the wind.
Good.
That gives me time.
I should feed.
I walk to the stream and kneel beside it.
The water runs red.
I drink deeply.
As much fairy blood as I can.
The hunger eases immediately.
Better.
Much better.
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and think about Teallach's words.
I've done well.
She acknowledged it.
That's obvious.
And she'll acknowledge it again.
More and more often.
A faint smile touches my lips.
For now, I may be nothing more than a piece on her board.
A pawn.
But pieces move.
And games change.
Soon enough...
The rules will be different.
Of that, I'm certain.