In This World, : What Becomes of Us
Page 11
“Is everyone gone, doctor?” asked the Lizzaro.
“Yes,” said Dr. Plumey, as he exited and closed the curtains.
The Lizzaro sat next to the bed and laid his hand on top of Rens.
“Son, it’s me, your father,” said William.
“Lies, my father’s dead!” said Ren.
“Boy, I don’t have enough time to explain everything, but I’m well alive,” said William.
“How? It makes little sense,” said Ren.
“When your mother and I got into the accident, I didn’t die, I changed, as you did. I couldn’t return to the human realm, not looking like this. The humans would treat our kind like a science experiment,” said William.
“Our kind?” asked Ren, as his eyes followed his arm to his fingers.
Ren spewed the words, “What the-,” before he passed out once more. William left the room for Ren to rest, but not before he wrote a note and left it on the table next to the bedside.
3:36 PM, Monday, September 11th, 2017
An hour and a half later, Ren woke once more and discovered the note next to his bed.
The note read;
Ren,
Try the library if you’re looking for answers.
Dad
Ren sat up, then hung his legs over the side of the bed before he stood. Still weak, he took a moment to get steady on his feet making his way from the bed to the chair, careful to be quiet. After a few minutes passed, Ren stood more coordinated and dressed before peeking out of the curtain to check the coast. The doctor had been busy with another patient, which made the perfect distraction for him to escape.
Ren noticed a side door he could slip out of, but he forgot to grab the note leaving the evidence. He walked a few buildings over to where the library was, upon entering he saw the librarian out of the corner of his eye.
“Excuse me, where would I find information about Lizzaros?” asked Ren.
“Transformation?” asked the librarian.
“Huh?” asked Ren.
“You transformed?” asked the librarian.
“Yes, sorry,” said Ren.
“Upstairs, to the left,” said the librarian.
“Thank you.”
4:30 PM, Monday, September 11th, 2017
An hour later, Ren could find one book that listed the different amounts of species in the realm, but nothing that pertained to his father or the prophecies. The only choice left was to search the sewers, but before putting the books back, he felt his knees weaken. Reese stuck him with a needle, and Ren collapsed to the floor. As he laid passed out, Reese threw Ren’s arm around her neck as she lifted him.
6:13 PM, Monday, September 11th, 2017
Kiki wakes with a bag over her head, strapped to a chair she struggles to move. She fights for moments before calming to the sound of nearing footsteps, in the hope of them being a friend. The steps stop, and the bag slides off her face to unveil multiple people. Surrounded by familiar and unfamiliar faces; Luke, Reese, Dr. Plumey, King Tavvi, and others.
“My queen, please accept our sincerest apologies for the kidnap and deception,” says Luke.
“Cut her loose,” says Tavvi.
“Jeez, why do I have to do the grunt work,” says Reese.
“What the-,” says Kiki.
Dr. Plumey interrupts, “We’ll explain everything, but after you eat something. I’m sure you must be famished.”
He extends his arm with a bow directing her to a feast lain on a nearby table. Kiki stands, and her eyes surf the room as she checks everyone out before stepping towards the table. Luke steps into her path and extends his hand as to offer an escort. Reluctant Kiki stalls for a moment before she gives him her hand.
“I must apologize my queen again, if more so than the others. My behavior for the night in the cemetery was unacceptable, and I accept the worst punishment you offer,” says Luke.
Reese runs ahead of them to pull the chair out for Kiki. Luke then seats her and pushes her chair. They take their seats and turn their heads towards Kiki as they wait for her silence to pass. Kiki has no words to say, clueless about the events taking place. Reese hurries with a covered plate, placing it on the table in front of her. As he removes the cover, a shock wave overwhelms Kiki, the aroma from the dish causes her fangs to expose from her upper lip.
The lid removed exposes a human heart, Kiki’s eyes widen, and she licks her lips before she charges for it. Blood drips her chin as she ravishes the heart like a wild animal. Tavvi stands up bringing a chalice over, and Luke grabs a wine bottle. As he opens the container, the smell of blood fills the room, pouring the liquid into the cup.
Kiki’s white wings rip through her flesh as they expose themselves. She stands to her feet; the chair flies backward, she transforms. Her clothes rip off as broken glass shards shimmer soaring through the room to wrap around her body forming a dress. Black steel from the walls slid the floor as they create high heels around her feet, the scrapped bones from past victims flew from a pile in the other room to build a crown fit for an evil queen. It placed itself amongst her head, crowning her. Lilith won, Kiki was no longer in control of her body.
“My love, what took so long?” asks Kiki.
“It took a while to track your blood kin,” says Luke.
“And where are my children?” asks Kiki, as she snaps her fingers.
Two large hellhounds covered in flames run as they whine as any loyal dog that misses their owner would. She knelt with open arms to greet them as they rush her in joy. Reese retrieves her chair, she stands and takes a few steps towards the chair before placing her bottom in the chair.
“My queen, the Demons of Start have arrived,” says Tavvi.
“Send them in,” says Kiki.
Four beings enter the room in hooded red velvet robes. The four creatures are Garnet, Peridot, Citrine, and Sapphire, with Lilith they are the five Demons of Start. They began as humans, but due to their immoral hearts and greediness, their souls turned black causing them to transform into demons. Now their sole purpose has been to take over the entire realm consuming it in darkness.
6:28 PM, Monday, September 11th, 2017
Back at the doctor’s office, Mia confirms Ren had a puncture mark, as she goes to sit she notices the note left by William.
“What’s this?” asks Mia.
“Yeah, that’s what I was trying to say earlier. I checked the library and only found this one book that listed the creatures of this realm, but nothing about the prophecies,” says Ren.
Reese placed the book with Ren before he left.
“It says from Dad,” says Mia.
“That’s the other thing, my father’s alive and a Lizzaro,” says Ren.
“Jeez, Ren, are you-,” says Gigi.
Ren interrupts, “I’m fine, but I have to see him.”
“Well, you’re not going alone. Gigi, you go with him, while Ishigo and I continue to look for Kiki,” says Mia.
Still dressed from earlier, Ren was ready to go. Mia steps out of the way, and Gigi loops her arm into Rens. With no time to waste, they walk out the front doors of the office. Ren and Gigi go left towards the sewer entrance; Mia opens a portal for Ishigo and herself to the Council’s meeting hall.
6:43 PM, Monday, September 11th, 2017
Gigi lifts the sewer cover exposing a ladder, without hesitation Ren descends the ladder into darkness. The thought of water gave Gigi chills to her spine, but sewer water made it that much worse for her. She sighs as she descends herself into the darkness, chills shock her body with each step drawn closer to the bottom.
Once their feet reach the ground, they notice a light in the distance as it shimmers. Ren walks towards the light with the sound of Gigi’s sighs echoing as she follows. Before long, a voice surprises them as they follow the narrowed path. Ren never saw Gigi jump so high when his father startled her. She claws Ren’s shoulders as she transforms, and hisses at William.
“Son?” asks William
“Yes, and I brou
ght a friend, we came to find out more about the prophecy,” says Ren.
“Okay, but you must stay open-minded,” says William, he crawls the wall.
Gigi tries to crawl back up Ren’s shoulder as he pulls her.
“Follow me,” says William.
Again, they walk the narrow path, this time they follow William into a room. In the middle of the room stood a pedestal with a single book, and a light that hovered above it. Smoke rose from the floor, forming into a being.
“Welcome children, I’m the Oracle named Futo,” says the shifting smoke.
Oracles come in many forms, this one takes the form a rooster, but many seen in ways from humans, cows, mice, to cats and dogs. Before anyone could even reply the rooster flips the book open with its foot.
“This may be uncomfortable for you to watch,” says Futo, as it turns around and releases feces onto the book’s pages.
Even with disgust, they could not look away as it drips the page and forms words.
“You may see the same words or something different,” says Futo.
In an instant, the rooster oracle disappeared. Ren and Gigi walk towards the book with reluctance. He looks around to notice his father disappeared too. The book shows Ren the prophecy told by the Demons of Start, and Gigi the prophecy mentioned by the Royals.
“This was a waste of time,” says Gigi.
“Why? This is more information then we had,” says Ren.
“All it says is what King Shino told us,” says Gigi.
“No, I’ll read it, you forget what Futo told us,” says Ren.
“Fine,” says Gigi.
6:30 PM, Monday, September 11th, 2017
Meanwhile, at the Council’s meeting room, Mia summons the Elders to gather. They took a half hour for everyone to arrive, but before long the room fills.
“We have a problem,” says Ishigo.
The room gasps from his inappropriate actions.
“Mia, I’m sorry, but I have to state this,” says Ishigo.
“Go ahead.”
“The prophecy fulfilled, Kiki is with the Demons of Start, which means we’re too late. We must prepare for war, and this is my official summons as Queen Mia’s righthand Knight,” says Ishigo.
“We’re out of time, and as Ishigo stated, the Knights must come forth and form our army to prepare for the oncoming war,” says Mia.
The Elder’s murmurs fill the room with a wave of noise.
“Why are you still sitting here?” asks Mia.
With her words, silence falls over the room before everyone scurries for portals.
“Are we making the right decision?” asks Mia.
“What choice do we have, they took her when we thought there was more time, but we can’t wait for them to act first,” says Ishigo.
7:16 PM, Monday, September 11th, 2017
“There shall be two prophets that come forth, one seeded from goodness and hope, the other from destruction and doom. A rift tore between the realm, the Royal’s Queen of Light accompanied by her two trusted knights; a Resurrection Warrior and a Dragi Shifter. The Demons of Start’s Queen of Darkness; the reincarnated Lilith, will guide her dark army, led by her two knights; a Vampire and a Lizzaro, forth to cause a wave of destruction. Many lost lives in one of the worst wars of all the realms histories,” says Ren.
“This is bull, how could-,” says Gigi, pausing.
“I know, but we have to warn the others. I could never betray them like this unless it's speaking of another Lizzaro,” says Ren.
Ren places the book back on the pedestal before they walk to the now closed door. Jammed shut, Gigi tried to pry it open. Ren laughs before trying to open the door but has trouble too.
“This had to have been a trap to separate us,” says Gigi.
“And we fell right into it,” says Ren.
7:22 PM, Monday, September 11th, 2017
After an hour of talks of the past, Kiki stands, and the room silences. She raises her glass to those seated in front of her.
“This day marks our brightest future, yet. We’ll rain over this realm, and the next, and they will lick the scum off our shoes as they beg for their lives,” says Kiki.
Everyone seated stands up and raises their glasses as they shout in unison, “Long live the queen!” Kicking the chair out from behind her, Kiki walks around the table to where Luke stood and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Well boys, let’s go to war,” says Kiki.
From this day, hell would rain on the innocent as the prophesied war began.
To Be Continued…
What Will Happen Next?
Are Kiki and Mia destined to forever be fated frenemies?
What will happen to the realms once the war begins?
How will Gigi and Ren escape?
Who else lays claim to the prophecy?
What does this mean for Mia’s relationship with Ishigo and Ren?
Join the beloved characters in the next installment, In This World, What Happened to Us as they battle each other and their inner selves.
- The Lovely Trishelle