Chronicles of Eden - Act X

by Alexander Gordon

  “Well, I suppose in all honesty you’ll just have to take my word for it,” Aeon laughed. “I am telling the truth, whether you choose to believe me or not. Your brother does still live, he’s not at the end of his time just yet. Although, would you really want to take that chance? Would you want me to destroy the bond you have with him all because you risked me being a liar about him living?”

  Mika growled and held her hands over her ears, doing nothing to cease the amused laughter of the Dark Queen while she felt her world breaking apart. She imagined losing Max, the last of her family, not by him being killed by monsters but instead learning the horrible truth of his sister’s incestuous actions with him.

  “If he finds out what I did…”

  “I do wonder how he’ll take it. Shall I ask him now?”

  “NO!” Mika yelled looking up. “Leave my brother out of this!”

  “Then come make me. The key to my seal is with the guardian at the base of the city entrance, all you have to do is use it to undo my seal and then we can settle our dispute right then and there. That wouldn’t be so difficult for a monster hunter of your reputation, would it? You’re not afraid of fighting me, are you?”

  Mika snarled with clenched fists, refusing to give an answer that the chronofly already knew.

  “You are scared, I can see it. I suppose I can’t blame you, I’m nothing like the petty little monsters you’ve faced before. Tell you what, I’ll try to be polite just one more time, since I feel so sorry for you. Come to my city and release me, apologize dearly for your insolence and grovel before your new queen, and I’ll leave you and your brother alone. I promise.”

  “Like hell I could ever trust you,” Mika snapped. “And I would never kneel before you as my queen.”

  “Can’t say I didn’t give you a chance. So what will it be, Mika Harollson? Will you come face me like the monster hunter you claim to be, or would you rather your brother learn just what kind of monster you are?”

  Mika growled and glanced back to the cottage, seeing a group of ant girls gathered near the side along with Hollia and Sasha.

  “I’ll be watching you, Mika Harollson,” Aeon warned. “Choose your path wisely. Should you not open my seal by midnight tonight then I’ll have no choice but to let your brother know the truth about his dear sister and her immoral love for him. Come face me in person and I’ll tell you exactly where your brother is before you test your worth as a monster hunter. The choice is yours.”

  Mika remained silent while a quiet wind passed by, the human struggling to calm her breathing and feeling as though a sword was pressed against her back in the most threatening of ways. With a whimper she held a hand over her face, trying with all her might to hold in her tears while deciding what to do.

  “Max… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean for my love to make me do that. I know I’m a horrible sister, I just… couldn’t control my feelings. If you ever found out what I did… I would lose you forever. I can’t… I can’t lose you too. You’re all I have in the world now.”

  She grunted and wiped a tear away before looking towards the cottage with a stern glare. Glancing to her hand she flexed it, creating a small casting ring over it while black and red lights flickered around her fingers. Slowly she growled with a furious look coming over her, the hunter feeling a sudden eruption of emotion fueling her as she clenched her fist tightly with magical sparks crackling near it.

  “I’m not going to hold anything back, not when I only have one thing left to lose. I promised Mae and Milly I’d protect Max, and I’ll do so with every fiber of my being. I don’t care what stands in my way anymore, whatever I have to face I’ll do so with all of my power. If slaying a Dark Queen is the only way to keep him with me, then so be it. I won’t lose him, I won’t!”

  She dashed towards the cottage while becoming determined in her goal, knowing that confronting a Dark Queen would be the worst of all monsters to face and the most dangerous for any hunter. Yet in comparison of losing her brother forever she didn’t care, rather she became focused on throwing all her magical wrath at the monster that dared threaten her and what family she had left.

  The ant girls that remained by the cottage held boxes of various supplies in their arms, each squeaking with one another while a few were taking turns kicking a troll on the ground to see how many bones they could break. As they snapped another four in the corpse Sasha and Hollia glanced around at the fallen monsters nearby with discontent while holding their repair materials and new spear.

  “These wretches need to be stopped once and for all,” Hollia cursed. “They’ve ruined far too many lives, more so than even Mika and her family has with their hunting.”

  “I agree,” Sasha said with a nod. “The sooner they’re gone the sooner my master can resume his quest uninterrupted.”

  “I shall gladly lend a hand with his pursuit of those key fragments,” Hollia proudly offered. “I do owe him my life for all that he’s done for me and I shall happily pay that price in full.”

  Sasha slowly turned to give her a death glare, with Hollia merely watching her with a curious smile and swaying tail before tilting her head slightly.

  “Something wrong?”

  “You’re not having any delusions of getting close to my master, are you?” Sasha hissed.

  “Delusions?” Hollia lightly laughed. “No no, nothing of the sort. I know very well he is my knight and I do plan on serving him however he needs, be it a steed to ride or a lover to ride.”

  “WHAT?” Sasha yelled out furiously. The ant girls slowly took a step back as they felt an aura of death coming from the reptile girl now. “You honestly think you’re going to be his lover?”

  “Why is that so surprising?” Hollia giggled. “He’s already taking you, Rulo, and Forrus as his mates, isn’t he? What’s the harm in having me become his as well?”

  “He’s only going to have ME as his mate!” Sasha roared. “I’m the only one he needs!”

  “I see, you’re very adamant about keeping him to yourself,” Hollia mused with a curious look. “I can’t say I blame you, he certainly is the perfect male to have as a mate in this world.”

  She smirked then held her spear up beside her shoulder, lightly tapping it against her while raising an eyebrow in amusement at the hissing reptile girl.

  “Though be warned, I have no qualms about fighting to be his mate. If the only way to become his centaur is to take you all on then I shall most eagerly agree to do so. In my eyes, Sasha, he’s certainly worth killing for.”

  “Yes, he is,” Sasha growled with a glare at her. “And I’ll kill anyone who tries to take my master from me. Remember that before you cross that line.”

  Hollia chuckled then casually drew a line in the ground with her spear, the centaur then stepping over it and leaning close to Sasha with a smug grin.

  “Already done.”

  The ant girls glanced to each other worriedly then to Sasha and Hollia as the two glared at each other with rising tension in the air, so much so that the ant girls took a few more steps back as this was one fight they didn’t want to participate in.

  “If you make an enemy out of me you will regret it,” Sasha warned. “I haven’t minded traveling with you thus far, but if you plan on taking my master from me then I’ll have no choice but to put you down for good.”

  “It’s not that you’re my enemy, Sasha,” Hollia replied shaking her head. “Personally I do like you. However I will do whatever I must to remain with my knight, even if it means having to draw my lance at you.”

  The two growled through gritted teeth while getting ready to break out into a brawl before they both looked to the side and saw someone coming out of the broken wall.

  “Aren’t you two on the same side in all this?” Mika asked as she stepped down from the rubble onto the dirt. Everyone saw her standing there with a black cloak hanging around her shoulders, the inside being a dark crimson color, a new pair of black fingerless gloves to replace her dirtied ones, and a n
ew longsword was held in hand. The polished blade had a wave design etched into the side, the guard being angled upward slightly just like her claymore had before, and was held tightly in the hunter’s hand as her eye went between the two bickering monsters before she shook her head slightly.

  “Besides, there’s enough dead monsters tainting the remains of my home. At least take your fight elsewhere if you’re going to spill more blood.”

  “Where did you get that?” Sasha asked looking at her sword. “I thought the ant girls took everything already.”

  “This was a personal item kept in my room,” Mika said before glancing to the ant girls. “The deal was you take everything in the sales floor and storeroom. This piece is mine still.”

  The ant girls merely shrugged at that, the idea of having one less sword out of this collection not seeming like a big deal at all, especially since they had taken more than what was agreed upon already. Mika eyed her blade as she tilted it around, the sword’s steel reflecting the sunlight while she thought about something very carefully. After the long pause she looked to the monsters who were just staring at her and waved them on.

  “Well? Are we going or what?”

  “We?” Hollia repeated. “Aren’t you going to search for your brother? Or go warn your queen about The Sisterhood?”

  “If The Sisterhood is destroyed there won’t be a need to warn the queen,” Mika argued. “And two of those fucking monsters killed my sisters, if anyone should slay them it should be me. I’m coming with you to make damned sure those monsters never harm another innocent life and to get my revenge for what they took from me.”

  “And what about your brother?” Sasha asked.

  “Are you blind?” Mika snapped. “Look at this place! The Sisterhood took him! He’s either dead or in their fucking hands as we speak! The only ones who might have a clue where he is are the same ones I’m going to tear apart limb by limb until they tell me just that!”

  Hollia and Sasha glanced to each other then to Mika as she lowered her head with a frustrated growl.

  “There’s nothing left for me here. There’s no other trail for me to follow. The only ones I can seek out, either to find where he is or avenge his death, is The Sisterhood. Going after them is the only thing I can do now.”

  She looked to the monsters who watched her in silence then grunted with annoyance.

  “Besides, who are you to complain about me assisting you? With my magic I’ll tear apart those two supposed gemini imposters before any of you can touch them. If anything you should be thankful to have a skilled monster hunter coming with you.”

  “I’m thrilled,” Sasha flatly replied. She eyed over the human then reluctantly turned and walked off. “Do what you want, it’s your life. Just don’t get in our way or slow us down.”

  “I suppose it would be handy to have a sorceress helping us,” Hollia reasoned with a shrug. “Are you certain this is what you want to do?”

  “It’s all I can do now,” Mika replied looking down. “Those demons have taken everything from me. I at least owe them a painful death for everything they’ve done.”

  “That is exactly what we plan on giving them,” Hollia promised with a pat on the girl’s shoulder. She trotted off after Sasha and the ant girls while Mika slowly walked behind, the hunter taking a few steps before looking back at what remained of her home. Standing there in the shadow of her family’s cottage she fondly remembered the time she spent with her sisters and brother, cherishing the happy memories of them as they were the only sources of comfort she had now.

  “Max, I’ll find you again. I promise I’ll come for you, wherever you are. Just stay safe for me until then, okay?”

  She slowly showed a focused expression before turning and walking after the others, sword held firmly in hand while the other gave off faint wisps of crimson and dark light. Her cloak fluttered behind while she followed the monsters she would be traveling back with to the ant girl nest, her goal being crystal clear despite how daunting it was.

  “I’ll come for you, just as soon as I slay all the evil that lurks in this land. And under it.”

  *****

  The sun gently dropped past the horizon as the twilight hours came and went, the sky becoming dark with twinkling stars now being seen behind the clouds. Sitting atop the hill where she had been waiting all day Flarah continued to watch the forest that lay before her with a calm smile on her face. Her tails gently swayed behind, letting off embers into the air as they remained radiant with fiery energy as always.

  “What are you doing, Flarah?” Twilight asked in her head.

  “Just enjoying the view, Twilight,” Flarah casually replied. “So, how does it feel knowing another Dark Queen roams free while you’re still trapped in your cage? Are you jealous? Upset? Or do you feel happy that your equal is free in Eden once more?”

  “Equal?” Twilight scoffed. “The gemini are not my equal. They’re nothing but deranged butchers who fail to match my power by even a fraction. To even call them a Dark Queen seems like a joke, they’re nothing like me at all in any regard. I am the only true Dark Queen of this world.”

  “Really? I’m sure Aeon would love to disagree with you on that. Whoops,” Flarah said before covering her mouth with a timid smile.

  “Aeon?” Twilight repeated. “You’ve been speaking with the chronofly?”

  “My bad,” Flarah slyly said. “I meant to keep that a secret a while longer. Oh well, I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore if you know. Yes, I’ve been cheating on you with Aeon. So sorry, Twilight, but you know I have an unbridled fire that needs to be satisfied constantly. You understand, right?”

  “I wasn’t aware she was on speaking terms with anyone but her guardian. And just what has that senseless insect been talking to you about? I do wonder if it has anything to do with your sudden interest in taking root where you are.”

  “Oh, this and that,” Flarah playfully replied. “You know how Aeon gets, always going on and on about knowing everything and talking about things that haven’t even happened yet. Oh, that’s right. You two don’t talk with one another, do you? You’re not friends with her like you are with me.”

  “What has she been telling you?”

  “Nothing I didn’t already know,” Flarah answered stretching out her arms nonchalantly. “Just the usual stuff. What the weather is going to be like, how things are in her city, how you’re going to die horribly and all alone. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

  “I think our friendship needs to be revisited, I’m feeling a sudden urge to tear your heart out through your cunt and feed it to you. Honestly, all you ever do is spout nonsense when I try to have a serious conversation with you.”

  “I wasn’t aware you were in a serious mood, Twilight,” Flarah pouted. “And here you wonder why I’ve run away to Aeon. You just don’t enjoy foreplay like you used to.”

  “I promise to take my time with you when you visit me,” Twilight warned. “Like you said we’re good friends, Flarah. I’ll make sure to take it nice and slow when I get my hands on you. We’ll see how defiant you remain while I rip your tails off one by one.”

  “I could say the same to you,” Flarah dared with a slick smile up at the sky. “Though you only have two, so the fun won’t last too long. Again, I’m sorry, but you’re simply horrible when it comes to foreplay with me. You’re just… not enough for me, friend.”

  “I grow tired of your drivel. Since you refuse to say anything remotely interesting I’ll leave you be for the night. You really should consider your actions very carefully, Flarah. When my twilight comes upon Eden the era of man and monster will be over. You can either be a loyal pet for me, or join the rest of them as compost to which I will grow a new world from in my light. Though honestly I’m thinking I could do without your sharp tongue, I’ve had quite enough of it to last a lifetime. Perhaps I’ll just keep one of your tails as a memento.”

  “And you have a good night as well,” Flarah bid with a fanciful wave of the h
and. “Sweet dreams, my dearest friend. I look forward to our next chat as always.”

  Silence came across the area as Flarah heard not a word more from the reaper. An hour passed as she kept watching the forest before her, seeing a few lights flickering in the darkened woods from where she was while being able to perceive much more beyond that with her enhanced sight. After a while she blinked, twitched her left ear, and then without looking reached up behind her head to grab a dark heel that struck at her with heavy force. The shockwave from the impact rippled out in front of her, blowing charred grass and dust into the air while a thunderclap echoed out.

  “Now now,” she playfully scolded looking behind her. “Keep it down, little sister. You’ll wake the neighbors.”

  “You fucking bitch!” the attacker yelled out, her crimson eyes glaring at Flarah while her nine fox tails rustled wildly behind her with cinders rising up into the air. Flarah watched with an amused smile from seeing the familiar kitsune who was dressed in her typical revealing outfit growling at her like an enraged lion just as she often did with her elder sister.

  “Kindra,” Flarah laughed as she threw her back a bit with a mere toss. “That’s no way to say hello to your dear sister.”

  “We had a deal, Flarah!” Kindra roared while fire scorched the ground under her. “You promised you wouldn’t let him get involved in your doings, you promised he wouldn’t be in danger at all! It’s bad enough I’ve had to watch the gemini paint this land red with blood, but you swore that no matter what he wouldn’t be in danger from them or anyone else!”

  “I’m well aware of what our deal was,” Flarah laughed as she stood to face her sister. “And I’ve broken no promises to you. He’s perfectly safe.”

  “Safe? Safe?” Kindra yelled back. “Nobody is safe in this region with that Dark Queen on the loose! What are the gemini even doing here in this land, Flarah? Why haven’t they been taken care of like you promised they would be? Why are they still alive?”

  “Calm down, Kindra,” Flarah sighed shaking her head. “It’s not very becoming of a kitsune to get so hot and bothered like this.”