Chapter 1: The Kingdom of Darkness.

  The crimson moon looms above the starry sky, beneath it lies a silent cityscape made with black stone.

  Under the eerie light, people walk in the streets, not minding the dim light nor the abyssal feeling that seems to envelope the city. They stood proudly, their eyes holding the shimmer of happiness, a stark contrast to the gloom of this land.

  Among them, inside a spacious room with pleasant decor were a group of children, their faces pale even under the crimson glow. They sat in a circle, their eyes glued to a woman holding a book.

  “And the Lady extinguished the Eye, so that we may live happily ever after, the end.”

  The woman spoke, her voice soft and gentle as she closed the book. The children stared at her for a moment before exclaiming.

  “Cooool.” They all said in unison, excitement clearly reflected within their crimson eyes.

  The woman smiled at them. “You better remember this kiddos, since I might quiz you later.” The woman gently said.

  “Not cool” The children groaned, their little shoulders slumping. The light around them dimmed as the woman hid her mouth behind the book, a slight grin adorning her face.

  Knock Knock

  Across the room, the wooden door creaked open. Everyone turned their heads towards the door, slowly a man dressed in regal attire entered. As he stepped foot inside the room, he gazed upon the woman and the circle of children for a moment, cleared his throat and said.

  “Your Majesty, the Lady calls for you.”

  The woman, Leah Vi Rheanyx, slightly tilted her head like a lost cat, confused by the sudden summons. Nonetheless, she stood up, giving the children a small wave as she left the room.

  As Leah walked past him, the man closed back the door and gave her a bow.

  “Stix, why has the Lady called me?” Leah asked the man, her tone curious, as well as slightly irritated.

  As the shadows begin to dance, the man, Stix, impassively says, ignoring Leah's tone. “It seems like her Majesty Vestia has returned, and apparently, not in a good mood.”

  Stix looked at the wall, his focus to the lanterns containing luminescent crystals as he recalled the incident earlier this Moon, more specifically, the property damage that he has to cover.

  Whether or not Leah knew of Stix’s thoughts, she proceeded to just ignore him, her mind focused on Vestia. Something that shook that witch? Interesting.

  Exiting the building, Leah gazed upon the moon, her eyes reflecting its crimson hue. As she looked, a mysterious, yet pleasant smell brought her eyes down, towards a relatively busting corner of the city.

  “Stix, mind if I get something to eat?” Leah asks as she looks towards a nearby stall.

  Hearing this, Stix looked at her for a moment. “Your Majesty, It is not wise to keep the Lady waiting.” He says matter of factly.

  Leah continued walking towards the stall, her eyes briefly catching Stix’s. “Don't worry about it, I'll just say you took too long to find me.” She says as she skips on the black stone road.

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  Stix’s face twitched slightly, nonetheless, he still managed to keep a mostly straight face.

  Eventually, the duo arrived at the stall. Covered in black robes, the seller jumped in surprise as he looked at his new customers.

  “Hello. May I know what you have here?” Leah asked gently, as if she was talking to a child.

  “A..a..I..a.” The seller says, his whole body trembling. “We…I..sell some food?” The seller slowly spoke, Leah's tone easing most of his worries.

  Leah did not mind the man's reaction, given that she was used to it. “Yes, and what might this be?” Leah picks up a brown circular thing.

  The man paused for a second. “That's…a..cookie, your Ma-Majesty!” The man says, his body quaking in fear.

  Confused, Leah tilts her head “Cookie?” she asked the seller as she sniffed the biscuit.

  The man frantically nods his head. “Yes! It's a recipe I found from a Lost Grimoire!” The man hastily added.

  “A gift from the Ancients, I see.” Holding the cookie near her mouth, Leah paused. “Mr. Seller, you do realize that… the Lady does not approve of the Ancients, right?” Leah spoke slowly, and while tone was still gentle, the seller knew, he's toast.

  “I.. didn't kno–” The seller tried to explain, only for Leah to raise a finger, shutting the seller up.

  …..

  Tense moments of silence followed.

  “Cough.” After what felt like an eternity for the seller, the silence is broken by Stix. “Time is moving your Majesty.” He said, having enough of this detour.

  Stix stared at Leah, and Leah stared back.

  After a brief starting contest, Leah raised her hands. “Alright, alright.” She says as she turns her attention back to the seller. “As punishment, I'm confiscating this.” Waving her cookie to the seller, she proceeded to walk away.

  The seller freezes for a second before recovering his thoughts. “Praise her Majesty!” The man said, bowing towards Leah. “I will not forget your merc–”

  Crunch As the seller spoke, he was interrupted by a strangely loud sound, the sound of a cookie breaking.

  It was both soft and loud, a strange, beautiful ring. It was heard as Leah took a bite off the cookie.

  Leah, for the first time in eternity, was shocked. The perfect hardness, in contrast to the sweet ash that then covers her mouth. She stood frozen in place as a sweet foreign taste lingered in her mouth, her very soul leaving her body.

  Noticing Leah's pause, Stix stared at her, confused. What is it this time He thought as he waved his hand in front of Leah.

  “Hey! Anyone there?” Stix says as he begins to poke Leah's head, a simple thing to do, given that he’s taller than her.

  poke poke

  “I” After a minute, Leah finally spoke, her crimson eyes glowing bright. “I'm confiscating all of it.” She says, all gentleness in her voice gone, replaced with the Authority of an Elemental King.

  Darkness itself began to shake, weaving and swirling sinisterly like hunters to its prey. Leah's eyes pierced through the seller, the darkness converging into the form of a beast. “Everything.”

  Stix facepalmed, completely unfazed by the evil that ascended to this realm. The seller however, is a whole different story.

  Poor guy can't say anything but yes.

  *****

  At the center of the quiet city, a castle stood grandly. Made from fortified black stone and countless magic wards, it stands as one of the greatest castles in the world.

  Within the castle lies a simple throne room, adorned with nothing but an empty throne. A woman kneels before the throne, her pointed hat resting beside her.

  I understand

  The kneeling woman freezes as a voice echoed to the room. A chorus of moving cogs began to ring, creating a repetitive screeching sound.

  You may rest

  The voice spoke despite this, it's voice mysterious and unnatural, yet it weaved perfectly with the sound of gears turning.

  The King of Entropy stood up and began to exit the room, her head hanging low as the door opened by itself, its mechanism powered by the Lady’s Will.

  Don't mind it

  The voice once again spoke, its eerie presence encompassing the room.

  The witch nodded and exited the room. As the door closed, the constant sound of gears stopped, replaced with a tranquil silence.

  Dragging her feet, the witch walked across the empty hallway. Walking past a window, she gazed towards the crimson moon for a while, composing her breathing and calming herself.

  Meeting with her Lady was never pleasant, a sentiment she always held as she looked down towards the cityscape. It was dark and gloomy, yet it was also peaceful, just like usual.

  After a few minutes, she decides to leave, only to see a sight that baffled her.

  Two people walked toward the castle, a man and a woman.

  The witch rubbed her eye, doubting the sight of a woman she knew all too well munching on something at breakneck speed, all the while, reality seemed to break around her, horrors of different dimensions emerging, only for Stix to push them back in.

  Speaking of Stix, the right hand of the Lady and her judge and executioner….is currently carrying a mountain pile of boxes as he drove off the horrors to whence they came.

  …..

  The witch stared at the bizarre sight, and for a moment, any tension from the audience with the Lady, as well as the weight of her failure, was forgotten.

  *****

  “Seriously.”

  In an alleyway somewhere, the seller placed his back against the cold black wall, his face cold, within his dark eyes, there was no trace of fear, only calculation.

  Collecting his breath, the seller retrieved an ivory cube from his pocket and swallowed it. Closing his eyes, the seller straightened himself as he savored the sweet taste of sugar.

  “To think that such a monster was hiding in this plane all along, ignorance truly is a sin.” The man spoke, uncaring to whoever may be listening, a benefit of being labeled mad around these parts.

  He looked up to the heavens and gazed upon the crimson moon. “This contract will be tricky.” The seller spoke as his eye was greeted by the moon's crimson hue.

  For a moment, the man's black eyes flashed emerald green and dispelled the crimson light , a small defiance to the ruler of this plane.

  “Guess dawn’s still far away.” Said the man as he lowered his head. “But it shall come.”

  The man walked into the dark alleyway and moved his hand in erratic fashion. With a flash of emerald light, his hand that was once empty now has a bottle of beer on it.

  Taking a chug, the man's steps then became wobbly. A perfect disguise, he thought.

  Walking towards the darkness, the man vanished. Any trace of him gone.

  Unknown to him though. In this plane of existence, under the rule of the Lady, within the Kingdom of Darkness.

  There is one divine law.

  To those who gaze at the moon.

  The moon shall gaze back.