by J. J. Egosi
“Michael. What are you doing here?” Isabella asked in surprise.
“And how the hell did you get past the guards?” her father asked.
“Oh? You mean my dinner?” Michael licked the blood from his hand, finger by finger. He tasted the blood. The dry iron taste stuck to his tongue as he stared directly into Alric’s shaking eyes.
“I just finished digging in. I’m afraid I didn’t leave any leftovers. So sorry about that.”
Michael. Isabella hardly recognized the boy she’d lived with for so many years. Is this really him?
“For now, let’s talk about why you’re doing this. From what I hear, it seems like you’ve had it with your daughter trying to make her own choices. Let me guess. You were going to kill her tonight, and a no-good light-lover couldn’t be trusted not to intervene, so you kicked me out first. And I’d be willing to bet you had her do the dirty work for you. Am I close?”
Her father’s face turned red.
Isabella couldn’t understand why Michael had come to her aid. After all, she’d brought nothing but cruelty upon him over the years. The thought of it, and of knowing he’d remained loyal despite it, had her in tears.
“You made your daughter throw me out, knowing that death was knocking on her door. To think you’d treat your flesh and blood like this. I’m honestly surprised you didn’t kill me too. Although, I guess that’s because the government keeps me under careful surveillance, and if you killed me, you wouldn’t receive all those payments anymore, would you?”
“How did you know?” Betsy demanded.
“That was kept a secret from you!”
“It must have been our daughter who told him. I knew she couldn’t be trusted.” Betsy looked over at Isabella’s cowering body as if ready to give her another beating.
“It wasn’t me. I swear!”
“Liar!”
“She’s telling the truth,” Michael interjected.
“Excuse me?” Betsy shouted.
“Call it intuition, or perhaps it’s the darkness within me that’s making your faces oh so easy to read. Greed. The corruption of it all, it fills this estate. You’re the rotting animals that brought it in.”
Did he say darkness? Isabella stared at the shadows that traced across his body; they seemed to only grow larger.
“It matters not,” said Michael. “I killed off most of this town’s sleazy underlings, who were just looking to meet their quota. I suppose that means you won’t be receiving those payments for a while.”
“You monster…” Alric said.
“Monster? That’s an interesting choice of words coming from you.”
Michael then looked at Isabella. “You may have turned into a bitch, but no one deserves to go like this.”
A light blush bloomed across her cheeks, though she still looked frustrated.
Alric looked at Michael with a devious grin curling across his face. “It looks like I’ll have to dispose of you as well as your sister. If what you said is true, there’s no financial benefit to harboring an illegal member of another realm in my home. Especially now that you’ve made a criminal out of yourself.”
Alric grabbed Michael by the collar of his coat. Michael looked down at his adoptive father’s hand and smiled.
“You think you could dispose of me? I’m afraid you’re mistaken.” Michael took out his shadow infused dagger. It was as though he’d turned flesh and bone to butter as he cut his father’s arm clean off.
Alric gawped at his hacked arm, trembling. Screaming. “My arm… What have you done?!” He watched the blood pour from where his limb used to be. He was too close to blacking out to hold onto his outrage for much longer.
“Very good, you know basic anatomy. Let’s see if you can identify all the other body parts that I’ll be cutting off you.”
Michael joyfully hacked away at Alric’s limbs. One by one, he sawed them off. His other arm. His legs. Alric screamed and screamed.
Michael thought about every act of cruelty he’d suffered at Alric’s hands. The beatings. The sleepless nights. The starvation. He had even been made to sleep outside. The deepest burn was knowing that he’d take the life of Isabella.
He was quickly reduced to a stump; the loss of blood plunged him into darkness. Michael stood over the pieces of his body, watching the last of his life slip away.
Isabella shuddered at what she had just witnessed. She couldn’t fathom what was going on.
Michael looked over at Betsy, who was stood in a petrified trance.
“It's always just a running commentary with you. You followed the fat bastard’s every word without a single independent thought. Now that his corpse lies before you, it looks like the cat’s got your tongue.” He cut her head clean off with his blade, using his shadows to guide it to a clean decapitation. “Well, maybe a bit more than just your tongue.”
Her body fell beside the remains of her husband and spewed blood all over the room.
Michael turned his attention to a blood-soaked Isabella. Her eyes were wide as tears rolled down her face. In that moment, he wanted to tell her why he’d returned. What those days as children meant to him, and how he resented the person she became. He wanted to tell her she could still change.
Without any warning, his heart stopped.
He lost all feeling in his muscles. Before he could react, he was on the floor, lying in a pool of his adopted parents' blood.
“Michael, wake up! Michael!”
Michael's eyes slowly opened. It was morning, and he was in his old room, sitting up in his bed. He was in Isabella's arms. The room was a musty blue with hardly any furniture to speak of; only a broken coat rack stood in the opposite corner.
When she noticed that Michael had regained consciousness, Isabella hugged him tightly.
“I'm so glad you're ok. I was worried when you passed out. I tried to heal you with enchantment, but nothing worked. I feared I’d lost you,” she said, holding back her tears.
Michael sat up and scratched his head. His skull pounded, and everything had a fuzzy quality to it. He knew where he was but couldn’t remember how he’d gotten there. The last thing he remembered was getting kicked out by Isabella and walking down toward the village. Why he had come back, and how he’d managed to persuade them to take him back, he couldn’t quite piece together. And yet, it seemed to have happened.
“I didn’t know you could perform healing magic. Why are you being so nice?” Michael’s face spoke of his confusion.
“I’ve been taking lessons with the local guilds, sneaking out after curfew.”
He blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. He stared into the face of Isabella, and she was smiling. That didn’t match with his recent memories of her either, but her smile matched the one she wore when they were still children, the one he’d loved, so he decided to go with it and smile back.
“The guilds offer lessons in being nice? It’s about time,” Michael replied. He’d seen various spells performed before as he’d passed the Dark Realm’s guild halls. They were typically located in the heart of most bazaars with men clad in armor and swords, and women in black robes and staffs who walked in and out.
The guilds devoted themselves to specific forms of magic: from weapon enchantments to relic transmogrifications, and even healing.
Flustered, Isabella punched him in the arm.
“That’s not what I meant, jackass!” Her smile faded and became sullen. “Do you remember anything from last night?”
“Last night?” Michael pondered for a moment. He tried to recall it to no avail. It was all a haze. “Not really. I remember taking a walk outside late at night and that’s it. Then I woke up here. Why? Did something happen?” Michael trailed off, looking around the peeling wall patterns in his room.
He doesn’t remember me throwing him out of the house either, it seems. Isabella was stunned but covered it with a smile.
“You got into a bit of a scuffle last night… I think it might be best for y
ou to leave town for a little while. Or at least until things cool off, alright?”
“Must have been a pretty bad scuffle with this headache I’ve got,” Michael replied.
“Yeah, it was.” Isabella averted her gaze and took a deep breath.
“Wait, did you say leave town?” he frantically replied. “Your parents will notice if I’m gone, won’t they?”
“Don’t worry about them. They can manage on their own.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “I bet they can, lazy cunts.” He rose from the bed to gather his things.
As Michael began to collect what few possessions he had, Isabella grabbed the end of his shirt sleeve.
“Before you go, I just wanted to say best of luck out there. I know I didn’t always treat you so well, but please be safe. Wherever you go, stay out of trouble.”
Michael failed to hide his surprise at her kindness. “I have no idea what’s come over you, but I think I’ll head out before you start beating me again,” he said, making his way to the door.
“Wait! Take the back entrance. We’re doing some construction towards the front,” Isabella said, hoping to steer him away from the carnage made the night before.
“Works for me.”
Isabella walked Michael to the door. She put on a brave smile as he prepared to leave.
“I suppose this is goodbye for now,” said Michael, looking into Isabella’s eyes. “Perhaps I’ll return. Who knows? I wasn’t exactly treated like a king around here.”
Isabella’s face reddened in remorse.
“Just try not to get married off to some snobby asshole. Alright?”
“I’ll do my best.”
Michael then turned around and left, beginning his journey as a free man. For the first time since he could remember. He was ready to explore the world for himself. He was excited. But something still felt out of place.
I can’t help but wonder, Michael thought as he ventured down the dirt path, is Isabella keeping something from me? Something about demons.
He vaguely remembered hearing the word, but for the life of him could not remember where he’d heard it.
Must have just been the alcohol.
Isabella closed the door behind him. She slowly slid down against it until she was sitting on the floor. A sigh slipped from her lips. She was unable to keep her tears of regret from falling.
“Throwing him out like that last night and always beating on him when I had the chance? I can’t believe myself.
“That’s just no way to treat the man you love.”
Chapter 2
The Lady in White
A
bout a week had passed since Michael had left his former home. He wandered aimlessly through strange villages and unfamiliar forests in search of a place to stay. He’d encountered a variety of different people; all had acted more distant towards him than usual. Michael had also discovered a plethora of wildlife; all had been unforgiving towards the unwelcome stranger.
While he traveled, he’d spent much of his time trying to understand what had happened before his exile. The unusual behavior of his adoptive stepsister had weighed heavily on his mind.
I don’t get that girl at all. Michael dragged a large stick through the dirt as he meandered through yet another forest he couldn’t recognize. She spends all these years abusing me before throwing me out. Then, she suddenly acts friendly to me before telling me to leave again. What’s her deal?
Psychotic brat!
He hurled the stick as far as he could into the forest.
Instead of the expected thud of the stick hitting the ground, he heard a loud roar. A baby black bear appeared from the trees with a small cut on its eye.
Michael’s pulse raced at the sight of a predator. “Easy, little black bear. So sorry for hitting you,” he nervously said.
The bear walked up to Michael. It whimpered after being injured. Michael cautiously attempted to walk by. Suddenly, he heard the crashing of a larger animal approaching.
The mother bear broke through the trees.
Michael gulped at its more foreboding presence. Sweat rolled down his face.
If I remember right from my travels, if you turn away from a predator, the lack of interest tells them you don’t want to fight.
The bear stepped forward, grinding her paws into the ground. She snarled at Michael and roared ferociously.
“But what good is that if she thinks I attacked her cub?!”
Michael bolted out of the woods as fast as he could. He could hear the bear chasing just behind him.
Michael sprinted through the forest, desperately trying to outrun the grizzly beast and the cubs that quickly followed.
He felt a stabbing pain along his side as his body began to cramp. He couldn’t run forever, but he’d never thought this would be how he went out. As the movement in his legs began to slow, he glimpsed what appeared to be water in the distance.
Michael rushed from the forest. He started sprinting towards a line of ships at the edge of the sea until the bears’ stampeding could hardly be heard behind him. This was the perfect time to escape.
Wherever that ship’s going, it’s my ticket out of this black bear infested hellhole.
Thinking on his feet, he snuck past the guards. He moved through the wharf by hiding behind crate after crate until he reached the end of the ramp, where he saw a cluster of stationary ones to climb inside.
He chose the one nearest him. Michael looked in every direction to make sure no one had seen him. When he’d confirmed the coast was clear, he lifted open the lid and made his way inside. Shortly after, a couple workers picked up the crate that held him and moved him across the ship. Discovering they hadn’t suspected a thing, Michael was happy just knowing he’d outrun the black bears. He took a sigh of relief.
The crew placed him down. Michael clamped his nose tightly as he caught the stench of his new hideout. He was in a crate full of garbage and bugs.
At the captain’s call to his crew, the ship set sail. It began the journey across the water towards its next stop.
After what felt like hours, the smell in the crate only got worse. Michael peeked out of the box to distract himself from his predicament and the horrid stench that came with it. He noticed many posters all over the cargo hold. They bore the faces of the most notorious criminals in the Dark Realm. None were more prevalent than a sketch of a young man with snow-white hair. He was wanted for the insurrection against the Dark Realm’s government, the murder of the Asmodai family, and their estate’s destruction. One of the wealthiest and most influential establishments that land had to offer.
“That’s one handsome guy, whoever he is,” he muttered, almost forgetting the acrid aroma of old food scraps and dead rats permeating through the air.
As Michael squinted at the posters, however, he realized it was him in the sketch.
Michael ducked back into the crate as he heard people approaching.
This must be a mistake! He was sweating more profusely than any bear could have made him. I would have known if I had done any of that. Although I have been drinking a lot lately. Could I have just forgotten? That can’t be. Isabella would have mentioned something.
Michael thought back to the last conversation he’d had with her. He remembered how quickly she had glossed over the mention of her parents. Yet she hadn’t seemed upset in the slightest.
Something isn’t right. I thought she was keeping something from me before. Next time I see her, I’m going to get to the bottom of it.
Suddenly, the boat stopped. He heard one of the crew shout across the deck, informing the others that they’d hit land.
He clambered out of the crate and made his way towards the exit, hoping to sneak by the crew members as they unloaded the cargo. Before he could make it out, he saw two workers approaching from the opposite direction. He rushed to hide behind a set of nearby barrels as the two workers started unloading cargo.
“Crazy the stuff that’s going on in the Dark Realm,
isn’t it?” said one worker. A second worker nodded in agreement.
“Just when you thought that government was invincible, some kid just wipes their strongest unit out.”
“You forget the craziest part. You know, he just left their bodies right in front of the Asmodai estate. He didn’t even bother to hide the evidence. There’s some balls on that guy,” said a third worker in the wagon.
“You want to talk about balls? I heard he didn’t even let the horses live. What’s worse, he assassinated Sir Alric and Betsy of the Asmodai family and destroyed half their mansion while doing it.”
“I don’t know where that kid went off to, but there’s no way he’ll be able to run from these crimes,” said the second worker.
“You’re right. He’s probably hiding somewhere in the Twilight Forest where no one can find him,” said the third.
“That’s his funeral. That fire monster still lives in those woods, right? He’ll get what’s coming to him,” said the first worker. They all nodded in agreement as they dropped off their cargo, hoisted back the wooden ramp by the ropes, and made their way back inside the ship.
Without time to absorb everything he’d overheard, Michael jumped over the ship’s wooden railing and plunged into the sea.
He proceeded to swim towards shore, hoping that the waves would keep him from being seen.
Back on the ship, the workers continued to converse. Their tone had grown uneasy.
“Hey, isn’t there also a story of people going in there and hearing strange voices?” asked the third worker.
“Is that right?”
“I hear they can make you lose your mind. Apparently, a witch cursed the forest.”
“I’m sure those are just rumors…”
At the sound of baleful winds blowing through the trees of the Twilight Forest, the workers hurried to unload their cargo. They dropped off the last of their crates before hastily returning to the safety of the ship and setting sail once more.
Finally making his way onto land, Michael turned to see that the ship was long gone and made his way onto vacant shores. He was relieved but also panting in exhaustion from his swim. Slowly catching his breath, he started walking through the forest. The forest was as unfamiliar as any other. He couldn’t tell it apart from any he’d seen in the Dark Realm.
