Swoosh-!
In the quiet night of Liora, a sudden gust of wind blew as several shadowy figures rushed at high speed towards a huge tree that stood in the epicentre of the city.
Anton moved with his men across Liora, making his way to the central tree, Phenai. It is the place where their king and lord, Liora, resided. The cool night air brushed past him as he rushed from one building to another.
After about half an hour of running at full speed, Anton and his men came to a halt. Lifting his head up, Anton marvelled at the sight that greeted him.
'…No matter how many times I see it, it never ceases to amaze me.'
Phenai was huge, no…an enormously huge tree. Its roots were tightly grasping the earth, some parts coming out, displaying the roots. The trunk stood straight as if it were holding the sky; going upwards, it divided into millions of branches, and the green leaves hung in the air like a myriad of stars.
Snapping out of it, Anton looked at his men, nodding, giving them the signal to follow him. They strode toward the Phenai, and a gate was carved onto its huge body.
The gate looked small, pitifully small compared to the huge trunk of the tree, yet as they closed the distance, the small gate started to enlarge in their perception. Becoming so big that it could pass several giants of 15 meters side by side comfortably.
'It is as if the gate had been made for giants.'
Anton stopped when he reached the gate, and a soft glow emanated from his body. Approaching the gate, he moved his hands across its surface while the glow was still coming out of his body.
Then…
Creak—!
The gate made a creaking sound and started to be pushed inwards.
Shhhh!
The warm air inside gushed out, swaying Anton's robe. He shut his eyes, taking in the sensation as the air brushed past him. Opening them back, he was greeted with the inside of the tree that was hollow.
A stark contrast to outside of it. In the center of that space was a lonely spiral staircase that seemed to go endlessly upwards, like a stairway to heaven.
Tracing the staircase going upwards, Anton made a weird face that was hidden behind a dark fabric.
'Who the hell even uses it?...'
Anton was confused by the intention of its maker. Nonetheless, shrugging his shoulders, he turned his heels to the side wall of the tree and started walking.
'…When there is an elevator.'
A gate, much smaller than the one on the outside, was engraved in the inner wall of the tree. Beside it was a tiny board, displaying numbers from 1 to 100.
Reaching the elevator, Anton pressed the number 100.
Ting!
With a 'ting,' the doors parted from the middle, sliding.
Stepping inside, he waited as his men entered one by one, and finally, the gates closed as the last of them came.
'Haaa…'
'We will finally be able to meet the king and show him the traitor.'
***
It was soft.
"Mama, tell me that story about a king and a beggar."
The bed was extremely cushy, and a small girl lay upon it, smiling.
"Okay, so one day…"
It was very warm.
Her mother's voice was warm. It was soothing, as if only hearing her words would ward off all the little girl's worries.
"Oh ho, what do we have here? Listening to Mama's story."
Another voice came from the direction.
"Papa!"
A man with a strong build and long red hair came, hugging her mother.
The man hugged her mother gently while her mother continued with her story, only giving a glance to the man.
She was happy.
But…
The bed started to feel cold. She shivered, yet she was still smiling as she could hear her mother's voice.
'…yes, as long as mama and papa are okay, everything is fine.'
The darkness started to devour everything, yet…
She still smiled, because…
'Mama and Papa are with me.'
…Not every joy lasts forever.
Her once lovely mother started to rot, dark spots forming over her body, and a foul smell eroding.
And her father's once strong smile started to fade as his expression started to become one of dissatisfaction, his once fiery eyes turning hollow.
Her world was becoming darker and colder by the second.
'No, no, no, no, no… Why is this happening? Why?! Why!? Whhhhyyy!?'
The girl started to scream and thrash as it happened.
She started to wonder why it had happened.
When…
A creepy, unsettling smile came right in front of her eyes.
The smile grew as it watched the girl's misfortune, but before it could grow any longer, it too was engulfed in the darkness.
"Haa… Haaa…"
Samantha woke up with laboured breathing, her eyes stinging as light hit them, so she tried covering them with her arms.
But…
She couldn't move.
As her vision adjusted, she looked at herself. Her hands and feet were tied, turning her head to the side. Samantha saw an unconscious Julie with her feet and hands tied up.
'Where are we? And why are we tied down?'
Panic started to surge within her, her chest falling and rising in an unnatural manner. She scanned her surroundings as memories flashed through her mind.
Her eyes were darting before landing on a throne.
…Or more specifically, on the man who sat on his throne.
'Father...'
Yes, it was her father.
The king of this land.
The ruler of Liora.
The panic she felt earlier was gone, and what replaced it was now… grievance.
She felt sorrow, guilt, and… apologetic for leaving her father. Samantha's eyes observed her father.
His once proud face had wrinkled, the smile on his face had faded and his eyes…
His eyes that once burned like an inferno had turned hollow and white like a blank sheet of paper, his body hunched as he sat on his throne.
The man who was once known as the shield and king of Liora was just a shell, no… just a hollow husk of his former self.
Anger shot up her body when she saw her father's condition. She struggled and thrashed to remove the ropes that were binding her.
"…Let me go, dammit! "
Tak, Tak~
Amidst her struggles, a soft clicking sound echoed in the throne room. Lifting her head, her eyes turned bloodshot as she glared at a man who was walking towards her.
His expression was calm, the silky blonde hair falling down his back, fluttering every time he took a step. He looked at her with his languid eyes, a smile forming on his lips.
"Let me go, you bastard! I will fucking kill you!"
'Wait… why are my emotions all over the place? '
As Samantha glared over the man before her, she started to question herself.
Ever since she woke up, she has been acting weirdly. One moment, she felt panic; the next, sorrow; and now… now she felt anger.
It was as if she was being…
'…Manipulated.'
Jolting her out of her thought was a soft touch on her chin. Her mind was confused as the man nudged Samantha's chin, looking into her vertical yellow eyes. The man stared at it for a second before parting his glossy red lips.
"It has been a while, little sis…" Releasing her chin, the man looked at the unconscious figure of Julie, and something stirred within those calm eyes of his for a brief moment before they turned back to their original form. "… I didn't expect to be greeted with a niece."
He said those words as he looked into Samantha's eyes with his own vertical yellow irises.