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Previous Chapter: ENDLESS Chapter 34: Some Truths

Next Chapter: ENDLESS Chapter 36: Corny

All Chapters HERE .

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CHAPTER 35: DECLARATION OF WAR

Malia didn’t understand why her hands were shaking. What was so frightening about a sweet female voice? Her brain didn’t get it, but the pit of her stomach did. She wasn’t alone in her terror, either. Everyone else was as frozen in time as she was; quiet, expectant, like children hiding under a blanket and waiting for the monsters to fade away.

Malia fought against her tense neck to gaze at Kadem, seeking both reassurance and an explanation in the mighty silver witch. Dismay gripped her when she realized Kadem was as disconcerted as the rest of them.

Malia inhaled deliberately, her body too stiff to do it by itself. What is this pressure? Magic? A presence…? Then she recognized it. Someone’s will. Kadem was a powerful witch, so her will was manifesting constantly, creating the mantle of awareness they were already familiar with. This will was different. It was no passive mantle, no enveloping veil. This was a forceful ego, as oppressing as it was seductive. It demanded to be loved… and Malia couldn’t shake the urge to obey it.

“Even if you stay silent,” the door to the room seemed to open by itself, and then a pale young woman burst in, twirling gleefully, “I know you’re in there!”

How lovely she was. Her silky white hair weightlessly punctuated each of her delicate movements, trailing behind her daintily. Her pearly gown was as white as her skin, and her bare feet were pristine. There was no sign of dirt on her, even when any path to Kadem’s home had to traverse the dense forest.

Lyra was the first to collapse, falling to her knees as she struggled to compose herself: the blonde handmaiden couldn’t stop smiling. The senseless reaction made sense to all of them. How could someone be terrifying and delightful at the same time? If they focused on keeping the fear at bay, then they would succumb to pleasure. If they set out to resist her charm, dread would crush them.

“Maybe fate is a thing!” the white maiden brought a slim finger to her chin, “A Daimonlance, a green-eyed guardian, the last silver child, humans and demons, all in this room. Maybe this time it’s the real deal!”

She advanced into the room, past Lyra and Kadem, and then Gorken instinctively stood in her way. His resolve was crumbling by the second, and yet he couldn’t bear the thought of the white maiden approaching his friends. His legs were icy, his skin on fire.

“You’re so brave.” The white woman praised him, “It’s a shame one cannot run from one’s own blood. Out of my way, guardian.”

Before Gorken could process what she had said, he had already stepped aside. His body had obeyed the woman’s command without hesitation. He inwardly yelled at his legs to take him back, to stop the ghastly maiden, but to no avail. He was left inertly wrestling inside his head, useless, worthless. Paralyzed.

The white lady kept walking, closer and closer, and Malia despaired at the knowledge that her legs would take her nowhere. She couldn’t run, she couldn’t hide, she couldn’t kick. Her bed was no longer a comfortable refuge, but a brutal cage. She was certain she was about to collapse as Lyra had, her mind too burdensome to manage.

Then Hedera and Licorice stood in front of the ivory woman.

“That’s close enough.” Licorice looked down at the short, pale girl.

“You may bend the will of humans.” Hedera added, “But we won’t bow before you. Leave.”

“Ancient demons are not to be trifled with, I know that much.” The white maiden smiled, “If there’s nothing I can do, then…” she cupped her hands around her rosy mouth, “Dragon! Come to my side!”

Heavy footsteps answered the maiden’s call, as if the earth itself was coming to her aid. A tall man with ebony skin and long black hair entered the room, his golden eyes in stark contrast with his shadowy figure. “Yes?” his deep voice could have belonged to a cavern.

The white maiden hugged him tenderly, and then spoke as she played with her finger on his chest, “I didn’t come here to fight. Not today. I want everyone to listen to me… so I was hoping you could handle the ancient demons.”

“Of course,” he patted her head affectionately, “but it doesn’t seem I’ll need to take any action.”

He was right. Hedera’s and Licorice’s confidence had vanished in an instant. They were still standing up, glaring at the powerful entity in front of them with fear masked as apprehension. They were ancient demons. Unlike humans, their judgment couldn’t be clouded by panic; they knew perfectly well they stood no chance against the Dragon. Against the strongest of all demons. That was the irrefutable source of their unease. Despite the dark man looking as humanoid as the twins, his imposing true form was almost palpable, a transparent specter ready to rain fire and carnage if he so wished. If his maiden so wished.

“Excellent!” the white woman cheered, “It’s only polite to explain why I’m here. I think that now that you’ve read that letter, and now that you’re all gathered in this place, it was the best moment to introduce myself… for dramatic purposes at least!” she ended her sentence with a joyful chuckle. The rest of the room stayed silent as tomb.

“Dragon…” she titled her head after a thoughtful pause, “I think they don’t like me. I wasn’t expecting them to laugh but, no reaction at all?”

“My maiden,” the dragon knelt, grabbed her slender hand and kissed it, “no one could ever dislike you. They must be awe struck by your beauty.”

“That must be it!” she grinned gratefully.

“…You haven’t actually explained anything.” It took Malia an unspeakable effort to mumble those words, but once they left her throat she couldn’t seem to stop, “What are you? What do you want?”

“I’m the maiden.” The white woman raised her eyebrows, “The one you just read about in the letter. I thought the long white hair would give me away immediately. Anyway. As for what I want, I came to declare war on you.”

“War?” Kadem’s voice was a low, hateful rumble. The silver witch hadn’t as much as twitched for long minutes.

“So is it true?” Malia asked, “You’re the one who orchestrated the current order of the realm?”

The white maiden sighed, “Isn’t it a tad farfetched to assume one person could shape a kingdom? All I did was whisper the right words into the ears of imbeciles… and look at what became of our dear world! Nature tends unstoppably towards balance, and yet the slightest of pushes was all it took to award victory to the ugliest facet of mankind. I find that unbearably sad.” She then glanced longingly at her dragon, “You see, I want to believe in this world. I want to believe in love, and friendship, and a golden heart, and the beauty humans are capable of… but I can’t. No matter how much I try, the world is adamant in its demonstration of all of those things being frail delusions. So I want someone to prove me wrong. I want to find that one hope I won’t be able to crush, even if I give it my all. Thus, once more, I’ve come to declare war to the likes of you.”

“Now that’s farfetched!” Malia momentarily forgot about her fear, “We all make up ‘the world’… If you want to be proven wrong start from within; start by being good yourself. How lazy can you be?”

“I would if I could, little girl.” The maiden’s black eyes almost swallowed Malia. Everything about her was so white that despite her undeniable beauty, her obsidian eyeballs turned into dark voids if you stared at them for too long. “I was so looking forward to you ascending the throne. Amos was too boring, too eager to play the part of the evil king. What fun is there in bending a will that’s already twisted? Arguing, now that’s much more entertaining. But I digress.” The maiden got even closer to the bed, “It doesn’t matter how right you think you are, princess. If you want to change the kingdom, you’ll have to humor me.”

The white maiden then danced backwards, clinging to her dragon, “I expected a little bit more from you all; only Malia seems to remember how to talk, and that’s a low standard. But no matter, I’ll put my faith in you. Hopefully the next time we meet you’ll be… well, more. I’ll be waiting. There’s enough information in that letter you just read… I won’t give you more clues. I’ll be at one of the stone seals, once you’re ready.”

The maiden held her dragon’s hand and walked to the door, “I’ll pray you’ll be the ones to make my dream come true.”

Both dragon and maiden were taking their leave when Malia’s loud voice surprised even herself, “We could decide to do nothing and keep you waiting forever, just to spite you!”

“…You could,” the white woman smiled pleasantly, “but we all know you won’t.”

And with that, the two figures vanished into the dark wooden corridor and out of their sight.

Description

Previous Chapter: ENDLESS Chapter 34: Some Truths

Next Chapter: ENDLESS Chapter 36: Corny

All Chapters HERE .

Watch the Trailer: ENDLESS Trailer

CHAPTER 35: DECLARATION OF WAR

Malia didn’t understand why her hands were shaking. What was so frightening about a sweet female voice? Her brain didn’t get it, but the pit of her stomach did. She wasn’t alone in her terror, either. Everyone else was as frozen in time as she was; quiet, expectant, like children hiding under a blanket and waiting for the monsters to fade away.

Malia fought against her tense neck to gaze at Kadem, seeking both reassurance and an explanation in the mighty silver witch. Dismay gripped her when she realized Kadem was as disconcerted as the rest of them.

Malia inhaled deliberately, her body too stiff to do it by itself. What is this pressure? Magic? A presence…? Then she recognized it. Someone’s will. Kadem was a powerful witch, so her will was manifesting constantly, creating the mantle of awareness they were already familiar with. This will was different. It was no passive mantle, no enveloping veil. This was a forceful ego, as oppressing as it was seductive. It demanded to be loved… and Malia couldn’t shake the urge to obey it.

“Even if you stay silent,” the door to the room seemed to open by itself, and then a pale young woman burst in, twirling gleefully, “I know you’re in there!”

How lovely she was. Her silky white hair weightlessly punctuated each of her delicate movements, trailing behind her daintily. Her pearly gown was as white as her skin, and her bare feet were pristine. There was no sign of dirt on her, even when any path to Kadem’s home had to traverse the dense forest.

Lyra was the first to collapse, falling to her knees as she struggled to compose herself: the blonde handmaiden couldn’t stop smiling. The senseless reaction made sense to all of them. How could someone be terrifying and delightful at the same time? If they focused on keeping the fear at bay, then they would succumb to pleasure. If they set out to resist her charm, dread would crush them.

“Maybe fate is a thing!” the white maiden brought a slim finger to her chin, “A Daimonlance, a green-eyed guardian, the last silver child, humans and demons, all in this room. Maybe this time it’s the real deal!”

She advanced into the room, past Lyra and Kadem, and then Gorken instinctively stood in her way. His resolve was crumbling by the second, and yet he couldn’t bear the thought of the white maiden approaching his friends. His legs were icy, his skin on fire.

“You’re so brave.” The white woman praised him, “It’s a shame one cannot run from one’s own blood. Out of my way, guardian.”

Before Gorken could process what she had said, he had already stepped aside. His body had obeyed the woman’s command without hesitation. He inwardly yelled at his legs to take him back, to stop the ghastly maiden, but to no avail. He was left inertly wrestling inside his head, useless, worthless. Paralyzed.

The white lady kept walking, closer and closer, and Malia despaired at the knowledge that her legs would take her nowhere. She couldn’t run, she couldn’t hide, she couldn’t kick. Her bed was no longer a comfortable refuge, but a brutal cage. She was certain she was about to collapse as Lyra had, her mind too burdensome to manage.

Then Hedera and Licorice stood in front of the ivory woman.

“That’s close enough.” Licorice looked down at the short, pale girl.

“You may bend the will of humans.” Hedera added, “But we won’t bow before you. Leave.”

“Ancient demons are not to be trifled with, I know that much.” The white maiden smiled, “If there’s nothing I can do, then…” she cupped her hands around her rosy mouth, “Dragon! Come to my side!”

Heavy footsteps answered the maiden’s call, as if the earth itself was coming to her aid. A tall man with ebony skin and long black hair entered the room, his golden eyes in stark contrast with his shadowy figure. “Yes?” his deep voice could have belonged to a cavern.

The white maiden hugged him tenderly, and then spoke as she played with her finger on his chest, “I didn’t come here to fight. Not today. I want everyone to listen to me… so I was hoping you could handle the ancient demons.”

“Of course,” he patted her head affectionately, “but it doesn’t seem I’ll need to take any action.”

He was right. Hedera’s and Licorice’s confidence had vanished in an instant. They were still standing up, glaring at the powerful entity in front of them with fear masked as apprehension. They were ancient demons. Unlike humans, their judgment couldn’t be clouded by panic; they knew perfectly well they stood no chance against the Dragon. Against the strongest of all demons. That was the irrefutable source of their unease. Despite the dark man looking as humanoid as the twins, his imposing true form was almost palpable, a transparent specter ready to rain fire and carnage if he so wished. If his maiden so wished.

“Excellent!” the white woman cheered, “It’s only polite to explain why I’m here. I think that now that you’ve read that letter, and now that you’re all gathered in this place, it was the best moment to introduce myself… for dramatic purposes at least!” she ended her sentence with a joyful chuckle. The rest of the room stayed silent as tomb.

“Dragon…” she titled her head after a thoughtful pause, “I think they don’t like me. I wasn’t expecting them to laugh but, no reaction at all?”

“My maiden,” the dragon knelt, grabbed her slender hand and kissed it, “no one could ever dislike you. They must be awe struck by your beauty.”

“That must be it!” she grinned gratefully.

“…You haven’t actually explained anything.” It took Malia an unspeakable effort to mumble those words, but once they left her throat she couldn’t seem to stop, “What are you? What do you want?”

“I’m the maiden.” The white woman raised her eyebrows, “The one you just read about in the letter. I thought the long white hair would give me away immediately. Anyway. As for what I want, I came to declare war on you.”

“War?” Kadem’s voice was a low, hateful rumble. The silver witch hadn’t as much as twitched for long minutes.

“So is it true?” Malia asked, “You’re the one who orchestrated the current order of the realm?”

The white maiden sighed, “Isn’t it a tad farfetched to assume one person could shape a kingdom? All I did was whisper the right words into the ears of imbeciles… and look at what became of our dear world! Nature tends unstoppably towards balance, and yet the slightest of pushes was all it took to award victory to the ugliest facet of mankind. I find that unbearably sad.” She then glanced longingly at her dragon, “You see, I want to believe in this world. I want to believe in love, and friendship, and a golden heart, and the beauty humans are capable of… but I can’t. No matter how much I try, the world is adamant in its demonstration of all of those things being frail delusions. So I want someone to prove me wrong. I want to find that one hope I won’t be able to crush, even if I give it my all. Thus, once more, I’ve come to declare war to the likes of you.”

“Now that’s farfetched!” Malia momentarily forgot about her fear, “We all make up ‘the world’… If you want to be proven wrong start from within; start by being good yourself. How lazy can you be?”

“I would if I could, little girl.” The maiden’s black eyes almost swallowed Malia. Everything about her was so white that despite her undeniable beauty, her obsidian eyeballs turned into dark voids if you stared at them for too long. “I was so looking forward to you ascending the throne. Amos was too boring, too eager to play the part of the evil king. What fun is there in bending a will that’s already twisted? Arguing, now that’s much more entertaining. But I digress.” The maiden got even closer to the bed, “It doesn’t matter how right you think you are, princess. If you want to change the kingdom, you’ll have to humor me.”

The white maiden then danced backwards, clinging to her dragon, “I expected a little bit more from you all; only Malia seems to remember how to talk, and that’s a low standard. But no matter, I’ll put my faith in you. Hopefully the next time we meet you’ll be… well, more. I’ll be waiting. There’s enough information in that letter you just read… I won’t give you more clues. I’ll be at one of the stone seals, once you’re ready.”

The maiden held her dragon’s hand and walked to the door, “I’ll pray you’ll be the ones to make my dream come true.”

Both dragon and maiden were taking their leave when Malia’s loud voice surprised even herself, “We could decide to do nothing and keep you waiting forever, just to spite you!”

“…You could,” the white woman smiled pleasantly, “but we all know you won’t.”

And with that, the two figures vanished into the dark wooden corridor and out of their sight.