A creaking gate opened, shining light through the center—where a tall, royal-looking chair stood, waiting.
Guards pulled the doors wide open.
"You two can wait outside. Understood?" Nyx said, glancing at the right guard and pointing his thumb toward the corridor.
"Yes, sir!" both affirmed in unison.
The door creaked shut behind him, closing with a soft, final CLICK.
Nyx stood still for a moment, inhaling deeply... then exhaled.
"Oh, Luna," he said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Looks like I've won."
"I've come to see how you liked the show... the little performance we've prepared just for you."
He slowly walked toward the chair, his voice calm, deliberate.
"Honestly, it took a lot of our time to prepare for the tournament—but somehow, it worked out."
A pause. "For now, at least."
"Tomorrow? Who knows. But today... they were satisfied."
He exhaled, shoulders dropping.
"So here I am…"
Nyx stopped behind the chair, placing his hands gently on the back of it. He slowly turned to the left, peeking at her.
"I mean, I hope it was entertaining for you." He chuckled, a wide smile stretching ear to ear.
Circling to the left corner of the chair, he added, "You know... I made a bet with Aria."
"She's not hurt by any means—" He held his hands up, palms out, waving them side to side in defense, then scratched his face. "Well... she's a bit hurt. But I made sure to patch her up. Nothing serious."
"She's fine now."
"The bet was... whoever wins gets your praise."
He leaned forward, eyes closed, speaking softly now.
"So... if you want... will you consider my wis—"
Nyx's eyes opened mid-sentence—and he froze.
A cold bead of sweat trickled down his cheek.
He jolted upright.
"GUARDS! INSIDE! NOW!"
The guards rushed in, boots thundering on the floor.
"What's the matter, my lord?!" one barked.
"What's the meaning of this? I gave you one task. One single task."
His voice trembled with fury. "As simple as it gets—keep her here. Protect her. At all costs!"
The left guard blinked in disbelief. "We did! She is safe!"
The right guard glanced at his companion, then back at Nyx. "I bear no responsibility! I tried to stop him!"
Nyx gritted his teeth.
"Stop him? Then look at this yourself!"
With a violent motion, Nyx spun the chair around.
A corpse sat slumped in the seat. Pale. Rigid. Hollow-eyed. A grotesque mimicry of Luna.
Like a puppet emptied of its soul.
The right guard recoiled, voice shaking. "I swear, I didn't do anything! I tried to stop my superior—but he wouldn't listen!"
"He's my superior. I couldn't stop him!"
"Liar!" the left guard barked.
Nyx's voice dropped low and sharp. "Answer me. What happened here?"
The right guard stepped forward hesitantly.
"Lady Luna… she pleaded to go to the toilet. We told her she couldn't. She insisted—begged us to go with her. But with the importance of the guests, we couldn't leave."
"Then she asked to go alone. Said nothing would happen. And that fool—my superior—caved. I told him not to. I told him!"
"She went. Came back like nothing had happened."
The left guard suddenly perked up, eyes wide. "I smelled something! A corpse-like stench... it hit me, I thought it was strange—but I didn't think much of it!"
"ENOUGH!" Nyx roared, his composure finally breaking.
"Call the Head Guard—NOW!"
The guards bolted without another word.
Nyx stared down at the corpse. At his hands. Slowly, he dragged them through his hair, raking them back.
"Fuck…" he whispered.
"I did it again."
His pupils pulsed, his mouth twitching, eyebrows twitching in panic.
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" he mumbled, stepping back, his breath unsteady.
"What have I done?"
….
Somewhere Underground
"Wahh!"
"This place is huge!" Luna thought to herself, eyes wide with awe.
She stood in a towering tunnel—its height at least five times her own. A chill crept down her spine.
"Creepy..." she muttered, trailing a finger along the damp, stony bricks that lined the walls.
Looking down, she noticed a rat.
SQUEEEK!
The rat squealed, leapt into a pile of debris along the wall, and knocked itself over—playing dead with theatrical flair.
Luna chuckled, bringing a hand to her mouth to stifle the wide grin spreading ear to ear.
When she looked forward, there was nothing but darkness.
Behind her? More of the same.
"Well... I shouldn't be laughing now," she thought, her steps echoing faintly as she moved forward.
"This is a serious matter. I don't even know where I am!"
She let out a sigh. "What is this place... some kind of dungeon?"
Determined, she picked up the pace.
Without warning, a crossroads appeared before her in the gloom.
She stopped.
To the right—only darkness. The faint sound of rats fighting over a discarded piece of cheese echoed from the shadows. Luna scoffed playfully at the sight of their tiny, brutal skirmish.
But another shiver ran down her spine. She quickly turned away.
To the left—light.
She immediately ducked behind the wall. A warm torch-glow flickered in the distance, illuminating two men standing at the far end of the tunnel.
Carefully, she peeked out.
"Oh... what am I going to do now?"