Crimson Core

It didn’t take long for Kai to notice that he hadn’t seen Marshall since after the fight.

“That’s odd…where is he?” Kai asked himself as he looked around, scanning the environment for Marshall.

The next morning...

Samantha woke up as the rays of the sun hit her face. The first thing she noticed when she woke up was this banging headache she had.

“Ugh… I really overdid it last night, didn’t I?” Samantha said as she rubbed her temple with her finger, trying to massage it. “What is that nice smell?”

The sweet aroma gave Samantha the strength to walk out of bed and into the sitting room, where she saw Darcy munching on some freshly steamed rice and miso soup. The grilled fish in the soup seemed to beckon on Samantha.

Samantha’s mouth had already started to water. She hadn’t eaten any food since yesterday. She was fucking starving.

“Oh, Samantha, I didn’t see you there. Please come and join me.” Darcy called out to Samantha, pulling her out of her daydream.

“Oh, alright, here I come!!” Samantha simply dove at the food at a speed that scared Darcy. After a few moments of wolfing down the food, Darcy called out.

“Samantha…”

“ugh… Yughf” // translation: “Yes”//

Darcy considered something before speaking: “Finish eating, then we would talk. I would not want you choking.”

Darcy said, and Samantha nodded in response. After a few moments of watching Samantha wolfing down the bowl of rice in front of her.

“Burp…! Am full. So what is this you wanted to talk about?” Samantha asked as she rubbed her ever-so-flat stomach.

“Well, you didn’t tell me what happened last night? Did you get any information?” Darcy asked.

Samantha lit up. “You would not believe it!! Last night was so wonderful!!”

—Slap—

Darcy slapped her temple. Not too hard, just hard enough to attract Samantha’s attention.

“This is not what I asked you! What did you find out? I mean about the Marshall manor and all?” Darcy’s words seemed to bring Samantha back.

“Oh, yeah, yeah. They said that she is sick or something like that.” Samantha said nonchalantly.

“Now I see why he came back without telling anyone; his little girlfriend is sick.” Darcy thought out loud.

"Wait, you mean that my Lord is already taken?! I thought I had a chance.” Samantha was so shocked that she forgot to feel sad.

“What did you think? I couldn’t have him; keep your paws off him.” Darcy was a menace.

She raised her hands in the air in a way to pass a surrender message. “All right, I just thought someone like him needed someone to... You know care for him.”

“Sigh, I understand. But he really loves that Chelsea girl; he didn’t even look at me twice… Sigh.” Darcy looked sad and detached. Samantha noticed and decided to change the topic.

“So… What are we going to do now?” She asked.

Darcy thought for a bit of time before replying, “Well, there is nothing we CAN do; it would be best if we wait.”

Samantha picked another grilled meat and spoke with it in her mouth.

“woel, whughts eash ark woe shut down?” // Translation: “Okay, what else are we to do?”.

“Can you not talk with your mouth full? Who raised you? Wolves?” Darcy massaged her temple; the wry smile on her face seemed to betray her feigned irritation. “Sigh… I guess we could get to enjoy the city.”

“YAY!”. Samantha was elated.

“Get ready, we are going shopping, I’ll teach you how to shop like a lady!!”

Nothing, and the author means nothing, gives a woman happiness as much as shopping.

For the next few hours, Samantha experienced the joy of spending like there was no tomorrow. Samantha for the first time enjoyed living like a princess; she felt amazed nonetheless. She had found her true love: Spending.

After the fight at the island, Marshall had over-exerted himself. The moment Kai found Marshall, he was out cold. Marshall was back to his human form and naked. Kai sighed as he dragged him to shore.

Luckily dried-up Sullivan had a spatial ring on him—two to be precise. He had some spare clothing inside the ring. It’s not a crime to take from a dead man.

So the clothes were taken and Kai put them on Marshall. Soon enough, they left for the Blue Dragon City. But before he left, he had to leave a mark… A gift to put it ever so politely.

Kai detoured to the imperial palace and dropped the shrivelled head of the king. Kai had left his headless body down at the beach.

It would not take long before the news of the dead king went viral. Marshall was still unconscious when they got to the Marshall manor. With the aid of the void’s door, Kai was able to carry the unconscious Marshall up to his bedroom.

He had really burnt himself out during the fight with Sullivan, but it had to be done. He had avenged his wife and daughter. A smile was even etched on his face, even though he was insentient.

Denzel walked towards his father’s room. "Father, I am here. It’s me, Denzel.”

Denzel had finally gotten well. He had decided to see his father. He had gotten news of his father still entering the throne room with two strange men. One old, blue-haired gentleman, presumably Lord Marshall and a white-haired young man.

The thought of the white-haired young man being Kai crossed his mind, but it was quickly dispersed. They had told him that the white-haired man was callous and carefree.

‘Kai isn’t carefree.’ He thought.

It had almost been two days, and his father, King Sullivan, had not stepped out of the throne room. Denzel, being worried, decided to check in on his father.

“This is strange.”

Denzel was at the door to the room. Normally his father would already know that he was outside and call him in before he got too close. But he was standing in front of the door, and a few moments had passed.

“I need to see what’s going on.”

Denzel steeled his resolve and pushed the door open. Although he knew that his father was sensitive about his privacy, this was weird. At least by now, he would have called out his name to stop him, but now Denzel was already in the room.

Surprisingly, the entire room was silent. No one was in the room. The throne room of Klinestra was huge, but there were not a lot of places to hide. The throne room was like a magnificent hall with a golden throne on the one side of the room.

The throne was set up on a high podium of solid marble and emeralds.

“Father!”

Denzel called out as he walked deeper into the room. The sound of his footwear hitting the marble floor echoed throughout the room.

Denzel walked for a bit of time before climbing the high platform where the throne was set.

“Father!?!” Denzel called out in horror. He loved his father so deeply... or so it seemed.

“VINX!!!”

Denzel called out with the highest pitch he could muster. He had a crazed expression on his face.

It didn’t take long before the sound of someone running towards the throne room was heard.

“My prince, you called for me?” Vinx said in a genuflecting position. Vinx was a smart man; he could already feel the anger oozing out of Denzel.

“What happened to my father? What happened to the king!?!”

Denzel asked, raising the shrivelled head of Sullivan by the hair for Vinx to see.

“…”

Although Vinx kept silent, his facial expression said it all. The horror etched on his face was simply true. Denzel was not having this. His face burnt up, and the killing intent around him kept increasing. Small tongues of flame appeared around Denzel.

“Vinx?” Denzel asked in almost a whisper.

“Yes, Prince Denzel.” Vinx was visibly scared. He could be executed for this. This was the same as treason against the throne.

“What happened to the king?” This time Denzel’s facial expression was not clear. It wasn’t passing any message. The fact that no message was passed from the way Denzel spoke or his expression scared the shit out of Vinx.

“To be true to you, my liege, I know nothing of this. I have been standing in my post since the king entered his throne room.”

Vinx was close to driving his head deep into the marble floor. He was truly remorseful of this. He didn’t know what had happened.

“So, what are you telling me? That the king was killed, and his killers disappeared?” Denzel asked with an expression of scorn and disgust.

His eyes burned with great fury. His pressure was dominating. It was hard for Vinx to breathe. It was brutal.

“My liege, my incompetence is great; please give me your punishment.” Vinx had one thing in mind: his death. It was inevitable.

“Your death is too small of a recompense for this grave incompetence.” At this moment, Denzel was pacing forward and back. He was thinking.

“Leave me,” Denzel said.

“Thank you, my liege. I will find those people who did this.” Vinx bowed as he walked out of the room.

“Wait!” Before Vinx could walk out of the throne room, Denzel called him back.

“Yes, my liege?” Vinx froze in his tracks and turned around slowly. Denzel was known for his ruthless nature.

“Let Wilson know that I sent for him. Make haste.”

“Yes, my liege.” Vinx darted out of the room, towards Wilson’s chamber.

Denzel paced around the table. After a few moments, he sat down slowly on the throne. “This has a nice feel to it. I will definitely enjoy.”

It didn’t take long for Wilson to rush into the throne room; no one knew what Vinx had told him.

“Brother, you sent for me?” Wilson was almost out of breath. He ran from his chamber to the throne room.

“Yes, brother. I called you.” Denzel walked slowly towards Wilson.

“I think it’s time to let you in on a little family secret.” Denzel was all smiles. His smile was warm, but it had a sinister taint to its warmness.

“Come with me.” Denzel locked his arm around his brother’s neck and urged him to come with him towards the throne.

“Uhh, brother, why were you sitting on my father's throne?” Denzel asked as they walked up to the throne.

“That’s what I want to show you,” Denzel said as he continued leading his brother up the throne.

It didn’t take long for the two brothers to walk up the podium where the throne was kept.

“Brother? What is this?” Wilson asked, confused as to what he was seeing.

“Look closer; this is the family heirloom.” Denzel urged his brother Wilson to look closer.

After some time of looking intently, Wilson decided to squat to get a better view. It didn’t take long for him to see the resemblance of the sculpture-like head with their father’s head.

Denzel placed his hands on Wilson’s back, startling him.

“Have you gained understanding from it?” He asked with a warm smile. “Do you feel anything?” Denzel asked again.

“No.”

“Look harder!” Denzel urged him.

It didn’t take time for Wilson to feel something. “I feel it now; I feel something!” Wilson exclaimed.

“What do you feel?” Denzel asked in a caring voice.

“I feel someone holding my heart.” Wilson said it innocently.

“Yes, that’s it. Keep looking.”

“Now I feel heat swelling up in my chest.” Wilson said.

This seemed weird to Wilson... It didn’t take long for the heat to become unbearable.

It didn’t take long after that for Wilson to discover that the shrivelled head was that of their father.

“Brother! This is fathe—What are you…doing?” Wilson finally got it. This was his father, but he had as well fallen into Denzel’s trap.

Denzel had used a spell to take hold of Wilson’s heart with his hands of flame. He had gotten this spell in one of his many travels into the Blue Dragon city treasury. He had requested it from Lord Marshall, as Gilbert.

“Shh… Don’t struggle.” Denzel held his brother in his arms. Wilson was already on the brink of death. The burnt skin on his chest was evidence of Denzel’s brutal ways.

Although Wilson was a necromancer, he had laid his guard down. He was with his beloved brother; who would have thought that it would end this way?

“I am sorry, but this was the only way.” A single teardrop fell out of Denzel’s eye. He did love his brother, but his want to rule was beyond the love he had for his brother.

After making sure that his brother, Wilson, was dead, Denzel took a bit of his blood and stored it in a small vial he had in his spatial ring.

Before he left the scene of the crime, Denzel wanted to make it look real. Denzel cut his brother Wilson into minced meat. It was the most brutal thing he had ever done, but his resolve was already steeling.

It took a bit of time for Denzel to finish mincing up his brother. After he was done, he scattered his brother around the room.

To make the scene look even more authentic, he took a sword and slashed through a lot of columns with it. He also scorched the walls a bit.

He did all this to make it look real.

“I am a genius!” Denzel said to himself as he was enshrouded in flames and was nowhere to be found after the flames dispersed.

“My lady…” Xavier was on the knee. He was genuflecting, at this point, to Martha.

Martha was looking over Desert Camel City. Although the Firefield family were based in the central continent, the headquarters of the Purple Fang faction was in the Northern continent.

The northern continent was mostly barren land. The air was always hot; some part of it was simply a dessert. This was the home of the fire element mages and their variants.

The Purple Fang faction was the tyrant king of the northern continent. All lower factions, sects and even lords paid homage to them.

“Xavier, what news do you have for me?” Martha asked whilst looking through the window.

“My lady, I have news. Kai left because his lover had fallen sick with a weird disease.”

“A weird disease? Surely you have found more information for me... Right?” Martha walked towards her seat and sat down on her swinging chair.

“Of course, my lady. It’s. Chelsea was covered in transparent dragon scales. She wasn’t breathing, but she wasn’t dead as well,” Xavier said.

“So what else did you find? The boy, Kai? Did you see him?” Martha asked.

“My lady about that; He was not there when I got there, and so was the city Lord, Chelsea’s father. I heard that they had gone to get some herbs. But they were all rumours.” Xavier said.

“What do you think?” Martha asked.

“My lady, in my opinion, Chelsea, was attacked, and they went to get revenge or something.”

Martha placed her hand on her chin. “That’s plausible… Kai seems like that kind of person.” Martha waved her hand to dismiss Xavier; she needed space to think.

Martha was lost in thoughts. It didn’t take time before she asked Xavier another question.

“Xavier?” She called out.

Xavier stopped in his tracks. “Yes, my lady?” Xavier turned around; it was rude to talk with his superior with her talking to his back.

“Dorchaidehe? What about her?” Martha asked.

Realizing his mistake, Xavier bowed deeply. “I am really sorry for not telling you about her.” Xavier was deeply sorry. This simply meant that he was incompetent.

“It’s alright, I didn’t ask you about it; no need to beat yourself about it. How is she? You tracked her, right?” Now if Xavier didn’t track or bring a report, or maybe he had forgotten to check on Darcy, that would be where the problem would have started.

Martha treated him right, but Martha did not climb up the ranks of the Purple Fang faction with a soft heart. She had killed people, indispensable mages, because they were incompetent.

Xavier was a wise subordinate; he would never want to test his lady. He knew of her temper; although he had spent most of his important life with Martha, he wasn’t sure she would spare him if she had a bad day.

“I did find her; she stays at a particular inn, in its penthouse. She stays there with the dark-skinned girl.” Xavier answered wholly.

“That must be Samantha,” Martha spoke to herself. She turned to Xavier and asked. “So, anything else? What was she up to?”

“My lady, she went to the city lord’s manor, but she was not allowed entry. Last I knew she went shopping with that Samantha girl. They seemed to be having the time of their lives.

“HAHAHAHAHA… That’s my sister, alright. Xavier, you have done well; you have the evening off. Use it for your interests. You have earned it.” Martha said with a smile.

“Yes, my lady.” Xavier took his leave.

Actually, Xavier didn’t have a life outside of Martha; she was the reason he woke up in the morning and the reason he trained so hard.

Martha was a baron-level mage, and Xavier was a first-layer noble mage. It was odd that, despite all the power he had, he still chose to stick by Martha’s side. He had been by her side since the day they first met.