Realm of Monsters

The light of dawn was beginning to creep over the horizon when a pale blue carriage rolled up to the Katag’s villa’s gate. The pair of watchmen spotted the Katag sigil, a pair of crossed swords, on the carriage’s side, and hurried to open the gate.

Over three dozen heavily armored guards and a team of five elite mages stood in the front courtyard and watched the carriage roll in with a wary eye. But as the carriage door opened and the beautiful Elena Katag stepped out the guards breathed a quiet sigh of relief and lowered their weapons.

The guard captain bowed to the young scion of House Katag and the rest of the men and women followed suit. Elena glanced around her childhood summer home and took a deep breath. The scent of resin and bark filled her nostrils. She smiled, it was nice to be back.

“Young Mistress, welcome home,” the guard captain said with deference. “Please, forgive us for the… cold reception.”

Elena glanced at the small army of warriors in full gear. She raised an eyebrow and smirked, “Don’t worry about it, captain. Let me guess, some of our soldiers were caught slacking on night duty again and you decided to hold the whole battalion responsible. Nothing says punishment like armored battle-ready night duty, am I right?”

The guard captain shook his head, “Actually, this is standard procedure these days. And only a sixth of our forces are here; three other battalions are guarding the estate’s other points of entry. Another battalion is guarding the mansion, while the last battalion is resting in a barracks we established at the edge of the estate. I can assure you, young Mistress, we have properly fortified the estate to your father’s standards.”

“What?” Elena laughed, slightly taken aback, “Why would my father order six entire battalions to guard this place. One is already practically overkill. I swear he’s getting more paranoid the older he gets.”

“I’d hardly call Lord Katag paranoid. There have already been five attempts to sneak into the estate in just the last two days.” The captain raised his hands assuringly, “Not to worry. The intruders were all amateurs and we stopped them with no trouble.”

“Are you serious? Why would anyone try to break into a Great House of War’s estate? Do they want to die? How stupid are they? I mean, seriously, do they think we’re hoarding some secret treasure or something?”

The guard captain furrowed his brow, “…Young Mistress, how informed are you about the current affairs of our House?”

Elena stopped chuckling to herself and narrowed her eyes, “What is that supposed to mean? Did something happen?”

He shrugged his shoulders heavily, “Where do I begin?”

The mansion’s front doors swung open and smacked into the walls with a loud bang. Evelyn stood in the doorway, still wearing her creamy white silk night robes. The guards quickly bent down and bowed to the Lady of the House.

“Elena, come here,” Evelyn said aloofly, though there was a trace of severity in her voice.

Elena cocked her head to the side, “Mom?”

“Come here, now.” Evelyn turned around and walked back inside, without waiting for an answer.

“Oh, um, I’ll see you later, I guess,” Elena waved to the captain and hurried to catch up to her mother.

The guard captain smiled sympathetically. “Good luck,” he whispered.

~~~

Evelyn walked down a long hallway with quick, purposeful strides. A few servants spotted her coming down the hall and they promptly stepped out of the way with a small bow.

“Mom, wait up!” Elena called out from behind.

“Keep up, child,” Evelyn said curtly and did not slow down her pace.

Elena groaned. Her footsteps heavily smacked into the wooden floors as she ran and finally caught up to her mother.

“Slow down, please,” Elena huffed dramatically. “And why are you dressed like that?”

“It’s called ‘priorities.’ Right now, my appearance is one of my least priorities. Making sure you are ready is my number one.”

“What does that even mean? Ugh, can we please just sit down somewhere and talk? My legs are killing me,” she groaned.

Evelyn clicked her tongue, “Stop with all that groaning. If you cannot manage a simple walk then how do you ever hope to be called a true and proper Katag? Your sister runs every single morning and she never once complains.”

“Tauri’s different, she likes to run. No one makes her do it.”

“So you are lazy and have a severe lack of discipline, is that it?”

“No, all I’m saying is I just got here and I’ve been riding in that stuffy carriage for days! My legs are all cramped! All I wanna do right now is jump into my bed and sleep until nightfall.”

“Well toughen up, child. You have a long day ahead of you.”

“Please, tell me you’re joking.”

“What have you heard of the Ebon Aspirant?”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“Answer the question.”

Elena noted the cold tone in her mother’s voice and held her tongue. She knew better than to argue with her mother when she was angry. Instead, she looked up to the ceiling in deep thought, “...All I heard was some rumors about an Ebon Aspirant appearing in one of the Challenges.”

“So nothing at all, hm. I suppose the rumors of messengers ‘disappearing’ in Glimmer Grove are true. Lady Thorn may be the one behind it, but unlikely. Not even she would risk killing the servants of dozens of Great Houses. There are most likely several other formidable opponents at play. Gods only know how many rumors have spread in the last few weeks.”

“Mom, why are you talking like that?” Elena asked slowly. “Are you actually saying what I think you’re saying? Did… Did an Ebon Aspirant really appear?”

“Yes. And you’re going to marry him.”

Elena abruptly stopped walking. Her amber eyes widened in shock, “I’m sorry. What was that?”

“As I said, you have a long day ahead of you. Try to keep up,” Evelyn waved her forward and kept walking.

Elena shook her head vehemently and ran back to her mother’s side, “Wait! Wait just a sec! What is going on!? Tell me!”

“Good, enthusiasm is very good. But the hints of aggression are not. The Aspirant is very receptive to anger and by that I mean he will respond in kind, by several folds.”

“What?” Elena frowned.

Evelyn paused in her steps and placed a warm hand over her daughter’s cheek, “It means he kills people, darling.”

“I’m sorry, WHAT!?”

Evelyn smiled, patted Elena’s cheek, and kept walking. “The Ebon Aspirant revealed his true powers during the 2nd Challenge and my oh my, was it glorious. The entire coliseum sat in rapture as he defeated his opponents one by one with magics far exceeding his age, he even struck down the Thorn Queen’s son.”

“Wait, Calex Thorn isn’t the Ebon Aspirant?”

Evelyn laughed, a soft, coy sound, “What possessed you to think that?”

“It’s what the kids at school were talking about. I mean, it’s the most obvious choice, right?”

“Hah! Do you think Ophelia Thorn would have hidden such a secret? Her son, an Ebon Lord reborn? No, she would have proclaimed that news from atop the shade walls years ago.”

“So, if it’s not Calex… then who is it? And why did you say I should marry him?”

“I didn’t say you should marry him. I said you are going to marry him. The engagement has already been set. Bellum has favored our family in this particular endeavor. You see, the Aspirant needed allies and we were in the perfect position to help.”

“...I see,” Elena muttered.

“What is it now?”

“I’m processing.”

“Good. Best to think before you speak. Tauri could learn a thing or two from you.” 

Elena chuckled, “You know, I knew that you and dad would choose my husband someday, but I thought I’d at least be there to witness the moment when it happened.”

“Trust me, darling, you will witness more than enough moments with your husband. And if you ever need any help on how to manage the social and personal intricacies of having a powerful lord as your partner, my counsel is always available. If you need any tips on the intricacies of ‘night matters’, then ask his lesser wife. I’m sure she is quite well versed.”

“He’s married?”

“To a lesser wife, yes. I thought it best to personally tell you everything before you meet him, instead of having you read it in some dingy letter.”

Elena sighed loudly, “This really is going to be a long day, isn’t it?”

“And yet not once in our conversation have you said ‘no’ to me,” she smirked. “That’s why I chose you.”

“Because I don’t say ‘no?’ That seems like a terribly irresponsible reason to choose someone.”

Evelyn smiled, “I chose you because you understand what loyalty and duty mean. The word ‘no’ did not cross your mind because despite all that complaining, you understand what is at stake for this family. My darling scarlet flower, you always choose to rise to the task at hand, no matter the adversity, that’s what I admire about you the most.”

“Times like this remind me why I never win arguments with you.”

“And you never will,” she winked. 

Elena couldn’t help but smile, though she did so with an angry pout, “So who is he, hm? The man who will claim the mantle of the Ebon Lords? What is he like?”

“You tell me, you’re the one who went to the academy with him. What is Stryg like?”

Elena blinked, “Hm?” She shook her head and smiled wider, “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch what you said.”

“What is Stryg of Ebon Hollow like?”

“Stryg… the Stryg… the 3rd year who bit some poor guy’s cheek off… that Stryg… is the Ebon Aspirant!?”

“And your fiancé and soon-to-be husband, yes. What do you think of him?”

Elena laughed hysterically, “Did you not just hear the part where he bit a guy’s cheek off!”

“And many an Ebon Lord has soaked the Realm with blood, what is your point?”

“I…”

“What. Do. You. Think. Of. Him?”

“He’s… Dangerous…?”

“That much is obvious; at least once you get past that pretty blue face and see the sharp claws.”

“And sharp fangs.”

“What?” Evelyn asked curiously.

“Stryg, he’s got two fangs. They’re small, so they’re kinda hard to see, but they’re definitely sharp.”

Evelyn raised her eyebrow, “And how would you know that?”

“You know,” she shrugged, “We go to the same school and all–”

“So you’ve spoken to him before?”

“Well, I never met him personally. We never had any classes together. I sort of just saw him from afar in the dining hall…”

“So you’re saying you watched him so closely from afar that you noticed his small fangs? Do I have that right?”

Elena laughed awkwardly, “I mean it wasn’t like that per se.”

Evelyn sighed, “My daughter has a little crush on her fiancé, how sweet.”

“It-It’s not like that! Stryg hangs out with the most exclusive group at the academy! They’re a bunch of elite powerful kids who are all insanely hot, so everyone stares at them! And now that I think about it, life really isn’t fair. Why do the elite students also happen to be super sexy?”

“It’s called selective breeding, darling. Now, try to stay on topic; Have you ogled Stryg and his friends? Yes or no?”

“I would never ogle anyone–”

“Ugh, I forgot how horny teenagers are and what terrible liars they make,” Evelyn said dryly.

“I… I don’t know what to say to that.”

Evelyn glanced out the window and cursed, “God dammit.”

“Um, not my first choice of words, but–”

Evelyn ignored her and dashed outside.

“Hey, where are you going!?” Elena called out, but her mother was already gone. “God dammit, indeed,” she muttered and ran after her.

~~~

“Good morning, Tauri,” Lady Evelyn’s voice echoed strongly.

Tauri jumped up to her feet, startled. She cleared her throat and straightened her back, “Mother? I didn’t expect to see you here…” her voice trailed off.

Stryg slowly turned around. Evelyn stood at the other side of the pool. A beautiful young woman stood next to her. She seemed oddly familiar.

Evelyn smiled in a relaxed yet knowing manner, “And good morning to you, Ebon Aspirant. May I introduce you to my lovely daughter, Elena.”

Stryg looked her up and down, his eyes unconsciously searching for any weapons. He spotted none. Though he couldn’t help but notice she wasn't as voluptuous as her sister... Yet, a voice whispered in his mind.

Elena lifted her hand in a small short wave and smiled stiffly, “H-hi. I’m, uh–”

“My fiancé…?” Stryg muttered questioningly.

“Uh, yup, yeah… that. That is indeed me, the one and only… fiancé, hehe, uhh…” Elena suddenly began making unintelligible sounds with her mouth, slowly backed away, and hid behind her mother.

Stryg wrinkled his brow in confusion.

Evelyn smiled angrily at her younger daughter, but quickly smothered her heated emotions and glanced at her older daughter, “Tauri, did you enjoy your swim with the Aspirant?”

Tauri stiffened, “We weren’t swimming. I was just teaching him a bit. You know, I’m his teacher and all that…”

“Is that what you were doing? Teaching?” Evelyn asked.

“Yes, nothing more,” Tauri nodded her head repeatedly and inched away from Stryg.

Evelyn looked at Stryg, “You don’t know how to swim?”

“Maybe, what does it matter?” he asked icily.

“Hm,” Evelyn smiled. “You all must be famished, why don’t we head over to the dining room for some nice, hot breakfast?”

“I'd rather just head out and speak to Ismene about tomorrow’s plans,” Tauri quickly stepped away.

“Yeah, I think I’ll skip breakfast too, I’m not really hungry,” Elena agreed.

“I insist,” Evelyn smiled coldly.