Undeath and Rebirth

“NRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!! CONFOUND IT ALL!!!”

Another vase smashed against the castle wall, causing mild discomfort for the eldritch beast, who visibly and audibly shuddered. Broken glass, stones, and water splattered across the floor. The pile of shattered stuff grew with each new object Countess Alma hurled, ranging from plates, candelabras, buttresses, and other belongings.

And when she eventually ran out of things to throw, she released another vexed shriek. Veins bulge above her furrowed brows, her scarlet eyes slit with fury. Her ample breasts lifted with every huff, her mouth drawn into an animalistic snarl.

“It’s incredible!” Alma hissed as she began pacing around the room. “Unbelievable! First, those villagers raid mah castle an' secure Oona. Now, that wretched deer escapes too?!”

“A minor setback, lass,” insisted Douglas, who ran a finger over a leech crawling across his bare chest. “We’ll get them both when we-”

The kelpie stopped mid-sentence to avoid a spare statue head chucked his way, shattering upon impact behind the couch he was lying on.

“Shut up!!” The Baobhan Sith snapped, finger pointed at her fellow Vice Lord. “This is partly yer fault! Too busy fuckin' 'round wit mah prisoner instead ov doin' yer job properly!”

“Oi, that’s horseshit!” Douglas spat back. “Wasn’t mah fault yer pair ov vampiric whores couldn’t handle one measly buck, which, by th' way, Ah knocked around senseless! Nah, Ah ain’t takin' th' rap on this!”

Alma flashed forward to seize the water demon by his throat, gurgling as her talons dug into his jugulars. “Just. Bring me. Bellatrix,” she ordered through clenched teeth. “Or it’ll be you I fillet alive!”

Alma released her grasp, the drenched stallion coughing while he rubbed his neck. He gave her a slight sneer before leaving the room, muttering, “Fuckin’ bloodsuckers…”

While the kelpie hurried off to fetch their remaining prisoner, Camellia and Esmeralda were visible in the room beside Alma’s. After hours of work, the former managed to rouse the latter from her deep sleep. Her undead heart sank seeing her lover still mortified, clinging onto her black dress like a filly.

"It’s okay, I have you," the masked vampiress said and held Esmeralda’s head close to her heavy bosom, veins visible across the milky, pendulous orbs when they heaved aloft. "The nightmare is over. You're fine."

"It-it felt so real," whimpered the wide-eyed huntress, almost as pale as her partner. "I've never felt so humiliated in my life! Not since our old master bested me in combat to make me his bride!" She bristled at the burning memory, too, her snout drawn in quiet malice.

"Omen will pay for this transgression," Camellia said, matching her animosity while stroking her partner's double pink braids. “The moment we find him, I will have his head! It’ll be just like the good old nights.”

Esmeralda managed a smile and took her hands. "Y-yeah! Nothing more than another monster for us to hunt!”

“Do wit him as ye must.” They both perked up when their mistress waltzed into their room, having cooled down a little. “Who knows. Perhaps yer chance will come at th' War ov Walpurgisnacht. He’ll likely be there tae protect his sow an' their unborn child."

“Then let their horrified faces be the last thing he ever sees!” Esmeralda chirped sadistically as she and Camellia lowered themselves to their knees in submission.

“Thank you, mistress,” the masked vampiress said as they both took the Vice Lord’s fingers into their mouths and suckled on them. Both to pleasure themselves and ease Alma’s tensions, which seemed to be working, judging by the quiet coos she made.

Meanwhile, below, Douglas made his way into the dungeon, where a pack of hellhounds was still busy rutting their favorite toy into total submission. Bellatrix had since gone numb from daily punishment, not even reacting when the canines stuffed her thoroughly abused holes and mouth with their hot doggy spunk. She was sure this would make her never want sex again, should she survive the ordeal.

The kelpie took a moment to admire the way the hellhounds dominated their bitch before shoving them away with his boot. “Alright, ye mangy mutts! Ye’ve had yer fill fur th' day! Fuck off wit ye!”

The rust-colored two-headed hounds whined as they strayed to withdraw their knots from Bellatrix's outstretched fuckholes and lips. The one locked up her asshole and cunt dragged his bitch across the grimy, cum, and squirt-soaked floor in an attempt to withdraw. A blast of water from the demon forced them off with a wet, echoing pop into a scurry, leaving the bitten and scratched-up she-devil caked in runny spunk.

Bellatrix coughed up more cum while rising to her feet so that Douglas could hose her down with seawater, washing away the dried cum that stained her red skin. Golden eyes stared him down; the demoness prepared for how he'd abused her sore orifices after Alma’s pets were spent.

To her surprise, he threw her a towel and told her, "Dry yerself off. Alma wants tae see ye." Her glare hardened with suspicion while patting the cloth around her soaked body, unintentionally providing the sleazy Vice Lord a show of her bruised ass when she bent down to clean her legs.

Once Bellatrix finished, she quietly walked in front of Douglas after the two departed from the prison corridor. They passed the hellhounds, some nuzzling and lapping at the she-devil’s well-used and abused ass and cunt as she passed by, simply to be smacked aside by her spaded tail. "Heh. Guess ye still got their scent on ye,” snorted Douglas, who struck his hand on her bite-marked tit. “A true mark ov a good whore~.”

Bellatrix kept her mouth shut, which earned another sharp slap across her other bitten breast. Still, the most he got out of her was a reflexive flinch. Frowning, Douglas pulled one of the hound's collars and snapped it around the succubus’ neck, adorned by the word 'BITCH', the thick leather leash used to pull her after him. She sputtered, choked by the leash, and almost tripped, her pussy inflamed after constant use.

"What were you expecting?” Bellatrix weakly scoffed. “After days of enduring those horny mutts, I’ve gotten used to your schtick. Just hurry up and fuck me already; get it over with. We don’t want to keep your mistress wai-”

“Hold yer tongue, or A’ll cut it off an' replace it wit a louse!” The water demon barked, tightening his grip on her collar. “Alma can suck me dry fur all Ah care. A’m nobody's puppet! But maybe A've underestimated yer capacity fur torment. Lemme fix that real quick!”

The kelpie plucked fat leeches off his musculature that stank of salt and brine before dropping them onto Bellatrix’s perky nipples and clit. She sucked in a breath when they wetly, noisily suckled at her, struggling to hide the stinging pain mixed with unwanted pleasure.

“Yeah, ye like that, huh? Saucy cunt!!” He yanked her black hair to reel her head back so he could spit in her face. Yet despite his earlier statement, he didn’t want to lose his genitals for making the Baobhan Sith wait. He shoved her down to all fours and said, “Keep movin’, ya dumb bitch. Alma’s already in a f’ugly arse mood.”

Nakedness was the natural state of most succubi, so it didn't precisely bother Bellatrix to be nude. However, her blood boiled when the aquatic Vice Lord forced her to crawl up the stairs like a beast.

It didn’t help that in this position, she appeared ready to be mounted again, provoking the erect hellhounds to bark and growl aggressively, their own leashes pulled to the limit while they desperately tried to break free from the walls so they could have their way with her some more.

Bellatrix did her best to ignore Douglas' chortles. The salty, bitter taste of mutt tang lingered on her tongue, her pendulous breasts left to sway as the leeches slurped at her sensitive bits, no doubt leaving nasty red hickies once she could pry them off her succulent flesh.

What she couldn’t ignore was more of those parasitic worms crawling down to her body, leaving slimy trails across Bellatrix's red skin. She winced when those fattened creatures bit into her flesh, some even wiggling their way into her ruined pussy and asshole to seek warmth and moisture. Violently, her tail spade snapped and plucked them out of her ruined orifices.

“Aww, look at that! They’ve taken a likin' tae ye,” the kelpie pirate snickered, reaching down to help himself to a handful of her plump crimson asscheeks. “Had a lot ov conquests in mah time befur th' Burning King. Never slept a night wit'out a lusty wench happily chokin' down me cock. Promised them adventure an' escape from their dead-end lives… before lettin' th' sea gallows swallow them up.”

He sighed in reminiscence. “Nothin' is more calmin' than th' sound ov dyin' breath underwater. An' after we take th' Isle ov Parras, A’m gonna add all yer wee friends under th' notches ov me belt! Mmm... Ah think A’ll start wit that soft princess Doppia possessed. Cerise, was it? She had one hell ov a body. Too bad her sweet cherry’s already been popped! Nothin' like th' feelin' ov first blood soakin' yer john~!”

He seized Bellatrix's chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "How does it feel tae know yer betrayal made all this possible? Heh! Ah bet Alma knows some sort ov spell that can restore yer friend’s hymen. Could probably convince her tae do it so Ah can rupture it in front ov her friends an' lovers. Fuck, Ah can already hear her sobs as th' water fills her lungs~!”

This made the succubus push back harder, making him cackle louder while molesting her. “That got ya riled up, didn’t it? Maybe now ye’ll think twice about gettin' defiant wit me. Cause A’ve got ways tae hurt ye wit'out touchin' ye…”

Soon enough, the fussy Bellatrix was brought to the banquet room, where Alma, Camellia, and Esmeralda waited in their chairs. The moment Douglas removed the leash, the succubus immediately swatted the rest of the bloated leeches off of her with more moist pops, her poor distended nipples, and clit marked with red rings.

Her yellow eyes glared into the Baobhan Sith’s scarlet orbs and proclaimed, “If you brought me up here to profess my love and loyalty, you’re wasting your time.”

The hemomancer’s face curled harder. “No, ye’ve made it adamantly clear how much ov a foolish errand that is. On top ov bein' too difficult fur mah minions an' pets to handle, Ah think A’m done wastin' mah time on ye.” A cruel smile stretched her thin lips. “Go on then. Cut yer collar!”

Douglas jerked his head with perplexity. “Come again?”

Even Camellia and Esmeralda turned to each other, sharing confused looks. The tallest of the couple spoke up. “Mistress? You’re not seriously considering letting her go, are you?!”

Alma held up her hand to silence the masked vampiress. “She’s not goin' anywhere,” the countess reassured without tearing her gaze from her defiant prisoner. She repeated tauntingly, “Go ahead, dear. Ye have my permission~.”

“I don’t need your permission!” Bellatrix seethed, claws slicing the leather around her throat. Blood boiling and nether’s sore, the succubus took a combative stance, her nails turned to claws. Instinctively, the other legionnaires took their own stances, but one stern look from the Baobhan Sith told them to stand down. This was their dispute. And anyone who interfered would meet the bite of her Sanguine blade.

Battered as the sex demon was, her accursed physiology made her physically and spiritually receptive to any sexual stimulus. Even the non-consensual sort, which played out in her favor. Bellatrix drew energy from what the hellhounds and Douglas had done to her repeatedly, reinvigorating herself with their lustful releases back to a healthy state. It was the one edge she had on the Vice Lord.

A blush appeared across the she-devil’s face when Alma allowed her emerald dress to slip off her voluptuous curves, baring her nude flesh for all to see. With a flick of her wrist, the doors opened, and more hellhounds rushed in, flanking their vampiric master’s sides.

“Figures…” muttered Bellatrix, but remained undetected by the unfairness of their duel. At least now she could put down these dirty dogs for good!

But then they started to yowl in pain while Baobhan Sith opened her palm. And with a clutch, all her loyal hellhounds exploded into chunky blood splotches, making everyone gasp. When the vampiress reopened her hand, she drew the crimson liquid from the meat puddles into a sphere, which she then siphoned through her lips.

The dark rose aura of the Vice Lord’s Onoma manifested around her vessel, her long curly, auburn hair flowing towards the ceiling. She leered at her sultry opponent, who did her best to hide how nervous she was becoming.

But Alma could see how briskly her heart was beating, which fueled her malicious hunger, calling to Bellatrix, “Ye won’t give me yer heart? Fine! A’ll claim it fur myself!!”

Alma let out a wicked scream once her flesh warped into her bestial-chimera form. Her pale skin was covered with darkened fur, her face contorting to a wolfish maw with a bat’s flared snout and ears, her black horns and wings extending in length. Her burnt orange locks now a mane that draped over her chest and back.

The legionnaires pressed themselves to the walls to give the combatants space. Not even the bats above stuck around, fluttering out of the window that burst open from the rampant storm outside.

A flash of lightning signaled the start of their duel as the fully transmuted Alma lept into action, fangs bared and claws extended. Deftly, Bellatrix evaded a swipe at her throat, part of the table smashed under the Vice Lord's assault. She spread her leathery wingspan for maneuverability since they were too battered for extensive flight. The red-skinned demoness hopped onto a chandelier, crouched naked while it swayed over the hall with a tinkle of crystals.

When the Baobhan Sith flew after her, Bellatrix hurtled to the other chandelier, and the one she'd crouched on smashed into the floor. While aware she couldn’t keep dodging her foe, she wouldn’t risk close combat. If the hemomancer got even a single drop of blood from her, it would spell the she-devil’s end.

She grunted, ducking another vicious swipe from Alma, and twisted onto the last chandelier on the ceiling. Using its momentum, Bellatrix swung it back into the pursuing vampiress while she tumbled down to the carpeted floor.

Alma released a howl of fury, broken shards of jewelry and glass sticking out of her body and face. The succubus rose up, the floor littered with broken chandelier parts, leaving little space for her to move around.

Pulling out as much of the shrapnel as she could, the chimeric beast used her vampiric healing to seal her wounds shut, leaving smears of dark crimson in places. She snarled at Bellatrix, whose golden eyes returned the contempt.

"I wanted to love you, Alma,” she confessed. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever encountered! But I won’t stand by a monster willing to harm my friends! I swore to protect Oona and Abadonna, and you sold them out!”

She conjured a ball of black fire and hurled it at the Vice Lord, who slapped it away. “Ye should be grateful Ah didn’t tear th' whelp right out ov her stomach an' feast on her heart!” retorted Alma, who brushed aside more thrown demonic fireballs. “An' ye don’t get tae say that after tryin' tae make me yer pet! Lockin' me away like Ah was some kind ov animal!”

“I did,” admitted Bellatrix, who briefly glanced away. “I thought I could change you like Beatrix had changed others. I see now how gravely I was mistaken. And for that, I am sorry…”

“It’s too late for apologies, Primadonna!” Alma belted, wetness seeping out her unblinking eyes. “Ye made yer choice!”

“We both did,” the succubus lamented before resuming launching her blackened flame orbs. The Baobhan Sith launched off the wall to slash at her with blinding speed. Bellatrix barely managed to avoid those razor-sharp talons, landing on the other half of the table that stretched across the banquet halls, crouched down on all fours like a panther while their eyes locked, her tail raised and wingspan extended.

Screeching loudly, Alma propelled forward while Bellatrix rolled to evade another vicious swipe that split one-half of the table into pieces. The she-devil managed to land a few quick scratches with her nails and tail before the Baobhan Sith knocked her away with a brutal backhand.

Bellatrix groaned when her back collided with the stone wall, struggling to keep on her feet. While the red-skinned succubus was a powerhouse herself, it became apparent she stood no match against the Vice Lord by her lonesome, especially in this state.

Yet what confused her greatly was why the eldritch castle didn’t aid its mistress. She could sense its observation; it could quickly turn the tide. But it was completely neutral.

Was it obeying Alma’s wishes to not interfere, or was their bond not as strong as she thought?

Either way, it didn’t matter to Bellatrix. She couldn’t rely on its help anymore…

Alma approached on all fours, behaving more like a predator cornering its prey. Thinking fast, the she-devil chucked a chair, only to be smashed with a growl. With a pained jerk, Bellatrix weaved away from the chimera's charge, and the beast's face crashed into a solid stone wall that cracked under the impact. Dust choked the area as Alma snorted and pounced at her prey.

After so many attempts, she finally nicked Bellatrix on the shoulder. “Agh-!” The she-devil hissed, clutching her injury, eyes wide at the sight of dark red blood staining her fingers.

A victorious smirk stretched Alma’s hound-like snout as she lapped her lover’s essence off her claws. Her scarlet eyes burned brightly as her blood magic took control of the demoness’s body, forcing every vein and muscle to obey her will.

Bellatrix failed to hold back her screams as her flesh betrayed her, a sickening stretching sound every time her limbs shakingly walked towards Alma. With her target immobilized, the Baobhan Sith slammed her into the cold floor, straddling atop to tear more of her succulent flesh apart.

“YAAAAUUAAAGH!!”

“The game is over,” mused Camellia as she, Esmeralda, and Douglas stepped forward to get a closer look at the she-devil’s agony.

“That’s it, mistress!” The petite bat mare huntress chanted. “Rip her apart, slice her into ribbons!”

“A cryin' shame,” grunted the kelpie, who folded his arms. “She could have made fur a good cock warmer… oh well.”

The creature disguised as the castle broke its silence with distressed groaning. Despite the poor treatment it felt Bellatrix had given it, it couldn’t stand to see its former host being ripped asunder. Tendrils slowly descended from the ceiling until Alma reeled her head back and yelled, “Cease yer wailin', traitor! Ye allowed Clan Jakobson tae infiltrate our premises an' steal away our hostages. Ye’re as much at fault as she is! Now obey yer master an' HEEL!!”

Low growls resonated around the walls, but the eldritch beast did as commanded, retracting its toothy tentacles.

Alma brought her attention back to Bellatrix, taking in her anguished visage and crimson-soaked gashes. Her pupilless eyes trailed down to the valley of her breasts, noticing the singed scar where her heart was. An eternal reminder of the damage caused by the Burning King.

The blood countess hesitated, recalling the grueling decades she spent as the Nuckelavee’s servant, which in turn led to repressed memories of her countless days as a faerie whore to the royals who first imprisoned her. Twisting her into the blood-craving monster she was now…

The Baobhan Sith shook away those ghastly thoughts, though hot tears continued to fall down her cheeks as she plunged her entire paw through the succubus’ torso.

Bellatrix cried out from the excruciating pain, her bruised back arching. She felt her consciousness slipping, sight blurring as Alma squeezed her grasp around her frantically beating heart…

But as the Vice Lord was about to pull out her prize, a pale light steadily grew brighter and brighter until pure illumination erupted from Beatrix’s chest cavity. Alma yowled, repelling from the searing light as she and her comrades covered their eyes.

The ethereal light lit up the entire interior of the castle, the eldritch beast rumbling from the strange warmth filling its insides.

When the illumination died down, Esmeralda squinted at the radiant shape hovering before them. “What the fuck is that?!”

Alma kept her arm over her head, trying to make out the aberration stinging her eyesight with bared teeth. And when the brilliant light finally faded, she gasped, “… It can’t be!”

Bellatrix weakly lifted her head to gaze at the levitating woman in astonishment. Large, owl-shaped plumage unfurled around her nearly nude body, dark straps, and feathery lingerie highlighting her eccentric curves, heavy breasts, and childbearing hips. Her face structure was identical to the she-devil's, making her an angelic twin.

But that's where the similarities ended when taking in the plethora of eyes that blinked open along her inner plumage. Her skin was pale gray with dark accents in bizarre shapes around her shoulders, forearms, and thighs. Coiled around her right leg was a black serpent, which slightly lifted its head upon waking up.

She had waist-long white hair that resembled tiny wings, much like the pair that acted as her ears. A crown of black horns hovered atop her head like a halo. But the dead giveaway of her identity was the crescent-venus symbols highlighting her cheeks.

“L-Lilith!?!”

Her prominent eyes opened at the sound of her name. They mirrored Bellatrix’s golden orbs but with a violet ring around her blue pupils. Her dark-painted lips curled.

“Ahh… It’s been ages since I’ve heard someone call me by my most ancient name,” the primordial demoness mused, stretching her tired limbs. “And it feels good to have my own body again!”

She ran her hands over her bountiful bosom and plump buttocks, giggling alluringly. “So very nice indeed~.”

“Holy shite,” Douglas said, flabbergasted. “A’ve been fuckin' two women at th' same time?!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” scoffed Lilith. “I wouldn’t give just any man the privilege of tasting divinity. And certainly not one so hideous and grotesque.”

“Wanna bet, ye fuckin’ cun-” His retort was cut off by a hard slap from Camellia. “Aagh!”

“For once in your pathetic life, shut your trout!!” Warned the aristocratic vampiress.

“Don’t you understand who that is?!” added Esmeralda.

Rubbing his cheek, the kelpie grumbled, “Another cunty succubus?”

“Not just any succubus, idiot,” hissed Alma. “Thee first succubus tae have roamed th' earth. Th' mother ov all demons, fallen wife ov Adam, matriarch ov th' morning star! She… is th' true devil queen! But Ah would have ne'er suspected she was related tae that angelic freak an' his whore sister!”

The ancient succubus smiled coyly. “There is much about my story many people were fooled into believing. But it pleases me to know I have not been forgotten by this young generation.” She then frowned as her bare feet touched the ground, standing in front of Bellatrix protectively.

“Since you’re well acquainted with my titles and status, you must know fighting me would be a terrible idea,” she stated firmly. “Allow us to leave peacefully, and no more harm will come to you and your legion.”

“An' suffer more humiliation by lettin' another wench slip from mah grasp? Ah don’t think so!” Alma sneered as she and her legionnaires approached the pair. “Yer reign as queen ov hell has long since ended, Lilith! Ah own th' night skies now!!”

The Baobhan Sith lunged first, aiming to slice through her tall neck and drink her blood… only for her target to casually step back and secure her wrist between her thumb and finger.

“I have lived longer than you’ve drawn immortal breath,” countered Lilith, her feathery white hair flowing as dark energy manifested from her body and wings. “You’re not the first to lust after my throne. Nor will you be the last. But no matter who wears the crown, one truth shall be universal…”

All of her eyes glowed with magical light as the room around them became enveloped by darkness and stars.

“… the night will forever be my domain!”

Everything present in the banquet hall was pulled into some sort of pocket dimension, the decorative architecture of the castle replaced by an endless star-filled sky. The ground they tread upon was not ground at all but an infinite ocean of water reflecting the night above.

Alma snarled when Lilith vanished from the front, shifting Bellatrix and herself further away, where the mother of all demons summoned a topaz apple and gave it to the she-devil.

“Eat,” she urged. “It will help you rejuvenate faster.”

“T-thanks…” Bellatrix managed to say, taking small delicate bites of the strange yet sweet-tasting fruit. And, much like Lilith said, the slash marks and hole in her chest steadily closed, and some of her lost strength started to return.

Finishing her mouthful, she took in the mystical sight and questioned, “What is this place?”

“This is the realm of my Onoma, Nyx,” explained the motherly succubus. “I have total control over everything within this night-filled space. It’s a power I alone possess… though I sense that one of my descendants has recently awakened an ability similar to it!”

And given who her former angelic side resembled, it didn’t take the dreary succubus long to figure out. “Ana! So she really is a Lilium!?”

Lilith affirmed with a nod, changing focus on the Legion of Black Roses, who charged towards them. “Now, stay put. This won’t take long.”

Her mighty wings unfurled to their full extent, her adder-shaped tail unwrapping itself to hiss at the incoming threats.

Alma flew down like a piece of the night was given fangs and claws. But before she could reach the primordial succubus, the monstrous bats blocked her vision, fluttering and stretching all around her.

“Graagh! What are ye doin'!? Ah am yer master!!”

Lilith tittered with amusement, folding her arms underneath her milky bust. “Good children won't ever dare attack their mother~.”

Her point was further demonstrated by the sound of barking. The remaining hellhounds off their leash snarl and pounce at the vampire duo, who struggle to kick away the pack of two-headed canines.

“Stupid dogs! Get off of me!!” yelled Esmeralda.

“How dare you disobey your mistress!!” Camellia complained.

Alma turned to Douglas and angrily yelled, “Do somethin', ye dolt!”

The kelpie unsheathed his cutlass and was submerged in the dark water below. Lilith raised a curious brow when the demonic pirate resurfaced behind her, aiming the tip of his blade under her chin while wrapping an arm around her chest.

“Ha! Stupid bitch,” the water demon cackled. “This is just an oversized swimmin' pool. A’m in me natural element!” His hand slipped under her garment to get a handful of the primordial succubus’ luscious milk tanks. “Now call off them night creatures an' get down on yer knees. Otherwise, it’ll be more than just yer clothes A’ll be carvin' intae—Yaaaaaugh!!”

In his arrogance, Douglas failed to factor in Lilith’s snake tail, which bit into his leg and pumped his briny body with its potent venom. The kelpie hollered with pain, breaking his hold to favor his leg, the scorching sting of the poison coursing through his body.

This left him in a prime position to take a hard-spinning back kick from the mother of all demons. The impact sent Douglas splashing across the watery floor.

Alma was absolutely livid at the cloud of bats, lashing out in every direction until they retreated. Her fellow vampires also managed to put down the treacherous hellhounds. All three let out a furious war cry and dashed for the ancient demoness, attacking her at all sides.

“Look out!” warned Bellatrix, who was still recovering.

But Lilith wasn’t deterred, gracefully pivoting every slash, strike, and bullet shot the trio of vampires threw at her. Then she retaliated with a few stiff jabs and kicks of her own, batting Alma, Camellia, and Esmeralda around with her wings.

The fight quickly proved entirely out of their favor when the legendary succubus started incorporating her dark spells, blasting them with night beams or radiant orbs of baleful flames. Her movements formed the liquid surface into the shapes of her hands and feet to deal extra damage.

“This battle was over the moment she brought us here,” surmised Bellatrix as she watched her angelic doppelgänger curb-stomp the Legion of Black Roses.

Camellia and Esmeralda collapsed, unable to overcome the holy magic infused by Lilith’s attacks. Steam hissed off their clothes and flesh. Alma could barely push herself back on her knees, reverting to her humanoid shape. Her scarlet eyes widened, shaken to her core at how easily she and her comrades were dispatched.

“You understand now, don’t you?” Lilith asked as she looked over her defeated foes. “The warmth of hellish light fused with heavenly darkness. As above, so below. This is the power of the first woman!”

"N-no! No, no, NO!!!” Alma cried in outrage, slamming her fists into the liquid surface of the realm of Nyx. All her power, all her control… taken away instantly, just like her freedom long ago. Even the eldritch abomination could not penetrate this pocket dimension and help her here.

The Baobhan Sith bowed her head and let out ugly sobs, overcome by a sense of helplessness and despair. “It’s not fair! Dae ye know th' amount ov blood A’ve spilled tae get this far? DAE YE KNOW HOW MUCH AH SACRIFICED?!”

A frown formed on the primordial demon’s mouth, and her eyelids lowered. “As a matter of fact, I do…” Her Onoma rapidly dispelled, the night-filled void vanishing as everyone returned to the messy banquet room, the castle beast offering concerned noises.

Bellatrix rose up and limped towards her counterpart and ex-lover once she sensed it was safe. Her hardened gaze softened, seeing her bitter enemy break into tears.

“Oh, my poor Alma,” lamented Lilith. “Such a noble, kind-hearted faerie you once were. You warded your friends and family from invading hunters, only to get captured yourself.”

“Shut up… sh-shut up!”

The regal demoness continued. “Once brought before those foul lords, you were stripped of your wings and chastity. They defiled you for many nights before invoking an ancient blood ritual that turned you into the Baobhan Sith. You slaughtered them mercilessly, rightfully so! But your newfound bloodlust didn’t end there. You took your anger out on everything, men and women alike. Not even your former friends were spared from your wrath—”

“Shut up, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!” Alma demanded bitterly, not wanting to relive the awful experiences.

Lilith pursed her lips in a thin line. “I don’t say this to patronize you, Alma. I speak out of experience. I too was mistreated and once sought vengeance on the world. But it only made things worse. I was too late back then… however, it’s not too late for you!”

She reached down to cup Alma’s cheeks, lifting her face up. The Vice Lord stared up at Lilith, then at Bellatrix, before her brows furrowed, and she attempted to bite the holy demoness’ hand.

Lilith sighed with disappointment. “You’re committed, then… Very well. We’ll take our leave.”

With the same hand, the motherly succubus stuck it between her cleavage to pull out a silver device shaped like some sort of whistle with small uncolored orbs embedded between a circular ring.

Bellatrix stared at the alien relic curiously before asking, “Are we not using the Womb of Conception to pass through dimensions?”

Lilith blinked, her face twisting with bewilderment. “Womb of Concep… That’s what you name your Glamorguis? How barbaric!”

“Glamo-what?”

“No, it’s too dangerous given how unstable the multiverse is currently,” she dejected. “Luckily for us, I have a better means of galactic travel~.”

She blew into the bizarre object, producing a peculiar sound as the tiny orbs lit up with red, blue, and orange light. The eldritch beast, now apparently known as a Glamorguis, reacted by shuddering violently, its interiors filled with low groans.

The constant shaking caused the aristocratic bat mares to rise from their beaten stupor. “Wh-what’s happening?” Camellia demanded, watching as furniture and cutlery fell off the trembling walls. “What did you do!?”

Lilith smiled and answered, “Just calling an old friend.”

Alma rose up when a strange rumbling sound grew louder and louder. Then she noticed something large obscuring the stormy skies, the rain having mysteriously stopped pouring outside.

The castle whimpered louder as the power blacked out, leaving the entire interior in perpetual darkness… until a bright flash of illumination poured through the windows, blinding anyone watching.

Everyone’s ears began ringing from the ominous drone resonating above their heads, followed by occasional clicking. Bellatrix covered her ears while Lilith appeared unaffected by whatever she had just summoned.

“Our ride’s here,” she quipped casually, guiding the weary succubus out of the frightened castle. And what she saw left her both dumbfounded and mesmerized.

Eclipsing the castle was an enormous ophanim-like creature that resembled the classical interpretation of an unidentified flying object. Its spiraling saucer-shaped wing was studded with numerous multicolored lights. Underneath was a smaller biomechanical underbelly that spun in the opposite direction, with similar illumination that scanned the ground like searchlights.

But upon observing how the glowing orbs shifted around while rotating, Bellatrix realized all those ‘lights’ were really the eldritch creature’s eyes. Which meant the enclosed spherical center was most likely its mouth. And it would have wholly dwarfed the eldritch abomination further had it retained its manor disguise.

“It’s gigantic!” the red-skinned woman marveled.

Lilith nodded. “The last Glamorguis of its size. And the gentlest.” She took Bellatrix’s hand to help her move forward, where the multitude of ocular lights fixated on the pair. The living spacecraft greeted them with a series of loud rhythmic horns and synthesized warbles, almost like it was singing to them.

Alma, Camellia, and Esmeralda raced after them, only to stop dead in their tracks upon spotting the massive spaceship.

"Wh-what? How...?!” the Vice Lord sputtered in disbelief.

“Am I seeing this right?” Esmeralda added, wide-eyed. “Is that a goddamn UFO?!”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Camellia exclaimed. “Why would the first woman be associated with extraterrestrials?!”

Lilith turned her attention to the baffled vampires and responded, “Aliens. Angels. They’re one and the same, really. Where do you think people got the concept of ‘heading towards a light that would lift you towards heaven’~?”

As if on cue, a beam of light shot down from the creature’s circular orifice, bits of ground and pebbles floating upward within the pillar. The mother of devils stepped forth, her body bathed in heavenly illumination.

She waited for Bellatrix to follow, but the red-skinned succubus paused to look back at the vampiress she once coveted. They stared silently at each other, a lone tear running down Alma’s cheek as she watched her beloved prisoner step into the light and ascend towards the hovering Glamorguis.

No one dared to intervene, aware that they couldn’t overpower the primordial succubus, nor the enormous spaceship obedient to her. It made another melodic sound before taking off into the stormy skies.

The chaotic weather continued to rain down on the castle, the eldritch beast unwinding with a stressful groan once the larger animal had finally flown away.

Alma collapsed to her knees. Face fallen, hair a tangled mess, and heart heavy with despair. No single word could describe how humiliated she was, hopeless to watch the last of her advantages drift away.

“Mistress, we mustn’t stay here,” urged Camellia gently. “This storm is growing worse by the second!”

“She’s right,” agreed Esmeralda, trying to comfort her with a shoulder rub. “We have to prepare for Tatyana’s invasion!”

But their words fell on deaf ears, Alma too crestfallen by everything that had happened to think up a plan to turn this dire situation around for herself and her legion.

Ultimately, it no longer mattered to the Baobhan Sith what happened next. She'd lost the only thing she could ever love.

Despite finally having her freedom, Bellatrix maintained a deep melancholy. The Glamorguis’ bizarre biology allowed the succubus to observe outer space through a translucent window. Her saddened gaze was fixated on the shrinking rocky planet where the castle resided, disappearing in a swirling storm of red and black clouds.

Inside the UFO wasn’t a biomechanical interior or innards like one would expect. It was a blank white void, presumingly able to form any living space based on the host’s preferences, much like the castle.

Behind Bellatrix, Lilith was laughing from the abstract tendrils that wriggled around her limbs and assets in a ticklish manner. They were connected underneath a small nimbus full of techno-colored gas spheres, giving it a jellyfish-like appearance.

“Mmmmn~! Yes, I’ve missed you too,” cooed the ancient woman, stroking the tentacle and caressing her cheek. “I can’t imagine how lonely it must have been for you. Don’t worry; you’ll have plenty of company soon enough.”

Her motherly smile faltered when she approached her counterpart, kneeling down to comfort the sulking succubus. “You need not concern yourself with her anymore.”

“And yet I do,” murmured Bellatrix, turning her head to face the angelic demoness. “What’s going to happen to her?”

Lilith shrugged. “Who knows? With any luck, she and her cronies will be swallowed by the storm as more dimensions collapse into each other. Take it from someone who's gone through three husbands. Your heart will heal and move on.”

“Will it, though?” The red-skinned woman turned away. “I’ve never felt so strongly for anyone before. The closest I felt that someone could be my partner was Zeloph, and he-”

“Mmm… that was likely my heart speaking through you,” Lilith admitted with a faint blush. “He reminds me much of my darling, Lucifer. Like you and I, he shares his face and elegant mannerisms. Forgive me if I-”

“No, that does clear things up,” noted Bellatrix. “Regardless, he belongs with Shadow Scythe. And I doubt I’ll find anyone like Alma.”

The mother of demons furrowed her eyebrows. “I would certainly hope not! She was abrasive and cruel. Beneath her ethereal beauty lies an untameable heart, Bellatrix!”

“I know!” The she-devil belted in frustration. She momentarily collected herself with a heavy sigh. “I thought I could fix her…”

“She doesn’t need to be fixed,” the primordial woman argued gently. “She needs guidance. And maybe someday, you can properly help her once you’ve figured yourself out.”

Bellatrix only nodded while leaning into the first woman’s caressing fingers. “Thank you, Lilith… for saving me.”

“Think nothing of it, dear,” she insisted. “Though I’d rather you’d call me something different. The name ‘Lilith’ has been disgraced with time.”

“Hmm…” the she-devil pondered a potential name for a few brief seconds. “How about… Layla?”

“Ooh~! That does have a lovely sound to it. Layla… I like it!”

Rising up, the motherly demon reminded, “But that’s after we find a way to save the multiverse from annihilation. We need to gather our friends. As much as I want to reunite with the other Demi-humans, we should probably get Beatrix first. Midnight’s world is likely the first to fall…”

"Yes,” Bellatrix agreed. “I… want to see my sister.”

She looked down at her breasts, red marks around her areola, and fished out the ancient coin tossed to her, hidden within the shapeshifter's flesh. A reminder of the abuse she'd endured. "I owe her and everyone else an apology for my foolish mistake. I’ll make it up to them anyway I can!"

"Well said," mused Lilith, smiling. She spoke to the alien nimbus with an ancient tongue, which prompted another string of dubs and warbles. As the Glamorguis set course, the plain void shifted to become a luxurious bathhouse.

“It’ll be a while until we reach them,” said Lilith, removing her feathery bra to free her massive bosom with a supple bounce. Hooking her panties with her thumbs, she bent down to slide them off her shapely, slender legs. Fully naked, the mother of all demons dipped her body into the steamy warm waters, sighing melodically.

“Come lavish yourself, Bellatrix,” she called. “Heaven knows how long you’ve needed a proper bath~.”

The red-skinned demoness found her tail swaying excitedly. A long soak did sound nice. Standing up, Bellatrix studied the coin one last time before tossing it out the translucent window, which popped the trinket out like it passed through water. There, it would float aimlessly in the vast vacuum of space.

Across the magic capital of Canterlot, the Sovereign Witch rallied her forces, preparing for the upcoming invasion ahead. From her palace, Tatyana overlooked her gathered citizens, a mix of fearful and angry eyes upon her. She held her snout high when she began her speech.

“Children of Canterlot,” the wicked monarch said, arms outstretched. “The future of our beloved kingdom and magic depends on us! This storm…” She gestured to the cosmic clouds blacking out the heavens. “… Is the aftermath of one Beatrix Belladonna and her anomalous affairs!”

Murmurs of speculation and suspicion arose from the crowd. Some unicorns didn’t want to believe it, while other ponies were looking for a source of blame.

Tatyana continued nonetheless. “By tampering with the fabrics of time and space, Beatrix has made herself a threat to all of existence. She, her friends, and anyone associated cannot be allowed to run unchecked anymore! With her defeat comes salvation! By her death, every reality will be saved!"

The statuesque mare was met with cheers and raised arms, some onlookers floating in mid-air, others atop stationary magic carpets. Only unicorns blessed by the arcane were allowed sanctuary. A haughty grin stretched Tatyana’s snout, reveling in their attention, fantasizing about when she'd finally put Beatrix in her place. With her rival on her knees, the enchantress would extract the violet mare’s prowess and add that unimaginable might to her own.

The fact that she would be known as a heroine of the multiverse was simply a sweet bonus!

“I want every available stallion and mare aboard the ships within an hour,” stated Tatyana, motioning her most powerful mages and paladins to take formations and match out the gates. “We reach the Isles of Parras before the eve of May! On Walpurgisnacht, we strike!”

“Onward!” A commanding officer bellowed. “Long live the queen!”

“Long live the queen!” The troops parroted.

With her speech concluded, Tatyana turned and left behind the rhythm of marching hooves and war drums. The towering mare strutted her way back into her bedchambers. Opening the door, her unfettered glare narrowed. “You should be lying down, Grimmwald.”

Her bovine husband observed his trained military departing Canterlot, waving the kingdom’s banner high against the strong winds. A patient’s robe adorned his rotund physique, bandages coiled over his severed horn.

After a moment of painful silence, Brutus heaved a sigh before facing his wife with a narrow gaze. “At moments like these, I would counsel you to reconsider the course of your actions… but I see that time has long since passed.”

Tatyana scoffed. “Don’t be indignant with me just because I took charge of your men, dear. It wasn’t like you would have personally led them yourself...”

“Because this is lunacy!” The minotaur declared with a clenched fist. “A fight with the Jakobson clan will only lead to heedless bloodshed! War should never be the answer, Tatyana!”

“War is necessary!” The sovereign witch rebutted. “To uphold our allegiance to the Black Rose. With the Vice Lords and their followers by our side, none shall stand in the way of our ambition!

“Your ambition,” Grimmwald corrected with a snort. “I didn't want this…”

“You did once,” the slender unicorn reminded scornfully. “You were the one who started this ‘garden of prosperity’ for Canterlot. The Grimm experiments! It was you who reached out to that nobody, Darkbloom! And look what he’s become!!”

“I WAS RECKLESS!!” Brutus bellowed guiltily, clutching his chest when pain spiked. Tatyana stared emotionlessly as her husband wheezed and settled back into his bed. Sweat and tears leaked down his face, swallowing the bitterness in his throat.

“Had I known then what I do now, I would have never allowed Aiden to pass through the gate! You wouldn’t have been… I’m so sorry, my love.”

The monarch unicorn shook her head, tsking. She then said with a mocking cadence, “Don’t worry, dear husband. You’ll have all the time to wallow in your regrets safely in your bed. Just leave everything to me… like always!”

Grimmwald watched solemnly as his wife stepped out of the room with a brisk tempo, the click of her heels echoing further down the hallway. A defeated groan escaped his throat. Even with the tactical advantage, the losses would be monumental even if they won. More innocents would perish.

The sound of rain littering against glass turned his weary gaze to the window, the stormy night only amplifying the minotaur’s melancholy.

There was a moment's respite before his ears perked at the door creaking opening. Out from the other side was Flurry Heart, who curtsied her frilly gown and smiled.

“Child?” Grimmwald questioned weakly. “You should be asleep.”

“Couldn’t with all the ruckus going on,” the alicorn teen mumbled as she wandered closer to his bedside. “Forgive me; I didn’t mean to intrude!”

The bullman gave a dry chuckle. “No, it’s quite alright. I don’t mind your company.”

Flurry Heart scooted closer. “Trouble with the missus?”

“Heh. Quite the understatement,” confirmed Brutus. “The queen has never had peace of mind. Once her heart is set on something, there’s no talking her out of it. A trait I once cherished…”

“Sounds like your marriage is barely holding together,” the pink princess said. “Why don’t you let her go and move on?”

A troubled breath passed his mouth, quivering to hold back his emotions. “Because some part of me still wishes to believe I can fix this mess. A part of me that hopes behind that vain, heartless exterior, the enigmatic mare I love still exists…”

“Oh, Lord Grimmwald…” Flurry Heart sighed, her tiny hand stroking his knuckles. “… How could you expect that out of a loathsome copy?”

Her question gave the blue minotaur pause, the word making him visibly pale. His eye dilated when staring at her quizzically.

“… what are you talking about?”

The young alicorn gave a childish titter. "Oh, don't play dumb! It's beneath you!" Flurry lowered her voice when she said, “We both know that’s not the original sovereign witch. This is the third Grimm of Tatyana you've created, isn't it?"

Brutus balked, his heart rate increasing. "How did you-?!"

"And yet, each clone grows to become more callous and cruel than the last. An endless recreation of confusion and rage. Tormented by the fact that they’re a byproduct of your reluctance to let your wife die.”

The room darkened as the squall grew more rampant and loud, precipitation hammering against the window.

“That’s why you started the Grimm project,” Flurry Heart continued. “Not to seek out and preserve the future of magic, but to escape the brutal reality that your dearly departed wife is gone. And through your twisted scheme, innocent ponies were sacrificed.” Her head tilted to the side. “How many souls have you fed to your ‘life-bearing’ tree? Thousands? Millions?!”

Grimmwald’s sweat turned cold, his psyche recollecting the mortified screams and expressions of the ponies and animals he assimilated into the botanic abomination that pillared out the castle spires. Repurposing their bodies into Grimms for him to command… until his wife eventually overpowered him through her Onoma.

Guilt and dread swelled beneath the bovine’s breast, his deplorable crimes haunting him like vengeful wraiths. But through his turmoil and paranoia, one thing became adamant.

This was not the kind and naive Flurry Heart he usually spoke with. Brutus furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "How is it that you know this? Who told you!?”

Flurry flashed a malicious smile, her blue eyes dissolving into pitch black when she answered, “Why, It came to me in a dream~!”

The door creaked shut at her ominous words, and her shadow stretched and submerged the chamber wall. The color drained from the minotaur as the darkness took shape. Not of Flurry Heart’s silhouette… but of an all too familiar cervine with an outstretched crown of antlers and ghastly red eyes peering out the black veil.

“You!”

“ꁝꏂ꒒꒒ꄲ, ꃳꋪ꒤꓄꒤ꇙ,” Omen greeted through Flurry Heart, his voice overshadowing hers. “ꇙꄲ ꋊ꒐ꉔꏂ ꓄ꄲ ꇙꏂꏂ ꌦꄲ꒤ ꋬꍌꋬ꒐ꋊ.”

“What have you done to her?!”

A deep chuckle rumbled like thunder outside the room as the alicorn felt her cheek. “ꁝꏂꋬ꒦ꌦ ꇙ꒒ꏂꏂꉣꏂꋪ, ꓄ꁝ꒐ꇙ ꄲꋊꏂ. ꉣꄲꄲꋪ ꒒꒐꓄꓄꒒ꏂ ꓄ꁝ꒐ꋊꍌ ꅐꋬꇙ ꉔꄲꋊꇙ꓄ꋬꋊ꓄꒒ꌦ ꓄ꄲꇙꇙ꒐ꋊꍌ ꋬꋊ꒯ ꓄꒤ꋪꋊ꒐ꋊꍌ. ꋪ꒐ꉣꏂ ꅐ꒐꓄ꁝ ꓄ꁝꏂ ꇙ꓄ꏂꋊꉔꁝ ꄲꊰ ꊰꏂꋬꋪ! ꁝꋬ꒯ ꋬ ꃳꋬ꒯ ꒯ꋪꏂꋬꂵ ꄲꊰ ꅐꁝꏂꋊ ꌦꄲ꒤ ꋬꋊ꒯ ꓄ꋬ꓄ꌦꋬꋊꋬ ꅐꄲ꒤꒒꒯ ꒯ꋪꄲꉣ ꌦꄲ꒤ꋪ ꉔꁝꋬꋪꋬ꒯ꏂ ꋬꋊ꒯ ꁝꋬꋪꋊꏂꇙꇙ ꁝꏂꋪ ꋬ꒒꒐ꉔꄲꋪꋊ ꂵꋬꍌ꒐ꉔ.”

Blackened tears rained down the young princess’s cheeks, a smile far too wide for her face. “ꃳ꒤꓄ ꅐꄲꋪꋪꌦ ꋊꄲ꓄. ꁝꏂꋪ ꇙ꒤ꊰꊰꏂꋪ꒐ꋊꍌ ꇙꁝꋬ꒒꒒ ꃳꏂ ꇙ꒐꒒ꏂꋊꉔꏂ꒯ ꇙꄲꄲꋊ!”

“NO!!” Grimmwald pushed up with all his might, panic overriding the pain coursing through his body. He dropped to his knees and gripped the alicorn tightly. “Wake up, Flurry Heart! Wake up! It’s only a bad dream!! Stay away from the Nahtdyr!!!”

Suddenly, a glitching flash of red and the bed chamber collapsed. Walls crumbling, furniture dissolved into the air, the world around them an unraveled mess. Grimmwald gazed aghast at his surroundings. Stars disappeared into the growing nothing. Reality tearing itself apart to become nothing. A cacophony of screams echoed around him, fading into silence. The bull man was visibly dismayed at the sight of a ruined Canterlot, where only stone rubble and a burnt stump of a tree remained. It was complete and utter entropy!

A heavy claw seized his throat and slammed him into the ground. The crippled minotaur was aghast, staring widely into the blood-red orbs glaring from the sockets of the nightmare stag’s ivory skull face. But outside the thorny antlers, decorated with black beads and archaic ornaments, he hardly resembled a stag at all.

Omen now looked like the amalgamation of an elk, wolf, and bear. His skull’s snout was far more narrow, his body bulky and layered with thick black fur that wriggled like worms. His bottom jaws sported a secondary pair of eyes, with one large eye opening between his brows. And all over the creature’s body were multiple maws full of sharp teeth, the largest formed around his stomach. The implications of where he got such attributes caused the bull man to greatly shudder.

“ꅐꏂ ꋬꋪꏂ ꃳꏂꌦꄲꋊ꒯ ꒯ꋪꏂꋬꂵ꒐ꋊꍌ, ꂵꌦ ꊰꋪ꒐ꏂꋊ꒯,” Omen and Flurry Heart said in unison as the filly approached, black gunk leaking out her eyes and snout. “꓄ꁝ꒐ꇙ ꒐ꇙ ꓄ꁝꏂ ꋊ꒐ꍌꁝ꓄ꂵꋬꋪꏂ ꓄ꁝꋬ꓄ ꒒꒐꒦ꏂꇙ ꄲꋊ!”

“I care not for the nonsense you spout,” the bull man choked. “If you’re here to kill me, just kill me! But leave Flurry Heart out of this!!”

Omen gave a low growl that resembled a deep chuckle. “ꋬꋊ꒯ ꒒ꏂ꓄ ꌦꄲ꒤ ꄲꊰꊰ ꇙꄲ ꏂꋬꇙ꒐꒒ꌦ? ꒐ꊰ ꋬꋊꌦ꓄ꁝ꒐ꋊꍌ, ꒐ ꇙꁝꄲ꒤꒒꒯ ꓄ꁝꋬꋊꀘ ꌦꄲ꒤! ꒐ ꅐꄲ꒤꒒꒯ ꁝꋬ꒦ꏂ ꋊꏂ꒦ꏂꋪ ꃳꏂꏂꋊ ꋬꃳ꒒ꏂ ꓄ꄲ ꉔꁝꋬꋊꍌꏂ ꂵꌦ ꊰꋬ꓄ꏂ ꅐ꒐꓄ꁝꄲ꒤꓄ ꌦꄲ꒤ꋪ ꅐꏂꋬꀘꋊꏂꇙꇙ.”

“Wh-what!?”

“ꅐꁝꏂꋊ ꒐ ꉣꋬꇙꇙꏂ꒯ ꓄ꁝꋪꄲ꒤ꍌꁝ ꓄ꁝꏂ ꍌꋬ꓄ꏂ, ꒐ ꃳꄲꋪꏂ ꅐ꒐꓄ꋊꏂꇙꇙ ꓄ꄲ ꓄ꁝꏂ ꓄ꋪ꒤꓄ꁝ,” elaborated the seer of black dreams. “ꇙ꒐ꋊꉔꏂ ꓄ꁝꏂ ꊰ꒐ꋪꇙ꓄ ꇙꉔꋪꏂꋬꂵ ꄲꊰ ꉔꋪꏂꋬ꓄꒐ꄲꋊ, ꓄꒐ꂵꏂ ꁝꋬꇙ ꋬ꒒ꅐꋬꌦꇙ ꃳꏂꏂꋊ ꋬ ꅐꁝꏂꏂ꒒. ꋊꄲ ꃳꏂꍌ꒐ꋊꋊ꒐ꋊꍌ. ꋊꄲ ꏂꋊ꒯. ꄲꋊ꒒ꌦ ꉔꄲꋊ꓄꒐ꋊ꒤ꄲ꒤ꇙ, ꓄ꏂ꒯꒐ꄲ꒤ꇙ ꏂꉧ꒐ꇙ꓄ꏂꋊꉔꏂ. ꃳ꒤꓄ ꋊꄲꅐ…”

The monstrous cervine reached behind to pull out his staff from this air. An ancient artifact containing blackened sand fixed between the jaws of a stag skull embedded in a dreamcatcher’s web, an owl emblem etched in the wooden frame.

“… ꒐ ꁝꋬ꒦ꏂ ꓄ꁝꏂ ꉣꄲꅐꏂꋪ ꓄ꄲ ꃳꋪꏂꋬꀘ ꓄ꁝꋬ꓄ ꅐꁝꏂꏂ꒒. ꅐ꒐꓄ꁝ ꂵꋬꋊ꒯ꏂ꒒ꋬ'ꇙ ꁝꄲ꒤ꋪꍌ꒒ꋬꇙꇙ, ꓄꒐ꂵꏂ ꒐ꇙ ꂵꏂꋪꏂ꒒ꌦ ꋬꋊ ꒐꒒꒒꒤ꇙ꒐ꄲꋊ! ꋬꋊ꒯ ꋬ꒒꒒ ꒐꓄ ꓄ꄲꄲꀘ ꅐꋬꇙ ꇙꏂ꒯꒤ꉔ꒐ꋊꍌ ꋬ ꋊꋬ꒐꒦ꏂ ꅐ꒐꓄ꉔꁝ ꋬꋊ꒯ ꋬ ꇙꄲꊰ꓄ꁝꏂꋬꋪ꓄ꏂ꒯ ꒒ꋬꂵꃳ ꒐ꋊ꓄ꄲ ꃳꏂꋬꋪ꒐ꋊꍌ ꂵꌦ ꉔꁝ꒐꒒꒯~.”

Grimmwald bellowed in outrage as the nightmarish reality shattered into white noise, walls of static and scribbles overwhelming his senses until it abruptly stopped. He was back in his bedroom, body strained, soaked in sweat and tears. Flurry Heart stood near the darkened wall, following the metronomic sway of a pendulum in front of her, held by the gray cervine in blood-red robes. Half his smiling face was hidden in perpetual darkness save his gleaming maroon eyes.

Putting away his hypnosis device, Omen opened his palm and obliterated the wall behind him, revealing a glitching crimson portal. Inside was a dark cavern, where a group of similarly robed figures waited. The possessed alicorn hovered into the torn rift, and the nightmare stag was about to follow, only to pause when Grimmwald called out.

“Aiden..!”

He turned his head at the sound of his true name, his smile vanishing.

“Aiden Darkbloom is no more,” the cervine sorcerer retorted. “All that’s left is a terrible omen.”

“But why?” the waning minotaur demanded, unable to lift his heavy body. “Why are you doing this?!”

“If you don’t understand now, Brutus, you never will. Nothing will stop me…”

Time reversed as the wall reassembled itself to seal off the portal. Omen watched his old friend succumb to fatigue and fall unconscious with disdain before proceeding through the passage.

“…...ꋊꂦꋖꍩꂑꋊꁅ!”