Chapter 275 - Phantom

"Stop making all that noise," he glared. Teressa laid on the floor, legs parted with countless incubuses on top. Her face, a mess of makeup, it resembled what a toddler would have made, given a bucket of paint. 

"I g-give up," with what little strength she had, her gaze, filled with regret, asked for an ounce of mercy, "-k-kill me already."

*Blood-Arts: Crimson Thread,* without looking, the blood around the room transferred into the halo. Circles of various circ.u.mference hovered above her head, "-the torture has only begun," he said with a smile, *snap,* it latched onto her mouth and stitched both lips together. "Enjoy," he winked and returned to the award ceremony.

There, still protected by shields, the Queen awarded what was due. Eira knelt and was knighted, a hexagonal pentagram with the royal crest inside, was pinned to her uniform. Overwhelmed, the new Prodigy could but smile.

"Lady Eira," voiced Sophie, "-care to say a few words?" 

"With pleasure," with a sniff, "-I'd like to thank everyone who has helped me conquer this fabled stage. I'm very honored to have received the Queen's blessing and knighthood. Words can't truly express how I feel; therefore, I'll say one thing. There's someone who I need to catch up too, and today is the first step," she stared the camera, "-heed my words," she smiled, "-you know very well who you are, I'm going to stand next to you one day, as an equal." 

"Awesome," added Aceline, "-though it might have been a little bumpy with the whole assassination business, LET'S END IT IN STYLE," she yelled.

"May I?" asked the queen, she wanted to have another minute with the microphone.

"Before the tournament concludes," her voice seemed serious, "-most of you might not have shaken the words I've said earlier. Eira, is related to me, however," she turned and faced Xula, "-blood isn't the issue, nor is it nepotism, Eira Haggard made her own path to this stage. Please don't let that misjudge thine views of her. Lady Eira is and will always be the daughter and princess of Arda. Tis a promise I made to a friend. Our Kingdom of Hidros will strive to become better. Let's endeavor to be more cordial to one another, strength in unity, I wish to unite all the provinces. Make Hidros a powerful continent so that one day we can stand proud as a nation," she held her hand, "-are you with me?"

*YEAHHHHHHHH,* the crowd roared, her message later went into greater details. All and all, her usage of words made it clear that Eira had no claim over the throne for she was Princess to another Kingdom. Her family name, Haggard, was all that mattered. 

'You did it,' amidst muffled m.o.a.ns with his feet on the table, Staxius waited. 'Eira's the next prodigy, her life as a mage is all but assured. Queen Gallienne did well to manipulate the crowd with her words and actions. I'm very impressed. The issue of the Goldberg is at hand,' feet off, he leaned with his elbow against the table, "-Lady Goldberg," around thirty-minutes had gone, her entire lower body was covered in blood mixed with another fluid. *Release,* a gesture later, the portal closed, the demons retreated – the stitched lips were set free. N.a.k.e.d with messed up blond hair and tears that would pain any men's heart. "Look me in the eye," he demanded.

"W-what do you want?" whimpering continued.

"Here's a question," he smiled, "-what is it that you want?" after which, the press of a button later, a video of her being defiled played on the screen.

"Kill me," she begged, the video broke her from within, "-KILL ME, THERE'S NO PURPOSE IN LIVING LIKE THIS."

"Choosing death," he stood, "-you know what?" *Bap,* as if a ball, he kicked her using all his might – it nearly tore off her head. Splattered across the bookshelf, her skull cracked – regeneration kicked in. "I-I'm s-still a-alive?" the relief she felt when it darkened, crumbled. 

"Yes," he knelt and grabbed her hair, "-I've bestowed the curse of immortality on thine body. Can't let you off the hook that easy," the eyes burnt, "-you won't be able to use magic since it will all be focused on thine survival," *Void-Flame,* effortlessly, an inverse pentagram resembling a goat was burnt onto her right arm, "-tis a curse of which only a god can undo. Making an enemy out of me was the worst thing to ever cross your mind. Don't worry about Katherine, I'll return her safe and sound to your husband, that includes you. The curse I speak of has two purposes, to stop you from killing yourself and stop anyone else from killing you. That power will always be under my control, even if you try to use it – it will only partially heal you so that you're left barely alive," he stood and *slash,* her hair cut. "-I forgot to say, the crest you bare is the one used by the ruler of demons – a magnet to attack all sorts of devils. Bye, bye, to the peaceful nights – the life you're to live from this day forward will have you craving for death." 

Walking back to the table, "-don't you have anything to say?" he grabbed the revolver.

"What do you want me to say," her eyes lost the vigor to live.

"So boring," he aimed, *Bang,* five shots, one in her skull and the rest into her body. 

*AHHHHHHHHHH,* screamed, she fell and gritted as the excruciating pain bolted across her body. "Adete, go on and feast," he called.

"With pleasure," *Blood-Arts: Bloody Mary.*

"How's the taste?" he asked as the gun was holstered. 

"Delicious," she smiled, "-I want more."

"Have at it," he winked, "-she'll never run out of blood or die – consider her a buffet for thine pleasure," hearing that, she flew across the room and went for the neck. Gulp after gulp, the girl drank till satisfaction. "Yummy," covered in the nectar, she returned.

"Come on," he wiped her mouth with the sleeve, "-do be a little cautious." 

"S-Staxius," coughed, she turned, "-you're going to die a painful death," her eyes turned lifeless.

"Not going to happen," he walked over and grabbed her neck, "-you know why?" she tried to get away but suffocated, "-I'm he who attained divinity. Stand in my way and I'll bring havoc on thine soul," the index finger grew sharp nails and pierced her neck upward to the brain. *Bound to the mortal realm, I curse thy, soul who's done wrong, to be forever in pain. Dare to speak this to anyone,* a burning sensation wrapped around her heart, *-just the mere thought and thou shall suffer a fate worst than one may imagine.* Thus, another symbol was carved on her heart, a curse of silence. One that assured his identity remains secure and that she'd never open up about anything she ever saw. Nonchalant, he stood, "-there are clothes under the desk, make sure to clean thine face. That is if you want to keep the little dignity you have among the nobles," the door opened, "-I'll come to take your life in ten years. Judgment has been made – suffer a life of misery," shut, the crimson mask reappeared.

'I'm so sorry,' she fell to her knee, '-I'm so sorry,' tears flowed without stop, '-w-why did I e-even do this,' she cried – the moments of her getting defiled was etched deep inside her mind. The sight of animals ravaging her whilst the man remained calm and composed, '-w-why would you be so cruel,' as if the room was never dirtied, she crawled over to a mirror. 'my hair, my face, I WANT TO DIE,' grabbing a shard of glass, one left on the ground from the bullets, *SLASH* For an instant, the darkness welled from inside – peaceful and devoid of doubt. *Not so fast,* hands grabbed her feet, *-thou art bound to the mortal world,* the curse of immortality kicked in, her soul returned.

"You sure are heartless," voiced Adete for Shadow returned to being Staxius.

"You enjoyed it as much as I did," smiling, the clothes were placed in a bag. "Hey Cake?" he tapped the earpiece.

"What is it?" she asked without much interest.

"I've sent over a video, take a watch and tell me what you think," a few minutes later. "BOSS ARE YOU MENTAL?" she screamed meanwhile the back entrance of the arena came in view.

"Like it or no?" he asked.

"It's disgusting," she nearly puked, "-how could you even do that," it sent shivers down her spine. 

"Don't worry about the how's, just be sure to blur the face – use this as a warning to anyone who wishes to mess with our gang. Not the Dark-guild, but Phantom. I've decided on the name."

"Phantom you say," she smiled, "-I like it. I presume that you've seen how valuable it is to have a foothold in the underworld. What you saw in the past few days were but a few months of making God's Ale and Angel's Dust. Imagine what we can do if we decided to fully invest in guns, vehicles, a center of operation – just think of the possibilities." 

"I agree, get working on that, Cake. Snow is the target; we'll take our time and find out as much information as we can. Gather agents, arm up, ask Renaud to send over some toys from the mainland."

"Before that," she interjected, "-we need a base."

"Isn't the town of Rotherham controlled by the Dark-Guild?" 

"No, it's more like a collaboration of smaller gangs uniting and preserving our foothold."

"Then that's perfect, I'm planning on building a runway with its hangar and base of operation, what do you say?" 

"That's a far stretch," her voice remained serious, "-but I'm sure we can pull it off. I'll get on scouting and see if there's a place we can occupy. That place is pretty small, putting a runway and hangar there might raise suspicion. Nevertheless, I'll go on the lookout – do check with the Queen, since you're her friend and all." 

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about that," the earpiece turned as he entered the VIP room. On the arena, the ceremony continued, the participants gave the last bow. Empty, he sat and watched through the broken glass, Xula's good-will made it go according to plan.

Stumbling up the stairs, a lady with short blond hair. Dressed normally, without noticing, took a seat in the center.

"Bold move," a deep voice came from above.

"M-majesty," a glance later, her feet trembled.

"There's no need to fret," spoken as if nothing happened, "-I'm glad that the assassination was stopped in time." 

"Y-yes," she gave a half-hearted smile, '-what's wrong with him,' she thought, lady Goldberg freaked out internally. 

"Heads up," wrapped in a ball, a handkerchief was thrown, *-Don't be so on edge. What transpired will remain between us. I'm the last of your worries – who knows what the Queen will decide. Luckily, you don't have to worry about dying, I made sure you're going to suffer. Hence, wipe thine messy visage, it's unbefitting a noble. But I doubt you're to hold the title of Duchess any longer,* written in blood, it soon vanished. 

"The ice-princess did it," yelled the students from inside the changing room, "-WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOU," they cheered. She who had been the center of attention from the start had proven her worth as Eira."

"Good job," a hug from behind, "-I'm so happy for you." 

"Ysmay," she turned and jumped.

"Eira's ice-princess nickname stand true," joked one of her classmates, "-princess of Arda and strong wielder of ice, please go out with me," he said in jest.

"Die," a cold response without even flinching.

"THAT'S OUR EIRA," they applauded, "-ahahah," they laughed. 

"Do get ready for the party afterward," voiced Sophie, "-you are all welcome. Be sure to dress properly for the party will feature many nobles and people of importance. Call it one of the favors granted to the one who won the Inter-magical tournament."

"Yes, instructor," they said in tandem then left.

"They sure are lively, the second years," added Josiah. 

"Their classmate was knighted and given the title of Prodigy, of course, they will be happy. It's a tradition that all the classes from the same year to attend. Though many will already be present since they're of noble birth." 

Out on the roof again with the wind blowing, "-you came," he turned.

"You did send a message," pointed out Josiah. 

"Good to see you're holding up well," he smiled then took a few steps forward, "-the job is done, uncle," whispered, he left without stopping.

"Wait," he turned to no avail, '-gone yet again,' he laughed, "-Tempest, you would be proud, Staxius turned out to be the man you endeavored to be all along; I'm relieved."