The Darkest Greetings

"My! He is such a..."

"He might be the...."

"How can we know? Do we have everything for this? Are you..."

Every sentence began to fade for Draijus as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Failing to stay awake, he could feel his flesh dragged across the cold floors. He tried to move slightly, but his body couldn't respond to his action. Thus, drifting into a deep slumber.

By the third moon, Draijus was slow to regain consciousness. His vision was still blurry from the long slumber before clearing up. When he became focused, he was in shock. The first thing he noticed was that he was naked. His weapons and clothing were nowhere to be seen. Secondly, the room was small and made out of rotten flesh. Pieces of chopped-off genitalia, livers, hearts, and ligaments covered the walls. Two skulls in the center of the floor were covered in vomit and feces. Flies and maggots squirmed around the area. And lastly, Draijus was bounded by both his hands and feet by magic seals.

Draijus closed his eyes and took deep breaths for 3 minutes. Afterward, his breath began to turn a golden color. The aura of his breath drifted toward the magical seals that had his hands and feet constricted. Once the aura covered the seals, they disappeared. He fell to the ground, covered in rotten flesh. When he stood up, He noticed a door handle covered in chopped organs, nerves, and blood when he pushed himself up. It was slightly cracked.

Draijus rushed over to the door and peeped through it. There was nothing beyond the door but a long dark hallway. Not a spec of light existed. Draijus tried to generate energy through his hand and created a sacred golden glow. Symbolizing that his magic had returned.

"Alright, now it's time to leave this place."

Draijus forged his body into a mystic shadow. Making himself invisible to the average eye. The aura around his body was completely black, but the edges of the atmosphere created a light-purplish glow that couldn't be seen. His eyes were covered by small molecular particles that prevented his golden hue from revealing itself. When he was done, he slipped through the door crack and surfed on the hallway walls like a spirit.

After gliding briefly, he saw a door to his left. Though dark, he could tell it was made of rusted iron by touching the handle. There was a judas near the top of it. When Draijus peeped through it, he saw nothing but red smeared on it.

"Either I'm blind, or there's a lot of blood in that room. Or..." He floated away from the door and continued to surf down the hallway.

While moving forward, he heard unpleasant sounds that grew louder by the second. He stopped for a moment and looked to his right. The door was cracked open, and a bright-orange light burst into the shadows. Draijus approached the light and leaned his head into the room slowly.

Dozens of people whose skin had been butchered off were engaging in sexual intercourse. While indulging in pleasure, some were jamming weapons into their bodies, slicing bones and other strings of cartilage. There were two in specific that were eating each other's feces while gorging their teeth into their organs. But the one that caught Draijus's eye specifically was one creature in particular. It looked similar to a minotaur, but its horns were far more extensive than anything he's seen on a being.

It was too tall to stand straight up in the room. Its head resembled a bull and a goat. Its skin was like a cracked meteor. Its insides were filled with burning flesh and melding lava. Its eyes were hollow, yet big enough to shove 3 humans in them at once. Every time it breathed, strings of fire would come out, followed by steam. The bulk of its body was colossal. Its upper body was like two giant pillars. On its arms were shattered pieces of metal. Each of them formed a curve. And all of them were coated in blood and feces. Its legs had the same features.

Terrified by sight, Draijus moved his head out of the room. When he did this, his hands made a large scraping sound that captured the beast's attention. When it looked at the crack of the door, it moved toward the door using its arms. Its nose brewing steam which would lead to a fire. Draijus immediately drifted away from the area but noticed a dead end. Two doors, one to his left and one to his right, were his only options. The beast was closing in, and Draijus had chosen to go to the door on the left.

When he closed it, he drifted away from the door and stumbled onto the ground. He got up and looked toward his left. All of his belongings were there. His coat, pants, shoes, and his dual swords. With relief, he swiftly clothed himself and adjusted the blades on his hip. Afterward, he recovered himself in the same mystic shadow as before. Slowly creeping up to the door, he pressed his ear against it. He didn't hear any loud noises or footsteps for a few moments.

"Whatever that creature is...It's not a minotaur from Khurak. It has to be a different breed. Something that fucking witch must've summoned. But from where?" As he was in deep thought, footsteps were heard above him. He kept himself crouched but moved his focus to the upper levels.

"So...what did you get me?" Said a young female voice

"Lady Auria, I have brought you the mana of a man cloaked in darkness." Said an older female voice.

"That sounds like Divoula. What's she up to? And what does she mean by "mana?" Draijus whispered.

"Hmm, who is he?" Another voice had said. Sounding much younger than the rest.

"I don't know his name, Lady Glinda, but I do know he's a sacred prophet."

"Are you serious? What made you come to this conclusion?"

"His speed and attacks are covered in the same Golden aura as the prophet, Lord Garbaedol."

"Ah, the Giant of Apeamond. I've only heard of legacies. I haven't had the time to confirm the legacy with my eyes yet. But I do know this. Even if he does have the same golden aura, it doesn't always mean he's a sacred prophet."

"But Lady Auria, the golden weapons he carried. And his eyes. He has all the markings that tell of a sacred prophet."

"Hmm, if he is a sacred prophet, then his weapons shouldn't be the only thing sacred about him."

"Lady Divoula, while this may be an interesting find, I must see this for myself. I doubt he has awakened yet."

Draijus smirked before commenting: "Yeah, wouldn't you like to know."

"Why don't we go check then?"

"I think I heard Ardiax howl not too long ago."

"That rock-hard Bullestavian' doesn't know how to shut up unless you kiss its genitals."

"Well, at least it's solid about how it feels."

"Alright, you two. For now, Lady Divoula, check on the man to see if he is still there. Let us know from there."

"Yes, Lady Auria."

A large bang was heard from outside the room as the conversation faded. Draijus turned and saw a massive crack in the middle of the door. With little time to react, he swiftly camouflaged his body with the same material as the room. A thick-gray metal known as Alvanite. Draijus stood still as the raging beast burst through the door and entered the room.

The beast let out a tremendous howl. Its voice sounded like two animals and a male human screaming together. When it looked toward its left, it began sniffing the room. Streams of fire burst through its nose while it searched.

"I know you're here. I can smell your energy."

The beast swung both arms against the walls, creating large holes. The metal on his arms was stuck to the walls due to the force it used. While it struggled, Draijus took the opportunity to escape from the room. But his movements didn't go unnoticed.

"There you are, you fucker! I will capture you! Then sacrifice you!"

The walls of the entire room collapsed. Draijus managed to make it outside before dashing down the hallway.

"What a fucking night this is! All I wanted was a place to rest. Is that too hard?" Draijus said as the beast eventually gained in on him in seconds. Howling while shattering the walls around it.

The beast tried multiple grabs and swipes, but all of them missed. Draijus cloaked himself into a shadow and swiftly cut to the hallway's left. Down at the end was a thin blue light-shielded by a door. When he came closer, a faint voice whispered:

"Come in; it's safe here."

Draijus pushed himself toward the crack of the door and slithered inside the room before the door slammed shut. Loud thuds were coming from the opposite side. The beast tried to break through, but a light-blue magic seal surrounded the entrance.

Draijus had uncloaked himself and fell onto the ground. The beast's howls echoed through the chamber as he tried to catch his breath.

"Holy shit, I thought that was it."

"It could've been it."

Draijus gasped as he saw a young lady in a transparent white dress standing still. Her dark-blue hair was drooped to her tiny hands. However, none of it was covering her silver hues. There were 3 red dots on her forehead. None of which had a glow or an action of any kind. Her skin was smooth vanilla. Coating her thin body structure. Her bare feet were gently placed on the ice-like floors.

"And who are you?" Draijus asked.

"I am Lady Glinda, Light of the Wicked Moon. And where you are now is the home of my sisters and me." She giggled slightly before re-adjusting her gaze upon Draijus. This time, like a battle-scarred dragon.

"From what I understand, you tried to kill my sister Divoula? And you ended up here...Let me tell you something." She levitated her body and glided slowly toward Draijus.

"If you ever do what you did again, I will see it through that your body feels every flame in Leofaran."

Draijus looked into her eyes without blinking. Afterward, he got up from the floor while laughing at her remark.

"These have been the most excruciating moon phases I've been through since what happened at Azanara. I just wanted some food and rest. Then I come to a town that is run by witches and minotaurs. Fighting my way into a coffin of mucus and feces! Shitted out into a catastrophe, I now have an audacious child threatening my peace. I've had it with these games."

Draijus's entire body was engulfed in a golden flame.

"If I don't get some answers, at least some fucking common courtesy, then I will show your sisters your tombstone with a smile and a middle finger" Draijus's eyes glowed brighter after he made his statement.

"My, a man with some balls to say that to me. How charming, I must say." Lady Glinda said as she placed her hand on his head softly.

"How about this? I will feed you some food and give you some information if you'd like. But in return, I will ask you a question at the end of the feast. And you must answer honestly. Deal?"

Draijus sighed before agreeing with the conditions.

"Good, now calm yourself and wait here." Lady Glinda said as she levitated out of the room.

Draijus squatted down and placed his arms on his knees. His head was facing the frozen ground. Mirroring his reflection, he punched the ground with such force that it cracked in three places. Afterward, he looked at his hand and noticed shards stuck in his skin. Draijus had a white Oni mark on his hand. He unlocked it using the blood that was present and commanded the Oni to absorb the shards. And as so, they were gone.

Draijus felt his hand by moving his fingers. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Sir, the banquet is ready. Please follow me." Lady Glinda said as Draijus stood up and walked with her.

Outside the room, the large hallway they walked down was covered in silver brimstone, royal-blue banners with a white crescent moon as the insignia, and bright chalices placed on small wooden tables, covered with patterned clothes. Some of the walls had smears of blood as if someone or something was scraped against them.

"Huh, who did you kill in this hallway?" Draijus asked.

Lady Glinda stopped for a moment before speaking.

"I think it's best if you keep your eyes forward."

With a slight chuckle, he nodded before they reached the end of the hallway. When Glinda floated into the dining room, Draijus looked up and saw miles of Turquoise chandeliers hanging above him. Each was lit with a bright-blue flame. They were suspended by a long metal handle that didn't move an inch. When he looked down slightly, there were 3 balconies on each side of the room. And 6 doors on each side where Draijus was standing. In the middle was the long dinner table that presented a plethora of food.

Cooked boar and corn beef, White-meat on drumsticks, Pasta, Fruit, and Vegetables. On each end of the table where the chairs sat was silverware wrapped in a white napkin, a glass cup with encrypted designs on the upper edges, and a small wooden ornament with hollow eyes.

"I must say I'm impressed. This is incredible." Draijus said

"Thank you, darling. It only took us 300 years to build this entire palace."

Draijus looked to the leftmost balcony and saw a tall woman with blood-red hair. Her loose dress was black, stretching down toward her knees. Along with her smooth, white skin were markings on her forearm. Each was an unfamiliar symbol that seemed related to her personally. A dark red circle was marked on her forehead. And her eyes were like melding fire. She licked her sharp red nails against her cheek when she leaned on the balcony. Staring at Draijus from afar.

"More setups, it seems," Draijus said under his tongue.

"Now, now. Don't be cold. Cause I assure you, I can be colder if you'd like."

"Lady Auria, that is the one I was talking about"

"I know, Divoula. I can tell those golden eyes know a story. But do they have the story I'm interested in?"

Draijus took a step back before Lady Auria continued.

"Well, greetings to you. I am Lady Auria, Blood of the Wicked Moon. I would own this palace if you didn't know." She said before standing up straight.

"Why don't we sit down for a bit? I know you're such a hungry man." A small giggle was let out before she glared at Draijus. Watching him closely.

"Now then, sir. Please have a sit. You are welcomed here as a guest, for now." Lady Glinda said as her silver eyes grew darker within passing seconds.