Poisonous Beauty

A world living under eternal darkness unlike the rest of the world was unusually silent today as if the night fell on it for the first time. It was hella scary! I freaked out as I landed on this dark soil. This world was an epitome of ultimate darkness which engulfs the influenced one more. I pulled myself together and breathed heavy before straining my vocal cords.

"The most active creatures of the darkness would not sit idle for no reason. There must be some big things brewing up in this calmness of air. The calmness of the demon world is the most dangerous thing in the whole universe. The worst of them is the Naga palace." I whispered in a husky voice to the little flower on a tree in the gloomy darkness.

"You are right, foliage fairy. Where is the hustle and bustle of the demon world? Creatures of darkness, who loves to disturb peace of every single corner of the universe, why are they so silent today? And seeing the infamous Naga tribe calm during chaos is the scariest to me." a quivering but light voice came from a nearby branch.

I looked at her in agreement.

"Nagas are damn notorious. You cannot sniff even a whisper from them. But there is no damn conspiracy in the world which can keep itself hidden from their eyes." I said in disgust over such tricks yet surprised on their skills. "Well, everyone does not fear them for no reason. Let's brace ourselves." I turned to her with a confident and severe tone.

"What else can we do? That old man is also scary. Either way, I sense like I will lose my life today once for all." Little flower whined in a light voice.

"Let's go." My deep voice echoed in the darkness with bright hope.

Although being in the dark most times, the demon world looks frightening to the outsiders but the rare lights seen on the streets, alleys, houses were making us a little comfortable in this scary environment. We were headed to Naga Palace, a place needed no introduction to anybody in the universe.

Forget the world you are in; royalties everywhere boast their power with grand palaces decorated with shiny, bright lights. It is like the more the pearls shine on your crown, the more powerful you are. But, Naga Palace earned the fame of being influential but a notorious one by going the other way in every damn thing. What mattered more than being ill-famed in the entire world is the fear that they could put in everyone in such a short time. It was quite a feat. Forget humans for whom only their looks were enough, even most established tribes of the demon world would think at least three times to talk ill about them. Even the heaven which has always looked down upon on the demon world considering their powers inferior to them didn't dare not to come and present loads of gifts during the coronation of the leader of this youngest tribe. Although Naga Palace was not bright and full of lights like other tribes. But it had a natural lustre of dark hues like shiny snake's skin under the moon. As we moved close to our coming hell, I felt a squeeze on my heart. I am sure little flower was in worst state than me. Few yards ahead, among all chambers of the palace, only one chamber was glowing under the darkness.

"That must be." My faint deep voice faded into the air. I was trying hard to control my nervousness.

"Are you sure? Shouldn't we lead to Royal Poisons Hall first?" the little flower said in a soft tone.

"You are unexpectedly informed nowadays." I remarked to my surprise.

"The mention of the demon world by the old man had scared the hell out of me. So, I came prepared to not barge into any demon even by mistake, especially not the Lord of Naga Palace. If he gets a sniff of me, he will turn me into a void. There will be no trace of me in the air." Little's voice cracked into a cry.

"Okay, okay. Be cautious. I'll protect you. And stop that creepy cry. Your sharp voice is enough to put us into trouble. Keep quiet." I scolded her a little.

We got close to the bright chamber. I tried to sneak peek a little. Inside of that bright chamber, there was no candle burning, neither any lamp nor any fire. It was the bright aura from a man in the black-looking green robes shining through the room. The snake-clad golden bed on which he was lying, eye-closed, was filling the room with the brightness and grandeur more than any other candle or lamp could have done so. Under this magnificent setting, a young handsome yet scary man who was the sole source of this beautiful view looked like an enchanted man. He seemed getting drunk with every bite of the cherry touching his lips. But as soon as one's focus goes on the green veins engraved on his neck, one can't be less shocked than getting carry away by his beauty. On the right side, a man in his middle age was sitting near the headrest of the bed. From the look of it, it seemed as if snakes on headrest were staring at that man to show their Lord's authority. He was leaning forward to drop his words only in the ear of the young man.

"Autumn foliage fairy, go ahead. I still haven't mastered the skill to suppress my scent. I will stay outside." Little murmured.

I nodded to her while signing to stay alert and went inside the room with a whoosh of air through the window. I stayed by the window in my invisible form. Inside, hearing the only sound of biting a cherry piercing the silence, I got chills down my spine. The young man opened his eyes and spun a cherry towards me. I lost my breath and very next moment I found myself tied with an invisible force. I looked in fear upon him and wondered if I was so easily noticeable. Seeing the look in his eyes, I didn't even bother struggling to escape from that tie. The man on the floor didn't seem to have any idea about this. The young man then looked towards him for a moment, picked a cherry from his side, and again closed his eyes.

"Your Majesty, it boils me to even think of that unfortunate day." The man sitting on the floor broke the silence. The air felt a little comfortable as he seemed to have a lot to talk. His young lord finally allowed his restlessness to come out with no interruption.

"I wonder what damn thing had dared to create such a havoc on your most important day. One day I will..." but soon he put a halt on his words on the gaze of his Lord.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I am incapable. I couldn't yet catch that rascal who foiled your plan. I deserve a punishment for that..." he completed his apology with a winning look in his eyes as the young Lord waved his hand to ignore his rant. He bent forward a little to look upon the young man's face and open his mouth again sheepishly.

"Your Majesty, I heard that there will be big chaos in the Rakshasa Palace soon." Getting the hint of his Lord, he changed the topic quickly. That man seemed smart but not so simple. He again stopped for his Lord's reaction. With no response, he went ahead.

"From last year, the heaven has been planning to create the most beautiful maiden in the universe. Even more beautiful than the First Princess..." he again gauged the mood of his Lord, and with a little grin, he went forward with his mouth.

"...of the demon world. But now the sculpture created to bring out that maiden to life has disappeared." I gasped hearing this.

"Soon, a ceremony was about to happen with gods and venerated sages from all over the world, but now there is only a lump of dust left there." In shock, I forgot the tight clasp of his powers on me for a moment. I dazed a little in thinking when did all this happen. Two pahars* ago, I and little flower got the news of ceremony and thought to sneak away from that old man. I snapped back in time with the falling of a calm but colder than the ice voice in my ear.

"The First Princess must be happy then. What more chaos would she create when the hearts of men from all three worlds are in the chaos because of her?" I mused on seeing him. What about the women then? Well, they might faint by his scary icy voice first before having time to lust over his beauty. I tossed away that thought quickly thinking about the embarrassment if little flower got to know. She will tease me for a lifetime for drooling over a man's beauty. I focused again on the conversation.

"....is behind this?" The old man muttered. I cried inside thinking what I have just missed.

"Never let your mouth utter useless words in Naga palace again." the young Lord said in a stern, icy voice.

"My apologies, Your Majesty. But did you also not want that maiden to appear at all like First Princess? Wouldn't it have been good to have someone to shatter her...'

"Why do I have to care about that?" young Lord cut him in the middle. "It is better for that maiden to disappear than be eye candy for those lusty gods. You can go." He seemed angry as he put the cherry back on the plate with a bang.

"Aren't demons lustier than gods?" I mumbled inside.

The old man got up from the floor and bow down to his young Lord before leaving. He was short but seemed more short under the grand aura of this young man on the bed. This young Lord is surely a nail in the head for handsome out there but a hell for the ones with average looks. "Poor man. And poor ones out there." I murmured Being caught in this situation for a long time, I started to empathise with the people who have encountered him so far. How much his beauty would have been torture for them with such a scary aura. No wonder he is the Lord of poisons.

"Toxic Beauty!" I sighed in silence. I was grateful that little flower was not in this situation. She would have fainted before even beholding the sight of his beauty. I felt the dead-end for me as I realised that now only two of us were in the room. I didn't dare to come out of my thoughts and look at him. Before I could think what to do next, his icy voice again chilled the room more.

"Are you that fake old man's spy?" he asked while sliding his fingers through his hairs, dropping on his chest.

"Fake?" I widened my eyes in surprise. In very next moment, I felt the bind loose on me. I gasped. I felt resurrected to life.

"Come to your form." he ordered in a calm voice. I fell beside his bed out of breath in my original form. How embarrassing was that! A fairy couldn't even take his shape with dignity in front of him. I pulled myself together and thought not to offend him anymore. If I did, I could never go back. I bowed down and tried to show my utmost respect to him.

"Greetings to the Lord of Poisons, the Snake Lord Katraj. I am an Autumn Foliage Fairy from Dandak Forest." I greeted him showing no fear in my voice. I have heard that demons like to torture scared ones the most.

"Tell your old man to not bother with me. I still have the same thoughts. I am still adamant on snatching the precious one from heaven. He need not put so much effort. I won't be a coward. When the time comes, I will bring it after challenging everyone." He pressed his already closed lips hard to suppress his anxiety.

I was stunned by what I heard. There were many questions in my head now, especially about him and the old man. But I didn't dare to ponder on them now. Instead, I wondered inside, "Is he going to let me go? Or he will punish me first and sent back in a thrashed condition?" Once again, I nearly died from shock when he opened his eyes and stared at him. But now, the look in his eyes was neither the angry one nor icy one; it was slightly warm. Seeing this unbelievable tender look, my curiosity about his precious one rose high.

"And...never bring that little fairy lurking outside in the demon world. Her smell is too strong. It can't stay hidden from demons for long." He said, annoyed.

"Another shock! Is he trying to crush me by shock if not by his own hands? He did even find about the little flower." I just sighed in my thoughts.

"Do you really wanna die by my hands? or Are you waiting for a snake to crush your little friend out there?" He turned to me with a smirky look in his eyes.

"No, no. I am highly grateful to you, Lord, for sparing our lives. We will return now." I blurted out. With his eyes on me, I, confused, ran back and forth between door and window. My head felt dizzy while deciding whether to go by the door in my original form or sneak back through the window.

"Wait!" He said gently.

"Tell the old man that if he wishes to see his flies unharmed, don't forget to send a basket of Jasmine flowers from Ridhi river next time." I wondered if he called us flies. What a rude person!

"What are you waiting for?" He opened his mouth sternly.

Lest he asks the basket of flowers, I disappeared into thin air in an instant. In fear, I couldn't keep myself invisible for the long and fell on the ground a little further from the window. I exhaled and felt a little relaxed outside. As I lifted my face, I saw the little flower standing in front of me, worried. That bright orange flower was looking pale with infinite lines of worries on her face. She might be scared to death with me inside for a prolonged time.

"Let's go." I held her hand and disappeared into thin air.

* One pahar nominally equals three hours.