City of Noxterlur

A coastal city loomed over the vast sea; it was the capital of Adraplanum, a country rich in minerals, especially gold and silver. Noxterlur stood out for its enormous floating constructions, adorned with metals and precious gems that, at dusk, emitted a precious light. Other buildings, located on solid ground, were equally curious in whimsical and beautiful forms.

The hours of early evening passed as a floating structure called "The Convenvene" hosted the farewell of the heirs of the five great houses.

—Esteemed attendees, without further ado, let the celebration begin— And the applause began, followed by music and soon murmurs.

Long dresses of many colors, not straying far from those representing these houses, shimmered and danced desperately, as if saying "here I am, choose me." And tails accompanied them, moving with dedication in an attempt to capture attention.

This obligatory dance had ended, and soon, most of the dance couples had separated.

—It has been more than two hours, why has none of them made an appearance?—said a thin voice that sounded disappointed.

—Elit, this is a party to celebrate a new stage in their lives, not one where their presence is required—said another voice firmly, although if you paid closer attention, you would also notice disappointment.

—Margot, don't be too harsh. Lady Elit, the daughter of Count Flábeck, still doesn't know how these parties are, as she is attending for the first time. Be more courteous with her, will you?—said a kind voice.

—Very well, Lady Marie. I'll be more patient with her—

It was midnight and the party was about to end when the doors of the grand hall opened for the second time tonight. Immediately, the crowd turned towards the door upon hearing the announcement of the arrival of one of the honorees.

That man walked through an open path to the center of the hall, unconsciously made by those who admired him from the corner of their eyes. Everyone silently waited for him to say something.

—Well, it seems you've been having too much fun, so why not join you?—

—Lady Marie, tonight, share a dance with me, it would make me very happy—

—Delighted, my lord—

Marie approached the man, and they began to dance. Soon others followed suit, and the tension over his presence diminished, just enough to dance in peace.

—It's a pleasant surprise that you came to this party—said Marie.

—You know I couldn't miss it. Seeing submissive and envy-filled faces among the attendees is quite pleasing to me—said the man, staring into Marie's eyes.

—Probably your friends would also like to rejoice like you, don't you think?—said Marie, avoiding looking at the man's face.

At the end of her words, Marie heard a somewhat restrained laugh and became uneasy. She felt the arm around her waist press her forward, bringing her closer to the man's face.

—Friends, Lady Marie? Am I not enough company for you?—said the man, apparently amused by what she had said.

—I apologize, that's not what I meant. It's just that I thought maybe you...

—Don't worry, Marie. It's just a joke. I apologize if I was untimely.—

The music ended and the dance came to an end.—Well, it seems it's time for me to leave. Thank you for accompanying me in this dance, Lady Marie. I hope to meet you in that prison they call the boarding school—said the man as he kissed her hand goodbye, and as soon as he came, he left.

For a moment everyone looked at Marie, many with envy and jealousy. —Lady Marie, how fortunate you are. He chose you as his companion tonight. I'm sure he liked you—said Margot, excited about such an encounter. Marie said nothing, just smiled as if to say, "yes, me out of all this scum."

In the early hours of the morning, in Noxterlur, what seemed to be a kind of large dark sphere was transported on solid ground, enough to accommodate three people. It was a "muyu," which was the most popular transport in Adraplanum, although it was a luxury to own one or to be transported in one.

A man got off the sphere, when someone said: —Sir, visiting hours are over. If you have your letter, please present it tomorrow at the scheduled time of...— said the guard who guarded an entrance, when he was interrupted by the possessor, who did not have a letter but did have the badge of House Nerium. —Excuse me, go ahead, sir— said the guard, without further objection.

The possessor entered the sphere and it continued forward. When it stopped, a red light began to scan it. Upon completion, a deep beep was heard. The muyu began to rise in the air. It seemed to simply float in the air, but although it did not look like it, it was moving through a vertical energy field that rose to the sky.

The muyu stopped at the entrance of a gigantic floating structure, it was House Nerium. The entrance gates opened, and the muyu advanced along an extensive path adorned by the sides of beautiful white flowers emitting a timid crimson light, water fountains, and perfectly pruned bushes. At the end of what seemed like a fifteen-minute excursion, the sphere entered the mansion, heading towards one of the rooms on the second floor.

The possessor got off the muyu and knocked on a large door located in the middle and at the end of a long hallway. —Enter, 246— said the deep, rough, and implacable voice of the Duke.

—I have brought her, my Lord Duke, she is unconscious inside the muyu.— 

The Duke, a man of intelligence and great experience, appeared with wrinkles and gray hair that were evidence of time, but his gaze still had the strength to conquer everything. Sitting behind a large desk made of the finest wood to be found in Adraplanum, he looked at the possessor. —Bring her before me— said the Duke.

The possessor took Lisa out of the muyu and laid her on the floor. Lisa's face showed tiredness, and her clothes showed struggle and tragedy.

—Beautiful...— said the Duke, and stared at her for a few seconds. —Wake her now— said the Duke seriously.

The possessor bent down, and from his hands, sparkling green lights emerged, waking Lisa.

Instantly Lisa stood up, and began to run towards the door, but it was blocked by the possessor.

—It seems you are very stubborn or very foolish, or perhaps both?— said the Duke, as he approached the girl.

—Who are you? Tell him to let me pass, now— said Lisa with a hoarse voice from so much suffering.

—And you also like to give orders— said the Duke, starting to laugh in a mocking and disdainful manner.

—Tell me, where am I, and who are you!— Lisa continued.

The Duke's eyelids gave way to bulging eyes and his face tensed in an expression of annoyance and anger, and his lips were a clear sign of indignation. He grabbed Lisa by the neck when he said to her: "Don't forget what position you're in, girl—"

«No, not again», thought Lisa fearing the worst again. Seconds later, the Duke let her go and she could finally breathe.

—Now that you're here, forget the rest. Tomorrow you will go to your new home, 246 will visit you occasionally to monitor your behavior and convey my orders— said the Duke as confident as ever that his words would be obeyed without objection.

—And what if I refuse?— said Lisa as if the universe had given her the power to read minds to bother Duke of Nerium at this precise moment.

—I am merciful, and I have not conceived erasing your memory and keeping you locked up here— said the Duke.

Lisa had witnessed inexplicable things, so she wasn't sure if the idea of erasing her memory was true or a lie.

—Did you kill my parents?— said Lisa, tense and anxious to hear what that man had to say.

—Your parents? Those people... your parents?— said the Duke and started laughing.

—They weren't your parents, just scum who kidnapped you from your home and duty. Now you have returned to your hometown, you will no longer be in ignorance— said the Duke with a voice that filtered impotence and anger of yesteryear.

—You damned, you killed them, damned! Why, why?! You're a cursed, damned monster!— said Lisa, feeling that anger was rising again in her guts.

—Why? They brought it upon themselves. They were warned that my desires had changed slightly and the very stupid ones decided to escape. So, don't let their lives have been in vain and do as I say— said the Duke.

There was no way to escape by force, so Lisa knew that the only thing she could do, for the moment, was to follow the rules of that Duke and thus have time to find a way to escape and at the same time discover the truth within this web full of lies and secrets.

—I'll go— said Lisa.

—Oh, so you have no complaints anymore?— said the Duke.

—For now— said Lisa.

—Take her away— said the Duke to 246.

«Even if you continue to cause problems, you will only do it within a cage», thought the Duke.