Chapter 13: The Bloody Knee

End of the World

Zenobe rode her snakes toward the harbor, the wind tugging at her dress, her long black-blue hair trailing behind her like a velvet cloak. Smiling, Zenobe suddenly raised her hand to her mouth and laughed dramatically. "Hohohoh! The enemy came straight to our door. What a pathetic creature! I will quickly slay him for my Liege, and I will be praised!" She was delighted.

"Haaa..." She heard a sigh, and Zenobe froze.

She slowly turned around only to see Lambert standing on the tails of her snake, lighting a long pipe, looking at Zenobe with mockery in his eyes.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see anything, drama lady," he said in a manner as if he was doing her a favor.

"Hmpf!" Zenobe snorted to hide her embarrassment and looked in front of her again. "What are you doing here? I don't know about inviting you," she said but didn't try to throw him off.

"Your way of traveling is more comfortable. I wanted to have a smoke before the fight," Lambert replied.

"Good. As long as you don't stink under my nose with it," Zenobe replied, the smoke carried by the wind in the opposite direction so she didn't smell it.

They were both silent for a moment before they saw something out of the corner of their eye, and both turned their heads to see Opera appear next to them.

Zenobe blinked. "Opera! Are you going to fight the enemy too? Since when are you so proactive?" She asked and smiled.

Lambert didn't keep quiet either. "Has Hellcage contacted you? Is that why you came too?"

Opera stared at them for a moment with her strawberry eyes before her head merged with her body, turning into a small tornado and rushing forward without saying anything. Both Zenobe and Lambert stared after her, Zenobe angry and Lambert shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

Zenobe raised her middle finger in the direction of the disappearing Opera. "At least you can answer, dammit!"

"She's a heavy introvert. Don't press her," Lambert warned her; he lived in the palace, so he knew Opera's personality well.

***** 

They soon reached the harbor, where they stopped. Lambert dismounted from the snakes and shaded his eyes to protect them from the sun and to see further. Over the sea, he saw a creature with butterfly wings flying in their direction.

"Huh? An oversized butterfly?" Zenobe wondered. "I would have thought such creatures couldn't fly long distances. How did it get here?"

Lambert shook the ash from his pipe and tucked it into his front pocket. "Who knows? Maybe it has something to do with that weird fog around the End of the World," he replied, staring back at the wall of fog that surrounded their home on all sides. The fog hadn't been there before they were petrified, and the fact that it stayed in place and didn't move or thin out was a sure sign that something was wrong with it.

"The fog? Oh... this..." Zenobe's reaction was a little strange, so Lambert looked at her. "Don't tell me you didn't notice it until now?" He shook his head in incomprehension.

"I... had more important things to do!" Zenobe waved off his taunt and held her hand out in front of her. "Go!" She commanded, jumping off her snakes.

Her strange snakes, with their bodies still entwined, plunged headfirst into the sea. Instantly, they reappeared, opened their mouths, and began to quickly gulp the saltwater as if they were dying of thirst and the seawater was the sweetest spring water.

Their bodies began to increase in size at great speed, their bodies eventually becoming indistinguishable from one another as if they had merged into one.

The lines of the snakes smoothed out and became more graceful, the color on their bodies became richer, and they grew larger and larger. By the time they had reached two meters in height, Zenobe and Lambert jumped up and landed on their heads while the snakes transformed into a giant sea serpent with two heads, poisonous green scales, and yellow eyes.

The two-headed sea serpent stopped growing after reaching a height of five meters and turned both heads towards the enemy hovering above the sea. The monster had already noticed them, so it stopped in place, its wings moving quickly to keep the large body in the air.

Ssssssss...

Ssssssss....

The heads of the sea serpent hissed, and saliva slowly dripped from their mouths, as if they were already thinking about how the enemy's flesh would taste. Zenobe motioned with her hand again. "Forward! Let's tear this unworthy creature apart! In the name of our Liege!"

The serpent charged forward until the seawater around it splashed high into the air and foamed around its body.

Lambert said nothing, just hooked a finger into his tie and loosened it a little, a circular mark on his collarbone glittering a dull blue with a picture of a circus tent in the center. At the same time, he pulled his pipe out of his front pocket again and waved it widely like a conductor.

Zenobe bent down and began to take off her shoes; on her ankle was a similar blue mark with a picture of a burning witch's hat.

"Ooooo!" The monster roared belligerently and lunged in their direction, its body leaning forward. Exposed dried up muscles bulged, its long insect antennae sparked how between them flashes of electricity flew between them; butterfly wings flapped powerfully, red eyes glowed, and all four arms were raised near its body with fingers clenched into fists.

Zenobe snorted and raised her hand, grabbing her hat and tossing it into the distance, then spread her arms along her body, palms up, where green flames flared wildly.

The mark on her ankle glowed blue, and a blue flame began to crawl over her body, mingling with the green flame. Zenobe's clothes and hair began to wave and flow as if they were alive, and then her entire body was engulfed in green-blue flames that made her look like a human torch.

Lambert spread his arms, and his mole also flared with blue flame, encircling his body. He waved the pipe slowly and smoothly from left to right, leaving a blue trail behind him. At the same time, various small objects flew out of his pockets, glowing faintly blue, and a moan was heard.

Ooohhh

Aaaaahhh

Hahaaaaa

The blue flame on Lambert's body created the illusion of a tailcoat and a tall hat, a monocle on his eye, and a long elegant mustache.

The objects around him flashed strongly with light, and a circus ring formed behind him, with blue flaming lions leaping through hoops, acrobats with painfully contorted faces doing somersaults on a high trapeze, a blue-fire animal tamer with his head split in two cracked his whip wildly, a snake woman twisted into unthinkable shapes, a sword-swallower swallowed one sword after another until his stomach was pierced, and a faint echo of applause and circus music could be heard in the background.

Lambert leaped into the air, rolled over, and hooked one foot on the raised trapeze. While hanging upside down, he lifted the illusion of a tall hat in salute and smiled. "We can start the performance," he announced calmly, but his eyes shone with suppressed violence.

The monster with butterfly wings hovered menacingly above the sea, its monstrous form casting a shadow over the water. On the other side, Zenobe, Lambert, and the two-headed sea serpent prepared for the impending battle.

Zenobe had used the power of her flames to rise from the head of the two-headed serpent and pointed her hand at the monster. Fire bolts began flying out of her palm like projectiles.

Lambert swung himself up on the trapeze and leapt onto the illusion of a thin rope, where he balanced easily like a tightrope walker and began orchestrating the pipe with graceful movements.

The fire lions stopped jumping through the hoops, took them in their mouths, and hurled them toward the monster. The fire hoops spun rapidly and flew towards the butterfly monster. The blue lions did not delay and rushed after them, claws and fangs ready to plunge into the flesh of the monster.

The monster, despite its size, proved quite fast, dodging some of the fire missiles and using its wings to send a gust of wind at the rest, sweeping the missiles aside and avoiding them entirely.

It turned sharply towards the approaching fire hoops and lions. Its antennae crackled with electricity and shot out two streams of energy that collided with the hoops with a bang. Meanwhile, it raised all four arms, striking the blue fire lions with destructive force. They popped like balloons upon impact.

However, the monster was not left completely unharmed; scorch marks adorned its fists, and its dried, exposed muscles were blackened.

Meanwhile, the two-headed sea serpent roared in readiness. It coiled its massive body, preparing for a powerful strike. The serpent's eyes locked onto the butterfly hungrily.

The butterfly monster, sensing the impending danger, flapped its wings vigorously, creating a turbulent wind. The sea serpent lunged forward, attempting to sink its venomous fangs into the monster's exoskeleton. However, the monster's wings produced a powdery substance that filled the air, disorienting the sea serpent.

Zenobe, witnessing the struggle, propelled herself into the air using her green-blue flames. She soared above the battlefield, surveying the chaos. Lambert swung from illusionary trapeze to trapeze, trying to find an opening in the monster's defenses. The sea serpent, recovering from the disorientation, unleashed a powerful water cannon from one of its heads, aiming it at the butterfly monster.

The monster, unfazed, flapped its wings again, creating a protective barrier that diverted the water stream. The sea serpent's attack only served to increase the chaotic whirlwind of the battle. Lambert, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, conjured an illusion of a giant cannon on the circus stage, aiming it directly at the butterfly monster.

The monster, sensing the impending illusion, retaliated with a burst of electricity that disrupted Lambert's concentration. The illusory cannon vanished, leaving Lambert momentarily vulnerable. The monster seized the opportunity, diving towards Lambert with surprising speed. Zenobe unleashed a focused stream of corrosive green-blue fire, intercepting the monster mid-air.

The creature screeched in pain as the corrosive flames ate away at its wings. Lambert regained his composure, and he swung back onto the trapeze, glaring at the wounded monster. The sea serpent, now recovered, coiled around the monster, attempting to restrict its movements.

The butterfly monster, despite its injuries, fought ferociously. It flapped its wings forcefully, creating a violent cyclone that tossed the sea serpent aside. The serpent crashed into the sea, creating a massive splash. Monster, seizing the opportunity, lunged at Zenobe with razor-sharp forelimbs.

Zenobe, evading the attack with agile movements, retaliated with a barrage of fire bolts. Lambert, perched on an illusory tightrope, conjured an image of a colossal top hat. The hat descended over the monster, enveloping it in darkness and monster confusedly stopped its attacks.

In the shadowy confinement, the sea serpent struck with precision, its venomous fangs sinking deep into the monster's flesh. Lambert, controlling the illusion, intensified the darkness, disorienting the monster further. Zenobe, with her flames flickering ominously, descended once more, strike with fire the rampaging creature.

As the darkness lifted, the monster, battered and weakened, struggled to regain control. Lambert, standing on an illusory circus stage, gestured dramatically. Illusory spectators cheered and gasped as the sea serpent continued its relentless assault.

Zenobe, sensing victory within reach, focused her flames into a concentrated inferno. She unleashed a searing beam of green-blue fire that cut through the air, engulfing the monster in its scorching embrace. The creature shrieked in agony as the flames seared through its wings and exoskeleton. Lambert sent out a beast tamer with his head split in two to whip the monster's body, leaving blackened wounds.

The sea serpent, sensing the monster's imminent defeat, tightened its coils, constricting the creature with unparalleled strength until there was a loud crunching sound. Lambert, with a final flourish, conjured an illusion of a triumphant curtain closing on the circus stage.

The monster, battered and defeated, succumbed to the combined onslaught of Zenobe, Lambert, and the sea serpent. Its wings, once vibrant with life, now smoldered and crumbled into ash. The sea serpent, victorious, released its grip, and the lifeless monster plummeted into the sea with a resounding splash.

The three of them watched the monster's body floating on the surface for a few moments, but it showed no signs of life. Zenobe descended onto the sea serpent's head again, and the flames died down. Lambert's phantom circus also dissipated, swiftly gathering the items and jumping onto the other sea serpent's head. After steadying himself, he sat down and began to light his pipe.

Zenobe remained standing, but her skin was paler, and her hands trembled slightly. "I guess we'll have to practice," Lambert finally broke the silence and blew a cloud of smoke from his mouth. Zenobe let out a long breath. "It was harder than I thought, yes. If it had a little more endurance, maybe we would have exhausted ourselves before the end," she agreed.

The sea serpent turned, wrapped its tail around the monster's corpse, and began to swim back to the city.

Lambert blew another mouthful of smoke and smacked his lips. "But still. Good work," he praised.

Zenobe's eyelid twitched before she opened her mouth and began to curse. "You bastard! I wanted to hear praise from our Liege, not from you!"

***** 

While Zenobe, Lambert, and the Sea Serpent were fighting the butterfly monster, Opera hovered above the sea, searching. She ignored the fierce battle as if it weren't happening at all, looking down at the water with strawberry eyes while she flew around.

Finally, she found what she was looking for. Floating on the surface was the lifeless body of a boy, the whites of his eyes visible as they rolled back into his head. Opera looked at him and then stretched a part of her body towards the boy, whom she picked up from the water and flew back to land with.

Once they were over land, she dropped the boy as if he were nothing but a piece of wet rag and looked at him again. Finally, she moved closer to his face and observed the golden gag in his mouth. Her hand made of air began to slap his face, but when nothing happened, she tried to get past the golden gag. However, there was no room for her to use, so finally, she stuck her fingers up his nose and let them travel into his lungs, drawing water out.

The moment the boy's eyelids fluttered and his chest lifted, she pulled away before turning and flying back into the castle. She left the butterfly boy where he was, as if he were a piece of driftwood.

***** 

Somewhere on the Endless Sea

A small ship was at sea, its sails fully stretched as the wind blew against them, its captain gripping the wheel tightly, his bloodshot dark green eyes fixed on a distant dark point.

Captain Caspian Endroove was a man whose youth had passed, but he had the grace of an older man who had aged like wine. He had wavy brown curls and a short beard streaked with gray. His naturally bronzed skin showed his roots as a coastal folk, his build was stocky, not too tall but still strong, but at the moment, his arms were thin and his face sunken.

There had been a mutiny on Caspian's ship some time ago, which he had been forced to put down by force, and his crew had been reduced to just a few people who were currently lying weak in various places on the ship.

The whole mutiny was due to a lack of food; everyone was sick and starving. The only thing they could continue to fill their stomachs with was drinking water, which was also dwindling. Caspian carried anger in his heart, not for his crew, nor for the indomitable sea or fate, but for his former God.

Caspian knew that the God of Harvest and Plants was responsible for all their supplies suddenly rotting. It was his revenge for Caspian's betrayal of him and his escape from his temple.

Caspian, until recently, held a high position in the temple of the God of Harvest and Plants. He did his work with integrity and faith, but the more you advance in the order, the more secrets are revealed. Caspian's elevation to Archbishop was not a joyous occasion but a bad dream.

Caspian's delusions of the kindness of his god were shattered, and he discovered the true nature of the god he had worshipped for years. Caspian was a man of good nature and will; he could not bear it, and so he gained a loyal crew and tried to escape undetected from the domain of his god. Unfortunately, it was not successful, and after a few weeks, he had no hope.

With the rebellion quelled, Caspian could only wait for death, finding himself in a distant part of the Endless Sea that was barely explored. But in its misery, there was hope. He heard the cries of seagulls as he raised his head to see the distant shadow of an island in the distance. Caspian gathered all his strength, took the helm, and headed in that direction. "I'll be damned if I give up that easily," Caspian said quietly. He wasn't afraid; he felt hopeful. Though the unexplored islands were mostly dangerous and deadly, he wasn't defenseless either.

Just because he had run away from his god and stopped worshipping him didn't mean he had lost his power.

***** 

Unknown Island

There were three small villages on the island. All three were small, with a maximum of two hundred inhabitants. All the inhabitants were long-lived, handsome, and had pointed ears. Elves were not unknown in this world and had long since mixed with the inhabitants of the Sea States.

However, this island was far from the civilized islands, and they never came into contact with other humans. The locals had no knowledge of seafaring, so they did not even think of trying to leave the island. Thus, the locals lived quietly for generation after generation with no way to escape.

In one of the villages, there was a large wooden house. It was quite ordinary, with flowers under the windows, a thatched roof, glass windows, a small yard where children played, and next to the house was a small shed sealed with a thick iron chain.

A brown-haired woman and man sat on a chair on the front porch of the house, doing odd jobs while three children played quietly in the yard where they could see them.

The chain on the shed suddenly shook. The man and the woman raised their heads and looked at it, and the children stopped playing as if frozen.

The chain suddenly flew apart as if it had been wrenched by force, and the shed door slowly opened.

The woman put down her sewing and stood up, looking at the children.

"Bloody Knee is here," she said to the children in a flat voice.

The children stood up, and so did the man, who slowly made his way around the house and disappeared behind it. The woman ignored the man and looked at the children with calm eyes. The eldest child walked slowly behind the house but was not gone long, quickly running back and calling out in an urgent voice, "Mummy, Mummy! There's a bogeyman!"

The woman waved her hand dismissively. "You see evil where there is none. It's just Daddy's monteras." The woman put no emotion into her words as she said this.

The other child went to the back of the house but also quickly ran back and called out, "Mommy, Mommy! There's a monster!"

The woman again made a dismissive gesture. "You see evil where there is none. It's just Daddy's rake."

The third child went behind the house and, like the others, returned quickly. "Mommy, Mommy! There is an evil thing!"

The mother sighed without emotion. "Okay, I'll take a look." The woman left the children and made her way behind the house, stopping at the corner and peering ahead of her at something hiding behind the house.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Bloody Knee," came a horrifying, guttural, gargling voice that no human being could make.

The woman wore a blank expression as she continued to ask. "Where are you sleeping?"

"On human bones."

"What are you covering yourself with?"

"Human skin."

"What's under your head?"

"Human hair."

"What's in your left pocket?"

"A fork."

"What's in your right pocket?"

"A knife."

"What are you eating?"

"Your meat."

"And when will you come for it?"

The answer was quieter now, and the woman leaned in to hear it clearly. She nodded and returned to the porch, glancing at the children, who began walking clockwise and whispering in unison.

"The first hour has passed, the lamp was still lit. The second hour passed, the lamp was still lit. The third hour has passed, the lamp is still lit."

As the children recited each sentence, their voices grew louder and louder, the sound of fear and tension creeping in as they continued.

"The sixth hour has passed, the lamp was still lit. The seventh hour has passed, the lamp was still lit!"

At that moment, it was as if the woman awoke from hypnosis. Her eyes filled with terror, the blood drained from her face, and tears began to drip from her eyes before she opened her mouth and screamed as loudly as she could.

"THE LAMP IS OUT!"

"OOOAAARRRR!" A creature that looked like it had been turned inside out came from around the corner of the house. Its body was made of bones, with red flesh writhing underneath. It had two clawed hands dripping blood, a large mouth full of sharp teeth, a noseless face, and blood-filled red eyes.

  "Aaaahh!"

"Mommy!!!"

The children screamed and ran away when they saw the monster. However, the monster didn't pay them any mind and instead scrambled out of the backyard and headed for the village.

The children, realizing they were not the target, ran crying to their mother, who quickly hugged them, and all four of them were shaking. The mother closed her eyes tightly and held the children close, forcing them to hide their faces in her chest.

After a while, she heard a sharp cry from a distance, but she still didn't move or open her eyes. She knew what was going to happen; there was no point in running. She could only wait for the whole thing to pass.

She heard heavy footsteps as the monster returned. She froze, and so did the children. She heard the monster breathing heavily and smelled the scent of blood in her nose. She flinched just once as the thing passed her and entered the house. Only then did she open her eyes and stroke the children's heads while she heard the kitchen rattling.

Chop

Chop

She jerked as she heard the sound of chopping and the sizzling sound of meat being sliced. It was half an hour before her husband appeared in the doorway. He looked terrible, his clothes torn and bloody, his eyes sunken, and his face drawn. In his hands, he held a large plate full of red liquid with bloody chunks of raw meat.

The woman averted her eyes and did not move until her husband hung in the open doorway of the shed. "Let's go... we're going to stay at your aunt's for a while. Come on, kids," she said in a trembling voice. They left immediately, she didn't even think of trying to go into the house to get some belongings.

***** 

Inside the shed, there were no tools, but one bed and one table with a chair at which sat a black-haired teenage girl. Her ears were so pointy, her hair was long and messy, her eyes were glowing red, and tears were flowing from them. The heavy smell of blood was all around her, and her expression was a mixture of hatred and sadness.

The man placed a bloody plate in front of her, and the girl's hands trembled as she tried to resist picking up the cutlery but was forced to do so in the end anyway. She stared at the man in front of her. "How much longer? When will you stop?" she asked without fear, but there was a murderous grin in her voice.

The man's exhausted expression didn't disappear, but his mouth spread into an unnaturally large smile, the skin tightening and threatening to burst as if it were stretched over something too big for it.

"Until you eat it all," a croaky voice replied.

The girl bit her lip angrily before stabbing her fork violently into the meat on her plate.