Onine

"How old are you."

"Old enough."

Tenebris answered like a child being scolded.

"Then why would you be obsessed with a child. Even I am coming this close to labeling you a creep."

Arloch said as she had her hands behind her back while standing and looking at Tenebris who was kneeling. They were in her laboratory. Tenebris stopped looking down and then looked at her master for a moment before looking down again, making Arloch not miss her unexpected act.

"I judge people by their souls. He may look like a child to you, but I see the truth behind his body. He is old enough to be pursued by any woman and I am lucky to have met him and be the first one in this world. Master, I have waited for years and years, but this time I think he might be the one."

'I do not know anything about what she is talking about when she mentions his soul and this world, but I know what she has been waiting for. If that is the case, then that boy must be more dangerous than what I imagined him to be.'

"So, that is why you gave him the flower?"

"Yes, he did pass my test after all."

Arlorch was now carious."

"Awe, and what test was that?"

"It is a secret between a future wife and future husband."

"Hahahaha, I see. Well, who am I so step between a lover's secret, I will let you handle your heart's affairs as I had promised you when we started this journey."

"Thank you, master."

"How are the prisoners? Can we start the summoning?"

"They are almost ready. The two Luminexis witches were already ready the day we came back. Only the lower villagers were tricky since they are mediocre Initiates. They may lose their minds if Sanguis does not take his time."

"I see. It is still quite a whole we got. Only an idiot would turn so many Initiates and live them unguarded. These Luminexis, they might need to be eradicated. They put a bad name on us who experiments and are of the dark. I cannot let those who use kids in such a manner and have no reservation about it go. It would only invite trouble for us. Even beasts do not go after the young for no reason."

"But master, U wanted to dissect Sheyken."

"Cough, cough, well, there are exceptions now and then. What I meant is that how they were doing it will surely invite trouble for us, that is all. You did say he might do the job for me and I am sure you want him to show his worth to you. I will let them be for now."

Tenebris smiled.

"Go, get ready. I am sure Sanguis has also finished fortifying the runes. You must send Fusobacter to come to get me when you have finished the preparations.

"Yes, master."

Tenebris despaired.

'This is not good. I never thought she would find anyone that could control her nature. I should have killed the kid before they met. Now I cannot lay a finger on him unless I risk losing her. I just have to hope someone does the job for me before all three of those petals are plucked, or find some pawns to eliminate him without the others knowing. We have become active because of him after all.'

Alorch thought as she set down next to the liters of oil she got from Sheyken. She then looked at her experiment which was the same as the one that had blown up. She had given up on analyzing the oil as she was getting nowhere and started the experiment again with the hope of getting inspiration on how to tackle it.

"I should find a use for you soon."

She said as she looked at the oil.

In the room that had a bar sat Sanguis and Violentiam who were having a drink after they finished reinforcing the runes.

"So, her pet is coming back."

Violentiam said with a big jar of beer in his hand.

"I think that is why the master is bringing him back because he was her pet."

"Think the princes is getting a stern talking to?"

"Well, she lets her do whatever she wants to do. I think the master is letting her know who is in charge though. If she is too hard on her, she might lose her cool and we will be at the receiving end of that. Not even Zararloch can stop her if she goes all out. You know she just acts like we are stronger then her right, or she's been doing it for so long you have forgotten who she is?"

Sanguis said with a somber tone. He took a sip of the wine he was holding.

"Think the master can handle her?"

Violentiam asked but only to be met with a stern look. It was saying 'we cannot talk about that here' and he knew his mistake. He took a mouthful of his beers and then sighed.

"We are finally on the move and it is thanks to that kid. I did not think he could quickly steal her heart that easily. He looked testy though, I should have eaten him before he swept her off her feet."

"The boy does not even want to be close to her. I think the way he rejected her set all this into motion."

Sanguis said with one of his feelers scratching his head.

"Hahahaha, now I feel sorry for the kid, but for her to act like that to a kid?"

"I do not think she sees him as a kid. I think there is something about him that she is not telling us."

"Now that is good. At least we know he has a quality, not just her chasing after a kid for no reason. What is your impression about him, since you met him again?"

"Well, for starters, no kid would order the massacre of a village like it was nothing to him and beat up an old lady like it was nothing then heal her again, only for him to chop off her arms and legs then finally kill her."

"Wahahahahaha."

Violentiam laughed so hard he almost lost his footing with his huge body knocking the chairs around him.

"Did Zararloch turn him into one of us already?"

"No, that idiot can never be that good enough of a teacher. That kind of savagery was with him from the day he was born. I saw his face. He was calm as those little hands pummeled the old lady half to death. Not to mention he has 5th tier curse blood in his veins now. No child should survive that even if he had a potion for the curse."

"Hahaha, guess no low-tier curse can be used on him now. Are you jealous Sanguis? I can feel the spite in your voice. You did bet that he would die in the first month of him leaving this place... Wait, what curse?"

Sanguis just took a drink and did not answer. He almost blew it and was sweating while thinking about what Tenebris would have done to him if he reveled what he knew. After a while and both of them quiet, he turned and looked at him.

"I have a disciple now."

He said with a straight face.

"Hahahahaha... I knew it. You just cannot help yourself. You can never let Zararloch win."

Their conversation was cut short as Fusobacter appeared in the room to tell them that Tenebris was up in the valley and ready for the summoning. They left the bar with Violentiam still laughing at Sanguis.

Beneath the cell where Sheyken was using as his sleeping quarters, there was a big area with rooms that were full of people of 15 to 20 in each. This was where the villagers were being kept and where their nightmare never ended. In every room you would hear screams as just like in the village. If you took a peek inside you would see their limbs being torn off, only for it to be perfectly fine the next moment.

All around the area was a red mist that was almost naked to the eye if not for the red hue giving it away. In some of the rooms, there were no screams but you could hear the voices of the villagers asking for whoever was doing this to them to let them kill themselves. If you peeked in those rooms you would only see lost souls but with nothing happing to them.

Cumfureres went to the last room and opened it. When she did, the two people in the room were like they had just seen an angel when they saw her. Sisun jumped for joy and Susin just started crying tears of happiness. You could say he was sane again as his mind had come back to him as the room was free of the hue and the days that he spent there helped. The only thing that stuck in his mind was that he did not want to live anymore. He did not even think of Sisun as his sister and both of them never talked to each other since they had been put in the room. He was now chasing the place that felt real to him which he thought he could reach in his death.

When they saw Cumfureres their souls felt alive as Sisun saw the death she wanted in her and Susin saw that place he wanted to go to. They followed her like obedient dogs up to the valley. Zararloch was next to Arloch and the other 3 behind them. Tenebris was standing at the center of the valley and Cumfureres led them to her and then joined the other 3.

In her hand appeared two daggers that looked like Sicapugis but with some inscription written all over them. They were as black as her. They took them and then with her finger touched their forehead living a black dot.

"Do you wish to give up your life for me and in exchange, with your own will and power shall seek that is beyond your death?"

"I do."

They both said in unison with a smile on their faces.

"Then the deal is done."

As soon as she said those words the black dot in their foreheads disappeared into them. Thereafter their eyes became black and demonic. Tenebris stepped forward and melted into the ground. It became as black as she was on a 100 meters radius with the two witches as the center. It consisted of 9 circular rings that also had runes and text written in black with black smoke living them.

The one that was in the center which Susin and Sisun were standing on top of started spinning. After some seconds the second one followed, then the third, and lastly the fourth one. They were all spinning in opposite directions of each other. They both kneeled down after cutting the palm of their hands. They touched the formation and as soon as they did, their blood was sucked out of them as faster than the eye could see. They dropped dead as their bodies looked old and dry.

The rings started pulsing and the runes and texts started to glow red. The 4 of them stopped at the same time. As a portal appeared as the 4 rings faded away, the 5 rings that where stationary started to spin like the 4 were. A hand of a giant came up as the bodies of Susin and Sisun disappeared into the portal. A Ten meter huge giant all red with white tusks and flaring black hair made its way out of the portal and then roared while looking up to the sky like it was back in its territory.

The rings stopped and soon after disappeared and Tenebris appeared next to the red giant.

"Onine! I missed you!"

She said as she tried to hug his leg but it was so huge. She then jumped up to his shoulder and sat.

"Do you know how much I missed you and sitting on your shoulders? Vio is no good. I cannot sit properly on him. He still keeps on acting like a lion when he is a horse."

She said as she stuck out her tongue to Violentiam like a little child. Onine just looked at her on his shoulder, and then after a while, he spoke.

"Onine!"

He said with a deep voice.

"See, even Vio does not have such a manly voice."

They reached where Arloch was and Onine kneeled down while Tenebris jumped off him. Violentiam acted like he did not hear anything she had said.

"Good to have you back so soon Onine. Your sacrifice last time was not in vain. I hope you will serve me as good as you did the last time."

"Oneni!"

The giant said and disappeared. Arloch turned around to face the others.

"Tell me when the others are ready, I have something I would like to try."

She looked at Zararloch like she was thinking then disappeared after that.

"Awe! …. Zara, was that an invite to her chambers? You dirty busted, did you finally do it? Do not tell me that 10 pack finally did the trick?"

Zararloch quickly disappeared from sight as Violentiam started laughing. Tenebris was disappointed she could not get another joke in before he disappeared.