Twisted Realms

“Ah!” screams Kailani as she slashes her target in half.

Alexander claps for his adolescent daughter.

“You are most certainly getting better at fierce combat,” Alexander states.

“Bless you, dear father. I seek my best to satisfy you.” Kailani bows to her father as her wings fold neatly on her back.

“You are dismissed,” Alexander promptly announces.

“Bless you again; father." Kailani offers a slight nod and spreads her wings taking flight out of the combat chamber that was an empty floor with seats circulating the room.

Alexander keenly watches his ginger-haired daughter instantly disappear as he instantly recognizes another familiar presence instantly forming behind him.

“Ah! Oleander, it is good to see you again, my dear friend.” Alexander smiles fondly.

“As it is good to see you again, my gracious king.” Oleander bows.

“What has brought you here, my dear friend?” Alexander questions.

“Your brother, Draneron, has humbly requested me to merely call upon your divine presence, Alexander,” Oleander answers.

“Did he inform you at all which was it about?” Alexander asks eagerly.

“No kind, sir, all he merely said was that it was an important matter,” states Oleander.

“Very well, you’re dismissed,” Alexander says politely.

Oleander bows and instantly sinks into the deepening shadows. The shadows are routinely just a dark place in any standard room that typically allows a demon of the underworld to travel, instantly disappearing. Alexander then readies himself to willingly enter his dear brother’s domain. Alexander carefully spreads his massive pale wings, quickly taking off like the incredible speed of light then suddenly hitting the sacred ground in his brother's domain like lightning. His glittering gold and silver armor were not making a sound as they genuinely seemed to fit snugly on his sleek body like a new layer of flawless skin. Alexander looks up to his brothers' fortified tower, an orange light glowing fiercely as the key source of dazzling light, as Alexander could undoubtedly hear the crying of cursed souls below him.

Mariangela swiftly makes her way down the grand staircase from the fortified tower, efficiently utilizing her time. Her colorless hair bouncing with each appropriate step, her torn wings flow out. The sole thing sufficiently covering her dirt enveloped body was a tattered worn wrap. A guard dog follows closely beside Mariangela. The dog possesses no hair except for the stripe down its crooked back. Alexander could barely see the dog’s eyes; the dog’s mouth hung open showing two rows of sharp teeth. Mariangela comes to a stop in front of Alexander.

“Greetings, my mighty king,” mocks Mariangela.

“What do you want, alleged traitor?” scoffs Alexander.

He, nevertheless, is mad she had promptly fled his mighty kingdom to be with his dear brother without merely announcing a word. Mariangela’s fierce dog began to growl at Alexander.

“Why would I genuinely want anything from you?” She leisurely walks around him intentionally letting her hand glide over his sacred body, Mariangela’s fierce dog continuing to growl as it seems to be in a ready to attack position.

“You constantly desire something.”

“In undeniable fact, all I genuinely want is merely Draneron. He's precisely the sole thing I care about.” Mariangela stops in front of Alexander, once more smiling.

“Well, if you excuse me, I must go discuss personal matters with my brother, the one you so desire.” He glares as he pushes past her.

Alexander walks through the decorated doors of his dear brother’s fortified tower. He held his noble head high entering his brothers' private chamber.

“Alexander!” Draneron’s familiar voice booms off the sacred walls.

“Draneron.” Alexander properly executes a slight bow.

“I’m genuinely thrilled that you have come. Come closer, my dear brother, we must talk.”

“Willingly tell me, dear brother, what possessed you to instantly summon me. You know precisely I can't stay from my post."

“I have humbly requested you to talk eagerly to you about the treaty. Its long past due. You undoubtedly owe me a bride.” Draneron's smirk instantly runs chills down Alexander's spine.

“I genuinely thought Mariangela was succeeding wonderfully as your love, brother.”

“She undoubtedly represents a striking, gorgeous woman, but I have set my eyes on another!”

“Who shall it be, my dear brother?”

“Alexander, I eagerly want your beloved daughter as my blushing bride.”

“My beloved daughter…”

“Indeed, she shall naturally make a lovely bride. Don’t you believe, dear brother?” Draneron chuckles, adoring Alexander’s sudden tension in his body.

Mariangela, who had carefully hidden in the dark listening to the conversation, begins to cry hysterically and abruptly disappears.

“Fine, Draneron. On one specific condition.”

“What may that be, Alexander?”

“If she is to fall in love before she marries you, she doesn’t have to be with you.”

“I’ll undoubtedly see you in two pleasant days then, my dear brother.”

Alexander bows before departing from Draneron’s private chamber.

Mariangela eagerly snatches a stone and chucks it, screaming. She no longer felt like crying a grand river but naturally wants to undoubtedly make a river of Kailani’s youthful blood. As Mariangela kept picking up rocks and chucking them into the pit of lost souls, Oleander appears.

“Greetings, my dear queen.” Oleander bows.

“Ah, Oleander!” Mariangela smiles.

“What is it that you dearly need, my beloved queen?”

“I require help to execute someone who is trying to seize my proper place as queen.”

“Of course my queen!” Oleander gasps.

“Good. We must kill Kailani. I’m counting on you.” Mariangela departs heading back to Draneron’s fortified tower.

Oleander stood there, his heart crumbling. Kill Kailani? Slay his most dearest friend’s beloved daughter? Oleander’s stomach twists. Kailani, the adorable wholesome girl he helped train. The one he was constantly listening to? His most beloved friend. The one who undoubtedly stole his dear heart with one single smile. Oleander massages his left shoulder not terribly minding the mighty horns protruding from his ashen leathery skin.

Oleander concludes that he must go talk to Kailani to find out what’s going on. Oleander closes his eyes and imagines the gloomy corner of Kailani’s room. After Oleander opens his eyes, he si in Kailani’s room. It was a bit easier for demons to typically travel than the angels. Demons purely have to imagine the dingy place they want to go, and their bodies will melt and reform in the place they imagined.

Kailani was sitting on her bed. She had just had a talk with her dear father. She was scheduled to marry in three days to her dear uncle. Kailani had a sharp hate for her uncle. It was like a gleaming knife piercing deep into her gut slowly pulling up and twisting to cause more hate. She couldn’t believe her father would willingly give her up like that. Though, she did not object to it knowing precisely she naturally had to respect her dear father’s sincere wishes. She merely wishes she could get out of the marriage somehow. Her dear uncle after he was cast down into the underworld used the treaty thing as an excuse to get the things he wants.

“Kailani!” Oleander instantly appears from the dark.

“Oleander!” Kailani runs up to her beloved demon friend and hugs him.

“What’s going on? I heard you would be obtaining the place as queen of the underworld.”

“Dear uncle humbly asked my dear father to wed me because of the historic treaty.”

“I’m dreadfully sorry.”

“I don’t want to wed him, Oleander!”

“I undoubtedly recognize you don’t.”

Oleander gently caresses Kailani’s red curly hair, careful not to knock off her leaf wreath. Oleander fondly remembers when he produced that for her birthday. He knew how much she adores divine nature and how much she sincerely appreciates the mortal world. Kailani’s brown eyes resemble what the mortals would call chocolate. Oleander hates the fact he knew his eyes were pure white so they can’t be that interesting to look at, yet Kailani seems to be lost in them. Oleander knew precisely he was naturally going to protect this perfect angel no matter what.

Oleander notices Kailani’s face was closer than it had been. He watches carefully as her kind eyes gradually close and her rosy lips press to his mouth, which are only sharp teeth. Oleander holds her close 'til she pulls away from him. It bothers him a bit. All he wants is to tell her he cherishes her, but he doesn't want to do that to his dearest friend Alexander—plus he wasn’t completely certain if Kailani felt the same.

“I think it’s time for you to go,” Kailani says softly.

Oleander doesn't object. He makes his way to the dusky corner and instantly disappears like he was walking into a black hole. Kailani gets a sudden feeling in her gut. What was this feeling? It was warm, like drinking a hot cup of hot chocolate and feeling it burn as it goes down your throat. It feels lively and magnificent. Does she harbor genuine feelings for Oleander?

Oleander reappears instantly in the underworld. He looks up at the clouded skies.

“I will defend you, Kailani,” says thoughtfully Oleander aloud.

“Not if I can help that!” Mariangela calls behind him.

“My beloved queen!” Oleander instantly turns.

“I genuinely thought I could count on you but of course, I should have known instantly you harbored feelings for that petty girl, you traitor!”

“Please, my beloved queen...”

“Capture him! Hurl him in the dungeon,” Mariangela orders her men.

They drag Oleander in the dungeon that was brightly lit, so he couldn’t use the dark to fortunately escape. Oleander stands at the secure door, his hands gripping the cold metal bars. Kailani… how is he to protect her now?

Mariangela wisely decides to wait eagerly 'til the following day to carefully carry out her fierce attack on Kailani. She slept peacefully with the charming man she was going to keep as hers as long as she could. Mariangela appears in the deepening darkness of the combat room. She wanders quietly through the darkness, watching Kailani stretching. Mariangela eagerly seizes the golden handle of a silver bladed sword, moving soundlessly to attack Kailani. Mariangela lunges in front of Kailani, eagerly preparing her sword to cut Kailani’s body in half. Mariangela was precisely too slow; Kailani was completely prepared to cut her possible target that Mariangela had appeared in front of; instead of Kailani cutting her target, she cuts Mariangela’s left arm off. Mariangela’s arm falls to the ground like a sack of potatoes and wiggles like a worm for a few precious seconds then goes limp.

Mariangela’s fierce screams instantly fill the combat room as the secure place her lovely arm once sat sprays out sufficient blood covering the combat floor like a fresh coat of paint. The private guards that keep an eye on Kailani instantly rush to Mariangela. The private guards conveniently use direct fire to sufficiently reduce the profuse bleeding. Subsequently, they naturally took Mariangela to the underworld to return her over to Draneron.

Draneron effortlessly drags Mariangela to the brightly lit dungeons. Draneron stops in front of the private cell that Mariangela would be kept in. Mariangela stares into the empty cell that sits there waiting for someone to fill it, just like Mariangela craves to fill the empty void in her heart with the love Dameron doesn’t present her. Draneron throws Mariangela into the cell dislocating her right arm with a loud pop.

“You ignorant woman!” Draneron yells.

“All you had to do was wait respectfully! I was going to wed her, poison her in her sleep, then blame it on the sky kingdom!” Draneron hisses. It was like a firecracker exploding next to your ear.

“Maybe rotting in the prison will teach you a valuable lesson to have faith in me.” Draneron storms out.

Kailani looks around the slimy grey dungeon. Her father told Kailani that they had Oleander in the dungeon for an unknown reason. Therefore, she had carried out the decision to come to find out why. That’s when she saw him slumped against the wall like books trying to keep from tumbling over.

“Oleander!” Kailani ran over to his cell.

“Kailani! You’re in danger! Draneron is going to poison you after you wed him.” Oleander grips onto the cell’s bars.

“Are you sure?”

“I overheard him telling Mariangela.”

“I only just had to be sure you’re okay.” Kailani reaches within to caress Oleander’s cold rough grey skin.

“I’m alright but please inform your father.”

“I’m sorry, Oleander, but I won’t discharge that.” Kailani backs away.

“Kailani!” Oleander yells as Kailani runs off.

Kailani realises what she has to do. Kailani goes home and gets fitted in her wedding dress. The top hugs her body. The dress was slim and silky. A little belt sat on her hips and below the belt lace flutters out, laying out in a line behind her. Kailani’s plan shall begin tomorrow.

Kailani’s wedding was at sunrise. Draneron knew it was Kailani’s preferred time of day. Kailani holds onto her father’s arm as she escorts his beloved daughter down the aisle. Kailani could feel her father wasn’t the most relaxed person at the moment. She stood next to her uncle at the altar as her father obtained his seat with their people.

“Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Draneron and Kailani in matrimony commended to be honorable among all; and, therefore, is not to be entered into lightly but reverently, passionately, lovingly and solemnly. Into this, these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”

The priest falls silent giving anyone a chance to speak up, but all that could be heard was the ocean rushing beneath their home.

“The couple may now exchange rings.”

“I, Draneron, give you Kailani this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you." Draneron slides the ring on Kalani’s finger.

“I, Kalani, give you Draneron this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you." Kailani slides the ring on Draneron’s finger.

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," replies the priest.

Draneron leans in to kiss his new bride. Kailani seizes this chance, quickly drawing her sword from under her dress with one swift motion. Draneron’s head drops to the floor as black blood pours on the front of Kailani’s white dress and on her hair. Draneron’s blood streams down the steps like a river.

“Kailani!” Alexander yells.

“Dear father, my people, Draneron’s people. I must inform you Draneron was planning on poisoning me after the wedding to accuse it on my people to declare a war against us all. I wanted to protect all of you,” Kailani states.

The crowd mummers.

“Who will be our new king?” hollers someone from the crowd.

“Oleander,” introduces Alexander.

“Indeed, Oleander will be your new king. He knows how to run the underworld the best,” Kailani says.

“We must release our mighty king!” The underworld people promptly disappear one by one.

“Dear father.”

“Yes, Kailani.”

“I naturally want to marry, Oleander.”

“Is this what you sincerely wish?”

“Indeed, sir.”

“I would love to make her my lovely bride,” says Oleander as he instantly appears from the dark.

“Then so be it.” Alexander bows.

Oleander and Kailani return to their new home together. As Oleander’s first order as the new king, he has Mariangela executed by being thrown into acid so there may be no visible trace of her body. Alexander was naturally delighted for his beloved daughter had fortunately found love and that he knows his love would be returning soon.