The Last Ever After (SGE Fanfic)

His Dead Army (+ Bonus Section)

Sophie held on to the arm of the School Master as they walked out of the dark castle. His ghostly white hair blew in the breeze, making him scowl in annoyance as he pushed the strands away. Then he spoke, opening his mouth and pausing deliberately.

"Good vs. Evil, Girl's vs. Boys..." he said in a voice that was almost sing-song like, but not quite. "It's not Good and Evil anymore, nor is it Girl's against Boy's. So what is it this time?"

Sophie glanced over to him, confused. "I don't - "

"The rules have changed, Sophie. They've been changing for a year. What is it this time?"

They walked down the path together, stepping over loose tiles. She stayed quiet as she listened him talk, realizing that he didn't really need her to reply. In a way, he was talking to himself.

"And I was wondering, if the lines between the two sides are so easily blurred, what happens if there is no difference? What happens if there aren't two sides... but one? What do you think?" His eyes turned to hers, blue and piercing. Sophie found it difficult to look at them for long, and pretended to be examining a flower that somehow managed to grow on the cracks between the cemented blocks.

"I think that they're the Evil ones," Sophie said suddenly.

He stopped walking, causing her to stop too. He gently tilted her face up to look at her. The School Master smiled warmly. "Dear, you must remember... there is no Good and Evil anymore. It's the problem that you need to solve before we get to our destination. The final problem."

His eyes were hypnotizing; they stared right into her soul with so much power. Sophie managed a nod. The School Master kissed her on the cheek, and then released her hand. "Think about it," he urged gently.

For the rest of the walk, he didn't speak nor look at her. Sophie felt hurt at first, but then realized he actually wanted her to think. Ten minutes later, he stopped just as they were going to go past two large bushes, which covered everything ahead of them. He faced her. "So what have you thought?"

Sophie gathered her thoughts, hands clutching the black dress. "I think... if there is no difference... if there is no Good and Evil... if there isn't more than one side..." she looked at him. "Then we have no purpose. People wouldn't be able to live with a meaning in life."

The School Master smiled. "Yes... thankfully, we have a solution to that." He brushed aside the branches of the bush, beckoning her forwards. She stepped next to him -

Row upon row of soldiers were standing at attention in front of them. Sophie choked back a gasp, staring at one of them -

They had no skin.

With a scream of fear, Sophie leaned back into the School Master's arms, feeling cold. And very scared. "What are they?" she breathed, horrified. The School Master made a hand gesture, and the undead moved to the side, the ranks rippling as they made way for the two of them. He gestured for her to come along, pulling her arm as she dug her heels into the ground, refusing to move.

"They're my army," he said, smiling. "Now Evil is unstoppable. The Young and Old... the solution."

"They're - "

"You don't need to be scared of them," he said encouragingly. "They won't hurt you."

Gathering her courage, Sophie peeked a look at one of them. They didn't look that bad... besides the fact that all their bones were showing through. Her eyes traveled up to the face of one of them, steeling herself -

The empty spaces where the eyes should have been were empty, but the soldier looked right at her. The sockets seemed to follow her as she cringed, heaving, disgusted.