Love in the Oddest Places (bowuigi story)

Chapter 42: Family Reunion Take Two

Deep in the bowels of the Imperial Palace were the dungeons. The occasional cough or groan, along with the clicking of chains offered some disruption to the silence. A bright blue star floated around, doing cartwheels and trilling with glee; somehow, they found joy and amusement in this dark, cold place.

Suddenly, the doors opened.

The heavy wooden doors creaked as they swung open, their sound echoing through the stone chamber. Emperor Roark, cloaked from head to toe and wearing his mask, stepped into the dimly lit dungeon. He paused for a moment, surveying the surroundings; his guards put a hand on their weapons. The ruler looked up, "I thought I said I wanted that Luma contained," he said.

The guard to his left sighed. "Your Highness, we tried. But then it started babbling about death and how we won't be able to escape 'the cage of mortality'... It was depressing the prisoners, so we decided to just let it loose."

"True freedom lies in the stillness of the void, where shadows whisper secrets and dreams dissolve into the eternal night."

Roark and the guards stared at the Luma, a chill running down their spine as they watched it fly around as if they were unaware of their grim comment. He had found the star creature on the outskirts of the capital; considering its... extremely morbid personality, he decided it would be best to have it beneath the castle, away from the citizens. For the sake of his sanity and the fact that he wasn't here for Lumalee, Roark walked past them. He was interested in another prisoner.

He continued through the halls of cells. After a few minutes of walking, they stopped right in front of the prisoner they were looking for. Trapped in a crystal, mid roar of anguish, was the treacherous Koopa Queen. Roark quickly ordered his guards to enter the cell and extract the crystallized prisoner. They wrote some runes on the rocky surface and whispered enchantments, causing it to float slightly; with a lighter load, they positioned themselves beneath the crystal and moved it out of the cell.

Roark led the way through the labyrinthine halls of the castle's dungeon, the guards following closely behind with their precious cargo. The eerie silence was broken only by their footsteps echoing off the stone walls. They finally reached a chamber at the heart of the dungeon, a place specially prepared for their unwelcomed guest. "Place her here," Roark instructed, pointing to a pedestal in the center of the room.

The guards complied, gently setting the crystal down with a soft thud. Roark stepped forward, examining the Koopa Queen's frozen expression. Her eyes, filled with rage and despair, seemed to bore into him even through the crystalline barrier. But it didn't frighten nor cause him discomfort; Roark was more than aware of what a weak creature she was. Knowing her true past now made the fact she was excruciatingly aware of her predicament all the more satisfying; Roark knew she was conscious as well as being painfully sustained within the crystal. Every moment she was inside her prison was nothing but agony... At one point, he had thought it a too lenient punishment. But now that he knows for sure she murdered his sister, caused his niece so much pain, as well as her betrayal of the Darklands...

The punishment suited the crime perfectly.

The emperor stepped closer and tapped the crystal imprisoning her. It was a petty gesture, but one that filled him with a dark satisfaction. Stheno was in no position to demand respect, and he had long since exhausted any patience he might have had for her. Not that he had any in the first place. Roark's smile twisted beneath his mask as he leaned in, his voice dripping with contempt, "May these be the last words you ever hear," he hissed. "Your schemes have been laid bare. In a matter of years, the Darklands will forge peace treaties and alliances with the Allied Kingdoms. And the man you sought so desperately to destroy has built a brighter life for himself, one beyond your reach."