Unknown Happen Stance

Chapter 48: Civilized Uncivilized Kindness

New Scene: The Dark Influence of Venta

This is Icy's dark rain residue image, embodying everything she currently detests. On the outside, she appears charmingly innocent; a beautiful façade that masks the saw-scaled viper lurking within. Venta is an expert at deception, her pretty beauty and genteel demeanor used to ensnare unsuspecting victims, turning them into weapons against their will. Unlike others, she has mastered the art of manipulation so thoroughly she has become it. In this world, she is known as Venta, but her true name is Civilientanu—a goddess born who exists in three realms, wielding her potency with calculated precision.

The scene unfolds in Mal's royal bedroom, where the atmosphere buzzed with unease. Mal sat at her ornate desk, determined to avoid impropriety before the wedding—an event that stirred excitement in the hearts of many, yet pressed heavily on her shoulders. Pinkish-orange magic floated into the room, shimmering with an eerie beauty that sent a shiver down her spine, clashing violently with the rhythmic thud of her heart and the warm, fleeting whispers that danced temptingly in her mind.

"Aprohodite made you without care of your consequences, cousin, Venta, didn't she?" Mal inquired, her voice steady but tinged with accusation.

"Oh, cousin Malie, you know nothing perfectly good lasts forever," Venta responded her pink hair cascading like a waterfall, eyes glimmering red in the dim light. There was a sweetness to her tone, but it held the sharpness of a blade concealed beneath silken tapestries.

"Don't you wish you had more time for self-care and well-being? You and Ben, being the upcoming King and Queen, must feel so overburdened and exhausted," she cooed, her words laced with a feigned sympathy that dripped with insincerity.

"I've hired extra help that you don't know about, and I will not care to share," Mal replied tersely, frustration mounting at her cousin's constant prying.

"You know, we, both know extra hands can only handle so many tasks," Venta mused, her smile widening as if she found humor in Mal's struggles.

"You don't know how much I prep and plan! Now leave me alone!" Mal's eyes flared to a vivid green, the dragon within her awakening with a snarl.

"Fall in love with time for yourself and Ben!" Venta whispered, stepping closer, her voice smooth and seductive.

Mal fought against the enchantment, shouting, "NO! I understand your magic, and I will not be entranced by your Deceptive Mess!" Sparks of her green fire erupted, forming a shimmering wall of protection. "I will not be pulled into the same stupid guilt-trip that Paris succumbed to. Your mother, my aunt, doesn't deserve the hollow praise people offer, and you're as badly trained as her mischievous son, Eros, your older brother,—Cupid to everyone else—forcing love and infatuation upon people who never deserved it! People blame Zeus and Hades for their mild unspeakable crimes, but no one dares to insult or correct your part of the family line, and yours are ten thousandfold times worse! At least when some poor innocent human accidentally births a demi-god, their interbreeding is quickly cut short, and weaknesses diminished. But you?! You are just a trio of slime balls! I'd sooner have tea with Uma on her pirate ship any day than ever seek your companionship or uncompromisable aid!"

"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN ME?!" Venta bellowed, her veneer of charm cracking.

"Forget Who I Am?! Come at me if you dare! I Am The Daughter of The God of the Dead—not Death itself—and Ruler of The Underworld! Contrary to the original Disney version, he and Zeus get along quite well. He cared for both women in his life. Yep, I have a ghost stepmother, step-sisters, and a stepbrother too!" Mal defended herself by finding strength in her lineage. "You mess with my parents' children, and your Uncle would burn you up out of this world!"

"Funny, you mention being out of this world; I am already in two other realms, Mal. Only one can restore balance against my spells," Venta shot back, her voice smooth like honey, yet laced with malice. "You know Musa? She's encountered me once. My brother adopted a daughter who calls herself Cupid. But she veered off the family path, managing to disappear entirely from his grasp into a place called Monster High, and after about four years, she vanished from there too into another school."

"Why would Eros make such a foolish decision to adopt someone who clearly has different influences from you and him?" Mal challenged frowning at the absurdity of it all.

"Everyone claims 'Girls are easier to raise and perhaps easier to train'," Venta replied, her expression derisive, "but when I met her, she was nothing like me or my brother. She kept blabbering on about Love being an Actual Force of Nature—foolish nonsense! Now stay there and sit still!"

"Not in Your Wildest Dreams, Venta. Ignitio!" Mal activated her full shield, now feeling desperately alone; the door was closed and locked, the curtains drawn tight, blocking out the world.

"Very well, stubborn Princess. I can do just that. I can make you crumble!" Venta taunted, stepping closer, her demeanor a predator closing in on its prey.

"No one makes anyone inferior without their consent, and I will not give you mine!" Mal shouted defiantly, holding her shield high.

"Oh, really? Then why give the beastly old King your consent to treat you and Ben as inferior?" Venta countered, a sly edge to her tone.

Mal felt her concentration waver, her magic slipping as the shield faltered. Her eyes locked with Venta's, and suddenly, she was startled: the mention of Beast unlocked a wave of Aletophobia—the fear of abandonment—triggering memories of his mistreatment toward her and his own son. She tried to pull away, but the call was too hard to resist.

Venta stepped even closer; her voice dripping with persuasion. "I know everything about you—your secret desires, and you're afraid of embarrassing yourself in front of Ben, Evie, and the entire Auradon kingdom. Wake up, you, hypocrite, and start smelling the roses! Let me help you love yourself and Ben, and those who give you time and space. Your best friend got all caught up in her fashion business, leaving you behind. Does she really think you're still best friends? She doesn't show it very well. Test her the next time you talk politics. If she can't read between the lines of what you say, you'll know how much fame has clouded her judgment!"

"GET OUT of My Head, you witchy Goddess!" Mal shrieked at the top of her lungs, her voice breaking the stillness of the room. The green flames roared back to life, but the intrusive thoughts that had begun to sprout lingered, coiling like vines around her heart as Venta's insidious seeds of doubt took root.