History of Fictitious: Volume Three

Story #1-The Price of a Rose(Told by Arabelle)

Forty-three years after Effa was attacked by Amishi, Effa's throne was passed down to young Prince Shane. However, his heart was hardened, and he became a man of selfish desires, unlike his mother, Queen Vivian, who brought stability to the land. It all started when his mother died of a plague, and his father, Cadell, took charge of raising him. Vivian married Cadell for political reasons, and while she was faithful to him, she never fully trusted him.

Cadell died from poison, a death labeled as a suicide when Shane was sixteen, but Cadell's lessons remained in the young king's heart. One of the crucial lessons Cadell taught was that kindness was meant to be exploited and showing kindness should be only done when you'll receive something in return. Cadell had grown to expect the worst from others, and he wanted Shane to be wary as well.

On Shane's eighteenth birthday, an old woman came seeking shelter for the night, offering a single red rose for admission. Though he had plenty of room, her appearance and her gift disgusted him.

He recoiled at the sight of the rose and shouted, "Get that vile thing out of my sight! I never want to see one again, and I will not accept a request from a hag."

"Please, Your Majesty. Do not judge someone by first impressions. Let me stay here tonight," the woman pleaded, holding the rose higher.

Shane was stubborn, heartbroken, and prideful. He would not listen to the woman any longer and turned her away once again, pointing to the door.

"Guards, take this woman outside!"

As guards surrounded the woman, she removed her hood and transformed into a youthful girl. Her countenance was a blinding light, and everyone comprehended she was the Creator herself. All of Shane's guests ran away in fright as he fell to his knees. His servants stared in awe, too afraid to move.

The Creator enchanted the rose and said to the young king, "You have corrupted this kingdom and turned it into the very thing people feared. Now, your rule will be responsible for its complete annihilation. Never will Effa stand as a kingdom. Its walls are beautiful, but its soul is tarnished. Therefore, people will now see your soul's true color. The same will go for your servants who did nothing to stop you from ruining this kingdom. Your rule will be forgotten."

Shane cried for mercy as the rose hovered over his head. The castle began to crumble and shake. Effa became the ruined kingdom it had once been. All the citizens fled to other kingdoms, most traveling to Pari.

As the dust settled and the echoes of destruction faded, the candles in the ballroom flickered and died. The Creator, her presence still palpable, vanished. In her wake, the king's body contorted, his form shifting into a crimson spirit, a demon. His servants, too, underwent a similar metamorphosis, their forms now ethereal and insubstantial.

The Creator's voice, a whisper of hope in the darkness, resonated, "Take the rose you once spurned. For I have not abandoned you to your fate. If you can find eternal love, one person you value above yourself, before the last petal falls, your curse shall be shattered. To aid you in forging human connections, in a certain amount of light, you will regain a solid form, but your servants will not. Your home is now your prison, but a shared love can be your salvation."

Her presence faded, leaving behind only the rose and a mirror. The king, his hands now a translucent red, picked up the mirror and gazed at his reflection in horror. A grotesque, beast-like creature stared back at him, starkly contrasting his former human form. His spirit form then shifted back into a human, a reminder of what he had lost. His eyes, filled with a mix of despair and determination, turned to the rose. His once-perfect life as king was over. For who would love something as repulsive as a demon beast?