The Creatures Series

Twelfth Dark

Twelfth DarkCreatures of the Dark

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##### Twelfth Dark #####

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Iron petals dancing in the dark. A drop of blood is enough to bond everything. The missing links will once reunite again when the revelations of truths and lies resurface. Magic will be back as the demand of resurrection calls. The elements, burning and floating colors.... Everything is perfect again in this mystery of cloudiness.

Time will not stop because you want to.

Life must go on even if you don’t have any.

And when I realized I’m still having my cognition, even ticked back and sucked back in frame.

It all starts in black ─ it always does. Until the dim light reaches in and clears the vision into a more realistic realm.

The figure in front of me is beyond beautiful. Her dark hair veils her head like curtain. Her skin is as clear as a brand new sheet of paper. Her closed eyes are perfectly shadowed by golden and chocolate colors. Her lips are as red as rose. Even her clothing is elegant. Her black dress swathe her body almost entirely, so long the ends even reaches the floor under her.... That’s when I noticed that she’s hanging in the mid air, without any support or strings to attach her in place.

Something is dancing in the dark.

Shadow.

A moving one.

It's so dim in here, but I'm not completely in the blackness as well. I can still move, even though not much. Something is also holding me in place—something too dark I can't even see it with eyes.

Why can't I be free?

Where am I?

Who's standing across the corridors?

Why I am feeling so lost?

I don't even feel like I'm supposed to be here in the first place....

The person walk closer to me. His shoes are tapping the black and white porcelain floor. His figure is so thin, with dark long hair and face so hazy there's a fog covering it. He stops just right in front of me, but keeping the space as a safe distance. He speaks and I can finally see his pale, full lips moving when the fog halfly lifts from his visage.

"At last, you've woke up."

From the very first time he speak, I already know that he’s no ordinary person. The words not just echo through my ears, but also my head. His voice sounds so tender and calming, and in some sort of a way, comforting me.

"Do I know you?" I ask after staring at his hazy eyes for a moment.

His lips curve to a thin smile. "Why don't you find out yourself?" He replies.

Then suddenly, his question makes something inside of me click. And I'm alive again.

Now, I remember.

The lies.

The truths.

And my powers.

Everything is being set perfectly in place. I’m finally like a completed puzzle piece. Each fragment of me has returned. I have all access to my memories and my personalities. Oh, the joy of finally become one again with my divvies! I will hug myself in blithesome inconsiderably if my arms aren’t ironed at my sides.

"They all are—"

"Back?" He cut me.

"Yes. How did you—"

I lift my head to see his face again, and find it crystal clear for view. The fog has disappears, letting his real features resurface. Light skin like the shade of the moon. Hair so dark it develops a new hue of black. A pair of purple lustrous eyes, so piercing that you can’t just easily look away after making eye contact with them. And he's no stranger at all.

"Well, this is unexpectedly expected,” I mutter, tone between being completely at peace, and completely intense.

He didn't just take care of my body while I was gone, but also help me took back my powers by unsealing them. I know that after this point, according gratitudes by words aren’t just enough. He must also know that I will be back by my own, though. That’s the only reason why he didn’t help me get back before.

Finally. I'm back. For good.

But what's the occasion?

I ask him that question right away.

Eyebrows unequivocally and his starking, he informs me with a serious expression. "There's a gathering coming very soon. All Courts will be summon for this meeting. An important case will be discussed in there, and you'll need to attend in a full condition. The rest of the Courts are being retrieved now as we speak. We all need to get ready, because what we're about to deliberate is no laughing stock."

No wonder. Must be the time for that annual leaguing again. Or probably an emergency that appear at least once every few years. Unturning round, rectangle table will be full with judges from various backgrounds once more.

"I expect you to be ready tomorrow night,” is what he says before he walks away, waiting no response as he knows what I’ll do. A few moments later, I hear a sound of opening and closing heavy doors echoing from the farthest point of the corridor.

Meeting night isn't what I expect it will be. Not because they throw a really extravagant high fund to effort it, or because every furniture and building layer have been turn to pink (now that will be extremely distracting).

When a maid was ordered to inform me that I should go downstairs and join the ceremony, I didn't expect to open the doors to a hop.

Gold and yellow from candle lights and metal are building the room. Moving figures with colorful gowns and all shades of tuxedos are clinging the entire wide room. The entrance is charm by hundreds of full-bloom tulips that are place on the five meters high figure gate, sending a sweet smell to whoever passes below it. The sunny porcelain floor is so clean, it even reflects the dancing guests' shadows.

Elegance.

Grace.

Magnificent.

I find myself in front of a door that leads to a ball of the year. It’s hard to believe that someone has chased away the dullness of grey from the actual yellowish hall. I didn't realize that I say the last part out loud, until a voice replies from behind me.

"Well, thank you."

I avert my gaze to fall on his figure.

"You look amazing as always, Your Majesty." I bow at him politely.

"You, too, Arsene,” he chuckles. "But I'd rather see you on a dress this evening,” he adds, making me look down at my attire.

I'm wearing a long jacket again, this time anew and bordered with a higher level of design. Underneath is a gothic corset, which is the closest thing to a shirt I could find inside the closet in the guest room. My long legging is attach to my high-heeled boots. And there's no question about the entire color.

"My apologies. I have no idea that there will be a ball this night, instead of a meeting,” I mutter at my black suit.

"Oh, we still have something to discus—"

"But, the ball guests...."

"Just not here."

"Then where?"

To answer that question, he steps ahead of me. A path is form automatically when he wants to reach the stage across from where we stand. The ladies and gentlemen bow their heads when he glides gracefully through the crowd. Around midway, he stops, turns around and makes a gesture for me to follow him. He turns back to face the stage without waiting for my response and keeps walking until he disappears behind the golden-dust heavy curtains. The dancing guests, that I notice are nobles, dismiss the path before I can walk through it.

Soon later, after making lots of efforts to detect where he was heading, I discover that there ’ s a desolated entrance from behind the narrow hallway after the curtains. The door is even made of crafted golden briquette. That I notice even through the dim lighting of a small glowing wall tube that has unnatural obscure around its framework. The door that I open with a little help from my shadow ─ of course ─ is a room. It ’ s quite spacious inside, with a round rectangle large desk as I ’ ve guessed will be in it, along with eight set of well-handmade chairs and an aquatic carpet. Other than that, this room definitely offers a full privacy for not having any window or even any other exit besides the door.

“Welcome to the new Court Palace, Arsene. And please, have a seat anywhere,” he offers from his chair. There’s no questioning of where he’s already seating.

I walk to a chair beside his right. And just when I’m about to get bored, the door is opened to reveal the first entrant other than us.

Rush decision is her game. Changing mind is a flip of a hand. With grey, bun-tied hair and golden eyes, Coralw Mintvol is pretty cool for an ancient werewolf. That's why I made the amber choker which circling on her long, slim neck at this very moment. To make clothes disappear when she changes into her wolf form, and make it reappears when she's back on being human. It saved her more times than I think a simple chanting on choker will do. This is why Coralw swore to do me any favors in return. I never ask of any so far, though.

The second one is Nayth Ragonial, the fire licker. He has a pretty wild appearance that matches just how wild his personality is, with lots of hair dying and piercings that I even forget what his original hair color was. But by the time when Marianne Flast arrive, I already lost count on who ’ s entering next. I ’ m just sinking too deep in low conversation I start making with Coralw until one moment when I ─ we both feel the need to be quiet. All heads turn to him in union, asking for his permission to start this meeting silently. However, rather than granting us the concession, he keeps his eyes on the door and utters no words from his lips.

I start to wonder what he ’ s waiting for, until my eyes finally land on an empty chair at the edge. Can it be ─ ? I take a glance at Coralw before she shakes her shoulders. Suddenly, the door is pushed till it ’ s open, making a sweating, tall figure snooping from the other side of the substance. Panting heavily, he apologizes to us for being late and making all of us wait for him. Then, he discreetly reaches the back of the farthest chair and sit on it nervously. Now, it ’ s officially obvious that he ’ s the newbie. He never lifts his eyes from the desk. He never speaks unless spoken to. And he never even tries to make eye contact with anyone. How can he notify other Courts if he doesn ’ t at least look at us for once?

His Majesty starts the meeting with a short welcome. “Thank you all for gathering in this meeting. I don’t want to waste any more of your precious, tight schedules, so I’ll just bring up the matter to the point.” He takes a deep breath before continuing. “Recently, there have been murders that ingested victims from the Flirol clan. Now, we all know that they are the last remaining fairies in the world. But recently, their number has been decreasing drastically fast due to a severe disease called youth death. Their bodies gets weak easily, followed by great lack of stamina, along with symptoms such a coughing and asphyxiation. So far, fifteen fairies have died, remaining only six uninfected fairies until extinction.”

Low mutters come from everywhere when he takes a flash break, except me, him and the newbie, before speaking again.

Another long breath is being taken again before he speaks, though. “Unfortunately, when I was about to find out the right cure to them, a group of creatures attacked me and managed to murder two of them before I arrived to rescue them. I fought them, until something weird happened and they were able to leave with all of the last remain four fairies on their hands.”

His words sound so final then he says it, leaving some of the Courts shiver down their spines. No, worse. Being frozen into ice sculptures. Then he slowly narrows his solemn eyes on us one by one, studying each reaction individually.

“The species of fairy is now in our hands. Whether they will be safe or gone will both depend on our decision in this case.” For some reason, he lands his eyes lastly on me.