The Dark Lord

I took in a huge gasp of air as I finally opened my eyes. My lungs felt like being drowned and then burned because it had stopped breathing for a while and oxygen was flooding in madly. The light burned my eyes too and for a moment I had to blink furiously just to adjust to the light.
It was funny. All I had to do was just manifest my will to keep on living and there I was.
Alive yet again.
I saw Tony’s yellow eyes first. They widened at me, shocked because he thought I had died. His face crumpled when he hugged me tightly before. And now he looked at me blankly. I could still see the tears pooling in his demonic eyes.
At other times, I would have boasted about the fact a demon almost cried for me. He really was the sweetest demon.
“Miss Ari!!” Renald cried out. He pulled me into his embrace. The smell of earthy fragrance from his skin hit my nose. But his embrace gave me warmth, and I found myself clinging to him, to make sure I was really alive again.
“I miss you too,’ I whispered.
I looked up at Michael. His blue eyes looked at me in relief. He smiled at me. Would you look at that? He smiled. Genuinely. The cold angel billionaire finally melted with my resurrection. I would memorize this moment to the day I die and tease him about it later on.
Yes. I have ‘later’. My life was not on a deadline anymore. I had experienced death and now I would march on living.
Then my gaze shifted to Lex. I could have sworn I saw tears in his eyes. His pupils shook as if making sure I was truly moving. But he remained standing like a statue.
I gave him my smile.
“But… how?” Tony asked. “We thought we’ve lost you.”
“I think Renald has turned me into an immortal now with his vampire–making ability and the help of your magic,” I said, “I also met with the previous Dark Lord and he gave me pointers on how to get back to my life.”
My thumb caressed Tony’s face gently. He gripped my hand. That was how he made sure I was real. I gripped his hand back, letting him know it was really me. Alive and breathing.
Then I stood up with the help of Tony’s shoulders. My legs were wobbly, but I forced my weight on them. My eyes found Lex’s again.
“So… what now?” Lex asked. I think it was the first time I ever saw him being clueless. “If you’re a vampire now that means you’re immortal. The cycle has been broken. And that means…”
“World’s destruction,” Michael finished the sentence for Lex.
Their faces became grim. But then Tony stood up immediately and said, “We wouldn’t have it any other way, though. We’ll figure things out, how to save the world. Or not. What matters is you’re alive and will be with us for a long time.”
“Or as long as the world still exists now that Arianna’s living has set world’s destruction into motion,” Renald said. Surprisingly, the sarcasm came from that innocent pup. More surprisingly, Michael slapped the back of Renald’s head to shut the pup up. I stared at Michael with a smirk. That was unexpected of the cold angel.
My smirk grew into a huge grin. “I guess you boys are stuck with me in the mansion until the world end gets to us.”
Lex returned my smile. “That wouldn’t be so bad at all,” he said, “I have ideas on how we can spend the time we have left.” His smile turned into a devil’s smile and I knew exactly what he meant.
“I’m done taking turns with you all,” I said firmly.
“You can take all of us at once if you prefer that,” Michael suddenly said. A wide grin appeared on his face, too. Such a horny angel and sorcerer.
I chuckled at their words, then shook my head. “No, what I meant is,” I said, “I have crowned the Dark Lord.”
Silence ensued after my words. Dead silence. Only the sound of the leaves taken by the wind filled my eardrums. Their grins disappeared, replaced by serious stares. Even Renald who usually looked nonchalant about anything turned serious.
“That’s why the world would not end yet,” I continued, “I told you I met with the previous Dark Lord, right? He gave me pointers on who to crown.”
I then told them about all I have learned from the Grim Reaper. How the cycle, the Ladies, and the princes were all part of a trial. And that the trial had come to an end.
The air around us grew heavy. Each one of them seemed to barricade themselves with thick invisible walls, their expression would not betray the feelings inside them.
“So,” Lex finally said, “Who have you finally chosen?”
“For the announcement,” I asked, “Can you gather all the Underworlders? Tonight?”
“Oh, and bring that warlock too.”
Lex only looked at me for a while. Before finally, he nodded. With a flick of his fingers, we were suddenly transported into a park which I never visited before. Renald transformed back into his wolf form and howled at the dark night above. I guess that would be how they call all the Underworlders.
We didn’t wait long. Just a few minutes before each Underworlder came to the park. The vampires arrived first. Then the fairies, the werewolves, the warlocks. And finally, the few remaining sorcerers other than Lex.
They all eyed me differently. Some looked at me as though I was a prize, some saw me as a target to be destroyed. While the rest, especially the fairies, looked at me in amused stares. The Underworlders filled the garden. There were dozens of them and Renald whispered to me that only the elders and important people from each species would come. It made me wonder how many Underworlders are there lurking in the shadows without humans knowing of their existence.
The vampires hissed at me slightly, especially the female vampire that tried to abduct me. I also remembered the werewolves that tried to kill me.
Sandwiching me were Tony and Renald. Michael stood behind me a few steps while Lex was in front of me addressing the Underworlders.
“You all have been called today because The Lady has finally crowned a Dark Lord.”
The crowd went noisy, their voices abrupt like a volcano.
“Silence!!” Lex’s voice boomed in the entire garden, creating a spreading heavy echo in the air. I even thought that his voice could have been heard for miles away. But it seemed that only the Underworlders could hear him. They went quiet, just like that.
Impressive.
As the crowd finally settled, they had their eyes on me. They were on high alert to hear the name I would crown as the Dark Lord. They were right to be. The name I have chosen was not an easy choice.
Lex stepped aside to reveal me fully to the entire crowd. Some vampires licked their lips to intimidate me that they saw me as prey. Some werewolves were also still giving me dagger stares.
But I stared back at them. Unafraid. “From this moment forward, I am no longer a human you can easily look down upon,” I said, straight to the point. Those Underworlders that tried to intimidate me grew stunned with my words. “I am an immortal now with the help of the princes.”
The Underworlders all murmured to each other, disbelief was evident in their tones and gazes. “Quiet!” This time it was Michael who said the words out loud, “The Lady is still speaking!”
The crowd went still again, their eyes glued to me.
“The one who I have crowned as the Dark Lord,” I said. I was actually surprised my voice sounded so solid. I held each of their dark stares. They were all creatures in the shadows, creatures living under the world of humans, creatures in the middle of Heaven and Hell.
I looked them all in the eye. One by one. Then I dropped the bomb.
This was how I saved the world and able to came back alive.
“I crown myself.”
The silence became even stiller, more deafening, heavier than before.
That was what the previous Dark Lord had hinted at me. We don’t have to serve another’s purpose other than our own soul in this world. I didn’t really know fully what my soul’s purpose was, but I knew I was not meant to die yet. So I fought the wind, fought the current, and I fought for my life.
I wanted to save the world and yet be alive at the same time.
So I crowned myself. And as the Dark Lord, I acquired the power to come back alive.
When my words finally sank into the minds of the Underworlders, they went into an uproar. I heard a lot of ‘what?’ and curse words at me. Some were laughing, thinking I was joking. Even Lex was looking at me with a shocked face. Tony was nudging me to come closer to him, afraid that the Underworlders would attack me at any time.
But they all stopped whatever they were doing when I dragged the warlock out of the snake that Lex had made.
Silence once again filled the entire garden.
Because I didn’t drag that warlock with my own hands. I dragged them with just a flick of my wrist. Black tendrils of smoke arose from below me and took Bar to the ground before me. The warlock grunted in pain.
My eyes found the Underworlders again. “Now let me demonstrate what I will do to those who oppose me,” I said.
The next second, only the screams of Bar were heard. I broke his fingers, ten of them, one by one with the black tendrils. Bar was crying heavily when I got to his last pinky. Then I broke his two legs, each creating a horrifying shrill of pain in the garden.
None dared to move as they watched me torture Bar.
“This warlock had tried to murder me, The Lady,” I said. No one dared to laugh at my words now. And I felt my words were stronger, they sounded solid. “And now I am punishing him as the Dark Lord.”
I made the tendrils of smoke stretch Bar’s body. He begged me to stop, to show him mercy. But I didn’t listen.
His body was torn apart after a few excruciating minutes. Blood splatters to the garden, the sound of water dripping filled our eardrums. I got a splatter on my cheek too. Then Bar’s body fell to the ground, limp and lifeless.
I have to admit. The part of having the Dark Lord’s power was pretty cool.
“So,” I challenged the Underworlders, “Any objection?”