Ju’Nero was confused as he blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the situation. His voice trembled as he asked aloud, “Wait… wasn’t that boy, the one from earlier, already the
Overlord of Dragons?”
Alameck, however, didn’t answer. He simply stood in silence, his expression unreadable.
Before Ju’Nero could process his next move, Alameck’s presence seemed to vanish in an instant.
Panicked, Ju’Nero whirled around, his claws slashing through the air as he shouted,
“You think you can just disappear like that? Don’t underestimate me! I won’t be such an easy target!”
His voice echoed in the stillness, but the words felt hollow as the realization hit him: Alameck was gone.
Then, just as the last sound of his own voice faded into the air, Ju’Nero heard it-a voice behind him, soft, poetic, and dripping with an unsettling calm.
“Ah… you really made a mess of her, didn’t you?”
The voice rang in his ears like a haunting melody, and instinctively, Ju’Nero spun around, his heart racing. But what he saw next made his breath catch in his throat.
Alameck stood mere inches from him, his predatory gaze fixed on Cinder’s lifeless form. He knelt beside her, inspecting the damage with the detachment of one contemplating a piece of art.
Ju’Nero’s mind raced, his heart slamming against his chest.
‘How did he get behind me? When did he move?’
He panicked, his thoughts a blur of confusion and fear. He hadn’t even sensed Alameck’s presence until he spoke. How could someone so powerful move with such terrifying stealth?
Alameck, seemingly oblivious to the chaos in Ju’Nero’s mind, leaned closer to Cinder, his cold, gray eyes fixed on her.
“Poor thing… I shall now relieve you of this torment.”
Alameck then snapped his fingers as he spoke. “Realize… re-define.”
In that instant, something impossible happened.
The blood staining the sands around them, mingled with Cinder’s ripped-off leg, began to shift.
Suddenly, they broke into particles of black light, rising toward the sky. The blood transformed as well, hovering like a constellation of dark, radiant stars.
Cinder was slowly restored as the particles rejoined her body. The blood flowed back into her veins, her leg regrowing, repairing every wound.
Cinder’s leg, whole again, seemed to pulse, and then her entire body glowed with a bright crimson hue.
Slowly, she began to shrink, her massive dragon form compressing into her humanoid combat
form.
She remained seated on the sands, her breath shallow and labored. She was clearly exhausted, a look of pure fatigue lingering on her face.
Her hands trembled slightly as she lowered her head, almost in reverence, and spoke with sincerity, “Thank you, Lord Alameck…”
Alameck stood before her, eyes glittering with amusement as he observed her. He looked down, his expression softened for just a brief moment.
His hand extended, almost instinctively, toward her silver hair. He grasped a strand of it gently, letting it slip through his fingers and a leaned in to sniff it.
“Ah… You smell absolutely delightful,” he suddenly said, as though savoring her presence.
Cinder felt an odd unease with the way he acted, but she didn’t dare to move against him. She wouldn’t want him to obliterate her because he felt irritated.
Suddenly, Alameck’s eyes widened, his gaze sharpening as he pulled back slightly. “Oh, what’s this?”
“Tell me, young one… have you and my brother not had a child yet?”
Cinder’s face flushed crimson, her heart hammering in her chest. She stammered, “N-No! We… we haven’t! I would never think of my lord in such a manner!”
Alameck’s expression turned to one of dark amusement. His lips twisted into a smile, his laughter echoing.
“Oh, brother,” he sighed dramatically, shaking his head.
“Even after eons, am I to believe you are still a stranger to the matters of romance?”
He stepped closer to her, his presence overwhelming as he reached forward and tilted her jaw upward, his thumb brushing lightly against her pink lips. His touch was unnervingly tender.
Cinder’s breath caught in her throat, but she couldn’t move, her body frozen in place by the sheer intensity of his gaze.
Alameck chuckled darkly, pulling away and taking a few steps back. His wings unfurled slightly, the purple and black hues glistening as his tail swayed behind him.
“Alas,” he said with a sly smile, “I must leave you now, fair maiden. Ruin beckons, and I am not one to turn down her calls.”
With that, Alameck turned to face Ju’Nero, who tensed under his gaze as he saw the mischievous grin with jagged teeth.
Ju’Nero’s body trembled as he braced himself, his claws twitching in anticipation of an attack.
Alameck’s steps seemed to echo in the silence, each one sending a shiver through Ju’Nero’s spine.
The beast overlord tried to steady his nerves, shouting, “If you’re going to kill me, I might as well charge in and meet my end head-on!”
Alameck’s lips curved into a dark smile, his jagged teeth glinting ominously as he responded. “So you’ve chosen to embrace your end, mongrel. Truly admirable.”
Before Ju’Nero could even act on his words, Alameck disappeared from view. Ju’Nero blinked in confusion, but then the searing pain came.
His eyes widened in horror as he realized his entire right arm was missing, blood suddenly
pouring from the gaping wound.
A voice then spoke behind him.
“Such impatience. If you truly desire your end so badly, then I will be more than happy to
oblige.”
Ju’Nero turned his head in time to see Alameck casually holding his severed arm. The Overlord inspected it with mild interest before his jaw unhinged slightly. His sharp teeth compressed the limb as he forced it into his mouth. The crunching sound was grotesque, and Alameck swallowed the chunk of flesh without hesitation.
“Not exactly gourmet cuisine,” Alameck said, licking the remnants of blood from his lips, “but it will have to do for now.”
Ju’Nero staggered backward, his strength failing him as his knees buckled. In that moment, he came to realize… it didn’t matter how hard he tried… he would die here.
Blood pooled around him, the crimson staining the sands as his desperation overtook his
pride.
He fell to his knees, his voice cracking.
“Lord Alameck! Please… I beg you! Spare me! I have a wife… children! My clan-they await my
return! Please, show mercy!”
Alameck chuckled, then asked,
“Mercy, you say?”
“I would have humored such a request, perhaps even found it amusing. But you, mongrel,
have committed an unforgivable sin.”
Ju’Nero’s panicked eyes darted upward, desperate to find understanding. “What… what have I
done? Tell me, and I will atone!”
Alameck’s smile faded, his gaze turning icy as he stood before the pleading beast overlord.
“You tormented my brother,” he said, his tone now a low growl. “And while I detest him with
every fiber of my being, there is one ironclad law I live by…”
Alameck leaned in, his eyes narrowing as his voice dropped to a deadly whisper.
“Only I am allowed to draw satisfaction from seeing him suffer.”
Ju’Nero’s heart sank, the weight of those words crushing his last hopes. Alameck straightened, his amusement returning as he gazed at the pleading wolf man with a mocking
grin.
“You defiled such a sacred bond with your filthy claws.”
“And since you’ve done so I can’t forgive you.”
His voice was sharp as a blade, and it cut through Ju’Nero’s spirit like a hot knife through
butter.
“Please!” Ju’Nero cried again, his voice trembling. “F-Forgive me! Spare me! I beg you!”
Alameck tilted his head, feigning thoughtfulness as he resumed his slow pace toward Ju’Nero
and spoke.
“I’ve heard of a certain myth amongst some of my children eons ago. They say the heart of a beast overlord holds unparalleled healing and regenerative properties… Besides that thy say
it’s quite a delicacy.”
Ju’Nero’s eyes widened in terror as Alameck’s words sank in. The blood drained from his face, leaving him pale and shaking. His instincts screamed at him to run, but his body refused to
move.
Alameck stopped in front of him, his massive dark aure was intense and oppressive. He looked
down at Ju’Nero, a sinister grin spreading on his face.
“And I…”
“…would love to have a taste for myself.”
Before Ju’Nero could utter another plea, Alameck’s clawed hand shot forward, plunging
toward his chest.
….