It was the second day of the competition and the third day of the Nachtstern Festival, however, the cheerful atmosphere didn't reach Morrigan. She was still meekly sitting in her room with her eyes downcast as Gunna did her best to get her ready for the second task.

"What is weighing you down so heavily so early in the morning?" the nanny asked as she tied Morrigan's hair into a ponytail. Apparently, that day's competition would involve a lot of moving, so it was important to style her hair in a way that wouldn't hinder her.

"I-I just had a bit of an argument with Father. And I think Deziara might be mad at me as well," Morrigan sighed.

"Then you just have to talk to them and set things straight, don't you?" Gunna chirped, finishing up on Morrigan's ponytail.

"But it was Father's fault. And I don't think I can make up with Deziara by just talking to her."

"There, there, no need to be so pessimistic. Just go talk to them and everything will be alright. You're a family after all."

A knock resounded on Morrigan's door, and it slowly opened, Alphegor peeking from behind the door. It was a bit silly seeing the King peeking timidly from behind the door with a guilty look on his face. Morrigan deliberately ignored him, looking the other way.

"Good morning, Morrigan. May we talk?" he asked, slowly shuffling into the room.

"Lady Morrigan was just speaking of you, Master Alphegor," the dwarf nanny said, earning a look of betrayal from Morrigan. Alphegor, on the other hand, visibly perked up.

"Wonderful! If you would give us a moment then, Gunna."

"Of course, Master Alphegor," she said with a gracious bow and waddled out of the room with a self-satisfied smile on her face. An awkward silence stretched on as Morrigan pointedly ignored her father.

"Morrigan, I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I overreacted," the King admitted, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"I was really looking forward to trying those out," she pouts, puffing out her cheeks. Her heart clenched as she remembered how the magic paint was hidden into the recesses of Alphegor's pocket dimension.

"I know," Alphegor replied, then adapted a sterner expression. "And how do you think I felt when I suddenly heard you screaming for me from the city outskirts? When you were supposed to be within the safety of the Demon Castle?"

Morrigan stared awkwardly at her thumbs, knowing full well that her father must have been beside himself.

"I'm sorry. I hoped that nothing would happen if me and Deziara went out disguised like we did on the first day of the Festival."

"That is different and you know it," he retorted. Morrigan hung her head shamefully, and Alphegor sighed.

"You must promise me that you will not leave the castle again without my explicit permission," the King said sternly. "No matter who tries to coerce you to sneak out, be it Azrael or Deziara or anybody else."

But that means that I would have to spend another twenty years cooped up in the castle. Even Deziara is getting sick of it and she's never even seen anything besides Demon Castle.

"Morrigan," Alphegor's tone turned cold as the silence stretched on. She looked at him and finally sighed.

"I promise. But then you have to promise to take me out sometimes," she countered. Alphegor appeared a bit surprised at first but then smiled.

"Alright, it's a deal. Everything's good then," he outstretched his arms inviting her for a hug, but Morrigan crossed her arms over her chest.

"There's one more thing."

"One more thing? What exactly?" Alphegor narrowed his eyes.

"You must allow Deziara to compete. She was really looking forward to it," Morrigan pleaded.

Even if Deziara doesn't see me as a sister anymore, I still want to do something nice for her.

"It was Deziara's–"

"I know, I know. But please overlook it. She was merely craving a bit of freedom," Morrigan interrupted Alphegor before he could finish. The two stared at each other for a while until the King finally relented.

"Alright, alright. She can compete. But she'll be confined to her room for a week once the Festival is finished."

Morrigan wanted to object to that as well, but the stern look in Alphegor's eyes indicated that he would not budge anymore. She nodded with eyes downcast.

"Good, now come. We must tell your sister that she can compete today," the King stood up and outstretched his hand towards her. Morrigan felt nervous about going to see Deziara, but after taking a deep breath she stood up and took Alphegor's hand.

As Alphegor and Morrigan got closer to Lady Lily's and Deziara's room, Morrigan got more and more nervous.

What will Deziara say once she sees me? Did she tell Lady Lily about me? Will she treat me just like Viana and our other older sisters do? Will things be awkward between us now?

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"It'll be alright, little one," Alphegor said and squeezed her hand. She looked at him for a bit in surprise, then nodded, praying that her father was right.

Once they had reached Lady Lily's room, the guards outside their door instantly straightened, looking nervous.

"Your Majesty, shall I inform Lady Lily of your arrival?" the guard asked.

"I've come to see my daughter, not Lady Lily," the King explained.

"I shall inform her at once," the guard replied stiffly and then called through the door. "Princess Deziara, His Majesty is here to see you."

There was a moment of silence and then the door slowly opened, Deziara emerging from it, looking depressed and tired. When she noticed that Morrigan was there too, she flinched, but then opened the door fully, allowing them to enter. Her reaction made Morrigan's stomach churn, and she couldn't force herself to look at Deziara anymore.

As they entered, they saw Lady Lily standing by the sofa and greeting Alphegor with a bow.

"Good morning, Your Majesty, Princess Morrigan. What has brought you here so early in the morning?" she asked politely.

"Deziara you may take part in the competition if you wish," the King announced, and the girl instantly perked up.

"Really?"

"Yes. Morrigan spoke on your behalf so I've decided to be lenient with my punishment. You will still have to spend one week confined in your room once the Festival is over."

Deziara's face dropped for a moment, but then she nodded in understanding.

"That is fair. If it wasn't for Morri, then we never would have made it back…"

"I swear this girl is nothing but trouble," Lady Lily huffed, dropping the polite facade. She walked up to Morrigan who was still clutching Alphegor's hand, and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for getting her out of there safely."

"Of course, she's my sister," Morrigan replied with a strained smile.

If she still thinks of me as her sister, that is.

"Morrigan," Deziara spoke, looking at her with unusual seriousness. "I have thought a lot about yesterday. It really confused me at first and quite frankly I couldn't even believe it – it seemed so far-fetched. However, I realized that in the end, it doesn't matter. You are my sister no matter what."

Morrigan's eyes filled with tears, heavy weight being lifted off her shoulders. Deziara began crying too and before long, both girls were hugging and crying.

"Not sure what those two are on about, but I'm glad all is well that ends well," Lady Lily sighed, looking at the scene before her with a smile.

"Indeed. Now then girls. Time to dry your tears. You two have a competition to win," Alphegor announced.

"Yes, Father," they both replied in unison.

***

"Welcome one and all to the second day of the Nachtstern Festival Competition! Today we're all gathered in the Linberor Market Square to observe our dearest contestants face the second daunting task," Azrael announced, standing on the very stage where Alphegor gave his opening speech. Massive crowd of demons and other Underworld races were gathered in front of the square filling it to the absolute brim, with many onlookers watching from balconies or even rooftops.

Alphegor and other VIPs were comfortably seated on a podium that had a clear view of the stage which had a giant white piece of cloth hanging from the back.

"You all must be wondering – where are all the contestants? They are nowhere in sight," Azrael teased, then stepped to the side of the stage and pointed toward the white cloth. "Do not worry my friends, they are right here!"

Suddenly a bright blue crystal positioned in front of the stage lit up and directed its light onto the cloth. A misty image began to form – unclear at first, but slowly it gained more focus and sharpness. After a while, the crowd cheered as they saw all four hundred contestants standing in the old Linberor Market Square.

"I bet some have fond memories of this place. While the old city has lost some of its charm over the millenia, it has certainly not lost its value. For today it will serve as grounds for our second task – the infamous monster run!"

Wait… did he just say monster run?

Morrigan along with the other contestants heard Azrael's voice come from the blue crystal which was hovering above the Old City of Linberor, illuminating it with its light. Morrigan's face paled as she stood among the rest of the contestants. She was huddled close to Viana and Deziara, who had a similarly horrified look on their faces. However, Viana hid it a bit better.

"He doesn't mean actual monsters, does he?" Deziara whispered to Morrigan, and she could hear similar questions pop up from other contestants.

"I know what you're wondering – will you really let the contestants, especially our wonderful princesses, be chased by an actual monster? The answer to that is – of course not. The King would have my head for it," Azrael laughed, and the King responded with an affirmative nod. Morrigan and all the participants around her visibly relaxed.

"But do not think that just because it's not a real monster, it'll be an easy task to win. Listen carefully, dear contestants, for here are the rules," Azrael called, and everyone noticeably perked up.

"Rule number one – do not take off the armband provided to you. It serves as an indicator to the monster that you are one of the targets. I know it sounds tempting, but we can see your every move. The moment your armband comes off is the moment you lose," he called out sternly. Morrigan looked at the metallic band wrapped around her left arm. There was a tiny stone embedded in it, no doubt the indicator Azrael mentioned. She did get a tiny urge to remove it, but then shook her head, steeling her resolve.

It's not a real monster anyway. There is nothing to fear. All I have to do is outrun it. Surely it won't be much of a problem in my shadow form. The light from the crystal does leave me less space for movement, but there are still plenty of shadows where I could hide.

"Second rule – no stealth abilities. Anything that makes you invisible or hides you in the environment or fools the senses is forbidden. That includes your shadow ability too, Princess Morrigan. I'm afraid it just wouldn't be fun if you just hid in some corner as a shadow while others got chased around," Azrael snickered, and Morrigan grumbled.

I'll sneak into his room later and cover his bed in ice while he is sleeping.

"And the final rule is simple. Do not leave the confines of the Old City. Everything is clearly marked so no amount of whining that you 'didn't know' will save you," Azrael said sternly. "Are the rules clear?"

"Yes!" the participants called back at him.

"Great! The last fifty left uncaught by the monster can advance to the next task tomorrow. You may now unleash the beast," Azrael bellowed and a loud bell rang from the Old City cathedral.

Morrigan looked as the large wooden doors were slowly pulled open by two bulky demon overwatchers. As they opened, she and all the others saw something black moving within. Two red eyes gleamed open as the giant black monsters awoke from the sounds of the bell.

Is this supposed to be a magical construct? It looks very much real to me.

Mesmerized and terrified she watched as it took one step after another out of the cathedral, its footsteps making the surrounding area tremble. As it emerged outside, she noticed how its form wasn't fully defined. There was a crystalline quality to it, as it shimmered and warped out of place as the monster moved.

"What are you doing, Morri? Run!" Deziara pulled her out of her contemplation and she realized that the monster was staring right at her while the other contestants were already scattering in every possible direction.

Oh, shit!