Knock Knock Knock
“Lady Inessa… Are you listening to me, Lady Inessa?… Lady Inessa?”
Once again, standing in front of the same door where she had spoken with the woman, the owner of the Palace and the entire vast estate, was the moon elf maid. But unlike before, when there was still light illuminating the place, now the darkness of the night had taken over, making even the dimly lit door seem almost nonexistent.
However, only this particular spot, compared to the rest of the mansion, was as dark as it could be; the rest of the mansion was well-lit and clean, giving off a feeling of well-being even at night.
Even so, disregarding the darkness, the maid remained in the same spot as before, knocking on the door of the room where her lady was isolated. However, this situation was extremely unusual, as besides being night, the lady of the mansion had already warned not to disturb her for an entire week.
And yet, just a few hours after the warning, here was the maid again… It was clear that the situation was unusual.
Knock Knock Knock
“Lady Inessa, please…”
“I WARNED YOU NOT TO DISTURB ME…”
As soon as the woman's voice echoed from inside, the entire mansion seemed to feel the anger and discomfort she carried. The maid, being closer, was the main target of the voice and received a dose of some type of energy diffused in the sound waves that made her stagger back and kneel down with an extreme headache.
Fortunately, just after the maid knelt and was groaning in pain, another wave of energy came to her and completely removed the pain from her body. This was a very welcome relief for the maid, allowing her to recover and return to her perfect posture in front of the door.
“Forgive me, Aglaya… I didn’t control my mood and ended up affecting you… I’m sorry.” The woman spoke, sincerely apologizing to the maid with a melancholic and sad voice. It was possible to feel the regret and guilt in her voice.
“Don’t apologize, Lady Inessa, please… I was prepared to accept the consequences. In fact, the reason for disturbing you is worth suffering your wrath.”
“Dangerous words, Aglaya… Very dangerous words. Be quick and explain what this reason is.” There was a noticeable dose of curiosity contained in the voice coming from the woman inside the room.
“Great Lord Toyosaki is here and requests your presence.”
“That is not a good enough reason. Ask him to leave; I don’t want to see anyone, Aglaya.” But as soon as she heard the maid's response, the curiosity in the woman's voice was exhausted, leaving only indifference and apathy.
“I tried, Lady Inessa; I said you weren’t ready to leave your isolation. I tried to make him go back when you were better.” The maid replied, maintaining her composure and the same calm tone of voice since the beginning of the conversation.
“I don’t care how, just send him away.” The woman said rigidly, with a clear tone that she didn’t want to argue.
“I tried several times, Lady Aglaya, but…”
“But this Lord said he wouldn’t leave until you spoke with me and that he couldn’t wait for your condition to improve on its own.” Interjecting the maid, the subject of the conversation intruded personally into the discussion.
The man appeared in the darkness, leaning against the hallway wall, with only his golden eyes shining in the total darkness of that corridor. The maid, surprised that she hadn’t noticed Akachi was there and not knowing how long he had been there, took a few steps back and lowered her head.
“Don’t worry, dear, this lord deduced that you wouldn’t manage, sweetheart, and I decided on my own to accompany you. I see that I was right, and it’s a good thing I came here.”
Taking the place where the maid had stood in front of the door, the man stopped and began to look at the door. He then noticed that the door had no doorknob and some sort of barrier surrounded the room, preventing anything from looking inside or opening the door.
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He tried to use magic to get a look at the woman’s condition inside, but he realized it wouldn’t be easy.
“A very well-made barrier, Inessa, I must admit. You’ve learned a few things since the last time we met.”
“Go away, Lord Akachi; I want to be alone.”
“Haven’t you been alone long enough? It’s been almost 5 years.”
“…Please leave.”
“I want you to meet someone, Inessa. And before you say no, let me tell you something interesting. I found someone who can help you get out of this depressive state, someone special who has challenged nature itself to survive… Someone Aura seems to like very much.”
“… Your words are empty.” Incredulously, the woman replied apathetically, refusing to believe Akachi’s words.
“Your maid next to me can attest to what I’m saying; moreover, if your senses weren’t so repressed in this room, I’m sure you could also feel that person’s presence here in the Palace.”
“Even if there is another person, your words are still empty and remind me of the tempting bait placed in hunters’ traps. Do you want to ensnare me in one of your traps by deceiving me with such words, Great Dragon Lord Toyosaki?? DO I LOOK LIKE SUCH AN INEPT AND STUPID CREATURE??”
Once again, the woman’s temper got out of control, and her voice echoed throughout the palace. The fury could be felt in her voice, and the maid feared the pain she would feel again.
But Akachi raised a barrier in front of the door, precisely and easily intercepting the wave of energy diffused in the sound waves. Thus, the voice remained just a furious voice, rather than an attack that would make anyone who heard it feel extreme pain.
“It seems your physical and mental condition is indeed precarious, Inessa; you can barely manipulate enough aura to circumvent a shield as weak as this. It saddens me, but it doesn’t sadden me more than not being able to help you out of this situation. I know my words sound overly sweet, but believe me…”
As he spoke, Lord Akachi placed his hand on the door and began to emit energy to it, examining it along with the room’s barrier.
“They… are not…”
Speaking slowly as he concentrated, he managed to circumvent the barrier blocking the door. Thus, he unlocked the door that had, until then, been firmly shut.
“empty…”
Then, he began to push the door until it was fully open. But the room appeared to be some sort of dark chamber, empty, with no windows or doors other than the one he had just opened. It was even darker than the corridor, and one couldn’t see a hand in front of their face.
Tlack
Suddenly, with a snap of his fingers, Akachi lit up the room. Numerous lamps on the ceiling and walls of the room were turned on, illuminating the place completely, revealing the enormous figure in the center.
“You look pitiful, Inessa. What a lamentable sight…”
The room was gigantic, with walls over 10 meters high and almost 50 meters in length. In front of the door, there was a platform of 4 square meters connecting the door to a staircase that descended 3 meters to the floor of the room.
Then, nestled on the hard, cold porcelain floor of the room, lay a huge blood-red dragon. It seemed to be sleeping, but its irregular breathing was proof that the dragon was awake.
However, despite its natural beauty, to attentive eyes, it was evident that the dragon was not taking care of its own body. Dust was accumulating all over its body; its nails were too long, and some secretions were oozing from the base of its scales.
Moreover, it was evident that it hadn’t eaten anything for some time, as its skin was thin enough to see some bones of its body.
And when the dragon opened its eyes to look into Akachi’s eyes, one could see its sickly and cloudy gaze.
“You shame me in my own house, Lord Akachi… You dishonor me before my subordinates… You strip me of all confidence and respect I could have as a Dragon Lady. What is left for me now? Will you force me out of my isolation and deprive me of my own will?”
In the same position since Akachi entered the room, Inessa, the dragon inside the room, continued to speak, indignantly complaining about his actions. But this did not prevent Akachi from descending the stairs and approaching the dragon, leaving the maid waiting on the staircase landing.
“Your talent for drama remains the same, Inessa; that is a good sign. But yes, I need you to come with me to meet someone. If not willingly, it will be, as you said, by force.”
“Then…” Calmly rising, the dragon began to glow, and soon a stunning woman appeared… “Let it be by force.”
Blood-red hair, long and straight, covering her entire back, slightly pale white skin entirely unblemished, and eyes as red as embers. A well-rounded face with slightly prominent cheeks, a thin and seemingly delicate neck.
A woman as beautiful as or even more so than Kelama; unfortunately, it was evident that she, even in this form, was not taking proper care of herself. Her eyes were apathetic and tired, her skin so dry it looked like paper, and her hair was also dull.
Even so, Akachi began to feel a glimmer of hope after Inessa took on her human form. He knew it wouldn’t be easy to convince her to follow the plan he had devised, but just by her not presenting herself apathetic and passive was enough for him to smile.
“Hahahaha” Laughing loudly, Akachi began to make some movements with his hands and emit a large amount of energy from them, pushing the maid, who was on the staircase landing, out of the room.
A much stronger and more complex barrier surrounded the entire room, massively fortifying the structures of that place. Soon, two other barriers were stacked on top of the first before Akachi stopped his movements.
“If you prefer to resist, so be it…”