Beneath the highest floors of the grassy Greenhouse, the rushing feet of Alsop and Victoria had unknowingly stormed ahead of their other companions. They had arrived so quickly in fact, that their eyes were soon able to capture the sheer agony of pain coming from Kasper Cornelius, and the stunning shock that Lux had felt. Pain and fear cascaded within the room but one more emotion could be felt thumping in the heavy heart of Alsop Dusseldorf. One of virtuous anger. It had spread his hairs, leaving them upright. It had curled his eyes into vivid viewers. It had compelled his hand to instantly clasp his sword. But no. No. Internally he was unarguably ready to save the day, but outside. Outside, the only nearby soul with sanity had held him firmly.

"The others are still in the caves." Victoria cautioned.

"He's going to kill my father!" Alsop shouted with uproar. "Let me go!" He exclaimed.

"We can't fight him alone, Alsop!" Victoria said with fierce regret.

"Just let me buy some time. It is all I ask." Alsop pleaded, his eyes shadowing her blue pair.

"Use your magic." Reluctantly, Victoria said as she released her metallic grip on him.

"My divine power?" Quickly asked Alsop.

"Your divine power. Now, go!" Victoria had gently pushed him forwards into the room, as he stepped in with a lack of confidence.

Alsop had begun his daring attempt at using his underwhelming divine power once again, just like he had done before ahead of Envy during the Contest of Champions and in Astrea. Whether the magic was a failure or not, it certainly had committed to its job of being a distraction. Like his prior encounters, Alsop had been surrounded by thick black smoke, which in his innocent little eyes, had clouded the entire room in nothing but darkness. Though this time around, a worthy companion had managed to join him. The Sin of Envy was also deep within the cloud of darkness, and he had begun frantically searching around, until behind him stood the bearer of such unearthly power.

"You again! What is this!?" Envy asked with a flurry of anger and fear.

"Well...I was hoping you might know what this is...but you seem clueless." Said Alsop, he too had been clueless though.

"Ugh, you fool! I am not clueless. I just don't seem to have a clue as to what this place is!" Envy replied with hostility.

"I think you are the fool here, are you even hearing yourself?" Laughed Alsop.

"You seem comfortable here. This could be black magic, but it also could not be black magic. I've only met one thing capable of such horrors." Envy muttered to himself.

"Black magic? What do you mean?" Tilting his head, Alsop asked.

"Yes, black magic, you idiot. I said, did you not hear? How else do you think a person like me came to be?" Condescendingly asked Envy, but his attention was divided by something catching his eye in the distance.

"Are you okay? Aside from the fact that you are mad." Alsop pondered as he turned to stare behind himself too.

"Tell me, hah! Do you see that? I can see that." Cackled out Envy.

It was not lunatic nonsense, for there had indeed been something seeping in the darkness far out. It had been a luminous blue light that cracked between the black fog, but it had felt almost human to the sense of Alsop. A cold, lifeless breath had frozen both Alsop and Envy to the spot as the light had begun hastily moving faster and faster towards them. It had a speed that frightened the two so very much, that their faces crumpled up in childish fear.

"Hush now, little Alsop." Victoria gently echoed, with a motherly fire that was as sweet as honey.

"Wha! Why would you do that? I was so close to it!" Alsop sharply dismissed Victoria, as she had pulled him away from the dark scene, and back outside the room.

"That is enough Alsop. I did not like what I saw in you." Victoria replied as she grabbed him by the shoulders, tight enough to silence the shock in his body.

"Why should I care whether you liked what you saw or not? Am I a puppet to you?" Alsop exclaimed as he tried to shove her off.

"Your eyes were changing - turning black. Disgustingly black." Said Victoria as she stared into him with worry.

"Where is the boy? I just saw him now!" The voice of Envy had channelled both of their ears back to the room.

"My father. Ms Magika. My father. My father is going to be killed. My father." Alsop incoherently chimed.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I suppose...a little help wouldn't hurt..." Victoria had said with reluctance to her tongue.

She had gently walked him into the room, her eye constantly peering at the menacing back of Envy - who had been digging a handful of blows into an injured Lux.

"I'm here!" Alsop said as he swiftly pulled out his blade.

"Haha! Woah. Steady on." Envy said as he turned to view him, the blade tearing his clothing. "You and your magic must be hiding little Elsa." He said impatiently.

"The girl? I am not hiding her." Confused, Alsop replied.

"Liar! She ran off from me for you! I want her, and then I shall murder Lux Buchanan!" Proclaimed Envy.

"No!" Alsop jumped but a firm hold from Victoria held him back once again.

"Edgar, was it?" She asked.

"How do you know that name?" Envy muttered in bewilderment.

"That is not important right now, what is important is how you are chasing the wrong people." Victoria said with reason.

"What do you mean?" Asked Envy.

"Lux Buchanan and his companions, they did not kill your wife. Someone was there that day, they tricked you." Victoria had managed to catch a glimmer of sight with Lux.

"Edgar, that day there was a witch. She tricked you." Lux subtly added.

"I see now. She filled me with something, you see. Dirty magic. Hah! It scared me." Stone-faced, Envy said with a cynical gaze towards Alsop. "It was similar to what I just saw. You wouldn't happen to be a witch, would you?" Fearfully asked Envy.

"Hmm, me? Of course not. Black magic is too risky a business for a woman like me." Victoria had said with a flushed set of cheeks.

"I am speaking to the boy." Said Envy.

"Edgar, you are moving away from the point here. I am not at fault for your wife's death." Impatiently, Lux said.

"No." Said Envy.

"No?" Thought Lux.

The room had deafened into silence once Envy had dropped the perilous Lux, and soon gave himself a seat. A simple glance of the room could tell any observer that the need for harm was unnecessary, this had chipped into the mind of Alsop, persuading him to sheath his sword. Lux had scuttled on off to the warmth of his son, and Victoria Magika.

"No. I saw them surrounding her. After slaughtering her. They hurt her. They killed my jewel. They reaped the perfect soul she had." Envy said with a composed harshness to his voice.

"Edgar. You are not well. We can help you." Reasoned Lux.

"I am not well? I am not well. No. I want justice. Justice has led me on the path to injustice." Envy had begun muttering to himself.

Amongst this unravelling of events, the caves connecting the quaint town of Duke and the fresh, flowery riches of the Greenhouse, had largely been an adventure full of frustration. Alsop and Victoria had hurried onwards in hurry, only to leave the rest of their comrades behind - a hopeless bunch, as the very last boat seemed to care more for an internal matter of despair. For more than half the journey, Thomas had awkwardly twiddled his fingers together as his eyes salivated at the sight of Axel beside him. Until finally, Axel had mustered up a sense of courage to approach the matter that dawned upon both their minds.

"Are you scared?" He nervously asked.

"Yes." The reply came quicker than Axel had expected.

"Ah great." Sighed Axel.

"Why? The news is bad? Victoria Magika is hiding something? Something bad? Something big?" Intensely asked Thomas.

"No, no, no. Well, I suppose." Axel could not help but gaze at Thomas with sympathy. "I suppose she is hiding nothing in particular. Victoria Magika is a good person." He guiltily said.

"Hmm. How are you so sure? She may have you deceived." Anxiously claimed Thomas.

"I...just...I am positive with my judgement. Please don't question it again." Axel gently said as he looked downwards. "Are - are you two going to continue being lovers?" He asked dismally, to avoid the menace of an awkward silence.

"I suppose we must now. Well, considering she is a faultless woman." Said Thomas.

"I never said she was faultless. Besides though, I suggest you be urgent. We're fighting dangerous people now. You know what they say, death is not certain, but it is also not uncertain." Axel nervously chuckled.

"Huh? What are you implying here?" Thomas asked with his eyebrows raised.

"I am only telling you to hurry up!" Axel exclaimed with agitation.

"Yes." The general had captured his words from the boat ahead. "Do hurry up. Maxwell has found something up ahead." He added.

Something was certainly ahead. It had been the prisoner of the dungeon, who Lux Buchanan had briefly glanced at before. Maxwell had taken a finer look at the imprisoned sinner. The man seemed to take a sluggish observation at his surroundings. A puddle of vile-smelling, yellow liquid was below his legs. A small sense of freedom was at his shackles, as the flesh they once chained had gradually faded. A curious onlooker stood ahead of him.

"Young man. What are you doing here?" Maxwell asked the bony prisoner.

"They...are...coming..." The defecated lips of the bony statue said.

"What is coming? Envy, and the little one?" Asked Maxwell.

"My people." Coughed out the man.

"What a load of -!" Thomas had come in with energy which Maxwell had quickly replied with a well-earned thump to the head.

"What people?" Maxwell inquired.

"They have seen it through my eyes. The Marielle. She is here." Said the man.

"I knew it. That Elsa must have some lineage with the former king." Axel proudly cheered.

"Who are you?" Maxwell asked, this time with more of a pressed visage.

"The emblem, Max."

Thomas' observation had sharply pulled the oblivious gaze of the others, and soon a sense of glowing guilt had shined across their faces. It was pinned to the prisoner's torso, a small, metal emblem. This was common for most prisoners, especially in the Kingdom of Greenwich, but the glimmering image had piqued the eyes of the group.