How To Rule ✅COMPLETE

The Catacombs

The palace was too quiet.

As she walked the halls not a servant was in sight but she could feel them in the shadows watching. She had never seen their fear's extent till now and she wondered if what they thought of her was really the truth. Her appearance did not help one bit as she looked like a warrior ready for blood as the blood that soaked her form proved her monstrous ways even more without them having been at the battle field.

Rin was still dressed in battle regalia the blood of her father's enemies still fresh on her armor. Her steps had long stopped leaving bloody footprints but she could still feel the wetness of their blood seeping in through the cracks of her armor threatening to soak in her skin. She needed to get out of the armor but her feet refused to lead her anywhere but where her mind had set.

Her father's tomb.

Right next to her mother's.

There was always something weird about her mother's tomb. And even as her fingers briefly touched the tombstone she felt it. It hummed under her touch. A long time ago when she was young and had touched it once she had not known what it was but now after everything she finally understood. It was black magic. The black magic did not seep into the earth as she thought it would like regular magic did, it remained in her mother's remains locked in a tomb since her death.

She stood before her father's grave completely ignoring the one next to it and without even knowing it she started retelling the days events to his grave. She hoped if she closed her eyes and imagined enough it would be just like he was sitting in front of her listening to one of her wacky adventures but as she relayed her defeat to the empty room she knew it was merely a fantacy that she hoped would come true but never would.

Tenen watched her as she spoke to her father's grave as if he really was seated on it and his heart broke. He had been the cause of Arion's death and he would never forgive himself for hurting her even if it was the right thing to do. He dared not make a sound and risk interrupting the private moment. As she finished relaying the events of the day she stood up to leave after saying goodbye and that's when she saw him leaning in the shadows a foot away from her. He detached himself from the familiar shadows and stepped into the light slowly walking towards her his heart skipping beats at the mere attention she was giving him.

Rin stood a hairs breath away from Tenen, some part of her wanted him to fear her so she could have a reason, any reason to hate him but as she looked up at him he bore no expression that he had even one negative thought about her. About what she had done. He didn't even seem to judge her bloody physique, and he had see what she had done, what she had let herself become and she feared if he knew what she was about to do he would hate her for it. He was the only one who she feared to ever hate her so it scared her and as she watched him the feeling of uneasiness started to slowly creep in as her mind conjured ways in which he might find out about her planned spells.

'Tenen.'

Tenen watched her. His name came out as a whisper and her voice still mesmerized him even if she was covered from head to toe in his people's blood. He just couldn't help himself. Everything about her excited him and he was yet to find a switch in his mind that could possibly make him immune to her and everything about her.

'Today, it wasn't you. Your changing. I love you please don't become a monster.'

There was that word again. Monster. She had always despised an association to it but now she just didn't care. She embraced it, but that didn't mean it didn't sting coming from him. She was so focused on the word that she hardly noticed he had just declared he loved her for the very first time since they had met, assuming it to be a trick.

'Lying is not a good look on you'

Tenen looked into her eyes and he barely recognized her, but he saw a flash of hurt, if he had blinked he would have missed it and his heart ached for being the cause of her sorrow. She would destroy him and he knew he would do nothing to stop her so with his breathe held in his throat he kissed her. His lips tasting the blood on hers. It was light, his lips just grazing hers softly but she returned it. He had meant to disorient her with the kiss, stop her murderous thoughts but he just couldn't stop, couldn't help himself and the way she was kissing him back was driving him crazy.

Rin almost forgot where she was when he kissed her. His lips were soft against hers and as she deepened the kiss it reminded her of the first time she had ever floated on water, the feeling of being weightless as the water carried her in any way it desired; the power it held over her body and she couldn't help but drown even further into the kiss giving him more of her soul until there was little left to give. And during the kiss she vaguely tasted the blood that had started to dry on her lips.

The blood of her enemies.

His people.

When he broke the kiss and the haze over her mind lifted it finally hit her. They were in the catacombs a floor above the dungeons. Where she had stashed twelve of his people.

Twelve of his people she planned to kill.