The Emperor's Concubine

Chapter Forty-Seven

(Trigger warning: Read at your own discretion.)
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Emperor Cabel arrives at the fallen kingdom of Avris.
He looks at the buildings of the town, boarded up and abandoned. He walks through the ghost town, focused on the castle in the distance.
Emperor Cabel sprints through a forest, separating the town and castle. He sprints into an open field, looking up at the crumbling charred stone castle at the top of the hill.
He spins around, quickly summoning a thin spike from his shadow.
He stares at a demon stabbed through the head, it's green blood dripping down from it's skull as it drops its axe.
"What the hell?-" He mutters, soon cut off.
Groans and screeching begin echoing through the field. The ground rumbling as demons crawl out from the soil, wielding weapons and shields.
Their faces rotting with glowing neon green eyes. Their species all different, some with horns on their heads, others with tusks and razor sharp teeth.
A loud screech echoes through the lands, shaking the ground once more.
A giant demon appears with flesh and blood dangling off its black antlers. Its arms drag against the ground with long sharp claws on its dry scaly hands, its legs as tall as trees with giant sharp talons for feet. Its head like an ogre but with a black mane of a lion, gigantic sharp fangs, and piercing neon lime eyes.
The giant beast towers over the trees of the forest, almost as tall as the abandoned castle behind it in the distance.
"What an ugly thing you are." Emperor Cabel unsheathes his sword, standing still as he looks back at the army of demons.
The demons shout and shriek a battle cry as they begin charging to the emperor.

Luna hangs by her hands, unconscious. Her face dampened from tears, and her throat bruised.
She's changed into a white wedding dress as she sleeps, with a metal collar locked around her throat. Her face is cleaned up with red lipstick applied. Her red lips part as she struggles to breathe.
Her eyes twitch, opening slowly.
She looks around at the familiar throne room.
"This place..." She mumbles.
Her memories flood with beatings given to her from knights as her parents sat on their thrones watching.
She remembers the crisp quick sounds of her back being whipped with King Weslium's staff, and all the times she's begged and cried for mercy in this room.
She looks ahead of her, a faint memory coming back to her as a woman's scream echoes through the room.
Luna flinches, closing her eyes as the lady's scream grows louder in her mind.

"Remember?"
Micheal walks out from behind the curtains, beside the old broken thrones.
He wears a black suit, accompanied with a black fur trimmed cape.
He carries out a king and queen's crown, both encrusted with gaudy jewels and gems; The same crowns their parents wore.
"You and I are meant to sit here. We'll raise our children here, and get our revenge on that bastard who ruined us."
"What?..."
"I warned him not to interfere, but if he wants to die young that's fine with me."
"W-What are you talking about?" Luna asks, confused.
Micheal tugs a chain as he walks to the windows.
Luna is dragged by the chains, forced to look out the window. Her eyes widening as she see's an army of demons in the distance.
"W-What is that!" Luna exclaims, horrified by the monsters.
"That foolish emperor thinks he'll get to us. Let me share a secret." Micheal approaches Luna, grabbing her face roughly as he peers into her eyes.
"I'll make sure he suffers and lives the rest of his life locked away. I'll have him watch you give birth to my children. I'll break his sanity for brainwashing you to love him." Micheal grins manically.
"Y-You're a monster! He didn't do anything!"
"Your heart belongs to him, does it not? Since I can't take your heart, your body and mind will be mine. I'll break you until you come to your senses that I'm the only one for you, Celeste."
Micheal throws Luna down to the ground. He turns, approaching the throne as he picks up a staff, hidden behind their father's throne.
Luna watches him, her blood draining from her face as she stares at the staff.
"This was supposed to be mine... This was supposed to be mine as long as you were by my side. So tell me, why have you given your heart to him, when it should have been mine?"
"P-Please just calm down! I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She pleads, tearing up.
"Enough!"
Luna screams as Micheal lifts the staff. He hits her face, slashing her cheek with the staff.
"You were supposed to be mine! So why did you decide to love another man!" Micheal grows more furious, continuing to beat her with the staff.
Luna cries, curling into a ball as she tries to protect herself. Her white dress soon bloodied from her cuts.
"Micheal, please stop! I-I'm sorry!" She screams, trembling.
"I'll make sure you stay with me forever. You're mine, I won't let you become a whore for that bastard!"
He beats her until his rage subsides, the staff drenched with Luna's blood.
Micheal throws the staff on the ground, kneeling down to Luna.
"Celeste." Micheal roughly grabs her face to look back at him.
Her blood dripping down her cheek as it mixes with her tears.
"My dear bride, do you finally understand? You were born as a perfect match for me. I won't let some man with different blood taint my family."
He roughly pushes her hair out of her face as he looks back at her.
She holds back her sobs, avoiding his eyes as her body trembles.

Emperor Cabel takes a deep breath as he stands amongst a pile of bloodied corpses.
His chest injury throbbing from pain, he clicks his tongue annoyed.
Demons continue to fly at him with axes. Instantly, he blocks them with his sword, pushing them back until swiftly slicing their heads off.
"These are weak... They must be trying to waste my time..." Emperor Cabel's eyes glow brightly as he raises his hand.
The shadows of the demons rise, turning into cages.
It holds the demons in place as they hit against the cages to escape.
He flinches, gripping his shirt as his injury throbs, his body growing more weak as his mana begins running out.
He lifts his hand, causing a pillar rise. It carries him up above the demons as he flies to the castle, attempting to get past them.
He closes in to the top of the hill, instantly being blocked off by the giant beast who hits him out of the sky.
"You annoying bastard!" Emperor Cabel shouts, summoning another pillar.
He lands on it, breathing heavily.
"Damn it, I can't summon anything big enough for his size." He grits his teeth, staring down at his hands, "You know what? I'll take care of you myself then. Come here, you pest." Emperor Cabel glares at the beast.
He grins, gesturing with his fingers for the demon to approach.
The giant beast screeches, running towards him.
A loud scream cries out in the distance.
Emperor Cabel pauses, hearing the scream of a female as it cries out from the castle.
"That bastard!" He shouts, furious.
The giant demon lunges to slash at Emperor, who instantly disappears off the pillar.
The demon looks around, filled with bloodlust.
Emperor Cabel falls from above the demon, stabbing his sword into its eye. The demon screeches as it thrashes around, attempting to throw him off.
Emperor Cabel rips his sword out, slinging himself into the air again. He spins downwards back to the demon.
The demon swings its arm up trying to cut him.
Emperor Cabel slices through its fingers as he quickly raises his hand, summoning a giant spike from the demon's shadow. The shadow stabbing through its leg as it limits its movement.
The demon cries out, flailing as it screeches from pain. Its hand hits Emperor Cabel quickly out of the sky, throwing him into the forest.
His feet drag against the forest floor, creating the dirt and grass to be pushed aside, causing a deep dirt trail.
He stops once his back roughly hits against a tree.
Emperor Cabel scoffs, laughing.
"What an annoying thing you are." He mutters under his breath, "Let's finish this."
He quickly sprints down the path, his hands glow brightly from his aura as electric sparks fly off of him.
The demon rips it's leg off, beginning to sprint using its arms, as it runs towards Emperor Cabel. It screeches, crushes bodies of the other demons as it charges.
Its throat illuminates with orange as flames and smoke begin escaping its mouth.
They charge at each other instantly. The demon opens its mouth, shooting out a gigantic burst of fire as it burns a large part of the forest and the smaller demons, causing them to shriek and scream.
Emperor Cabel jumps before the flames hit him.
He spins, propelling himself higher into the air. His eyes glow brighter as his shadows he summoned all quickly disappear.
He swiftly pushes himself down, aiming at the demon.

"You've blessed me with immense powers, bless our union as I make this girl the mother of my children!" Micheal holds a silver bound book, shouting as he reads.
The ground shakes as Micheal's aura grows stronger, vibrantly glowing around him.
Luna cries as she slumps over, weakened.
Micheal throws the book, placing the king's crown on himself. He kneels down to Luna with a gold goblet filled with a neon lime substance.
He grabs her by the jaw, forcing the liquid down her throat. She's forced to swallow, instantly feeling the liquid burn her insides.
"W-What was that!" She coughs, gagging as she grows weaker.
Micheal pulls the chain wrapped around a ceiling pillar, lifting Luna up. She stands on her toes as she struggles to keep the pressure off her throat from the choker.
"To become my queen and give birth to strong successors, you need to drink demon venom. I would be lying if I said it wasn't also to make you weaker to fight against me. With this you will be my wife-" Micheal holds out the queen's crown to place on Luna's head.
A bright red light illuminates throughout the forest, casting a strong wind.
Micheal looks out at the window, shocked.
The windows instantly smash from the impact of the wind, glass shattering as the remnants fly everywhere.
Instantly, a spike flies through the open window aimed at Micheal. He dodges it, instantly looking up to see Emperor Cabel jumping off the spike with his sword in hand, slashing at Micheal. Micheal summons a sword, blocking Emperor Cabel's attack.