prisoners of fate

"It fucking hurts, selenedammit!!"

He hears screams.

Czar expected Julius and Edith to be tied against headposts or taped against walls or being beaten down by leashes. He expected the room to be brimming with the undead, cheering over the torture of two innocent souls. He expected the Creatures of the East Wing to be hurled into a gruesome fight—something bloody and scary. But not that...

Not this.

Though, as he stands in front of doorframe, panting and heaving, as his sweat trickles down his tan skin while tracing against his tattoos, as he stares ahead, while feeling the injuries and cuts of his feet throb against his skull. He ends up staring.

At the scene before him.

His dumb and selfish brother, Julius Castello, that even dumber human woman, Edith Chambers, and the Ruler of the Dead, Necromancer, were huddled around a white plastic table, playing with fruits.

Selene tests him daily in all new ways.

"You scared me!!" Edith Chambers exclaims in a high pitched snarl, stamping her palm on Necromancer's arm. "I understand to not expect the basic, common, human— oh my bad, person? Wolfish? Wolf-esque decency to knock before entering — but at least you could have been a little less violent to that poor door!"

Four pairs of eyes now behold the broken door in high graces.

"Oof, sis snapped," The Necromancer exclaims beside Edith, snapping his fingers together. His upper body was snug close to Edith's while his non-existent lower half was snug in the sheets.

Czar's lips pressed in a thin line. They were sitting too damn close.

"Mans got no chill, like bruh dude, breathe a little!" Edith drawls out, turning to Necromancer and sharing a well understood frown.

"Well said Queeeeeeen—!! Did I do it right? Did I say it right this time?" Necromancer giggles, taking Edith's small hands in his large ones and shaking them up and down.

"Yes, you aced it!" Edith exclaims, patting Necromancer's back as he flips his obnoxiously long hair.

On the other side of the creaking bed, across a bed table filled with fruit art, Julius waved at Czar.

"Oh, you just made it in time for the ceremony!" Julius exclaims, wildly gesturing Czar to come inside.

"The ceremony? What the absolute fuck are you all on about?!What is the Necromancer doing here? Why is Aningmoon under attack and what is happening?" Czar breathes in, only because it is a deliberate necessity for living rather being a choice, and questions.

"Soooo many questions," Edith giggles, popping a cranberry in her mouth.

Necromancer gasps.

"YOU JUST ATE MY BABY'S EYE!! YOU BLINDED HIM!! I SHALL HAVE YOUR BLOOD!!" the Necromancer shouts, nostrils flaring up and points an accusing finger at Edith.

Atop the table was a small octopus made out of mango pieces for its head, bananas for its tentacles and cranberry for its eyes. Edith just popped one of its eye.

"I SWEAR TO SHERLOCK I DID NOT!!" Edith haphazardly denies, hands waving in Necromancer's face and eyes faltering from Necromancer's to Julius. "TELL HIM I DID NOT!!" she shouts at Julius.

"But you did," Julius whispers, shielding his mouth with a hand while side eyeing Czar. "She totally ate her eye."

"The pronouns are 'He' and 'Him', respect it you ignorant rat!" The Necromancer throws a bunch of grapes at Julius' face.

Looking repulsed, the redhead catches them in his mouth and claps his hands in front of his forehead. "I don't identify as a rat!! No, No!" He sings out loud while muching on the grapes, "I am a clown! Now let's begin the ceremony!!"