"ahh!" I scream as my back hits the floor, my opponent's palm is pressed hard onto my chest, and his brown eyes stare worriedly at me. "Get off me!" I shout, and he immediately does and mumbles an apology. I groan and immediately get up into a fighting stance. What was that? He knocked me down; he body slammed me to ground to be precise, it was my fault. Thoughts of Void keep flying through my mind.
I wonder what his gift is. I hope it's nothing too big that's going to draw attention to us but again its Void, he´s dramatic with everything he does, I shake my head. I have to remain focused. I'm letting this low-ranking bodyguard body-slam me to the ground.
"Give it a rest, Ayanda. It's time to prepare you for your coronation". I sigh and give the bodyguard a nod, acknowledging his apology.
I brush off the dirt from my clothes and take a deep breath, reminding myself of the responsibilities that lie ahead. The thought of Void's gift lingers in the back of my mind, but I push it aside for now, knowing that my own preparations are far more important.
I rip my training gear off and throw it on the ground, leaving me in my black tights and vest. I walk to Allison, and she looks happier than usual; she looks at peace considering all the drama that took place yesterday. I thought she´d be more cold to me. I raise an eyebrow at her; she laughs and gives me a gentle shove. "Do you remember when I used to try and keep up with you and Blue?"
My stomach flutters a little bit, Blue; I haven't heard that name in years. "Yeah, I do," I respond, trying my best to be nonchalant about it. Allison wasn't the strongest when it came to physical activities; she was slow, and Blue would always save her. Sometimes, I think she used to do it deliberately to get his attention. Well, it worked, because when puberty came along, they couldn't keep their hands or feelings to themselves.
"I miss him," she says, looking at the sky. I miss him too; she has no idea how guilty I feel about sending him to Devil's Island. I didn't know all those boys; I hand-picked myself, and now they're all dead. We haven't gotten any news from them in over 8 years. The island is a treacherous place; mentally and physically, its enough to make a King run mad.
"Grow a pair, Allison; you're ruining my day," I say, walking away from her. I don't want to talk about Blue; when all is set and done, I'll go look for him on that damn island dead or alive.
The training ground is a bit far from the castle; castle black is allocated on a hill and expands further onto the lower ground, connecting King Azul´s (5th-generational king of Panthera) concubine palaces and my mom's garden. I walk as fast as possible. I don't want to walk with Allison; she tends to make things awkward or agitate me.We´ve known each other since childhood but we've never really seen eye to eye like the way most symvoulos and Royals do, I think me being a woman plays a role in it.
25 minutes, we finally arrive at Castle Black, and I am immediately surrounded by the familiar sights and sounds of home, reminding me of the comfort and security that come with being in familiar surroundings but its never really home cause, my moms not her to scold about being so dirty. The dress-maids rush over to me;
"We must clean you."
"Your hair needs to be curled."
"Your Highness must go for her fitting."
They all sing at once instead of talking, instead of letting my annoyance get the best of me, I nod my head in agreement with them. I'm too tired to complain. I let them drag me to the bathing room and enjoy the pleasures of being pampered, the relaxing scent of roses, and the sensation of honey milk on my skin. This feels amazing; it brings me back to my childhood and the luxury of being taken care of. being lazy and carefree, but now things are different. If I had known my life would be like this, I would have prepared for it and glance-prevented my parents' deaths.
"Your going to look as stunning as your mother on her wedding day, do remember that girls? "says the maid, I think her name is Gladace, she's been here for years but I never paid her attention, I look at all the four maids at they freeze.
Hmm, they all have been.
I laugh to myself and all the maids look terrified, Gladace encourages them to laugh with me.
Minutes later
I try my best not to wince as the dressmaker pierces another pin into my hip. She seems unbothered as she continues to mumble to herself, caught up in work.
"must be perfect," she whispers, sticking another pin into my hip. I growl lowly at her; she tenses up and mumbles a quick apology. She's been at it for the last 10 minutes, the dress is perfect Before I have a chance to complain, Grandpa walks into the room with two glasses of wine in his hand and the biggest smile on the island. "Let's go party!" he shouts earning a glare from the dressmaker.
She glances over at me and mouths, "The dress. I look at my body, and I think the dress is perfectly fine; it's a black body-hugging dress. It's an open back dress, and at the front, the cleavage opens up to my navel forming a weird vase like shape with the edges having a gold lining, as does the bottom.
It's perfect. I don't necessarily see her point. Oh, wait, she doesn't want Grandpa to see me in it yet.
"Grandpa! You can't be in here!" I shout, and the dressmaker is quick to cover me in a gown. "I'm not even ready yet; I still have to get my hair done."
Grandpa is quick to leave the room with bam of the door, and I can't help but chuckle. He's more excited than I am.
"I'm sorry, sweetie; I completely forgot. I just wanted to come get you for your final step."
My final step? Oh, the coronation ritual—I almost forgot about that.
I grab the gown from the dressmaker and wrap it around myself. "Princess, at least remove the dress; it's bad luck for people to see you in the dress."
I can't help but feel annoyed at her for calling me princess. I ignore her and do as I please; no one is going to see me in the dress; the ritual is always done in the tunnels of castle.
I leave the dressing room and join Grandpa in the hall. He holds the glass of wine in his hand, I immediately grab it and gulp it down. We begin walking in the beige halls, not a word is being said between s but there's a sense of trust between us that lays heavily in the air Grandpa leads the way. It looks like we are headed to the south wing of the castle; this is where my fathers office is located. I remember running here whenever he was busy, following him around like a puppy.
We arrive at the front, and I look over at Grandpa. He smiles at me and encourages me to open the door, which I do.
Tears well up at the corners of my eyes; nothing has changed; his office still looks the same—the big brown table, the large window looking into my mother's garden, the aisle of books on the right, and our family portrait on the left side of the wall—but most importantly, it smells just like him, just like dad.
Tears trail down my cheeks, and I wipe them away. I cant fight them anymore, so many memories in this very room and to think I haven't been in here for years; it never crossed my mind to visit his office.
"I thought you might want this as your office, so I asked the maids to keep everything the same, says grandpa, standing behind me
"Thank you" I say, pulling him into a hug, He hugs me even tighter and gives me a gentle kiss on the forehead. "I love you, baby girl" he says. Kissing my forehead ,I hold him at arms length and smile gently at him as sign ,I'm ready for the ritual now.
He understands and steps out of the room. Five minutes later, he returns with a lady wearing a black hooded gown, and my senses immediately go on high alert. She a different aura to her than most humans and pan-humans.
It's the witch.
"Relax, child. I come baring gifts" she says, walking into the room and taking a seat on the couch under the family portrait. She looks around ,definitely not impressed and she makes no effort hiding it. Grandpa locks the door and stands next to me.
She takes out a blade, and I immediately draw out my claws. Grandpa grabs my hand and says, "It's okay; it's part of the ritual. She can't hurt you, especially when I'm here." He says, rubbing my back to calm me down.
He guides me to sit down next to him on the center of my fathers office, reassuring me with a gentle squeeze of my hand. The witch begins to chant in a language I can't understand; her voice is filled with an eerie power that sends shivers down my spine. I trust my grandfather on this; he wouldn't put me in a dangerous situation. The witch walks over to us, and I finally get a good look at her face. She looks awful; her chocolate skin looks grey; her lips are black and dry; and her eyes are a light shade of orange and her blonde locks look UN-tamable. She looks youthful and old all at once. She looks like a mysterious and haunting figure, captivating yet terrifying, and she smells just the way she looks—like a mixture of decay and sweet perfume.
"My name is Helena, "she says, sitting in front of me, and I nod. She's intimidating; she has a very dangerous aura about her. I would rather bite my tongue with her and act right.
She begins speaking in tongues as she clasps her hands in between us, her voice filled with a sense of mystique and power. It's taking everything in me to not run. She finally stops, she glances at me and looks at her hands. I mimicked her movements, and I couldn't help but gasp.
There, in her palm, lay the arcus seed. The seed that gave all the previous rulers their strength,, is now all mine. I couldn't help but smile. Finally, I can face the Kings of Lynx head on. I can get my revenge and rule my kingdom without being questioned and protect my own.
Helena takes her knife and slowly cuts through the arcus seed, red juice slowly spills out of it, it looks dangerous against the green color of the seed, She looks at me and gently places it in my hand.
"Drink, "she says
I look at Grandpa for reassurance, and he looks a bit startled but he nods his approval.
Without thinking twice, I drink the red juice of the arcus seed. As the liquid slides down my throat, a surge of power courses through my veins. I can feel the ancient energy of the seed merging with my own, empowering me beyond my imagination. With newfound confidence, I am ready to claim what is rightfully mine and restore order to my kingdom. As soon as the juice was finished, I threw the empty shell away and wiped my mouth.
Silence fills the air. I look at the witch, and she looks afraid now. My heart sinks as I sense the shift in the air. My breath feels heavy now, my chest tight, what's happening another black out, no this feels way too painful for it to be a blackout. I pull as much air as I possibly can, but my breathes feels short.
"Ayanda," says Grandpa, rubbing my back. What the hell is happening, He pulls me by my shoulders and looks into my eyes.
"It worked, but what's happening to her? He shouts, looking at Helena.
She stands up and chuckles lowly to herself. "In all my years of living, I have never met a Black as difficult as you, Isaac" she says, looking down at me with pity.
What's happening to me? I hold my neck, my throat feels like it's being slowly strangled, and I can't even utter a word.
Grandpa is fighting back tears; panic engulfs me. The feeling of my throat being slowly strangled intensifies, and I desperately gasp for air. Grandpa's eyes well up with tears, and his voice trembles as he tries to console me. Helena's chuckle turns into a malicious laugh, sending shivers down my spine. Fear grips me tightly as I realize that Helena's words hold a sinister truth—something unimaginable is happening to me, and it may be too late to stop it.
No, no, no, no
I extend my claws and attempt to attack the witch, but I just end up lying on the floor.
The witch looks at me in disapproval. "I'm not your enemy, child; in fact, your blood is not your blood." She says this, chuckling. My heart races as I struggle to comprehend her words. Confusion and panic consume me as I try to make sense of what she means. The witch's laughter echoes in the room, intensifying the fear that grips me. I feel my body trembling uncontrollably, unable to fathom the implications of her revelation. As I lie on the floor, defeated and vulnerable, I can't help but wonder what dark forces have been at play and what it means for my very existence.
"Helena!" Shouts grandpa
She looks at Grandpa. At this point, I'm too weak to turn my body to see grandpas loving green eyes , the last thing I'm going to see is this witch's face. As the witch, looms above me, I feel a surge of hopelessness wash over me. I can sense the urgency in my grandpa's voice as he desperately calls out my name.
"NO! Isaac, don't!" shouts the witch. They seem to be having a silent discussion in the middle of my despair, fucking assholes.
" קדימה מלאך אליאנה" shouts Grandpa, and everything goes black as death welcomes me into his arms.
2 hours later
Once again, I'm waking up to a headache-and mumbling.
"I don't know what happened. She was awake right now, and she fell aslee-AH; wait, she's awake now."
The sound of giggles and chuckles fills the room. My head is pounding, but it's bearable. What the fuck happened? A blackout again. This honestly cant be my life, I try to run my fingers through my face in frustration but one of the maids stop me
"Oh, Princess, don't touch your face, says one of the maids, pulling my hands from my face.
"Get out" I say. Silence fills the air, and they laugh again.
"Get the fuck out!" I growl, and they all rush out and close the door behind them. I fight back tears as I look at myself in the mirror, what did I ever do to deserve these blackouts, they are taking precious memories from me.
Well, the ritual worked. I have the eyes, the cat eyes, the elongated round pupil, my skin glows, my hair looks stronger I open my mouth, and my teeth are brighter and look stronger, and my body feels stronger.
I stand up and take a better look at my body. Holy smokes, I look like I've been taking my training more seriously. I'm wearing my coronation dress, but it just looks better.
I tilt my head to the side, and my curls follow along. I've never been one to admire myself, but wow! I look like a goddess. The transformation is astonishing. Not only do I possess the captivating eyes of a cat, but my entire appearance exudes radiance and strength. As I gaze at myself in awe, it's as if my dedication to training has been magnified tenfold. Even in my coronation dress, I am a vision of beauty. Every detail, from the way my curls gracefully cascade down my shoulder to the way my teeth gleam with vitality, showcases a newfound goddess-like aura.
The doors fly open, and as soon as someone enters the room, they slam the door shut. The room falls silent, and eyes turn to the intruder.
It's a man. I raise an eyebrow at him. Wait, maybe I'm in the wrong room. I look around the room. A wide round bed with white sheets, a chandelier with a gem light, wild roses blooming on the wall, and a vanity mirror all stand out against the pastel pink wall. I just looked at myself for a good ten minutes. It's still my castle, even though this isn't my chamber.
He turned around before I had a chance to voice my complaints.
"Void!" I should have known its him, he´s always finding new ways to look for trouble.
He looks at me and smiles. He gives me a once-overlook and wolf whistles.
"They say angels are to never walk on Lynx, but your existence is making me question it."He says looking at me lustfully.
I smirk and give him a 360 spin.
"I see "he says, and he grabs my waist and pulls me closer to him. "I definitely like it."
He kisses me ever so gently, but it's enough to get my heart racing. Feeling his warmth on my body, I can't help but feel the kiss. He quickly pulls away, but I pull him right back.
"Hey, don't you want your present?" He says, in between our kiss, this sparks my interest, I stop kissing him and drag him to the bed.
"I can't really get the zip of this dress. Mind helping me?" making another attempt to seduce him . Void chuckles and pulls me to sit next to him on the bed.
I smile awkwardly at him, he chuckles and places a gentle kiss on my forehead.
"Relax;" we just have to be patient", he says. I pout but watching him take out a little black box from his jacket, and he looks nervous, I cant help but soften he looks just like a child.
He exhales and opens it.
It's a gold necklace with a bright, small, shimmering green gem.
"I saw this in the castle treasures, and it immediately reminded me of your green eyes. I would have brought the bracelet with me, but I don't think jewelry is your thing. I think a dagger would have done-
"Void," I say, and he immediately stops his rant. His face is flushed, and I can't help but giggle. I hold his cheek and give him a tender kiss on the lips. "Thank you; I love it" I whisper. He smirks, and he looks more like his confident self now.
He pulls out an envelope from his jacket. What is he? The magic man.
I take a good look at him, giving him an once overlook , he looks dashing, he´s dressed in all black, but the top button of his dress shirt is open.
"I think you'll like this one more!" he says, handing me the envelope.
"I spent the last 3 years tracking this man. He's an American who lives in West London, and he has quite the history in Africa."
My heart racing, I rip the envelope open ;not thinking twice or asking questions "They call him a beast killer on the market" says Void, making no effort to hide his disgust.
"His name is Jack."
It takes every inch of me not to rip the picture into shreds. It's him—those icy blue eyes, that wrinkled face. The only thing that's new is the gray beard on his face.
"He's currently on trial in Namibia for killing an endangered giraffe at Etosha National Park."
He´s still a monster. He needs to die. I need to kill him before he comes back to Panthera. I can't let him get away with what he's done. The memories of his cruelty and the pain he caused still haunt me. The world needs to be rid of this monster once and for all.
"According to my sources, he's currently in Walvis Bay; he´s trying to keep a low profile, but he´s going to wish he never existed soon."
This all feels like a dream. I don't know if I should scream or cry in delight. I have been waiting for this moment for so long. The mere thought of him being brought to justice fills me with a sense of satisfaction and relief. I can envision the day when he is captured and faces the consequences of his actions. The nightmares that have plagued me for years will finally come to an end, and I can begin to heal from the scars he left behind.
"Ayanda"
I'm going to pull his skin off his warm body while he's wide awake. I'll finish by feeding him his own limbs and selling his penis to the highest bidder. I won't rest until he suffers the way I've been suffering.
"Ayanda, are you even listening to me? says Void, pulling my face toward him. It shakes me out of my dark thoughts.
I close my eyes, trying to push away the disturbing thoughts that had consumed my mind just moments ago. Void's touch is gentle and comforting, a stark contrast to the rage that had threatened to consume me. I take a deep breath, allowing his affectionate gesture to wash over me. Opening my eyes, I meet Void's concerned gaze, and for a moment, I see the depth of his worry reflected in his eyes.
"Look, if you don't want to do it, I can stop it all."
"No, it's all I've ever wanted." I say, grabbing his hand.
He nods. He knows how I feel. He spent years chasing the human maid who killed his mother.
He knows I really need this.
"We are going to have to leave Lynx; I suspect your parents case is a little bit deeper than what meets the eye."
What does he mean? Was my parents death premeditated by someone here? It cannot be. Everyone loved the king and queen; they brought prosperity to our kingdom and gave us strength. Why would anyone do that?
My chest tightens, and my throat feels dry. I'm on the verge of crying hysterically. I just don't understand why the word is so cruel.
Void wraps me in his arms. "It's okay, my love; everything will be fine; justice will be served for your parents deaths; I won't rest until we find all the people responsible."
I sigh and hold him closer to me. I've never been comforted like this before. It feels good. I believe him. For him to go this far just for me says volume. I've never had anyone treat me the way he does. He puts so much effort into making me stronger and into making sure I'm safe in the jungle. His unwavering dedication and support make me feel valued and protected, as if I finally have someone who truly understands and cares for me. The jungle, once a place of fear and uncertainty, now feels like a sanctuary with him by my side.
If I didn't know any better, I would say the great, cruel king Void is in love with me. I smile at my own silly thoughts. That's not possible. He's a Man. They are all greedy. He just wants his hybrid, and he's working overtime for it. But still, I can't help but wonder if there is more to his actions than just a desire for power and control. Maybe deep down, he does care for me in some strange, twisted way. Yet, I know I can't let myself be deceived by his charm. I must remain vigilant and focused on my own goals, using his presence in the world to my advantage while keeping myself out of harm's way.
I can hear the door opening, but it's too late for me to respond. We've been caught—well, I've been caught—in King Void's arm by none other than
Allison.