A light rain fell from the skies of Traal. The streets were empty. Only an old Traalite man with a stick walked slowly near the palace’s entrance. The guard greeted him nicely.
“Excuse me young man,” said the old Traalite.
The guard smiled.
“Do you need some shelter?” he asked. The young guard looked left and right. “You can stay in the corridor until the rain stops.”
“Thank you young one!” said the old man.
As the old man entered the palace’s corridor, the guard watched the entrance again. But the old Traalite lifted his stick, hitting the guard heavily on his skull. He fell with a thud.
“Mon, you can come out now,” whispered the old man.
Mon was hiding in a bush and left it to meet the old man. The old man’s appearance started shifting. His face became younger, clothes started forming on his half-naked body and a turban appeared on his head.
“Good job, Mauve,“ said Mon.
Mon and Mauve lifted the guard’s body and hid it in the bush nearby.
“Stay here Mon. I’ll be back!” said Mauve.
Mon gave a slight nod.
“Good luck, young man,” wished Mon.
As Mauve entered the throne room a robust man with a mustache appeared.
“Hey, Nuvish!” he called. “You’re not guarding the entrance?”
Mauve jumped. He was not expecting the man to call him but he was staring right at him. He gulped.
“I need to take a quick break!” lied Mauve.
“After you’re done, give this to the queen,” said the big man. He handed Mauve a letter. “I’ll replace you for a little while.”
The man left. Mauve wiped his forehead and let out a sigh of relief. He put the letter in his pocket. Where could the null orb be? It’s not in the throne room.
Mauve walked deeper into the palace until he saw a large door made of solid gold. It looked different from all the other doors in the palace. Maybe I should take a look inside. This door looks special.
Mauve knocked on the door but there was no answer. He entered the room furtively, quietly closing the door behind him. The interior was luxurious. There was a large circular bed in the center and exotic ivory statues and decorations lined the curved walls. This was without a doubt the queen’s chambers.
Mauve looked around until a glowing object caught his attention at the far end of the room. It was an orb of black glass placed on a cushion and an eerie light emanated from it.
“The null orb or the orb of darkness.This must be it!” Mauve thought excitedly.
Mauve came close to the artifact and took it. It was made of glass but it felt warm to the touch.
“I should head back out-,” Mauve started.
“Who goes there?” said a female voice.
Mauve turned around in shock. A tan-skinned woman with fine crimson clothes and a silken headdress was at the door. Her neck and arms were covered with golden jewellery. Mauve cursed himself for his relapse. He had gotten careless and did not even hear the door creak open.
“Q-queen Traal?” Mauve exclaimed.
Queen Traal frowned.
“Where do you think you are going with that orb, Nuvish? Give it to me, now!” she ordered.
The queen waited for Mauve to hand her the artifact, but he was frozen in place. He heard quick footsteps from outside the chamber. Two men appeared next to the queen. They were the man with a mustache and the palace guard at the entrance. They stared at Mauve in shock. The queen looked at the guards and Mauve in confusion.
“Two Nuvishs?” she said.
“That man is an imposter!” said the real Nuvish.
Nuvish, the palace guard, no longer had his turban revealing disheveled wavy black hair. He looked at his clone angrily. The robust man unsheathed his scimitar. Mauve gulped.
“I’ll get him for you Nuvish!” said the mustached man.
The big guard ran towards Mauve with his sword.
Mauve instinctively placed the null orb before him as he cowered. It glowed brightly for a second. The black glass started turning a purple hue. The robust guard watched in fear as mist started flowing from him. He screamed, the mist flowing rapidly from his agape mouth. The null orb was absorbing it hungrily.
“Stop!” shouted the queen.
Mauve tried to stop, but the null orb had absorbed all the mist. The big guard fell lifelessly to the floor. Mauve watched in horror at what he had done.
“Naga, no!” cried Nuvish.
Nuvish’s comrade, Naga, was certainly dead. Guilt was growing in Mauve’s mind. Both the queen and Nuvish did not dare approach him. Mauve looked back at the null orb. He could see mist swirling inside it, trying desperately to break free.
“I’m sorry. Queen Malicia, Mon,” he whispered.
Mauve lifted the null orb. The queen and her guard immediately took a step back. But Mauve dropped the orb. It crashed down turning to smithereens and all the mist it contained dispersed. Queen Traal gasped.
“What have you done, fool!” Queen Traal exclaimed.
“I think he’s done an outstanding job,” another voice rasped.
Mon had appeared in the room out of nowhere. The queen, Nuvish and Mauve were taken by surprise.
“With the null orb destroyed, all the magic it contained has been released. I am now back at full power!” he exclaimed.
Queen Traal narrowed her eyes.
“Monstro,” she said.
“Monstro? You can’t mean!” exclaimed Mauve.
Mauve still remembered hearing about Monstro when he was only eight. He was a serial killer from Velli who spread terror everywhere. His victims died mysteriously. There was no wound over their bodies but they all looked like they were screaming in agony during their last moments. It had been twenty years since the killings stopped and none knew what truly happened to Monstro.
“It was a mistake to let you rot in prison,” said Queen Traal. “Let us fight, Monstro!”
The queen placed her hands in front of her. She and Monstro vanished in an instant leaving a trail of magic particles behind. Mauve was startled but Nuvish ran to the place where the queen had disappeared. He was pleading for her to come back.
***
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