Chương 2: Sanguine Queen's Arrival

Darkness hovered all around her. The world was pitch black. A fog of shadow settled across her surroundings, pouring over her like a waterfall. Where am I? After a moment of hesitation, she recalled her death at the gas station.

"That's right, I died." The sound that left her throat was much more seductive and alluring than the one she remembered. Her previous voice had been much higher than she wanted, but this one was soothing. It had a motherly quality to it and a charming undertone. Though, it is faintly familiar.

"Where am I?" Speaking the words out loud caused the shadows to fall away from her. Her eyes took in her surroundings. They flickered around a grand room with towering black pillars supporting it. Fire basins stood at the bottom of the six pillars, ignited with deep red flames. The room had many shadows, escaping the light, but her eyes saw through them. She clenched her teeth, two large canines feeling odd in her mouth. She opened and closed her eyes. I recognize this room and this voice.

Another unfamiliar sensation surged inside of her. She peered into it with her mind, and she found an ocean of crimson red floating calmly. On top of that, there was a dark cloud drifting along its surface. She felt all of the items she'd collected sitting somewhere in this oasis as well. It was like finding treasure buried beneath the sea. Just in case, she summoned a low level mirror from her inventory. The woman stared at its surface, reflecting an empty throne.

Her eyes widened, and she checked another item right away. Let's see if the [Blood Mirror] works. Elise stared at her reflection and gasped at the gorgeous woman who stared back at her. Through the red-trimmed mirror, she could see pale skin and a face free of blemishes. Long black hair flowed from her scalp and ran straight down her back. Crimson eyes gazed deeply into herself. They had an eerie glow to them, but it only served to make her more excited. She had a small pointed nose.

Beneath that, there were a pair of soft lips. The woman was alluring yet deadly like a rose with venomous thorns. She reached up and pressed a pair of fingers against her plush lips. Her eyes roamed down towards her motherly figure. She was thin beneath the black robes, but she had assets where they mattered. Elise pocketed the mirror into her inventory with a flick of her wrist, using magic as if it was second nature.

"I can't believe it. I am really her. I am Elise Shadowspill!" With her exclamation, the two large doors of the throne room opened suddenly. A maid walked in right away as the door closed behind her.

"My lady, is something the matter?" Deep purple eyes, long midnight hair with a purple sheen, and a black, purple, and white maid uniform. That's definitely Rela, but something is different. Each step of Rela's black heels echoed on the ground. She stopped in front of the throne and knelt. With one gentle hand, she reached up and grabbed Elise's pale hand, planting a kiss on the back of it. She closed her eyes in worship, savoring the moment.

"Pinch me," Elise said. Rela tilted her head.

"Why would I do that, my lady?"

"Just do it, I need to be certain." Rela opened her mouth to answer, but after a moment, she stopped herself. The vampiric maid nodded and pressed two of her sharp fingernails into the skin of Elise's hand. It was just hard enough for Elise to feel a slight tingling sensation but no more than that. I guess, this is not a dream then, but that doesn't guarantee it's not some strange afterlife. If I truly died in that gas station, there is no telling where I really am. The only thing that is for sure...

I seem to be Elise Shadowspill. The woman in the throne grinned and leaned against her hand. If I really did become my character, then I should make the best of it while I can. She channeled red magic into one hand and black magic in the other. A sphere of darkness appeared in the hand with shadow magic, and a sphere of blood hovered in her other hand. Blood and shadows, I am the ruler of both. I am the Sanguine Queen of the Night.

As she thought those words, and pressed both hands together, a wave of energy flowed over her castle. The throne room doors opened, and the brazier's flames buzzed to life, becoming brighter than they were before. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Rela watched the change with awe stricken eyes.

"My lady, does this mean what I think it does?" Elise grinned, showing off her pearly white fangs.

"Tell the others to head to the audience chamber. I will be there as soon as I am ready." Rela stood up and curtsied.

"It shall be done." The queen watched her maid walk away and stood up on her own. Her black robes permeated a miasma into her surroundings as she walked. She entered into the hallway of her obsidian castle, torches ignited on the wall. Down that left passage is the audience chamber, but down that right passage, that is where my room and many items are stored. Elise chose the right passage, walking down a familiar hallway. Only this time, the details were more intricate.

Each black stone held the slightest imperfections visible to Elise's crimson eyes. No matter how well-made the stone was, there was no way to prevent the smallest of cracks from showing. Despite having an aged appearance, there was hardly any dust to be found along the walls or the ground. A testament to the work of the NPC maids. Rela was definitely much more lively than she was before. I wonder if this is even the same version of her? Would it be dangerous to make assumptions?

"No," Elise said softly. The alluring voice traveled along the hallway. She felt a budding confidence growing inside her. It was like a little voice echoing in her head that no matter what happened, everything would be fine. Her slender index finger ran down an ornate crimson handle. There was some resistance when she pulled the door, yet it opened anyways. The rumbling sound made Queen Shadowspill aware of just how heavy it was. The large room was much dustier than the hallway.

The NPC maids were rarely permitted entry into such a place, after all. Weapons and armor sat behind plaques, and there were so many in the long chamber. Elise's hand pressed against one of the first plaques, and dust gathered on her finger. With a wave of her hand, black magic cleansed her digit and the crimson plaque. The name of the weapon became visible, and she grinned observing it.

"[Staff of Flowing Shadows], I remember you. You were an integral part of my early game journey." She recalled the quest of defeating a bunch of cultists as part of her filter to getting past the early game.

"Looking back at it, you helped me a lot." She turned her attention elsewhere and kept going through different sets of gear, looking over each one, and remembering them fondly on her way through the treasure chamber. The plaque at the very end was completely different from the others. This one was free of dust, and the crimson sign was rimmed with vibrant gold plating. The weapon almost whispered to her from behind a strong magic barrier.

The staff was obsidian black with glowing crimson streaks traveling up it like reverse lava flow. It ended in a bat's head and wings with a gaping maw, and inside of the bat's mouth, there was a floating blood sphere, mirroring a crimson moon. This item was assembled with parts she'd gathered along her journey into the divine tier. When she'd finally had power that could rival gods in Green Emerald Online, Elise assembled it from their corpses or dropped items.

This staff in particular was made partially of the straight horn of a demon god, and the flowing red was from an everlasting fairy goddess. It was made with the fine dust she'd dropped upon defeating her. The bat's head was a nice decoration on the top, and the blood orb came from destroying the head of a vampire clan in player versus player. It was the only part of the item she'd gotten from defeating another pre-order vampire player.

She'd completely obliterated his high level character, giving rise to threads that both praised her and shunned her. Some couldn't accept that Elise had killed another player like her and destroyed his chance of ever making that kind of character again. However, there were also a lot of her fans that rejoiced and praised her as if they were her worshipers. She felt nostalgic at that memory, her heart thumping with pride.

"It's funny considering they never knew who I really was." She looked down at her black robes once more, taking them in with a deep breath. After that, she turned her attention back to the staff. Elise reached into the structure, the magic seal drifting apart on contact with her miasma. She gripped its frame, and the staff seemed to call out to her at the same time. It whispered to be used, despite saying nothing. She grabbed it and hugged it against her body. The difference she felt was immediate.

She could feel a huge spike in magic power. She felt something about herself change with it.

"[Staff of the Sanguine Queen]," she said warmly. The queen gripped the tall staff in her hand and tapped it against the ground, a bit of shadow magic flowing into the cracks on the floor. For some reason, grabbing it made her feel whole. It was as if she'd woken up from a slumber that had been so long that the entire world could have changed. Odd considering I don't even know where this place is. Should I try my magic, or should I wait to speak to them?

As much as she was itching to try magic, she wanted to see all of her subordinates gathered in one place with her own eyes. She walked out, the same way she came in. Only, when she got to the door way, this time she did try at least one spell. Shadows erupted forwards and down the item hall. With it, the magic cleansed every speck of dust along the way. I don't even need to think about what button to press. I don't even have to consider my cooldowns or switching between sets of spells for different tasks.

Normally, menus would have accompanied her attempt to use low tier cleaning magic like [Shadow Cleanse], but it came intuitively to her. There was no need to switch between spells. The entirety of the game world was at her fingertips. Though, the fact she was lacking menus was definitely odd. There wasn't a status screen, a game menu, a friends list, or anything else. It's all so tastefully empty, not that I had friends anyways. Still, if I can simply use magic with my thoughts, isn't that a good thing?

That thought was both exciting and worrying. She was nervous about using her higher tiered magic and not knowing how to cast it, but a voice within her told her yet again that there was no need to fret.

"No, all of it is within my grasp. Like I told Leon, I am death." The reaper walked down the hallway, passing her throne room along the way. It didn't take her long to reach the meeting room. It was a double door, but the moment she arrived, it opened on its own. They're all here. All of my subordinates have been summoned and made their way just as Rela ordered them too. Perfect! What should we do first?