The Dark Fairy King

Soon, morning came, but I barely slept. Scarlette, of course, slept like a log again. If only she knew how envious I was of her.

I spent the night tossing and turning, my mind a storm of restless thoughts. Judorah’s plans circled like a vulture, but nothing concrete came to me. Maybe deep down, I knew I wouldn’t find answers—not from her, not from anyone. The rumors I had spread had worked... perhaps too well. So well that they drew Queen Judorah to me. Yet, there was a sliver of solace in knowing she was afraid of Scarlette.

Scarlette, it seemed, wasn’t afraid of Judorah at all. Maybe the Queen of Hearts and Ruin’s reputation was truly terrifying—that older powerful fairies like Judorah trembled before her.

But why did I remember her legend? Was I really that powerful too?

I had no clue.

I stared out the window, my gaze lost in the endless night sky. The kingdom that once glittered with golden light now lay beneath a blanket of heavy, thunderous clouds, casting a shadow over its former brilliance. The lights that had once bathed the streets flickered weakly, their glow dimming in the ominous haze.

What was happening?

The air outside was thick with dark magic—a presence so heavy it felt like it had been conjured by a hundred Dark Fairies at once. My stomach turned as I looked out in disbelief. At the heart of the city stood a massive poison apple tree, its gargantuan vines creeping out like dark tendrils, snatching citizens from the streets, suffocating them in their iron grip.

Scarlette. Where was she?

Panic surged through me, and I bolted through the house, calling her name in frantic desperation.

"Scarlette!" I shouted. No answer.

Then, I saw it. There, in the center of the tree, Scarlette was bound, her body ensnared by thick vines that held her helplessly to the trunk.Her mouth was gagged, brambles cutting cruelly into her skin.