Soon, morning came, but I barely slept. How could I? Not after encountering Judorah.
Scarlette, of course, slept like a log. How irritating.
I spent the night tossing and turning, my mind a storm of restless thoughts. Judorah's plans circled like vultures, but no clear answers came to me. Maybe, deep down, I knew I wouldn't find them—not from her, not from anyone. The rumours I'd seeded in the marketplace had worked… perhaps too well. Well enough to draw Judorah to me.
Still, there was a strange comfort in knowing something:She was afraid.Of Scarlette.
Scarlette, it seemed, wasn't afraid of Judorah at all.
Maybe that was the part Judorah feared most—that the Queen of Hearts and Ruin was more than just a name whispered in fear. That her legend was no longer myth, but memory. Real. Alive.
I turned to the window. The sky outside was still locked in a twilight that refused to fade. The kingdom, once bathed in golden afternoon light, now slumbered under an ominous blanket of thunderclouds. The lamp-lit streets flickered weakly, their glow stifled in the haze.
Something was wrong.
The air was thick with magic. Not just dark magic—pure corruption. A power so dense it could only have been conjured by a dozen Dark Fairies at once. My stomach turned.
Then I saw it.In the city's heart, rising grotesquely over rooftops, stood a massive tree—twisted, blackened, oozing malevolence. Its roots cracked the cobblestones. Its vines crept like serpents across the city, snatching people from the streets, strangling them in their grip.
The Tree of Regrets.
Scarlette.Where was she?
Panic surged through me. I sprinted through the house, shouting.
"Scarlette!"
No answer.Then—There.
Outside, at the heart of the monstrous tree, I saw her.
Scarlette.
She was bound, her body suspended against the trunk. Vines constricted her like iron chains, digging into her skin. Her mouth was gagged, her eyes wide with terror.
And then—"Oh, Veravos…"
The voice slithered in from the shadows.
"Come out and play."
Judorah.
She emerged slowly, elegantly, as if this were just another grand ball. Her true form was sickeningly regal—brambles coiled through her long violet hair like a crown, her wings stretched wide and black like stormclouds. Her skin glowed ghost-pale under the gloom, and her dark purple dress clung to her like a curse.
Behind her, a swarm of Dark Fairies hovered—magic pulsing in waves, feeding into the monstrous tree. Their presence was overwhelming. Suffocating. The very air rebelled under their power. Breathing felt like drowning.
Judorah's smile was all teeth. "Yes, Veravos," she purred, her voice a blend of silk and venom. "We've swallowed the light. And with your power, we can do so much more. You can still join us—before it's too late. Be practical. Join the winning side."
I stood frozen in the doorway, my heart hammering like it wanted out of my chest. My thoughts raced, scattered. But one thing was clear:
I wasn't ready for this.
She stepped forward. "Here's the deal," she said smoothly, slicing through the silence. "Give me the Baltimorean Emerald and the Scroll, and I'll let the town live… and yes, Scarlette, too."
My voice cracked when I spoke. "What… what is this magic?"
Judorah's grin stretched wider. "This?" she said, gesturing toward the cursed tree. "This is the Tree of Regrets. It feeds on the memories of those who wish they had chosen differently. Who knew Light Fairies could have so many regrets?"
She tilted her head, savoring every word. "And the Queen of Hearts and Ruin… well. She has the most."
Her words twisted like a knife in my gut. Of course Scarlette had regrets. Of course she did. Torn between duty and desire. Betrayal and hope. She'd been through hell.
But now she was bound to it.
And me?
I had no plan. No backup. No idea how to stop this.
Crap.
Things were getting serious.
A surge of anger shot through me, my blood boiling at the sight of Scarlette's helpless form. I wouldn't let them hurt her—not like this. But was I in a position to negotiate?
Then I felt it—dark tendrils wrapping around me, pulling me forward.
Crap.
"Eat shit and die, Judorah!" I shouted, my voice edged with defiance, though my insides screamed to run.
Judorah's eyes flashed with fury. She clenched her fists, and the tendrils constricted, their grip brutal and unyielding. Scarlette let out a muffled sound, struggling against the restraints, but the vines held fast.
"Where is the Emerald and the Scroll?" Judorah hissed, her voice like a blade scraping against stone.
I gritted my teeth against the crushing pressure. "The scroll? Oh, that thing? I used it to wrap chili and threw it away."
Her sharp features twisted in confusion. "What is a chili?"
I smirked despite the pain. "A plant so diabolical that your cursed fruit tree doesn't even compare."
Judorah's scowl deepened, her patience thinning. The tendrils yanked me forward, so close I could see the flicker of anger in her soulless eyes. "Veravos, whatever game you're playing—"
I didn't let her finish. With a final, desperate wrench, I tore a tendril off my arm, reached into my pocket, and shoved something straight into her mouth.
A chili.
Yes, I'd saved one from my cooking earlier, stuffing it into my pocket without much thought. A decision that, as it turned out, had impeccable timing.
Judorah recoiled instantly. "What is this?!" she sneered, her face contorting in disgust. Then it hit her. Her eyes widened in sheer horror as the fiery burn ignited on her tongue.
For a terrifying second, I thought she might lash out and tear me apart on the spot. But instead—
"I need water!" she shrieked, clawing at her throat.
Before I could revel in my small victory, the tendrils coiled tight around me once more—then, with a violent snap, flung me through the air. The world blurred, streaks of colour and light spinning around me.
I was free.
But something even more terrifying occurred. The tree suddenly began to wither, its massive limbs retracting as the townsfolk, who had been ensnared by its vines, dropped from its grasp.
With a surge of my dark powers, I managed to cushion their fall, sending them gently back to the ground. The air was filled with horrified screams from the Dark Fairies gathered at the base of the tree, but something far worse was happening.
"What's happening?" Queen Judorah yelled, her voice edged with panic.
"Your Majesty, it seems the tree is no longer bound to you. The tree is bound to the one with the darkest potential for evil," one of the Dark Fairies turned to her, his voice trembling.
"What are you talking about? I am the one with the darkest potential. I will bring eternal night! I am the harbinger of doom!" She yelled as she tried to control the tree, but to no avail.
"It seems that you are no longer the one with the darkest potential—she is," the Dark Fairy minion pointed toward the center of the tree.
Of course. The legendary Tree of Regret is tethered to the one with the greatest darkness.
And there she stood.
Scarlette.
She stood at the center of it all, her body pulsing with dark energy. The Mistress of Chaos was absorbing everything—the darkness from the fairies, from the tree, from the very world around her. As she did, the poison apple tree behind her withered and cracked. What had once been a towering symbol of evil now seemed to decay before my eyes.
Scarlette's eyes glowed a deep, menacing black, and a red mist swirled around her, her form hovering slightly above the ground.
"I have many regrets," she bellowed, her voice carrying the weight of the void itself. "And my greatest regret was never truly embracing the darkness and chaos."
Her hair, streaked with purple, levitated around her like a storm, swirling red and black mists rippling from the ground in dangerous tendrils. She moved with terrifying speed—faster than anything I had ever seen. Like a ghost, she darted behind the Dark Fairies one by one.
Without hesitation, she reached into their chests, her fingers like claws, pulling their hearts free. Dark orbs of crimson light pulsed around her, and with a single, crushing squeeze, their hearts shattered into dust. Their bodies crumbled to the earth with a final, silent gasp.
The Dark Fairies fell, their once-immense power vanishing into the wind.
Judorah stood frozen, her face twisted in shock. She tried to run, panic flooding every movement, but it was too late.
"I figured," Scarlette continued, her voice filled with manic glee, "I've done so many evil things... I have been betrayed by my own kind, ostracized by those who were afraid of me, forced into a box and forgotten. But maybe I do not need redemption. Maybe I was the monster they saw all along. My role isn't just to serve darkness. Maybe it's to rewrite it into boundless chaos."
Her laughter rang out, disturbing in its unsettling joy.
And with that, I realized it. Scarlette had gone off the rails. Completely.
Judorah scrambled toward me, trembling, her eyes wide with fear. "Please, I miscalculated. I thought I would still have control," she begged, her voice cracking. "I'll give you anything... I'll tell you where the Light Guardian is. Just don't let her get me."
I didn't flinch as I pushed her aside. She scrambled away, her footsteps fading as she fled into the distance.
It didn't matter that Scarlette had just effortlessly torn through more than ten Dark Fairies. She was still my Scarlette. The one I couldn't abandon.
"Scarlette, stop this! This isn't you!" I shouted, my voice raw with desperation. But she didn't even flinch. She simply turned her gaze to me, her eyes gleaming with dark intent.
"Veravos, come. Join me," she called, her voice soft but laced with dark conviction. "We can rewrite this world together. I see it now. We don't need emeralds, scrolls, or Light Guardians. All we need is to rewrite what the world views as darkness. It will all turn to grey. Come, just you and me. Together."
I stood there, frozen. Her words swirled around me like poisonous fog. The temptation to join her was almost unbearable. For a moment, I almost believed her. It sounded so simple—so perfect. The burden of centuries of regret, of waiting for an answer, lifted in that one moment. Everything I had longed for was within my grasp. The darkness called to me, and for a heartbeat, it felt like everything I'd done, everything I was, led me here—to this moment, this choice.
But then my eyes caught something else.
Judorah slipped away, dragging a man—gagged and bound—into Lumera's house. The Light Guardian. It had to be him—light magic spilled faintly from his hands, unmistakable.
I cursed under my breath. The Emerald and the Scroll were still inside. Queen Judorah was going to force the Light Guardian to warp reality according to her will.
I was torn.
Do I save Scarlette or do I take that one chance to change reality for myself—or stop Queen Judorah at the same time?
Then I saw it. Scarlette was lost in the darkness, truly. I saw it in her eyes—the power was consuming her. She was beyond reason now. I could see the familiar spark of who she once was, buried beneath an avalanche of shadow. Her laughter, once something I cherished, now felt cold and twisted.
But how could I choose? How could I leave her behind, knowing that if I did, I might never see her again? Scarlette was truly one of a kind. In all these centuries, I never knew someone could ever mean so much to me.
Yet, I was left to choose between Scarlette and saving the world—or, you know, writing my own reality.
If I stayed, the world would fall into endless night. If I left, I might lose her forever.
The weight of the decision crushed me, suffocating my thoughts.
I took a step toward her. My heart raced in my chest, my mind warring with my every instinct. The darkness surged within me, urging me to join her, to embrace it all. She had already given in, why couldn't I?
I took her hand, and the darkness twisted around us, squeezing the breath from my lungs. I couldn't let go. I couldn't lose her. What if this is it? What if I fail her? I can't let her fall into this darkness, but the cost... it's too high...
Then it hit me. I would do anything—everything—for Scarlette. The world could rot for all I cared. I was a dark fairy. I was not a nice person.
If my world did not have Scarlette, then there was no point, too.
Without further hesitation, I reached for her hand. She smiled, her eyes gleaming with the belief that I was going to join her. Her grin widened, her heart swelling with anticipation.
I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of everything I had just abandoned. My soul was no longer bound by the choices I had once made. It was bound by something deeper.
And as I gripped her hand, I knew—without a doubt—I had chosen her. Forever.
"Scarlette, my dark lotus, please forgive me," I whispered, my voice choked with emotion.
I placed my trembling hands on her face, and for one fleeting moment, I saw the girl behind those olive eyes and scarlet hair—the first Love Fairy, betrayed, locked away, and cast out, misunderstood by all. I didn't see evil. I saw someone who, just like me, had been broken. I refused to let her sink into darkness.
I tightened my grip on her face, pulling the darkness within her toward me. The power surged through me, and I felt every ounce of her pain, her torment. My heart broke for her. This wasn't who she was, but it was who she had become.
"Veravos… stop. You're hurting me," she pleaded, her voice barely audible, trembling with every word. But I ignored her—each word stoked my resolve to protect her, even if it hurt me, even if it tore me apart.
The darkness flooded me, each tendril of shadow filling my veins, suffocating me. It was too much, but I had to hold it. I couldn't let it consume her. It would not take her, not while I could still fight.
For a moment, Scarlette gasped, her eyes locking with mine. Remorse flickered in them like a dying ember, but I couldn't let it consume me. There was no time.
"Run!" I screamed, but my voice was lost in the crushing force of the darkness closing in. I couldn't tell if she heard me, couldn't tell if she would make it out in time.
"Be free," I called again, my voice raw, my heart breaking in two.
Tears streamed down Scarlette's face, her eyes filled with sorrow as she turned and ran toward Lumera's house. My heart followed her, and in that fleeting moment, I knew it was worth it. She would be safe.
And then the world around me fractured. The beam of darkness wrapped around me, smothering all light. A tornado of shadows pulled me into its suffocating depths, and Judorah—screaming in terror—was dragged into it with me.
Her body slammed against the ground, her breath catching in a pitiful gasp.
"Veravos?" Judorah's voice was faint, filled with pure terror.
"Hello, Judorah. Yes, you have every right to be afraid. Welcome to your eternal nightmare," I laughed, the sound bitter and cruel.
I pulled her into the abyss with me, her desperate cries swallowed by the swirling darkness.