For one brief moment, the Ruler of the Night believed he had won. The boy, Jihoon, was finally his fledgling. MasterGin's centuries-long plot was completely dismantled. Order had claimed the board.
"Cancel the ceremony," he said, savoring the words.
The robotic lioness’s heavy titanium tail stopped its rhythmic swaying. Its synthetic optic lenses suddenly whirred, expanding into wide, black rings.
"But, my King, the nobles from all around the world are already arriving."
The Ruler paid the beast no mind. He activated an archived hologram on his wrist display. Lucien Ginerva, the man the world knew as MasterGin, was draped across his shoulder in a candid nightclub shot. Clad in a plunging gold chainmail dress that clung to his pale frame like liquid metal, Lucien looked breathtaking, scandalous, and entirely in his element. His head was thrown back in a wicked, limelight-stealing laugh. "I am sorry, my dearest friend,” the Ruler murmured to the projection. "Your machinations were impressive. But Order will always claim the board.” He pressed a gloved finger to his lips, then traced the glowing contour of Lucien's cheek with a tenderness he showed no living creature. "Our game will continue another thousand years."
He leaned back against the alley wall, lost in thought.
Suddenly the air changed, as if a cloud passed over the sun. The temperature plummeted ten degrees in a single heartbeat. Automated streetlights along the avenue flickered to life.
The lioness froze. Its metal ears rose. It's retinal HUDs flickered across its optical sensors as it looked toward the sky.
"WARNING. Photonic Decay Detected."
The sun sat squarely overhead, but the light turned a sickly, bruised gray.
“Cause?” The Ruler scanned the horizon.
"Solar output remains at one hundred percent," the lioness stated, its voice carrying an unsettling micro-second of latency. "Surface illumination in this sector has dropped to twelve percent. Cause undefined."
Shadows stretched across the concrete like spilled ink, swallowing the midday glare. His ocular implants auto-compensated, cranking brightness to maximum, but the rising dark simply absorbed the artificial light.
A sharp ping rattled his audio receiver.
"Priority Alert," the AI interrupted from the wrist display. The hologram shifted into a tactical map. A heavy strike hovercopter had just crossed into Korean airspace.
The Ruler zoomed in on the optic feed. The heavily armed UN gunship swept low over the coast. Emblazoned across the black hull were the stark white letters UN beneath the logo of the black widow spider.
Maximilian. His arch enemy.
The Ruler tapped his console, routing a direct, encrypted frequency straight to the White House. A veto from the US in the UN could scuttle any resolution. A single vote from Washington would force Maximilian to retreat.
The line rang. Busy signal.
He redialed immediately, overriding security protocols.
A synthesized voice chimed in his ear. "We're sorry. The number you have reached is no longer in service."
The Ruler froze, his hand hovering above the glowing interface. The line disconnected. He didn’t ask the AI for an explanation. He already knew. This was Lucien’s fault. The idiot had insulted the leader of the free world. His half-hearted apology had lead to their undoing.
High above, the sunlight faded further. A bitter chill swept across the alleyway.
He removed his glove and exposed his bare hand to the sky. He felt no burning. No blistering heat. The daylight had lost its teeth. Soon, the creatures of the night would discover the truth.
Chaos was winning.
The screen of his wrist device glitched, resolving into the static logo of Monstrum, a sigil designed by Lucien himself.
The Ruler stared at the emblem of the serpent swallowing the sun. For the first time in a thousand years, he felt something cold move through his chest. He had greatly underestimated Lucian.
"Your orders, my King?"
The Ruler bolted toward the hovercar, clearing the armored door in a single leap.
"Get Lucien on the line now! Mobilize every division! Seal the northern gates!" he roared into his comms, slamming the throttle to maximum. "And delay the cancellation of the ceremony. Tell no one. We need all the incoming nobility for the war."
The engine screamed to life, tearing out of the alley and plunging into the dimming streets of the Forbidden Zone.
At noon, the world was drowning in shadow. The serpent had swallowed the sun. The Age of Apophis had arrived.
On him, MasterGin:
Outfit: MASON - SINTETIC BODY - LARAX [mesh](CyberFair)
STORYLINE: "We are reporting live from the edge of the Forbidden Zone!"
The frantic voice crackled from a holographic tablet resting on the steel desk, its audio ragged with static and barely cutting through the deafening thrum vibrating from outside.
From the quiet dark of the Okinawa command bunker, Maximilian Spyder watched the glitching archive footage. His long, pale fingers danced over the tablet's controls while his other hand idly twirled a black king chess piece. He was an ancient Briton warlord surviving in a cybernetic age. In stark contrast to his jet-black hair, his skin was the color of bleached bone. But it was his eyes that truly betrayed his terrifying power: solid, pitch-black voids of a supreme apex predator. Where his eternal rival’s eyes burned with gold, Maximilian’s shone with a cold, merciless crimson.
Behind him, torrential rain battered the reinforced glass, each drop a tiny, violent percussion against the sweating steel walls. The storm was merely a backdrop to the mechanized empire mobilizing for war on the tarmac below. Matte-black stealth hover-copters whipped the heavy, ozone-scented air into a wall of sound. Beneath them, thousands of vampire soldiers marched with machine-like precision. They wore high-tech, interlocking tactical armor and carried silver-alloy rifles equipped with UV-laser sights that sliced through the deluge like thin, blood-red wires.
Stark white UN insignias gleamed on the sides of the massive transports. They were no longer monsters lurking in the shadows. They were a supernatural superpower: authorized, weaponized, and preparing to strike.
A heavy transport shuddered the ceiling overhead. Maximilian didn't blink. His focus remained locked on the tablet as the reporter's face, framed by the rusted, towering gates of the Forbidden Zone, filled the screen.
"It’s not radioactive! There are no biohazards!" Lisa Liemawr’s scream tore over the ambient roar of the engines. "That’s right, folks, it’s all a government lie! What’s really inside the Zone is monsters! The government has a pact with them! Our boy, Yoon Jihoon, he’s the first person to escape that place alive, and they set him on fire for it!"
The camera panned over a crowd of terrified students, eventually zooming in on a dossier image of Yoon Jihoon. A second later, the feed cut to the final, horrifying footage: a human-sized inferno blazing across a college baseball field.
Maximilian stopped twirling the chess piece.
"Excuse me, Sir," a high-ranking officer interrupted, his combat boots clicking sharply as he stepped into the dark bunker. "Incoming Deep-Net encrypted call. It appears to be from Mother Superior."
Maximilian’s red irises flared slightly, the title echoing like a ghost from another decade. "Are the credentials legitimate?"
"The security certificate is out of date, but yes. It's an authentic ping from the Neu Seoul network." The officer handed over a heavy, secure halophone and immediately stepped back, lowering his eyes.
Maximilian laid the device flat on the tactical table and pressed accept.
The air above the projector shimmered, smelling faintly of scorched copper. A classified, military-grade VR link established itself, weaving a flawless, table-top hologram into the dimly lit bunker. The figure that materialized was not the visionary engineer Maximilian expected. It was a blonde woman clad in the austere, symbol-laden habit of a nun. Her digital avatar blinked, adjusting to the simulated rain hammering the bunker and the sharp chemical scent of jet fuel drifting through the ventilation.
"Who are you?" Maximilian’s voice was a low, authoritative rumble that seemed to vibrate in the very floorboards. "And how did you get this line of communication?"
"I’m taking a massive risk contacting you," the woman replied. Her digital form stabilized, and she lowered her hood to reveal a cold, deeply exhausted face. "My name is Paine. Acting Mother Superior of the Children of Apophis."
Maximilian planted his knuckles on the heavy-duty tactical table and leaned forward. "And why is Lucien Ginerva’s most loyal disciple calling his archenemy?"
The hologram flickered as Paine bristled. "For two years, I believed my predecessor, Sophia, was merely in hiding. Tonight, I received confirmation her body has been found."
Paine’s digital avatar shuddered slightly, her rigid posture failing for a fraction of a second.
"She left a contingency packet with strict instructions to open it only if her death was confirmed. I broke the seal an hour ago." She swallowed. "Its contents included her secret contacts and far more than I ever wanted to know."
Maximilian murmured, the sound blending with the thunder outside. "Yes, I have not heard from her in some time. I assumed the worst."
"So it’s true, then. She was working for you. A traitor and a heretic," she sneered.
"Hmm," Maximilian offered a terrifyingly polite smile. "I imagine she contacted me for the exact same reason you are now."
Paine ground her teeth. "Make no mistake, I am not your ally. What I want, what we, the Children of Apophis, want, is to restore the Old Ways."
Maximilian let out a short, hollow chuckle. He picked up a crystal goblet of synthetic blood from the desk, swirling the thick, scarlet liquid slowly.
"I’m aware you run Lucien’s scam plastic surgery clinic," he said, his tone entirely unbothered. "Something extraordinary must have happened for you to turn on a master you've served for decades. But first, enlighten me. What exactly do you mean by the Old Ways?"
"The natural order," Paine said, her voice dropping into a fanatic's mesmerizing cadence. "All things must die."
Maximilian raised an eyebrow, his gaze dragging over the intricate embroidered symbols on her habit. "So you worship Apophis not as a God, but as the symbol of death?"
"Neither. Apophis is a force of nature," Paine corrected sharply. "Entropy. The physical direction of time itself. Order to disorder. There are too many undead walking the Earth, defying the arrow of time." She pointed a trembling digital finger at him. "How old, exactly, are you?"
Maximilian smiled, allowing a single, razor-sharp fang to peek over his lower lip. "An amusing irony, Sister. You worship decay, yet you serve the oldest, most vain creature of our kind, a man obsessed with erasing the very signs of decay you revere. You don't practice your religion very well."
"Apparently, neither did MasterGin," Paine fired back, stepping so close to the edge of her holographic boundary that the projection crackled at its edges. "He tricked us. Betrayed his own creed. He doesn't want to feed Apophis to honor the universe. Sophia warned me, but I didn't believe her."
She paused, her hands pressing flat against her habit.
"MasterGin wants to use Apophis, the only God capable of killing other Gods, to murder one for him. He wants to slay his creator."
Maximilian went entirely still. The scarlet liquid in his goblet stopped swirling. He set the crystal glass down with a slow, deliberate click that cut through the baseline hum of the bunker.
"Lucien wants to slay the Pharaoh?" Maximilian’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "A bold delusion, even for him. How does a fraud plastic surgeon intend to shackle a cosmic force?"
Paine took a sharp, jagged breath, her eyes darting to the tactical maps on his desk. "He spent centuries engineering the infrastructure." She stopped, her jaw working. "Apophis cannot be tamed by worship alone. So he changed the parameters. If the god will not obey him, he will trap it in something that will."
Maximilian glanced at the peripheral glow of his tablet, where the muted footage of the university students continued to loop. His eyes locked onto the frozen frame of Yoon Jihoon. He tapped the glass directly over the boy's face.
"The boy who escaped the Forbidden Zone,” Maximilian murmured, completing the equation. He looked at Paine. "He is building a vessel."
"Yes," Paine whispered, the confession leaving her sounding entirely hollow. "The Opening of the Mouth ceremony is tomorrow. If he succeeds, he controls the weapon that ends the Ruler. And that’s only the start. He intends to remake the world in his design, with power I doubt he can control. The consequences are too horrible to fathom."
"Indeed," Maximilian said softly. He leaned back, letting the silence stretch between them until the weight of it became a weapon.
A sheet of rain lashing across the reinforced window swallowed the tarmac armada in a blanket of grey. Paine looked past him, taking in the silhouettes of the stealth transports and the sheer scale of the mobilization.
"Can you stop them?" she asked, the desperation finally bleeding through her rigid exterior. "Can you take them out?"
Maximilian did not answer immediately. He reached beneath his heavy tactical collar and pulled out a thick silver chain. Hanging from the center was a single, yellowed human canine tooth. He laid it flat on the illuminated tactical map, the ancient bone stark against the glowing blue topography of Neu Seoul.
"With this tooth, I purchased sovereignty for the Vampire Nation."
For a heartbeat, the red in Maximilian's eyes disappeared, leaving only two endless black wells staring back at her. Lightning violently strobed outside, flashing his pale face in stark white relief.
"Berlin, 1945. The Allies were so desperate, they forged an alliance with creatures that eat them."
"Wait a minute." Paine’s holographic eyes grew wide as she stared at the relic. "Are you suggesting that tooth is...?"
"Yes." Maximilian tucked the necklace back beneath his armor, hiding history away. "We can make many things that should be dead, die, possibly even Lucien Ginerva. However, the Ruler is beyond our capabilities. He is too old and too powerful."
"So this conversation is pointless. I shouldn’t have called." Paine moved her hand toward her console to sever the connection.
"Not necessarily," Maximilian said, his voice smooth and absolute. "Unlike my opponent in Neu Seoul, I believe in evolving with humanity, instead of enslaving it. Our purpose is the Rule of Law. Capture, convict, and if found guilty, imprison. Surely that should make me worthy of a little more time to see this great work through to the end."
Paine held his crimson gaze for a long moment. Whatever calculation she was running showed in the tight line of her mouth. Finally, she reached into her pocket. She held out her hand, and a glowing, holographic data chip materialized in the air between them, instantly transferring its encrypted payload to Maximilian’s terminal.
"The barrier override codes," Paine said.
Maximilian smiled, a genuine expression of respect. "You’ve done the right thing. Thank you for this intel. My people will ensure you and your loyalists are protected in the fallout."
"The boy, Yoon Jihoon, and his university friends too," she quickly added, her voice tightening with newfound panic. "Or no deal."
Maximilian stood up. He pulled the image of Yoon Jihoon back to the center of the display, studying the boy's face with cold, clinical detachment.
Paine went rigid, her projection pixelating for a moment when the silence dragged on. She had already given him the access codes; the leverage was gone. "Did you hear me? I said the students must be safely extracted."
Maximilian ignored the demand entirely, keeping his back to her. Somewhere in the bunker, a cooling unit cycled on, pushing cold air across the room.
Behind him, the heavy steel door of the bunker hissed open. A communications officer stepped in, his face pale under his tactical visor, holding a secure datapad. "Excuse me, Sir. The President of the United States is on the line. The US abstaining vote is now a yes. The resolution has passed."
Paine blinked, her avatar glitching violently in shock. "The US President? No, that is impossible. He’s one of the clinic’s primary benefactors. Why is he talking to you?”
Maximilian’s smile widened into something truly wolfish as he finally turned around. He picked up his tablet and cycled the authorization screens with clinical precision.
"Lucien Ginerva is a theatrical idiot," Maximilian said softly. "He actually thought he could threaten to melt the face off a sitting US President during the State of the Union address and not expect consequences."
He turned the tablet so Paine could read the flashing red authorization codes.
"Washington just signed the resolution," Maximilian stated, his voice ringing with the cold clarity of a funeral bell. "The United Nations has officially authorized us to violate Neu Seoul’s airspace. Monstrum's sovereign immunity on the Korean peninsula is revoked."
"But the clinic," Paine whispered, her digital form trembling as the reality of her complete ruin set in. "The children. What happens to the rest of us when your troops breach the barrier?"
Maximilian stepped aside, granting her an unobstructed view of the massive military armada spooling up their engines through the glass. He reached down, his pale fingers closing around the black king on the chessboard, and casually flicked it off the table. It clattered loudly onto the metal floor.
"Thank you for your report, Mother Superior," Maximilian said. His tone carried no malice, only the absolute, chilling certainty of a general who had already won the war. "Have a good death... when your time comes."
Before Paine could utter another word, Maximilian severed the connection. The hologram collapsed into a shower of blue sparks. He turned his back on the empty space and walked out into the pouring rain without a coat or umbrella.
Outside, thousands of Night Troops snapped to attention. Every head turned to follow him. Every soldier stood perfectly still in the downpour. The hover-copters continued roaring above, their searchlights cutting through the dark. Cold rain sheeted off his shoulders. He raised one hand, and thousands moved simultaneously.
After a long hiatus from the blog, Maximilian Spyder returns in killer drip! From Midnight Order is the Sovereign's Grace Rapier & Spite by FOE. Each sword comes with an unrigged scabbard and animations you can trigger by touching it. Draw, sheath, and various poses. They both have texture huds to change the the different textures on each zone. ...From Krova is the Devil Mask. It's unrigged and mod so you can adjust it for the perfect fit. It comes with a texture hud. ...Matching the Oni style is the Kyouran pant set by Yuebin. The fatpack comes with texture hud with solid colors and Japanese fabric options. I used the Spider Lilly for Max. ...For Military style, I used Yuebin's Echo of a Dream jacket and top. You can wear either, or both together. It comes with a texture hud. ...From Oracle is the Sovereign Jacket and Cap. The cap is unrigged and mod so you can adjust it. The coat comes as an attachment or animesh attachment. Attachment has pose to keep the arms down. The animesh version has bonus arms down poses. It comes with a texture hud. ...I couldn't resist using the XTX Arana tattoos when I spotted them recently. They are Bom with several opacity options. ...And rounding out Max's look are the Sintiklia Axel hair, combined with the wet look for Argrace's Chizuru. Demon red and black eyes by Gloom. Coconut's intense Dong face texture. And Laura's black sheer bodystocking I use so much. ...Stay tuned for more shocking reveals as Escape from Club Apophis races to the finale.
STORYLINE: Sleeping on the temple roof above the busy marketplace of Heian, was a gentle and wise nine tail fox, Kyubi no Kitsune. Its white fur gleamed in the golden light, soft purrs rumbled in its chest. An icy breeze ruffled its fur. The sour scent snapped the old fox's eyes open.
Doubt, rage, envy, fear, hopelessness.... These emotions had suddenly surged in the populace. The Oni were growing stronger. The Unweaver was approaching, bringing a cold miasma of doom with it.
The fox flicked its tails annoyed. Something must be done quickly to rebalance the land.
Kyubi no Kitsune rose on his gigantic paws and stretched out nine magnificent tails. With a leaf on his forehead, and a poof of fox magic, he transformed into a striking, friendly looking street performer, albeit his fox nature was not completely hidden.
He landed gently in the large square, and announced himself as the mighty Kyubi no Kitsune, to many dubious laughs. His fluffy tail waving, and ears twitching, he began to tell jokes and perform amazing tricks to people's delight. A crowd around him grew. His sunny nature was infectious. He encouraged everyone to sing with him, and even pulled audience members into a silly dance. Soon a full street party broke out. Food was brought and served. Young couples met. Children giggled. And by the time the sun set, Heian was full of warm hearts once more. The Oni had shrunk to the size of mice.
Outside, the Unweaver seethed. Joy was the one thing it could never consume.
It sneered and moved on.
The celebrations and fund raising for a good cause continue at the Fantasy Faire continue. Read more about events, live shows, the adventure game, and more. Learn more about the Heian sim here: MEET OUR SPONSORS: GABRIEL
On him, Kyubi no Kitsune: Kimono:Fluffy Kreations - FK Kimono, Legacy M [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Aventurine Promenade ) Tattoo:Beastie - INUARI OVERLAY, Red [BOM](Fantasy Faire: Vervaine Moors)
Parasol:floro - Tien Parasol [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Bến Tôm Rơi )
STORYLINE: In the mad dash to evade the Enforcers, the team scattered. Lost and half-blind, Minjo ducked into the nearest available door.
The corridor was a jarring contrast to the plastic surgery clinic's sterile white above. Here, everything glowed warm and decadent. She couldn't read the details clearly. Her world had been a smear of shapes and color since the sewers took her glasses. But she could feel the difference. Thick carpet underfoot instead of tile. The air tasted faintly of mahogany and expensive old perfume. Warmth instead of clinical cold.
At the end of the hall, a brass door radiated importance. She didn't need sharp eyes to recognize that shape of authority.
She ran for it, heart hammering against her ribs. She pressed the gold serpent brooch to the kiosk by feel.
"Welcome home, Mistress Paine," the automated assistant chirped. The heavy door hissed open.
Footsteps echoed behind her.
Minjo slipped inside and dropped to the cold floor. She dove beneath what felt like a bed. Her hands found a brass frame, heavy embroidered fabric, the scent of dust and trapped air. She pressed herself flat and waited.
MasterGin's voice cut through the corridor like a razor drawn across velvet. "Trying to break what belongs to me? How ambitious of you."
"You can't do this to me." Paine's voice was tight. Desperate.
"Oh, I already have."
"I built this clinic. I run it."
"And yet here we are. Think of it as a sabbatical. A very long one. Your only duty now is to ensure no one else harms another glorious hair on his head. Now go. Before I'm forced to correct what jealousy has done to your face."
Heels receded. Precise. Unhurried.
The door swung open.
"Welcome home, Mistress Paine," the automated assistant repeated, just as brightly.
Minjo shifted backward into the shadows.
Something heavy smashed against the wall. She flinched at the sound. Glass, by the pitch of it, shattering across the floor. Something small skittered under the bed skirt and came to rest near her knee. She felt the edge of it with careful fingers. A shard. Mirror glass. She moved her hand away.
From under the folds of fabric, she listened more than she watched.
The clinic administrator's breathing was ragged. The rustle of fabric, a zipper, something heavy dropping to the floor. A change of clothes. Minjo filed this away. Paine shedding the white coat in private meant the white coat was a performance. What came after was the real thing. The unmistakeable shape and colors of a nun habit.
Then the soft thud of a body sliding down a wall. Knees pulling in. A choked sob that the room swallowed slowly.
Minjo had expected many things from Nurse Paine. Crying was not among them.
She inched forward carefully, staying low, until she had a partial sightline through the gap in the bed skirt. Shapes and light. The glow of a halophone activating. Paine's blurred silhouette on the floor, something small held up in the amber light, a lock of something pale, silver-bright even to her damaged eyes. Hair. Long and silver.
Jihoon's hair.
Paine gripped it like a lifeline.
"April 13, 2055," Paine said, her voice hoarse. "Club Apophis. Five minutes to midnight."
The phone projected a hologram into the dark room. Minjo couldn't make out faces clearly, blurred shapes and moving light, but she didn't need to. She heard sounds. Clinking glasses, upbeat music, layered chatter. A birthday party. Someone singing Happy Birthday with theatrical confidence. She recognized the timbre of that voice even muffled through projection speakers.
MasterGin.
She heard the wink in his voice, "It's going to be you."
The crowd began to chant.
Ten. Nine. Eight.
Minjo held herself perfectly still. She was beginning to understand what she was witnessing.
Three. Two. One.
A sound she could interpret without seeing: heavy doors opening. Streetlight bleeding in. She could tell by the way the room's light shifted even through her limited sight. The music stopped mid-note. Absolute silence.
Paine killed the projection. The room plunged back into suffocating silence.
The sound that followed was harder to listen to than anything in the recording. Not sobbing exactly. The specific, ugly sound of a person coming apart when they believe no one can hear them. Ragged breaths scraping against the quiet. The wet sound of grief that has nowhere to go.
Minjo shifted her weight slightly to ease the ache in her knees. Her knee grazed something, the glass shard barely touching it, and the tiny sound it made against the floorboards detonated in the silence.
Paine's breath stopped.
Then the bed was gone. Hauled back with a jarring metallic scrape. Cold air rushed in. A shape loomed over her. Minjo couldn't see the expression clearly but she could read the body language in the set of the shoulders, the raised arm. Something sharp and metallic glinted the ambient light. Shears.
Minjo froze. She calculated what she could: the distance to the door by memory, the approximate angle of the blade by the glint, and her absolute zero percent chance of survival.
She waited.
Above her, something changed. The raised arm didn't fall. Minjo could feel the recalculation happening in the pause, threat assessment shifting, the quality of the silence changing from predatory to something else.
Slowly, the shears lowered.
"I didn't mean to pry," Minjo said. She kept her voice perfectly even. "I just needed a place to hide." She nodded toward the silver strands she could make out in Paine's hand. "You disguised your betrayal with a smaller one. Brilliant."
Paine looked down at the hair. "Twenty years," she whispered. Her voice was entirely hollow. "I gave him twenty years of devotion. I bled for him. He forgot I existed the second that boy walked through the door."
Minjo considered this. "He told you it was going to be you."
"I was the strongest of his disciples," Paine said. "MasterGin had been preparing for centuries. I thought I was the culmination of it all. The pinnacle of his achievement. But I wasn't. None of us were."
The shame left Paine's voice. What replaced it was worse.
"I followed the false god," Paine said, her voice dropping to a fierce whisper. "And I was envious of the real one."
Paine sank to her knees. She bowed her head deeply, almost pressing her forehead against the dusty floorboards.
"I didn't understand, but I do now. Someone appeared by chance. Seemingly unworthy. And..."
"Chaos," Minjo interrupted flatly. "Just the kind of surprise a god of chaos would find funny."
"No." She shook her head. "Jihoon is one of us. A Child of Apophis. He has to be. He's the Lost One. Please accept my apology," Paine whispered to the floor. "My envy blinded me. I will serve the true Chosen One. As the advocate of Yoon Jihoon, how may I assist you?"
Minjo looked at the blurred shape of the woman kneeling before her. She didn't offer comfort. She didn't offer a speech about forgiveness. The variables of their survival had just changed. She needed to exploit them.
Minjo dusted off her knees and rose.
"Can you get us into the ceremony?"
"Yes."
"Good. I need to know exactly what happened to Jihoon when he entered Club Apophis. I need the logistics of the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, Monstrum, the Old Ways." Minjo reached out and found the silver strands by feel, lifting them from Paine's hand. "And I'll be taking this mutant DNA sample. Thank you for your assistance."
For those still following along for the continuing storyline, this chapter just revealed who the Magic Mirror is in my cyberpunk horror retelling of Snow White. Paine is the mirror to MasterGin's evil queen. lol The Prince and the Huntsman will be revealed, as well as wrapping up the character arcs for Lisa, Ghost, Echo and Jihoon. I estimate there are roughly 4 more chapters left and an epilogue. What a journey!
This post was inspired by the series and wonderful items on this round of Engine Room which ends tomorrow. The setting has so many lovely things, and both outfits are gorgeous. ...On MasterGin is the Nixon outfit by OneDays. It's one-piece outfit you buy in a single color or fatback. ...On the long suffering Paine is the Rebis Scholar Garments. It comes in fits for men and women. It has textures in PBR that give the metallic edges sparkle, and a tattered hem. ...From Milkbath is the Censer. Just wear it and it will trigger a 1 of 4 poses which you can alter in the texture hud. It comes in left and righted version, swing, and non swing. .... From Cult is the Cornelia boots (shown below) for female avatars. The boots include gear details, and a spooky spinal vertebra heel. They are elegant gothic style with metallic details. But I really love the suede texture options, along with the leather. ...The Bedroom set is by Eclectica. It includes the bed, dressers, mirrors, and lamps. The mirrors are PBR and will reflect the environment. It comes with a texture hud to change the metal color, and fabrics. ...From Lore is the Captain's Lounge Chair, tables, and lamp. They are PBR with a hud to change the chair textures. ...Also from Lore is matching skybox, Nemo's study. Its fantastic with elegant PBR textures. ...From Duplexity is an art deco Radio. ...From Ishiku is another stunning crystal glass set, Vintage Floral Decanter. It's mod, so I tinted it green to match my theme. ...From Puddles is the Royal Scribe's Collection with lectern, feather pen, and book stack. ...From Apika is the spooky Madame Palmelope, a hand holding a teacup, that when touched, will give you your fortune. ..In the back, is the Architect Volta fireplace. I tinted the flames green for a spooky effect.
The Apophis series will be taking a break for the first time in almost a year, as I shift to blogging the Fantasy Faire. Be looking forward to it. Apophis will return after that.
STORYLINE: Insilico never slept. It pulsed, an electric heartbeat of neon and vice, where the strong ruled with steel fists and the weak were swallowed whole. Hovercrafts screeched between spires of glass and chrome. Data ghosts whispered through the air, carrying secrets worth killing for. And at the center of it all sat Kujo.
Kujo, the Cyber Mafia boss. A name spoken in hushed tones, feared from the top tiers of Insilico’s floating utopia to the grimy underbelly where oxygen was bought and lives were cheaper than code. His body was a symphony of engineered perfection ,chromed bones, biofiber muscles, a neural core more advanced than military AIs. He was a predator in a world of scavengers. His blade showed no mercy.
And yet, in the heart of his fortress ,a penthouse of bulletproof glass and digitized nightmares, sat a boy who didn’t belong.
Eden.
Barefoot. Clad in simple linen. A relic from another time, another world. The boy had no implants, no augments, no cyber-link. His eyes, untainted by the ever-present glow of the city, held something rare, -- something untouched.
People whispered about it. Why would Kujo, the most ruthless force in Insilico, guard the lad like a dragon hoarding treasure? Was Eden worth more than credits, more than data? Or was it something else entirely?
Some said the boy was a key, a secret weapon hidden beneath soft hands and innocent prayers. Others believed he was Kujo’s redemption, a living memory of something the crime lord had long since lost.
But the truth?
The truth was a locked vault in Kujo’s mind. And in Insilico, secrets were the deadliest currency of all.
Longtime readers of my blog might already spotted both Kujo and Eden are returning characters. Updating both characters with current wares at Cyber Fair, and the story are the inspiration for this series. The intense stare of Kujo is thanks to the Savage Fantasy black sclera by Gloom. And how awesome is the gritty Replicant skin by Utopia? It's different for me, but totally works for my style with a brow change by HISS and under underage concealer by Izzie's. The armor, jacket, and glove by Lavenvo have PBR are beautifully crafted and have many color texture options. The Visor by _TRK_ is interactive. Touch it to open the face shield and touch again to close. It and the jaw both have many color options, glow color. Very cool. The large wicked looking spider leg backpack is by Bison and has color and texture options. The sword is by Ayaya and its mod, so just edited its glow to red. The Xanthe hair by Sintiklia is a style with a lot of potential you might miss at first glance. There is an unrigged version with bangs as separate attachments, plus a style hud. It made possible to turn a whimsical cat headphones girl style into a warrior samurai style! The hachigane headbands are by Last Ride. Blood tattoos by Yaya and Sacrilege.
On him, Kujo of the Cyber Mafia: Armor: [LANEVO] Silence Armor, Legacy.M, fatpack [mesh](Cyber Fair)(885L)
STORYLINE: Outside the dusty town of Basset was a sign that read, "Quarantine. Do Not enter." A Bounty Hunter known simply as D stopped and looked at it. A sickly person stumbled towards him. “You the Bounty Hunter? Half human, half monster killer?” D nodded and said nothing. “A suspicious looking fella came through last week, everyone he touched soon died. The rest of everyone is plum near dead or dying." He offered a burlap bag to D. “It's not much, but that’s everything we got. The whole town pitched in. So you can kill this thing, right?” D looked at his sad sunken face, then towards the town with many ghostly faces peeking out at him from their windows. “There's not much time left,” he said and without another word, rode off. A week had past before the Hunter returned. But everyone in Basset Town already knew he was successful. He was greeted with laughter and people running up to him, their cheeks now a more healthy color. "Don't celebrate too soon," he threw down the burlap bag and the head of the monster rolled out. “This fight is just beginning. The Unweaver is an evil seed that can take root and sprout again at anytime, anywhere. Be more careful and savor your lives.” And with that, he tipped his hat and rode out of town to the stunned silence of the townfolks.
Last call for the Fantasy Faire 2022! On May 11 at some point the Fairelands will disappear into the mists. Be sure to see and do everything you planned before the close! This photo series is for my Mom, who had been undergoing surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation for cancer for the past 6 months. Her treatment ends this week. I feel grateful to her doctors, medical science, American Cancer Society, and all the kind hearts who donate to make a difference. If we care, and love each other, great things are possible.
P.S. I love Vampire Hunter D. There was no way I would not try to do a homage to it thanks to the awesome outfit by Quills & Curiosities at Fantasy Faire. Vampire Hunter D was my introduction to anime back in the 90s.
STORYLINE: Such a sad love. Laughter had fled the decaying Goblin City. The distressed goblins voted to send the Wisest among them to fix the problem. There in a crumbling throne room, surrounded by a mountain of books, was the fierce presence of their troubled leader. The Wiseman tried to sound sympathetic, "It's clear to this old one, a broken heart is the source of your Highnesses’ diminished power." The Goblin King shot him a burning glare. "It's not your fault, your Majesty. You had not been properly socialized with humans. They often say what they don't mean. Take this baby? Or make this baby stop crying? Who knows. You'll do better next time. Forget the raven haired beauty." The King rose to his full height and towered over the small trembling being. "Is my magic not absolute?" The Wiseman immediately bowed deeply and averted his eyes, "Yes, yes of course." The King roared and threw a book at him, "You understand nothing! She WISHED I do anything for her love! It's binding! Unbreakable, you nitwit! I was compelled to grant every ill-conceived notion that crossed her addled mind. Did it make her happy? Did she not see I showed her the error of her ways? NO!" he bellowed, "It made me a villain!" He sank back down on the throne and moaned in pain. "Even if I wanted to leave, I no longer have the power." His gaze turned to a broken stone arch, and looked somewhere far away. His voice trailed in despair, "banished from her life...."
Suddenly, ray of light penetrated the gloom. A small snow goblin scampered into the room, climbed up on the throne, and offered an intriguing gift from the Academy of the Dark Arts. The King took the book and read its title out loud, "Chicken Soup for the Goblin Afflicted Soul." Intrigued, he glanced at the index and quickly turned to page 98. The sudden click of a heel made his head jerk up just in time to see a crystal ball materialize in front of him. Where did it come from? It wasn't his. His power had long since fled. The ball flew across the room and was caught by a blond spiky haired teen emerging from the shadows wearing the robes of the Academy, "You can thank me later, Mr Tricky" the lad narrowed his eyes. "By the way, that was my book. The Academy helped me overcome your surprise parting gift. You should be more careful who you mess with, I'm not a defenseless baby anymore. But let's not fight, there's someone who wished to see you." With the comic flair of a goblin showman, he stepped aside revealing his blushing older sister who had grown into a beautiful woman. He felt his heart skip a beat. She was terribly busy pretending the floor was interesting. "Just because life's not fair, doesn't mean the King can't impose fairness upon it. If you accept the terms of the deal, you can stay with my sister half the year, and I will rule in your place with the full power of the King. When time is up, we will automatically switch places and this blasted curse will be lifted from me so I can live a normal life. We repeat the cycle every year. Do you accept the terms?" Speechless, the King had nothing snarky to say. His mouth hung open as he looked from his clever heir to the woman he loved. It wasn't like her to be shy, perhaps she was embarrassed, or felt shame? Maybe she was worried he would say no. When she finally had the courage to look into his eyes, all her doubts melted away. The happiest man in the Goblin Kingdom smiled at her and teased, "Come come, you didn't wish upon your poor brother to rescue me, now did you?"
That was fun. A little super condensed mini sequel to the movie classic Labyrinth. The whole idea for the post and story started with the Cryptdweller boots and pants by Quills and Curiosities, (which reminded me so much of David Bowie), and the Chicken Soup books by Ivy that included Goblin. Both items are for sale at the new round of Midnight Order. Since its a new year, I thought it would be good try new things. The image is done in what I call the "illustrative style" my blogger bat buddy Aarya excels at. Thanks for the helps, Aarya! Also shown from Midnight Order are the super long horns by Static, tattoo layer Guhu skin by Ederigon to give his hands a more bird-like feel, as a nod to Jareth's shapeshifting to bird form. I hope you all enjoyed this.
On him, the Goblin King: Pants, boots:Quills & Curiosities Cryptdweller Bottoms, Silver, Jake [mesh](Midnight Order)(350L)
STORYLINE: Crewmen Stephan couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. The cargo freighter USS Charon was dead in the water near the Scheol Nebula. Unless he could find the problem and make the necessary repairs, he was stuck until help arrived. And since that could take years, it was up to him to fix it, no matter how much his skin crawled as he ventured deeper and deeper into the heart of the dilapidated spaceship. His stomach growled angrily. He hadn't been feeling well since he ate that lousy dinner on a passing freighter a month ago. "Never Again," he swore under his breath. No sooner had he opened a hatch in the floor, then something flew out and attached itself to his face. He screamed and clawed at it, gagging and thrashing wildly. Something going down his throat! But it was too late, a paralytic venom was already slowing his movements. His vision was blurred as a dark shape loomed over him. It knelt beside him, saying “Shhh, shhh..." and stroking his hair. Tears rolled down his eyes. What was it? It looked alien, but human too. The creature’s sharp claws were caressing him like a pet. "I know it hurts, my poison will kill the foreign food-born egg growing inside you." His limp body was picked up like he weighed nothing. The alien carried him to a hole melted in the ship's hull, and judging from the leaking fuel lines, this was most likely the cause of the engine failure. Another ship was attached outside. It's black surface gleamed and seemed alive with pulsing green goo in its biomechanical veins. "We are going to a safe place," his capturer said, "Nothing will ever hurt you again as long as you are with me."
ALIENS! HORROR! Necrotize is a unique event full of things to haunt your nightmares. This image was inspired by the tale of Hades and Persephone with an Aliens twist. On the Alien is the super cool Giger outfit by Somnium. It comes with an infection BOM tattoo which I combined with the Human Glitch Ncthr tattoo. The haunted Syrre Eyes are by Petrichor and have so many options, its great. Poor Stephan is wearing the Krova Animesh Facehugger, and Antaya Incubator attachment. I discovered it works on male and female avis that wear a layer alpha. His outfit is Orther by Asteroidbox. It has support for many mesh bodies, male, female, and the Mait flat like I used here. The gorgeous setting is Level 03 by Varonis. All these awesome items are at Necrotize, and there are gifts too in the Green Eggs.
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