The Monster and His Queen

Chapter 43

A figure stood there, but wrong. It flickered between forms. Sometimes human, sometimes something else. And its presence made reality itself bend and warp.

"The Collector," Lady Margot whispered in horror. "No. It's too soon. It shouldn't be here yet."

"Shouldn't be?" the figure said, its voice echoing strangely. "But I am. I heard such interesting conversations about me. Thought I'd join the discussion."

The entity stepped into the room, and everyone scrambled backward. Even Draven's shadows recoiled from its presence.

"You must be Elaria," the Collector said, focusing on her. "The twin who lived. The one with so many delicious possibilities ahead of her. I've traveled so far to meet you."

"Stay back," Elaria commanded, her power rising.

"Or what? You'll fight me? How adorable." The Collector tilted its head. "Do you know how many worlds I've collected? How many beings like you I've encountered? You're interesting, I'll grant you that. But you're not unique."

"What do you want?" Draven demanded, moving protectively in front of Elaria.

"What I always want. Potential. Every choice creates branches. Possibilities. Futures that could be. Most beings only experience one path. I experience them all." The Collector's form shifted again. "And she has so many paths. So many choices ahead. I simply want to see them all. Is that so wrong?"

"You want to steal her future," Amariel said. "Strip away every possibility until nothing remains."

"Steal is such an ugly word. I prefer preserve. I'm saving these possibilities. Experiencing them. Giving them meaning." The Collector moved closer. "Think of it as immortality. Your choices, your potential, living forever inside me. Isn't that better than dying and having it all disappear?"

"That's not life. That's imprisonment," Elaria said.

"Semantics." The Collector reached out. "Now, shall we begin? This won't hurt. Much."

Power exploded from the Collector, wrapping around Elaria like chains. She felt it pulling at her, reaching for something deeper than her body or even her soul. It was reaching for her choices. Her decisions. Everything that made her who she was.

Draven attacked, his shadows striking the Collector. But they passed through harmlessly.

"Physical attacks won't work," Lady Margot shouted. "It exists partially in other dimensions. You have to anchor it fully here first!"

"How?" Captain Ryver demanded.

"The twin bond! Elaria, you had a connection to your sister. That bond created the resonance the Collector followed. If you can reestablish that connection, use it to ground the entity in this reality, then it becomes vulnerable!"

"My sister is dead!" Elaria gasped, fighting against the pull.

"But her memory isn't! Her essence still exists in the void! Reach for it! Call to her through your priestess blood!"

Elaria didn't know if it would work. Didn't know if she could even reach her dead twin. But she had to try.

She reached through the void, through the darkness, calling for her sister. The one she'd never met. The one who'd suffered and died alone.

And something answered.

A presence. Faint but familiar. Her twin's essence, preserved in the void after death. Still carrying the bond they'd shared in the womb.

"Sister," Elaria called through tears. "I need you. One last time. Please."

The presence grew stronger, responding to her call. And suddenly, Elaria felt it. The twin bond, restored. Not as strong as when they'd both been alive, but real nonetheless.

She grabbed that bond and channeled power through it. Raw void energy mixed with priestess magic, flowing between the living twin and the dead one's essence.

The Collector screamed. The bond created an anchor, pulling it fully into physical reality. Its flickering form solidified.

"Now!" Amariel shouted. "While it's solid!"

Everyone attacked at once. Draven's shadows, Amariel's magic, Lady Margot's void power, even Captain Ryver's enchanted sword. All struck the Collector simultaneously.

The entity staggered but didn't fall. "Clever. But not clever enough. I've survived worse than this."

It raised its hand to strike back.

Then the temperature dropped to freezing. Reality tore open, and the Void King emerged with the Void Queen beside him.

"Collector," the Void King said, his voice carrying absolute authority. "You are not welcome in this realm."

"Void King. I should have known you'd interfere." The Collector's form rippled with what might have been nervousness. "This doesn't concern you."

"Everything in the void concerns me. And you've violated the accords. You cannot collect from this realm without my permission." The Void King's presence expanded. "Leave now, or face destruction."

"You can't destroy me. I'm eternal."

"Perhaps. But I can imprison you. Lock you in the deepest parts of the void where nothing exists. Not even time." The Void Queen's voice was silk over steel. "Would you like to test whether we're capable of that?"

The Collector was silent for a long moment. Then it laughed. "Very well. I'll leave. For now. But understand this, Void King. The resonance has been heard. Others will come. And you can't protect them from everyone."

It vanished, taking the oppressive presence with it.

Elaria collapsed, the effort of maintaining the twin bond finally overwhelming her. Draven caught her before she hit the ground.

"Is it over?" she asked weakly.

"For now," the Void King said. "But the Collector was right about one thing. Others heard the resonance. And they will come."

"Then we'll fight them too," Draven said fiercely.

"Brave words. But eventually, you'll lose. Unless..." The Void King looked thoughtful. "Unless we sever the resonance entirely. End the signal."

"How?" Elaria asked.

"By completing what Lady Margot started. But properly this time." The Void King gestured, and the ghost of Elaria's twin appeared. Faint but visible. "Your sister's essence is still bound to this realm. Still creating resonance. If we release her, let her truly pass on, the signal ends. And the entities stop coming."

Elaria looked at her twin's ghost. At the sister she'd never known. "Will it hurt her?"

"No. It will free her. Let her rest." The Void Queen's expression softened. "She's been waiting a long time for peace."

"Then do it," Elaria said, her voice breaking. "Let her rest."

The Void King and Queen worked together, their combined power gently separating the twin's essence from the void. As they did, the ghost smiled at Elaria.

"Thank you, sister," it whispered. "For avenging me. For remembering me. For loving me even though we never met."

"I'll always remember you," Elaria promised.

The ghost faded into light and was gone. Truly, finally gone.

The Void King nodded. "It's done. The resonance is severed. No more entities will come hunting for the twin signal."

"What about Lady Margot?" Queen Lyra asked, her voice cold. "What do we do with her?"

Lady Margot still knelt on the ground, exhausted from the battle. "I told you. I'm yours to judge. Do what you will."

Elaria looked at the woman who'd caused so much pain. Who'd murdered children including her sister. Who'd also just helped save them from the Collector.

"You'll stand trial," she decided. "Face the families of every child you helped kill. Answer for what you've done. And then we'll decide justice together. Not just me. All of us."

"Fair enough," Lady Margot said quietly.

As guards took her away, Elaria leaned heavily on Draven. She was exhausted. Emotionally drained. But also strangely at peace.

Her sister was finally free. The immediate threat was over. And for the first time in weeks, she could breathe.

"Is this what our lives will always be like?" she asked Draven. "One crisis after another?"

"Probably. We're powerful. Connected to the void. We'll always attract trouble."

"That's not comforting."

"I know. But at least we're together."

"Small comfort."

"It's the best I've got."

Despite everything, Elaria smiled. They turned to head back inside, ready to face whatever came next.

Neither noticed the small c***k that had appeared in the corner of the room. A c***k too small for anything to pass through. Yet.

Inside the c***k, something ancient stirred. Something that had heard the Collector's words about others coming. Something that wanted the void-touched twins for its own purposes.

It couldn't come through yet. But it could wait. It had waited centuries already. What was a little more time?

Soon, it thought. Very soon.