The Shadow Queen’s Romance

Chapter 1: Imprisonment

Two Years Later…

Jasper groaned as his eyes slowly opened, his senses dulled by the effects of sleep though not dulled enough to not notice the stone floor under his body in contrast to the burlap sack and hay he often rested on. “Ugh… Where am I?” Jasper pondered, attempting to get his bearings. When his senses had settled, he immediately saw the appearance of the thick metal bars that formed dungeon cells and gasped, attempting to rise to his feet before falling back to the ground bottom-first. That is the moment when he noticed the thick, cast-iron links and shackles that chained him to the wall. ‘What on earth?’ Jasper pondered, ‘These chains are as light as a feather! Cast-iron chains should still have a little weight to throw around. So why are these so light and soft? It is as if they are apparitions…’ In that moment, the bars shimmered, making Jasper press against the wall behind them as two Jinns emerged, shadowy with a smoky texture to each, malicious smiles plastered onto their faces. Ahh… It seems he is awake. The left Jinn mused. I’ll let her know! The one on the right uttered before shifting away. No! You get back here! The left one shouted before racing after the other. ‘Her? What?’ Jasper pondered, ‘Nevermind that, I need to get out of these chains!’ Jasper pulled on the chains, having broken iron cast chains before. Yet these chains did not break, they didn’t even bend. Jasper groaned, worried for his wellbeing.

It wasn’t long before Jasper heard the whimper of the two Jinns down the hall as an unintelligible, feminine voice admonished them. Two slaps sounded out soon after, shaking the walls and leaving only groans from the Jinns as the owner of this voice began to walk over to Jasper’s cell, making him sweat and press against the wall again before frantically looking around for a way out. ‘Please don’t come here!’ Jasper thought desperately, ‘Anyone who can damage a Jinn with a single blow is not to be trifled with!’ However, Jasper found no such convenient escape as the owner of the voice strode into view before pausing at the front of the cell door. The figure before Jasper was a beauty unlike any he had ever seen. Her lips were as red as a rose, her skin (despite being as pale as bone) was pristine, similar to a porcelain doll. Her vibrant, deep-purple hair hung as little strands at the sides of her face while the rest of her hair was tied into a bun. When she opened her eyes, they were empty at first, the darkened shade of purple that appeared permeable yet not vacant. Then as she saw Jasper, these eyes began to shiver, widening with the sight of Jasper’s form before relaxing, becoming akin to silken pillows stuffed with the softest of feathers. The corners of her lips curled upward into a gentle grin as she stared at Jasper, never blinking for a second as he shook with terror.

At last, the woman, sweet and delicate in her tone, asked, “How are your accommodations, my dear?” Jasper’s eyes widened at the sound of her voice, registering it immediately. “S-Selene?” Jasper inquired. The woman gasped before shouting with joy, “Yes! He remembers me!” Selene hopped around like a small child, utterly enthralled with the way her heart was pounding in her chest. “What happened to you?” Jasper asked, “How did you change your appearance to… This?!” Selene giggled before stepping right in Jasper’s view, pressing up against the cell’s bars, and answering in a sing-song voice, “That’s for later my dear~ Ask a different question~” Jasper, while Selene answered, averted his gaze from her, unwilling to play along with the exposure she was giving him. “Ok… Firstly, what are you wearing, and why so loosely?” Jasper inquired. Selene stepped back, frowning as concern fell over her face. “Does it displease you? My apologies… The people of the east call it a kimono. I thought it would be fitting, given we are celebrating your arrival.” Jasper’s brow furrowed, he never heard Selene talk of matters like this so casually. “I am not ok with… that. Please show more shame for yourself. You don’t need to ‘please me’ in any way… Just be you, my friend.” Jasper explained. Selene pouted, but nodded. “As you wish, my dear,” Selene replied, “But if you ever change your mi-” Jasper interjected, “No! No. We are friends and friends only.” Selene scowled, huffing profusely. “After all I did to get you here, you’ve grown cold,” Selene stated tersely, putting Jasper on edge. “A-anyways,” Jasper stammered, “Where are we?” Selene smirked at this. “Oh, my sweet Jasper… You are home,” Selene answered. “Speak sense!” Jasper exclaimed, “What building is this?” Selene laughed gleefully as the cell shimmered with a purple hue. “Oh, this is only a creation of my spirit power. The best I’ve ever constructed,” Selene answered. “A core domain?” Jasper asked as the red drained from his face. “Correct. Such a smart boy you are~” Selene confirmed with an affectionate tone that left Jasper cowering from her. “Ok… Where is this domain located?” Jasper asked in spite of his fearful disposition. Selene giggled again, more manically this time as she gave Jasper a mischievous glare that made a chill crawl up his spine. “Nooot teeeeling yooou~” Selene uttered in a sing-song voice, “You aren’t ready yet!” Jasper whimpered under Selene’s gaze, making her snicker with a mischievous tone. “Aw, are you anxious, Jasper? Not used to games?” Selene asked playfully. “Y-you call this a game?! Are you truly Selene?” Jasper inquired.

Once that inquiry had been stammered, Selene suddenly stopped smiling, her neck cracking unnaturally as she glared at Jasper with her head tilted. “Pardon?” Selene asked tentatively, “What did you just ask me?” The room fell deathly quiet, save for Jasper’s trembling, sweat pouring from his brow. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. How rude, asking if your beloved is a fake,” Selene muttered angrily. Jasper’s eyes widened and he straightened out his stance before exclaiming, “Wait, beloved?!” “Yes,” Selene proclaimed passionately, suddenly losing her rage, “Beloved. I am yours, and you are mine.” “N-no we are not! You are a princess; I am the lowest of all peasants! We were never going to be together even if we felt that it should be that way,” Jasper exclaimed hurriedly. Selene shook her head, as if admonishing a child, her anger suddenly flaring again. She then explained with a brash, arrogant tone, “Not quite. We are no longer in that worm’s society, so we can do whatever we want. No consequences.” “Worm?” Jasper asked. “My rotten excuse of a father,” Selene uttered, a vicious, malicious hate oozing out of every syllable. “L-lord Arthur?” Jasper stammered. Selene punched the wall behind her in a rage, causing it to shatter into pieces before she turned around with a venomous scowl plastered on her face. “Don’t. Say. His. Name. He is dead to me for the unforgivable crime he has committed against you, my love,” Selene stated as the wall behind her reformed itself. Jasper trembled from Selene’s power and the sheer wrath in her words was enough to scare the willies out of him.

Selene paused, eyes widening in recognition of Jasper’s terror. Without another word, Selene’s anger once again left instantly before she casually shifted through the bars as living shadow, reforming to Jasper’s left before pulling him into a gentle, caring embrace. “Oh, my darling… Shh…” Selene whispered warmly, “I’ve got you. Everything will be ok, my sweet.” Selene then weaved her fingers through Jasper’s black, straight hair, attempting to soothe his nerves, kissing the top of his head while she did so. Jasper, however, only looked up to her face with a furrowed brow, seemingly unaffected by Selene’s soft, warm embrace. “Hold on… Were you not angry just a moment ago?” Jasper asked. “Oh, what does that matter?” Selene muttered dismissively, “When power such as mine is in play, one does not need to regulate the flow of emotion. Save for a passable opponent, or one’s worst enemy.” Jasper's mouth curled down into a deep frown, his eyes narrowing slightly as his face scrunched up defensively. Selene growled, “Why do you look upon me with disgust?” Jasper immediately sobered his reaction. “M-my apologies…” “Shh…” Selene whispered, “Tell me. I want to know why so that I can be your perfect partner.” Jasper trembled, fear falling over his features “I-I… I am only concerned… That you would hurt m-m-me…” Jasper admitted in a cowardly voice. Selene didn’t giggle or chuckle. Instead, she gasped, mortified that Jasper would fear her in this way. “No…” Selene uttered, “How could I do that? I would never hurt you!” Selene’s grasp on Jasper tightened, but not enough to hurt. Selene sniffled, unshed tears gathering in her eyes, “Thinking of you being hurt… It hurts me too… I will never let that happen. Never!” Selene exclaimed, her body trembling as dark fantasies of Jasper being cursed or harmed irreparably flashed across her mind.

“Selene?” Jasper inquired, pulling Selene out of her spiral. “Y-yes?” She asked. “Why have you captured me? You’ve torn yourself apart in the process, and it pains me to see you in such distress,” Jasper continued cautiously. “Because you are the only being I love in this horrid world. Everything other than you, me, and my subjects deserve to rot.” Jasper said nothing, reeling from Selene’s statement. “Ah,” Selene commented, “I see I’ve overwhelmed you. That is fine. For now, I will take my leave and allow you to get accustomed to your new life here.” Selene drifted away from Jasper before he stumbled to his knees and shouted in desperation, “Wait! Please tell me! Why have you put me in these chains? Why?!” Outside of his cell, Selene turned to Jasper with a somber expression. “Because,” Selene explained, “I know you will run if you aren’t tied down. It is your nature to run. Even in my presence, after all I did to reassure you, you could not hold your nerve. Many would call you a coward, a man with no honor, over something as trivial as this. I reject this, for I love even this part of you. Now please, rest and adapt. I will be back tomorrow to check on you.” Selene left swiftly while Jasper sank to the ground, curling into a ball and crying over the chains that bound him.

Meanwhile, riding on horseback through the countryside, Arthur Stone, accompanied by his four best spirit trackers/warriors, was searching desperately. ‘Where are you, my daughter?’ Arthur thought, ‘Two years I’ve searched since you left. I will not rest until I find you.’ Arthur then arrived at his destination: The home of Jasper and his family, who had become a family of farmers after being kicked out of Rosskellin’s capital. Jasper’s father immediately looked over once Arthur had arrived. “Ah, your Majesty. How is-” Jasper’s father began before Arthur interrupted, “Silence, Darby! I need to speak with your son.” Darby’s eyes narrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Do you mean my youngest son?” Darby asked. Arthur huffed, glaring at Darby. In response, Darby’s brow furrowed and his lips curled downwards. “Haven’t you put the lad through enough?” Darby asked tersely, “He grew up in your capital, endured everyone’s mockery, and was always there for your daughter. Yet, you kicked us all out over a lie. You cursed my son so brutally, that I’m shocked he didn’t break down into tears over the venom you spewed. You made it clear that you never trusted us. So, why on earth won’t you leave us alone?” Arthur scoffed before retorting, “You forget your place.” Darby stated, “You forget you are not in your kingdom right now. We are on equal speaking terms out here. You know that.” Arthur paused, rethinking his approach. “My apologies,” Arthur grumbled, “I am not here to hurt Jasper. I only need to talk to him.” “Why?” Darby asked. “Because… Selene has been missing over the past two years now,” Arthur admitted begrudgingly, observing Darby’s reaction. Darby’s face fell as he asked, “She left? I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Arthur shook his head. “It is fine, enough,” Arthur stated bluntly, “Now, where is Jasper?” Darby looked up to Arthur’s face and explained, “When I last saw Jasper, he went to the barn to check on the animals, I haven’t seen him leave for a while.”

Arthur nodded before stomping over to the barn, his breath growing ragged and rigid as he did so, thoughts of Jasper flooding his mind, ‘Now I’ll have you. Selene could’ve only left for you, despite my proper judgement! But she will be disciplined later. For now…’ Arthur thought before bursting through the door and shouting, “Got you!” Only to find that there are only animals in this barn. Arthur began “What is the meaning of-” The Arthur paused, noticing the animals all huddling together in the corners of their pens, their quiet noises and unsettled posturing easily demonstrating that they were spooked by something unnatural. “Hmph. I suppose a small search is in order.” Arthur exclaimed. Stretching out his soul core’s espers, long, spindly threads of spirit energy that are highly sensitive to spirit vibrations, Arthur almost gasped when he felt an oppressive, isolated force. Turning his espers to the back of the barn, Arthur suddenly recoiled them, his mouth hanging open and his face as white as a sheet. “The void!” Arthur exclaimed, before rushing out of the barn in a panic. “Men!” Arthur commanded, “Forge a barrier! The presence of the void is here!” Without hesitation, Arthur’s men surrounded the barn, chanting with bells and drums to erect a spiritual barrier over the house. Darby was immediately flabbergasted. “T-t-the void?! In the barn? Your Highness, was Jasper in there?” Darby shouted, panic evident in his voice. Arthur shook his head with genuine sorrow. Arthur then explained, “I’m afraid not… Somehow… Someway… The void has set its sights on your son.” Arthur hung his head, he may have disliked Jasper, but not even he would wish his greatest enemy to befall the cruel and unknown machinations of something as taboo as the void and the soulless ghouls that served as its minions. “No!” Darby exclaimed, falling to his knees trembling, tears forming in his eyes. “Not Jasper… Not my boy… Not to that destructive, all-consuming force!” Darby muttered to himself while Arthur took position. Without hesitation, Arthur channeled his spirit power into his fingers, visualizing a cage before tossing a spiraling energy ball right into the barn, sealing the void’s influence out of the building. Darby looked up, his brows furrowed and his mouth slightly open. “What did you do?” Darby asked. Arthur chuckled before stating proudly, “I, Arthur Stone, have merely used my power to construct a seal to push out the void energy! You and your family should be safe.” Darby looked up to Arthur’s face asking, “Will Jasper be returned here?” Arthur answered bluntly, “No. Once taken by the void, there is no way for them to get back unless they resist. And given Jasper’s spirit core and less-than-stellar nerve. I doubt he will return.” Darby fell to his knees again, wailing in emotional agony. “I am sorry, Darby. May your family find peace in knowing that you all will not share in Jasper’s fate.” Arthur stated, barely trying to console the man before walking out of the farm without another word and riding on horseback with his men.

As this played out, Selene was watching the events all on her lonesome in her domain. She cackled at Arthur’s panic and Darby’s agony. “Ha! What an amusing performance! That imbecile that dares to hunt for me has no clue that he just destroyed the only way to track me!” Selene howled before cackling even further at Arthur’s attempts to remain composed, despite the terror he just acted upon to flush away the void. During this moment, a nine-tailed kitsune entered Selene’s chamber. “My Queen,” the Kitsune stated respectfully, bowing to Selene. Selene immediately stopped laughing and turned to her subordinate. “Hanao,” she began, “What do you have to say?” Hanao looked up to Selene before explaining, “The preparations are set. We are ready to test the boy to see if he can be considered truly worthy.” Selene nodded, though gave Hanao a cold glare. “I understand. Though, I will remember these doubts when considering which of you underlings will be promoted. Mark my words,” Selene stated before walking past Hanao, for then followed behind. “But… My Queen…” Hanao retorted defensively, “All of us here can sense how lowly this boy’s spirit core is. His timid demeanor is also something that leaves much to be desired. We are not sure if he is mentally broken or not.”

Selene, controlling her rage in the face of such accusations involving her subordinates, pivoted and glared at Hanao, using her emotional energy to make the kitsune kneel before her under the pressure. “Do not question my judgement. Jasper is far more than what he seems. The humans forced him to bury those parts of himself for him to survive in their disgusting society. So, until they’ve been drawn out. I suggest you hold your tongue and not make any immediate judgments. I’d rather not toss out my assets for misbehaving. Is that clear?” Selene asked demandingly. “Yes, My Queen” Hanao answered out of shame, “I apologize for speaking out of turn.” Selene removed the aura of pressure, leaving Hanao unharmed. “Good,” Selene spat before making her way to Jasper’s cell.

Running parallel to Selene’s approach, Arthur arrived at his fortress, huffing and twitchy as he stormed into his quarters and sat at his bedside mirror, attempting to hold back tears that had been hiding from his men as thoughts of Selene flooded his mind. ‘My daughter…’ Arthur thought somberly, ‘I only pray that you are alive and of sound mind. Why did you have to run? And why did you never let him go?’ As Arthur began to spiral, Jasmine entered the room, hugging Arthur from behind and pressing her head against his back, helping him relax as his muscles went slack in her arms. “My darling…” Arthur began, “I’m still no closer to finding our daughter. I… I’m worried…” Jasmine listened to Arthur’s words and held him close. Reaching toward Arthur’s ear, Jasmine murmured, “I am certain, we will find her, my love. Please… Do not hide your tears from me.” Arthur, listening to Jasmine, cries in her arms, shaking from the emotional burdens on his heart. Jasmine continued to hold Arthur silently, kissing the top of his head and stroking his hair lovingly. “There, there…” Jasmine continued, “I have you, my sweet. Let yourself rest today.” Arthur, struggling to resist Jasmine’s affections, utters, “But I have a lead today… I can’t rest now, even if it kills me!” Jasmine shook her head, and kept Arthur’s head close to her chest. “Never forget that you are human, regardless of your power, my darling. You need your rest.” Arthur sighed, relenting as he finally submitted to Jasmine’s soft touch and tender words. “You’re right, I do need my rest,” Arthur admitted humbly, “Yet… Even as I sleep, my nightmares are stained with the worst visions.” Arthur began to weep and tremble as he continued, “The cursings, a portrait of her being chained and that… That…. BOY! Everywhere!”

Arthur began to huff with an evident snarl, hunched and baring his teeth at the mirror. Jasmine sighed, her brow furrowing and her lips pressed into a thin line. “I do not understand why you believe so completely that Jasper was responsible for this,” Jasmine exclaimed, exasperation evident in her tone, “You’ve worked yourself into a frenzy by believing this idea, darling. You must learn to let some grace into your heart, lest you find yourself on the receiving end of the same mercilessness that you have shown him.” Arthur huffed, his heart remaining hardened to the idea. “Jasmine, I cannot do this. I’m certain that the boy is up to no good, especially with what I’ve uncovered today!” Arthur exclaimed with a puffy tone, “Given my need for rest… I will leave the search to you.” Jasmine raised an eyebrow, asking, “What have you found?” Arthur answered, “Evidence that the void is now clearly involved in the goings on of this situation.” Jasmine pulled back, her face pale and eyes wide as her hands clasped over her mouth as a gasp of terror left her. “No! Not that despicable force!” Jasmine exclaimed, her eyes and tone hardening, “If that deplorable wretch laid a single hand on our daughter, I will curse it myself!” Arthur nodded grimly before stating, “As you should. But, as I said, I will leave the pursuit to you for now.” Jasmine nodded with clear determination in her eyes before leaning in and kissing Arthur passionately. When she finished, Jasmine rested her forehead on Arthur’s, telling him, “Rest well my love. I assure you, we will find our daughter.” Arthur hugged Jasmine gently before letting Jasmine go. Arthur set aside his attire, pulled the covers over his heavy body and promptly fell asleep.