World of Women - World of Women – V5 – Chapter 15
I was standing on the beach, but the sun was no longer in the sky. The entire beach was covered in shadow, and it was oddly quiet except for the rhythmic splashing of the waves. I tried to remember what had happened. I had been watching the girls show off in their swimsuits, and then my sister was trying to make things difficult for me. Then… I must have passed out.
I looked around. None of the girls were present. The servants were nowhere to be seen. I would have even settled for a bird, but I got silence instead. That must mean I was dreaming. Was this one of those so-called vivid dreams? In that case, couldn’t I control the dream? I should be able to do whatever I wanted.
I tried to rise in the air, but nothing happened. I couldn’t help but laugh slightly. With the right spells and conditions, I could fly in the real world. When you lived in a world of magic, there were few experiences you couldn’t enjoy just as well in the real world. As for the other advantage of vivid dreaming, I could already play with any number of beautiful women. There was very little I could gain from this dream. It felt wasted on me.
“Well, that’s new.”
I had already looked back and seen the familiar building of the mansion, although I hadn’t stepped inside yet, at least while awake. Yet, when I turned away from the ocean a second time, the mansion had been replaced by a towering demon castle.
The other demon castles I had encountered were underground. They had been buried by thousands of years of history, and excavations could dig them up. This was the first time I got to see the castle in its unburied form. It was black and menacing, with spires and towers that rose into the sky in a threatening manner. It was the perfect place for any number of evil creatures, whether it be vampires, mummies, or a demon king.
My feet were moving before I could think about it. I was walking toward the demonic structure. I didn’t know who the demon king was. I knew almost nothing about demons in the first place. Even after grilling Rebecca and Ashley, their answers were always vague and ethereal. I had spent enough time with the pair to know they weren’t deliberately holding information from me. Demons existed in a dimension outside of our reality, and as extra-dimensional beings, it was hard to describe them in terms that a being bound to the physical world could grasp.
All that I knew was that this dimension and the demon’s dimension were close, and the demons desired to rule this dimension. There was once a time when they did. Humans were merely slaves to the Demon King, forced to toil and work for demons. Then, some kind of cleansing occurred. The demons were tossed from their dimension, and the humans were allowed to thrive once again. There was just one problem, all the men had seemingly been wiped out.
This was long before the demon lord Lilith and the hero came to be, let alone the conditional return of men. These Demon Castles were the last relic of the bygone era. Even the material the structure was made out of was some foreign magical alloy. The language, the designs, and even the architecture didn’t match a single existing culture. They might have well been built on an alien world.
I approached the gothic entrance with statues showing howling creatures that appeared to be in pain. There was a thump, and then the giant metal doors began to swing open. Inside was complete darkness, but I continued to walk without hesitation. As I entered the darkened foyer, the doors behind me snapped shot. A torch suddenly burst to life, and then another, and another. One by one, the entire castle was lit as torches spontaneously came to life.
This wasn’t like the castle ruins I had entered in Matahari or Amaryllis. Those were decayed, dusty ruins that were half collapsed and marked with age. This appeared to be the castle in its prime. The floors contained elaborately spun carpets, and the walls held art and tapestries. Most of the art was primal and angry, using heavy uses of red and black. Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t filled with gory images or blood. Instead, the images seemed to be mosaics that depended on style over substance.
Although I didn’t know my way, my feet seemed to move instinctively. Was I drawn to this because I absorbed two of the previous inheritances, or was I drawn because this was the nature of such a dream? I had no clue. I just knew that I was continuing forward, moving with purpose. I had no doubt I was working my way toward the final inheritance. I could just feel a resonance deep inside me.
When I had absorbed the previous inheritances, they had disappeared inside me. The demonic aspects seemed to dissolve, and all that was left was pure knowledge and power. My ability to cast magic was incredibly high now. If I spoke of demon lords, it was probably at that level. This was an ability I rarely showed though. Most people could only channel small and easy runes, and as a man, they expected even less, even if there were growing studies that seemed to suggest men could conjure more than women.
As it turned out, the men were more likely to be aseeded, so this started the rumor that men could not use mana at all. Now that magic had been modified to allow aseeded to use it, the strength difference between men and women was becoming clear. Perhaps, this also explained why demons preferred to inhabit men. Either the aseeded trait was more favorable for possession, or their stronger magic was preferred for such a being.
I continued on my path, climbing a long set of stairs. As I reached the top, I could feel the energy in the air shift. There was something ahead. A long hallway sat before me, and at the end of the hallways was a massive door, only a little smaller than the one that allowed me to enter this place. I began to walk down the hallway. With each step, I felt the energy increasing, almost like I was approaching a static generator.
As I got close enough, the massive doors swung open, revealing the room beyond. It looked like a chapel room. Massive stained-glass windows lined the walls, but they blocked way too much light for what should have been outside, casting dark shadows across the white marble floors. At the end of the chapel was a throne.
I couldn’t see the throne with my eyes as it was far too dark, but I could feel its power. One could say I saw it with my mana sense. I felt like this was the throne where the demon king would have sat. It seemed larger than a human would need as if the demon king was a giant that didn’t look human. Sitting on that throne was the final inheritance. My footsteps echoed as I approached the throne. As I got closer, I could feel a powerful force growing.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” A voice echoed, causing me to freeze.
I turned to see her standing there. “Jenji.”
“You know where it is, don’t you?” Her words didn’t appear to be a question.
“I have no clue.” I lied.
Even though this was a dream, something about Jenji’s presence unsettled me. I felt like I definitely shouldn’t tell her the truth.
She looked at me, smiling slightly. “You’ve come into contact with it. Why else would you be dreaming about it?”
“What happened to Charlie?” I demanded.
“Charlie?” She asked. “Oh, I guess that is what you called her back then, isn’t it… We’ve used so many names over the years, my sister and I, that I can never keep them straight. What name do you know me by? Jenji? I don’t like that name much at all.”
I nearly ground my teeth. “What did you do to her?”
“What do you expect to hear?” She asked. “That I killed her? Unfortunately, beings like us don’t die so easily. All you need to know is that she is dealt with for the time being.”
I took a breath of relief. Had she said that she did kill Charlie, I wasn’t sure how I would react. Then again, I wasn’t sure what they were. Would I be able to do anything to her, and did Charlie’s death even mean the same thing as it did for a human? After all, I was dead, but I reincarnated into a new body. I considered the same possibility for Charlie.
“What do you want anyway?” I looked up, to see she had moved next to the Demon King’s throne.
Compared to it, her head barely came up to the arm. Yet, she reached up and stroked the chair while staring at it like an adorable baby.
“The Demon King.” She spoke, seemingly ignoring my question. “His power hasn’t graced this world in eons.”
“What? Is he your boyfriend?” I asked scornfully, immediately feeling a bit childish.
“Did Charlie not call you her hubby?” She asked casually while still staring up at the throne. “Is it so strange that I chose a husband of my own?”
“I’m not like the demon king…” I declared.
“This is something we both can agree on.” She snorted, looking at me scornfully. “Nothing to speak of sister’s taste in men.”
“Why are you here in my dreams?” I demanded, getting annoyed by her presence.
“You don’t know?” She asked. “You’re the one who brought me here. I merely search the dreams of the people of this world, waiting for someone who dreams of the demon castle. How else do you think I search for its existence?”
“You don’t know where they are?” I asked. “I would have thought someone like you would know. I guess that explains why it has been over a decade.”
“Decades are but seconds for a being like me. I look the other way for a few minutes, and the castle is buried under earth and sand and the continents aren’t where I left them. I have patience though. I already waited thousands of years to unearth the ones I have. This final one will come eventually.”
“I’ll find it first,” I responded. “I’ll absorb it and I’ll dissolve all of the demonic energy just like the previous two! You’ll have nothing.”
“Is that what you plan?” She asked. “That means you are looking for it. I wonder where you are…”
“It doesn’t matter where I am. You’ll never find the inheritance. Your demon king will never come to this world. I swear it!”
She leaned forward, her eyes wide and glowing. “There you are.”
I’m not sure what triggered it, but my body awoke suddenly. I jerked up in bed, nearly letting out a cry. It was dark now. It took me a few moments to realize I was in the castle. The doors were open to the balcony, and I could hear the distance crashing of waves on the beach. My body shook. It was a bit chilly, despite the fact I was covered in sweat. I got out of bed, wrapping a robe someone had a throne on me tightly and tying the sash. I walked over to the doors, reaching out to grab them.
I leaped back just as suddenly. The shadows moved in a way that didn’t seem natural. The hairs on my arm rose, and I had a sudden feeling of danger. At that moment, the shadows on either side of the open doors seemed to emerge into the shape of two people. The two of them barely finished forming before I felt their eyes lock on me. They lunged forward as one.
I leaped back, but my legs hit the bed and I fell back into a sitting position. However, my mind had already formed a rune and with a wave of my hand, a blast of fire shot out like a flamethrower. The flame temporarily lit the room, but the shadows didn’t turn into people. They shied away from the light like it was painful, although they didn’t make a noise as they recoiled with their hands up. As soon as the flame dissipated, they stood back up and lunged again.
This time, I had more of an idea about what I was dealing with. These were shadow people, the supernatural hitmen of demons. I had not seen one of them in over a decade, but I didn’t believe I had just happened to have that dream only to see them now. I wasn’t someone who subscribed to consequences.
I knew how to summon them, although I had never attempted. The thing about summoning a shadow person was that it required a sacrifice. The bigger the sacrifice, the more capable the shadow person. These two looked dark even in the light of my flamethrower, so they had to be quite powerful. As they descended on me again, I could feel them trying to suck away my mana. That was how they worked. They didn’t use knives or guns or anything. They consumed life force. Simply being in the room with one caused your life to slowly leave you. If they got their hands on you, it was over.
I had already had enough time to process what was going on. I had already come up with a new rune and this time as they approached, a blue string came from my fingers. I pulled my hands out, and multiple strings shone against the moonlight as they twisted around the shadows. They were smart enough to try to back away, but I had already tangled them. With a twist of my hands, they were cut into a dozen pieces. Like that, the black fragments sunk to the floor.
I lifted my hand, but that’s when the door burst open. I turned to see Ash standing there, slightly out of breath. Our eyes met for a moment.
“It’s bad.” She declared.
That’s when I realized I could hear screaming and shouting throughout the entire mansion. I wasn’t the only one who was being attacked. My eyes snapped open in realization.
“The girls!”
“Break!” Ash lifted her hand and a fireball shot at me.
I leaped to the side, just managing to avoid it. As I went to curse her, I saw one of the shadow men break into pieces. He had been hidden on the other side of the room, waiting for a moment in which I was vulnerable. I was so focused on the first two that I might have completely missed the third had Ash not appeared at that moment.
I looked down at the fragments of shadow to see them coming back together again. This time, I used a spell that was a bane of shadow people. It took a little longer to form in my mind, but a moment later, w white light exploded out from the room. It was blinding and I had to close my eyes. I swore I could hear a muffled scream this time as the three shadow people were burned away.
When the light faded, I opened my eyes to a dark room. Only little flecks of ember floating out the window showed any sign of the invaders.
“Where’s Becky?” I asked.
Of everyone present, only Becky and Ash truly would have been prepared for shadow people. Everyone else would be like sitting ducks.
“She is currently checking from room to room.” Ash declared. “We found a shadow person feasting on a maid. The one bad thing about shadow people is that they’re greedy. If they run into any other human on the way to their target, they’ll stop to feast.”
Another scream sounded out. The previous yells had been more from shock or excitement and didn’t sound desperate. This one was different, it was one I distinctly recognized.
“The kids!”
I ran past Ash in a full sprint, racing down the hallway toward the scream. When I reached the door, I kicked it open. I immediately was granted access to a small room with two beds. On one bed was Raven, who was standing on her bed while holding a pillow tightly. Her eyes were on the other bed, where Lexy was lying down. A shadow person was leaning over her. Her eyes were wide open and she was letting out frantic breaths, but she otherwise appeared frozen in place. The shadow looked like he was about to kiss her lips.
I let out a furious roar. My hand glowed white as I reached out and grabbed him. He recoiled at my touch, pulling back. However, I didn’t let him pull away. Instead, I got my hand on his neck. As I lifted him, he grabbed at his neck frantically, his feet kicking soundlessly. The glowing in my hand was under my control, and I didn’t increase the glow a bit. Instead, I left it just enough that I could hear the sizzling noise.
He struggled for a good minute as his body slowly dissipated. I didn’t know if shadow people could feel pain, but I hoped he felt all of it. Once he finally disappeared, I ran over to Lexy’s side and kneeled. She hadn’t moved from her spot. She was still staring up at nothing. I reached out and touched her forehead. At this point, she jumped, and her hands began flailing as she screamed. I ended up getting clocked by the back of her hand.
I grabbed her hands, and then I leaned forward and kissed her. As soon as our lips touched, I sent energy and mana into her, trying to push out the nightmares and darkness. Her body shivered for a moment, and then she relaxed. I went to pull away, but I realized her hands were around me. Suddenly, a tongue was entering my mouth.
“Mmm! Mmm!”
Next, two legs wrapped around me as I was pulled onto the bed. In the end, I had survived four shadow people only to end up falling for a trap.