Me : *I speak* I didn't kill Alcina.. They will be in the castle
Zak's voice sounded hoarse yet still heavy and authoritative, breaking the awkward silence of the altar. In the midst of his hunting breath, he looked up, looking directly into Miranda's cold golden eyes.
"I didn't kill Alcina..." Zak whispered, his jaw muscles hardening as he held the weight of the roots that wrapped around him. "They... they remain in the castle."
Mother Miranda was stunned for a moment. He pulled his hand away from Zak's face, his black wings shaking gently in the confusion he rarely felt. "What do you say? I felt Karl's energy go out in the factory... "What about Alcina?"
Miranda closed her eyes, trying to communicate with the Megamycete who connected all the villagers. Suddenly, his expression changed from calm to pure anger. He realized that Zak didn't destroy them completely—he only conquered them with his incredible physical strength until they were helpless in their own territory.
"You let them live?!" shouted Miranda, her voice thundering to the point of cracking the stone altar around them. "You're ruining the order I've built for a century! If they are still breathing, then this ritual is contaminated by your disgusting mercy!"
The black roots on the floor began to creep wildly, suffocating Zak's athletic body even stronger as punishment for this defiance. Miranda raised her hands to the sky, preparing to summon the full force of the entire village to destroy Zak.
Last Chance: Castle Rebellion
However, in the distance, there was the sound of a large bell banging from the direction of Dimitrescu Castle. A red light struck in the mountain sky. It was as if Zak's words had come true—the power in the village was shifting as the rulers "defeated" by Zak were now beginning to move against Miranda's will.
Zak felt the snares in his body loosen slightly because Miranda's concentration was divided.
Me : *I whisper* *Karl, Donna, Moreau. I've already beaten it. Except for alcina*
Zak's heavy and cold whisper was like poison that crept into Mother Miranda's ears. Amidst the grip of Megamycete's roots, Zak's sweaty handsome face still shows the calmness of a conqueror.
"Karl... Donna... Moreau... I've already beaten it," whispered Zak with his remaining energy. "Except for Alcina."
Hearing those names, Mother Miranda jerked back. Its black wings trembled violently. He could feel the connections of Karl Heisenberg's consciousness shattered in the factory, Donna who was slumped in her own illusions, and Moreau who was drowning in his failure. However, the name Alcina is called in a different tone.
"Alcina..." Miranda growled, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why did you leave it? What are you doing in that castle, Zak?!"
Suddenly, the air in the Ritual Altar cooled drastically. A thick fog began to creep in from the direction of the path leading to the castle. Out of the darkness came a familiar sound of laughter—a laugh that was both contemptuous and bloodthirsty.
"He did what you couldn't do, Miranda," Lady Dimitrescu's baritone voice echoed from behind the fog.
The giant figure in white appeared, but his appearance was different. The wounds from Zak's slamming on his body were still visible, but he no longer attacked Zak. Behind him, his three daughters—Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela—flew in the form of flies, circling the altar with a hiss that threatened Miranda.
Alcina looked at Zak who was still exposed, then turned to Miranda with a look full of betrayal.
"This man... Zak... he has shown who the true ruler is with his pure physical strength. He didn't kill me because he knows I'm much more useful than an old 'mother' ruler like you."
Peak Situation: Rebellion
An angry Miranda raised her hand, summoning a wave of black roots to attack Alcina and Zak at once. "How dare you betray me! You all are just failed experiments!"
Zak felt the snares in his body weakening as Miranda now had to divide her power to fight Lady Dimitrescu.
Me : *I speak* I give up, please stop Alcina.
The atmosphere at the altar, which had been full of tension, suddenly fell silent. Zak's heavy but tired voice whispered words that no one expected: "I give up, please stop Alcina."
Lady Dimitrescu's gigantic footsteps came to a halt right at the edge of the altar. The claws of her long sword clinked as she pulled them back. She lowered her head, staring at Zak's athletic body lying among the black roots, his handsome face looking resigned under the dim light of the mountains.
"Giving up?" Alcina muttered, her voice trembling between disbelief and strange admiration. "The man who slammed me twice... the man who destroyed Karl... Now begging me?"
Mother Miranda laughed sarcastically, her black wings flapping low. "Look, Alcina! Your toy is just a weak human in the end. He is destroyed under the weight of my power."
However, Alcina does not listen to Miranda. He stepped forward, ignoring the attack of the Megamycete roots that were trying to block him. With his strength, he tore the shackles that bound Zak's body, then lifted Zak's firm body with his large hands but this time it felt more careful.
"Enough, Miranda," Alcina said in a cold, deadly tone. "He didn't give up on you. He gave up on me. And that means, he's under my protection now."
The Peak of Betrayal
An enraged Miranda saw her beloved "child" defending the humans who had ruined her plans. "You will die with him, Alcina!" Miranda transformed into a monstrous mass of darkness, preparing to sweep the entire altar.
Zak, despite being very weak in Lady Dimitrescu's arms, felt the warm sensation of the healing liquid that Bela dripped onto her lips. His athletic strength began to slowly return, but the situation has now changed completely.
Me : *I said* Go Alcina, let me alone *I gave up and bowed down in front of Miranda*
The atmosphere at the altar suddenly froze. Lady Dimitrescu gaped, the claws of her long sword trembling in the air. She gazed at the athletic body of Zak, who was now kneeling low before Mother Miranda—the man who had once been so mighty as to slam the ruler of the castle, now bowed his head in suffocating resignation.
"Pocket... what are you doing?!" shouted Alcina, her voice hoarse between anger and inexplicable wounds. "I'm coming for you! Don't let this old lady win!"
However, Zak remained in his position. "Go Alcina, let me alone," she whispered in a very calm but deep tone, letting her sturdy body be the last shield so that the Lady and her daughters could get away from Miranda's wrath.
Mother Miranda laughed out loud, her laughter shrieking high into the dark night sky. Its black wings flapped wide, creating a whirlwind that blew white flower petals around them.
"Look at that, Alcina! A vain loyalty!" Miranda floated down, landing right in front of Zak. She placed her cold hand on top of Zak's bowed head, as if she was blessing the most precious victim. "He knows who the god of this village is. He chose to be mine in its entirety."
Alcina gritted her teeth until they bled. She looked at her hesitant daughters in the air. With a heavy heart and a last look full of pain towards Zak's back, she gestured.
"Let's go... if that's what she wants," Alcina whispered bitterly. In an instant, a thick fog enveloped them, and the gigantic figure disappeared back into the darkness of the castle's direction.
Under Miranda's rule
Now, there are only Zak and Miranda in the middle of the silent altar. The roots of Megamycete began to creep up into Zak's body, no longer to torture, but to fuse with his powerful muscles.
"You've made a wise choice, Zak," Miranda said in a soft, deadly voice. "Since you surrendered yourself willingly, you won't be an ordinary monster. You'll be the Dark Prince by my side. We'll start this ritual now."
Zak felt dark forces begin to seep into his veins. He felt very weak, but at the same time, an ancient power began to rise from within him.