MSROYALTY EPISODE 10

Previously on EP 9 John begins the General Election Ceremony with a bang already. With his alter-ego, he conjured up the idea to bring Aldo's head on the platter. Winson, the father of the unfortunate boy, felt despair and regret. Thus this allows John to be even more cunning than before. As he upsets all the kings in the ceremony, John tries to take away Winson's brother, Aldo, from his side. However Tom makes the bold decision to put an end to this. He swears that he will shatter the darkness within his brother's heart; thus it will destroy all his ambition, selfishness, and cruelty.

Ep 10

"I won't change, Tom. Your dreams are nothing but pathetic floating bubbles and you will never reach them," John derided.

"That's what you think," Tom countered. John sneered and snapped his fingers to signal that he was going to depart from the meeting. However Tom gestured his generals to block the exit.

"You're not going anywhere," Tom muttered. John looked back immediately to face his brother.

"What now?" John demanded. John's expression changed from a smile to a frown. He folded his arms as he faced Tom, but Tom smiled.

"I want Aldo," Tom replied.

"WHAT?" John bellowed. Tom grinned again.

"You heard me," Tom answered. All the kings stared with wide eyes, shocked at what they were seeing. Gannon and Thanh were petrified that Tom had the guts to speak that way to his brother. Cris stood in his seat still; he gave a complex gaze at Tom, because he was curious to see what Tom would do next. Blake shifted his eyes from Tom to Winson on account of the fact that Winson was frowning.

"What makes you think that you have the right to take him?" John inquired. Tom couldn't help but burst a laugh now.

"The rules insist that we could choose any general that is in the meeting, right? Therefore I select Aldo as well. Since I never got the right to choose a general myself, I decided to pick out Aldo to be on my side. So give him up to me," Tom ordered. Now John was speechless, but the other kings were not.

"Are you baffled at how Tom used the rules against you?" Gannon teased.

"That's right. You lose. Now suck it up, punk!" Thanh mocked. Nevertheless Winson raised his hand for a silence.

"Enough, it is alright. I will let John keep my brother. It is my fault after all," Winson admitted. Thanh and Gannon gave Winson a glare, but he ignored them. Cris stared at Winson intensely.

"Are you just going to sit here and LET this madman take over your generals? Aldo was all that you have!" Gannon exclaimed.

"Don't just let that bastard have his way!" Thanh yelled. The two kings continued to shout and pout. However it seemed meaningless like their presence was already omitted from Winson's mind.

"John, you can have Winson. I, Winson, King of the Onyx MSDivinity, hereby declare that John will have my brother appointed as his general. You may now take my brother," Winson declared. Cris looked deep within Winson's eyes, searching for a hint of hope or maybe a dim light of the old confident soul. But none of that appeared. Winson's eyes were dull, his body did not move, and his eyes didn't cry.

"There is nothing left but a hopeless soul," Cris muttered in a low voice. A smirk appeared on John's face.

"Well then, let's leave. Farewell kings of each MSDivinity! I hope to see you all soon. Bye, brother," John walked towards the exit but the other generals were still in the way.

"Let him go," Winson ordered. Tom had no other choice but to let John go. Without further hesitation, John left the building along with his generals. Thanh and Gannon continued to glare at Winson.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Thanh advised.

"King Cris, what should we do now?" Gannon inquired.

Cris narrowed his eyes and gave a reluctant answer, "I have my faith in Winson's abilities. He won't let us down."

"Are you sure about that?" Thanh inquired. Cris nodded without a word.

"Very well, I'll put my faith in your words. Let's go," Gannon called. He walked towards the exit along with his remaining generals and left. After seeing Gannon's departure, Thanh grunted and left without hesitation. Blake placed his hand on Tom's shoulder.

"It's alright. Let's go too," Blake said. Tom nodded quietly and they left as well. Now all of the kings have left this extensive dining hall except one; Cris still remained seated. Winson walked over to Cris.

"Why aren't you leaving?" Winson asked. Cris faced Winson with a serious expression.

"We need to have a talk," Cris replied.

"What is there to even talk about?" Winson asked in a low voice.

"Why did you let John have what he wanted?" Cris inquired. Instead of answering Cris' question, Winson stared at the ground. "Dude, it's useless to hide it from me. I know the truth. The truth is that Aldo was never Alex's son; instead he was your son. You were forced by Cassie to lie about the true origins of your son, so that your son could have a better future in a stronger kingdom. However that doesn't mean John can become as arrogant as he wants," Cris waited for Winson's reply for seconds now, hoping to hear a logical explanation.

"Why didn't you oppose me like everyone else? You should've insulted me for my deeds," Winson muttered. Cris looked into Winson's eyes and shook his head.

"Dude, what do you want me to do? It was not your idea. Rebecca told me herself that she's already forgiven you. So what is there to be mad for? Right now, I'd be mad about letting John have his way. His egotistic personality angers me," Cris stated. Winson rubbed the tears from his eyes; he couldn't resist his feelings to sob for his crimes. Cris stood up now and put his hand on Winson's shoulder. "Look, I hope you know what you're doing. I'm gambling this whole round on you. I hope you can get over it," Cris comforted. Cris gestured to his bodyguards and walked over to the exit. Nearing to the exit door, Cris said, "Don't let it stress you," Then he left. Winson watched the doors open and then close slowly. It wasn't until the cerulean barred doors finally closed shut that Winson's hands suddenly balled up into fists. He clenched his fists tightly and his right hand was absorbing some physical energy.

"I…Winson…King of Onyx MSDivinity…hereby…swear that I will not LET YOU SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY EVER AGAIN!" Winson roared. Tears rolled down from his cheeks as he shouted in agony. Tense lines creased on his forehead. His veins seemed to pop out of his knuckles. Finally he raised his right fist and released a stream of energy. In his right hand, physical wind was shaped into a spear. Winson shouted again and slammed his hand violently on the amethyst table; cracks started to appear on the table within seconds. Wind shot out from the crevices on the table. Within a few moments the rushing wind severed the table along the crevice lines; thus the table shattered into countless pieces like an overwhelming fissure had ruptured it. Winson faced up now.

His face was burning with anguish for the desire to destroy that insolent child; he could feel it in his hands as they balled up into fists once again. He licked the tears that were near his lips. He didn't cry anymore, instead he was sweating. He couldn't wait to see John squirm in agony and cry for help. Then a long red-haired figure appeared from amidst the shadows of one of the several pillars. Winson glanced at the figure and recognized who she was.

"So there you are, Cassie. You've been hiding there this whole time, huh?" Winson asked.

"Humph, I see you haven't changed your desires. Both of us have the same passion to take that ignorant brat down," Cassie stated. She looked a bit weary with a mechanical arm to replace the arm that she had lost in the battle with Tom. "But why would you give your own brother to the enemy's hands?" Cassie demanded.

Winson did not answer to this. "You have a plan, don't you?" Cassie inquired.

"I don't," Winson admitted earnestly. Cassie stared at him for a long time.

"No, you do. You have too strong of a resolve to act like a loser. You have a plan," Cassie stated. Then an idea flashed in Cassie's mind. "I get it now. You planned this out, didn't you? You wanted this to happen. You wanted Aldo to go to John's kingdom, because you're trying to implant a spy in John's kingdom to leek information to you about his plans! It all makes sense now!" Cassie exclaimed. Winson nodded in silence. Then he gave Cassie a quick glance.

"Since we despise that lowlife so much, we should join forces to take him down. You should be able to get us even closer to that goal," Winson whispered. Cassie's eyes bulged in horror.

"How am I suppose to defeat him?!" Cassie retorted. Winson had a smirk on his face.

"You don't," Winson replied. He leaned over to Cassie's ear and whispered soft words to her. The skies were grim and dark now. The glistening stars were scattered all over the dark sky and a crescent moon glowed overnight. The trees bristled as the harsh winds blew against it. Three shady figures jolted past the shaking trees in a quick speed. They acted in such haste, because they didn't want to lose time. All three of them wore dark mist robes with black hoods to cover up their appearances.

"Remember, the palace doors are still open. Now is our chance. Amy is watching Tina, so we don't have to worry about that. We must aim at the central area and breech the main entrance doors," the tall one instructed in a soft voice.
"Technically, we're not really sneaking in. Since you're going there invited, but we're not. How are we going to get in?" the other one asked.

"Just follow my lead," the tall one advised. Soon they came close to the open and wide palace doors; two young guards stood waiting there. Then the tall one revealed herself to them; she was quite familiar. Her long blue hair dragged down to her back in sloppy curls. Her neon blue eyes were bright like the two stars that glittered in the night sky. While the two guards speculated her in awe, they couldn't help but drool a little because they saw such a beautiful lady.

"You are a fine specimen," the left guard said. The right guard jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow at once. Blushing, the left guard stood silent. There was an awkward silence before the right guard could continue speaking.

"You must be the new dancer for this kingdom. Come on in. The king would like to see you. We've gathered 10 of the most magnificent dancers. But only three will be chosen to dance for the humble kings. In particular, King John will pick the one that's the most beautiful to dance by his side," the right guard explained. Now the left guard gestured for her to go through the doors. Since the right one wanted her to shake hands with him, he took his hand out. With the speed of a swooping jaguar, the left guard punched the right one in the face. Thus he collapsed on the floor.

"What's your name, miss?" the left one asked and he gestured for a handshake. She shook hands with him and smiled a pleasant smile.

"My name is Candice," she answered softly. The guard started to blush again. "Nice to meet you," she continued. The guard was mesmerized by Candice's smile; her teeth showed a pure white complexion without any dimples. Her face was clear but not pale too and her hair was so elegantly dancing through the wind. He continued shaking her soft hand and the two unseen spectators were laughing behind the bushes. Now was Candice's opportunity. She leaned towards the guard and winked. He bloomed like a scarlet rose. With her red and soft lips, she kissed his cheek and that finished the job. He was knocked out. Feeling accomplished, Candice winked over to the unseen spectators. She danced right into the palace elegantly. The two young teenagers followed.
"Although you are getting quite old auntie, you never lost your charm. Did you?" the young man teased in a husky voice. Candice sneered softly.

"Pft, it isn't charm. That's what your mother has. How I got those two retards to sleep, was called a matter of elegance. Your aunt never lost that quality," Candice replied.

"You're speaking of yourself in 3rd person like you're some dictator, auntie!" the other one squealed. Candice put a finger to her mouth to signal quiet.

"You're going to wake some idiots up. And I don't want that malevolent witch to go striking us in the night," Candice whispered.

"Wait a second. If mother has charm and auntie has elegance, then who has beauty?" the young man asked.

"We both do. Technically even that ugly and mental witch did too. The entire family was beautiful. I was always elegant in almost all my talents and skills. Your other aunt used to be pretty too when she was nice. The ironic part is that she had a nice side. She used to be the leader in our childhood games and she guarded me and your mother like we were her chicks and she was the mother hen. There was another member in our family, but she disappeared for years now. I believe she was our third sister and also the 2nd youngest. She also had beauty. I have a vague memory of what she looked like since I've only seen her since I was about 14. She made the most beautiful things in her childhood like when she was 10, she knitted velvet scarf and she even made the best ruby necklace embedded with sapphire jewels in town! Did I also mention that she was a spectacular chef? She cooked the best fried rice and the sweetest fried chicken ever! That was probably the only masculine part about her! But she disappeared along with our mother. I haven't seen her since the day of my 14th birthday.

Regardless, your mother was the most beautiful out of all of us. She could almost have stolen like 15 husbands when she was only my age. Her nice long and beautiful legs were so enchanting to men but that was only the flavor enhancers to her beauty. Her face was the greatest attraction to men; it was soft and white; it wasn't pale though. Her face used to blush all the time and she was so cute when she did it. It attracted tons of men when they called her beautiful and she blushed. You would see her in her favorite golden silk dress and that light sky-blue scarf wrapped around her neck everyday during the winter. She would wear a nice feather hat to tip her look off too. In the summer, she'd wear a nice skirt and sometimes she'd wear a tank-top that would reveal a LOT of her body. She used to have so much self-confidence that she liked to expose herself at least a little so that she would gain attention. But she had always acted modest.

That's why our oldest sister started to grow resentment and jealousy against her. And that was the one who killed your father. In our young days, Tina had the most attention in our old village. I had the most grace and elegance especially when I danced. The 3rd sister created the most beautiful things but Kayla had nothing more to be admired about her. In truth everyone said that all four of us looked beautiful. But we were all differently unique in our own ways," Candice explained.

"What happened then?" the girl follower asked in a sheepish voice.

"Wasn't Kayla talented?" the young man asked.

"She was only beautiful, but she wasn't as pretty compared to us. All of us had more secret admirers than she did. Everyone always regarded to me, your mother, and our 3rd sister. No one ever paid attention to Kayla. She was just one of those additional pieces that seemed worthless in our family. Maybe that was why she changed. She became hateful and despicable after that day when Tina got her first boyfriend. It was your father, Manny Cho Lai, he was the one that Kayla had a secret crush on when she was young," Candice admitted.

"WHAT?!" the girl demanded. She almost exploded in a bombarding voice, but she held it in successfully so no one could hear it other than the three people now.

"We're almost reaching the palace garden, so be quiet. We can't afford to be heard," the young man warned.

"Emi, Eli's right. Don't do anything rash or I won't be able to reveal Kayla's past," Candice cautioned. The three people were walking silently in the night.

"But, are you serious that Kayla liked our father?" Eli asked. He glanced at Candice's serious expression.

"Yeah," Candice answered.

"But why didn't you tell us before?" Emi inquired. Candice looked away from them.

"I hid this from both of you for your mother's sake. I didn't want you to know of this because it would give a bad impression of her, but I knew that I couldn't hide this from both of you forever. So I decided to reveal this truth when you are both older," Candice admitted. Emi directed a glare at Candice and then looked away.

"What happened then?" Eli asked. Candice sighed.

"Manny Lai Cho was a 15 year old young man when he dated your mother. During that time, your mother was only 12, I was just 14, and Kayla was 15. Kayla usually would run to the nearby village where your father had once lived during childhood. It had a great park with amazing slides and that was where she met your father. When she was only 12, she saw Manny at the park. She thought he was so handsome back then that she would always run to that village's park every weekend to see him. I even eavesdropped whenever she was spying on him, so I knew that she had a crush on him.

One day, Kayla decided to tell me that she had a deep crush on him. She said that she loved his looks, hair, and beautiful black eyes. But what she loved the most was how Manny treated everyone so kindly and equal. He would always care for others in need and although he wasn't rich, he would give out some of his money to the poor. Kayla really admired that aspect of him. She loved him for not just what was on the outside, but also on the inside of his character. I think that was what she loved about your father the most; his personality," Candice remarked. Eli pondered on this idea; he wondered what his father had appeared to be to Kayla's eyes.

"What happened afterwards?" Emi asked. The leaves bristled against the wind and the flowers seemed to dance away with the wind. Candice became silent for some time before she finally took a deep breath and spoke,

"When Kayla was 15 years old, she turned to me for help. She wanted to know how to get Manny's attention. And I replied, 'why not ask him out?' But Kayla was scared that she would end up rejected like one of those sad and unfortunate young girls who were in love. She feared that he would never feel the same way for her as she had felt for him. However I was the one who encouraged her to do it in the end; I even asked to accompany her on the trip there to support her. Little did I know that he had feelings for someone else; he already had spurred feelings for another woman and that was your mother. As I recall it, he went to the same school as your mother had: the Trinity Cross school of archery and strength. Your mother had great grades there, but she had the help of your father to get such great success in that school. They were actually secretive study buddies and they developed feelings for each other without even telling me or Kayla. But without knowing it, Kayla told me that she would plan to confess to him on Christmas. When that day had finally come, it was snowing. I remember it vividly; powders of snow fell slowly and gently on the ground and there were blankets of snow all around the park. On that morning, Kayla dressed up in a nice scarlet gown like she was going to a wedding. Pulling me along, she went to that park to confess to him.

When we stepped upon the snowy fields of the park, we saw them. We saw your mother, in her cozy yellow sweater and her velvet blue scarf, holding hands with your father and then they embraced each other in a warm and nice hug. Your aunt, Kayla, hid behind a tree at once. She couldn't bear to face Manny now. When she saw how happy he was while he hugged your mother, her hands balled up into tight fists. Then your mother and father kissed each other passionately on the lips. I believe that was your mother's very first kiss and I could tell that they were both infatuated to each other. Your father said that he loved your mother for not just her cuteness and beauty, but he also loved her kindness. She was affectionate towards others just as she was to him. 'You have been with me through my toughest times,' he said to her. Then he penetrated her mouth with his tongue and their tongues curled around; it was like their tongues were dancing in sync. They loved each other so passionately, but Kayla saw something different in her eyes. She ended up facing the fact of being heartbroken. The man whom she had loved did not love her, but loved her youngest sister instead. Being exposed to this, would eventually change her perspectives, morals, goals, and motives forever. And I knew it. Tears of anguish dripped down her cheeks. She gasped for breathe as she sniffed in silence for a while and her fists remained tight as steel for a long time. I asked Kayla to return home with me after Tina and Manny had left in the other direction towards his home. But Kayla resisted. 'I won't return home until Manny admits to me that he loves me!' Kayla yelled. Trying to stay strong, she wiped her tears again and again. But they just kept dripping from her face and as each one dropped, another one would start to appear one after another in her eyes.

I tried to comfort her, but she wouldn't listen. Instead she reacted harshly to my words. 'What the hell does Tina have that I don't? What does Manny even see in her?!' I was speechless to those words, because I didn't know the true answer at that time. "Is it her beautiful features that attract men like him? Is this her magnetic force of attraction? What does he even see in her besides her beautiful complexion, nice and blonde silky hair, long and clean legs, and her cute face?!" Kayla rebuked.

And I told her, 'No, he might notice what she has in the inside: her kind heart.'

'Do I NOT have a kind heart like hers?! I'm nice and pretty too, aren't I?!' Kayla retorted. "HE DOESN'T NOTICE THE FEATURES OF ONE'S PERSONALITY! ALL HE CARES ABOUT ARE LOOKS! Are you kidding me?! He's just like all the other men out there that are only seeking for the attractive and beautiful young girls. But do they notice girls like me? NO!" Kayla yelled. With that, she continued to mindlessly rant and rage. She pounded the snow heavily with her bare fists. She thought that she could do anything right now. She even shoved snow into her mouth and swallowed it. She got to the point where I didn't even know what I could do to save her from her despair. I didn't know how to pull her out… So I stood there silent. And Kayla continued, "You see how villagers always complimented Tina? This is one of the many reasons that they do that, because she only steals men with her charming beauty. Her features have the potential of fooling men like him. They all think she's beautiful and talented, but she's actually the real snake in the grass. And I'm the one who TRULY loves him!" I shook my head and stared down at the snow for a long time now. Then I realized the main idea of 'love'.

"Love is something that comes down by fate. We're each destined to be with another person only by fate. It is fate that decides everything. Maybe they are the true couple. If you really love a person, you should be happy for him regardless of the person whom he is with. If you really love Manny, you should just let him go. Be happy for him!" I shouted. Despite my argument, Kayla was oblivious to it. She was completely ignorant. Blinded by her pursuit in love and ambition, she continued to yell recklessly. She barked,

"I'M THE ONE THAT HE SHOULD LOVE, NOT TINA! HE SHOULD ADMIRE ME! LOVE SHOULD BE SEIZED BY MY OWN HANDS SINCE HE WON'T TAKE NOTICE OF ME! I WILL FORCE HIM TO! HE SHALL KNOW MY FEELINGS! I WILL CONFRONT THEM NOW!" Afterwards she trotted away with heavy footsteps towards the direction that Tina and Manny had headed. She knew Manny's address, so it was easy for her to confront him. I just shook my head as she trotted away. It was hopeless to bring her back. I thought it would just be better to let her know the hard way. And I waited for her return until she finally did at like 5 am in the morning. When I tried to ask her about how it went. She ignored me and trotted upstairs. That was when she started to change. Everything went downhill from there." Both Eli and Emi stared at her in shock.

"So that is the story of Auntie Kayla," Emi responded. Eli faced his sister and stared at her for a moment.

"Does this mean our mother is the bad person?" Eli asked.

"No, she was too kind and scared. From that day forward, Kayla constantly barked at her. And she would never do anything to stand up for herself. She just endured Kayla's harsh insults. As time progressed, Kayla started to attack Tina not just verbally but physically. She gave Tina physical pain by whipping her when I wasn't there with them. When I found out that she whipped her own youngest sister, I snapped at her. Finally the next day, she left us. But regardless, I thought my sister was finally safe from that devil," Candice answered.

Suddenly there were footsteps. A person was approaching near them.

"Who's that?" Emi whispered. Eli signaled Emi with his hand. Candice quickly got to the front of them.

"Hide behind the palace tree now," Candice warned. Eli and Emi swiftly hid behind the only tree in the garden which was on the far right of the garden. Suddenly there was a voice of a young girl that echoed throughout the garden.

The female voice chanted magical words in a foreign language, "Hi-ya!"

A light, but visible arrow instantly shot through the entrance. It was aiming directly at Candice; she dodged it instantly. But now the arrow was heading towards the tree which Eli and Emi were hiding behind. Candice saw the arrow's new target and she directed her hands out to the arrow's direction. She chanted quickly,

"Sunpou sanryoukyou (Dimension Prism)"

As the arrow headed towards the tree, it stopped. The arrow was trapped in a cerulean prism. Then Candice closed her two open palms and the prism dispersed into dazzling sparkles of cerulean lights. The garden was illuminated with brilliant sparkles that resembled snowflakes; it seemed like almost winter. The two hidden young adults stared at the magnificent sight.

"Wow! Auntie Candice sure knows how to brighten a cold winter night!" Emi whispered with glee.

"Ironically, it is almost a winter night. But Candice sure knows how to brighten up the stage," Eli whispered back.

The black robes disappeared from her body. She now had a light blue dress with sapphire gems on it. With it, she wore a sapphire necklace. One by one the light sparkles fell on her dress; they were like snowflakes. These little flakes were drawn into the sapphires on her dress. Then a figure appeared from the entrance of the garden. It was a young woman with the same hair color as Candice. She also wore a vivid blue sapphire necklace. But she didn't wear a dress; she had brilliant shiny robes that were probably made of magic. It seemed to emanate a visible bright glow. This woman clapped as she entered the garden.

"So, you must be the dancer. You made quite a fine show," the young woman teased. She walked towards Candice and examined her.

"You have the same teal eyes as me… And the same necklace… Who are you?" Candice asked.

"I'm the one of the Original MSDivinity's generals. The name is Helen. And I'm here to welcome new dancers into the kingdom," Helen smiled. Candice gave her an awkward gaze; she gestured for a handshake with this new person. Helen shook her head and grinned. She raised her index finger and waved it around.

"I don't accept handshakes from a newbie like you. You may be talented, but you're still new. And newbies need to accept official training in order to earn my respect," Helen grinned.

"Wha..?" Candice asked. Helen laughed gleefully. She kept laughing to herself; Candice stared at her like she was insane. After a long moment, Helen was not laughing. She was serious.

"I'm going to see how skillful you are and enroll you to training," Helen said.

"Training?" Candice inquired.

"Yup, don't worry. It's going to be fun," Helen replied. She had a big white smile on her face, but it was a smile that Candice didn't like. Behind the palace tree, there were whispers.

"This woman is so nice," Emi whispered. Eli looked at Emi like she was insane.

"This woman is more of a devil in disguise to me," Eli responded.

"Why?" Emi asked in a soft voice.

"Because this woman is going to be the biggest pain in the ass," Eli answered.

"How do you know?" Emi inquired.

"You can tell in that smile of hers," Eli reacted.

"What does it tell you? It tells me nothing," Emi admitted.

"It doesn't just tell you. It shows you that something's wrong with her," Eli replied. Emi started to observe Helen's smile for a while. As she stared at Helen, she thought that she saw a devilish witch standing before her aunt.

"Uhhhh, why is she smiling so long?" Emi asked.

"Exactly, my point is proven. She's going to give our aunt the most difficult time of her life. And she's going to be happy as she watches our aunt suffer. That very smile proves my point," Eli continued. Emi stared at Helen for a while.

"You're right brother. That smile really does scare me," Emi whispered. Helen continued to give that very same smile to Candice. Unfortunately that smile was Helen's intention of welcoming Candice. Ironically, the smile didn't welcome her; it terrified her. It was like a devil was staring at Candice with the intention to see her suffer. That very smile did just that.