Chapter 5

Ubaba laughed as she made her way down to the dungeon once again, a new plan hatching in her wicked mind... Haku would play an important part in her plans, for she intended to instill fear and dread in the pathetic humans once more... The first year Sen had left the spirit world, Ubaba had hatched a devious plan to abduct young humans and force them to work for her... It was easy enough, young girls eager to get away from overbearing parents or young boys wanting to have fun and be children forever...

It only took a few sweet lies and they were easily led into the spirit world, all signed legally binding contracts and all belonged to her... Humans were indeed such weak creatures, easily terrified and even easier to manipulate and control... Everyone of the young men and women she'd trapped in the spirit world, all had one thing in common... They begged for Ubaba not to kill thier families... She had a sister, true, but she couldn't care less about her twin... They were as different as night and day, Ubaba, took after their father, Kale, loving the power and darkness that came with her black magic... Zeneba, took after thier mother, Callista, and embraced the warmth and lovingly inviting power of goodness that came with her white magic... Zeneba was always in the way, just like thier mother had been when they were younger...

Ubaba snorted in disgust at their mother and all of her foolish attempts to recruit thier father into using white magic... It had been discovered by their father that forty five years ago in human years, that zaneba had ventured into the human world and ended up falling in love with a mortal man... They'd often meet in secret where the dark forest met the edge of the town he lived in... It didn't take long for Zaneba to realize that she had fallen pregnant with a mortals child and their father, Kale, was furious when he found out... Outraged and disgusted, Kale had ordered his dark spirits to go out and suck the souls from every human man they could find until they found the right one... Then thier father did the unforgivable... He told Zaneba that he would allow her to carry the child to term, but once it was born, she had to take it out and leave it to die...

Zaneba warned her human lover about the danger he was in, and what her father told her she had to do to thier child when it was born, her lover was enraged at her father's cruelty, and told Zaneba that he would go into an underground house that he had built beneath his home, there he would wait until Zeneba had the child... He gave her the directions but she had adamantly refused, saying that she feared for his safety and with her being forbidden to keep the child once it was born, he had to make sure and stay alive for the child's sake... Nine months later, Zeneba gave birth to a beautiful, healthy, perfect baby girl... She had light brown hair, like her father, but she had Zeneba's dark onyx eyes... Zeneba was instantly in love with her new little daughter, but her heart was full of sorrow, for she would never be able to know her daughter... With her eyes full of tears, still bleeding from the birthing, Zeneba weakly stood with her daughter in her arms and told her father that she was ready to do what she had to... It enraged her when her father laughed at her sorrow, and she prayed to every god under the stars that some day, he would get from fate had in store for him for all the cruelty and suffering he caused over the years...

Zeneba left her baby at the edge of the forest, where the toe town was clearly in veiw and laid her down on a soft patch of grass... Kale smirked at her before turning his back on her and heading back to the spirit world, with Zeneba not too far behind him... Later on, around midnight, Zeneba's lover found thier daughter well hidden in a bundle in the tall soft grass... His heart full of love for his little baby, Zeneba's lover cradled thier daughter for the precious gift that she was and took her home, where he planned to give her all the love and attention he possibly could... He was happy that the child had his sandy light brown hair, but when he looked into their child's eyes, his own became full of tears... He would forever see his beloved Zeneba each time he gazed at his daughter, and he was so grateful to the gods for blessing him with such a little miracle... His heart made lighter, he took her home and raised her the best that he could without her mother by his side...

Ubaba thought about her own baby, Boe... She had conceived him with a warlock that she had fallen in love with, but to her dispair, Boe's father turned out to be human as well, and when Kale found out, he forced Ubaba to watch as Kale captured him and called forth his demon shadow spirits... Ubaba screamed in horror as they ripped her lover apart...

Ubaba choked up at the images her memory had called forth, the terrible look of betrayal in her lovers eyes as he died an agonizing death... The last image that came to her mind, was her father ripping out her lovers heart and devouring right in front of her eyes... Their mother had left after that, taking Zeneba away and had begged Ubaba to follow as well, but Ubaba refused, despite their father's cruelty, she wanted to learn from him... Her mother dispaired, but respected her wishes and she never saw either one of them again...

Ubaba took several deep breaths to collect herself, before putting on a cold smirk and went in to the chamber where Haku had been imprisoned in his dragon form...

" Haku..." Ubaba hissed, " Do you wish to return to your human form so you can speak again?"

Haku growled in response and Ubaba cackled.

" I'll take that as a yes..." Ubaba laughed, " I have a job for you... My supply of workers is running out again, for some reason, the new girls keep disappearing... I need you to fetch more workers for me..."

Haku growled low, bowing his head in submission... Ubaba snapped her fingers and the chains that bound him instantly fell away, freeing him once more... Haku instantly sighed in relief as the weight from the chains fell away and stretched languidly, gloriously enjoying his freedom after such a long confinement, before reverting back to his human form that he missed for so long... But before he realized what was about to happen, Ubaba snapped her fingers once again, and a golden collar appeared around his neck,to which he growled darkly...

" Consider it a precaution..." Ubaba laughed, " Wouldn't want you to try and help my new girls escape again, would we?"

With that, Ubaba laughed once again, leaving Haku alone in silence...