The next day and ten o'clock in the morning, in the blue palace that day, someone opened his eyes, saw two people staring above him, the first was a man skinned in red with a yellow cloak, a man with black short hair and hopeful silver fatherly eyes, King Wingard clenched his hands on the hand of his wife who trembled seeing the miracle, a red-haired woman in a green dress shining with green eyes full of joy looked at her daughter and her sudden cure.
Lying in her bed, covered with a silvery quilt with red accents, the red-haired girl in white pajamas began to breathe slowly and normally, and her red petechiae on her throat disappeared within half an hour of administering the antidote made from a single drop of plasma, which was a gift from a man from another world, red-haired Jessica suddenly she sprang up from her reclining position to see everything around her father, mother, and her chamber feeling completely normal, healthy, without fever, delirium, and all the confusion in her head, now Jessica, opening her blue eyes wide, could see happy parents, and they again, without any obstacles, they could hug their beloved daughter who they almost lost and no matter what decision they made today, in their opinion, it was worth everything.
- Daughter, I'm glad you came back to us. Selena said in an almost screaming voice as she and her daughter hugged each other in a tight embrace.
- daughter, my nightmares will end today, I!. cried Wingard as he hugged his daughter and his wife, and their daughter suddenly stepped back looking at her parents, remembering the last moment, the moments with Martin and what followed, but the question in her mind was both about Martin and her sudden recovery .
- wait, where is Martin, is what happened to me today, my healing is thanks to him. Jessica asked and Selena and Wingard looked at each other for a moment in silence, finally Wingard turned to his daughter with important, joyful and dearly bad news, because as it turned out, the price for their daughter's life was very high.
- listen to me, my daughter. Said Wingard, and his serious tone and mixed emotions painted on his slightly wrinkled face and silver eyes made Jessica clutch her mother's hands tightly, looking only at her father, expecting the worst news she never wanted to hear.
- whether Martin or him. Jessica asked before covering her ears because she didn't want to know, but also her red-haired mother with a grimace on her face and some anger shook her head and clenched her hands tightly on her daughter's.
- listen, Martin lives as far as I know, but he didn't save you, but the new king, Gary Williams, a man from another world who gave you the gift of life. Selena said herself having mixed emotions because what she did not want for her daughter, i.e. an ordinary farmhand for her husband, which is Martin, today came true before her eyes and it affected her, Wingard and her daughter, because the gift of life was valued very highly.
- I don't understand what this means, where is Martin. Jessica asked, looking from her father to her mother.
- firstly, Martin hasn't come back yet, and secondly, Gary signed a contract with us to save you, we were forced to abdicate, now Gary Williams has taken over the kingdom and resides in the royal chamber, he also demanded that we leave the blue palace today, and today, as soon as you fully recover. Said Wingard with regret and shame, but that wasn't what shocked his daughter the most.
- wait, so Martin is alive. Jessica said as hope shone in her blue eyes.
- yes, he lives, as we said, and what's worse now we will be his equal, may he be damned the same as Gary, this man is a monster to use our harm to his advantage and our trusted Norton so quickly has now taken his side how can you be so disappointed in people, why!. Selena screamed, but when she felt a strong grip on her hands, she quickly looked her daughter in the eyes and spoke again.
- Jessica, please don't blame yourself, you're not to blame, but he, he, Gary, be damned." Selena said.
- but wait, that means that ordinary man of the province. Jessica said and her father quickly interrupted her by dropping the yellow royal cloak from his back first.
- listen, this man came from another world, that's what he says and his power is a real hegemon, and he would take over the power by force if he had to, we're on his fate, it's better not to fight someone like that, because it's impossible. Said Wingard and Jessica hearing her father's words and seeing her mother's stony face trembled because she had never heard of such a thing before, of someone with indescribable powers, but today it became true.
It was also the moment when Jessica looked at her parents with mixed emotions, on the one hand she knew that Martin was alive, somewhere out there, and surely coming home to her, on the other hand Jessica understood deeply that her parents had lost all power to a human defined as a ruthless tyrant taking what he wanted, if it wasn't for her and her ailments, surely Gary Williams would have taken the power by force and razed the whole city to the ground, but it didn't happen.
- you're still here. Suddenly, the aggressive voice of a man once so trusted spoke
Wingard and Selena took a deep breath as they both looked back at the open doorway where stood their once loyal servant, a brown-eyed red-haired man wearing a green jacket and white trousers, Counselor Norton, a man who had always been secretly looking in the shadows for a way to take over. power over the whole kingdom and now he also felt a deep disgust because he was again forced to serve the Other man, on the other hand his cunning look and mouth showed a certain image of joy because from now on he did not have to listen to the old king and say everything to his face.
- Norton, give us some time, Jessica needs to get dressed, give us a few moments. Wingard asked, and his servant laughed out loud.
- ha ha ha cha, I can give you a few minutes, then get out of the palace, the blue palace is no longer yours, it's a pity that I did not take over, but it's hard to say, now I will be the right hand of a man who will soon reach for the whole world, for his power will break all, and thus this city will be mine, and you, away from me from my future possessions. Said Norton, mocking the old king and queen.
- how is it possible that I was so short-sighted, I raised vipers in my own backyard, how could you. Selena asked furiously walking up to her former servant and slapping him in the face and Norton come look to the right with a big mark on his left cheek he laughed loudly and counter hit Selena and the former queen hit with great force in the stomach spun on the spot and stepped back looking on Norton in complete shock, gasping for breath herself.
Wingard jumped from the bed and sitting daughter when his former servant Norton hit his wife with great force in the stomach and knocked her to the ground, on the red carpet, Wingard at first could not even believe what he saw, how his once servant was now beating his beloved wife, giving her a blow to the face, Wingard jumped to the former servant with clenched hands and suddenly he too fell to the ground, Norton expecting a blow and from this side kicked the former king in the right knee, knocking down his former king next to his wife, and Jessica, seeing the brutality of a once-trusted servant covered herself with a blanket and screamed aloud.
- you have an hour, then get away from my abode, and the abode of the future emperor of the whole world!, we understand each other!. Norton shouted and then, leaving Jessica's chamber, he closed the wooden door with a bang and fury, leaving behind him the royal couple and their crying daughter kneeling by them.
- Mom, Dad, please don't get up too soon, me, why are they so cruel. Said Jessica between tears as she hugged her aching mother, her crumpled green dress and her father who had lost everything he held dear after he had to give up power.
- we're fine, except a big disappointment, how could I be so wrong, damned Norton, what a pig. Selena said gasping for air after a strong blow to the stomach.
- honey, please don't get up fast, aaaaah, my knee. Said Wingard, struggling to get up on both legs, feeling the piercing and stabbing pain in his right knee.
It doesn't change one thing, Wingard, Selena and their daughter Jessica were banished from the blue palace today, when Wingard gave his last insignia he was thrown out of the palace in a brown shirt and trousers like an ordinary peasant without pride and dignity and his soldiers in white-blue cuirasses and silver helmets they could, by order of the new king, push them out of the blue palace, giving them words of regret, because the soldiers themselves were angry with the new king, but no one had the courage to oppose the immortal.
Wingard, walking with his daughter in a blue dress and his wife, looked once more at his former estate, the heavenly fortress, the home of the kings of these lands, now taken over by a man who knows no mercy of understanding.
- We only have one thing left, exile. Wingard said to himself, and Selena, who was walking beside her, squeezed her eyes shut because she had become what she had once despised so much, an ordinary simple peasant girl deprived of all distinctions and honors.
When the former degraded king left his seat from one of the windows, the new ruler watched the whole event, a bald man in a white shirt and black trousers, a man wearing a golden crown from now on, ruling the entire kingdom and his plans reached further and further, only one thing obscured his visions of victory today, the deal he signed with the Man in the Blue Suit, and what he still had to do, and as he emphasized, Gary Williams, despite all his power, was unable to leave Lunkhald until the fifth day and the solar eclipse was the beginning of the great race for power.
Now Gary, as he walked through the great throne room, sat on his new gold crown and dropped his head against his clenched right fist, waiting for his first servant, who called himself the right hand, but he was really only left handed, for the right hand was a black hog called Greed.
While Gary awaited the arrival of his minion, he thought about his plan for a while, on the one hand, he had a chance to win, all he had to do was get Love and destroy her diamond hearts, on the other hand, he knew what chips were because he was looking for them just like Hank and Steve in the world of people from which he came, he knew that three of his opponents, whom no one could move until the day of the start, would do anything to use the power of the chip and thus, it changed everything in this duel, at the same time he was fulfilling part of the signed contract, because Gary himself he swore, only another man from his world could defeat him, but he never stipulated that his rival could not be summoned by a gold token as well, which turned out to be his biggest mistake, so Gary remained in great dismay, his thoughts racing to right and left, and the knowledge that in the race he would only be able to use the X-Men's powers limited his possibilities too much, for this he had to form an alliance today, promise, and give something, and two minds hungry for power and glory were already planning their grand the rewards they will claim today.
- that's for sure, they will demand a lot, and so be it, because I will rule everything anyway, because without me they will never succeed, without me they will continue to play stalking, after all, someone like me will like me a valuable asset, very valuable, just play it right. Gary said as a sly smile appeared on his face and his brown eyes shone all the more as the wooden ornate door of a great chamber with several pillars opened and entered the chamber a hypocritical and crafty man, Counselor Norton, one worth another, men for the same money.
- great that you are my new servant, time is pressing, there is a lot to do, time to prepare for the race. Gary said, and Norton, bowing his head, stopped before his new ruler and his golden throne.
- my lord, everything has been prepared, the king and queen have been banished and as for the implementation of your plan, the couriers who can leave the city because they do not participate in the race are just waiting for your orders, just like my people but you have to hurry, Armon and Duncan, they are far away, so it will be better if I send my couriers to them now. Councilor Norton said, bowing his red-haired head to the new king, trembling slightly because he had once seen the power Gary wields.
- yes, I know, but where, how to look for it, that's the question, I only know about one thing, the desert of mirages, there's a bag of chips looking for it, but what about Love, where to look for it, well where. Gary said as he slammed his right fist against the gold chair.
- I know where to look for her, and most importantly, she lives here in these lands, but far to the south. Said a black hog appearing from the shadows in a new white jacket with heavy gold chains and rings and jewels, Greed walked over to the golden throne and also bowed his head and closed his golden eyes for a moment before the future ruler of all the world.
- I know where to look for Love, I know where she lives, where that vixen spins fools. Said Greed who could only love money never by Love's will, by free will.
- so tell me my friend, tell me now, I know what you mean, nothing is free in the world right. Gary said, placing his left hand on his chin and looking with a hint of glee at the black hog, knowing that Greed looked so much like him.
- you always hit the spot my lord, yes, everyone wants something, the mere vision of fear and haste is enough for me, when you my lord will reach the whole world, the world will tremble before your power and everything will be as much yours as mine. Greed said come his demands were sure but he avoided looking directly into the otherworldly man's brown eyes because those eyes could be dooming to all if Gary wanted it.
- little too much, so be it, agree, I will rule the world as much as you in a different way and you my friend. Gary said, turning to Norton, who only wanted one thing.
- when I reach for the whole world, this city, this kingdom will be yours, you will be my right hand, a steward, a king answerable to the emperor, i.e. me. said Gary, and a wide confident smile appeared on the face of the crafty and duplicitous man, so Norton will again bow his head to his master and praise him to the top of his voice.
- Your Majesty, my Emperor, your generosity is too great, too majestic, may I be worthy of your honors and behold your great glory. Said Norton, and he and Greed and Gary had already begun to share the cake of world domination, though success was still a long way off and it was now clouding the eyes of the otherworldly man.
- Come on, Greed, tell me where Love is. Gary asked, and Greed whipped a small table with a golden whip and placed a map on it with two points, the western dry trough bordered by high vertical cliffs, and what was hidden behind the cliffs themselves was the great desert of mirages, a dead place whipped by the strong sun and conditions because the desert itself is the largest so-called depression in the world, half a kilometer below sea level, where the conditions caused by the depressions make the mirage deserts one of the hottest places in the world, if not the hottest place itself, and this was the first place he said Death, there was a hidden gold chip.
The second point marked on the map was far to the south beyond the gold mine, where the dry bed of the Folin River, deliberately altered by a dam, there was a certain passage at the very foot of the southern mountains, it was here beyond the pass that there was a long marked point where Love lived where there was a large garden of crystals, and Greed had only two options to convey because the plan he designed was focused on Norton's people as well as on a random selection of a man from another world.
- here are two places, the mirage desert in the west and the crystal garden in the south, there is only one way to both places as you can see, the mirage desert can only be reached by sea, ocean, there is no other way, because these high cliffs are a barrier not to beat, if three mortals decide to go there, they will surely have to boat around the border from the cliffs, just prepare yourself there, let Duncan wait for them on the high seas, he'll smash them and all will be over. Greed said.
It must be said that Greed at some point also considered the possibility of using the token himself to summon someone here who will defeat the tyrant, and he will be able to wish whatever he wants, but as it turned out, Greed could not enter the desert itself or the garden of crystals for as it turned out, the Suit Man's power of will extended to him as well, he with his power could not race, whenever he tried to leave the city an invisible barrier stopped him and he lost his divine powers, so Greed could meekly serve his new master, serve as as he wanted it himself, knowing that he would reach for absolute power.
- My man Duncan will take care of that, he'll stop them if it's just the three of them." But tell me Greed how it works, if Duncan finds out about his quest he can go straight to the desert to find the token. Norton asked, putting his hands behind the back of his green jacket, and Greed, the great black hog, shook his head.
- all those who decide to take part in the race will be detained, they will not be able to move forward unless they return to the starting place which is Lunkhald, certainly Dunkan, and his crew will be detained until three seekers get close enough to the competition she was honest. Greed said they already have experience on their own with duel and race rules.
- who came up with these rules. Norton asked furiously.
- I don't know it myself, I don't understand it, but I know that the one who invented it, man, his power exceeds everything, it's hard to believe that such a thing exists, but it seems to me that he plays with all of us like toys in his strange game , sets us on the chessboard as if we were pawns and pieces, and until the end we can only agree to his game. Greed said furious but also terrified because the vision of the Man in the Suit with all his power to destroy everything made the black fur on the hog's back bristle with fear.
- it does not change the fact that we also have a second place to secure, and this place is the far south, if a vixen named Love lives there, we must strike there as well because our enemies will certainly want to evacuate her. Norton said, and his words were met with a violent reaction from the new king, for Gary Williams suddenly and violently rose from the golden throne and swung his right hand blades into his palm, and the Adamantine blades pierced the thick oak with great ease. So much so that even Greed recoiled in shock.
- that's what I'll take care of personally, if I'm going to do something, it's to get this vixen, when I get her and destroy her diamond heart, I'll break everything, then even a token won't help because its power, as the Man in the Suit said, will be dissipated. Gary said, withdrawing his right hand and retracting his blades, then Gary turned his full attention to the standing and slightly flustered black hog.
- Greed, tell me what I need to know about her, about this fox lady, about Love, how to get her, how. Gary Williams asked and Greed, adjusting the gold chains, smiled because he knew that again his ally needed a lot of important information from him.
Greed, pulled the pierced map from the oak pit and struck with his fist, also discharging his own anger and belief in his superiority, but one he could never fight, except that Love was the first among all the currently existing gods, or demigods, such as he, Flying Dutchman and now stripped of his powers and Death's immortality.
- first of all, Love is the first of us but doesn't mean the strongest.
- go to specifics, I know you are stronger because you chose it yourself, but Greed, tell me what I need to know about her, what weapons she wields, who she is exactly, is she a threat to me.
- it's hard to say, because her only weapon is love, she can fall in love with everyone and only those who have never been in love with another person, the ocean, as Flying Dutchman and I used to do with money, this is her only strength that you must beware of, but if you can fight with your eyes closed, even that won't be a problem for you. Greed said and Gary laughed out loud mocking his opponent.
- if she's so pathetic she's not a threat to me, I used to be in love but my parents separated me from her, they considered Margareth unworthy of my heart and sent me to a neighboring state, and that's how it ended, I have no weak points or problems here. Gary said feeling his superiority over Love and its ineffective weapon which was the power of love.
- my lord, if you want to go south there past the gold mines and the dry riverbed of the Folin, alone, even though our opponents will surely send more opponents there, yes I know, you have your powers, the blades themselves are in able to beat anyone but I prefer to be safe. Norton said, placing two safe-conduct on the table and writing the appropriate orders and directions on them.
- what is it, do you have someone else. Gary said.
- oh yes, our friend Norton has a friend here, and not just any, probably the smelliest man in the world, it's Armon, the leader of a band of forty-man thugs, if anyone can stop them, it's them. Greed said, putting his slightly greasy paws in front of him.
- my man, Armon will be waiting for them when the letter reaches him and it will arrive in three days, same as Captain Dunkan, just wait now and then everything will be done as you will, my lord. Said Norton, bowing his head before the new emperor and his grand vision of world empires.
- ha ha ha cha, so I guess I have nothing to be afraid of, they won't surprise me with anything, not today, not tomorrow, so in four days we leave, me and your people, in four days at noon when the moon covers the sun, then everything will start as the Man in the Suit wanted. Gary said, and despite the might of the Man in the Suit, he was the only one who showed no undue fear of the all-can-do unknown, for Gary wanted only one thing and the Man in the Suit could do nothing to him except watch the big game start in four days.
- in four days. Gary said as he sat on his throne, resting his head on his right hand and his mind was already beginning to divide the big cake even though there was still so much ahead of him, so much to do and success was not entirely certain, because according to the power of the Man in the Suit, even destiny and fate, being afraid and succumbing to lies were broken, giving everyone true freedom.
So Gary, staring dully into the expanse of the great vault of the king's chamber, wondered how to reach for the latest success, the plan was simple, his allies, Norton's men, would do their job, stop the fools who would surely be greedy to hinder him, find the chip that Gary had already heard a lot about, to capturing and defeating Love, the fox lady of love, all it took was to be able to locate and destroy her diamond heart.
Gary raised his left hand, clenched his fist and in front of his eyes appeared the soothing image of three blades of Adamant, a perfect weapon, the only one in the world that could defeat any opponent and break the dogma of immortals as it was done with Death, and besides, Gary wielded even greater powers capable of breaking the whole world, there is only one thing left to do, to end the chase forever, to defeat Love and everything will be unchanged because the contract made with the Man in the Suit, also called the gray man, the contract made with him will be fulfilled.
- it's enough that I defeat Love and everything will be consistent, he will end his fun and I will be unmovable. Gary said to himself as Norton left the king's chamber and walked through the great door with the black hog, who was also already cutting the big cake before serving.
In the meantime, on one of the highest mountains overlooking the mirage deserts, the Man in the Blue Suit stood calmly, looking at everything with his usual gray eyes, watching as the board was laid down and the pieces and pieces gathered according to his will and his purpose, reasons, and everything he was guided by was truly unexplored and unknown, and he himself, without emotions, as if they were foreign to him, or redundant, hid his hands behind his back and when he stretched them out, he took the violin in his hands and began to play one of the most beautiful pieces composed by Niccolo Paganini, closing himself his eyes and showing the first of his few smiles, which meant that he could feel too, but even if it was on a completely unknown level, because how you can understand the entire universe, looking at a planet through a black hole, it's almost impossible, if not impossible, but he could and a certain chosen one seemed to emerge on a completely different board from the human world.
L
Norton is a man who was a traitor from the beginning, always wanted power and stuff, now that Gary has arrived everything has started to go in one direction and Selena is in for the big race, well she's still her own, maybe a big change that Gary has forced her into a lot change in her, let her see what a simple life looks like, and most importantly, once again on the horizon appears the one whose power was usually the strongest in this world, i.e. Love.
