Mysterious Voice: Do not, for one single moment, think that this would be a happy chapter.
Mikamiko (Storyteller): WHAT do you care what we think or do not think! That old hag is up to her old tricks again! Can't you let the readers' mind rest for a single second?
The Creator: Yeah, yeah, always lets us be the bad guys! How cunning! Maybe we should plot an uprising!
Mikamiko: Hey! That's exactly what I am thinking about! I have never realised what an intelligent girl you were, my dear Creator!
The Creator: Well, as they say, great minds think alike!
Mysterious Voice: You brats! Can't you let me finish a paragraph without interrupting? One minute you're at loggerheads with each other, the next you're conniving to usurp my throne? Dream forever! Now, be gone! *waves its hand*
Mikamiko and The Creator in unison: Hey, what are you doing to us? Why are our bodies disappearing with each passing second! We protest! We demand freedom of speech and action! We cannot condone this...this despotism that you are practising! Wait, wait... Ahhhhhhhhhhhh *voices disappear into oblivion*
Mysterious Voice: Hmmmph! What a racket those two make! Worse than a coop full of hens! At least now I can continue in peace...
As I was saying, those Yisheigai Fools are still engaged in their Operation: World Domination, which has come to a standstill due to some incompetent dumbass unable to come up with a credible idea how to go about it...
Author: Hey, that hurts, okay! Watch your mouth!
Mysterious Voice: You're not supposed to be here anyway. Neither am I. Let's not obstruct the story anymore.
Author: Yeah, to think I just created a substantial paragraph full of nonsense. But let this be a warning to you that this will not be a short chapter, so you'd better make sure that your seat is a comfortable one......
Mysterious Voice: Yeah, yeah, whatever......
She let out a silent gasp, but quickly covered her mouth, in fear of being discovered by the two lovebirds she had been eavesdropping and peeping on. Why was she here anyway? For what purpose did she drag her seriously injured physical and mental body out to this place, to be inflicted pain yet again? Maybe she had grown addicted to pain, but this was too much! She would grow insane any minute now, if this continues!
Maybe that's just what I want, so that I would not be able to feel the pain so acutely. She thought ruefully.
She had seen this coming. In fact, she had even experienced it already in the old world, when her brother had chosen some ordinary mortal girl over herself. She still did not understand what went wrong; not till this day. She did not understand how she could lose to that Claudine in any way? What kind of spell had she cast on Mariteus, to be able to make him so blind and smitten with her? But that's just the nature of true love; you never could make any sense out of it. Heck, if she could, she wouldn't have fallen for that trap time and time again!
"Mika, why don't you go inside and take a rest first? We have much to do and plan for tomorrow. You might not be up to it if you lack rest!" Mariteus's masculine voice could be heard clearly even from her position up on the rooftop.
"Alright, Ming, but you need your rest too!"
"I'll be with you in a moment, but don't wait up! I just need to clean up the mess here." Mariteus gestured at the bottles of essential oils lying around.
"Okay then...but come quick. The night is cold and empty without you." Mikamiko said reluctantly, with just a bit of embarrassment, for even she could not stand how mushy she sounded.
After he had made sure that Mikamiko was safely out of hearing distance, Mariteus glanced towards the rooftop. He had been aware of someone's presence there. For how long, he did not know but nevertheless, he knew of it.
"You can come down now, E...whoever you are up there!" He hesitated calling out Eva's name. He did not know what name to call her, after that talk he had with her previously. In fact, he did not know where their relationship stands now – closest siblings or archenemies? Indeed, he was quite wary of her, for it was not known what her purpose here was for.
However, all the wariness disappeared the second Eva appeared, crashing down from the roof onto the hard balcony floor. It seemed that she had used up the last of her energy staying up on the roof. She was in a very bad state, to say the least.
There were whip wounds all over her body, some oozing fresh blood, all of them cutting deep into her flesh. Her once powerful aura was now ebbing away slowly, the colour a dullish grey instead of the usual chilli-hot red. Her every breath seemed like a tremendous effort that shook and shuddered her body.
"Eva!!! What happened to you! Who did this? Was it Arian? That bastard! I knew that he wouldn't let you off lightly, and warned you gravely about it, but you just never listened to me!"
"Kor-Kor, please do not lecture me at a time like this! I knew that you have always tried to stop me from hurting myself, but this time, it was my own decision. I would still have made this decision if given the chance to choose again! Even if it means that I have to be tortured by him..." Eva coughed violently, for speaking these words took too much effort for her to bear.
"My poor...poor Mui-Mui! Don't speak if it hurts you too much!" Mariteus stroked his sister's hair softly, letting her lie in his lap.
"...or even if I have to let him snatch away my most precious..." Eva looked up at Mariteus with such a pained expression that he felt an inexplicable weight in his chest.
"That BASTARD!" Mariteus roared, wanting get up and make Arian pay for what he had done.
"Pl...please do not go anywhere, Kor-Kor! Stay by my side, or else... I do not know I much longer I can hold on..."
"Nonsense, Mui-Mui! You mustn't think like that! After all, didn't you die once already, and now given another chance to live? You shouldn't waste this life, not again!"
"I know, Kor-Kor, and I'm doing my utmost to prevent that from happening, or Skylar will turn in her grave and curse me and my descendants to the inner-depths of the Underworld! All for wasting her efforts in giving up her life for me! But...bu..."
"No buts, Mui-Mui! I disallow it! I do not permit you to die on me again!"
"I promise you, Kor-Kor, but only if you do one thing for me..."
"Anything, anything that you ask of me, Mui-Mui. But just don't ask me to kill you, like the last time..."
"Really?"
"Really." Mariteus nodded his head vigorously.
"Promise?"
"I promise! What is it?"
The Creator: Hey, don't you think that there's a curious sensation of déjà vu here? If I recall correctly, this kind of thing happened some chapters ago, can't remember which. You know, when Eva was dying? Don't tell me she'll die again? Man that would be real boring.
Mikamiko (Storyteller): Yeah, can't you think of something better, Mysterious?
O’ Mysterious Voice: Shut up, the two of you! I have my ways...
The Creator: Yeah, right, we sooooo totally believe you! Don't we, Mikamiko?
Mikamiko: Yeaaah, we sure do *snicker* we sure do... By the way, don't you think that Eva's getting a little too comfortable on Mariteus's lap? Wait till Mika sees it, and then he'll have a whole lot of explaining to do, hyuck hyuck!
The Creator: Now that you mentioned it... I have a bad feeling about this.
Mysterious Voice: *grins evilly in the background*
Author: *bonks all three of them on the head*: STOP INTERRUPTING ME WHEN I AM WRITING THE STORY, YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING MORONS!!!
Eva held up a feeble hand to touch her brother's face. It seemed so long she had touched her brother so tenderly. And it might very well be the last time.
"What is it, Eva?" Mariteus asked again. He was prepared for anything. Well, almost anything.
"Help me wash away the cruel marks that Arian etched on me, with your gentle touch. I only ask that of you..."
"Huuh...What? Are you serious, Eva? You know I can't do that! I can never cheat on Mika! Ask me to do anything, but that!" Mariteus had a slight inkling that this might be coming, but it still shocked him.
"Please, Kor, just for once? She won't know if both of us don't tell. Treat it as my last request to you? Remember your promise?"
"Well, but..." Mariteus was sweating profusely, for he could not refuse the imploring look in her eyes.
"Alright then, I won't force you. I can now die...in...peace..." Eva closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Hey, wait, wait...alright. A promise is a promise. But only this one time, you hear?" He turned his head away for a moment. "If only to keep you alive..."
That, perhaps, might be one of the biggest mistakes in Mariteus's life.
The Creator: *looks at Mysterious in a disgusted expression* Was that what you meant by "I have my ways..."? I look down on you, Mysterious, I seriously do!
Mikamiko: Yeah, you had to resort to selling sex for the progression of your story! Despicable! I guess your "talent well" has run dry. As if you had any in the first place!
Mysterious Voice: Damn you morons! I have not, for a single paragraph of this story, mentioned sex! I leave it all to the readers' imagination! I bet you can't comprehend it, you with the pea-sized brains!
The Creator: Well, you just did! HAHA!
Mikamiko: Yeah, hahahhahaahahah! Oh man, my stomach hurts!
Author: I CAN TOLERATE THIS NO LONGER! HOW MANY TIMES MUST YOU CUT INTO MY STORY BEFORE YOU ARE SATISFIED? OH LORD, BLESSED IS THE DAY I BE SAVED FROM THESE IDIOTS!!
Mariteus lay on the cold, hard floor, spent after fulfilling his promise to Eva. He could still feel himself hurting inside, for he had never thought of doing this in his wildest dreams.
Yisheigai forbid that Mika find out about this, or I could just die! I can imagine now how hurt she would feel if... he thought distractedly.
Of course Mikamiko would find out. That is the way of nature. At least, in the Creator’s world.
There she was, standing at the entrance of the balcony from the living room and finding the two of them in a... 'compromising' position. She stared and stared, disbelievingly. How can this man who had just promised and given her much happiness an hour ago cause so much grieve to her now? She turned her accusing glance from Mariteus to Eva, then back to Mariteus again.
"Mika... I can explain this!" Mariteus tried feebly to explain why he was in such a state. However, as we all know, these would all fall on deaf ears.
"Put on your clothes first before you explain anything, MARITEUS!" Saying which, Mikamiko ran away before any of them could react.
"Well then, don't be too hard on yourself." Eva stood up and patted him on the shoulder.
Mariteus turned to her in astonishment.
"I thought you were just dying a minute ago! How did you..."
"Hahaha, you are foolish, brother! How can an Yisheigai goddess die so easily, just from a few lashes of the whip? You are so gullible sometimes!"
"You...you tricked me! All this stuff about Arian hurting you, you cooked it all up!"
"And you fell for it hook, line and sinker! Wahahahah!"
"I hate you! You're not Eva! You're not her anymore!" Mariteus gritted his teeth, unable to contain his rapidly rising anger.
"I told you that the last time, didn't I? The EVA that you know is already dead, DEAD I TELL YOU! WAHAHAHAHAH!!"
And she floated into the sky, leaving behind her empty laughter echoing around the balcony.
Mariteus fell to his knees, hating what a cruel hand The Creator dealt to him, hating the evil she-devil that was now in place of his sister, and hating, most of all himself, for falling into her trap.
"Muahahahah! Very well done, I must say, Eva! My impression of you is totally changed now! With Mariteus's seed in your belly, we shall no longer need that useless Sea God for our Operation: World Domination! WAHAHAHAHAH!! Speak! What do you want as a reward?" Arian's characteristic egoistical laughter kept ringing persistently in her ears.
Oooh, I hate his laughter so much that if I could just cut off his tongue, I would die with no regrets! Eva thought and glared daggers at him from the corner of her eye.
"I just wish that you never touch me again, ever!" She spat vehemently in his face!
"Why you..." Arian gripped her wrists with such brutal strength that her face was twisted out of shape in pain. She had not recovered from the wounds he had inflicted on her earlier on, thus was ill-disposed to receive such treatment from him.
"Arian, I forbid you to lay your hands on her! She is very precious to us now. We cannot afford anything untoward to happen now, could we? Why, you had almost tried to kill her a few hours ago. Just think of the wonderful effects it would have on our plans if you had succeeded!" Ulaine showed up just in time to stop his violent act.
Arian released her unwillingly and slunk away to another corner to sulk.
Her tolerance dangerously close to reaching its limits, Ulaine ignored his obnoxious behaviour and turned to smile benevolently at Eva.
"Eva, you have done well. Now you must rest. For this has been a long day for you."
You have no idea how long, Mother...... Eva thought. Despite this, she nodded obediently at her mother's suggestion and placed a hand on her heart in an attempt to placate its painful throbbing......
Mikamiko (Storyteller): But...but why didn't Eva tell Mariteus that all that she had suffered was real? That she was really dying?
The Creator: No idea, leh. Mysterious, do you know why?
Mysterious Voice: That is for me to know and for you to find out! WAHAHAHAHA!
The Creator: Weird Old Man.
Mikamiko: Yeah. Let's get away from him, or people might think we're as weird... *both moved to a very far distance away from Mysterious*
Mysterious Voice: I AM NOT A MAN!
Mikamiko: Does that mean that you are weird and old then? Must be it!
The Creator: Mikamiko! Sometimes, you are so clever and perceptive that it is all I can do to stop myself from hugging you!
Mikamiko: *blushes* Awwwww, you don't say!
Just as Mysterious was about to retort, someone who had been seething with anger in a quiet corner shouts out:
Author: YOU THREE WILL NEVER LEARN, WILL YOU? I BETTER CONSULT MY SPELLBOOK TO MAKE YOU DISAPPEAR!
Arf: In all my xx years of existence, I have never seen a more narcisstic girl!
No, it doesn't just stop here......
The Introduction
Chapter 1 - The Beginning
Chapter 2 - The Awakening
Chapter 3 - Claudine = Mikamiko?!!
Chapter 4 - Journey to the Centre of the Jungle
Chapter 5 - The Second Condition is......
Chapter 6 - Skylar
Chapter 7 - Old Flame Attack!!
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 20
The Yisheigai Gallery
