Saga of Alisandra

Queen Alisandra looked downward. She watched as a scurrying scarab hurried across her feet in her throneroom. The corner of her lip went up in a dark grin. A quiet thunderstorm babbling in the distance of the forest of Malhana.

The queen turned to her husband, King Tizaro. For the moment, he had entertained himself with a conversation. He spoke with one of the guards of Malhana District. The two men carried on in low, gruff, and raspy voices.

However, King Tizaro immediately spun on his heel the moment he felt his shoulder tingle. He rubbed it with his hand. The tingling was, after all, the signature sign that his wife needed his attention. He followed her beckoning, and quickly, at that. He shuffled over to her in his button-up. It was a classically dark color. He marveled at Alisandra’s purple robes. His gaze traced the rest of his wife’s figure.

For she was always beautiful, and she would always be beautiful.

For she was his queen and his wife.

For she was his muse, his rock, and his ever flowing river.

Her contoured, aquiline face and dark eyes put him at ease. The way her dark hair fell in curly, thick locks -- all the way down to her hips -- often blanketed him whenever they shared lusty hugs. And her commanding voice often tickled his entire body in a way that aroused his hidden parts.

To his chagrin, however, the closer he drew, the more he saw his wife’s face fall. Her once regal expression slowly turned into a pout. The pout slowly turned into a frown. The frown slowly turned into a tightened gasp of horrific realization.

Alisandra squashed the scarab beneath her heel. “Something is very wrong, Tizaro. The scarabs don’t listen to me anymore. I fear that I’ve lost control over my dominion of insects. You remember my powers, dear. Electricity, rocks, violet fire, insects, and… super strength. I’ve felt dizzy all morning.”

Tizaro’s brow went up in confusion. “But I do not see any scarabs, my queen.”

Alisandra rolled her eyes. “Are you mocking me, my sweet? I know! If there is any, it’s because I summon them. Yes, you’re correct, it’s just that… they no longer listen to me, my love. And I-- Why, it’s the funniest thing. I… can’t feel Anubaret.”

Tizaro froze. “M-- My bitterest of honeys, when was the last time you summoned a Rock Guardian? A Lightning Goblin? A Scarab Staff? A-- A Pitcher made of pure fire? You know, like for tea! My queen, you are the ruler of the entire Undertow. Queen Alisandra Requiette of the Undertow! When was the last time you showed off your powers? My queen, you have me in a tizzy now. For I have noticed your lack of pizazz this morning.”

Alisandra looked down at her palm. “Then you’ve noticed it too, haven’t you? My powers, they’re… slipping away. The Ancient Mass Beast, Anubaret-- He’s your ‘father’, biologically. I’d imagine you’d be able to feel his presence dwindle, as well. We must make sure no one is privy to this. We just saved the Undertow from those pesky ‘Barded Ones’.”

“Ah yes, the Barded Ones. How could I forget?”

Suddenly, a wall of purple energy went out. The colors faded. A wisp of violet hues around Alisandra’s dress evaporated. Her hair turned a shade darker. The dark purple highlights, around the bottom of her locks, faded. Alisandra stood up from her throne.

The Rock Guardians looked up in concern. Alisandra put a hand to her temple. Her vision blurred as she saw double. Another array of purple energy, that surrounded her fortress, also faded. Tizaro dashed over to her, concern written all over his face.

“My life and heart!” He shouted.

“I-- I’m fine. It’s-- It’s nothing. I’ll be fine. Make sure our citizens are safe first!”

“Alisandra, hold fast, my dear. You are my iron-clad star. My blood-hive. I knew something was wrong. I could no longer feel my father this morning, either. But… I thought he’d still live on, in you. I thought he’d still live in on your powers. I dreamed of him saying goodbye. Anubaret is dead, yes. But is he taking his powers with him? We need help from the other districts!”

“I don’t… need… help. I’m… strong, damn it! I am Queen Alisandra, as you say.” The queen gritted her teeth. She looked down at the Rock Guardians -- mannequins made of stone -- and narrowed her gaze. “Don’t you dare look at me with such pity! I am your Queen. Secure our border and make sure any guests and citizens are safe. Search the Gasping Forests for whatever could be causing this. Someone killed Anubaret. I’ll find out who it was and why!” Her vision went blurry again. She clenched her fists. “I can’t even summon embers anymore. Embers! What in the hell is going on?”

Tizaro stepped back, gulping. His lips trembled as a tear fell from his tan cheeks. A pang resounded in his chest. It cut at him to see his wife like this. He drew closer, placing a hand over Alisandra’s stomach.

He closed his eyes, her warmth enshrouding his palm. He tried to envision his father, Anubaret Requiette. The lion’s mouth, the griffin’s tail, the wolf’s claws, and even the dark yellow fur covering the beast. The image blurred and glitched in his mind.

“There must be a way. There must be a way to keep my father’s powers!” Tizaro cried.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling above the pyramid. The thunderstorm had drawn closer. Debris flew down from the ceiling. Every creature on the floor ran around, looking for safety. Alisandra’s Pyramid of Pitch began to quake.

The shaking managed to toss the Rock Guardians over into the Pool Room and into the water. They threw their rocky hands out, startled as they sank to the bottom. With haste, a Wolf-Bear-Bat sprang into the glowing waters. He lugged the heavy servants out onto the room’s cold, concrete floor.

Up above, two giants tore into each other, as well as the pyramid. The first was a giant with writhing mass of flames and a demonic face. Yellow flames carved out a pair of eyes and a mouth among a face of otherwise orange and red flames.

The beast threw a punch of pure fire. The second beast was a snake-like woman with a scorpion’s tale and green scales. They danced atop the pyramid and wrestled each other to the ground. They tore into the forest and demolished half of the queen’s Pyramid of Pitch.

“Queen Alisandra and King Tizaro! Something terrible has just happened!” Came a cry. One of the Rock Guardians, his feet like flat hooves of pure stone, ran to the throne. “The Wolf-Bear-Bats, the Bat-Wolf-Bears, and the Bat-Bear-Wolves… have all gone mad!”

“What? What in all the hells is going on here?” Tizaro asked. He walked forward, his tan face steeled and tightened. “Do not mince words with me, Mr. Humboldt. Why are a giant snake and a pure tornado of fire attacking our pyramid? What do you mean that people are going mad?”

The guardian weeped. “Sir, as of this morning, Anubaret’s body was found to be nothing but ashes down in the Trial Rooms. He hasn’t moved much since our Queen ascended the throne and became the first, however--”

“No. No! I didn’t feel him this morning, but I didn’t think-- I didn’t think it was that bad. Are you for absolute certain? Tell me you’re lying, Mr. Humboldt. You were always the most honest out of all the Rock Guardians. But now… I need to know you’re fibbing. That can’t be the truth!”

“King Tizaro, please! I cannot tell a lie.” The servant got on his stoney knees. “I do not lie. I will do all I can, but Anubaret used the last of his strength this morning. Something was siphoning his energy away, but he had no more energy left to give. My King… long live Anubaret.”

Tizaro whipped back to Alisandra. He saw her run over to him as whole chunks of their pyramid broke off onto the floor. He clenched a fist. As he looked up above, he withdrew his saber from its sheath. “I’ve never seen these creatures before in my life. You’d think I should have the faintest idea of what’s going on right now, but I don’t! Why is there such calamity now that my father has passed away? Are we not allowed time to grieve?”

Alisandra stood by Tizaro’s side. The King of the Undertow slashed away at the falling debris. He threw all of his strength and stamina into protecting her. Slowly, the purple sparkle of royalty evaporated off of Alisandra’s linens. The queen’s eyes widened in despair as she followed the bedazzling sight with her gaze. Every single ounce of purple left her attire. It left her to fall to her knees in a drab, colorless garb.

“What-- What the hell did Anubaret think he was doing, dying so suddenly?” Alisandra clutched at a pile of debris. “I am the queen, damn it!”

“You…” Came a voice. It was a demonic gurgling from up above. The spiraling vortex of a flame-ridden face looked downward. “... are the same as everyone else. Weak and overestimating. Now that our Brother is dead, the Undertow shall be changed forever.”

In that moment, Tizaro pointed his sword upwards. He laced his fingers around his lover and pressed his lips to hers. He drank in the aroma of her blackberries and dahlia. The curls had left her hair sometime ago. Her straight-falling hair now fell around his back as they hugged. He wrapped his arm around her waist, tasting her licorice lips.

Out from the pockets of his beige trousers, he revealed a glittering fragment of the broken Lethenemes. The Lethenemes was a mirror which Alisandra had stared into long ago. It was also what was known as an ‘Interdimensional Traveling Device’. It could teleport her away from here.

Tizaro looked down the hallway, noting a family of creatures known as ‘Chiropticanas’. He needed to make sure that everyone was safe. He pulled out another shard of the Lethenemes. He threw it over to the Chiropticanas in their special room.

The Rock Guardians looked at him with puzzled concern. Some of the other guardians went to fight the two giant creatures. Tizaro closed his eyes tightly and squeezed his wife’s hand. As more of the pyramid fell down around them, his heart raced in his chest.

“My love, this is all too sudden, but if I don’t put my all into keeping you alive, I’d never forgive myself.” Tizaro said. He spoke with his signature Dominican accent. He then glared back up at the Fire Demon above their pyramid. The pyramid’s top was now completely gone. No longer did the Pyramid Of Pitch convene into a perfectly triangular tip. Instead, the middle of Malhana -- The very center of the Undertow -- was now a castrated mastaba. “I need you to make a choice.”

“Tizaro? Stop this! We’re fighting these things together, whatever they are.”

But the King shook his head. He plopped the shard of the Lethenemes into Alisandra’s hand. He closed her fingers over her palm. “My queen, this is a piece of the very Interdimensional Traveling Device that you stared into long ago. It had a few other features, but its fragments still function. Use it. Get out of here.”

“What? Tizaro, you’re not kicking me out of my own home. This land is mine!”

“Damn it, woman! I love you with every beating of my heart. Take this piece of the device and get out of here to somewhere safe! I’ve already teleported the Chiropticanas. I’ll not have you die here, and you are NOT in an able-position to fight!”

“And you are?” Alisandra grimaced.

“No, but I am in a position to keep them at bay.”

Alisandra’s face fell. “No. No, Tizaro, don’t do this. Tizaro, you are my--”

“You are my Love and Life. You represent all of my ideals. Without you, I have no purpose. I’d rather die protecting that purpose than live having lost you, Alisandra. You are the wind in my sails. You are the night among my stars. You are the claws on my soul. You are my Queen.”

“Tizaro…” Alisandra’s lips quivered. She put a hand to her collar, her pale face now twisting with tears as her mascara ran. “... you are my stars. You are my Foundation. You are my King. I can’t lose you! How do you think I feel about all this?”

Tizaro sliced at another chunk of falling debris. He shook his head and put a reassuring hand on his wife’s shoulder. He smiled calmly for one last time. “You are more powerful than you know. I’m not having you die here. If you don’t use the Lethenemes to escape, I will make you.”

“Tizaro, don’t you dare.”

At that moment, Tizaro squeezed the glass in his hand. He blew on the even smaller shards he had made. At that moment, a rift opened up in the collapsing pyramid. A maelstrom of reality and electricity zapped the air.

He gestured to it. Over in the distance, the Chiropticanas -- vampire-like guests in the Pyramid of Pitch -- had jumped through their own portal. Tizaro sliced at another chunk of debris all the same.

“I’m not going into that!” Alisandra protested.

“Not willingly. I’m sorry, my Life and Heart. Please don’t hate me too terribly for trying to keep you alive. I know I am being sullen and rough!”

Tizaro laced his fingers through the queen’s. He danced with her across their dying home. Their feet tapped the ground in time to the rhythm of a waltz. His dark button-up brushed up against her plain, black dress. Alisandra forced up a nervous smile across her mascara-ridden face. Tizaro’s hands firmly grasped the woman’s curvaceous hips as they slid between the folds of her pale and supple skin. They shared a tango for one last time.

And, one last time, he pressed his lips to hers.

“You were my dream come true.” Tizaro rasped. Smoke began to fill up the pyramid.

Alisandra pressed her forehead to her husband’s. “And you were mine. Don’t make me go. I don’t know what’s all going on, but I want to stay and fight. Don’t make me-- Don’t make lose you. You are my Life and Heart.” The queen’s voice, once sultry, had now fallen to a choked whimper. The queen, once confident and commanding, now began to expel every tear she ever had. “Tizaro! Tizaro, I love--”

Suddenly, another chunk of pyramid flew towards them. Tizaro only had seconds to cut it in half. He rolled to the side, making a whistling sound with his fingers. He summoned up the Contortionist Army. All at once, bony and gray dancers marched forth. They twisted and spun themselves around.

They ran to the Chiropticana family and surrounded them. Their limbs stretched out across each other. Like a tent, they covered the Valcyons, the Rodolfos, and many more of the Chiropticanas. Tizaro threw another shattered portal underneath their feet. He looked up at the crumbling pyramid one last time. He nodded at the contortionists. They nodded in return. They sent the Chiropticanas to a safer Earth, disappearing in a plume of electricity.

“Better me than you. It was always better me than you.” Tizaro began. He ran his hand across his lover’s contoured, smoldering face. “Now, you must live. Alisandra Haven Requiette. You must live for me.”

And with that, Tizaro belligerently pushed Alisandra through the portal.

“TIZARO!” Alisandra screamed. As her powers continued to drain from her body, she could only protest in helplessness. She swam through the vortex between realities. Everything was falling apart. Everything was dying. Everything was changing all around her.

Reality swirled together. Stars and planets collided, their debris folding in on each other. Colors split off into tiny atoms, the nuclei and protons dancing around like musical waves. They jittered and convulsed, filling the woman’s vision with crests and peaks. Reality splintered and fissured, only to swirl back into focus again. Everything went quiet.

When she next awoke, Alisandra was on the ground of a very sandy Earth.

She quickly pulled out a handkerchief from her dress. She rubbed at her face to clean off the running mascara. She still sniffled, recovering from the horrific event. She stood alone in the middle of some kind of desert. In the distance, she should see an ocean. Behind her, she saw a stalwart city full of houses and skyscrapers.

“Well, that’s the last time I cry about anything for a while. Ugh! Mark my words Tizaro, when I get my powers back, I’m going to get back to the Undertow, and kill every last one of my dissenters. For making me so vulnerable-- For making us so vulnerable, whoever killed Anubaret deserves to hang! I am the Queen of the Undertow. I make the very waters of the Void Rivers rise to a full tide. I brought trade to the once sectioned-off Districts! I cast a long, hard, regal shadow over my early dissidents! I made wealth. I--”

Suddenly, up above, a flock of seagulls hollered as their droppings plummeted to the ground.

“D-- Damn it all!” Alisandra ran out of the way. “I was monologuing, you pesky shits! I am going to raise an army on this Earth. And with that army, I am going to rule the Undertow and this pretty real estate.” Then, her machinating smile faded. She fell to her knees and processed all that had happened in one foul moment.

“Anubaret. My pyramid. Tizaro. Tizaro is… gone. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no!” She punched at the sand, crying again. After minutes of breaking down and losing herself in her despair, Alisandra finally got to her feet. She had lost all color. Instead of her once royal purple, she was now in a black dress. Her hair had lost its curls. She almost looked like a ghost. She clenched a fist. “It is time to see… what this Earth has to offer me.”

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