Reaper's Genetic Legacy Experiment [Complete]

[Tiamet]

Great chapter!  Poor Alec, having to deal with all those demons.

[mpart]

Poor Mary. Alec needs to be careful because in the end his demons will end up devouring him.

[oshizu]

Oooh noooo, cliffhanger!!!

Thank you so much for the house tour! I realize it's the house not longer after Majnun and Anne were married.
Still, the images made the later images of the house in ruins all the more melancholy and poignant.  The ravages of time!

Ed made me feel annoyed and impatient--just because your marriage failed, mister, you don't need to weaken someone else's marriage!
Poor Mary, wracked with sorrow and now doubts.

I'm so looking forward to how you intertwine Majunun and Anne's past with Alecca and Mary's present.
I'll need a little time to become "re-invested" in Eveline, hehe.
Fabulous chapter!

[LivvieLove]

Great chapter!  Poor Alec, having to deal with all those demons.

I have a lot of sympathy for him. He's going through alot right now. I don't think being in the place where all those painful things happened is helping him much either. =/
Thank you very much though! I'm glad people are still enjoying the chapters even when I'm flipping between to different storylines. I hope nothing is getting too confusing.

Poor Mary. Alec needs to be careful because in the end his demons will end up devouring him.

Thank you! I couldn't have gotten this far without you!
Ugh, this kills me for Mary, I swear. I've put her through enough as it is...
I love her to death, though. She always takes things in stride and I'm sure she'll bounce back from this as she always does.
I think Alec might already be in the mouth of his demons, halfway down the throat. I hope he comes to his senses soon. =/ For Mary's sake.

Oooh noooo, cliffhanger!!!

Thank you so much for the house tour! I realize it's the house not longer after Majnun and Anne were married.
Still, the images made the later images of the house in ruins all the more melancholy and poignant.  The ravages of time!

Ed made me feel annoyed and impatient--just because your marriage failed, mister, you don't need to weaken someone else's marriage!
Poor Mary, wracked with sorrow and now doubts.

I'm so looking forward to how you intertwine Majunun and Anne's past with Alecca and Mary's present.
I'll need a little time to become "re-invested" in Eveline, hehe.
Fabulous chapter!

Thank you so much Oshizu! =)
Cliff-hanger indeed! I think I'm going to need to start writing the next chapter rather soon. I get too excited after writing cliff-hangers.

The house won't change much, for what it's worth (I mean, it will always change in minor ways... colors... floating objects... etc, it is magical). Just some furniture will change in little Aleccas's room. =3 I'm glad the house looks good destroyed! You have no idea how terrible yet amazing it felt to build a house and then destroy it slowly and make it look decrepit.
And thank you again. I have a plan and I hope I can marry the past with the present rather nicely in coming chapters.
Hopefully people won't dislike Eveline after the ride we're going on with Majnun and Anne.

[oshizu]

Hopefully people won't dislike Eveline after the ride we're going on with Majnun and Anne.  

Oh no, no, I didn't mean to suggest that I dislike her, only that I'm much more attached to Majnun and Anne (and even Mary/Alecca) at this point.
I'm sure this is your intention and then, at the right moment, you'll remind us why every little detail of your narrative has mattered for understanding Eveline.

Jupiter, both Majnun and Alecca will be extremely hard acts to follow! (Haha, I'm egging Jupiter on, knowing full well that LizzieLove will leave us speechless when the time comes...)

[LivvieLove]

Hopefully people won't dislike Eveline after the ride we're going on with Majnun and Anne.  

Oh no, no, I didn't mean to suggest that I dislike her, only that I'm much more attached to Majnun and Anne (and even Mary/Alecca) at this point.
I'm sure this is your intention and then, at the right moment, you'll remind us why every little detail of your narrative has mattered for understanding Eveline.

Jupiter, both Majnun and Alecca will be extremely hard acts to follow! (Haha, I'm egging Jupiter on, knowing full well that LizzieLove will leave us speechless when the time comes...)

Majnun and Anne are very easy to get attached to, no? I love them both to death. =) Poor Mary and Alec have rough times ahead of them. I'm not sure they'll make it out unscathed.
I sometimes feel like I'm just a spectator watching my characters as they grow and make poor decisions. It's hard sometimes, but they are their own characters - and they write themselves. Alec wrote himself this way and while it's hard for me to watch, it's true to his character so I'm sticking with it.
Anne wrote herself when she stuck it to Alessandra. Oh man, I love her so much.

Jupiter is definitely following some tough acts (though Aleccas is making him look pretty good right now with how crazy he's going). I'm sure he'll figure something out. After he publically screamed his love for Eveline? I'm sure he's got something up his sleeve.

Announcement/Update
A variation of this is going on both my stories, so don't mind this if you've already seen it on my Nix Short Dynasty.
I FINISHED MY SEMESTER AT SCHOOL. SING PRAISES TO THE GODS.
I will NEVER take 5 classes and work full time ever again! EVER. I haven't gotten more than 6 hours of sleep a night in the past 4 months (if I'm lucky) but I was so determined to not give up my writing free time. I'm BACK baby! I'm sorry for the delay (mostly on my Nix story, but this story has also suffered some loss in time too), and now I'm devoting just about all of my time to my stories and my Sims. (Throws Confetti).
(Blows Noisemaker).
(Calms self and clears throat).
Right, so that's that!

Pertaining to THIS Story
You guys are so awesome and supportive and I've been doing a lot of searching inside myself for how I want this story to go from this point forward and I'm very pleased to announce that I have a (very rough and very subject to change) game plan that will see us through to the bitter end. Eveline is generation 6, everyone. I cannot believe it.
I've mentioned it before, but as you've noticed, the story has derailed a tiny bit towards our dearest Majnun. While I've gotten tons of positive feedback on him, I hope that it doesn't seem too far-fetched from the original Reaper base hiding underneath. I, sadly, only discovered what my story was to be about after I had already written five generations. I know that my writing style has changed significantly over the course of those generations and now it hardly even resembles what it once was and I'm sorry about that to any new and current readers.
My disclaimer that I should've written ages ago: Due to the changing nature of how my story was when it started and my inability to just fix every little thing right now, some story stuff you've read in my earlier chapters may be what some call "ret-conned" or otherwise overwritten/contradicted. Anything that you read about currently is what should be taken as fact. I apologize if any of these are grievous errors, but I really was just meandering along until the story came crashing into me all at once. I really don't think I have too many issues that will be overwritten/changed, and a lot of it will stay the same.

Ooookay then! One last tidbit:
@mpart and I are still prepping for a super-duper awesome chapter coming up here soon, however, she's going to be taking a bit of a break for a few days while she goes on vacation. While I'm going to go crazy wondering who I'll tell all my "genius" ideas to and who will stop me from letting my characters make horrible mistakes, this vacation of hers coincides with the time I've been given that I'll be working entirely on my story. I've got a LOT I want to post and some goals I want to meet for each character... but I'm not going to go into detail about THAT part with you. Point being, mpart and I share this crazy world we've built and so the next several chapters I post (as I will note) COULD - possibly, maybe, a little - get changed upon her return if anything does not fit with our world/her story/etc etc etc. Capiche? Capiche.
I really don't think this will be a problem, and I will absolutely tell you if I need to go back and edit/adjust posts of mine, but I like to make sure I've got all my bases covered!

Phew, I'm such a chatterbox.
Thanks for everything, everyone.
With all my love,
Livvielove.

[KRae]

I've been so involved in your story that it sort of slipped my mind that this is a 10 generation legacy. For me, it's about these characters - now.

[LivvieLove]

I've been so involved in your story that it sort of slipped my mind that this is a 10 generation legacy. For me, it's about these characters - now.

Haha! You and me both!
I'm so glad the characters are enjoyable enough that people don't mind the shift in story! I have such a blast writing everyone now, and I'm so excited for some coming characters that'll be arriving (hopefully sooner rather than later).
Anyways, thank you so much for always reading and commenting! It really makes my day! I'm working on an update currently! The first of MANY, hopefully!

[oshizu]

I realized that you had school but I never knew you were also working full-time. I hope you'll make time to catch up on sleep, take a lot of long baths with scented candles, dance to good music in your living room by yourself, all those good things.  (I knew, I could have written "go clubbing" but then who would write your stories!?)

You may remember that I power-read your story a few months ago, catching up around the time Eveline was introduced. Honestly, I haven't felt any jarring shift in narrative development; it just feels like every generation deserves its own cloud in the sky, tangentially related to the others but not necessarily stuck right up each other's business. Oh, that was a horrid way to put it. I hope you know what I mean.
Majnun is the God of Madness so of course the plot would disperse just like his spiritual energy does.

I will stop trying to explain. Only to say that there is nothing to apologize about. We are here and waiting eagerly for each new episode. *sends you a hug

[LivvieLove]

I realized that you had school but I never knew you were also working full-time. I hope you'll make time to catch up on sleep, take a lot of long baths with scented candles, dance to good music in your living room by yourself, all those good things.  (I knew, I could have written "go clubbing" but then who would write your stories!?)

You may remember that I power-read your story a few months ago, catching up around the time Eveline was introduced. Honestly, I haven't felt any jarring shift in narrative development; it just feels like every generation deserves its own cloud in the sky, tangentially related to the others but not necessarily stuck right up each other's business. Oh, that was a horrid way to put it. I hope you know what I mean.
Majnun is the God of Madness so of course the plot would disperse just like his spiritual energy does.

I will stop trying to explain. Only to say that there is nothing to apologize about. We are here and waiting eagerly for each new episode. *sends you a hug

Yes indeed! I love pushing myself to my limits (sarcasm). No, I don't know what I was thinking, but it's over now! I'm down to two classes over the summer and four for the fall semester (thank goodness)! I work full time as a hair stylist and am on my feet a lot. Did I mention where I get Majnun's insanity from?

I'm so, so glad you think that my story is fairly fluid! Thank you so much for that! I can't express how much that means. I've been very worried about it recently as I've developed into this story further. Meanwhile, I should (hopefully) have a chapter up tonight!
Thank you again for your kind words! I hope I can do my story justice!
*sending internet hugs back

[PeregrineTook]

I'm pretty sure mpart's vacation is a sign from the universe that you are to rest and catch up on sleep right now...

[LivvieLove]

I'm pretty sure mpart's vacation is a sign from the universe that you are to rest and catch up on sleep right now...

Given the stuff we have planned? Nah!
I can sleep when I'm dead!
No but really, I'm finally getting plenty of sleep (or rather, will be, last night I finished my final paper and turned it in... phew boy it was quite a rush at 2:30am, let me tell you). I'm just so happy to be all done with it.
I wish I could say I'm almost there with school, but I just finished my first year (I'm a late bloomer we'll say, as I've been in the workforce for a while now). I'll just keep chugging though. This story kept me sane this semester. =)
Thank you for the comment though... I will make sure I take time to recover!
Later...

[LivvieLove]

Daisy and a Favor
Anne paced back and forth in the kitchen and dining area. She fidgeted with her hands idly to pass the time and get her excited jitters out. She never used to fidget before, but with her parents no longer there to police her behavior she’s developed quite a habit of it. Anne couldn’t stop now though, as Daisy was coming by. Anne had helped the floating duster and broom in cleaning the house all morning but she still had time to spare.

She debated telling Majnun that he need not use his magic to clean, but in honest truth she wasn’t sure she would be capable of cleaning very well since Daisy always did it for her family. She didn’t know the first thing about cooking or cleaning. She smiled to herself, she still didn’t. Majnun had taken over the kitchen and actually has gotten quite good at cooking. Anne found that when she cooked it wasn’t so much a bad thing, it just took her forever. She wanted things to be just right, like with her paintings.
Majnun would tell her to stop worrying about her cooking, since they would be eating it anyways, and the thought of eating it always made her sad. After she put so much work into a piece of food they would only eat it. She was permitted to cook maybe three or four times, but after the last time Majnun had told her to stop, for they would run out of room if he had to preserve every piece of food she ever made. She bit back a laugh and eyed the fridge that still had all of her perfect cookies in it that would never degrade away with time due to Majnun not wanting her to be upset over having to eat the cookies.

Anne walked forward to the window and looked out from side to side. Her eyes nearly came out of her head when she saw a familiar face walking up her sidewalk, staring in awe at the house in front of her. Anne was so excited she thought she might burst. She ran for the foyer and crashed right into Majnun. “She’s here!” Anne’s voice was much higher than usual as she squealed with excitement. As quickly as she ran into him, she took off out the front door, leaving Majnun chuckling in the foyer as he headed into the kitchen.
“DAISY!” Anne cried from the top step of the house.
Daisy’s big eyes turned and met hers with a huge grin on her face. “Miss!” She called back. They ran for each other and caught each other in an embrace with much laughter.
“I’m so glad you’re ok!” Daisy was practically in tears. “I’m so sorry!”
Anne squeezed her harder. “No! No! Please don’t be!” She pulled back and looked at her with big eyes. “I’m so happy you’re here! Everything is just… so magical!” She laughed. “Oh I have so much I have to tell you! How have you been? What are you doing lately?” Anne couldn’t stop all the words that tumbled out of her mouth. “Oh! No wait! I’m so sorry!” Anne straightened and grabbed Daisy’s arm. “Come in! Let me show you the house!”
Daisy gaped as she looked up at it. “You live here now, miss?”

“Anne.” Anne corrected her. “You no longer work for me, Daisy, please… call me Anne.” Anne sighed wistfully as she admired her house. “Yes we do. It’s so amazing, Daisy!”
Daisy looked up in wonder. “We?” She gave her a questioning look.
“Oh! I’m sorry!” Anne was fumbling over everything. There was just so much she wanted to say and not enough breath in her to say it. “Majnun and I live here,” she paused thoughtfully. “Oh, and Iri, and Tooki, and Sana, and Tina, and…” She stopped herself from listing off every enchanted item in the house - they would be there all day. She giggled. “Majnun and I are married now. It’s been almost four months.”
Daisy looked at her with the same shocked face as she had for every other floating object they past as she climbed the steps to the entryway. “So it’s true then, Miss?” She paused and then corrected herself, “sorry, I mean, Anne? Old habits, y’know?”
Anne nodded and bit back a grin. “Come on! Let me show you the house.”

The girls were giggling as they walked back downstairs and into the dining room. Daisy froze immediately as they came into the kitchen and her eyes landed on Majnun. He had a cup of tea floating next to him, along with a book and several papers that he was deep in thought examining. He made a motion with his fingers and the papers spread out, he looked at them thoughtfully before realizing they had entered. He waved his hands and everything moved to the side.

Daisy stood with her eyes locked on the God of Magic and Madness, unsure how to react - he had nearly killed her the last time she saw him. He seemed so different now - so much more sane. She didn’t think it was even possible.
Majnun gave her a level stare and he tilted his head slightly. “Daisy.” He said in greeting. He turned his face onto Anne and his face shifted entirely to something warm and soft. “My heart.” He murmured.
Anne gave him a warm smile as she walked over and reached behind him for the tea kettle that sat on the counter behind his back. She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek as she tried to reach, but the kettle kept inching away from her. “Sana!” She muttered under her breath at it.
Majnun grinned deviously as his magic pulled the kettle out of her grasp. The kettle began steaming and declared itself ready to be poured and Anne pursed her lips at him. He looked at her innocently, trying to turn his eyes back into his book. The cupboard next to them opened and the tea supplies floated out.

“I can make tea, you know.” She mumbled stubbornly.
He looked at her with skeptical amusement. “I did not make that tea, Sana did. She likes you.” He grumbled. “She always makes my tea cold.”
Daisy wasn’t sure what to make of the scene. The entire house had already been a handful to take in, but it still hadn’t fully sunk in until now that everything in the house was magical.
Anne prepared the tea for Daisy, asking what she wanted in it. After a moment Anne turned and eyed Majnun sweetly. She batted her eyes and made a face. “My sweet…?” She trailed off.
Majnun looked up from his papers, knowing that tone of voice far too well. He sighed an exaggerated sigh. “You’re going to kick me out of the kitchen, aren’t you?”
“Daisy and I have a lot to catch up on…” Anne kept on the sweet face she had. “Would you mind if we took the kitchen, please?” She put extra sweetness on the ‘please.’
Majnun rolled his eyes, but he smiled as he did so. “Yes, yes.” He grumbled. He waved his hands around and the book and paperwork started floating away, passing a still-shocked Daisy who had stepped out of their way. “I’ll be in the study if you need me.” He kissed her forehead and started walking towards the foyer.
“Oh! Wait! I’m so sorry!” Anne’s eyes got bigger. “Agonin’s bell went off this morning. I think that was his… I’m so sorry, I was so excited that I forgot to tell you about it.”
Majnun waved his hand and dismissed her with a grin. “I heard it too. He can wait a bit longer. I’ll deal with him later.”

Anne gave him a look of warning. “Majnun…”
“Later…” He chuckled as he walked up the stairs.
Anne shook her head but laughed.
Daisy stared at her with mouth agape. “Did you really go talkin’ that way to the God of Magic… and he didn’t even get upset?”
Anne looked at her confused for a moment before she frowned. “Do you think I was too bossy?”
Daisy laughed suddenly. “Oh Mi-Anne, you haven’t changed at all. I was so worried about you, you know?” Her eyes grew wide suddenly. “You know Mr. Gaspalt is missing? No one can find him anywhere!”

Anne’s gaze drifted to elsewhere in the kitchen and she shrugged slightly. She couldn’t even feign upset at this point. She was still too bitter about watching all of her flowers burn.
Daisy’s eyes went wide, “oh… OH!” She connected the dots. She pointed upwards. “You mean he...? What did he do to the old sir?” Daisy was asking more out of curiosity at this point than shock. After the way that man dragged Anne he deserved what he got.
Anne shook her head. “He didn’t tell me, and I didn’t ask.” She ran her finger along the rim of her teacup. Sometimes she wondered, but she didn’t have an urge to know that was so great anymore. “That day was so terrible, Daisy…” Anne shook her head and looked towards the foyer. “I thought I would never see him again.” Everything else hardly even mattered - even her flowers compared to that.
“What actually happened, if you don’t mind me proddin’?” Daisy looked at her with concern in her eyes. “You had been so sad for the days leading up to that horrible day. What happened?”
Anne pursed her lips, wondering how much would be appropriate to divulge, and in the end settled on all of it. She missed Daisy so much. “I had received a visit from a woman who knew Majnun and she introduced herself and was so friendly and kind, but she told me about Majnun’s other wives…”
Daisy’s mouth dropped open. “No!” She looked around in disbelief.
Anne held up her hand, “it’s a very long story, please try to stay with me - but that was my initial reaction as well. I was shocked and very hurt. I called him to me and he confirmed that it was true and he was confused as to why I was upset about it.”

Daisy was shaking her head as Anne spoke. “Wow…” Her face seemed sour.
“Believe me, I know.” Anne smiled. “It makes him sound really cruel when I say it like that… he wasn’t. He was just confused because he had very…” she trailed off and looked for the words. “Unconventional? I suppose that would be the word for it, yes. Unconventional marriage contracts. He never pursued the women though, it was just a mutual contract where they both got something out of it. No rings. No commitment. Nothing.”
Daisy looked at her and frowned. “Are you sure there was nothing more to it?”
Anne felt herself smiling and shaking her head, “you think exactly as I do.” She took a sip from her tea. “I’m losing track of myself though. In short, this woman told me about it, Majnun confirmed it and I told him that I didn’t want to see him anymore. I returned the flower to him and told him to leave.” She frowned as she remembered that day. Those days were the bleakest, most miserable days of her life. “He did, but he came back later that night.” She wanted to smile as she spoke about it. It was an odd way to tell someone you loved them for the first time, but it was genuine. She could feel it entirely now.

“And?” Daisy listened, completely encaptured by her story.
“...and he begged me to take him back. He told me he burned the contracts of his other wives, and that he loved me.” She smiled into her tea but soon frowned. “I was so foolish though. I didn’t even ask him about it, I just sent him away, telling him I could not see him the same way. He gave me back the crystal daffodil and told me I could use it to reach him if I ever needed anything and then he was gone.” Her heart ached just thinking about it.
She looked up at Daisy, “Charlotte, the woman who originally told me about Majnun’s wives, stopped by the day everything fell apart. She corrected a lot of the wrong views I had on his contracts - that, that’s what they were… contracts and not actual marriages. Contracts that he broke for me because he wanted to be with me.” Her heart fluttered in her chest. “I knew then that I had been a fool and I was going to beg him for forgiveness when you interrupted… and then the flowers… and my mother…” She frowned. “My mother tried to burn my only connection to Majnun. He somehow heard me and he somehow found me. I’ll never know how or why, and I haven’t asked.”
Daisy gave her a knowing look. “He came to me first. He was… well, Anne he was a step above madness to say the least! He kept demanding to know where you were. He warned me to leave the house ‘fore he left. Sayin’ ‘I can’t promise I won’t destroy this house and everyone in it if I don’t find her untouched.’” She mimicked Majnun’s gruff voice.
Anne’s smile grew and she giggled. “That sounds like him.” She said sweetly. “He always told me he wasn’t a romantic.”

Daisy laughed. “I’m inclined to agree with him.”
Anne was about to challenge that statement when she remembered something. “What happened to you, Daisy? Majnun told me you quit. Is that true?”
Daisy nodded, “aye. It’s true. I couldn’t take the way the mistress was treating you. I just felt like a terrible friend for letting it all go down that way.”
“What about your family, Daisy? Do you need help?” Anne looked at her concerned.
Daisy gave her a soft smile, “we’re actually alright, mis-I mean Anne.” She shook her head and laughed. “I don’t suppose I’ll ever get used to that.”
Anne smiled at her but looked at her quizzically. “Did you find a new job?”
Daisy took a sip of her tea. “Actually, the strangest thing occurred.” She shook her head. “I was going to start applying when I opened me door and saw a bag sitting on the porch. I looked ‘round and saw nary a soul that might have left it there. The top had me name written on it in fancy lettering and stuff - things I had never seen before. I took it inside and opened ‘er up… and you won’t believe it Anne…” Daisy’s eyes lit up. “There was more money in there than what we would need for THREE lifetimes!” She shook her head again in disbelief. “I couldn’t believe it. I thought there had to be some strings attached or something, but no! Me mum and brothers couldn’t believe it either. You know what’s even better? It was enchanted! If me brothers took money out, or I, or someone else… and we closed the bag and opened it - it would be refilled! We moved out of our hovel and into an actual house! Me brothers actually got new clothes… and me? Well I ran into a nice lad at the market and he actually was interested in me. He’s courting me now - complete with a cheesy poem he once read to me.” She pointed to the necklace she wore then and grinned widely.

Anne felt her heart swell and soar. Her eyes briefly looked up at the ceiling as she thought about her husband. He had such a good heart in him, even if he didn’t believe it. “Daisy, that’s incredible! I’m so relieved to hear you’re all doing well.” She grinned at her. “I had no idea there was ever something delivered to you… I wonder who was responsible.” She looked up at the ceiling again skeptically, and Daisy followed her gaze and smiled.
“He’s an odd one, isn’t he? He seems so scary and frightening.” She commented.
“He’s such a good man, Daisy. I’m so happy here with him.” She said wistfully. “This is better than I could have ever dreamed, and certainly better than any story.”

Daisy reached over and rubbed her hand. “Your parents are mad with grief without you.” She paused and pursed her lips. “I wasn’t sure if I should tell you that or not, but I didn’t want to keep you in the dark. Have you spoken to them at all?”
Anne shook her head. “Not a word.” She slumped forward, “I probably seem like a terrible daughter. I just haven’t known what to tell them.”
Daisy nodded slowly. “Would you like me to say something to them for you?”
Anne looked up and smiled at Daisy as a thought came to her. She was so happy to have Daisy back in her life. Sometimes she felt like she was drowning in nothing but happiness, yet she never wanted to be saved.

Daisy and she decided to make a twice weekly visiting schedule. Anne hadn’t realized how much she missed company from outside. She only ever dealt with Quinn when he would come in, acting goofy and hiding behind her as he hurled insults at her husband. She hadn’t met any of Majnun’s other visitors yet though, though he made absolutely clear that she could do whatever she pleased.
There was a time she had been painting outside when she missed him and decided to check on what he was doing. She had gotten almost to the study when she heard him talking to someone - it turned out to be Quinn - about some kind of explosion. She turned and prepared to leave him be when the door came open wide and Majnun asked her where she was going. She gave him her silly reason of missing him and just wanting to check on him when he pulled her into the room suddenly. He told her she was welcome in on any conversation with any guest.
He was truly something extraordinary. Though it’s no surprise. He’s the God of Magic and Madness.

Anne quietly walked up the stairs when she heard an unfamiliar voice coming from the study. She paused in front of the door and listened.
“I plan to move forward with everything in a fortnight.” The voice sounded slick and dark. It sent chills down Anne’s back. Anne reached forward for the doorknob, curiosity filling her.
“I see.” It was her husband’s voice. His voice sounded close to the door.
For a brief moment Anne felt bad for listening, but at the same point she was growing more curious as to what her husband does during the day. He did say she was always welcome in the study. Does that include now though?
There was a chuckle in her head, “yes, my heart.” His voice spoke to her sweetly. Her eyes went big, she felt bad for eavesdropping. “Come on in.” His voice echoed in her head, encouraging her forward.
Anne hesitated, biting her lower lip before sucking in a breath and opening the door quietly. What if she was only imagining things in her head and she wasn’t supposed to come in? She peaked around the corner and saw her husband giving her a warm smile. She also saw the hand of what looked like a corpse sitting in the chair that faced Majnun’s desk. She sucked in a surprised breath and tried to suppress the fear she felt.

The man sitting snapped to look at her suddenly, his gaze was piercing and it froze her in place. His face looked sunken and hollow but his eyes held threats she had never seen before. Anger flashed over his features. “Can I help you?” He asked gruffly.
Anne stood frozen, her mouth came open slightly as she felt unsure as to what she could even say.
Majnun’s arm came around suddenly, and she hadn’t noticed he had moved across the room so swiftly. He looked at her with a smile pulling on his lips, and his eyes coaxed her to relax. “I’m glad you stopped by.” He whispered sweetly to her.
“Majnun.” The man sitting was scowling at them. “Are you quite finished with the servant?” His voice oozed with impatience and calm fury.
Majnun snapped up at him, his glare was equally harsh. “Watch your tongue, you walking corpse.” His voice held far more venom than even the man who sat. Anne looked up nervously at her husband. It was so strange seeing him as a god when she only seemed to know him as her husband. “You speak to the lady of this house. You treat her with respect, if you wish to live.” He spat. The entire room seemed to intensify with his anger and fury. Objects that were floating stopped what they were doing to tremble at their master’s anger.
The man’s face twisted with confusion and then a flicker of understanding. A terrifying smile pulled on his lips, revealing sharp fangs. “Well, excuse me, mi’lady.” His voice was a hiss like a snake. He stood swiftly, smoothly, and bent slightly at the waist to her. “I am Malice, the Lord of the Night - God of Darkness and all the things that lurk in it.” He licked his lips and snarled slightly.

Anne hesitated, her eyes flickered up and she saw Majnun staring at her warmly. “Go ahead, say your name. Your FULL name.” His voice filled her head and comforted her. She tried to find strength in her voice. “I am Anne Keeper.” She was tempted to curtsey herself, however Majnun held her too tightly to prevent her from doing so. The warmth in his eyes gave her strength, even though her body was screaming to be passive and melt.
His voice echoed in her head again. “Remind him what you are to me; announce your title, my heart.” His voice said quickly.
Anne finished her statement. "Wife of Majnun." She looked up at him, searching for approval and seeing it reflected in his eyes. His eyes grew cold again as they moved from her to Malice.
“Beautiful and sane, what an unusual gem to see in such strange company, mi’lady.” His face scrutinized her, and Anne felt like he was undressing her with his eyes. She swallowed and his gaze fixated on her neck. “Oh? And mortal too? Such interesting taste in women, Majnun.” He laughed coldly. “You poor, pretty girl.” He shook his head. “If you’ll excuse us, child, but the men have business to attend to.” There was a condescending tone in his voice that actually made Anne angry.

She clenched her jaw and looked at Majnun with the anger in her eyes. Majnun tightened his grip on her. “What was that?” Majnun’s voice was as cold as ice. He held up his hand and sent Malice back into the seat with a thud. Malice hissed loudly at him. “You come to our home and ask me for a favor and then insult the lady Anne? Do you have a death wish? Because that is what it sounds like.” He hissed. He took a step away from Anne and Anne hesitated. She didn’t feel as confident with her husband farther from her. Majnun stepped over to look at Malice in the chair while his face was completely unreadable. Anne wanted to back up against the wall and run.
Malice rolled his eyes and sneered. “Women have no place in our discussion.” He scowled. “In my realm, women know their places!”
Majnun slammed his hand down on the desk suddenly, causing Anne to jump slightly. “Enough!” His voice shook the house. “My wife knows her place in this house, and it’s anywhere she darn well pleases to be.”

Anne was terrified by Majnun’s rage, but inside she wanted to smile. A part of her worried she was causing Majnun trouble, yet she had not yet realized that Majnun was the ring-leader, he was the one calling all of the shots.
Majnun straightened suddenly and let out a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose before a soft gaze fell on her. He held out his hand to her. “Come, Anne.”
Anne pulled herself from her frozen state and quietly walked over to him, keeping her eyes fixed on his face for fear of catching a glimpse of the angry god that her husband was keeping seated with his magic. 
He gestured to the chair behind his desk. “Have a seat.” He said softly to her.
She hesitated. She didn’t want to face the petrifying gaze of the god who was stuck in the chair across from it. She looked at him nervously, but his eyes were calm and warm. She reminded herself that she trusted him and sat down slowly, keeping her back rigid and straight. She slowly brought her eyes up from the desk to meet the bone-chilling glare of the god across from her. He was struggling against the magic that bound him to the chair and hissing.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she looked up to see her husband. “Malice,” he gritted his teeth as he spoke, “has come to ask me for a favor, my heart. Will you listen to it for me? I’m having trouble hearing.” He rolled his head back, stretching his neck.
Anne recognized the look on his face. He was exhausted and she looked at him with concern. She wanted to ask if he was alright, but she decided against it in front of their guest. She neatly folded her hands in her lap. “Of course, my sweet.” She said back to him, giving him a soft smile.
Malice grimaced, “you are not serious, clown!” He scowled.
Majnun leaned against the wall, out of Malice’s sightline, but fully in Anne’s. “Very serious.” He gave Anne a warm smile of encouragement.
Malice glared daggers at Anne, clenching his fists before he took in a long breath. “Nyx and I-”
“The Goddess of the Moon.” Majnun cut him off to explain it fully to Anne.

Anne looked briefly at her husband and nodded before looking back sweetly at Malice.
Malice scowled and cursed under his breath before taking in a breath again. “Nyx and I plan to host a purge of hybrids. They’re sickly and twisted in nature. We will need power to fully enact the plan around the world though, which is why we came to see Majnun.” His face was emotionless. “So what say you, Majnun?” He spoke louder, hoping to get his answer.
“You’re asking the wrong person.” Majnun said flatly. “Anne, do you have any questions about his request?” His voice changed from flat to something gentle.
Anne looked between the two of them while frowning. “What’s a hybrid?” She asked quietly.
Malice groaned and shook his head. “Scum.”

Majnun rolled his eyes at the response before smiling at her. “It is when two supernatural states exist in one person, my heart. You know how Charlotte is a vampire, and I am a magical source? It would be like being both at once.”
Anne’s eyes went big, “you can do that?”
Majnun nodded, “not very easily. It has a high potential to kill or deform the child in question.”
Anne frowned. “That’s terrible though…”
Malice nodded, “exactly, that’s why we aim to kill them all. They do not belong.”
Anne’s brow furrowed, “you would kill innocent people because they’re not like you?”
Malice glared at her. “They’re not worthy of life, mi’lady. They’re weak and feeble and those who live long enough run the risk of being Death Keepers.”
Anne grew confused again.
Majnun spoke suddenly. “Death Keepers are people born who will ferry people between life and death. They must be hybrids, as the dual nature is what allows them to pass between the land of the living and the land of the dead. Death Keepers do not have a good name, and are often the source of a great deal of trouble for many people.They usually grow power hungry, or have a power addiction that causes them to start taking lives prematurely to extend their own lives.” He paused and continued gazing at her. “Does that answer your question, my heart?”

Anne nodded. She didn’t like that so many lives depended on her judgement. She paused suddenly and looked at Majnun. “Are all Death Keepers likely to kill many?”
Majnun smiled at her thoughtfulness. “No, my heart.”
Malice scowled. “It does not matter! Can I have my answer?!”
Anne looked at Majnun, “do you have an answer?” She asked him softly.
“Whatever answer you decide, my heart.” He responded back levelly.
“I need more information before I can answer though… You’re more versed in the subject.” Anne felt nervous. “How often are hybrids born?”
“Not very.” Majnun responded back kindly, prepared to answer any questions she would throw at him and admiring her from the distance that he stood. He could get used to seeing her sitting in a position of power as she was with the world bent to her.
Malice was growing impatient and fighting at the magic binding him even more.
“And many do not live?”
“No, my heart.”
“Do all hybrids become Death Keepers?” The questions kept coming. Malice’s palms started to bleed as he clenched his fists too hard.
“No, a very small portion of them do.” Majnun answered each one with ease.
“What is the purpose of killing all of them, save for preventing a very low chance of a Death Keeper who may or may not cause problems?”
Malice finally opened his eyes that he had squeezed shut during the multitude of questions. “So that a real God of Death will arise.” He snapped, his tone mocked her lack of knowledge.
Anne looked anxiously at Majnun, afraid to ask another question.

He picked up on that immediately, “the Sisters of Time have been hoping to eventually instate a God of Death to take the place of the power-hungry hybrids that currently ferry souls. They cannot do this with Death Keepers alive though. All Death Keepers must be gone for this god, or goddess to take their place at the council and keep any Death Keepers born afterwards in line. Time seems to believe this will naturally occur. Malice and Nyx wish to speed the process along.”
“...By killing many innocent people just to instate a god?” Anne frowned. It just didn’t sit right with her. “I’m not sure…”
“Imagine the lives you save by ridding the world of Death Keepers, mi’lady.” Malice bit his cheeks harshly.
Anne nodded thoughtfully.
“Do you have your answer, my heart?” Majnun looked at her gently.
Anne felt uncomfortable. She didn’t want to agree to the favor, but at the same point she feared for what would happen if she said no. In the end, she needed to do right by her conscious. “No. I just don’t think that’s a reasonable request.” She said softly.
Malice snarled at her, he looked like he would reach out and grab her if he could, but instead he screamed in agony as Majnun forced him back down. “You have your answer, Malice.” He spoke over the sounds of Malice’s agony. Majnun walked fluidly over by Anne and pulled her into his arms before snapping his finger and releasing Malice from his hold. “You can take your leave now.”
Malice glared at the both of them, snarling before turning and in a flash vanishing from the room as if he were never there in the first place.
Anne hadn’t realized it, but she clung to Majnun for dear life and she only started to relax now that Malice was gone. She had half a mind to scold her husband for dragging her into this, but in the end she just rested her head against him. “He was really a god?” She asked bewildered.

Majnun hummed in her ear, a soft laugh escaping him. “Mhm. He doesn’t seem like much, does he?”
“That was terrifying.” She whispered. She then thought of her husband who was equally frightening at points. She had only had a glimpse of him like this when he spoke to Alessandra.
Majnun looked down at her with soft eyes. “Why?” He ran his finger along her jaw. “There was nothing to be afraid of.”
“He looked like he was about to kill me. I’m sorry I interfered.” She closed her eyes as she calmed down against him. “Did I get you in trouble?”
Majnun laughed loudly. “You? Get me in trouble? With who?” He tipped her head up to look at him. “Do not apologize, my heart. This is your house.”
“Malice and…” She paused, trying to remember. “Nyx?”
Majnun laughed again before his face got serious and he looked at her sweetly. “They came to me to ask for a favor, my heart.” He shook his head. “Let me tell you, there’s no one I can get in trouble with, ok? It’s easier explained that way for now, and perhaps later I will explain it further to you.”
“He’s probably angry with me now…” Anne pursed her lips.
Majnun grinned, “good. Let him be angry. He insulted you. I was planning on telling him no regardless, but then he decided to insult the woman I love, so I had to make sure he got what was coming to him.” Nothing was better than watching Malice have to bend to the will of a woman - one he deemed inferior.
“Do you think he’ll try to get back at me?” Anne asked nervously.
Majnun shook his head. “Not unless he wants a war on his hands. He would be incredibly stupid to do such a thing.”
Anne’s eyes went big, “a war? Over me?!”
Majnun nodded. “Of course.” He looked at her intensely with narrow eyes. “Anne, perhaps I haven’t made this clear enough for you, but you are very important to me. When someone attacks you, they attack me, and if you haven’t noticed - I don’t take that well.”
“Are those common? Wars, I mean?”
Majnun closed his eyes and rested his head against her. “We can’t seem to go very long without one.” He chuckled, his voice got quieter and more distant. “I need to talk to you about something.”

Anne felt her heart drop into her stomach. “What is it?” She asked nervously.
Majnun swallowed. “Agonin has called on me because he needs me to assist him in erecting some magical barriers to maintain the land of the dead… they haven’t been seen to in a while.”
Anne relaxed a bit, “is that all? It sounded like you were going to say something pertaining to us.” She pursed her lips at him.
“It does.” He said slowly. “I would be gone for several days at time until it is fixed.”
That stuck with Anne. “Oh…”
He watched her face sink. “Would you prefer I not go? Say the word.” He could put it off. He could find his excuses. He’s done it before.
Anne shook her head. “You should do what you’re supposed to. Would you be gone for long?”
“Not if I can help it.”
She tipped her head and smiled softly. “I would miss you, but I would survive.” She said sweetly. “When do you need to leave?”
Majnun shrugged, “I’m not in the best shape now to be handling something like that, but I would probably leave tomorrow if I can stand it.”
Anne looked at him questioningly.
“He’s already asking too much of me to have me be stuck with him for the duration, but to have to leave you is nearly impossible.” He smiled.
“You should get some rest. I can make dinner tonight if you’d like.” She said sweetly.
He laughed. “Not if I actually want to eat something, you won’t.”
She frowned.

“Your cooking is too beautiful to eat.” He reminded her.
Her frown slowly pulled into a smile and she looked away bashfully. “I suppose I have something I should ask you about too.” She bit her lips nervously.
He looked at her with narrow eyes. “Why do I get the feeling I should be nervous?” He had already checked to see if she was pregnant that morning. Twice. Both came up negative.
Anne bit her lip and looked at him innocently. “I want to invite my parents over for dinner soon.”
Majnun’s face went flat. He did not have the strength to argue with her tonight. He sighed. “What brought this on?”
“It’s been four months nearly… I feel bad for leaving them like that. I want to offer them closure… and I would like them to know any children we have.” She looked down. “Well, whenever we have them.”
“You love doing this, don’t you?” He teased. “Waiting until I’m too weak to fight back to force my hand on issues.”
“No I don’t!” Anne defended anxiously.
He chuckled. “You’re right. I don’t stand a chance even when I’m at full strength.” He sighed. “Can we talk about this more when I’m back and rested from this misadventure my adversary is taking me on?”
Anne frowned, but nodded.
Majnun sighed and shook his head. “When do you want them to come over?”
“In a couple of weeks, if possible?” She looked at him hopefully.
He let out a breath and nodded. “Alright.” He caved. “I’m going to regret this in a week, but you can invite them over for dinner sometime.” He looked at her with tired eyes. “But I ask you to remember something, my heart.”
“Yes?” Her bright eyes warmed him inside.
“You are my wife now; no matter what they say, they cannot order you around in your house. I will not tolerate it in my presence or out of it. Ok?” He said simply.
Anne smiled at him sweetly. “You are so good to me, my sweet.”
Majnun’s head surged forward and he clutched his head in his hands. Anne rubbed his back gently and helped him move to their bedroom. Majnun could feel his barriers fighting to keep out the insanity. In a way he feared what would happen if he showed her. He had been very careful thus far to keep himself mostly in check, but he was getting the sick premonition that he would not be able to keep that part hidden for much longer.
Insanity was knocking, and he would have to answer to it.


Apologies guys. This chapter wasn't 100% amazing like I was hoping. The screenshots weren't quite what I hoped and the chapter itself is mostly slower, world-building contents. I apologize for so many slower chapters in a row, I'm just trying to prep for the upcoming generation. Things are going to get intense and I want to be sure no one gets too confused! =)
Thanks for being awesome!

[PeregrineTook]

Quite interesting to see Manjun simply being a resource for dear Anne to make the rational decision.  Can't help but think we've not seen the end of Malice, though...which isn't a bad thing since he has this cool sort of drow elf vibe that puts me in mind of the RA Salvatore novels I love so much  :=)
Another lovely chapter!

[LivvieLove]

Quite interesting to see Manjun simply being a resource for dear Anne to make the rational decision.  Can't help but think we've not seen the end of Malice, though...which isn't a bad thing since he has this cool sort of drow elf vibe that puts me in mind of the RA Salvatore novels I love so much  :=)
Another lovely chapter!

Thank you so much! I always appreciate comments.
Oh Majnun LOVES putting Anne in a position of power. I think he hopes it'll grow on her. Malice is something else though. He was a lot of fun to make. I mean, I've known about him for a while (I mean obviously) but this chapter has kind of been months in the making. I do love that you called it a drow elf vibe because I can totally see what you mean (though it wasn't my intention at first).
I got several shots of him, but screencap limit got in the way. I find myself kind of drawn to staring at him, but his appearance also kind of frightens me.


Sometimes the power of good screenshots is with me. Sometimes, not so much. This time was not so much, but I did end up with a few interesting shots from it.
I kind of get chills looking at him. (Shudders).