Illuminating the Dark Prince

Riding The Vovin

~Valarendrik~

"Oh yes, you like that very much, don't you?" I playfully cooed down at the soft little grey and black striped creature in my arms. Pepper Paws, I believe he was called. His head tilted back as my shortened claws affectionately scratched beneath his fuzzy chin, earning a surprisingly robust purr from such a small beast. Tiny paws happily kneaded at my arm, delicately pricking my pale grey skin. I softly chuckled in delight.

...Lucilia and I will have to acquire one of these cat creatures for ourselves.

I continued to hold him while gliding upon my shadows down the stairs. We were going to an erotic performance club to meet with a demon called Maraxias, who could hopefully decode any enchantments on the abyssal necklace. And after blowing half of the wall off the bedroom, Azathoth insisted that we also bring the necklace he and Daicareus had gifted me. I explained that such power bursts had only happened while wearing it or during an orgasm, puzzling us both.

With gentle care, I placed the cat onto one of the chairs in the living room beside the crackling fire. Then I wrapped a fluffy black spare blanket around him so he could sleep like a nesting chicken and gave him one last pat on the head. He softly mewed and swatted playfully at my shadows, staring at them with big yellow eyes. I hummed in amusement while turning to go join everyone out on the balcony. Night had already fallen, darkening the doors leading to the outside world with, what was to me, a more natural feel. I truly enjoyed the daylight and never did I wish to return to a place of unending night, but the darkness was undeniably what I was most adapted to.

"You belong in the darkness..." The crown whispered.

The pictures on the side table once again caught my eye as I walked by it. I couldn't seem to stop my gaze from drifting to the one of Gwendolyn and the unknown girl again. There was something eerily sorrowful about it, yet I hadn't the faintest idea why. It was haunting, almost. The slightest edge of a small piece of paper stuck out from behind it, tucked between the photo and the frame. It likely would not have been noticeable in the dim firelight if not for my refined eyesight.

I allowed my footsteps to softly make noise against the reddish wood floor as I curiously approached it. Being extra careful, I slowly pulled the paper out with a soft swoosh sound. It was aged and yellowed, with a few tears where it had been repeatedly unfolded and refolded. I delicately opened it up with my clawed fingers, and my gaze scanned over a fancily penned poem titled "She weeps for all eternity."

"I dance beneath this willow tree
And the tree, she weeps for me
The wind, she whispers within the leaves
And softly echoes my voice for whom my death bereaves

The sun, he casts no shadow at my feet
And I remain cold, enwreathed within his golden heat
The nightingale, she sings melodious and clear
And she does not fly away, for she does not know that I am here

And when you grieve beneath this wind-kissed willow
Know that they are merely my bones below
My spirit still smiles, and the sun still shines
So shed no more tears at stones and shrines

I still twirl amongst the wind and flowers
And my dancing soul the willow still embowers
And the tree, she still weeps for me
She weeps for all eternity"

Oh... The girl must have perished...

I was so engrossed in reading the poem that I scarcely noticed the sound of someone quietly approaching. My ears perked up and panic seized my heart, suddenly feeling as though I'd just stumbled upon something rather personal. The paper crinkled as I hastily folded it back up and began carefully tucking it back beneath the picture with expert precision.