Pretty Little Psycho (Flash fiction)

I drag my fingers across my face, marking it in black sludge. My middle finger continues down my neck,
stopping above my cleavage. I rip apart the clasps on my dress, tearing the fabric. It was a beautiful
dress, pink and white ball gown. Now, its covered in black sludge. I don’t even know where this came
from. I look in the mirror in front of me. Oh yeah, it came from my hair. What was once an Auburn is
now deep black. Now to remember how it got there.

I’m stuck in a cellar. There's a locked door up a wooden staircase but it only opens so I can eat.
There's one small window with bars on it but I can only see grass from it. I’ve been here for years.
Punishment, my guardian said, for breaking and entering and robbery.

I notice feet in the grass. Looking out the window, I yell out to them. The person kneels down by the
window.

“Someone in there?” The voice is deep, but monotone.

I clear my throat, making sure my voice is as feminine as I can make it.

“Yes, I’ve been kidnapped and trapped down here. Please help me! The guy who kidnapped me has…”
I start crying and collapse to my knees.

“Ok, just hang on. I’ll help you.”

When he moves, I stop crying and wipe away the tears on my cheeks.

“Too easy.”

I hear yelling and stomping upstairs. I hear gunshots and the door swings open.

“Are you here, miss?”

An unfamiliar male storms down the stairs. He has a gun shoved in the waistband of his jeans. When
he sees me looking at it, he hides it with his shirt. Its baggy enough to hide it.

I stand in mock shock. I manage to get tears to fall down my cheeks again.

“It's ok, he won't hurt you again. Let's go, we shouldn't stay here.”

He drapes a coat around my shoulders, leading me up the stairs and out the front door. There's a body
covered with blood in the hall.

He brings me to what I assume is his house.

“You can borrow some of my wives old clothes. We were going to donate them anyway so I doubt she’ll
mind.”

As he digs through a bag, I look around the room. Its a small room, a fireplace sits by the wall unused.
There are pictures on the mantle, probably of him and his wife. The wallpaper seems torn in some
places, but the carpet seems perfectly clean.

He hands me some clothes and a towel. “You can use our shower. Upstairs, first door on the right.”

I bow slightly, respectfully, before going to the shower.

The sludge came out of my hair. I had to scrub the shower clean, though. It's been years since I’ve seen
my natural hair colour.

I dress in the clothes I’ve been given, denim shorts and a branded T-Shirt. I’ve never heard of this brand
before but the logo is a tick.

As I walk back downstairs, I curl my hands up in the hem of the shirt. It's been easier to fake emotions
recently. Casting my eyes downwards, I walk into the room I was in before.

“There you are. You look better without that black everywhere.”

I look up and the man is sitting on the couch, his gun on the side table next to him. I slowly step towards
it.

“Are you hungry? I’ll get some food for you.” He stands up and pats my head as he walks past. This
infuriates me.

I snatch the gun from the side table and hide it behind my back as he walks in with a plate of bread and
butter. I close the curtains, keeping the gun hidden.

“Is something wrong?” He asks.

I turn back towards him, the gun trained on him. I pull the trigger and shoot him square in the chest. I
turn away as his body hits the ground. I wipe my fingerprints off the gun with chemicals I find in the
house and put the gun in his hand. His eyes find mine before the light leaves them. I don’t regret what I
did.

I take what money I can and what I think can sell for a good price (there's a lot of jewellery around that
looks expensive) and run from the house.

I never knew freedom would taste so good.

Dungeons and Dragons Backstory: Ignis Ravensblood

Ignis Ravensblood grew up not knowing his family. The first thing he remembered was stealing a glaive
from a noble. This glaive ended up being forged in shadows, one that is sentient. This was going to be
the only thing he stole but the glaive spoke to him, told him to take more. He stole what he needed to
survive.

It didn't always go to plan. When he was kicked out of a bakery one morning, a young boy approached
him. The boy picked up Ignis’ glaive and they started a conversation. The glaive realised the boy could
be useful, being an experienced thief.

The boy and Ignis worked together, stealing what they needed. No matter what they did, they always
stole what the glaive said.

One night, the glaive whispered to him.

“I can give you the power you can only dream of, I can give you the strength you’ve always wanted.”

It took Ignis a couple of days before he accepted the deal and the glaive gave him magic. In return, he
obeys the glaives every command. 

Dungeons and Dragons Backstory: Shira Ti

Shira came from a family of wizards, the innate magic manifesting in her for the first time in one hundred
years. Her family gave her a spellbook when she was a child, her cousin giving her the ring to help her
cast magic. Her family tried to teach her how to cast spells the way a wizard does, with the spellbook.
She would train on the outskirts of her village to learn how to use her magic herself. She would learn how
to cast spells with the spellbook in her hand to please her family. She would write in the book as if it was
her diary. All the text in it is in Infernal. Because of this, she despises using weapons and will only use
spells

She left her family when she was sick of being treated like a wizard, but she couldn’t leave the spellbook
behind.

When she left, she realised she needed money, she made her way to the thieves guild where she was
given jobs to kill. While she was sceptical of carrying out the jobs at first, she soon leaned into it and it
eventually became second nature to think up ways to kill people as soon as she meets them in case she
gets a job to kill them. She acts all happy and open to people when she meets them, telling them
‘secrets’ to get them to trust her so she can kill them easier. If this process takes more than five days,
she kills them from a distance, every aspect of her covered. If she does this, she will always attack from
the shadows.

Because of the spellbook in her hand, shes often is mistaken as a wizard at first glance. She doesn’t try
to hide the fact she's a sorcerer.

Dungeons and Dragons Backstory: Leucis

Leucis spent most of his life working for the thieves guild. He prided himself on being one of the best,
effortlessly sneaking into nobles dwellings and stealing everything that wasn’t nailed down. He met a lot
of beautiful women but none were more beautiful than a woman he met on the last job he did for the
guild. He stole a ring from a noble known for splashing out on antiques and magical artefacts. The ring
was a curious object. A ruby sat in the band, one that seemed to glow, as if a flame was trapped within it.
When he picked it up, he heard a woman's voice from the ring and he became enchanted by it. He
pocketed the ring and finished his assignment, but the ring never left his mind. When safely away from
the building, he put the ring on and saw images of her in his mind. He immediately fell for her, her beauty
being like nothing he’d ever seen before. The images vanished and her voice filtered through his mind.
She introduced herself as Fierna, Lady of the Fourth Layer of the Nine Hells, Phlegethos. One of the
Arch-Demons of the Nine Hells. Lady Fierna tempted him with great power if he gives her his soul and
agrees to be her servant in the next life. He told her he’d agree, only if she becomes his wife. She replied
with a no but asked if he had another offer. Hearing a sultry tone in her voice, he proposes that they
marry when he dies. After a bit of thought, she replied with ‘Grow stronger for me, protect me, serve me
and never disobey me, and we can marry in unholy matrimony when you die.’

Not seeing a better offer, Leucis agreed and made the contract.

Leucis cut ties with the thieves guild after this and travelled around to grow stronger for the one he loved,
talking to her during the day and in his dreams. With every conversation, every monster killed for her, the
bond between them grew deeper, growing into an everlasting love that’ll never be broken.

Dungeons and Dragons Backstory: Mikri Kithara

She was abandoned by her parents at birth, being taken in by a family of wood elves. She was shunned
by the village for being a drow, the village being filled with high and wood elves. Her older adoptive
brother carved a stringed instrument for her from a tree, allowing her to distract herself from her lonely
life. When walking through the forest, she found an eldritch tome. Its contents were terrifying and had
scared her. She burned the book but the images haunted her that night.

She lived with those haunting images for years in silence, using music to dispel the evil images. When
playing one night, she met an aasimar called Akyl. He had been wandering around the forest, not
knowing where he was or where he was going. Akyl stayed in the forest, growing close to Mikri.

Years pass. Mikri gets better with her instrument and Akyl teaches her Celestial, but the dark thoughts
don’t leave. She eventually breaks, Akyl being with her when it happens. She plays a loud note,
simultaneously screaming. The darkness covers the area, causing animals and trees within five feet of
her to instantly die. Akyl included.

Due to his death, she couldn’t bear to stay in her village. She travelled the lands, playing to people
for money. Wherever she went, Akyl’s voice stayed in her mind. He always whispered things, always
there in the back of her mind.

Immortal Love (Short Story)

It’s an endless cycle. We’re born with the same names, Solomon, Jeanette, Tyrn. We’re always born
the same. Every time, Solomon rescues me. He's the one to fight the darkness, the one that wields
the sword. I don’t want to be protected anymore.

I open my eyes. I’m staring at the dress of a Mura statue at one of the sacred springs. As always,
Solomon is behind me, standing guard. I can feel the energy from the sacred sword. It’s comforting
and it enrages me.

“Why does it have to be this way,” I mutter under my breath, “why can’t I be the strong one?”

I hear splashing behind me, Solomon wading through the water. He takes my hand in his, my heart
beating faster at the contact.

“Princess, you are the strongest person I have ever met.” He smiles and I feel the heat rising to my
cheeks.

I take my hand from his and look away so I don’t see the hurt in his eyes.

I don’t want to feel this way for him, I don’t want to love him. I want to be able to hurt him without my
heart being torn to shreds.

Without saying anything, Solomon takes my wrist. He leads me towards the statue, pushing me to my
knees. The skirt of my dress floats to the water surface. He puts my left hand onto the base of the
statue. When he moves his hand I feel a light warming my veins, I hear a voice.

Close your eyes.

I do as it says. I can’t see anything for a few seconds before a light fills my vision. My head gets fuzzy
and I feel myself getting weaker. I feel my body falling.

I open my eyes and I’m standing on the deck of a ship.

This is who you were in the past, Jeanette.

I walk around the ship. Men run around, some have crates in hand. Others have nothing but they all
are taking commands from a young blonde at the wheel of the ship. She has a strange necklace.

“Who is she?”

She is the Pirate Captain, Dura. To hide from Tyrn, the King used a spell to disguise his only daughter,
Jeanette, as Dura.

The scene wavers and its replaced by a forest. A man I recognise as Solomon is facing some bandits.
There's another man I don’t recognise, a blonde with long hair, plaited. He has his back to me.

Erik of the Dominion tribe. The Jeanette of this era used a transformation spell to fight alongside
Solomon.

As the voice says this, Erik throws a kunai at one of the bandits. As the bandit falls to his knees, the
scene wavers again.

This time, nothing replaces it. A figure steps through the darkness. Shes dressed in white, her blonde
hair has a ribbon in it. She has one bracelet on.

“Then you have me. A Goddess in human form to appear beside Solomon. I shed my divinity so I
could fight alongside the mortal I loved. Whenever the land is in danger, we shall be reborn.”

I hold my hand to my chest, my heart beating wildly. Have I always been this strong?

“Princess Jeanette, do not think of your love as a curse and remember he will feel the same.” Stepping
towards me, Mura touches my forehead and a bright light fills my vision.

When I next wake, I’m in Solomon’s arms. I savour the moment, going over what I was told by Mura
before Solomons words reach me.

“Jeanette, the Guardians are fighting us!”

I stand up and run out of the spring, the wind of Mount Lanayru cutting into my skin. Solomon throws
a cloak over my shoulders and pulls me to the edge of the mountain. We both jump and I whistle, a
crimson bird swooping down to rescue us. It drops us near the ground, Solomon rolling when he lands,
me stumbling. I’m given a sword by the people of the Dominion tribe and join Solomon in battle.

It isn’t long before we’re running, Solomon heavily injured. He was hit by a beam, blood staining his
blue tunic, which is now covered in mud and ripped in places. The sacred sword has started to rust.
He leans heavily on me, limping quite a lot. When he stumbles, he takes me down with him.

“Solomon!” Tears stream down my cheeks as Solomon's eyes close. I wipe the blood away from the
corner of his mouth as a Dominion tribesman approaches us. The tribesman takes Solomon, shielding
his body with her own as the Guardians approach us.

“There are too many, Jeanette. We won’t survive!”

“Get Solomon to the resurrection chamber. Quickly.” The tribesman nods as she and a male carry
Solomon to the chamber we found.

I stand towards the Guardians, my left hand out, my right on my chest.

“I think I understand now, Mura.” I close my eyes and let my memories of Solomon wash over me.
When I open my eyes, a sigil appears on my hand and a bright light surrounds the Guardians,
expelling the evil spirit inside them and deactivating them.

Antiques (Short Story)

I grasp the ring tightly, never wanting to let go. This is a good sign, a sign of something else existing

other than what we know. This ring is filled with mystic power, something we mortals fail to
comprehend. As we uncover more, the ancient world starts to show itself to us, starts to shed its
true form. It can only be described as marvellous, unique. I study this ancient power, all ancient powers.
I am the only one who can feel this power. Because of this, I am unique. I am called to excavation
sites all over the UK so I can study more about these powers. I have come to the conclusion they
are powers of the Divine.

“Have you found something, Ineza?” One of the archaeologists asks me, some broken pottery in his
hand.

I nod, opening my hand, the ring resting on my palm. He stares at it, slightly confused at why I find
it so interesting. It glows in a rainbow hue, the colours changing as I move the ring around my palm.
The archaeologist walks away, muttering something about nonsensical, mythical behaviours.
Most scientists and professionals doubt my abilities but I know them to exist and that’s all that matters.

The ring dims when I bring it into the light, brightening more as I close my fist around it. I notice the
rainbow shining through my fingers. I open my hand again and it dims. I suddenly become excited.
What God did it belong to? Does it have the power of a God in it? Can a mortal obtain this power?
I slip it in a plastic bag and put it in my coat pocket. I can analyse it later.

I spend some time at the site before leaving. The only thing I felt was the ring.

At my lab, I take the ring out my pocket, taking the ring out the bag and carefully placing it in a glass
case. My fingers tingle when the ring leaves my person, like its begging to return to me. I leave the ring
and make my way towards a fossil. No scientist had ever seen anything like it. It’s a plant, one with extravagant flowers. I think it’s a Divine flower, one that came from the clouds itself. I can’t feel power as strong as the one from the ring was, but it’s still a strong one. Maybe they’re relics of different Gods, one weaker than the other, or ones older. There are many old relics in this world to be discovered and I want to discover them all.

I feel a light filling me. I glance back towards the ring. It seems to call to me. I ignore the call and
walk towards an old, battered pendant. Other archaeologists think it's just an old pendant and has
no meaning but I can feel the power it has. I think it used to belong to a follower of an old God called
Igni. He governed over fire and heat. He would give his most loyal followers the power of flames.
The feeling of the power within the pendant feels similar to the one within the ring, but it's not the
same so I can cross Igni off the list. There’s a Goddess which has similar power, Lyca, Goddess of
Thunder and Lightning. I cross her off because it's not the same.

I go through the list, feeling the power from different artefacts related to these Divines;

Raven, God of the Night,

Rula, Goddess of the Day,

Fera, Goddess of Animals,

Tera, God of Insects,

Herita, Goddess of Love.

None of these Divines power feels the same, but I can feel similar power from them all. I know there
are many more Divines I don’t know about and my knowledge grows with each artefact I get.

I feel suddenly feel excited. I don’t know what Divine it belongs to and that excites me. I go back to
the ring and take it back in my hands. It emits a humming noise. Maybe it belongs to God of Sound,
Hari. The rainbow hue, however, suggests God of Colour, Ju. The combination of power suggests the
God of Kings, Deniri or the Goddess of Queens, Tuli. There are many Divines it can be. I slip the ring
on my finger. It feels like it was made for me.

Ineza, you are the only one who can feel my power, who can hold my power.

Frightened, I take off the ring. The voice was masculine, so it isn’t Tuli. The flow of power I felt from
the ring means it isn’t the weak Hari or Ju. It must be Deniri.

I quickly go through my archives, frantically trying to find anything relating to Deniri. I don’t find much.
All records of him or his followers were destroyed long ago. I slam the drawer shut, suddenly frustrated
by the lack of information.

“Damn it, Deniri!” I yell.

The ring hums again as if replying. I slip the ring back on my finger.

You are the one who can carry my spirit.

Panic goes through my body as I throw the ring across the room. It gravitates back to the case I had it
in before. The panic retreats when the ring leaves my person. Deniri has dangerous power that we
mortals cannot begin to comprehend. If he takes over a mortals body, it can be one of the most
dangerous things I’ve ever seen.

I take a walk to clear my head. I sit on the beach, the moon reflecting off the water. I breathe in the
fresh, sea air, tucking my cardigan around me as the cool wind brushes over my skin. As I listen to the
waves, a golden mist emerges from the sand, materialising as a large man with broad shoulders and
shoulder-length hair. He’s golden, like the mist.

“Ineza, you have a lot of potential. You can be something huge. I can help you.”

I stand up and walk towards the God.

“Deniri, I will not allow myself to be controlled by you!”

Deniri flicks his wrist and the golden mist flows from his hand and enters my chest. I feel the light fill
my bones and muscles. I know this is a small portion of Deniri’s power. I stare at my palms as gold
mist surrounds them. A small figure emerges from them. One with a fishtail made of water, although
I know its not a mermaid.

“Undine.”

She giggles the undine swimming through the air. The tail disappears to reveal human legs. Her
purple hair stops at her abdomen. She has what looks like a bikini covering her. Like her tail, it looks
like its made of water. Her skin is light blue.

“I have gifted you with some power of summoning. This undine will assist you in controlling my power.”

I clench my fists, hoping the undine will disappear. She doesn’t.

“I don’t want your power!” I yell.

Deniri laughs before disappearing into the sand.

“Ineza? My name is Tura. Lord Deniri told me to assist you.” Her voice is high and squeaky.

She reforms her fishtail before swimming up to my shoulder. She relaxes on my shoulder, the tail
gone.

“I feel like I’m going insane.” I poke the nymph on my shoulder.

She recoils slightly, falling off my shoulder. She reforms her tail to swim up. It seems like undines can
only swim in the air if they form a water tail. I make a mental note to research more about them. Tura
can help with that.

I make my way back to the laboratory. Tura swims around, amazed at the city scene. I don’t think
she's ever seen anything like it before.

“Where do undines and nymphs live?” I ask, determined to learn more.

“We live in the ocean. We can survive on land but we can only really move if we form a fishtail.” Tura
swims around my head, landing on it, her tail disappearing. “Humans are troublesome creatures.
The Gods always complain about them. All they do is seek power. Your different, Ineza. Any human
would have been overjoyed to have Deniri’s power but you fight it at every step.”

“I’m not interested in eternal power, not like some humans.”

“You have the power of creation. Anything you think of can be yours.” She spreads out her arms.
“The only limit is if it’s in the realm of possibility.”

Opening up my palm, I create a small snowflake. It melts immediately. I feel a rush of power flow
through my veins. If I accept Deniri, this could be my life. It could help with my research. I could create
mystic creatures like Tura, I could create powerful artefacts. I have the power most mortals dream of.
The power of a God. I clench my fist.

“Tura, your right. I have the power of creativity.” I think about something and small flames flick from
my closed fist. Opening my hand, a small phoenix flies out and lands on my palm. It has orange,
yellow and red feathers that shimmer in the moonlight. When it moves its wings, small flames flick off
them and disappear when they hit my hand. I rush back to my laboratory.

When in my laboratory, I put Tura and the phoenix in a glass case. The phoenix falls asleep but Tura
swims around, her tail shorter as not to hit the glass. It doesn't stop some splashes of water from
hitting the glass.

“Calm down, Tura.” I attach small tubes on the glass and they phase through, attaching themselves to
Tura’s tail.

She freaks out and her tail disappears. She sits on the floor, scratching at the tubes attached to her
legs. A device on the table beeps and I tap on a keyboard. The flow of water on Tura’s tail depends on
how calm she is. It seems she can’t keep it together if shes panicking. The water that serves as her
clothes seem to stay in place. It must be using different magic to control it.

“Ineza! Why are you doing this?” Tura shouts at me. The glass muffles her voice.

“I’m a scientist researching mystic power. I am taking advantage of this opportunity.” The device
beeps again and a set of numbers appear on the small screen. 34:98. The speed of the flow of
magic:the speed of the flow of water.

“You creatures are truly magical,” I remark, pressing a button. The glass melts away, freeing Tura.
She suddenly forms her tail, the device beeping before she flicks the tubes off her tail. She swims
as far away from the glass cases as possible.

“Relax, I got what I need from you.” I go to bed that night and leave Tura to calm down.

The next morning, I wake up to Tura on my chest. She’s sound asleep. It makes me feel bad for
panicking her so much last night. I pick her up and lay her on my hand. Her body seems to
instinctively form a tail. I have to admit, it’s nice to have some companionship.

I place her on the side table and she mumbles something. Maybe she misses her home. I put the
kettle on and a golden mist emerges from my palms, forming Deniri.

“Ineza, I see you're making good use of your new powers.”

“Deniri, I will not let myself become corrupted by your power.”

“Then let me give you more.”

More power flows through my veins and my heart beats faster. Everything gets warmer before
everything stops.

“Goodbye, Ineza.”

Tura appears in front of me. It’s just us in this black world. She’s taller than she was before,
about the same height as me.

“Ineza, Deniri killed you. He fed you with more power than the human body can handle. It destroyed
you. However, he has allowed you to be reborn as an Undine.”

I look at my clothes. They’re less revealing than Tura’s and not made of water, but I do have a water
tail formed. My skin is pale blue and my clothes are dark blue. The fabric curls around my belly button.
This is my life now. I will live as an Undine until the Gods decide otherwise.