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Chapter 1 – Temptations of Power
Who doesn’t commit sin? Who isn’t a hypocrite especially in our younger years? In Diana’s mind, she’s the last person you would consider a hypocrite. She does what she says she will and keeps her promises, unlike her parents and teachers. Her parents have arranged her marriage with a young man who owns a small business. The young man’s family promises Diana a good life since their business does well, and they own a nice house. They also have a sufficient amount of wealth, and the family is friends with the Church. Diana storms out of the house and runs away into the forest. Diana’s family assures the young man’s family that Diana will be back, however, the family’s dog runs after her.
While running away and collecting herself in the forest, she stumbles upon the statue of the Blessed Mother in a small cave. The young man’s dog catches up to Diana and barks at her while licking her hands. Annoyed by the pet, she kicks it into a tree, which heavily injuries it. People make pilgrimages here to visit this statue in the cave, but Diana has never seen her prayers answered, so she knocks it over, which breaks it. The back of the small cave stretches out then sucks in Diana into it, but not the dog. Diana flies through a tunnel filled with angels and demons who battle over souls to take them either to Heaven or Hell.
While she flies through the tunnel, her body changes. Her hair and dress are now made of snakes. Part of her dress is now a velvety red and her socks are now red stockings. Her arms, legs, and waist are now slightly separated from each other, but she is still somehow alive. Her left eye is now black with a red heart in it and right eye is now golden with a black star in it. After her transformation is complete, she emerges from the side of a cliff and into a dimension that appears to be cut in space and time. Several islands share the same space while others are cut off by rifts in the ocean. As she flies through the sky, Diana sees boats flying across these rifts before landing back into the sea. There are also people flying in the sky like her, but they look different. There are people who have appearances that make them look like bats, demons, angels, bees, hawks, and other such flying creatures. They watch Diana as she continues to fly through the sky until a young woman, like herself with the appearance of a butterfly, catches her.
“Are you new here?” the girl says with a smile.
“Yes, I am. Do the new people always fly eastward like this?” Diana responds.
“Haha, yes they do.”
The girl who has the appearance of a butterfly has golden wings, hair, and dress. She even has a yellow eye with a golden diamond in it. The dress she wears has part of it cut on the bottom to reveal the golden garter belt strap on her leg as if the diamond cut in the center of her dress wasn’t enough of an attention getter.
She lowers Diana to the ground while saying, “To fight against this strong force, you must orient yourself against it.”
“How am I going to do that?” Diana asks.
“It’s just like fighting against the current of a river or the waves of an ocean.”
The girl slowly lets go of Diana as she attempts this, and Diana manages to get both of her feet firmly planted on the ground. Diana feels her body fight against the natural forces of the dimension, which makes her feel like she’s walking for the first time.
“My name is Helen.”
“Nice to meet you, Helen. My name is Diana.”
“Walk around a bit to get used the feeling of being here. Tell me, what’s your reason for being here?”
“My family tried marrying me off to a small business family,” Diana says as she walks back and forth.
“That’s horrible though I personally wouldn’t mind too much because of the money.”
“I understand that, but I wish I had more freedom than I already have.”
“Then you’re in the perfect location. This is where people like us can enjoy true freedom. You can live in whatever reality or kingdom that shares your values or you can make your own or you can overthrow one.”
“A reality or kingdom?”
“You see how the sea separates the infinite islands here? Each one is its own separate kingdom and reality. What’s makes each special is that their environments and morals are dictated by a single ruler. This ruler can also decide what Heaven and Hell look like and they can send whoever they want there or they can also take them out, but they cannot take someone out of another reality’s version of Heaven and Hell.”
“That’s incredible! Wait, did I land on a reality that has a good ruler?”
“The ruler here is okay. I’ve lived in this reality long enough to see her go through good phases and bad.”
“You’re not the ruler, are you?”
“I sometimes get that, but no, I’m not. I do look like royalty, don’t I?”
“Your golden butterfly appearance seems to say so.”
“Heh, well actually your appearance is more fitting of a ruler.”
“Really?”
“I’ll explain along the way back to the city. How does your body feel?”
“I think I’m used to being here now.”
“Let’s go then.”
Helen leads Diana back to her home in the city. They walk through the lush forest of the island while they walk, which has streams flowing through it and small animals wandering around.
“Why does my appearance suggest that I’m a ruler?”
“You have a heart in your eye.”
“I do?”
Diana looks at her reflection in a nearby stream while walking.
“What does the heart mean?”
“It means that you know what kind of love to use on people. You could say it’s the most important personality trait of a ruler.”
“What about the diamond in your eye?”
“This means I’m a wise person that plans ahead.”
“We both share yellow eyes with a black star in it. What does that mean?”
“It means we control our fate. No one can tell us what to do and we alone decide what to do with our lives. Everyone here in this dimension has this same eye.”
“Do my snakes mean anything? Wait, are these alive?”
“I’ve seen few people with snakes as their appearance and even fewer with it coupled with the eye heart. Those snakes mean you are cunning, strong, and independent. They protect you from harm by deflecting incoming attacks that you see and don’t see. I’ve seen ones that cause paralysis in people and others that poison. Yours appears to be the ones that poison. Your entire appearance screams that you are destined to be a ruler.”
“And yours doesn’t?”
“I could be an advisor or strategist but not a ruler. You, on the other hand, could become one of the greatest rulers this dimension has known.”
“I don’t think I will. I just got here after all. All I want is a life that I decide how to live.”
“You can do that as a ruler. No one will dare take away the life you rightfully deserve.”
“My answer is no and that’s final, Helen.”
“Okay. I know this is a lot for you on your first day here. I’ll let you settle in with me at my house. It’s the least I can do for a friend.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s no problem.”
Helen and Diana arrive at the kingdom Helen lives in. It’s a mass city with humongous walls surrounding it. The houses and buildings inside the city are very medieval in style. The statues around the city depict various battles, acts of conquering, liberation, and wise rulers. People around this city appear to be happy with a comfortable atmosphere that feels very welcoming and they even say hi to Helen and Diana as they pass by. Helen’s house appears to be like the rest of the houses here except for the little adjustments she made to it. Helen has various ornaments and statues on the roof of the house and on the face of it that gives it a castle-like look. No other house near hers looks the same or as eye-catching.
Once inside Helen’s house, Diana asks her, “Did you decorate the house yourself?”
“Of course I did. No one else can fly or decorate like I can. I’ve gotten many compliments for my unique style. I’ve obtained everything I have here from many different realities.”
“How did you pay for it all?”
“I didn’t need to pay for all of it. There are some realities where everything is free so why not go there to go shopping especially with my wings?”
“So what do you do in the city?”
“Nothing too interesting. I talk to people, tell them what’s going on in other realities, and make friends.”
“You must be a popular person around here.”
“Ha, you could say that. I know everything that happens around here. Speaking of that, you should come with me to see this special event the ruler is having in the center of the city.”
“Since I got nothing better to do, I might as well.”
“Good. You’ll like it.”
Crowds of people gather to the center of the city along with Helen and Diana. Once there, Diana gets a bad feeling from what’s being said in the crowd along with the setup. From everything around her, it appears that everyone is here to watch an execution.
“Helen, are we honestly here to watch someone get killed?”
“No one dies here, Diana. You are only knocked unconscious no matter how bad your injuries get. You can lose your head and come alive the next day. I’ve seen it. When you’re unconscious because of heavy injuries, your soul be moved to either Heaven or Hell. That’s the only kind of “death” that exists here.”
“So that’s what we’re watching?”
“It is.”
Three people in chains step up on the stage in the center of the city followed by three executioners.
“Why are you showing me this?”
“Because you need to see how this reality works first hand.”
An announcer tells the audiences what the crimes of the guilty are. One person kept bringing people to other realities, another person acted out their own morality, and the last one is a girl who wanted to see what the inside of the castle was like but was caught. They are executed and by the power of the ruler, they are sent to this reality’s version of Hell.
“What is this version of Hell supposed to look like?” Diana asks Helen.
“It’s a frozen wasteland just like the bottom of the real Hell is said to be. The ruler of this reality is going through another rough patch since not that many people respect her. Everyone that lives here and those who just pass by here suffers because of that and are sent to Hell when she thinks they cross her. We have to do something about it.”
“But what am I going to do?”
“Follow me and I’ll show you.”
Once they’re far away from the crowd, Helen tells Diana about her plan.
“We’re going to dethrone that tyrant by sticking this through her head.”
Helen transforms her hand into a blade.
“But you’re the one who has to do it, Diana.”
“Why me?”
“Because you have the personality of a ruler. Your appearance says so. I can’t rule because that’s not my role in life. I wouldn’t even be good at it.”
“I thought this place allowed you to be anything you wanted without any restrictions.”
“I never said that. I don’t even want to be a ruler. I’ll be your advisor and we can rule for all eternity.”
“I don’t know about this. It’s too much!”
“Things are boiling over in this kingdom and someone is going to make a move whether it’d be another kingdom or a person from this reality. They could be worse than the current ruler and put even more innocent people in Hell. Are you going to risk that?”
“Would these people even accept me as their ruler?”
“They’d have your appearance, my approval, and the almost prophetic event of you dethroning the tyrant when things are at their worst. Trust me, they’d accept you.”
Diana takes a few moments to think before deciding, “I’ll do it.”
Helen hugs Diana while saying, “Thank you so much, Diana! You’re not going to regret this!”
“I hope not. Now how do I make my hand into a weapon?”
“Just will it.”
Diana wills her arm to be a blade and it transforms into a sharp scythe.
“That's a good choice for a weapon, Diana. Now follow me. The crowd should be dispersing, and the ruler should be heading back to her castle. We’ll meet her there and declare you queen from the castle’s balcony.”
“You really thought through this didn’t you?”
“I have, but I’ve been waiting for someone like you. Like I said, your appearance here is almost prophetic.”
Helen leads Diana to the kingdom’s castle. While heading to their destination, Diana catches Helen grinning at times. Helen appears to be holding back her excitement for her opportunity to become what she finally wanted to be. Once the two reach the castle gates, Helen waves at the guards and they let the two in. Diana feels uncomfortable about how comfortable Helen is. She walks around with a smile on her face while greeting the guards who appear to know her plan as well.
Diana asks Helen, “Do they know what’s going on?”
“Most of them do. That’s how bad things are here. It’s no wonder why her highness has been on edge recently when almost everyone talks about her eventual dethroning.”
“How long have you had this plan?”
“Long enough to get the castle guards on my side. Long enough to have the castle memorized like the back of my hand and have several backup plans for various situations in case Plan A doesn’t work.”
“What’s our plan exactly?”
“I’m going to talk to her while you move around her. Then, you’re going to stick your blade through her head. Remember, she won’t die, and you can send her to Heaven or Hell when she’s down.”
“Whew, okay.”
“You’re going to do fine.”
Diana and Helen make it to the throne room where they see the ruler of this reality executing several guards.
“Inpatient idiots,” Helen whispers to herself.
After sending the traitors to Hell, the ruler fixes her hair before putting on a smile and saying, “Oh Helen. I assume you came here to tell me about these traitors.”
Now that Diana has a closer look at the ruler she can see what she really looks like. The ruler has the appearance of a spider, which includes sharp razors coming out of her short dress and web-like stockings and gloves.
Helen bows then says, “Of course, but I didn’t doubt for a second that you couldn’t take care of them.”
“You thought right. Who is this with you? A friend?”
“A new friend, but don’t mind her. She just got here. I wanted her to see one of the best rulers of this dimension.”
Diana bows.
“And what is your name?”
“My name is Diana, your highness.”
“You can call me Princess Rachel or just Rachel when we’re not in public. I’m sure Helen has given you a good idea of what to expect from this dimension and this reality in particular?”
“She has. She’s incredibly helpful.”
“She is indeed. She’s one of the best information gathers around.”
“You are too kind to me, Rachel. I did want to tell you about more possible traitors in the kingdom and in this reality.”
“Fine, but should Diana be with us while we talk?”
“Definitely. The snakes on her body protect her from all attacks coming from all directions so I suggest keeping her close to you.”
“You are a deviously smart one, Helen. I’m sorry you have to be my body shield while we talk, Diana. I’ll make sure you are given whatever compensation you wish.”
“I don’t mind, Rachel. It’s an honor.”
Helen smiles at Diana for her good performance in selling her lie and Diana smiles back. As Helen and Rachel sit down in the throne room, Diana stands behind both of them, awaiting a signal of sorts from Helen to execute their plan.
Rachel says, “I’m glad that you take the time to think ahead so that I can rule this reality the way I want.”
“Your interests are mine after all.”
“So you were going to tell me about more traitors amongst us?”
The snakes on Diana’s body come to life and aim their heads at Rachel with their mouths open. Diana moves closer to Rachel and more snakes on her body awaken as if they know when to strike.
“Yes, traitors among us...like me.”
Diana’s snakes bite Rachel, which gives her the opportunity to put her blade through Rachel’s head. Her snakes let go of Rachel once they sense she’s out cold.
“Amazing work Diana! How did you control your snakes?”
“I didn’t. They just did everything by themselves.”
“They’re going to be a better asset to us than I previously thought then. Bring Rachel to the balcony. We have a new ruler to crown.”
Diana brings Rachel to the balcony. People start crowding around the castle as Helen flies around to gather them.
Helen lands next to Diana and says, “Gaze and bow to your new ruler. It is only her first day here and she has dethroned a tyrant ruler and freed us from her rule.”
Helen then turns to Diana and says, “You can now free or trap people in your Heaven and Hell now with your hands.”
Diana moves her hands around and takes out the innocent people she saw executed out of Hell.
“Watch as she grants mercy to those who had it stripped from them!” Helen says to the crowd, “But what will she do with Rachel?”
It takes her a second, but Diana decides to send Rachel to Heaven. People are in shock at this decision.
“Behold!” Helen says, “You wanted a merciful ruler and you have one! Just look at her! She has the appearance of a benevolent ruler who has appeared to us at a time of need. What more could you ask for?”
The crowd starts warming up to Diana. To truly get them to her side, Diana empties her reality’s Hell and puts them all in her Heaven. The crowd then cheers for Diana.
“All hail the new ruler! Queen Diana!” Helen declares.
Diana’s name is chanted as she is now the ruler of a reality. She feels powerful, important, and beautiful all at once. A smile comes to her face as she finally feels free for the first time in her life. Diana then raises her hand in a queenly way to the roaring applause of her kingdom.
Chapter 2 – First Taste of Power
Right after a short ceremony where Diana is recognized as queen, she gets to tailoring her own Heaven and Hell.
While deciding how both places should operate, she asks Helen, “Why did everyone cheer when I emptied Hell into Heaven?”
“Because you showed them that if anyone were to “die”, they would go to Heaven no matter how bad they acted. Everyone here in this dimension thinks they’re a good person, so they think they deserve nothing but the best.”
“Did I send anyone to Heaven that didn’t deserve it?”
“There were a few questionable people that I think we’re in Hell, but I wouldn’t let that bother you. I mean, has anything bad ever come out of Heaven?”
“The devil and his angels.”
“Then you better make sure they’re happy up there. Right now, it’s just a place where angels serve the inhabitants whatever they want. What are you going to make it?”
“It’s going to be a place where people can create and do whatever they want, however, it will only be in their minds so that there will be no conflict.”
“So Heaven is just going to be a dream? I like it. It will allow people to do what they want without interfering in each other’s dreams.”
“Do you know how I can change Heaven and Hell? I just winged it when I first tried.”
“You will it like how you willed people to and out of Heaven and Hell. Your right hand controls your Heaven and your left controls your Hell.”
As Diana wills her control over Heaven, her hand is lit on fire with a blue flame that doesn’t hurt her. She sees her Heaven change the way she wants it to and the happy people in it. They lie down in the completely white space while they live out their own Heaven in their minds with their faces mirroring the absolute bliss they are feeling.
“Now I’m going to make Hell the exact opposite of Heaven with everyone dreaming their own personal nightmare.”
“That’s a good choice as well. It will be just like the real Hell.”
Diana exerts her will on her Hell and it becomes a completely black void of a dimension where only suffering exists.
“There’s only one issue with the way you’ve made Heaven and Hell.”
“And what’s that?”
“Even though Hell is the way it should be, Heaven is a better place to live than here since you make people live out their greatest fantasies. People might “kill” themselves to get sent to Heaven.”
“I see your point. I’ll make it a crime punishable by being sent to Hell.”
“But how will you know if a person “killed” themselves to get to Heaven? What about if someone deserves to go to Heaven but everyone says they should go to Hell?”
“Both dimensions will show me the color of the person’s soul. If their soul is radiant, then they will go to Heaven. If their soul is too dull to see the light in it, then they will go to Hell.”
“Wisely planned.”
“You think so?”
“I do. Let’s see how the people take these changes.”
Diana and Helen publicly explain how Heaven and Hell will work along with the new rules on which souls go there. There is some talk among the crowd, but they eventually clap then cheer for Diana. Now that that’s done, Diana goes back into the castle and checks both her Heaven and Hell and separates those with a radiant soul and a dull soul. She also finds people with a soul that’s not too radiant but also not too dull. She brings these people “back” to life and instructs them to live a good life in order to go back to Heaven since their soul was neither radiant nor dull. Diana also tells them about the new rules. They accept and start their lives anew.
“Oh yeah, what is this kingdom called? You never told me,” Diana says.
“It has a forgettable name, so you can call it whatever you want,” Helen says.
“I’ll call my kingdom…Arcadia.”
“That name isn’t taken as far as I know, so it’s yours.”
“What are the names of other kingdoms?”
“Agartha, Asgard, Diyu, Muspelheim, and other names of mythological places that you can find in a book. People find these references to be appealing and yours is appealing as well.”
The next part of Diana’s schedule is to change the landscape of her island. She makes the surrounding forest lush with flowers, vegetation, and various other beautiful plants. Her people like the new change in scenery as it makes the island beautiful. It also attracts people from other realities to come and admire the new look to the island. It also gives merchants on the island a reason to come to Diana’s kingdom to trade and do business. Other rulers also come to the island and establish friendships with Diana.
Everything that’s needed to be done to solidify Diana’s power in this dimension appears to have been done in a matter of hours. It was morning when she started, and the time is now early in the afternoon. Curious about this, Diana asks Helen why this is.
Helen answers that, “Days and nights are longer in this dimension no matter how you change your reality. I’m impressed with how much you’ve done in this long yet short amount of time. Most rulers will change one thing at a time, but you’ve made a significant number of rulers notice you. I knew you’d be good as a ruler.”
“Really?”
“Just look outside. Look at how your kingdom is flourishing. Yesterday it lived in fear. Today it lives in happiness.”
“Then I guess I don’t need to do anything else.”
“That’s not so. We need to build a military. There is an infinite number of realities out there some of which are hostile to everyone or whoever isn’t allied with them. We need a military to defend our people from them.”
“Can I make a military the same way I manage this reality?”
“You can conjure your own soldiers, but they will eventually fade away in a matter of hours. You can infuse materials into the island for our citizens to mine in order to make weapons and armor. We also have leftover weapons and armor from the previous ruler, so we don’t need to worry about rushing our production.”
Diana sections off a part of her island that contains mineable materials that can create weapons and armor. These materials can be enchanted so that they can contain elemental powers. A good number of people volunteer to mine these materials, another number volunteer to be the blacksmiths, and an even bigger number volunteers to be the soldiers, which include soldiers who served under the previous ruler. Every citizen volunteers for a job for their ruler who they happily bow to. With all of this, Diana’s kingdom is now a true force to be reckoned with. She goes back to Helen to receive more instruction as to what she must also do. It is now late in the afternoon.
“Helen, is there anything else I have to do to ensure that my people are happy, and my kingdom is secure?”
“My glorious queen, you have done much to make your reality one of the best and your kingdom one of the mightiest. You are everything that I expected you to be.”
“Enough with the compliments. Just tell me what I need to do.”
“It should be noted that there are other ruthless and wicked rulers out there. We should use our military might along with our allies in order to bring the peace and happiness we enjoy here to others.”
“Was that part of your plan to begin with? Make someone a ruler and take over this dimension with them?”
“If you’re implying conquering hostile realities for a pure goal is a bad thing, then you got me wrong. This is something that can only benefit us.”
“I’m not going to do it. I ran away from home to escape conflict, worry, and being ruled.”
Helen’s expression has now soured from its once happy state, which she was in for a majority for the day.
“Whatever you say, my queen. Just keep what I said in mind.”
For the remainder of the day, Diana looks out at her kingdom. It gives her a sense of pride that she never felt before. Even though it’s not exactly what she envisioned herself as, being the queen of this reality makes her feel like she finally found her place. A place that treats her the way she wanted to be treated. A place where she can control her fate and where she can live comfortably. After watching her citizens living happily for a while, she decides to join them. Her citizens welcome her into their activities such as firework displays, games, and just being with each other. Once Diana finally tires herself out, she says goodbye to her citizens then goes back into the castle to sleep.
Helen wakes her up the next morning with startling news.
She says that, “The foreign kingdom called The Circus is attacking us!”
Diana leaps out of bed and looks outside her window to see her kingdom under siege. Her troops are defending the main gates, but the rest of the island is being destroyed. She then starts running to the front gates with Helen.
Along the way she asks her, “Why are they here?”
“They must’ve heard of you taking over this dimension and improving its condition in a single day. You made a huge impact on people and have attracted the attention of many people and kingdoms. I told you we should’ve used our military might. This wouldn’t have happened if you listened to me.”
“Then I will in the future now let’s help our forces out.”
“What? The queen is going to fight?”
“Yes. I’m a ruler, not a tyrant. Is there a problem with that?”
“Not at all as long as I can join.”
The joyful expression that was once on Helen’s face has now returned as she flies Diana to the frontlines to fight with their army. The allies Diana made yesterday quickly rush to her aid as the two fight the kingdom of The Circus. Diana’s snakes do most of the fighting and defending for her while she acts as an inspirational figure for her troops. The battle ends quickly, and the opposing forces retreat back to their reality.
“They aren’t so tough, are they?” Diana remarks.
“The Circus is a cunning kingdom. This was probably to test our fighting ability,” Helen says.
“I won’t stand for this! We’re taking them down.”
Her kingdom cheers for her along with her allies. It’s only day two of Diana’s time in this dimension and she’s already taken over a kingdom and started a war with another, and yet, there is still much for her to do.
Chapter 3 – Welcome to the Freakshow
With all of her allies together in a war room in Diana’s castle, Helen and she make a plan to get rid of The Circus. Helen debriefs everyone in the room with the information she has on the kingdom. She gives everyone pictures and maps from the kingdom and their many realities that they’ve taken over.
“The Circus is a kingdom ruled by their clown queen known as Sparks. She is the singular ruler of her kingdom that acts more or less like an actual circus. She has the freakiest people serving her and she allows them to do whatever they want as long as it serves to advance their kingdom. This allows them to be unpredictable, which is both a strength and weakness for them since they don’t always communicate with each other. Sparks especially likes attacking kingdoms who are proper and rule with authority. She prefers the rule of anarchy and the rule of self and tries to make everyone submit to that. In conclusion, the only thing we have to worry about is their unpredictability.”
“So all that’s predictable about them is their unpredictability?” Diana jokingly comments.
“Indeed, my queen. I suggest that we become unpredictable like them since they’re expecting predictability and a coherent strategy. Zane from the Kingdom of Titans knows this best.”
“I’ve tried various different strategies for trying to get rid of that insane kingdom,” Zane says, “Even when I combined forces with another kingdom, we couldn’t accountant for every plan they had. Maybe we have a chance with these many kingdoms attacking The Circus together with different plans.”
“What do the rest of you think?”
All of the rulers agree to Helen’s plan more or less. Most of them admit already having plans ready for attacking The Circus, but they never had much confidence in their plans until now.
“That’s good. If you need support, then don’t be afraid to join other kingdoms in their attack while also keeping to your original strategy. We can’t be picky about what each other is doing because we have a singular goal. Together we should destroy this band of freaks then afterward we can divide the realities. Agreed?”
Everyone in the room agrees then dismisses themselves. Diana and Helen stay in the room.
“You really think this is going to work?” Diana asks Helen.
“It should, in theory. I’ve been studying The Circus for months. If we take them out, then lesser kingdoms like them should submit to us.”
“The Circus doesn’t have any allies?”
“Not at all. No one but freaks are allowed to be part of their kingdom. Everyone who isn’t with them is destroyed and sent to their Hell. It’s why they’re intimidating to some kingdoms, but we’re not afraid of them, are you?”
“I can’t afford to be as queen of my kingdom.”
“That’s the right attitude. We should conquer as much of The Circus as possible to give our allies a good reason for us to keep a good portion of The Circus’ land.”
“Isn’t it better to give everyone an equal share?”
“Sure, but not in this scenario. We only have one reality, one island while they have more than we do. We need to get other realities or islands so we can become stronger and bigger through our own territory rather than constantly needing the assistance of our allies.”
“I see. That’s a sensible plan.”
“But you are the wisest one. Without you, this wouldn’t have been possible. Now, my queen, shall we go to war?”
“We shall.”
Helen gets all of their personal forces together and tells them their separate plan, however, once they set out, Helen takes Diana to a separate smaller boat only with a single rower who has the appearance of a doll.
Diana asks Helen, “What are we doing?”
“Acting unpredictable,” Helen answers.
“We’re acting crazy. I don’t think we can take down an entire island of clowns on our own.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Your snakes and willpower are enough to keep you safe. Unpredictability is key here remember?”
“That’s not enough to convince me this is going to work.”
“Then consider this. Dozens upon dozens of people have heard of you taking over a kingdom in the same day you came here. Sure, they knew I was planning it for almost a year, but for a girl to come here and just take and make her own kingdom and reality are as unpredictable and crazy as you can get. Some people in The Circus respect you for that and the island we’re going to is one of those places that respect you. I hope that you can convince them to turn on their ringmaster by doing an unpredictable thing like this.”
“I’m not sure about this.”
“Hey, you’ve been trusting me for the most part, right? All of it has led you to good fortune while going against it has hurt us.”
“Okay. I trust you.”
“Thank you, Diana. You’ll see this’ll work.”
They depart, and Helen instructs the rower which way to go.
Along the way, Diana asks Helen, “Why didn’t you just fly us there? I’m sure it’s faster and stealthier than a lone boat.”
“Because of our friend here. He has an enhanced special ability like your snakes in case something goes wrong.”
“And that would be?”
“You’ll see. I’ll give you it as well later since I figured out a way to enhance our special abilities.”
“You can do that?”
“I can. I tested on myself first since I was pretty sure it couldn’t kill me.”
Helen turns invisible along with the boat and everyone on it.
“Wow, this is amazing!”
“I am indeed,” Helen says before making everyone visible again, “Besides being a master informant and strategist, I’m also an experienced alchemist. I can only hold that invisibility for so long, so we can’t abuse this power. We also need to keep it to ourselves, so we have a secret advantage against all kingdoms.”
“When am I getting an improvement like yours?”
“When the time is right. The formula has to sit for a while before it can be used. I’m just as curious to see what kind of improvement it’ll give you.”
“You don’t know?”
“Not at all, but I know from my tests that it can only be something good though we can only have one improvement. This formula doesn’t have any effects past that.”
“We’re coming up on the island,” the soldier says before Helen cloaks the boat and everyone again.
They dock their boat far from civilization on the island.
“Stay with the boat,” Helen says to the soldier, “Get rid of anyone who notices it or you.”
“Roger.”
“Diana, come with me. We’re going to make a first good impression with our new allies.”
“Okay.”
Diana and Helen move through the forest to get to the city that’s on this island. Diana still has worries about Helen’s plans, but she knows that no matter what she asks her, she’ll just ask Diana to trust her, so she keeps quiet until they get near the city walls.
Helen says, “You’re going to have to look confident and let me do the talking.”
“Don’t I always?”
“Just be ready for a fight if this doesn’t go according to plan.”
Despite not feeling confident at all, Diana walks into the city with Helen with a confident look as if she already owns the place. The citizens watch in awe as they stroll through the city. An enemy ruler and her advisor heading into their territory by themselves confuse them while also instilling some sense of respect for their enemy in them. The two head into the barracks of The Circus’ soldiers.
Helen announces, “Here is the ruler of your enemy. She has just walked into your city by herself as if your forces pose no threat to her. Do you really think you can stand up against a woman who possesses such bravery? Draw your weapons if you think you can.”
Stunned by their confidence, the soldiers smile and laugh at the two.
One of them says, “I like your style lady. I think I’d rather serve under you. Who else is with me?”
The rest of the soldiers agree. Soon after, the city celebrates its new ruler though it isn’t official yet since the real ruler of this island hasn’t been defeated. The soldiers here go out in their boats to attack their old allies while Helen and Diana head off to a different island. Again, Helen cloaks the boat as they dock themselves in a safe spot away from any populated areas on the island.
“This place is prone to violence from what I’ve seen, so expect a fight,” Helen says to Diana as they get off the boat.
“I’m ready for it if you are.”
“I doubt we’ll need to fight with our friend here. Are you ready?”
The soldier says, “I’m ready ma’am.”
“Good. Activate your enhanced ability.”
The doll-looking soldier changes his body into one with sharp protruding edges from all parts of his body. The man becomes a living weapon as it looks like every part of his body could kill someone.
“Go ahead of us. We’ll cover your blind spots,” Helen commands.
“Forgive me for saying so, but I don’t think I need help. I don’t have any blind spots.”
The living weapon heads off to the city and its surrounding defense points.
“See Diana? This is just one of our soldiers. Everyone else is just as good or even better than him.”
“Is the formula ready for me yet?”
“Oh, yeah it should be.”
Helen injects Diana with a syringe filled with a red oozing liquid. It gives Diana a weird feeling in her legs and her snakes react to it by hissing at everything.
“It’s going to take a little while to kick in, but it should work when you need it. Let’s go back up our friend in the meantime.”
Once they join their soldier in their assault, they see that the soldier has already torn through the outer and inner defenses of the city. They make it to him just in time to take out a few soldiers who weren’t a threat to their enhanced soldier.
One of the enemies gets up after the battle is over and says, “That was amazing!”
He and his fellow comrades cheer and say the same as well as if the battle didn’t affect them.
He continues by saying, “I hadn’t had a fight like that in a long time. We shall serve you from now on!”
“Good,” Diana says, “If you’re hungry for more fighting, then go out and fight against your former allies.”
“We will reward you with the power we have given our soldiers,” Helen adds.
Their new allies energetically agree before heading out to battle where Helen instructs them to. They then head out to their final destination.
While they are traveling, Helen tells Diana that, “The place that we were at contained the most skilled and the strongest soldiers in The Circus’ army.”
“It didn’t seem like it.”
“That’s because of our friend here and our own natural abilities. The next place we are going to is the capital island of The Circus, Arkham.”
“What? Already?”
“Is that so surprising when you look at the strength of just one of our soldiers?”
“Not really, but the sneak attack by The Circus made me think this was going to be a long war.”
“Wars aren’t fought for very long here since people have more energy and power in this dimension. Plus, the days are longer.”
“Makes sense. Why are we headed towards the capital? Are our other forces there already?”
“They shouldn’t be. Even if they finished their tasks, I instructed them to hold their islands because I want you to take out Sparks.”
“Again, I have to take out another ruler.”
“And again, the entire dimension will look at you with respect, honor, and even a hint of fear. We continuously build up our power and status, so that no kingdom will dare raise their hand against us. If they see how strong you are, then they’ll think twice about even attempting to assassinate you.”
“I get it. Did I ever tell you how smart you are?”
“No, but you should anyway. I don’t hear it enough.”
“I know what that’s like.”
The two girls laugh a bit before they reach Arkham.
“Okay, Diana. You should be able to activate your enhanced ability now,” Helen says.
“Alright.”
Diana wills the inner power within her and the snakes on her body go into her body. Her hair is now normal, and her silky red dress is more visible now. The snakes come together and transform her legs into the slithering body of a snake with a large head at the tip. It lets out a loud hiss at the city in the center of the island.
“This thing is incredible,” Diana says.
“Aren’t I? Well, what are you waiting for? You lead the charge while we back you up,” Helen says before turning invisible and the doll soldier going back to his living weapon form.
“Here we go.”
Diana, in her new form, charges towards the capital city. Her snake plows through the many defenses set around the city and breaks through the main gate as if it were made of paper. The citizens and soldiers fear her even though some do try to fight. Diana’s touch is now poisonous, and parts of her snake’s skin let out miniature snakes that infest the city and destroys Diana’s enemies. Helen incapacitates enemy soldiers in the shadows while the living weapon plows through any defenses Diana missed. Diana then slithers her way to the front of the castle where Sparks is waiting for her. Sparks is a young woman with the same right eye as Diana, but she has a pink club in her left eye that's blue. She wears a clown-like outfit that's colored pink and blue and her hair is like cotton candy.
“That’s a neat ability you got there. Do you think you can tell me where to get one?” Sparks says with a wanting smile.
“Not a chance. Not after you attacked my city,” Diana coldly says.
“That’s a shame. This isn’t fair without my own power-up.”
“I don’t care.”
“If I’m going down, I might as well embarrass you before I do.”
Diana tries to attack Sparks, but she dodges her attacks and her snakes. Sparks moves like a ballerina or a trapeze artist as she moves through Diana’s onslaught of attacks. Sparks lightly bops Diana on the head a couple times and laughs while doing so before Diana’s snakes catch on to Sparks movements and bite her. They paralyze her with their poison, which finally defeats the clown ruler of The Circus. Now that Diana has defeated Sparks, she looks into her soul then sends the girl to Hell. Her subjects give up the fight and the capital island of Arkham bows to Diana.
Because of how proficient Diana’s army was during the war, they claim fifteen of the twenty islands/realities that were owned by The Circus with her allies dividing the other five between themselves. Helen crowns lower rulers for each island so that she nor Diana need to micromanage the islands. As soon as Diana and Helen get back home, they set up a celebration for all of their allies and citizens. The celebration happens at night with all of Diana’s islands lit up as if all of the islands were miniature suns. During the long celebration, Diana sits down by herself in the center of her capital city and watches her happy citizens and allies have fun.
Helen sits by Diana and says, “You’ve earned yourself a great title in this dimension. There isn’t a person for miles who hasn’t heard your name. You have the respect of hundreds of millions of people.”
“You’ve earned that as well you know. I wouldn’t be here without you.”
“Aww, you jest, but I guess I do share in the glory and fame.”
“So what do we do now?”
“We can’t rest yet. There’s another war to fight.”
“What?”
“To obtain unimaginable strength and respect in this dimension, we must take on an entire kingdom with their allies by ourselves. I sent a part of our army to declare war on The Pack, a rabid group of individuals known for their strength and respect for it. If we beat them and their allies, we can rest for as long as we want.”
“Are you nuts?”
“Far from it. Besides, what reason do you have to doubt our army’s strength after seeing what we’ve done?”
“I guess you’re right. I’m sorry for thinking you’re crazy Helen.”
“It’s fine. I would have the same reaction you did. Be sure to get up bright and early tomorrow morning. We have over fifty islands to conquer.”
“Oka-What?!”
Chapter 4 – On the Edge of Overdosing
Diana wakes up early in the morning and readies herself for another war. She looks out from her balcony and sees her expansive territory and islands under her control. She plays with the looks of the other islands to give them a unique but similar look to her capital island and she can see the people appreciate her for that. Helen enters her room while Diana does this.
“Oh, good morning Helen.”
“Good morning Diana. I can see that you’re fixing your other islands. That’s a great thing to do to increase your reputation as a gracious queen.”
“I do have my moments I guess. Are we ready?”
“Yes, we are. I got up earlier than you did to fly around to the different islands to tell them what our plans are. The individual rulers should be getting their forces together now. The ex-Circus citizens were especially excited to be able to fight again since they have new enhanced abilities.”
“Then I guess it’s our time to head off.”
“After you.”
Like yesterday, Helen and Diana head out on their own, but this time, it’s just the two of them.
“We aren’t bringing any kind of backup?” Diana asks.
“The Pack respects individual strength more than collective. I arranged a meeting between you and their leader, Mina to fight.”
“If we’re fighting the leader right off the bat, then this will an even quicker war than the last.”
“It’s not just going to be a test of strength. It’s a series of challenges.”
“What kind?”
“You’ll see.”
“You don’t know?”
“No, but I’m sure we’ll get through them. They don’t know about our special abilities, so let’s keep them secret until we absolutely need them.”
“Got it.”
Diana and Helen fly to an island called The Proving Grounds by its inhabitants. It’s an island with separate areas that appear to hold different challenges ready for Diana and Helen. Helen lands them in an area where Nina and her citizens are waiting for her. She has the appearance of a dog with pointy ears and even a tail. Her hair and short outfit are brown along with her eye that has the symbol of a spade in it though she does have the same star in her eye as everyone else.
Nina's eyes almost seem to scan the two before she says, "Welcome to our proving ground Diana. I heard you're the wonder woman of your kingdom."
"That's true though I've never heard anyone call me that," Diana says.
"It's the title people have been giving you. Tell me, why did you want to go to war with me?"
"To earn the fear and respect of everyone in this dimension so that they know I'm not someone to mess with."
"I can respect you on that goal alone. You could've just become allies with me."
"But that wouldn't get people's attention as much. Besides, what are your forces compared to mine? They should've taken over a couple of your islands by now."
"I can see that through my ruler's eyes. They're definitely something else. They've already taken over five of my islands and a few islands held by my allies. No wonder why The Circus had trouble with you, but we are not The Circus. You won't take me on through strength alone."
"You have challenges for me, right?"
"That's right, and they aren't physical challenges. Well, one of them is. The three challenges I have test your mind, spirituality, and fighting skill. If you pass them, you can take over this kingdom of mine."
"Deal."
"Let's start with the test of the mind then shall we?"
The area around them encapsulates everyone in it. Little sparkles of light fall from the encapsulation ceiling and gives everyone a kind of peace of mind.
"Are you ready?" Nina asks.
"I'm ready," Diana replies.
"Good."
A scholarly looking girl walks in between them with a book.
She asks them, "As iron sharpens iron, another person sharpens another. Why is this?"
Diana answers, "Each person tests each other's skills and shows them where they need to improve."
Nina answers, "Because both people test their skills against an opponent that will show them the results of their training."
"Next question," the girl says, "To live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often. Why?"
They answer in the same order.
"No one is perfect in the present, so it is important to always change often so that you can constantly improve yourself."
"Things that do not change grow stale and eventually wither away. That is why to change and become better to adapt to your ever-changing environment."
"Final question. The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost. Why?"
"Because if you couldn't lose something, then you'd never have to worry about it. It wouldn't concern you at all and there would be no reason to give it special attention."
"It's just like how life is here in this dimension. No one thinks twice about how valuable life is anymore since you can't actually be killed. We just use our civilians as tools and soldiers as weapons rather than treat them like the human beings that are."
What Nina said bothers a part of Diana. She never truly thought about how her citizens and soldiers really feel since they seem to be happy to serve her. The people who served Rachel, the previous ruler, also seemed happy at first until the queen turned her back. Diana reminds herself to repay her citizens in some big way when this war is over.
"Onto the next challenge," Nina says as the ceiling surrounding the area disappears along with the feeling it gave.
Confused, Diana asks, "What? Who won this challenge?"
"We'll see after the last challenge. Follow me to the next area."
Everyone goes to the next challenge area silently. It appears that Nina and her citizens look like they know they're going to win because of their calm demeanors. Diana looks over to Helen who nods and smiles to signal that's she's doing fine. Diana nods and smiles back though she still feels nervous. The next area they reach is clothed in dark and white light with the grass in the field dying and coming to life in a matter of seconds. This time a magician separates the two and their supporting party.
The magician says, "These two must take their tests separately in a different place. Their souls will determine if they win or lose this challenge."
She then transports the both of their minds to separate places within Nina's dimension. Diana appears in a white area with a single formless person in it. The person takes the form of both of her parents.
They say, "We love you, Diana. Do you love us?"
"Shut up!" Diana yells back at them, "You never loved me!"
The snakes from Diana body attack her parents and cut them in half. They quickly come back together and the formless being makes itself into Helen.
She says, "You always blindly trust me even when I tell you half-truths. You're nothing but a puppet I use to achieve my own goals."
"Liar!"
Again, Diana's snakes split apart the formless being and again, it reforms itself. This time it becomes her troops and civilians. They bow and appear to worship her. Statues of Diana erect themselves out of nothing around her. Someone behind her pulls her onto its lap and she turns her head to find a man who is dressed in snakes like her. He's a handsome man who sits upon a throne made of the bones of a dragon. She lays her smiling face on his chest as he puts his arms over her. She is then transported from this place back to the proving area. An overwhelming sense of guilt fills Diana once she returns. She looks at Nina who appears to be at peace with herself.
Nina turns to look at Diana and asks, "What? You look like a guilty dog."
Nina's citizens smirk and Helen begins to worry as it appears that Diana has lost this challenge. Diana can now feel the darkness within her soul and worries if she's actually been wrong about running away from home to begin with. She isn't sure if Nina is at peace with the darkness within herself or if her soul is somehow better than Diana's.
"Let's go to the final challenge," Nina says.
"R-right," Diana quietly mumbles before following Nina and her people to the next area.
Helen puts her hand on Diana and whispers, "What happened?"
"I don't know. I just feel terrible."
"That's a good thing, right? If you feel guilty, that means you still have a healthy conscience. Nina must not feel any guilt at all that cold-hearted tart. She's known to break people with these challenges. The condition you're in is the best I've seen people in after they take the second challenge. You're going to win."
"I hope so."
The final challenge area is a simple gated arena. The two queens enter it and are instructed to fight each other. A simple fight to the "death" to see who the more powerful ruler is. The two begin to fight. Nina’s fighting style is very martial arts heavy and is better than Diana’s who lets her snakes do most of the fighting. Since she’s already on edge because of the second challenge, Diana uses her enhanced ability and shocks everyone except for Helen of course. Nina is no match for Diana’s gigantic snake and the small snakes that come from its body, which leads to her defeat. The large snake constricts Nina’s poison, paralyzed body and gives Diana the power over Nina’s kingdom. Everyone but Helen is stunned by what happened.
Helen flies over to Diana and announces, “Do you not see who the victor is? Bow down to your true queen!”
Nina’s citizens bow down to Diana as she gains another kingdom. Diana sends Nina to her Heaven to see what her soul looks like and it turns out that Nina’s soul is brighter than every other soul in Heaven. Feeling guilty, she takes Nina out of her Heaven and puts her on one of her new islands to live out her life. There’s another big celebration held for Diana and her forces because of her victory. Her allies are more thankful they’re on her side as she has the most territory out of the closest known kingdoms and the most power. Helen now has the kingdom where she wanted it, so it can flourish and be protected by his high status. Diana enjoys her big celebration for the most part, but she goes to sleep early, still haunted by what the second challenged revealed to her.
Chapter 5 – Restoration
Even though Diana went to sleep early yesterday, she didn’t sleep at all. A thousand thoughts were racing through her mind for the entire night. She thought about leaving the dimension, but she wasn’t sure if she could. She wasn’t even sure if she could escape Helen because she is always with her and checks on her. It’s obvious that Helen wants Diana to stay in this dimension forever as the ruler of her kingdom for her own goals, but Diana hasn’t exactly figured out what Helen’s goals are. Helen appears to just want to be a good advisor to a ruler who will listen to her sound advice and thoughtful strategies so that she can live in a great kingdom. But that can’t be all of it, Diana thinks to herself. There’s always something that Helen leaves out before telling her to do something else. It’s always something bigger and ridiculous sounding.
Speaking of the devil, Helen lets herself into Diana’s room. She sees that Diana is still preoccupied with her thoughts, so she lays down on her bed with her.
She says, “Already enjoying the eternal peace you’ve earned?”
“I guess. Why? You’ve got something else for me to do.”
“If you want.”
“Figures.”
“Hey, you’ve been making good decisions. Why stop now? I mean you can enjoy this peace we’ve achieved, but who knows if someone’s going to be crazy enough to attack our wonderful kingdom? Why don’t you make sure that doesn’t happen?”
“Jeez, what am I going to have to do?”
“Just say yes to a king we’re going to join forces with.”
“First you wanted me to start wars and now you want me to make allies?”
“This isn’t any kind of alliance here. It will spread back to the normal world and the peace we enjoy here will be there as well.”
“Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
“How do you know this is true?”
“Because of how much power this king has. You’ll be amazed by what he can do. He’s also handsome, so there’s that too.”
“Alright, I’ll go make an alliance.”
“This is the last major decision you’ll ever make. After that, you don’t need to worry about anything else anymore.”
“You better be right.”
“What have I been telling you since the very beginning?”
“Okay, I trust you.”
“Thank you, Diana.”
Helen flies Diana to a flowery kingdom. Every island is filled with every kind of flower and the cities are beautifully built. It seems that this kingdom has been here for a long while with how ancient the buildings look though age has only made their look more aged and imposing. The two fly up to a white castle that almost reaches the skies. Everything inside the castle looks heavenly and the guards are dressed like angels. They lead Diana to the king while Helen stays and flirts with the king’s officials. Once Diana enters the throne room, her heart stops as she sees the king. He’s dressed in snakes like her and sits upon a throne made of the bones of a dragon.
The king stands up with a smile and takes Diana’s hands. Even though she feels uncomfortable, she also feels in love in a strange way.
He says to her, “Be my queen, Diana, and you shall inherit the earth.”
“I…I don’t know.”
“Marry me, Diana. You’ll have more than you can imagine. Our child will bring peace to the world and judgment upon the people you hate.”
“I…I can’t!”
Diana breaks away from the king and storms outside the room. She quickly runs away and out of the castle without telling Helen. The snakes on her body try to make her go back into the castle and she resists. The king walks outside the castle with his arms open to receive Diana. Desperate, Diana cuts off the snakes from her body then lets the gravity of this dimension pull her away from the island.
Because of her rejection of her snakes, she loses the powers she once held as a ruler. She can no longer control her Heaven or Hell, nor can she see her other islands. Scared of what’s happening, she decides to leave this dimension. She doesn’t know where she is going and only hopes that the dimension’s gravity will somehow take her in the right direction.
The once lively islands turn black and the armies of the king fly after Diana. She can see Helen among their numbers and she is furious. Diana’s powers are gone, and she is outnumbered. There doesn’t appear to be any hope for her until a light ignites itself within her soul. She remembers a prayer her family told her to say in her mind when she was in trouble and she prays it. When she finishes saying it, the light within her explodes and creates a shield of light around her. The gravity stops pulling her from right to left and begins to reverse. The barrier of light pushes through the dense army without slowing down. Another light barrier joins Diana with Nina in it.
“Nina? How did you-”
“I’ve been trying to escape being queen for weeks now. I have to thank you for relieving me of my duties and letting me live. Those people did not let me leave.”
“Y-you’re welcome. Did they try to marry you off to a king dressed in snakes too?”
“I’ve heard about him wanting the perfect dark bride, but I kept myself pure. You were probably the one he’s been waiting for this entire time, but now he’ll have to wait even longer for another like you. I’m glad you saved yourself.”
“Where are you from?”
“Why?”
“Because I want to be friends when we get out of this.”
Nina tells Diana where she’s from and it happens to be not too far from where she lives. They promise to see each other after they escape, and they do eventually make it to the hole in the cliff they came out of. Both of them make it through while the king and his army cannot go through. Nina completely disappears while Diana’s body changes back to normal. She emerges from the cave and back into reality. Diana looks around then back to the cave and sees that the statue of the Blessed Mother is restored. She says a quick prayer before turning around to see the dog she injured. Even though she hurt it, it isn’t afraid of her nor does it hate her. It senses the light within her soul and licks her hands. She picks the dog up and heads back home.
When she gets home, Diana’s family hugs her. They ask if she’s okay and what happened to the dog. She says it got hurt because of her. The dog’s owners and her family reassure her that the dog doesn’t mind risking his life for her since he loves everyone. Taking another look at the boy she’s supposed to marry, the two look at each other while blushing. She decides to give the boy a chance. While the two are out together in the town, a little girl with brown hair, eyes, and clothes approaches them. The girl is familiar to Diana while Diana is familiar to the girl.
Diana asks, “Nina?”
“Diana?”
“It’s you!” both of them say.
“Hello Nina,” the boy says, “Are you a friend of Diana?”
“You could say that. Who would you be?”
“He’s the man my family wants me to marry. I figured I’d give him a chance. It can’t be any worse than my other option.”
The two girls laugh while the boy is confused.
“I’m sorry. Was there another man after you?”
“It’s something between us. I guess I better leave you two alone then,” Nina says.
“We should get together sometime. Maybe you can teach me some of your martial arts skills.”
“I will and this time I’ll beat you. You won’t have your snakes to back you up this time.”
The two girls laugh again with the boy confused again. They tell each other a day and place to meet up again and part ways for now. From now on, Diana decides to listen to others before herself. To think before acting, and to love before hating.
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