[ IN WHICH SHE REVISITS THE NIGHT OWL CLUB ] A famous actor named, Joaquin Phoenix once said— “I’ve been in clubs. I don’t like being in an enclosed place with really loud music, and a lot of drunk people. It’s not my idea of a good time. It’s just a miserable life.” Well, that is him. I, November Starkey, I am a different person. People also say that a man's poison is another man's meat. What is bad for Joaquin may not be bad for me. I have also been to clubs, and it almost destroyed me, but that was because I went into the infamous Nightlife as a minor. Now, I am grown, and no longer a minor. I can handle my liquor. I am smarter now. So, in this case, I will use a famous adage by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, which says, “what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.” This Nightlife style of living I have indulged myself into will make me stronger. At dawn, I will walk out of the club a brand new person. I will let go tonight. Nightlife will change me.What is the N

[ IN WHICH SHE WALLOWS ] I am currently sitting in a bar. The Night Owl bar is a safe distance from the club, yet I am tempted by the sounds of music and the excited squeals of the clubbers. The sounds coming from the next room constantly reminds me of my moments with Marcus. I try my best to concentrate on the interior décor of the bar; maybe that can get my mind off things. The Night Owl Club is a very successful business, and hence, a massive building. They have an exotic bar in the same building where the club has been built. I am not supposed to be found anywhere near here as I am underage by the law, but here I am. We don’t all follow the rules, now do we? Rules are made to be broken, anyways. Apart from the law restricting me from this bar, the truth is, I should never be found here. I can barely hold my liquor, and that can get me into a lot of problems. But it is too late. I already had a drink at the bar.“Hey,” I say, calling a hot bartender over. “I need another drink.

[ IN WHICH SHE REUNITES WITH A FRIEND AND HIS WOODEN BOWL ] “I am taking you back to Alkhemi.” Silence falls upon us as those words are said by Luca. We both stare at each other in the quiet, dark building. The tranquil, night sky lays over us, pulling the sounds of crickets and other dangerous insects around us. If it weren’t for the bonfire, I wouldn’t be able to see the troubled look on Luca. It seems as though his life depends on this— on taking me back to Alkhemi. “Take me back.” The words sound weirder on my tongue, impossible even. “And how are you going to do that?” Luca huffs. His chest rises and falls as he tries to keep his emotions under control. “What does it look like I am doing?” He points at the dead body. “Opening a portal to another realm doesn’t come easy; it has to come with a sacrifice; a price to pay, especially when you’re a lower celestial being. So, you’re welcome.” I scoff. “You’re welcome?” I quote him. “You think you are my hero? For killing an innoc

[ IN WHICH SHE CHOOSES ] There are a lot of problems with love. And my love? The problem with it? It is every single problem you can think of. There are millions of things wrong with my love, aside from the fact that we have both killed each other at one point. But despite all the problems that my love has brought me, I can confirm that there are precious moments with my love. However, the problems outweigh the precious moments. And still, I wouldn't leave. I won't change anything; I want it this way. I am blinded by love. That, right there, is the major problem.Luca shifts his weight onto one foot. “Okay, I am going to ask that question again, assuming you didn’t hear that question correctly the first time.” His confused gaze is centered on the wooden bowl in my hands. “King Sin or King Rome?” I swallow. To him, I appear nervous and uncertain. Little does he know that my answer will not change. Ever.“King S—” Luca doesn’t let me complete his name. “Are you out of your mind?

warning: this chapter of The King's Maiden is marked mature as it contains vivid descriptions of gore, violence and war. viewer discretion is advised.[ IN WHICH SHE IS AT WAR ]War.That is the first thing I wake up to after the supposed "sex dream". A scar of bright light hangs in the bat-black sky as a sea of wounded people run past me while I lay face-up on the sand. A gash of radiant light breaks through the cauldron-black sky seconds after, and it seems as though there's something hidden in the clouds, creating these ruptures of moonstone-yellow lights. The adrenaline rush fills me when I hear the screams of people and creatures running helter skelter. With my brown eyes wide in fear, I quickly hurry to my feet. A teary gasp leaves my lips when I scan round the townsquare. The effluvium of death is all around me now. The entire area where the townsquare and market had previously been has been baptised in blood and the bitter, mordant perfume of corpses emanates from it. A hand