The False Curse Chapter One:


Don’t hook up at the Casino
“Ante up” said the dealer
The setting was a brightly lit casino, riddled with people. It was a high-quality place; all of its attendants throwing money around like it were garbage. One man in particular was placing bets like he owned the world, exhuming style from is tailor-made suit, to his custom Louis Vuitton socks. However even he paled in comparison to the girl sitting next to him. Beautiful was an understatement. Her light brown eyes betrayed several different races; Iranian, Chinese, Hawaiian, and so on. However, it was hard to actually determine which one she was. Her pink evening gown managed to be modest and tasteful, an effort considering she was surrounded by women exposing more skin than cloth in hopes of a good time. But she remained separated. Lost in a sea of her own distinction. The man at the table made no attempt to hide his attraction. Throughout the game he stared at her, eyeing her up and down like he could see right through her. Well, right through her clothes anyway. She had him in a trance, captivated with her.
“Sir, are you doing okay?” asked the dealer, snapping the man back to reality. He shook his head once and answered:
“Yeah, I’m fine” focusing back on his cards. He shot off a quick glance in her direction, trying to be inconspicuous, but alas to no avail. The girl smiled flirtatiously
“Maybe you’d have better luck if you stared at your cards as much as me” she said playfully. The man didn’t say a word. Instead he offered her a smile and returned his attention to the game
“What would you like to do?” asked the dealer
The man smiled and said “All In”
You could not tell by his face, but his hand was horrible. His true motives were clear. He wanted this game over.
“Call” said the girl with a small smile.
They both laid their cards down. The girl beat him soundly. Her smile got even wider, as she pulled all the chips towards her
“Do you want to play again?” asked the man, also smiling despite his defeat “Or would you prefer something a little more fun?” he said
“What are you getting at?” she asked inquisitively
“I have a suite upstairs” he said, “And I’m lonely” he said with a pout
The girl appeared to be taken aback.
“Why sir, are you inviting me to your room to conduct coatis?” she asked, sarcastically shocked
“Basically” said the man bluntly. The girl smiled, as if this was her intention all along.
“Where’s your suite?” she asked seductively
“Follow me” he said as he grabbed her hand and led her to the back of the casino. There was an open elevator waiting for them, into which they walked inside. The man pressed the button that read 50, and the elevator shot up. After a few seconds, it reached its destination, but the door wouldn’t open. The girl looked confused
“You need a key” explained the man, as he took a plastic card out of his pocket and slid it into a slot. The elevator door opened and on the other side was a palace. Well, not a palace but with the extravagancy the hall held, you would think the queen lived there. White Tiles covered the floor, so pristine that they accented the room’s brilliance. The walls were covered with a dark shade of purple, with gold lettering spelling out the term “MTG” at the very top. A great chandelier hung from the ceiling casting iridescent light everywhere, and twin staircases led up to the second floor. The girl was in complete awe, her brain not even able to comprehend the elegance of the room she was in. The man noticed this and took a minute to gloat.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” he asked confidently “Didn’t spare a single penny”
“It’s amazing” said the girl in admiration. As she stared at the hall, the man continued to stare at her, only this time with a lust in his eyes, a stare similar to the look of a hunter when he knows his prey is at his mercy.
“Would you like to see the bedroom?” asked the man softly.
The girl nodded her head. He took her hand and led her up the steps into a room. Although it was not as extravagant as the entrance, it was still a direct picture of just how rich the man was. Centering the room, was a king sized bed, covered in inviting blue silk, that looked like it had just been washed. Now it would need to be washed again.
“You know, you never told me your name” said the man. He took a seat in an easy chair, resting in the corner of his room. He sat with a confidence and power of a king.
“It’s Laila” said the girl “Laila Mowla”
“What an exquisite name!” said the man “Very beautiful” Befitting for a fair creature such as you” he said with enriched enthusiasm. Laila blushed.
“Thank You. That’s so sweet. And what do they call you?” she asked
“My name is Maximillion” said the man with a pompous hand flourish, implying he was extremely proud of this fact.
“No last name?” asked Laila confused
“Not one you should concern yourself with” he said dismissively. Laila rolled her eyes
“Whatever. Do you have somewhere for me to change? These clothes are uncomfortable” she said with a smile. Only this one looked forced. For some reason the tension in the room had increased from none at all to a point where it could be cut with a knife.
“Over there,” he said gesturing towards a tall black door in the wall
“Thanks” said Laila as she opened it and went inside, leaving Maximillion alone in his room.
“You know, Laila, there’s something I like to do before I sleep with any woman” he called from his chair
“What’s that?” she asked
“I call it the secret game” he said. As he spoke, a long staff appeared in his hands. At the top was a large blood-red orb, with a claw underneath it. He pointed it straight at the door. This man was obviously more than he let on.
“You wanna play?” he asked with a twisted smile on his face
“Sure, I’ll try anything once” said Laila. His smile only got bigger. The red orb on his staff started to glow
“You have to tell me one secret Laila. Something you’ve never revealed to anybody” said Maximillion “Something Deep Seated”
“That’s a little weird, but okay” said Laila reluctantly “A deep secret, huh …… Oh wait! I Know” she exclaimed happily
“Yes?” he asked with the enthusiasm of a child offered candy. There was a short pause as if Laila was still considering if she should reveal her secret or not. Then finally, she spoke
“I’m afraid of bats” she said
There was another pause. Maximillion had a surprised look on his face. He couldn’t believe what he was heard. He was using his staff to cast a spell on Laila that would make her tell him anything he wanted. However, she had some training in magical resistance as it had no effect. Maximillion’s suspicions were confirmed. Laila was not human, and he was most likely walking straight into a trap
“Isn’t it your turn now?” asked Laila. The sound of her voice interrupted his train of thought. But he knew what he had to do.
“Ah yes” he said “I guess it is”
“So what’s your secret?” asked Laila
“My secret…….. Is that I hate Deva!!!” he yelled. As he spoke he loosed a bolt of energy, from the tip of his staff. The blue sphere sped towards the door, crackling as it flew. It collided with the door, and set off a huge explosion destroying the bathroom
“BOOOOOOOOOM” the impact could be felt all over the building
“And If I don’t like it, It doesn’t get to live” said Maximillion, as he got out of his chair. Somehow, he had transformed after the blast. His once light green eyes were now a dark red. His teeth had each gained a sharp edge to them. He looked more like a monster than a person. He walked over to the remains of the bathroom to inspect the wreckage, but there was no body. The singed floor was covered in splintered wood and water from broken pipes, but no Laila. Her only remains were her dress and shoes.
Maximillion looked around
“Where are you little girl?” he asked. His face was reminiscent of a shark’s on the hunt for food.
“EEEHHH” squeaked a board behind him
“There you are!!” he exclaimed as hr spun around and loosed another bolt towards his chair. It was obliterated on contact, but no Laila.
Maximillion swore. He walked out of the tattered remains of what used to be his bathroom.
“Don’t destroy your nice house just for me” said Laila’s voice. It was hard to pinpoint, as it sounded like it was echoing across the room.
“I wouldn’t have to, if you just showed yourself” said Maximillion tiredly
“Look up” she said flatly.
Maximillion obeyed. Sure enough there on the ceiling, stood Laila. Well, at least a person that looked like Laila. This girl was different. Her ears had points instead of curves, and her light brown eyes, had become a deep shade of purple with the depiction of an ouroborus in each of her irises. Instead of the dress she discarded, she now had on a pair of jet black tights and a striped sweater. Instead of her heels, she wore a pair of cream colored vans. In her hands, she held two folded fans that appeared to be made of metal.
“I think you looked better before” said Maximillion flatly
Laila just shrugged her shoulders, something that looked completely abnormal given that she was upside down.
“I could say the same for you. You look like shark week gone bad” she said with a nonchalant smile. Maximillion chuckled.
“Die for that!”He yelled. This time he thrust his palm out and a huge ball of fire loosed itself from his hand. Laila descended, just narrowly dodging the fire bolt by inches. She landed in front of him, crouched. He tried to counter by slamming his staff on her but she back stepped, putting some space in between them. She then opened her fans, revealing razor-sharp white blades.
Maximillion chuckled again. “Are you going to fan me to death? Kill me with a gentle breeze?” he asked, amused.
Laila grinned. A dark grin with sadistic undertones to it. She loved being underestimated. It gave her a much higher sense of satisfaction when her enemy was left beaten and surprised at how strong she really was.
This time she rushed him, swinging her fan violently at his head. He ducked, dodging the fan by inches. Laila saw an opening and took it, kneeing him in his chin. He staggered back, but before he could fall, Laila took one quick step forward and struck him with a skyward kick in the same spot. He flew up high and hit the floor hard.
Her smile grew wider. “You shouldn’t underestimate me” she said softly as she closed her fans. Somehow they disappeared into thin air. You couldn’t really blame Maximillion though. Standing at 5’4’’ and 100 pounds, Laila didn’t look like much of a threat. She looked more like a fragile stick that even the slightest touch could break. But despite her stature, she held the highest masteries in almost all of the world’s martial arts. She was way more dangerous than she looked.
Maximillion got up, with a grimace on his face. He was extremely angry.
“YOU’RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!!!!”
He got to his feet, and rushed her, waving his staff wildly. He took one swing towards her legs, but she anticipated it and jumped into the air. She twirled around and planted her foot firmly into his face. He flew back and hit the wall hard.
“You don’t have a chance in hell. Give up” she said arrogantly
But, yet again, Maximillion got up. But this time, he wasn’t angry. In fact, he looked at ease, calm even. His whole persona had changed.
“I’ll admit your fighting prowess is amazing. But you can’t win against me. And you have so much potential. I don’t want to kill you, but I will if I have to” he said as he used his staff to steady himself
Laila guffawed. “How can you even say that? It’s obvious you’re not winning this fight. But in case there was any doubt…” as she spoke her hands started to glow with yellow chi She clasped them together, and thrust her palm out. The energy fled her hands and rushed towards Maximillion. It collided with his stomach and forced him straight through the wall, into a corridor behind it. The impact kicked up a huge cloud of smoke, hiding Maximillion’s remains from vision. Laila walked into the hole she produced and looked around at the corridor she was faced with.
“Weird Tastes” she remarked
But weird wasn’t the right word. Abnormal was a little better. The room was completely different from the rest of Maximillion’s house. It was eerier. The floor was riddled with human skulls. High above. There were circular windows covered with banners depicting strange symbols.
Laila turned towards the cloud with a triumphant smile on her face, and her hands on her hips.
“I thought you were gonna kill me” she said beaming
But she wasn’t happy for long. Before she should say anything else, a hand reached out and grabbed her whole face.
“If you’re in such a hurry” growled a deep gravelly voice.
The dust parted, revealing a mysterious new figure, which looked nothing like Maximillion. The pristine, sophisticated gentleman was replaced with a monster. A handsome monster, but a monster nonetheless. His skin was all gray, save for a series of blue tribal markings riddled over his chest and arms. His shirt was nowhere to be found, revealing a skinny but muscular physique. Long spiky white hair hung from his head, and he held a dark red scythe in his left hand
“Mmmmmmmmmmmmm” tried Laila but she couldn’t speak, due to the hand over face
“I told you I didn’t want to kill you, but you made your decision clear” said Maximillion “Oh Well” he said as he rolled his eyes and started to squeeze
“MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM” screamed Laila, as he tightened his grip. She didn’t need words to express the fact that she was in a lot of pain. She tried to free herself, kicking her legs back and forth, but it was futile.
“This is going to hurt even more” said Maximillion with an evil smile. He lifted her body up high and slammed her into the floor hard, creating a crater with the impact. Then In the same motion, he picked her up and threw her into a nearby wall. She hit the ground hard, and went limp, slipping in and out of consciousness, her vision fading.
Maximillion smiled. He walked towards her broken body, his scythe raised.
“Such a waste” he said as he brought it down on her head. It looked like it was over for poor Laila. Her life taken in the line of duty. It would have been an honorable way to go. But alas, it was not her time. As Maximillion brought his scythe down, he was met by the force of another blade. But it wasn’t Laila’s fans. Standing between Laila and Maximillion, was a tall dark-skinned boy dual wielding a pair of long swords. He wore a blue and grey cuff ball beanie on his head, a blue pullover sweater, with the words “PROPAGANDA” written across the front, and a pair of black jeans. Like Laila, his eyes were purple with an ouroborus in each iris.
“ANOTHER DEVA!” yelled Maximillion in anger “I’m getting tired of you”
The newcomer smiled.
“Then allow me to put you to sleep” he said as he forced his blade forward, pushing Maximillion back a considerable distance. He then turned to Laila and offered his hand. She took it
“Are you Okay?” he asked, but she refused to even look at him.
“You didn’t have to come, Chris” she said
“Because clearly you had this situation under control”
“Cleary”
“Well how about we take him on together then?”
“Sounds Like a plan” said Laila. They both turned to Maximillion, weapons drawn and ready to fight.
“The more the merrier” said Maximillion “I’ll kill you both and be done with it” he said, his scythe, raised in anticipation.