By Shaikh Mohd Gaus Aminuddin
Summary of the novel
What do you desire? Bringing your dead beloved from the depths of the graveyard or a rule over the entire universe? Be it the greed for infinite wealth or fame that would never fade away. Luck that transcends everything or eternal beauty, everything is here. You just need to pay the price for it but shushhhhhh, don’t try to find who granted your wish or else?
Episode 1: "The Price"
Chapter 1
Rustling echoed through the halls of a sprawling palace, a fortress disguised as a garden. At first glance, one might mistake it for a haven—a grand mansion veiled in vibrant flowers with incredible drama. Yet the air carried no sweet aroma of tulips or roses. Instead, it reeked of lilies, their white petals clinging to the walls like sentinels, their presence oppressive and eternal. They seemed poised to wither, yet stood as unyielding as soldiers on a battlefield.
In the city beyond, which stretched for countless kilometers, life hummed on as usual—until a tremor rippled through the air, a vibration unlike any other. It began as a faint hum, growing steadily into an all-consuming resonance. Then came the voice.
“WHY? Why is he here? Whyy, why, whyyyyyyyyyy…”
The words rose into a crescendo, as an old man’s wail shattered the tranquility. His voice was a raw, unfiltered cry, drenched in terror. His eyes, wide and bloodshot, carried a fear as palpable as the sun burning in the midday sky.
“Hide the beggars! Cover the women’s jewelry! Bury the scents of our meals, cover everything up!” screamed a scarred woman, her frantic voice amplified by a diamond-shaped floating artifact. It pulsed with an eerie glow as her desperate orders echoed across the city.
A low, treacherous sound followed, creeping into the realm like the herald of doom.
The buildings trembled, their very foundations quaking under an unseen force. Grains of sand floated in defiance of gravity, suspended in the air as though reality itself had fractured. Yet amidst the chaos, nothing tangible was destroyed. It was a paradox: the city remained untouched, but its people suffocated under the weight of their terror.
And then ‘she’ appeared.
From the heart of the palace emerged a woman clad in gray, a blue ribbon tied around her forearm and a single lily adorning her hair. Her steps were slow, and deliberate, as though she carried the weight of a thousand lives upon her shoulders. She gazed skyward, her expression unreadable, her voice barely a whisper.
“Is this the price we must pay for our folly?”
Her trembling hands plucked the lily from her hair. With a calmness that belied the storm within her, she dragged its sharp edge across her wrist. Crimson spilled forth, tracing rivulets down her arm, but no pain flickered in her eyes. Only resignation.
A flash of light engulfed the sky—a deafening silence accompanying its brilliance. The woman knelt, blood pooling beneath her as she traced symbols in the dirt. Her fingers, steady and resolute, etched a flaming flower into the earth. It blazed with a spectral light, as though it existed in defiance of the natural order.
Then, he arrived.
Descending from the heavens, the figure halted inches above the ground. His presence was otherworldly. He wore a coat of sumptuous fabric that seemed to shimmer with an inner light, but his legs bore tattered, bloodstained rags. His features were a jarring contradiction—pristine yet grotesque.
From the air, he unfurled a scroll, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. “Oh, the great clan of hatred and wood. By decree of the emperor, I, the Third Celestial, command the House of Dying Lily to present the hearts of your second, third, and sixth successors.”
The woman’s head dipped lower, her gaze locked on the dirt. A man, trembling behind her in gray robes, dared to voice his thoughts. But before the words escaped his lips, her hand struck like lightning, crushing his torso in a single, brutal motion. Blood splattered the ground as she straightened, her face an unfeeling mask.
“Aksm, Fiorp, Kwer,” she called. “Come forward.”
Eighteen agonizing minutes passed. When the three arrived, they were drenched in sweat, their faces pale but devoid of tears. They asked no questions and received no answers. Silence enveloped the 47th floor as they stood before her—two boys and a girl, trembling yet defiant.
Without a flicker of hesitation, the woman plunged her hands into their chests, extracting their beating hearts in a grotesque ritual. Not a single scream escaped their lips. Blood coated her hands as she raised the organs toward the Third Celestial, her expression as blank as the void.
The Celestial, unimpressed, uttered a single word: “Commence.”
The woman consumed the hearts one by one, her teeth tearing through flesh as blood dripped down her chin. Her eyes never left the Celestial’s face. Around her, the gathered spectators collapsed, foaming at the mouth, overcome by the horrific spectacle.
When the ritual was complete, she wiped her hands on her gray robes and knelt. “The House of Dying Lily expresses gratitude for your mercy.”
The Celestial’s voice was colder than ice. “Your first crime is forgiven.”
“But… only the first?” she asked, daring to lift her head.
“As a representative in charge due to the absence of your clan lord, you are awfully gutsy, Liura…”, the man spoke with calm words but the pressure in his voice was making people go mad.“ His tail, sharp as a blade, pressed against her lips. “Face of…?”
Her words faltered. She shook her head, bowing lower. “This servant would never question the emperor’s orders.”
He sneered, his milky eyes devoid of warmth. “You are bold, but not bold enough to defy me.”
The 3rd which had fins on his neck and milky eyes that were devoid of color sighed….
“I won’t kill you because of respect for your family lord”
This incident could have been called a bloody drama on the eve of the birthday of now deceased successors. With a final sigh, the Celestial rose into the sky, disappearing into the ether. His departure left behind a chilling emptiness—a prelude to horrors yet to come.
To Be Continued…..
By Shaikh Mohd Gaus Aminuddin
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