One week later…
"A devil is living inside you?"
Regal sat on his bed as Yuu covered his mouth, gawking at him. "Well, that's what I call her. I don't actually know what she is."
"Whoa," Yuu gasped.
"My family hasn't killed me in a week, though!" Regal happily remarked. "But now they treat me like their slave instead. Plus this devil girl, she's pretty evil, so whenever she takes over my body, she does some pretty bad stuff."
"So it's good, but it's bad?" Yuu wondered.
"Basically. Come on, I'll show you the dungeon!"
Regal dragged Yuu out of his room and descended a few floors until they reached a stone hallway. There was a door at the end of the hall, with a lock on it. Regal pulled out a toothpick and easily picked the lock. "Tada!"
"How did you do that?" Yuu asked. "Have you been here before?"
"Yep," Regal admitted. "And not in the good way."
Inside the dungeon were various damp and dusty cells, some of which had skeletons inside. Yuu shuddered as he walked past them, following Regal as he stopped in front of a certain cell. Inside, Yuu noticed an old man, who was covering himself with a tarp to shield himself from the cold of the dungeon.
"This is Uncle Kei!" Regal introduced. "He's my mom's dad. He's from Earth, just like her, and he's taught me a lot!"
The man lifted his head. "Regal…who is this?"
"This is Yuu. He's a new servant of the castle."
"You shouldn't have come here, kid," the old man groaned. "The matriarch and her children, they're evil."
Yuu could see bandages covering most of the man's face. "But isn't that your daughter?"
"No," Kei claimed. "Not anymore. I raised Koharu to be a good, honest, hardworking girl, but the woman you see today is a monster I don't even recognize."
"Why are you covered in those bandages? And I thought you died when your universe blew up!"
He took off his tarp, revealing a heavily bruised and beaten body. "No. I was adrift in space until I flew through a mysterious portal and found myself in Xdrall. Unfortunately, my daughter did as well, and she brought me here, where she's kept me and tortured me for the last 30 years. Those evil brats of hers do the same."
"How cruel," Yuu sympathized. "But why? Why do this to her own father?"
"Because, she hates me."
"What for?"
"She's evil," Kei explained. "Only concerned about herself and what she can get. Her narcissism and thirst for power are something I should have seen long ago, she never seemed appreciative of the effort I put in for her. And she's wiped out entire universes just to keep her newfound power. Her body count is so high, I can't even keep track. The only being she shows any affection towards is her husband, who's the source of her power. The kids as well."
He looked at Regal. "Count yourself lucky, Regal. That resurrection power really comes in handy."
"Yeah, it does," Regal agreed. "But I might not need it anymore."
Kei lifted an eyebrow. "Really? They've stopped attacking you?"
"Yeah, it's a long story."
The door to the dungeon suddenly opened, and everyone froze in place. Kei quickly pulled the tarp around his body again. "Quick! Hide!"
Both Yuu and Regal jumped into one of the empty cells as Koharu walked inside the dungeon, stopping in front of Kei's cell. Kei didn't even acknowledge her as she glared at him.
"Look at your Queen, mortal."
Kei didn't bother to look at her, instead staring at the wall ahead. "I'm sorry. I don't see a Queen."
An expression of rage appeared on her face. "You dare talk back to me?"
"Like it or not, I'm still your father. Even if you are an irredeemable villainess."
She opened the cell door, kicking him hard in the face and causing him to drop to the ground. She placed her foot on the back of his neck. "Do not talk back to me. No one ever talks back to me. You would be smart to watch your words, old hag."
She put a hand on her hip, smirking. "That's why my son is now evil, despite all your foolish mentorship."
"Impossible…" Kei stated.
"Didn't expect that, did you? Now he'll be my little tool and I'll use him to do whatever I wish, just like the rest of those pests I call children!"
"You lie…"
She pressed down hard "I always get what I want. Don't worry. My daughters will be back in here to teach you a more permanent lesson this time. Enjoy all your limbs while you still can."
She left the cell, slamming the door shut as she walked out of the dungeon. Regal and Yuu came out of the empty cell. Kei coughed up blood. "Regal, is what she says true?"
Regal shook his head, making an X with his arms. "Nope! Never! Nada! Never will be evil!"
He paused. "Though, it's kinda complicated. She and my sisters think I killed a bunch of innocent people. That's why they haven't been killing me lately."
"Did you?" Kei demanded, shocked.
"No! Well, it wasn't me. I have this devil, well, I don't know if she's a devil, but it's some strange girl, she's living in my body. She can take over, making me much stronger. But she's like totally evil and crazy, so she does very unethical things. How can I show you…?"
He thought for a moment. "N! Come out!"
Nothing happened. Regal sighed. "Please?"
"That's better."
A dark cloud shot out from Regal's mouth, forming a scary-looking girl with a black umbrella in her hand. Kei nearly jumped back when he saw her, and so did Yuu.
"What the devil—?"
Yuu had to bite his tongue to keep himself from screaming. N looked at the two, bottomless holes appearing where her eyes should have been. "Greetings, mortals."
"What kind of creature are you?" Kei questioned. "In my thirty years on Asmana, I've never seen one such as you, and my daughter owns A LOT of beasts."
"I'm no creature," N clarified. "Don't refer to me as such."
"My apologies. Then what are you?"
"I'm an entity. That's all you need to know," she answered. "You should thank me. Your student doesn't have to fear his own death anymore."
"By killing instead?"
She scoffed. "He isn't the one killing. Calm your antsy nerves."
In the blink of an eye, she turned back into a cloud and flew through his mouth. Regal coughed a bit. "Yeah, I know next to nothing about her, but she's unique, that's for sure!"
"I don't like her," Kei stated. "If I were you, I would figure out a way to get rid of her. Her aura seems just as menacing and evil as my daughter's."
"Even if I wanted to, I don't know how," Regal shrugged. "I kinda agreed to a contract with her, when I thought she was a helpless old man."
Kei shook his head. "A rash choice. Be careful, Regal. There's no woman in this castle you can trust."
Regal gave him a thumbs-up. "Okay! Come on, Yuu! We should clear out before one of my sisters gets down here!"
Regal and Yuu left the dungeon, leaving Kei on his own to reminisce. "Where did I go wrong…?"
Regal led Yuu to a small, dusty room with cots on the floor and a small lamp hanging from the ceiling. "Since my family will be coming into my room more, you've gotta sleep here now, pal!"
"What is this…" Yuu questioned.
"It's the servant's quarters! All the servants reside here where they aren't working!"
"I can't just sleep under your bed?"
Regal shook his head. "No can do. You can still visit, though!"
Yuu groaned.
"I think I've shown you most of the castle. Well, at least what I can! I can show you some cities outside of it too if you want!"
"That'd be great," Yuu agreed.
A female servant scrambled over to Regal, nearly tripping over her feet. "Prince Regal, your mother has summoned you!"
"Crap," Regal sighed. "N, I might need you to take over again."
In the throne room…
Regal walked up to the throne room, where his mother was sitting, legs crossed and arms folded. His father was next to her, dormant in his throne.
Regal approached his mother and bowed, kissing her foot. She smirked. "Good worm. Now, as for why I called you, you're going to do a mission for me, and you're going to do it right."
"Yes, Mother."
She stood over him as he bowed lower. "There is a dungeon on a nearby planet. My survey ships tell me it has tons of loot and priceless artifacts inside it. I want it all."
"Yes, Mother."
"Do not let anyone else take it. Every valuable item in the multiverse will belong to me, do you understand?"
"Yes, Mother."
She placed a heel on his head. "You'd better. Since you're no longer a thorn in my side, you will go with Radiance and Ravena. Clear that dungeon and kill anyone who tries to stop you."
"I understand."
She sat back in her throne. "Now leave my sight. I'd better see a perfect job."
He nodded and left. Once he was outside the throne room, Regal's body shook, and he reverted to normal. "A dungeon? Seriously?"
"Dungeons are very rewarding," N informed him. "They may boast dangerous levels of traps and invaders, but they also have some of the rarest loot across the multiverse."
"No, no, you don't understand," Regal worried. "It's Ravena and Radiance that's the problem! I'm never gonna clear a dungeon with those two!"
"Why not?" N remarked. "They believe you are evil."
Regal shuddered. "You'll see."
Regal walked through the hallways until he reached the entrance, where he bumped into Yuu. "Oh! Yuu!"
"Prince Regal? You're leaving again?"
Regal rubbed his head. "Yeah. I've gotta clear a dungeon with the help of my little sisters."
"Will that go well?" Yuu wondered.
"No. No, it won't."
"Good luck, Prince Regal!" Yuu stated.
Regal walked outside, where Radiance and Ravena were already waiting for him. Radiance put her hands on her hips. "About time!"
"How spoiled," N commented.
"I got this," Regal said to her. "This always works."
He got on one knee. "My dear, amazing little sister. I am so sorry for being late. I will not do it again."
"That's what I like to hear!" she grinned. "Now bow at my feet, underling, and tell me how awesome I am!"
He bowed. "You are the most awesome, amazing, special little sister one could ask for."
While they did that, Ravena pulled a trinket out of her hand. "This will transport us to Kurohoshi. It has two uses."
"What an amazing invention, smart sister," Regal praised. "How did you make it?"
"Using the corpse of a god," she replied, smug. "I sure am brilliant."
"That you are."
She pressed a button on the trinket, and it began to glow with dark energy. The energy swirled around the three, and soon, they were gone.
???…
The three manifested in a clear night sky, falling into a large jungle of trees and vines. Radiance picked leaves out of her hair. "Ow, Ravena!"
Ravena got up, pulling vines off her clothes. "It worked. Be grateful."
They saw a large fortress built into a cave nearby. Ravena pointed to it. "99.72% chance that is where we need to go. Regal. Transport, now."
"Can you take care of this, N?" Regal whispered.
A sudden shift happened to his body, and his hair fell over his face. He got down on all fours, moving in front of his sisters. They got on his back, crossing their legs.
"Go. Hurry it up, while you're at it," Ravena ordered.
Regal took off, moving through the trees and following the path leading to the dungeon. After a few minutes, they reached the door, where Ravena analyzed it. "A complex cipher…"
In seconds, she solved the lock covering the door, and it opened. "It's unlocked. Move your feet."
Regal brought them inside, where they got off his back and looked around. Regal stood up, shifting back to normal. "Phew. You move fast, N!"
The door suddenly closed behind them, and when Regal went up to it, it wouldn't open. "Uh, the door is stuck!"
"Door will not open until dungeon is successfully cleared," Ravena explained. "We move."
"Yes! So much glitter and goal!" Radiance exclaimed. "It will be mine!"
There was a large dark corridor leading deeper into the dungeon. Regal took a deep breath. "Alright. Let's clear this dungeon."
—-