Chapter 26: Till Death Do Us Part

One month passed at the Nightmare Grand Hotel in a blur of progress, laughter, and the occasional ethically questionable resurrection.

Gene Gingerline discovered that preparing for a formal match while managing a growing supernatural household was less like training for a duel and more like trying to organize a family reunion where several attendees were capable of violating the laws of nature.

Lilith continued her escalating war against Mother Sarah’s snack policies.

The Caretaker remained her silent, implacable guardian.

Mother Sarah taught classes with saintly patience and terrifying efficiency.

Victor Graves and Morrigan Graves transformed the lower laboratory into a wonderland of humming machinery, glowing sigils, and monsters stitched together with equal parts genius and enthusiasm.

And Gene trained.

Every day.

Because Darian Vale was not Amelia Thornwell.

Amelia had relied on a single powerful summon and had been rattled by fear.

Darian was prideful, but he was also skilled. His griffin, Aurex, was fast, durable , and devastating from the air.

The obvious choice would have been to send the Caretaker once again.

The masked slasher was proven.

Reliable.

Terrifying.

But Gene wanted to make a statement.

The world already knew he could summon a nightmare that walked.

Now he intended to show them that his horrors could build, adapt, and overwhelm.

He intended to unleash Victor and Morrigan Graves.

Together.

As a pair.

As a united front.

As proof that love and science could be every bit as frightening as a knife-wielding maniac.

⸻

Choosing His Champions

Gene made the announcement during family dinner.

The long table in the hotel’s dining room was crowded as usual.

NPC children chatted over mashed potatoes.

Lilith sat at Gene’s right, crown glittering under the chandelier.

Selene sat on his left, her hand resting lightly against his leg beneath the table.

Victor and Morrigan sat together across from them, sharing a plate and finishing one another’s sentences with practiced ease.

Gene stood and tapped his glass.

“I’ve made my decision.”

The room quieted.

Gene smiled.

“For the match against Darian Vale, Victor and Morrigan will represent the Nightmare Grand Hotel.”

For one heartbeat, the room was silent.

Then Victor shot upwards to his feet.

He  knocked his chair backwards as he flashed to help Morrigan raise from her chair.

“Dear! We have been chosen!”

Morrigan rose with considerably more grace, though her violet eyes shone.

“We shall not disappoint you.”

Lilith clapped excitedly.

“The science parents get to fight!”

The Caretaker remained motionless, but the emotional bond carried a pulse of approval.

Mother Sarah folded her hands and nodded.

“A sound strategic choice.”

Selene smiled at Gene.

“Going with the surprise option.”

Gene shrugged.

“He expects the Caretaker.”

Victor straightened his lapels.

“What he shall receive is significantly less predictable.”

Morrigan took her husband’s hand.

“And far more educational.”

Gene was suddenly very glad that Darian had insisted on this match.

⸻

Preparations in the Laboratory

The following weeks were a frenzy of controlled chaos.

Victor and Morrigan approached the challenge with the enthusiasm of children who had been told they could use the expensive art supplies.

Gene spent nearly every evening in the laboratory.

He watched as the couple refined their abilities.

Victor specialized in mechanical augmentation and rapid battlefield construction. He deployed autonomous devices, animated prosthetics, and unstable alchemical charges.

Morrigan controlled necromantic energies, battlefield curses, and corpse reanimation.

Individually, they were dangerous.

Together, they were extraordinary.

Their bond granted them shared casting, synchronized reactions, and a frightening tendency to anticipate each other’s thoughts.

Gene observed one sparring session where Victor erected a lattice of Tesla pylons while Morrigan summoned skeletal beasts from the arena floor.

The skeletons wore steel reinforcements and crackled with internalized electrical energy.

Selene watched beside him.

“I almost feel sorry for Darian.”

Gene considered that.

“Almost.”

Lilith, seated on the Caretaker’s shoulders, raised her hand.

“Can they make a giant metal dragon?”

Victor looked genuinely offended.

“Of course we can.”

Morrigan patted his arm.

“After the match, dear.”

Lilith nodded sagely.

“Then I shall wait”

⸻

Darian’s Preparations

Word of the upcoming duel spread quickly.

The challenge drew far more attention than a normal novice match.

Darian Vale was a respected student from a prominent family.

Gene was the rising outsider whose horror summons had become the talk of the tournament.

Spectators argued endlessly over strategy.

Would Gene send out the Caretaker?

Would Darian’s griffin dominate the battlefield?

Had Gene really turned a haunted hotel into a self-sustaining nightmare ecosystem?

Are the new rumors that Darian shares a bed with his griffin true?

Who is the masked person that keeps stealing from Annie’s Bakery? 

Hopefully the answers to all this will be found out in the next few matches.

The betting markets opened an entire two weeks before the match.

Gene’s odds were considerably better than before, though he remained the underdog.

He wagered on himself again.

Naturally.

Selene did the same.

Naturally.

⸻

Arrival at the Arena

The day of the duel dawned on a bright and clear day.

Gene stood once more in the contestant tunnel, the familiar thunder of the crowd reverberating through the stone.

This time, he felt a lot calmer.

Much more confident.

Selene reached over to stop him from adjusting his collar for the eighth time.

“You’ve been smiling like a dufus all morning.”

Gene continued grinning.

“It because we know something Darian doesn’t.”

She arched an eyebrow.

“What’s that?”

Gene glanced toward the waiting summoning circles.

“He’s about to be attacked by a couple crazier then we are.”

Selene laughed and kissed him quickly.

“Still! Good luck.”

Gene touched his forehead to hers.

“I doubt he is lacking any luck these days.”

Moira approached, her expression completely unreadable.

“The audience expects to see you summon the Caretaker.”

Moira studied him for a moment.

Gene nodded.

“Then they’re in for a surprise.”

Moira then smugly pulled out a few betting slips.

“Excellent! I placed a few bets down for a new summon to appear and wipe the floor with Darian!”

She walked over and grabbed Selene so they could head to find seats in the stands. 

⸻

The Challenge Begins

The arena roared as Gene stepped onto the black stone battlefield.

Across from him, Darian Vale looked every bit the noble champion.

Silver armor gleamed.

His blond hair was immaculate.

His expression radiated polished confidence.

The griffin Aurex materialized beside him, bronze feathers shining in the sun.

The creature spread its wings to a chorus of cheers.

The announcer’s voice boomed overhead.

“Today’s featured match! Darian Vale versus Gene Gingerline!”

Darian smirked across the field.

“I hope you brought your masked brute.”

Gene smiled.

“I brought something better.”

The barrier rose.

The signal sounded.

“Begin!”

⸻

An Unexpected Pair

Gene extended his hand.

“Victor. Morrigan.”

Two summoning circles ignited.

The crowd murmured in confusion as the elegant necromancer and eccentric scientist stepped onto the battlefield hand in hand.

Victor adjusted his spectacles and waved enthusiastically to the audience.

Morrigan curtsied with regal grace.

Darian frowned.

“Support summons? What are you gonna do, buff me to death?”

He laughed like a drowning donkey.

Victor beamed as he sensed a challenge.

“Oh buddy, we are so much more than that.”

Morrigan gently squeezed his hand.

“Shall we show him a thing or two, about judging people based off appearances?”

“It would be a pleasure.”

⸻

First Contact

Darian pointed forward.

“Aurex!”

The griffin launched itself skyward, it left after images in various poses as it continued forward with predatory speed.

Victor snapped his fingers in front of him.

Mechanical pylons burst outwards from the arena floor.

Electric arcs lanced between them, forming a crackling electrical barrier.

Aurex banked sharply to avoid the energy field.

He climbed fast enough that only his tail-hair touched the barrier.

Morrigan raised her staff.

Black sigils spread quickly across the stone floor like ink in water.

Skeletal ravens erupted from the ground and swarmed the griffin.

Aurex tore through them with talons and beak, but the distraction bought valuable time.

Victor hurled a metallic sphere.

It unfolded midair into a rotating drone that peppered Aurex with explosive charges.

The crowd erupted.

Darian’s confident expression faltered.

⸻

Battlefield Control

Gene watched from his summoner’s platform, heart pounding with pride.

Victor and Morrigan moved in tandem.

When Victor deployed machines, Morrigan empowered them with her necrotic energy.

When Morrigan summoned undead constructs, Victor reinforced their bodies with steel.

At one point, a skeletal wolf lost a foreleg.

Victor already attached a mechanical replacement before  the wolf hit the ground.

The wolf returned to battle immediately.

Selene laughed from the stands.

“They’re totally showing off.”

Gene folded his arms.

“I would expect nothing less.”

⸻

Darian Strikes Back

To Darian’s credit, he adapted quickly.

Aurex shattered one of Victor’s pylons and slammed into the scientist with brutal force.

Victor crashed across the arena.

Gene’s breath caught.

Morrigan’s eyes flashed.

A dark aura exploded outward.

“Do not touch my husband.”

Dozens of skeletal hands erupted from the floor, seizing Aurex’s legs and wings.

Victor sat up, adjusted his glasses, and dusted off his coat.

“I’m all right, my love.”

Morrigan smiled sweetly.

“Excellent. Don’t worry me like that.”

The skeletal hands dragged the struggling griffin downward.

Victor raised a gleaming rifle-like device.

“Now hold him still.”

The weapon discharged a concentrated bolt of lightning.

Aurex shrieked.

The crowd roared.

⸻

Till Death Do Us Part

Darian’s composure finally cracked.

He shouted commands, but fear and frustration crept into his voice.

Gene recognized the moment.

The exact instant an opponent realized the battle was slipping beyond their control.

Victor and Morrigan joined hands.

Their magic merged.

The arena darkened.

A colossal construct rose from the ground: a towering amalgamation of bone, steel, and crackling arcane energy.

Its eyes burned violet.

Its chest housed a glowing mechanical heart.

Victor’s voice rang out.

“Presenting our latest collaborative effort!”

Morrigan smiled.

“The Bridegroom.”

The dragon like construct seized Aurex and pinned the griffin to the ground.

Darian stared in disbelief.

“No.”

Gene pointed forward.

“Finish it.”

Victor and Morrigan kissed.

Then spoke in unison.

“Till death do us part.”

The Bridegroom opened its mouth and released a thunderous blast of necrotic lightning.

Aurex screamed silently as he dissolved into silver motes.

The arena fell silent.

The referee raised his hand.

“Victory—Gene Gingerline!”

⸻

Aftermath

The crowd erupted into a standing ovation.

Not fearful this time.

Awestruck.

Gene crossed the field to meet his summons.

Victor and Morrigan embraced him together.

“We did it!” Victor exclaimed.

Morrigan smiled warmly.

“We are honored.”

Gene laughed.

“You two were incredible.”

Across the arena, Darian stood motionless.

Selene descended from the stands and walked straight to Gene.

Without hesitation, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him to thunderous applause.

When they separated, Selene looked positively radiant.

“You were amazing.”

Gene grinned.

“I had excellent help.”

Darian approached.

His pride was bruised, but to his credit, he bowed his head.

“I know when I was wrong.”

Gene blinked.

Darian exhaled.

“About you and her. You better take care of her!.”

Gene offered his hand.

Darian took it.

Selene smiled.

Perhaps, Gene thought, there was hope for him yet.

⸻

Richer in Every Sense

At the betting pavilion, the elderly bookmaker handed Gene another heavy pouch with a resigned sigh.

Gene weighed it and smiled.

“I do enjoy proving statistics wrong.”

Selene laughed.

“You may have to make a habit of it.”

Later that night, back at the Nightmare Grand Hotel, the family celebrated.

Lilith insisted on having cake.

Mother Sarah allowed her to have two slices.

Victor and Morrigan received a hero’s welcome.

The Caretaker stood silently at the edge of the festivities, though Gene felt his quiet approval through their bond.

As the evening wound down, Gene stepped onto the balcony overlooking the lobby.

Selene joined him, slipping her hand into his.

Below them, children laughed.

Monsters mingled.

The hotel glowed with warmth.

Selene rested her head on his shoulder.

“You’re becoming famous.”

Gene smiled.

“Those are usually dangerous words.”

She looked up at him.

“You’re also becoming something else.”

“What’s that?”

Selene’s eyes softened.

“Look around!”

Gene looked at the family he had built.

His monsters.

His home.

The woman beside him.

“You look a lot happier now.” 

She held up a fork full of cake.

He kissed her gently.