Chapter 42: The Scorpion Prince

The world vanished in white.

Gene instinctively threw an arm over his eyes as the summoning circle detonated with a brilliance so intense it turned the courtyard into a miniature sun.

The stone beneath his feet vibrated.

The dragons roared.

Wind exploded outward in a crushing wave.

Selene’s silver hair whipped behind her like a banner.

Lilith squealed from somewhere in the crowd.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, the light collapsed.

A deafening boom echoed through the courtyard.

A towering column of smoke and dust rose into the sky.

Gene blinked furiously, eyes watering.

When his vision cleared, he stared into the settling haze.

At first, there appeared to be nothing there.

The summoning circle was empty.

The courtyard stood eerily still.

Gene lowered his arm.

“Did it fail?”

Selene frowned, breathing heavily from the effort of the summon.

“That’s impossible.”

The dragons shifted uneasily.

Argentwing snarled, silver smoke curling from his nostrils.

“No,” the dragon rumbled. “Something is here.”

Gene felt a chill crawl down his spine.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Then the Caretaker moved.

⸻

The First Strike

The giant masked killer appeared in front of Gene and Selene so suddenly that Gene nearly jumped out of his skin.

One moment the Caretaker stood several yards away.

The next he was directly in front of them, his broad back shielding them.

He drew his massive knife in a blur.

A split second later, a tremendous clang rang out.

Sparks exploded.

A sword the size of a telephone pole slammed into the Caretaker’s blade.

The force gouged furrows into the stone.

Gene staggered backward.

“Holy—!”

He looked upward.

And saw the new summon.

⸻

The Scorpion Prince

The creature clung to the ceiling of the courtyard like some impossible nightmare.

He was enormous.

At least twelve feet tall from his armored human torso to the end of his curled scorpion tail.

His lower body was that of a monstrous black scorpion.

His upper body was that of a powerfully built man with bronze skin and glowing amber eyes.

Ancient gold armor covered him from shoulder to claw.

The design was regal and warlike, etched with hieroglyphic patterns and gemstones that shimmered like trapped sunlight.

A golden crown rose from his brow.

His face was handsome in a harsh, severe way.

Beautiful.

Dangerous.

Filled with absolute hatred.

Gene felt as if a king from some forgotten desert empire had crawled out of legend itself.

The Scorpion Prince bared his teeth.

The Caretaker audibly cracked his neck.

The creature yanked on his colossal sword.

The Caretaker grabbed the blade with one gloved hand.

With a violent heave, he tore the weapon from the prince’s grip.

The Scorpion Prince hissed.

The Caretaker hurled the sword like a spear.

The weapon spun through the air.

The prince snatched it effortlessly and roared.

Then he launched himself from the ceiling.

⸻

Clash of Titans

He hit the ground like a meteor.

Stone shattered.

Dust erupted.

The Caretaker charged.

The two monsters collided with enough force to shake the courtyard.

The sound of steel and chitin crashing together echoed like thunder.

The Scorpion Prince swung his great sword in sweeping arcs.

The Caretaker ducked, blocked, and countered with brutal precision.

The prince’s tail lashed like a whip, striking stone and carving deep trenches.

The Caretaker slashed at armored joints.

The prince retaliated with his massive claws.

Gene stared, transfixed.

This wasn’t a duel.

It was two apex predators deciding which one ruled.

Lilith clutched Gene’s leg.

“Make them stop!”

“I’m trying to think of a way!”

Selene raised her hands, summoning silver chains of moonlight, but the fighters moved too quickly.

The Caretaker drove his shoulder into the prince, forcing him backward.

The Scorpion Prince roared and stabbed downward with his stinger.

The poisoned barb smashed into the Caretaker’s face.

A sickening crack rang through the courtyard.

Lilith screamed.

“Mister Caretaker!”

⸻

The Mask Breaks

The impact shattered the Caretaker’s mask.

A jagged fracture spread violently across the porcelain face mask.

The Caretaker staggered.

For one horrifying second, Gene thought he might fall.

Instead, the giant straightened.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

And then he became truly terrifying.

He caught the prince’s tail with both hands.

With a savage roar, he planted his feet and pulled.

The Scorpion Prince shrieked.

The tail tore free in a spray of black ichor.

The severed appendage crashed to the ground.

Before the prince could recover, the Caretaker buried his knife into the base of one massive claw.

With a brutal wrench, he severed the limb.

The claw hit the stones with a deafening thud.

The Scorpion Prince dropped to one knee, roaring in agony and rage.

The Caretaker raised his knife for the killing blow.

“STOP!”

Gene and Selene shouted together.

The word rang through the courtyard.

The Caretaker froze.

The prince glared up, chest heaving.

For a tense moment, Gene thought the battle would continue.

Then the Caretaker lowered his weapon.

He stepped backward, never taking his dark eyes off his opponent.

⸻

The Man Beneath the Mask

A strange bubbling sound came from the Caretaker’s face.

The cracked porcelain shifted.

Then it peeled away in pieces.

The shattered remains of the mask fell to the ground.

Gene stared.

Beneath the mask was a face.

Human.

Scarred but undeniably handsome.

Strong jaw.

High cheekbones.

Dark eyes filled with pain and fierce protectiveness.

Deep scars crossed his skin.

And black stitches sealed his lips shut.

Jesse Belle gasped.

Her hand flew to her mouth.

Then she sprinted forward.

“Baby!”

The Caretaker turned as she reached him.

She cupped his face with trembling hands.

“Oh, honey…”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“You’re hurt.”

The Caretaker’s expression softened immediately.

He leaned into her touch.

Gene felt unexpectedly emotional.

For all this time, they had never seen his face.

And somehow, the revelation made him seem even more human.

⸻

Binding the Beast

Meanwhile, Selene acted.

“Argentwing!”

The silver dragon lunged.

With one powerful movement, he pinned the injured Scorpion Prince to the courtyard floor.

Rosethorn and Noctis moved in to support.

The prince struggled but was too wounded to break free.

Selene stepped forward, a glowing scroll appearing in her hand.

Gene recognized the look in her eyes.

Cold.

Focused.

Noble.

She unfurled the scroll.

Ancient runes spilled across the parchment.

“By the authority of summoner and sovereign,” she declared, “I bind you.”

Silver chains erupted from the scroll.

They wrapped around the Scorpion Prince’s body.

He roared in defiance.

The chains tightened.

His resistance weakened.

At last the final rune flared.

The prince collapsed, breathing hard.

The contract was complete.

Selene exhaled shakily.

“It’s done.”

⸻

Explaining the Revolt

Once the prince had been secured and transported to a reinforced holding chamber, everyone gathered in the infirmary.

Jesse Belle sat beside the Caretaker, gently cleaning the wound on his forehead.

Mother Sarah supervised.

The Caretaker seemed embarrassed by the attention.

Gene turned to Selene.

“So what happened?”

Selene looked exhausted.

“The Scorpion Prince is one of my strongest summons.”

She sank into a chair.

“He was a conqueror king from an ancient story cycle. Powerful. Proud. Extremely difficult to control.”

Gene crossed his arms.

“And he decided you weren’t worthy?”

Selene nodded.

“Some summons test their summoner if they believe the bond is weak.”

Victor adjusted his glasses.

“Dominance behavior.”

Morrigan patted his shoulder.

“Very dangerous dominance behavior.”

Selene looked toward the Caretaker.

“If he hadn’t intervened…”

Gene followed her gaze.

The Caretaker simply shrugged.

As if fighting giant armored scorpion kings was part of his daily routine.

Lilith hugged his arm.

“You saved us.”

The giant lowered his eyes modestly.

⸻

The Mask Fragments

Later, after the others dispersed, Gene knelt in the courtyard.

Moonlight glinted off the broken pieces of the Caretaker’s porcelain mask.

He carefully gathered the shards.

Each fragment was surprisingly smooth and cool to the touch.

He turned one over thoughtfully.

Selene approached quietly.

“You’re thinking again.”

Gene held up a shard.

“Could I summon objects?”

Selene considered.

“In theory, yes.”

Gene looked at the fragments.

“If characters can be summoned from fiction, maybe famous items can too.”

He imagined cursed masks.

Legendary weapons.

Enchanted books.

The possibilities made his mind race.

Selene smiled.

“Now you’re dangerous.”

Gene grinned.

“I learned from the best.”

⸻

Remembering Moira

As they walked back toward the hotel, Gene stopped abruptly.

Selene looked at him.

“What is it?”

Gene smacked his forehead.

“I am an idiot.”

Selene laughed.

“That is a broad statement. Be specific.”

Gene groaned.

“Moira Valecourt.”

Selene blinked.

“The Apprentice Archivist?”

“The first person I met in this world.”

Gene rubbed his temples.

“She literally worked with summoning lore and ancient records.”

He threw up his hands.

“And I haven’t spoken to her since meeting you.”

Selene smiled knowingly.

“To be fair, you have been busy.”

Gene snorted.

“That’s not an excuse.”

Selene slipped her arm through his.

“Then let’s go see her.”

⸻

The Seventh Tower

By the time they arrived at the Seventh Tower, night had fallen.

The structure rose above the city like a silver needle piercing the sky.

Ancient runes glowed along its stone surface.

Inside, librarians and archivists moved quietly among endless shelves of books and scrolls.

Gene remembered arriving here as a bewildered newcomer.

It felt like another lifetime.

At the front desk, a bespectacled attendant looked up.

“Can I help you?”

Gene smiled.

“I’d like to request an audience with Apprentice Archivist Moira Valecourt.”

The attendant consulted a ledger.

Then looked up with mild surprise.

“She will see you.”

Gene exchanged a glance with Selene.

Together they followed the attendant up the spiral staircase.

As they approached Moira’s office, Gene felt a sudden surge of anticipation.

If anyone could help him understand item summoning, world merging, and the strange possibilities unfolding before them—

It would be Moira.

The attendant opened the door.

“Please, go in.”

Gene stepped across the threshold.

And froze.

Because seated inside Moira Valecourt’s office was not one person.

But three.

Moira.

A stern elderly archivist in crimson robes.

And, lounging casually in a chair with an infuriatingly familiar smile—

Prince Cassian Aurelius.

Cassian lifted a teacup.

“Well,” he said.

“This should be interesting.”