Prologue

"While, like a ghastly rapid river,

Through the pale door,

A hideous throng rush out forever,

And laugh – but smile no more."

- The Haunted Palace -

Ruby red liquid slowly flowed out of a long circular neck, down into a tulip shaped crystal glass. The liquid sparkled under the lamp's golden light. The pouring stopped when the content of the crystal glass became half-full.

A young woman by the name of Lena picked up the tulip-shaped glass and brought it to a middle-aged, portly man – Councilor Alston Hild.

"It's about time you brought that drink here. Did I not tell you last time that the moment I arrive here you prepare a glass of wine for your master? Do you want me to take a switch at you?" Alston's round voice bellowed at the now frightened Lena. He drained the contents of the glass greedily.

"Master, forgive the wench. She is not used to your… manly charms," another woman, older than Lena, cooed with a seductive voice. She was perched atop the right armrest of the velvet chair the man was sitting on. She leaned closer to her master. Her long auburn hair cascaded down, tickling the neck of the man.

"You never cease to please me, Sophia." Councilor Alston eyed the woman lustfully. His impatient hands snaked to the underside of Sophia's breast.

Sophia moaned. She raked her hands through the receding blonde hair of Alston's round head. She leaned further and brought her mouth down the man's own wine-kissed lips. Lost in the erotic world of their own making, they didn't hear the knock from one of the double doors of the den. Lena, unsure of what to do, made a run for the door and slightly opened it.

A cloaked person stood in front of the door. "Y-y-yes?" Lena asked nervously.

"I have business with Councilor Hild."

She was stupefied to hear a female voice. "The councilor is –uh – indisposed," she said evasively, thinking that the hooded woman was one of those prostitutes that acted as dancers across the streets of Prontera. No one but I and my sister have the right to the councilor's generous tip.

The hooded woman threw a brown, frayed pouch at the suspicious young woman. Lena involuntarily lifted her hands to catch the flying pouch. She was surprised to hear the pouch jingle. It was easy to guess that the pouch was full of zeny. She untied it.

"Six thousand zeny for a third of an hour alone with him," the hooded woman offered.

Lena gasped. The value was fifteen times larger than her salary for the night. It was too good to miss. She looked back at the steamy scene behind her. "A moment, if you may," she replied, closing the door as she turned back.

'Sister…' Lena whispered.

Sophia's lips were being devoured by the councilor. She waved a hand of dismissal towards Lena, lips still locked with the man.

'Sister!' She spoke more determinedly; gaining confidence from the pouch of zeny she was holding.

Sophia plucked her lips away from the hungry ones of Alston. She looked at her sister whose eyes were twinkling. "If you will excuse me, Master, my fellow servant has a message for me." She extricated herself from his clinging hands.

"Scrub the wench. You've got more important things to do!" Alston, still drugged from their exchange, huskily muttered.

"It will only take a moment," Sophia promised. Lena dragged Sophia to a yard away from the double doors. 'What is it? I could have gotten a better tip with all the moans and groans he was doing!' Sophia whispered as she went beside the ecstatic Lena.

'Here!'

Sophia's eyes grew bigger as she saw the opened pouch full of zeny. 'W-where did you get that?'

'There's a woman outside. She offered me this in exchange of the Councilor's time. Twenty minutes she says, and then you can continue your show.'

'W-well, I suppose we have to tell the Coun–'

'No! She needs to be alone. Let's just leave now.'

Lena opened one side of the double doors.

The hooded woman closed the door lightly. She had her hands on the doorknob. She leaned against the door, waiting for the portly man to notice her. And when the man did – he reacted with antagonism.

"And who might you be?" Councilor Alston stood up from the velvet chair.

The woman took her hood down and revealed jet black hair so shiny that it glistened to a hue of blue against the light. She let the hooded garment drop to the floor. She smiled.

He saw the woman smile seductively. Alston, lascivious man that he was, took pleasure at the exquisite beauty presented in front of him. He eyed with great lust the woman's crimson suit, hugging her voluptuous body like second skin. He felt a faint stirring on a part below his belly so he settled back on the velvet-covered chair comfortably.

The woman adjusted her black leather belt around her hip to make sure that the venom-coated whip on her back was still tied securely. She strutted towards the councilor, brought her right hand to the center of his chest, and gave him a slight push. Her beautiful face glowed under the lit table lamp beside her.

Alston felt a strange sense of familiarity with the woman's face. "Have I met you before?"

The woman gave that oh-so-seductive smile of hers again, her short, white fangs showing. "But of course." She grinned evilly as one of her hands went behind her back.

Sophia was the first to go in. She was revolted at what she saw…

The councilor sat on his chair, his arms half-resting and half-dangling on the armrests, his legs twitching every now and then. Blood oozed out from the exposed insides of his neck every time he twitched. His head hanged upside down by a thin thread of death-touched skin. His tongue lolled out from a mouth filled with pink froth. Intense terror still covered the pair of opaque, lifeless eyes. Bluish-black veins stood out prominently on his face. Dark green stains circled the perimeter of his neck where it was decapitated – well – almost decapitated.

She heard Lena come in and tried to stop her from seeing the violence she just witnessed.

The night air blew softly, slightly ruffling the long glorious hair of a woman walking by herself. She raised her hood to her head. A satisfied smile spread on her face as she heard the high-pitched, horrified scream of a young woman's voice from the balcony of Councilor Alston Hild's estate.