Heartbroken, betrayed, and ridiculed by his wife, Ban of Benoic contemplated his decision alone, separated from Elaine and his son, Lancelot.
He questioned his reason for living.
His beloved could no longer look him in the eyes; she felt sickened by his cowardice, even though he did it for his people.
He sat at the edge of his bed, muttering a prayer beneath his breath.
"Alvamon of Yggdrasil, if you can hear my desperate plea, then please guide me to the right path moving forward. Show me the correct way and lead me and my people into peace." Squeezing his hands together, he gritted his teeth. "I'm doing whatever I can to save my people from destruction. That is my duty as King."
Finishing his prayer, Ban stood up from the bed, huffing a deep sigh of regret; dispirited from his actions.
"Even if my beloved hates me, she must know that I'm doing this for the Kingdom of Mesnil and my people. The others out there will have to survive on their own."
The door to his room suddenly burst open as Lancelot ran inside, panting in exhaustion.
"F-Father… it was Mother… she left the Kingdom of Mesnil to hunt down Dracula!"
Widening his eyes, Ban approached his son in haste.
"What? How? Tell me how Lancelot!"
"She found a way to bypass your Bun'dao and leave the isolated dimension you created."
"She did what? Wait a moment." Ban gazed at the floor, mesmerized by his thoughts. "I'm a fool, I forgot to seal the dimension off after I returned!"
"Father, we have to go after her!"
"No, you will stay here. I'll chase after her, Lancelot, you must watch over the Kingdom!"
Ban sprinted out of his room and headed outside the castle, but Lancelot chased after him.
"Father, you must take me with you!"
Ban turned around, scowling.
"No!!" Ban raised his voice, causing Lancelot to flinch. "You will stay here and that is final, Lancelot! Watch after the people while I'm gone, you're the next Head of Mesnil!"
The young boy stood in the middle of the throne room, terrified to walk any further. He wanted to disobey his Father but he knew he would only get in the way.
"…Understood, Father."
And so Ban of Benoic left his Kingdom, pursuing his wife and her desperate attempt to confront Dracula.
+
"So you purposely broke the family apart, knowing Elaine would chase after you?! I expect nothing else from you my Lord!"
Dracula leaned back into his throne, resting his fist upon his cheek.
"It was the only way to lure out his beloved, Elaine. She was an important piece to my plan."
"An important… piece?"
"Yes—you see—Elaine was no ordinary woman married to Ban of Benoic; she was a special individual with the power to deny reality and shut off any magic with mere delusions."
"What? Are you saying she was a Misfit?"
Dracula grinned.
"Pwa ha ha! Indeed, Elaine was part of the infamous Misfits - a group long believed to have been destroyed throughout the Multiverse!"
Cielero widened his eyes, baffled by this revelation.
"Misfits are known to be surrounded by a Cosmic Force known as the Singularity. This Cosmic Force allows for the complete manipulation of the concept of Singularity. You can separate other concepts from one another to form a singular concept. Take the concept of Magic for example; using the Singularity Force, you can remove the Concept of Mana from a Magic Circle, eradicating the spell in its entirety. It is known to separate things to put them in a singular state."
Cielero chuckled mischievously.
"I've heard stories of these misfits. They're known to be separated from reality and exist in a singular state formed by their delusions. Within their "Domain" reality is transformed to suit their needs, causing illogical things to become logical, and for rules to change in order to benefit their misapprehension of reality."
"Indeed, Cielero, she was the key I needed to complete my goal. I needed to acquire the power of a Misfit and use it to my advantage."
"So what did you do, Lord Dracula?"
The Lord of Darkness grinned.
"I took control of Elaine's mind."
+
"Ah, Elaine, the beloved Wife of Ban - what brings you here today?"
"H-How did you know I was coming to find you, Dracula?"
"Wherever there is Chaos, there is me."
Elaine sat atop her steed, facing the pale man in front of her in the middle of a desolate grassland.
"I've come to stop you… with my own hands! I won't let you use my husband for your evil schemes!"
"Evil? Kuhaha!" He lifted his back head into a fit of laughter. "I'm merely trying to ascend Yggdrasil into a new age; one where they can see the beauty of the void. You and your puny mind will never be able to understand because you lack knowledge."
"I don't want to hear any excuses! I won't be swayed by your words." Elaine disembarked her horse before pulling out a blade from her sheathe. "I'll stop you, even if it means giving my life!"
Dracula stood confidently, unfazed by her determination.
"You are a misfit—unbound by the rules of reality—yet you're unable to fully control your power." Dracula approached Elaine, tall and imposing. "The way you're now, you'll never be able to challenge me… but I can change that."
Elaine gasped, lowering her blade momentarily.
"How do you know of my origins?"
"I know of everything you've ever dreamed of, Elaine. Your true power has yet to be awakened, but by my hands, you can become the strongest in all of Yggdrasil."
"I-I won't let you persuade me… Dracula!"
Honing her will, Elaine took a step forward, striking the Lord of Darkness with her blade.
"Hmm?"
Dracula glanced down to see the sword unable to pierce his skin, forcing out laughter.
"Pwa ha ha! What a sad attempt, my body is unable to be harmed—I am invulnerable to all physical and magical attacks." Dracula reached to grip her blade, shattering it with his bare hand. "The only thing that poses a threat to me is Chaos and Destruction - and perhaps that Misfit power of yours."
Dracula stepped forward, gripping Elaine's neck and lifting her off the ground.
"Your mind belongs to me—you will become a loyal slave abiding by my every command, and with your power, I'll be able to access other worlds beyond Yggdrasil and ascend them into Chaos."
"B-Bastard…" Elaine gripped his wrists, gasping for air. "Y-You wish to use me… to gain access to the Multiverse?"
"Kuhuhu, precisely! With the power of a Misfit, I'll become unstoppable! The entire Halvrendor will fear me!"
Elaine punched and kicked in a desperate attempt to escape, but the Lord of Darkness remained unfazed, laughing at her futile attempts.
"Grimhild soon plans on destroying all of Yggdrasil with her Destruction Magic, and I will join her, but after that, it will be the next world, and then the next… and the next! This entire multiverse will see the Might of Chaos, and fear Dracula!"
"No.. you… can't…"
"Accept your fate, and become mine."
Without remorse, Dracula snapped her neck, watching the light fade from her eyes.
"You will leave your old life behind you and join my legion." Dropping her to the ground like a bag of rocks, Dracula cast a spell, engulfing their body in a dark aura. "Mesmolphis."
Elaine's body spasmed all over as a ghoulish groan came from her mouth, akin to that of a zombie.
"Rise from the dead and join me!"
Dracula chuckled, watching her corpse slowly levitate from the ground.
"I will make you into the Ultimate Vampire, and together we will conquer the Halvrendor, and bring Chaos upon all!"
"C-Chaos…" Elaine spoke, raspy as ever.
"Yes my dear, we will show the Multiverse Chaos!"
Elaine slowly descended to her feet as the light returned to her eyes.
"Dracula… my dear…"
"Come to me." Dracula stretched his arms forward for a hug.
"My beloved." Elaine walked forward, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I love you, Dracula…"
"Ban of Benoic is no more - he is but a coward who is too afraid to stand up for what he believes is right." Dracula gazed into her eyes, caressing Elaine's cheek.
"…He is but a weakling who is too afraid of the world. That man is no longer my husband." Elaine grasped his wrist, pushing her body into the vampire's. "Kiss me, my beloved."
"A kiss, I shall."
Leaning forward, the Lord of Darkness pressed his lips into Elaine's, forming a sweet delicate kiss between two newfound lovers; one who desires domination and one who desires a strong-willed man.
From far away, the sound of galloping could be heard as Ban of Benoic searched every corner of the world for his wife, but little did he know, he was far too late.
Dracula pulled away, smiling at his beloved before looking ahead.
"Ah, it seems we have company, Elaine."
She hugged Dracula's arm, waiting for the arrival of her former husband.
"Here comes the cowardice fool I once called my beloved."