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1534 A.D. in Verona, Italy, where we set our scene. In a world full of monsters and demi-humans, peace is a word known not by the populace. The world has been fighting for over a thousand years. Out of all the houses that hate, two houses in particular, have been at each other's throats ever since the beginning. Whether it be at home, a party, or even just the streets, these two houses fight. Be it for money, fame, or just to beat the other, they still fight till death.
The Montagues, a house of humans known as Himaniye, and the Capulets, a house of demi-humans and monsters. Both houses are rich, respected, and most importantly to them, enemies of the other. The Montagues have been around since 213 A.D., approximately 400 years later than the Capulets, being from 189 B.C. Demi-humans and Himaniye have always been enemies, the Capulets and Montagues being a prime example of the status quo. But all people know that the status quo is like the weather, forever changing and unstable, and two members from the rival houses plan to change those racist norms. Here we meet our main protagonists, the Count Romeo, and the Maiden Juliet, both the only children of the two houses.
These two star-crossed lovers are the leaders of a new revolution. A revolution founded on ill-fated and forbidden love that will beat out the French’ and Americans’ for the most radical uprising in history. Whether it succeed or fail, their love for one another will never break. The world shall change, but for better or for worse, is a question that will never be answered; an answer that shan’t be found, for the sands of time have deemed it an unethical disturbance to the universe. This story may never be seen by mortal eyes again, but if it is, whether it be by Demi-humans or Himaniye, prepare to learn the tale of the ill-fated Count and Maiden.
A hooded figure walks through a courtyard late at night, the only things lighting up his path being the moon and precariously placed torches seemingly fluctuating as if there was an invisible force slowly snuffing them out. The figure was extremely tall, standing at about 7’2” with a muscular physique. The figure was donned in a vibrant blue robe with gold stitching that went from his hood and wrapped down to his coat-tails which contrasted well with his light gray suit that he had on underneath. The suit had silver and gold stitching that seemed to glow with an invisible power source lining the cloth all the way from the collar to his midriff, where it suddenly stopped before reaching his trousers. Said article of clothing was the same colour but with bright emerald stitching as its chosen lining. On the waistline of the trousers sat a beautiful leather sheath studded with gold and diamonds, inside sat a razor sharp sword that could frighten anyone by the sight alone. The figure’s fancy polished shoes were the only piece of clothing that stuck out, being somehow a dull but shiny black with dark red accents and an indigo collar lining.
The figure was walking down a gravel path that seemed well traversed with all the footprints and grime that littered its rough surface. The path was lined on both sides with the aforementioned torches and evenly cut and placed shrubs. The shrubs were cut perfectly rectangular and had bright purple flowers growing out of its labyrinthine branches. The path seemingly led nowhere as its twists and turns just led deeper and deeper into the forest.
Suddenly a snap could be heard somewhere in the seemingly infinite forest causing the figure to suddenly stop and turn around. Looking slowly left and right, their eyes seem to scrutinise the tiniest of movements. Even though that noise could have been the figures doom, their movements seemed calm. The figure’s body was not tense nor were his movements sudden. Every action seemed calculated and tranquil, as if they knew what caused the noise and had no reason to be threatened. The figure turned around and continued walking to his destination when another snap was heard from behind the figure. The figure tried to turn around again, but this time, they were too late.
A hand reached out and grabbed the figure’s throat while knocking their sword to the ground with a dull thud. The hand was black with a red dot on the back of the palm and seemingly rotting from the inside out, covered in a foul smelling slimy carapace that shone in the moonlight. The fingers of the appendage had crimson red claws that were at least half a foot long with bright gold lines going down the middle. The hand was connected to a vomit green arm that writhed and moved on its own as if something was living inside it.
The blue-robed figure slowly followed the length of the arm to see what the rest of the creature looked like. The creature was cloaked in darkness, as if the night was its clothing. The only thing besides the arm that was visible was the creature’s bright red and slitted eyes. The eyes seemed to glow in the dull light. The blue-robed figure could feel his life leaving him as the creature choked it out of him.
“You are not welcome on this earth, mortal,” the creature said with an ominous and gravelly voice.
“Your existence causes pain to the flow of normality and is labeled as a discrepancy,” the creature said to the figure, his voice breaking as it talked. The blue-robed figure wanted to speak but it couldn’t with how tightly the creature held his throat.
“A discrepancy that is not welcome on this planet, and must be exterminated.” The figure could feel his life fade as the world started to spin.
“Goodbye, mortal,” the creature said as it squeezed even harder until a sickening CRACK was heard and the figure’s vision turned to black.
“AGH!” the figure screamed as he shot up in his bed and slowly looked around, “‘twas just but a dream, Romeo.” The figure, now known as Romeo, slowly got out of bed with an unsteady expression shaping his features, his bright cobalt eyes shaking with fear.
“Romeo, are you okay, I heard a scream?” said a motherly voice.
“I’m okay mother, just a strange dream,” replied Romeo to his mother’s question, but even he did not know if what he speaks is truth. The dream, to him, more felt like a premonition, as if he was destined to die a brutal death. After Romeo steadied himself, he got up to get dressed and presentable. After about ten minutes a quiet click can be heard as Romeo’s mother opened the door. She was a very beautiful lady for her age, having fair skin, a voluptuous body, bright emerald green eyes, and mid-back length black hair. She was wearing a long, gold-lined, red dress that hugged her figure.
“Romeo, are you there?”
“I’m in here mother,” Romeo said from his washroom.
“How is my son doing today,” Romeo’s mother cooed while hugging him.
“you’ve grown so handsome over the years,” she said with a bright smile while ruffling up his hair. Romeo tried to stop his mom in vain, but he had to admit, her statement was truthful even with its motherly exaggeration. Romeo had jet black hair that was neatly combed back, bright cobalt eyes that accentuated his rough but handsome facial features, and a bright and jovial smile that could make any lady swoon by just the sight alone.
“Thank you Mother. How is Father?” Romeo asked with one eyebrow raised.
“He is in his study brooding,” his mother said with a perplexing expression on her face that could be described as an amalgamation of a scowl, frown and amusement. Knock knock knock, three consecutive bangs were heard from the direction of the front door.
“I’ll get it Mother,” Romeo said while walking to the front door. When Romeo opened the door he was met by the sight of an old man that seemed worried, his eyes frantically looking left and right.
“Are you alright sir?” Romeo asked, concerned.
“This is the house of Count Romeo, correct ?”
“Tis correct, I am Romeo, why art thou asking sire?”
“The prince has enacted a plan where the family, especially the children, of the Capulet and Montague families must meet together at a ball that will be held later today at 14:00.”
“A meeting? With the Capulets, how strange.”
“He said it is a way to keep the peace of the Verona streets.”
“If it is a royal order, then I shall be there post haste.”
“Thank you sir, see you this afternoon.”
“Good day sir,” Romeo yelled as the old man left.
“That sure is a strange way to start the day.”
Later that day, we can see Romeo in his robe along with two other people. The one to Romeo’s left was a tall, well built man with dull gray eyes, shoulder length red hair, rigid features, and a fancy royal robe. The one to Romeo’s left was a short, young looking boy with green eyes, short brown hair, chubby cheeks, and an almost peasant looking outfit. These two were Mercutio, the Prince’s son adopted by Lord Montague, and Benvolio, Romeo’s cousin, respectively.
“Come on Romeo, let’s just enjoy the party,” Mercutio said with a loud and carefree voice.
“What makes thou think I won’t have fun,” asked Romeo with an incredulous expression, “if it is because they are Demi-humans, then thy reason is null and void.”
“Of course not Cousin,” said Benvolio, giving his two cents, “It is just because your mother and father can’t come till later.”
“Tis not a problem dear Cuz, I can enjoy a party without my parents.”
“Okay Romeo, Oh! I heard from a ‘friend’ that there shall be some beautiful dames at this ball,” Mercutio said with a sly grin while hitting Romeo on his shoulder.
“Thy mind is deranged,” Romeo said with a teasing smile.
“Haha, that’s the spirit Romeo,” Mercutio said.
“Now come hither, we must put on our masks,” Benvolio said while putting his mask on and the others followed. Romeo’s mask was a bright gold with deep red accents in the shape of a daemon. Mercutio’s was a dull gray with bright green accents in an abstract shape, whereas Benvolio’s was an indigo coloured owl shaped mask with bright cyan stripes. The trio arrived at the massive mansion where the ball was being held, and walked in.
“Welcome everyone!” a burly man with razor sharp teeth and large dog-like ears yelled. The man was wearing a fancy dog-like mask with an even fancier robe that showed his wealth and status. His bright brown eyes shined through the holes in his mask and pierced straight through Romeo’s own.
“My name is Lord Capulet, I know many are here to dance so I will keep it brief,” Capulet said with a deep, booming voice, “This is a meeting scheduled by the Prince himself between the Capulets and the Montagues. Capulet said the last word with obvious disdain while pointing at Romeo and the other Montagues.
“But I digress. Enjoy the party everyone,” Capulet yelled while smiling widely. The Demi-humans danced with one another, struck up conversations, and some couples even left the room to a more private location, But Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio, were not dancing at all. All three of them tried, but were subsequently cursed out and rejected. Romeo sat bored in the corner when he laid his eyes upon a woman in the crowd, and time itself seemed to slow.
The woman was tall, standing at around 6’10”, and very beautiful. She was donned in a vibrant aqua dress that hugged her voluptuous figure and showed off her beauty and long, feminine legs that seemed endless. Her long violet hair reached her lower back and seemed to glisten in an invisible light, and her beautiful, slitted, indigo eyes shone brighter than the sun itself. Her most striking features, however, came from her Demi-human side. The girl was what appeared to be half serpentine, with a large, draconic, indigo tail that was at least four feet long extending from her hips, bright emerald green scales littering her body from her high-heeled feet to her neck, and a big, razor sharp teeth filled, smile that never seemed to lose its alluring nature.
The woman met Romeo’s eyes and seemed to have the same thoughts as himself, both were infatuated with one another. Slowly the two made their way to one another and met in the middle of the dance floor.
“Good even madam, may I take this dance,” Romeo said smiling.
“Of course good sire, thou are always welcome to dance with me,” the woman said with a happy expression, “would thou happen to be one of the Montagues that my father, Lord Capulet, has welcomed here?”
“That would be correct madam, my name is Count Romeo, would thou be so kind as to give me the name of the one who has captured my heart?” Romeo asked as they started to dance.
“My name is Maiden Juliet, would thou be so kind as to give me a gift?” Juliet asked with an alluring smile while leaning closer.
“And what would that request be madam?”
“First a question, have thou ever kissed a demi-human?” Romeo immediately caught on and smiled.
“I can’t say I have, madam.”
“Would thou like to, with me?” Juliet asked with half lidded eyes while slowly rising.
“I would love to madam,” Romeo said while leaning in to the kiss. Both thought the kiss was magical, feeling as if the world didn’t exist for that moment; it was just them in their own world. Suddenly the music in the ballroom grinded to a halt and Romeo and Juliet ended their kiss. When they opened their eyes they could see everyones’ eyes on them, the most noticeable was Juliet’s father and Romeo’s newly arrived mother.
Juliet’s father was seething with anger with his brow knitted, his eyes slitted, and his sharp canines in full view for the couple to see. Romeo’s mother’s expression was more cross, but the emotion that Romeo could see the most, was disappointment. The ballroom was deafly silent, everyone being too scared to speak their outrage.
“JULIET!” Lord Capulet yelled with absolute, unbridled rage, “What is going on here!”
“I’m just kissing the one I love, is that so wrong father?” Juliet asked with a tone bordering on incredulous and anger.
“It is when thy amore is a Himaniye, and a Montague on top of that!” Capulet yelled with anger, His eyes started to glow red with anger, but they also started to water with sadness, for he lost his only child. “You are hereby kicked out of this family, I hope thou hast learned thy lesson!”
“Now hold on!” Romeo yelled with a cross expression, “thou cannot kick your daughter out of the family for loving someone.” Before Capulet could respond, Lady Montague beat him to it, “he absolutely can young man, and what do you think you are doing young man, she is the daughter of our rival, and a Demi-human on top of that.”
“I care not what she is. I care that she is beautiful and kind. She is the one I love, and if thou don’t like that mother, consider me not your child. Come Juliet, let us leave,” Romeo said with anger boiling in his veins, and a new dislike for his own mother. A mother who currently looked shocked with watered eyes at Romeo’s turned figure, and at the act of his rebelliousness. Juliet on the other hand loved his words; she thought Romeo was her perfect soulmate. She too, had a new disliking for her father, and was all for Romeo’s plan. She was disowned, after all. The couple started to leave as the crowd grew in an uproar of curses and veiled threats.
After they had got to a secluded portion of woods, Romeo and Juliet sat down and stared at the night sky. Juliet could still hear the uproar in the ballroom even though they were at least a mile away. Romeo may not be able to hear it, but he is smart enough to know it is still in full swing. Juliet couldn’t help but think of the family she had lost. All the memories she had gained, now gone, all because her miserable father couldn’t be open minded. But even with that knowledge, she couldn’t help but miss him, after all, he was still her father. She could feel her eyes start to water, but then she felt a soft cloth-like texture wipe her tears away. Juliet looked over to see Romeo holding a handkerchief with a concerned look on his handsome face.
“Why doth thy eyes water so, is it because of me?” Romeo asked with a sad voice that started to break.
“It is about my father, he may have disowned me, but he was still my father,” Juliet said, breaking down in Romeo’s arms.
“I understand amore mio, losing family is hard, I still wonder if Benvolio and Mercutio found our love forbidden,” Romeo said with a tiny smile on his face. But Juliet could see right through him, she could see all the pain and ache in his beautiful cobalt eyes.
“Juliet,” Romeo said, startling Juliet who was too focused with his eyes.
“Yes Amore?”
“I have an idea, a way we can be forever together,” Romeo said getting Juliet’s attention, “I know a friar named Lawrance, his father is a Himaniye and his mother is a Demi-human, he has a guest house that we can live in together, and he can marry us whenever you feel comfortable, how does that sound, Amore?” Juliet’s eyes started to water again, but not in sadness, no, these were tears of joy! She could finally be with her Amore once and for all. What neither know is that after they left the party, the ballroom turned into an arena. The following fight that ensued caused many casualties, Lady Montague and Lord Capulet killed each other in a duel, Mercutio was killed trying to protect Romeo’s legacy, and Benvolio was impaled on a spike by a Capulet that saw him as weak.
But why should Romeo and Juliet care, they both are living happily ever after as newly weds in Friar Lawrence’s house. They both lost their parents, so it doesn’t concern them; and what doesn’t concern them, won’t hurt them. But what they don’t know, will. Some entities don’t like when what they deem as irrelevant discrepancies live happily to tell the tale. Romeo was surely correct, his ‘dream,’ was in fact a premonition, and now, Juliet was dragged in as well. Both were destined to die, whether it be discreetly, or directly. The gods will rectify their mistake.
The ‘creature’ from Romeo’s ‘dream’ stood in a room soaked from floor to ceiling with blood, bodies littered the floor. Some were stuck on pikes, others were dismembered, and some even seemed to explode from the inside out. All the while, the creature stood completely calm while holding a severed head in its left hand. Suddenly it opened its eyes, revealing pitch black eyes with glowing red slits, the only source of light in the dark room besides a lone torch on the centre table.
“Soon Count Romeo,” the creature said, dropping the head and walking to table, “you will be rectified, by me or by others, thou shalt be killed and erased, a discrepancy to never be remembered.” The creature kneeled down and put his face in the light of the lone torch revealing a vomit green coloured head with a chunk missing out of the top right writhing with invisible maggots, the creature’s eyes seemed ready to fall out of the rotting socket they lied in. The creature’s mouth took up the entire lower half of his head and was filled with half-inch thick, yellow canines that could tear flesh.
“Now,” the creature said while brandishing its claws, “your precious fiancée is also doomed to the fate of demons.” Every time the creature talked, its jaw made a sickening pop as if it was relocating it every other word. “Under my power gifted by the ethereal, I shall kill you, for you are not welcome in this universe.” The creature stood and turned to face a crystal ball with an image of Romeo and Juliet and picked it up. “It’s about time you meet the hand of omnipotence, for I am Omniliyaed, and today, you shall be hereby named as prey,” The creature said while crushing the crystal ball with his hands.
Romeo may be a good fighter, but can he beat a being that can defeat time itself? This is the answer that may never be found, not because is it lost, but because it is hidden by the aspects of gods: omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience. Whether the gods found Romeo’s purpose, or made their own, is forever lost. But what we do know is that some questions are never meant to be answered, and this is one of those. Whether it be gods, Himaniye, Demi-humans, monsters, or even demons, one thing stays the same about their knowledge, all shall never be known about any one thing.
THE END