Headed by a Snake

Even after the removal of Guillaume De la Croix, Chantal continued to resist Constantine's advances.

Then... the fates saw fit that the woman contract her father's Summoned Beast.

It was lamentable, but Constantine's magic was largely ineffective against a barely-controlled leviathan thrice the size of a defensive fort.

From there, he decided to prioritize conquering King Adal's youngest daughter, Aurala Wyndham.

That proved to be an infuriating waste of time.

It was not until the third catastrophe that Constantine decided to leave Alizeau.

His primary base of operations, his magic tower, was raided by thieves. His traps were dismantled. His mimics and cockatrice were slaughtered...

They even killed his slave girl.

As a final insult, the rogues set a trap for him on the tower's highest level.

The resulting magical explosion horrifically scarred his true form. Since then, he'd been forced to rely on glamour magic to maintain his original, handsome appearance.

"Is that so...?" Coraline crossed her arms... a sliver of confidence returning to her voice, "I had thought... it was your fiancee."

"Well, well... someone is *quite* informed..." Constantine felt his eye twitch... but he masked his annoyance with a smile, "Tell me, Miss Coraline... where did you learn of that?"

"It was pretty big news, at the time, Sir," Coraline bowed her head... barely trying to hide her mocking smirk, "that the youngest Princess in the Magic Kingdom was engaged to a noble from the Sleeping Country."

Bella Sapphira.

That.

F*cking.

Cunt.

Very few people in the Sapphire Tower knew of the going-ons of Konstantin Dunzis. It was problematic, as his true name was so easily identifiable... and not solely because of the centuries of his house's illustrious and sometimes violent history...

He was born in Nemaya Strana.

There was little the Eastern Statesmen distrusted more than a gentleman from the Sleeping Country, noble or not.

But while the Realm at large knew of him as Konstantin Dunzis... in Archangel, he was Constantine the Silver: silver-tongued bachelor, wealthy philanthropist...

Archmage.

With glamour magic and illusions as his expertise... the only mages in the Eastern States that could glean his true form and history were those with access to magical Truesight.

Concerning Coraline Heartsong, her most probable source of information was... CEO Bella Sapphira.

It *must* have been her.

Even in whatever hell she was in, that whore was determined to be a bloodied thorn, twisted deep underneath his nail.

Constantine took a deep breath to regain his calm.

Fury raged in his heart.

He needed an outlet.

Coraline Heartsong.

He would claim her.

He needed to exert his power over her... to stare into her eyes as he ravaged her virgin body.

He needed to inflict physical and psychological pain... and would only be appeased upon seeing the last vestiges of resistance disappear from her eyes.

Elves were his favorite. Man or woman, it didn't matter. They were the most satisfying creatures in the Realm to corrupt.

An elf believed in the natural goodness of people. It was a laughable concept... and so very easy to prove wrong.

Elven magic bent and weaved mana into complex magical designs and structures. Working in tandem with the elements was a sign of a weaker mage. A proper Archmage commanded the elements to obey.

In Constantine's pitifully short human lifetime, he had taken dozens, if not hundreds, of elves. Each of them never believed that the worst could happen to them... especially not by a lowly human.

His magic was perfect for the task.

Elves were born with a natural resistance to Charm-type spells... and thus were unguarded against them.

In truth, Constantine was not a simple Illusionist. His repertoire of spells, a result of years of his own painstaking design... had their underlying cores contrived by Draconic script.

With the domineering presence of the stolen Draconic Essence in his bloodline... and Dragon Magic dancing upon his fingertips, no sentient creature in the Realm could resist him.

He would secure their wrists and ankles... He would revel in their screams, laughing as they broke their bones, struggling against their magical bindings.

When he grew bored, he'd subdue their wills. Their hearts would tremble and their eyes would grow wide with fear upon realizing they could do nothing save plead for mercies upon deaf ears... to him... to their silent gods.

For bells on end... for suns and weeks and moons, he'd keep them in his private quarters.

He called it... re-education.

He would magically intensify their sensitivity...

He would dole out punishments for disobedience...

He would reward them... but only if they splayed open their orifices and begged for him to enter.

And when they grew addicted to him... when nothing was left but a sack of meat whose sole thoughts... whose sole purpose was to crave carnal pleasure.

...only then would Constantine call his re-education a success.

Then... the mindless husks would be discarded... sacrificed to the Dragon God. Whether or not his prayers were heard was a non-issue.

He'd write down notes in his journal to later analyze for trends... and he'd clean their holding area with magic to make room for the next victim.

Coraline Heartsong... she would be no different.

"My fiancee..." Constantine shook his head... "is of no consequence. I must admit that I have not seen her for quite some time."

He hadn't contacted Aurala since he discovered her virginity taken by a different man. The thought of it still bred a deep, loathing contempt for the girl.

"That's a real shame, Sir," Coraline rolled her eyes.

The girl's disdain only made Constantine more erect. Though she was still young... the arrogance befitting of an Ancient fed his lust. He imagined her naked body underneath her clothes... planning on just how he'd paint her with scars of ownership.

He instilled magic into his words as he whispered breathily... "Perhaps you would... ⌈Keep Me Company⌋ for a spell, in her stead?"

Coraline's green eyes glowed... and the luster in them dimmed.

The magic was taking effect.

Constantine relaxed upon the bench, leaning back to better grant the elf access to his crotch. He was looking forward to seeing the girl's eyeliner run down her eyes... snot, saliva, and mana essence from her nostrils and mouth...

He'd burn the image of his conquest into his memory... one of many already collected.

"I..." She paused, her willpower surging... soon to fade into nothingness... "I... have a boyfriend."

Oh? That... was even better.

Constantine wanted to see Coraline's face twist in ugliness as she was violated by a man she did not love.

"HAH!! Hahah! HAHAHA!!" He cackled, "You speak of the virgin? What was his name again? Sloan Masterspark? How about you shut the f*ck up and get on your knees, you insufferable bitch?"

Coraline grimaced as she shook her head... "S-sorry, Sir-- what were we talking about?"

Constantine furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief.

What. The. F*ck. Was going on?

Was... his magic ineffective?

...No.

"Girl..."

"Oh, right. My boyfriend," Coraline nodded, her gaze dreamy and distant, "I'm actually hoping to take leave to go see him."

Constantine leaned forward, again steepling his fingers.

How?

How did the sapling still have such a high level of lucidity?

How was she not on her knees, begging to be defiled?

It was-- it should have been... absolutely impossible.

Coraline Heartsong was a novice Arcanist... and had no special traits to resist his Dragon Magic.

She might have had a fire elemental... not that that would pose a meaningful threat.

If he sensed even an ember of its flames, he'd annihilate it with a flick of his wrist.

...If it wasn't a unique ability, it was... a protective enchantment?

Opening his magical senses, he identified the issue immediately.

The earrings.

Arcanist Coraline wore two... subtle pearl earrings that he'd never have noticed if he were not actively searching.

His gaze sharpened into a hateful glare as he recognized the subtle aura of their crafter.

Bella. F*cking. Sapphira.

Constantine had grown weary of her meddling.

But no matter the protective enchantments, he would get his way.

He stood up and approached the dazed youth... feeling his Draconic Essence coursing through his meridians, empowering his muscles... webs of cracks appearing in the expensive tiles he tread upon.

She was weak... She was frail. She barely qualified to be called an adult...

If she was unaffected by his Dragon Magic, he could still overpower her physically.

Though not as graceful, he was not above choking a woman to unconsciousness with his bare f*cking hands.

"His name," Coraline closed her eyes and placed her hands over her heart... "is Lone... and... I love him more than anything."

...Constantine furrowed his brows... "What... did you just say?"

"My... boyfriend's name?" The cloudy-eyed girl tilted her head, "It's... Lone. Lone Shadowdark. It's... pretty lame, I know... but if you meet him, it actually makes a lot of sense."

The Lone. F*cking. Shadowdark.

That... was the name of the Ranger that belonged to Guild Sol Invictus.