Butterfly in the Void

Heise settled into his chair, his posture relaxed but his focus razor-sharp. He tilted his head back, closing his eyes as he delved into the labyrinthine pathways of Ru's mind. The room around him faded into obscurity, replaced by the swirling, chaotic landscape of dreams and memories. Heise flitted through the corridors of Ru's subconscious, like a spiritual butterfly, in search of the golden palace gates that would lead him to the genie. The danger was palpable, but Heise was undeterred. He would find the genie, no matter the cost.

Meanwhile, Ru had slipped into an entirely different dream—a vivid, chaotic memory that felt both familiar and foreign. His hair was an inexplicable shade of pink, tied back with a skull-patterned bandana. He relaxed in a hammock suspended in a cozy cruise cabin adorned with treasures: pearls, beads, seashells, and various trinkets that sparkled in the soft light. A bottle of rum dangled from his fingers, and he took a lazy sip, reveling in the moment.

"Jack the Fly, you're the most troublesome of the seas," he said to himself, raising the bottle in a toast.

Just then, the cabin door was kicked open with a loud bang. Ru's expression twisted into one of annoyance as he glared at the intruder. "Knock gently on that door!" he growled, his voice sharp.

The door swung open to reveal a crewman—tall, muscular, with three gold teeth glinting in his smile, an eyepatch over one eye, and long blond hair tied back with a colorful bandana. His beaded goatee swayed as he stepped inside, his attire as vibrant as coral. It was Gilded Jo, a man whose presence always seemed to stir trouble.

"Was that you, Gilded Jo?" Ru asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Gilded Jo closed the door behind him and approached Ru with a swagger, dangling an earring from his fingers. "What do you say to this?" he asked, his voice rough but with a hint of pride.

Ru glanced at the earring—a gold piece with a large, ruby-studded crescent moon hanging from the chain. It was the kind of treasure he'd usually covet, but he curled his lip in disdain. "Pfft, I have plenty of those," he said, reclining further into the hammock.

"But this one's worth a fortune," Gilded Jo insisted, holding the earring closer to Ru's face. "Just look at it."

"I have looked, and I don't like it. Don't insist," Ru said, his tone dismissive. He waved a hand lazily, as if shooing away a fly.

"The captain's spoiled you. You're never satisfied anymore," Gilded Jo grumbled, his voice tinged with frustration.

Ru's lips curled into a sly smile. "Oh, look at you... You think so highly of me," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Plenty of people think badly of you," Gilded Jo shot back, his voice rising. "They say you're a low-down whore."

Ru's smile vanished in an instant. He sat up abruptly, his green eyes blazing with fury. "What did you say?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

"I just relayed what everyone thinks," Gilded Jo replied, though his bravado wavered under Ru's intense gaze.

In a flash, Ru grabbed the man's collar, pulling him close. His eyes burned with green flames, and his voice was a venomous whisper. "Watch how you speak to me. Or I'll rip out your tongue and shove it up your ass."

Gilded Jo's hands shot up, gripping Ru's wrists as he pressed his nose to Ru's. "Whoa, threats!" he said, though his voice lacked its earlier confidence. "The captain would be pleased if I slit your throat and tossed you overboard right now."

"Would he now?" Ru asked, his voice softening into a melodic purr. His gaze locked onto Gilded Jo's, filled with a mix of lust and menace. "Are you sure?"

Gilded Jo hesitated, his grip on Ru's wrists loosening. "Well, maybe not," he stammered, his bravado crumbling.

Ru released his collar slowly, his eyes never leaving Gilded Jo's. "You're making me angry, making me sad," he said, his voice tinged with melancholy. "I know, it's all because of that woman you brought aboard."

"I could take care of her," Gilded Jo said, his voice eager. His enchanted gaze wandered over Ru's face, and he swallowed hard. "If you want..."

"No, I don't," Ru said, easily freeing his wrists from Jo's limp grasp. "The siren's song is all I desire. Until I get that, all I expect from you is..."

"What do you want? Just say it," Gilded Jo said, his voice desperate. He leaned in closer, his eagerness to please Ru almost palpable.

Before Ru could respond, the ship suddenly rocked violently. The cabin flashed with a blinding light, and Ru squinted, his instincts screaming that something was wrong. He felt the unmistakable presence of magic, its source unclear. His first thought was of the sorceress princess Gilded Jo had brought aboard. She was powerful—and unpredictable.

"Help me up," Ru said, his voice sharp.

Gilded Jo moved to comply, but before he could reach Ru, the dream began to unravel. The cruise cabin shattered like glass, breaking apart into fragments that drifted away into the void. Ru clung to Gilded Jo, his voice trembling. "No, don't take me to that palace," he murmured, sounding drunk and disoriented. "Don't take me from here..."

But Gilded Jo turned to sand in Ru's arms, crumbling and scattering into the winds of the void. As everything was falling apart and disappearing, Ru reached out his hands but couldn't hold on to anything. He could not escape the influence of the imposing figure that appeared behind him.

Powerful arms wrapped around his waist, and large, blue-veined silver hands pressed against his stomach.

"Nooo!" Ru cried, his voice filled with desperation.

The figure that loomed before Heise was breathtaking—a tall, well-built man with a commanding presence. His blue eyes were as deep as the sky, and his long, straight blue-black hair and beard shimmered like the night. His silvery nakedness, detailed with muscles and veins, was covered with ornate jewels. This was the sultan, a being of immense power and majesty.

"You," Ru hissed.

"There was a step, Lirui. A name of immeasurable value," the sultan said, his voice deep and resonant. He pulled Ru close, pressing his body against his, holding him tightly in his large arms. "You stole it!"

"I don't remember," Ru said, his voice barely a whisper. He trembled in the sultan's grasp, his eyes wide with fear.

"You will remember," the sultan said, his voice firm. "Right now."

Ru's breath hitched, his body tense as he struggled against the sultan's hold. But the sultan was unbreakable, his presence overwhelming.

The sultan leaned down, his lips brushing against Ru's ear as he whispered, "You cannot run from me, Lirui. Not again."

Ru's heart raced, his body betraying him as he felt the heat of the sultan's breath against his skin. "I'm not running," he said, his voice trembling but defiant. "I'm just... not ready."

The sultan's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile, a predatory elegance that chilled the air. "You never are," he said, his voice a low purr that resonated deep within Ru's mind, a seductive promise and a cruel claim. "But you are mine, Lirui. You always have been."

"Nooo!" Ru screamed, the sound tearing through the ethereal space, a raw, desperate plea. "Never! Let me go!" His body writhed, trapped in an unseen embrace, his limbs flailing against the sultan's hold.

The air around him shimmered, distorted by the genie's immense power, a suffocating heat.

In that relentless void, there was a butterfly trying to escape from the powerful energy current that split the blind darkness. Ru extended his hand hopefully towards the butterfly.

"Help me! Help me, please!"

The plea was laden with a childlike vulnerability. Those wet eyes, those trembling lips, a brutal contrast to the amusement on the sultan's face. The way his body trembled with fear was a brutal reminder of the boy's fragility, a fragility Heise had so carelessly disregarded.

Heise, a small butterfly of light, continued to flutter its wings. A cold knot tightening in his chest. He had found the genie—but at what cost?