The Other Side of Darkness

Poison Apples and Feisty Dwarfs

Episode 5: Chapter 49~56

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Lev came to consciousness by the retched smell of rotting herbs and smoke. Opening her eyes, she found she was deep inside some underground dungeon. She heard a evil cackle and turned to see an old, ugly woman hunched over a bubbling pot. 

The woman laughed and tugged at a string she was holding, causing a apple dripping in a disgusting liquid to rise from the pot.

"Dip the apple into the brew," the old hag crooned darkly. "Look upon the skin, the symbol of what lies within..." 

The liquid covering the apple slowly dissolved into the apple, turning it a rich, beautiful red. Had Lev not seen the potion covering the apple, she would've thought it was a perfect apple. Its skin was ripened to perfection and unblemished.

The old hag cackled again. "Wonderful! Snow White won't suspect a thing!" She paused her celebration and turned to an old book. "Is there an antidote? I can't allow anything to be overlooked." She thumbed through the pages until she found she found the one she was looking for. When she found it, she simply laughed again. "Love's first kiss? HA! I have nothing to fear. The little simpleton miners will think she's dead and bury her alive!"  

The witch grabbed a bushel of apples and placed the poisoned one among the others, making it appear even less suspicious. The old woman hobbled to a raft that sitting on the side of a sewer-like tunnel.

"Bury her alive!" she chanted insanely. 

"What...?" Lev muttered. "Who is she trying to kill?"

"Isn't it obvious?" 

Lev spun around. "You!" 

Lelie smirked. In her hand she held a red apple, almost identical to the one the old lady held, and tossed it back and forth between her palms. "She's going for the dark-haired beauty."

"Who?" Lev paused. 

The demon smirked and studied her apple. "Hair as dark as ebony. Skin as white as snow. Lips as red as an apple. Eyes as kind as a doe's. The beauty of Snow White is the fairest in the land-" Her grin grew, "But the Evil Queen seeks to regain her mantle, and will stop at nothing to remove Snow White's beauty from the world forever." She raised an eyebrow, but didn't stop smiling. "Sound familiar?"

Lev thought for a moment. Hair as dark as ebony? Skin as white as snow? The image of a young boy came to mind.

"Wait...you're not saying?!"

Lelie chuckled. "Perhaps. Ultimately, it will be up to the 'Evil Queen' to decide if she poisons the apple or not." She stabbed a fingernail into the apple and a green, bubbly substance dripped out of the punctured skin.

Lev suddenly felt light-headed. "What...?"

"Good night, Leviline," Lelie sang, approaching the silver-haired girl as she sank to the ground in exhaustion. "See you soon~" 

=~=~=~=~=~=

Lev shot awake, bolting up in her bed. She could feel the cold air hitting against her hot skin in a nearly painful collision. 

"...Eh?" Grim sat up beside her and rubbed his eyes with one paw. "Lev? Is something wrong?"

Lev took a couple quick breaths to calm down. "I'm fine," she told the monster. "Just a weird dream."