Ringmaster Ch. 08: The Next Day

I opened my eyes to see a strange dark void enveloping me. My body was frozen, unresponsive to my internal screaming at what was going on. I was wearing the clothes that I had on earlier, despite definitely going to sleep nude. I tried to move, but I was helplessly floating along.

Suddenly, I felt myself be pushed forward by an invisible force into the void until a castle came into view. It was ornate, yet ancient. It definitely looked to be from the Mesopetamian era, or even older than that. There were strange carvings of caricatures of people, elongated and exaggerated in their faces and proportions.

As I was placed at the foot of the steps of the castle, I regained feeling in my limbs.

Immediately, I wanted to turn around and run, but there was nothing else behind me but an endless void. Seeing no other option, I spun around back to the castle and began to make my way inside. Inside, it was unfathomably large, like the interior of the castle was a whole city. The brickwork was well-designed and everything was decorated with gold and silver. Various small statues lined alcoves, all of which appeared very feminine in appearances. As I got further and further in, the statues began to seem more recent in design. In fact, as I started getting to the end of this entrance hall, the statues looked more like figurines that someone would shamefully have in their bedroom.

"What is this place?" I asked as I exited the hall. Immediately, I was struck by brilliant light. As my eyes adjusted, the whole room seemed like the center of a mall. There was a massive fountain in the center, extending all the way up to the three stories this castle seemed to have. Each layer of the castle had branching hallways that went in all different directions.

"Ah, you've arrived, child." A voice from the fountain suddenly drew my attention. Cautiously, I stepped closer.

"A magic talking fountain?" I asked, peering into the water.

"No, I'm right here," the voice said, now clearly behind me sitting on a circular segment of a couch.

"Whoa!" I said, spinning around, barely catching myself from falling into the fountain.

The voice came from a woman older than I was. If I had to guess, she looked like she was about in her late 30's early 40's. She had long gray hair that reached down to her ass. She was dressed in a large flowing white cloth tightly wrapped so that it accentuated her curves and slender waist. One good jostle of her and her large orbs on her chest would have spilled right out. Her smile was warm and accentuated by dark blue lips. Her skin was fair, though still tanner than mine.

"Hello, little one." Her voice was a mixture of alluring and reassuring, like laying in a large meadow. "Do not be alarmed. My name is Seqora, and I am the first Ringmaster."

I stared at the woman, mouth agape. It was only after she said that that I became acutely aware of something missing. I looked down at my hand and noticed it barren, the Reality Ring gone from where it sat.

"Again, do not be alarmed," Seqora said, standing up and approaching me. She was taller than me, and much larger than even Danna. If she wasn't DD, then she was absolutely an E cup. Still, even with those large funbags, she walked without an issue. They swayed back and forth with each stride almost hypnotically.

"Where is this place? You're a Ringmaster?" I asked, feeling slightly more relaxed.

"Yes, I am the first Ringmaster," Seqora said, placing her hands on my shoulders. Instantly, I felt a glowing warmth course through my body. My muscles untensed and I sat down on the edge of the fountain. "And you, my dear, are the current Ringmaster, correct?"

"Yes, that is correct," I said with a gentle nod.

Seqora breathed a sigh of relief. "I am relieved to hear that. Lately I have been catching glimpses of the current Ringmaster, but they never quite took form. Sometimes, it appeared as a man taking charge with the ring, other times, it was a tall woman enjoying the ring. Ever so often, the glimpses took the shape of a woman who needed some more sunlight, and, then there was you. Occasionally, I had visions of you, and now, here you are."

"Where is here?" I asked again, looking around. I already had an idea, but I needed confirmation.

"These are the Halls of the Ringmasters," Seqora said, making a wide gesture to the castle. "This is where all previous Ringmasters live after they've passed on from the mortal world. Only those who are strong enough with the ring are able to come here. You are one such being."

"All the previous Ringmasters?" I asked, looking around. This castle was filled with knowledge and history, as well as a strong permeation of sexual energy. There were so many questions that I had that I was beginning to feel overwhelmed. "How many have there been?"

"Counting you, there have been 609 Ringmasters," Seqora said, before her eyes turned somber.

"What's wrong, SeqoraaaaaaAAAA!" As I stood up to try and comfort her, my leg phased through the floor, causing me to fall forward. "Ah! What's going on!?"

"Calm down, little one," Seqora said as she rested her hand on my shoulder again. "It seems our time here is more fleeting than I thought. You are just waking up."

My eyes shot open and I bolted upright as I gasped for air. I took a few deep breaths as I assessed my surroundings. I was back in my bedroom, sunlight peering in through my blinds. The Reality Ring was still on my finger, its gentle warmth reminding me it was there and working. I was still nude, and I wasn't the only one.

To my left was Danna, sound asleep and curled up around my left hand. Her soft cheeks felt nice and warm against my skin. To my right was no one, not Vanessa nor Regina. Summer also was absent from the bed. Turning over to my clock, I saw that it was 8:15 AM.

"Right, Vanessa has a class, so that's why she's gone," I said quietly, trying not to wake Danna. "Summer wouldn't have gone too far from Danna, probably." I took a look down at the sleeping mute. "Then again, she was asleep. Maybe she's off running an errand." I smiled at just how adorable Danna looked. "Now, where's Regina?"

I gently pried myself from Danna's grip and snuck out of the bed. Danna still, thankfully, slept soundly. I threw on a bra and a pair of panties, topped off with a robe. I didn't have anywhere I needed to be until about 10 anyways. As I stepped out into the living room, there was the white haired beauty that was Regina sitting on the couch, idly watching TV. She had on a new outfit, which was just a T-shirt and a skirt, which she stole from my closet. She turned her head to me and smiled.

"Hey sexy. Looks like you had a good night last night," she asked with a knowing wink. I scoffed playfully at her and took a seat next to her. As I did, she slipped a hand underneath me and squeezed my ass. I let out a soft groan as she did, which made her smirk.

"Where are Vanessa and Summer?" I asked, trying not to be distracted by Regina's groping.

"Oh, Vanessa had class to get to," Regina said, still squeezing my ass, "And Summer said she was heading out to get some stuff for breakfast, so I'm waiting for her to get back." I looked at her a little surprised. "What? I still like eating."

I gave her a smile as I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled back and chuckled before turning back to her show. I nervously fidgeted with my hands before building up the nerve to talk with her. "Regina, you wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "I am incapable of lying to you, Ringmaster." She still had her usual half-open eyes, but I could tell she was curious where I was going with this.

I took a deep breath, resolving myself. I looked into her deep hazel eyes before finally speaking. "Tell me, who is Seqora?"

Immediately, her eyes widened upon hearing that name. "Where did you hear that name?"

"So you know her?" I asked, but Regina immediately huddled right up next to me like an excited child almost.

"Tell me more, please!" Regina pleaded. "How did you know about her? Did you meet her? Please, Maria! Tell me!"

"Easy!" I said and Regina stopped shaking my shoulders. "First, you have to tell me something. Who is Seqora?"

Regina nodded vehemently. "Seqora is...Seqora is my mother," Regina said with a warm smile. She radiated a wonderful aura around her, like a child hearing the news that their puppy was found.

I blinked a few times, just to make sure that I heard her right. "I'm sorry, did you just say that Seqora was your mother?"

"Is," Regina corrected, crossing her arms under her tits. "She's still alive, right?"

"I mean, sort of," I said, not too sure what it was that I was while I was asleep. "I was in some kind of castle. I think she called it the Halls of the Ringmasters." I guess it was more apt to equate Regina right now to learning that a lost loved one had been found. Strangely of all, tears were flowing from Regina's face, but they weren't tears of sadness. They were clearly ones of joy. She smiled at me and hugged me tightly. "Ack! Too tight!"

Regina continued to bury her face into my shoulder, sobbing gently. "Thank you, Maria! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She repeated that over and over and over again until I finally managed to pry her off of me.

"Okay, as much as I'm a sucker for sappy things, I need answers," I said, putting my foot down.

She nodded and wiped away her tears, taking deep breaths. "So, Seqora is my mother. We lived back in the time of the first humans. I believe you all now know it as Sumer." She waved her hands and visions came into my mind of a community with large stone buildings, clear sunny skies, and children running around. It was almost like I had been transported back in time. Regina appeared next to me, smiling as she gazed around. "Over this way," Regina said, pulling me by the hand towards a large castle that looked exactly like the one that I had gone into.

"What is that place?" I asked as I looked around, taking in the sights as we approached the castle.

"This was my home," Regina said as she phased through the front door. I stared and went to push open the door, but my hands phased right through it. "Come on, it's just an illusion." I cautiously made my way through the door, going through it like I was a ghost. I followed Regina up and up until we reached a large chamber. "Here we are."

In the center was a pedestal with a ring in the center. On the ground around it were blue lines of energy radiating up into the pedestal. Standing near the pedestal was a robe-clad woman, who looked like a younger version of Seqora. She was chanting something. As I got closer to investigate, I noticed that the Reality Ring was sitting on the pedestal, absorbing the energy.

"What is this?" I asked, turning to Regina.

"This is the origin of the Reality Ring," she said calmly, walking over to get a clear view of her mother's face. She smiled warmly, but then turned around as a door opened up. "And that there, that's me," Regina said, watching as a much younger version of her opened the door and walked in. This version of her had to be no older than 7. She had gorgeous blonde hair and a warm smile on her face. She was wearing a nice dress and had something behind her back. Seeing Regina and Seqora in the same setting, I could now see the family resemblance.

Seqora turned her attention from the ring to the young Regina, opening her arms for an embrace. She said something, but I couldn't understand her. Regina, noticing this, waved her hand and I was able to hear them talking in English. "How's my girl doing? What do you have?"

"I am well, Mama," the young Regina said, beaming wide. She held out her hands to Seqora. "I have some more Asper that I found for you." She handed Seqora a small sapphire.

"Why thank you, my dear," Seqora said, taking the small stone. "Ah, it's lovely. This is exactly what I needed. Thank you." She gave the young Regina a kiss on the forehead, which made both the older and younger Regina smile. Seqora took the stone and placed it onto the pedestal, causing the lines to glow brilliantly. "Finally, our new life will begin soon."

"What's going to happen, Mama?" the young Regina asked as she was scooped up and placed off the blue lines by Seqora.

"Watch as your mother unlocks the secrets of the world," Seqora said, turning back to the pedestal. She began to chant in a language I couldn't understand and symbols began to appear in the air. I stared wide-eyed at the scene before me. It felt like looking up at the skies and seeing the beauty of the universe.

That was until the castle shook. Seqora lost her balance and fell to her knees. "Mama!" the young Regina said, but Seqora held her hand up.

"No! Don't enter the lines!" Seqora shouted, causing Regina to freeze in place. "I have to finish the ritual." She stood up and returned to chanting while I turned my attention to the outside.

Smoke was rising from various places in the city and people were screaming. There was a large army marching through the city, capturing citizens and slaughtering others.

"Regina! What's going on?" I said as I spun around.

Regina had a somber expression on her face. "That is King Burrukam, and this was his assault on my hometown." She turned her attention to Seqora, who was chanting feverishly. The glow from the lines intensified with each word uttered from her. I turned back to the city to see the army already storming the castle. Regina looked down at the ground, already resolving herself to what was going to happen

Within a few moments, the doors to the room flew open, and standing there was a large armored man. "High Priestess Seqora of the Atu-Frin, I have come to claim you as my bride. Do not resist!"

"You are a fool to come here," Seqora said, blocking the distance between the man and the ring. "The ritual is nearly complete. You will be the one bowing before me!" She chanted, creating a barrier of glowing symbols.

"Never! If you shall now come willingly, you shall be brought by force!" The man drew a knife and threw it at Seqora.

"Mama!" The young Regina dove towards Seqora, her heroic instincts taking over to protect her mother.

"Regina! No!" Seqora shouted, but it was too late. Regina had already crossed over the blue lines in an attempt to save Seqora. The blue lines hummed ominously as a Regina ran further towards her mother. The castle shook violently and the walls broke apart as a large boulder smashed through the room. Everyone was sent flying and the room was bathed in a brilliant blue light. Then, the light faded and I was back in my apartment on the couch with Regina.

"Wait, what happened?" I asked, confused.

"The ritual my mother was trying to cast failed, sort of," Regina said, still looking somber. "Originally, the ring was designed to control men and be unable to be taken off by anyone except the Ringmaster. However, due to Burrukam and my interference, two things went wrong." She held up her fingers and gestured along with her words. "First, the magic of the ring became inverted. Only working on women and could not be taken off by the Ringmaster. Second was that I became trapped inside. After tha-" I stopped her midsentence by hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry that you went through all of this, Regina," I said, holding her close.

She wrapped her arms around me and returned the hug before returning to her story. "My aging was slowed thanks to the magic's ring, but I also became a servant of the ring and the Ringmaster. After my mother passed, I tried to get the next Ringmaster to help me, and the next, but none of them were able to. They could at least talk with her occasionally in their dreams, but for the past 100 years or so, they haven't. After 100 years of not being told that someone is alive, you sort of just lose hope." I gently rested my hand on hers to show my sympathy. "But, you're able to talk with her. Maybe she's learned some secret of the ring these past hundred years?"

"I don't know," I said, but gave her a reassuring smile. "Look, she said that those strong enough with the Reality Ring were able to go to the Hall of Ringmasters."

"So, you just have to keep using it and train up!" Regina looked incredibly excited, like being told that you would be paid for what you love to do without any time constraints. "This is grea- Ah fuck."

"What?" I said, turning around and seeing Danna standing there, staring at us.