Maria awoke to warm rays of sunlight on her face. She opened her eyes and found herself alone, with the doors of the van opened just enough for a bit of light to reach the inside. Worry began to build up within her, until she closed her eyes and focused, just like she had been taught. Her worries fell as she felt and knew, she was not alone, her servants were just outside. With a confident smile she got up, took a hairbrush and stepped outside. "So, where are we, sunshine is already a great-"

She dropped her brush immediately as she beheld the horrors outside. They had parked within what once had been a park, she vaguely even recalled having seen it on TV many times when the city reached the news yet again, but even someone from here would hardly be able to still see what it was. It had become a hellish pit, lair and feeding ground for the abominations. All grass was gone, turned to mud and dirt, piles of bones littering the scenery. The great lake had become pitch black, with remains, human and monster both, floating on its clouded surface. And the monsters were everywhere. 

Not a single one of them was alike, though some shared similarities. Tall and thin, lower to the ground and bulky, walking on two, four or six legs, with just as many or more arms, some were scaled, some coated in a thick bristled fur, some covered in a pitch black liquid. They wandered and ran, chasing each other or after nothing, picking human remains clean and throwing the bones aside, some arriving, some leaving out into the wider city. 

Maria was frozen in terror and disgust, the sight, the sounds, the smell were too much for her to handle, she had to throw up. With shaking knees she covered her face with her sleeve, and first now noted how none of the monsters were paying even the slightest amount of attention to her. 

"Good morning, my beloved master." Elaine's voice pulled Maria out of her immediate misery, thankful that some amount of her normality was there. The short beast curtsied, lowering her head. "I apologise on Menagerie's behalf that her creatures offend your senses. She is waiting just over yonder, Sin and your other servant are there as well. Shall I lead you to them, or do you wish to eat first?" 

Maria looked across the scenery once more, her entire body shaking in revulsion. "No, no I don't think, I want to eat anything, just, take me away from here." Elaine stepped to her side, taking her left hand into her own, a bright smile spreading across her lips at the touch. "Of course, my beloved master. Please pay no attention to her creations if they offend your senses, I will gladly remove any who you deem too unsightly." They made their way out of the park through the main gate, which had been forced open, the sleek metal doors dented inward. 

The streets outside the park were better, though not by much. While no corpses littered the ground, there were effigies everywhere. They hung from street lanterns when they had not been pulled out of the ground, piled up around street lights, all made out of bone. The monsters they encountered were different as well, made with more of a clear intention rather than chaos and chance. Some sported the lower half of a horse or a bull, some of a giant lizard and towered over Maria and her servant. They wielded large metal beams as weapons and were marching up and down the streets as if on patrol. Sleeker and more agile ones ran across the empty pedestrian zones, formed like a human but with significantly more muscle in both arms and legs, their faces resembling all kinds of rabid animals. The skies darkened with fliers, with wings sprouting from their backs or replacing their arms, keeping watch. 

None of them howled, none paid any notice to the queen to be and her beast as they made their way forward, until they reached a wide open plaza. It was here that her disgust turned to utter disbelief, as she finally saw other people. They were crammed into large, primitive cages, so tightly that none could move. Their faces were dirty and filled with a desperation that had long since abandoned reason or hope. In the middle of the plaza they found Sin, who was waiting in perfect form, with straightened back and her hands folded in front of her, Melanie who was cowering on the ground, looking as sick as Maria was feeling, and a third figure. 

This woman, this beast, towered above the other two. More than two meters tall, dressed in a messy black striped suit with a tiger coat that was oversized even for her height, and ghostly thin. Short blonde hair rounded her face, reminiscent of Sin, though her sharp teeth were less pronounced than those of her elder sister, and her eyes were of a pitch black. When the beast beheld Maria she let out a gasp of joy and clapped her hands together, before bowing down deeply, still trembling with excitement. 

"Finally I get to meet you, my young master!" In the middle of this hellscape of her own making, the beast spoke with an unnerving mixture of joy and motherly warmth. "I have waited so very anxiously to formally pledge myself to you. I am Menagerie, the lesser of Sin and Mother of Monsters." Without straightening her back she looked to her, unable or unwilling to hide her wolfish teeth. 

Her introduction did not have the effect she anticipated. Maria was trembling, but not with fear, not even simple revulsion, but with anger. Her knuckles were turning white as she clenched her hands to fists. "Just what on earth do you think you are doing here!" Under her words Menagerie's body tensed up completely, her eyes widening in shock as her body was no longer hers. "You are my beast, you belong to me! That is what your deal is, isn't it? You are supposed to obey me, so what on earth do you think you are, that you have the right to do, all of this!" she spread her arm out, aiming all across the devastation around them. "Explain yourself, and I hope for your sake that you have a good reason to do all of this to these people!" 

The force of her anger and authority had forced the mighty beast on her knees, she was gasping for air with vivid fear screaming out of her empty eyes. "Forgive me, young master." She could not bear her gaze and lowered her head. "It is my duty to act when the Len-Fey are threatened direly. I had felt your awakening, but knew Sin was already at your side, and with another concern so much closer I decided to tackle this matter first before returning to the fold."

Maria was still fuming with anger, though the open display of submission had dulled the edge of her rage. "And what was so important that you decided to incinerate an entire city, have your creatures hunt people and put them in cages, huh?!" The pain that was written across the face of Menagerie was so vivid that it even caused Maria to waver in her indignation. "The enemy, young master. They captured one of us, dear little Trinity, and locked her away in this cursed city!" 

Her very fingers grew in length, forming sharp claws with which she tore up the ground. "I hunted them across the country all the way to here. But their defences were formidable, much too much for a weak fighter like myself, young master. So I did the only thing I know. I spread myself wide and let my children roam freely." The shadow of a deluded smile returned to her, slowly she got back up on her feet. 

All were silent at her explanation, except Sin. She scoffed. "So you turn an entire city into your playground and you managed not only not to retrieve our little sister, but you also lost control of your own brood." The disdain was pouring out with her words. "Were you not blood of my blood, I would only find pause in wondering whether I should execute you for incompetence, or treason." Menagerie answered with a nervous laughter, not daring to look her sister in the eyes. "I was aiming to bolster my ranks as fast as I could, and may have overstretched myself, yes. I beg for forgiveness, great sister and young master. And I did manage to locate our dear Trinity, though I have not been able to breach their defences yet." 

Maria began to tap her foot onto the ground, her anger once more swelling up inside her. "Just tell me where it is, have your monsters crack it and I will have Sin recover Trinity, yes? At least I will be able to recover two of you, and hopefully she will not leave as much of a mess." This anger without authority had Menagerie smile widely. "Not too far from here, my little runner found you just a few jumps away from it in fact. It is the big governmental building, or rather, the facility laying underneath that building. The unsightly little critters that my children did not catch gathered up there, they and the security really made it a tough shell to sunder. But just for that I have been preparing!" 

She once more clapped her hands together, her body trembling with renewed excitement. "I have already called my children to gather round, though we should wait until nighttime to strike. The sight of humans is so much weaker than hours, we will have an easier time to strike! Oh I cannot wait to show you the might of my newest children, I was just about to begin crafting them as you can see!" With this she pointed to the many cages around them, causing Maria's heart to sink. 

"Why do you need humans for them?" 

Her question took Menagerie by surprise, she looked at Maria, then at Sin, then back at her master. "I, well, my master, I cannot create creatures out of nothing, nor do I have." She took a small gaze at Sin, who shook her head. "The, skills of my great sister. I require at least some material, some Lores and Souls to begin with my work." With every word the dread continued to seep through Maria's body, her stomach was revolting, thankful that it was empty. 

"You will let these people go. Right, now." 

Menagerie took a deep breath, shaking with nerves. "But, my master, I need-"

"Right. Now!" Her words forced Menagiere down on the ground, crushed under the heel of her authority. "You are MINE, and everything you do reflects on me, you hear me? And I will not have more innocent people die on my conscience, is that clear? You will let them go, and you will tell your goddamn monsters to let them be!" 

Sin quietly stepped behind her master, and ran a hand through her hair. The touch of her scales slowly calmed her down, she looked back up to her servant. "My dear master." Her servant's voice was soft and quiet. She produced a small brush from her bag and began to comb her hair. "Have you looked at these people? They are far beyond reason, far beyond terror. If you let them go, where would they end up? Menagerie cannot control all of her brood, the city is in ruins, they are broken in spirit. If they die now in service of our task, or if they die in a few days, would that really matter?" 

Her words seeped into Maria's mind, her anger turning to grief. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I don't want this, Sin. I don't want them to die I, they didn't do anything wrong. I understand, killing my enemies but none, none of these did anything to me. I can't just let this happen." 

During her speech and sobs Sin remained quiet, focused only on combing her hair. First after her master ended did she speak again. "Your heart is that of a true queen, my master, who loves her subjects. But do you know these people? You saw what some of them did to your precious little Melanie, no? The hearts of man are often wicked and twisted, can you tell just from a glance? These are cruel times, my master, and fate often turns things for the worse. If they are fated to die one way or the other, should you not let them die in the dignity of serving your cause?"

Strength had already left Maria's body, she was leaning into her servant, sobbing until her tears could no longer flow. She had her eyes closed shut, and wished herself away. Far away from this ruin, from the path she had taken, the responsibility she was having to carry. Her mind was in a fever, searching for something, anything to hold onto for solace, to give meaning to the madness she found herself in. But even her many memories of Elizabeth were not enough to comfort her. When she opened her eyes again, she felt as aimless and helpless as before. 

"You can, finish your work, Menagerie." Even without the force of authority, her beast had staid flat on the ground, not daring to move until this moment. Menagerie dusted off her clothes, bowing her head. "I will create work to match even that of my dear eldest sister, young master. It will be worth the price, I swear it." Maria nodded weakly, and bit her lower lip. "But you will never, ever, kill another for your creations, unless I explicitly allow it. This is my command, is that clear?" 

Under the weight of her gaze Menagerie did not dare to lift her head. "Yes, young master." Without another look Maria walked past her beast and helped Melanie back to her feet, who was still shaken and uneasy on her feet. Maria held her up, as best as she could. "By nightfall we will move against this facility you spoke of, I hope your monsters will have been worth it. Sin, Elaine, come. I don't want to see anymore of this." 

Sin bowed deeply, but staid. "I will supervise Menagerie, if I may. I would like to discuss our approach for the battle." Maria only nodded weakly, wandering off right after.

With Melanie at her side, leaning on her as a crutch, Elaine in tow, Maria left the plaza, closing her eyes as she walked past the cages. "You have to die so I can make a better world." She muttered to herself as they made their way back to the van. "I wont forget your sacrifice, it wont have been in vain, I promise."

"I will succeed." 

She repeated this over and over on their way back, which felt so much longer than before. Endlessly she repeated the same few lines, until she could start to  believe them herself.

Sin let out a long sigh and gave Menagerie a dark glare. "Do not expect me to do that again. I will not defend you and your gross lack of tact another time." Menagerie tried to laugh, but the sounds came out even more pathetic than she was carrying herself. "I did not know our master was still so very inexperienced, my joy of her return got the best of me. Thank you many times, eldest sister, though, just how are you capable of guiding her this well?" 

Sin answered her with a low growl, causing the tall beast to whimper and shrink. "I merely tell her what she already knows to be true. Do not insinuate more than that. She never had the proper upbringing, it is a miracle she is already this receptive considering she was brought up in the world of the enemy."

Menagerie gathered enough courage to lift her head, just slightly. "She did not grew up around us, yet she is accepting us? None of the others since our great queen did, how can that be?" Sin shrugged and watched Maria limp back to the van from a distance. "She may look weak, she may not yet understand everything. But I have no doubt that her ambitions will burn away those deficiencies. She only needs time, and a little guidance here and there."