"Why the Lory Blooms" by Marina Surzhevskaya, summary

Written in 2017, this dark fantasy novel tells the story of an outcast girl, Onyx, burdened by a curse, and the cruel mage, Ran Lavier, whose destinies intertwine against the laws of the Twilight Empire. The work stands out for its unusual interpretation of magic, where natural instincts and bodily reactions prove stronger than rational control. The world is based on the concept of the absolute dictatorship of the Dark Lord. The plot revolves around the evolution of the protagonists’ mutual hatred into a powerful psychological attachment. The dynamic is maintained by the constant clash of characters.

The laws of this universe are harsh. Women with the mark of the loris are deprived of mercy. Their existence threatens the stability of the state. Men with magical gifts undergo training in a harsh citadel, becoming emotionless guardians of the system. Ran Lavier is the pinnacle of this brutal training. He surpasses other mages in strength and composure. Onyx contrasts with him in her vulnerability. The girl is skilled with a crossbow and survives in the wild, but is powerless against magic.

Outcast Rayana and Supreme Hades

Onyx grew up among sick old men, and the abode of sorrow itself is safely hidden high in the mountains. A loris hangs from the girl’s back. The cursed bud signifies a death sentence, imbuing its bearer with a male-destroying charm. Ryan is methodically exterminated by direct order of the immortal emperor. The novice’s life proceeds smoothly until she finds a bleeding traveler near the gate. Practicality compels Onyx to take him into her home, whereupon the man heals incredibly quickly. The abode is visited by Twilight Dogs — elite mages of the empire who act as ruthless enforcers of law and order.

The lory bud suddenly blooms. The rescued traveler reveals himself to be the Supreme Hades Ran Lavier, whose powerful magic instantly binds Onyx. Ran intends to deliver the state criminal to the Overlord for execution. The mage casts an invisible lasso on the captive, preventing any escape, and the long, grueling journey south begins. Lavier is tormented by the girl’s desire, and her resistance only fuels the Hades’s aggression. He forces the captive to submit, using brute force and psychological pressure. The girl responds with genuine, searing contempt.

Hades constantly teeters on the brink of self-control, as the blooming loris’s spell clouds the dark mage’s mind. Ran forces Onyx into intimacy, simultaneously discovering her innocence. This shocks and disconcerts Hades, whose attitude toward his captive quickly takes on a manic tone. Lavier’s possessive instincts intensify to the extreme. Onyx suffers from constant humiliation, but physiologically responds to the mage’s actions. The resulting conflict between physical reactions and emotional rejection exhausts the girl. She dreams of revenge.

Betrayal of the Guardians and the Family Nest

During one of their stops, a spy is discovered among the loyal guards. Someone unknown has taken the form of Gahar’s dog. A magical fire breaks out. Ran rescues Onyx from the blazing building and brutally deals with the remaining warriors. Lavier realizes the danger of continuing the journey to the capital, so the detachment’s route is changed. The mage brings the captive to Blue Rocks — his gloomy ancestral castle on the shores of a cold, raging sea. Ran intends to hide Rayana from imperial justice.

Onyx becomes a powerless recluse in a stone fortress. Ran surrounds her with excessive luxury, buying her expensive dresses and exquisite jewelry, but the captive categorically refuses to accept the gifts. Laviere demands absolute obedience, cruelly punishing any rebelliousness. One day, Onyx dances under the hypnotic influence of a magical crystal. Hades completely loses control, possessing her right there on the oak table. At this moment, the girl manages to stealthily take possession of a ring of dull antanite. This piece is a unique key to space. Ran temporarily leaves the Blue Rocks, traveling to the Dark City on official business.

Left without vigilant supervision, Onyx calmly plans her escape. The castle healer, Anakin, supplies Ryana with a special potion. The tincture temporarily neutralizes the enticing scent of the loris, after which the healer permanently breaks the magical lasso. Onyx changes into simple peasant clothes and secretly leaves the Blue Rocks. The girl hides in the forest, expertly covering her tracks, and traverses swampy, deadly swamps. Joining a random merchant caravan, she travels south. Ryana sells a sapphire set to a jeweler to earn the necessary funds.

A Trap for the Supreme Mage

Onyx buys a high-necked mourner’s outfit. The perfect disguise helps her blend in with the crowd. In one city, she is called upon to perform a traditional funeral rite for a guardian, where she is accidentally recognized by First Advisor Barnett. The ambitious mage takes Onyx hostage and reveals dark secrets of Ran’s past. It turns out that it was Lavier who abandoned the newborn Onyx to freeze in an icy lake twenty years ago. The advisor intends to eliminate his main rival at the hands of the defenseless Rayana.

Barnett brings the exhausted captive to an abandoned forest lodge. Ran Laviere quickly finds the fugitive. Hades is exhausted from the long chase and excessive use of blood magic. Their encounter devolves into an uncontrollable, passionate encounter. Onyx slips a toxic poison into the mage’s drink. The potion instantly deprives Laviere of his supernatural strength. Barnett appears in the lodge, anticipating a swift, bloody execution of his immobilized opponent. Ran, with the last of his strength, throws a dagger, seriously wounding the First Advisor. Onyx takes advantage of the momentary hesitation and escapes.

The girl safely reaches another secluded abode of sorrow. Physical exhaustion is rapidly exacerbated by severe mental anguish. Onyx is absolutely certain of Hades’s death. Rayana’s true emotions are revealed in the silence of the convent. She unbearably misses her tormentor. After several anxious days, Ran appears at the cell. The living but greatly weakened mage peremptorily takes the fugitive away. The psychological tension between them reaches its peak. Hades openly admits his utter powerlessness in the face of his sincere feelings for Onyx.

The Fall of the Dark City

They silently continue their journey to Dark City. Near the capital, a detachment of government guards places Lavier under heavy guard. Hades is charged with grave treason. At the inn, Ran attempts to arrange Onyx’s safe escape, desperately engaging in an unequal battle with battle mages. One of the opponents throws a sharp dagger at the girl, and the heavy blade pierces Rayana’s chest. Lavier calmly destroys the enemies and directs all his deadly energy to healing Onyx. By burning his own insides, the mage miraculously saves her life.

A weakened Hades is roughly thrown into the prison dungeons. Onyx is brought to the glittering palace of the Dark Lord. The cruel emperor plans to execute Rayana immediately, but the girl publicly exposes the immortal tyrant. Two hundred years ago, the ruler magically linked his long life to the bud of a lori. If any Rayana’s flower blossoms, the emperor will inevitably die. Onyx discards her linen shirt. The black outline on her fair skin takes on vibrant, saturated hues. Rayana has truly and deeply fallen in love with Ran Lavier.

The Overlord’s body rapidly ages and crumbles to gray dust before the eyes of his shocked subjects. The Imperial throne, by right of blood, passes to Crown Prince Oshar. It is revealed that Oshar has been skillfully concealing himself for years behind the disguises of the elusive rebel Kayar and the Twilight Hound Gahar. The new young ruler ceases his pursuit of the Rayanas forever. Onyx categorically refuses to remain at the capital’s court. The girl asks for an antanite ring to be delivered to Hades in the dungeon. This is a spatial artifact capable of transporting its owner anywhere in the world. Rayana leaves the Dark City forever, and the closed, dormant black bud once again adorns the girl’s back.

Many months later, Onyx is living quietly in a poor fishing hut on the seashore. Prince Oshar fulfilled his promise. He visited Ran in prison and gave him the ring he had entrusted to him. The spatial key helped Lavier escape without a trace on the eve of his scheduled execution. Onyx returns to her sparse room after a long, solitary walk along the water’s edge. A familiar metal ring of antanite lies on the old bed. Onyx clutches the artifact in her palm, making her final, fateful decision. The magical ring glows warmly, opening a direct doorway to her beloved, who patiently awaits her choice.