Ep. 3 - King of Hearts (Part 2)

**King of Hearts (Part 2)** is the third episode of Eros Conquers All. It was uploaded on February 11th, 2022.

## Plot

Ah Puch laughs at Eros from his perch on Vince's back. Eros laughs quietly to himself while wiping blood from his cheek, which causes Ah Puch to falter in confusion. Eros suddenly reaches out and grabs Ah Puch by the neck, who is surprised by Eros' strength. Eros teases Ah Puch, claiming that he's insulted by the House of Flies underestimating him. Ah Puch reminds him that Vince will die if he is hurt, but Eros severs his tail with his bare hand, therefore releasing Vince from Ah Puch's control. He screams out in pain as his tail writhes on the ground, causing Eros to grimace and remark that he's lost his appetite. Ah Puch then claims that Eros didn't care about Vince at all since he could have died from Ah Puch losing his tail. He calls Eros a hypocrite and laughs at him. Eros responds by mocking Ah Puch for being sentimental. Ah Puch thinks to himself that Eros shouldn't be as strong as he is, considering Lord Baal had asserted that Eros had lost his dagger. He recalls The Dark Days, during which Eros was known as The Heartless God. Ah Puch threatens Eros not to kill him, asserting that since he is a respected member of the House of Flies, Lord Baal would consider his murder an act of war. Eros slices through Ah Puch with his hand, causing him to fall to the ground. He states that it would not be an act of war because it is personal, and that Lord Baal would understand. Ah Puch attempts to beg for his life, but is crushed underfoot by Eros.

Vince awakes some time after, asking Eros what had happened. Eros lies that Vince had tripped and hit his head, offering to bring him to a hospital. As he is about to refuse, Vince notices that he is able to breathe more easily. Eros offers again to help Vince, to which he agrees.

At the Papillion de Nuit Art Gallery, an employee informs Cairn that her event will soon begin. She ties up her hair and puts on her mask. Outside the room where she prepares, a well-dressed crowd talks amongst themselves. Belial speaks with several young women until the employee from before calls for everyone's attention. He thanks the guests for attending and proceeds to give a brief history of Cairn's involvement in the art world. He explained that she entered only a couple years ago and provided a sense of passion and sensuality to the art community, implying that these feelings were sorely needed. He states that the gallery is honored to reveal her newest artwork, the first in an as of yet unseen collection. He then announces Cairn's presence as an unusual occurrence and introduces her to the audience with grandeur. The guests chatter excitedly, all surprised that she'd shown up in person. The gallery employee then pulls a cord that draws the curtains hiding Cairn's artwork, announcing that its title is The King of Hearts. The painting depicts a faceless man strongly resembling Eros, draped in red cloth and seated upon a stone chair. He loosely holds a dagger in his hand as he is surrounded by clouds and red butterflies. The guests praise the artwork and debate its meaning before directly asking Cairn what it is meant to represent. The gallery employee anxiously explains that the painting's meaning is meant to be determined by the viewer. Some ask why the painting is faceless, to which Cairn replies that he appeared to her as such in a dream as an afterimage that is trying to remain hidden. Her words describing the painting's subject vaguely allude to the narration in Overture. She then states that since she has never met the man in person, she painted him without a face. While people theorize about the identity of the painting's subject, assuming that their relationship is romantic, Belial smirks and sends Cairn a text, informing her that he'd retrieved Eros' dagger. Surprised at this information, Cairn thinks to herself that she will soon meet her muse. Eros is once again depicted helping Vince.

## Characters

*Characters are listed in order of appearance.*

* Ah Puch
* Vince
* Eros
* Cairn
* Belial

## Trivia

* *Papillon de nuit* is French for "moth."