Wales, England, August 23rd, 1888, 9:00 am
“If you don’t mind, I’d like a while to think about the whole marriage thing.” Luxcious said.
”That’s fine with me, seeing as I’m just as unprepared for it as you probably are.” Bethyinine chuckled.
Luxcious looked Bethyinine in the eyes and walked over to grab his suitcase. He then went and opened up the window before heading towards the door. Bethyinine looked back at him as the rain continued to pour outside.
”Don’t leave me, please?” She shouted.
”I have to find Cassius, he’s the only chance we have at stopping that beast.” Luxcious said.
”And you’re doing it all by yourself. Why can’t I come with you?” Bethyinine asked.
”Because you’ve already been controlled by it before. I’m sorry to say this Beth, but you’re a liability. This is for your own good. I don’t want to have to hurt you if you join me on this.” Luxcious answered.
”I can fight it, I’ve done so before, and I can do it again.” Bethyinine stated.
Luxcious didn’t answer and simply walked out of his office, closing the door behind him. Bethyinine could hear him descending the stairs, followed by the sound of the front door opening and then quickly being shut. All while the rain only poured down harder and harder as a storm began to brew.
“[That was very rude of him, wasn’t it darling?]” The voice in Bethyinine’s head cooed.
”Have I named you yet?” Bethyinine asked.
“[No, you haven’t, and why are you try to change the subject?]” The voice replied.
”Just wanted to ask, that’s all.” Bethyinine smirked.
“[Fine, and I think Axolaire has a nice ring to it, don’t you?]” The voice chirped.
”That it does.” Bethyinine answered.
”[So, are you going to chase after Luxcious now? Or are you just going to sit here?]” Axolaire chided.
”Better to sit here than to risk that thing taking over my mind again.” Bethyinine groaned.
“[That thing, it had a name too, didn’t it?]” Axolaire inquired.
”Shenya.” Bethyinine growled.
”[She took him from us, and now we just have to kill her. I think we’ll both enjoy ripping her limb from limb.]” Axolaire cackled.
”Don’t think we can do that to an ouroboros.” Beth sneered.
Beth sat down on the bed, she could hear Axolaire utter an audible groan and smiled. Best to let Luxcious go off and search for Cassius on his own.
”[I wonder where the boy is now.]” Axolaire cooed.
”Who knows.” Beth chuckled as she drifted off to sleep.
The Abyss, August 23rd, 1888, 1:30 pm
Cassius sat beneath a dying sycamore tree and stared at the bloodshot eye above him. He could feel it staring back at him, trying in vain to burrow into his mind. Yet the beast was too weak, too scared to really try anything. He glanced down at the serpentine creature that was nestled on his lap and smiled.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
”Enjoying your rest, Fyrenihl?” He asked.
”Yes, yes I am.” Fyrenihl whispered.
“Just what are you, anyways?” Cassius sighed.
”A mother, an animal, a protector. Frankly, I’m too many things for even myself to list.” Fyrenihl chuckled.
”If you’re a mother, then where are your children?” Cassius inquired.
”You’ve already met one of them, my daughter to be precise.” Fyrenihl smiled.
”Wait a minute, Bethyinine’s your daughter?” Cassius said with a hint of surprise in his voice.
”I know, there’s no real resemblance between the two of us. But yes, she’s my daughter.” Fyrenihl said.
”I take it you also know what that thing is as well?” Cassius asked as he gestured towards the eye.
Fyrenihl gazed up at the eye which stared back at her. There was a sort of malice in its gaze as it tried in vain to pierce her mind.
”Shenya. Last I heard your other half had killed all of her kind.” Fyrenihl growled.
“Yet she still remains, despite all that Silas had done.” Cassius sighed.
”Well, aren’t you going to do something about it?” Fyrenihl asked.
”Don’t think we have much of a choice.” Cassius groaned as he got up.
Fyrenihl took her place on his shoulder as Cassius made his way towards the citadel. His ashes robes trailing behind him as he walked.
Shenya observed the pair from the safety of her realm, though a frenzied panic gripped her mind. For she had been unable to take control of Fyrenihl mere moments ago. Which meant that Cassius wouldn’t be on the table for her corruption either.
She growled before turning her attention back to Bethyinine. Making yet another attempt to pierce her mind, just as she had done a few weeks prior. Yet something was resisting her efforts, and it wasn’t Bethyinine herself this time. Shenya could feel a beast pushing back at her attempts with rabid force. She tried to overwhelm it with her cunning, yet the beast did not falter.
Its assault on her growing more and more frenzied by the second. She could feel it burrowing into the deepest recesses of her mind. Shenya tried in one last breath of desperation to remove the parasite from her mind. Yet the beast was far too powerful for even her to overcome. But just as quickly as the beast had burrowed into her mind, it had left, perhaps feeling satisfied with the damage that it had caused. Shenya breathed a sigh of relief before descending back to sleep for all but a moment.
Meanwhile, Luxcious had made his way into the citadel in search for Cassius. Yet he found nothing beneath the rubble of this abandoned place. Still he continued onwards in search of his companion, even as Shenya had awoken from her slumber. Her solemn gaze now turned hungrily upon him, eager to break his will.
Yet the scholar paid her no mind, and thus she could not touch him. For his attention wasn’t being wasted on her, something that Shenya despised. For all her strength, she was still limited in her power. For the only way in which she could take control of someone would be if they were aware of her. Their attention focused solely on her existence, given just how much of a threat she was to these peons.
”Why won’t you notice me! Just turn your head up and look at me! It’s not that hard to do, but I suppose that a scholar such as yourself is far too busy to do so! After all, you prefer the company of books to that of any living creature. Even something so enigmatic and powerful as myself.” Shenya hissed.
Even as she lamented her current situation her cunning continued to stir. For there still might be some way for her to get the scholar under her control. Yet her gaze turned south as she noticed the arrival of poor Cassius along with the beast Fyrenihl. Shenya growled as they entered her view as now her plans to take the scholar for herself were ruined. So she returned to her slumber out of frustration, her mind still at work, still trying to hatch some sort of scheme.
“Cassius my dear boy, where have you been for all this time?” Luxcious asked as he ran over to embrace him.
”I’ve been thinking, and how exactly are you faring as of current?” Cassius replied as a smile crept across his face.
“James is dead and everything is falling apart.” Luxcious sighed.
”Wait, he’s actually dead? When did this happen, and how exactly did grand old Silas meet his end?” Cassius inquired.
”Shot himself with his own weapon around two weeks ago. Beth’s devastated by this, she was there when he took himself away from us. Feels as if she’s responsible for his passing. There’s nothing that I can do to console her, I’ve tried everything.” Luxcious answered as his gaze turned to Fyrenihl who was adorned on Cassius’s shoulder.
”What exactly is that lizard-like thing?” Luxcious asked.
Cassius opened his mouth to speak, only to have Fyrenihl cover it with one of her claws.
”Fyrenihl, Mother of the Abyss, and you must be Luxcious I take it?” Fyrenihl smiled.
Luxcious, turned his eyes towards the ground, and bowed before Cassius.
”Yes. I offer to you my Lady my sincerest apologies. Now how exactly did you come across a man such as this?” Luxcious asked.
”No need for any formalities, I find them to be too much. They’re much too flattering for my tastes, and frankly they’re quite boring as well.” Fyrenihl groaned.
“I think it’s best that we sit down and discuss this, seeing as standing would do none of us any good.” Cassius chimed in.
Luxcious nodded and sat down on a collapsed pillar as Cassius Fyrenihl joined him. All while the eclipse began to dip below the horizon as the sky turned from black to a deep red.