DEMENTED | Romance | Fantasy | Slight Thriller

Chapter Fifteen: Who You Are

It was that evening when Ebony was brought to dinner with Astrophel, again. Only to her surprise, the Prince had been brought along as well.

They were seated at a much smaller table this time - only seating six. Astrophel lounged in his chair at the very head of the table, and Ebony was brought to his right hand side... and the Prince was seated at the other end. She turned to Astrophel, confused about his intentions, but instead he gave her a wink meant to be flirtatious but instead sent chills down her spine.

This would absolutely be an eventful night. There was no doubt in Ebony's mind about it.

But to her surprise, the first half of the meal was relatively calm. Dinner was steak with mashed potatoes, and Ebony's stomach betrayed her as it growled in earnest. The food smelled amazing.

Astrophel laughed. "You both may dine as well."

Steaks were put on their platters, and ignoring any manners she'd learned back in Absinthe, she dug in heartily. Truthfully, it was not as good as she'd thought, but she was so hungry that anything edible sounded amazing. And the Prince didn't fare much better, scarfing down his food without as much as a break for air.

Then their plates were cleared, and Astrophel set his ringed hands calmly down on the table. "Ebony," he addressed her, smiling straight at her. "Let me tell you a story."

She turned to the Prince, who suddenly looked a little uneasy where he sat, and then returned her attention to Astrophel. He smiled wider.

"Once upon a time, there lived a young boy, a boy who had just lost everything he ever had - not that he had much to begin with. He'd been brought into the world that governments still desperately try to hide - a world where the poor and weak are tested on, used like animals, and dumped into cells like sacks of flour after being drugged with lethal chemicals. In his first few weeks like this, he knew nothing but agony and pain, unable to properly think, and unable to process the horrors being injected into his famished body.

"Then, out of the despair and chaos, he saw someone just like him, someone going through the same thing and enduring the same pain. And so they became friends, incredibly close friends - to the point where they could tell each other everything, or so the boy thought. Because little did he know his newfound friend was hiding something big, something impossibly crucial to know, especially if they were planning to escape their horrid fate and destiny -"

"Astrophel," the Prince warned, starting to rise from his chair. "You don't want to do this now -"

Astrophel ignored him. "Because he was none other than the Prince of Death, and that he couldn't be injured, and couldn't die. And while the young boy put his life on the line to help him get out, the Prince of Death was immortal, and so he escaped. But the same fate did not befall the boy. Because even though the Prince couldn't lose anything in doing so, he didn't even come back to save him too - "

"I've changed since then," the Prince interrupted angrily. "I am different now. But then again, so have you. You've become entranced by the seductiveness of ichor, and have fallen right into its trap. You stop at nothing to steal, even if it means to kill - "

"Don't you dare of all people tell me what is right and what is wrong!" Astrophel roared. "This is nothing compared to what you did, what they did to me! Do you even know what happened to me after they managed to prevent me from escaping? Do you know what they did to me after you escaped? Do you even care about what they did?"

He choked out a laugh that quickly escalated into something maniacal. "No, of course you don't. Who am I kidding? You have no emotions. All you do is take. You took my parents from me, likely my sister as well, and my chance at a new life! Don't you dare scorn me when you made me into who I am!"