Theurgy: Forsaken Oaths (Book Two)

Chapter 36 The Prince's Doubt

She has not been here in a long time.

She expected, at least, that Lizbeth would have sold off the mansion long ago to some other noble house by now. She knows little of what drew her to this place, but she felt she needed closure after what happened at the prison. A great evil had been unleashed, and her responsibility was to rid him of this world for good. Blij warned her not to come and that she needed not to trouble herself to remember the atrocities she and many others suffered. She thought much the same. For over a decade, she had avoided all of Hiras for that reason. Afraid of the memories, the pain resurfaced as the vile abomination she was now. Even now, staring at the unguarded gates left unattended brought back so many memories. As soon as the godslayers found out about her parent's deviousness, they brought forth their justice.

The gates were still left unhinged and Lizbeth herself smashed them open. She walked through the empty halls, and the cracked tiled floor ripped up through the weather. A fine dining hall, table, and chairs were thrown apart in an apparent firefight. Bullet holes in most walls. She never ate in that dining room. As far as she remembers, her meals were fed to her through a chute. She has always wondered what normal childhoods were like. She imagines no other child contemplates the pain that will come the next time they see their parents, whatever crazed experimentation they will conduct upon her in the name of their glorious purpose. Neither do they become so accompanied by death that it stains the walls of the cells they sleep in. Seeing the dead and deceased in practically all sorts of conditions, even walking. Though she did have parents, here in the Smithe manner, there was no family to be found here. Makyra and John were the closest things she had to siblings, and Lizbeth was the closest to a mother. Lizbeth took her from these demons and gave her a good home. Yet she, too, fled from them all. Too hurt and frustrated that their justice was not swift enough, she found herself unable to face them. It pained her, but she needed to run. Run far away from all of this. And for a decade, she managed it.

But now things are different. These were not dark assassins of ancient orders bent on world domination. These were not god warriors from an epoch or legends and myths that threatened humanity. Vance Smithe, and Laura Smithe, were far worst.

She stopped before her bedroom. It was meant to be hers, at least. Whenever guests or such were over, they would dress her up in fine clothing and make-up to hide scarring and bruises and taught her not to be noticed to avoid attention. The porcelain version of herself who got a glimpse of the life outside her solitary cell, the version she both envied and despised. This was her room.

"Are you sure about this?" Blij asked her once more as he took out the keys he still holds today. She wordlessly nodded to him. He gave a small sigh, then unlocked the door to her room.

Everything was practically untouched as last she had seen it. As she walked in, she felt a cold presence embrace her. This was no spirit, and it was her very pain that tainted this place. The unused bed is still neatly folded on a long ago collapsed bed. Everything tarnished or converted in thick layers of dust made it appear like a tomb holding her childhood. She walked over to a small vanity, where her mother would sit and cover her in make-up. The estranged, uncaring glare that woman would give her as she would disguise the many afflictions she inflicted. Every time she looked for even a shred of sympathy, a hint of humanity that had long vanished. Her father paraded them like they were some happy family making an honest living, fooling even the godslayers that he was merely an ally to their cause and not his own. The mirror was shattered, scattered in jagged pieces. A vivid memory came to her. The last time she ever had to set foot in this room. She had become so tired of the pain. She just wanted relief, relief from it all. She shattered it herself, took one of the pieces, and attempted to take her own life. Of course, this was unsuccessful. It would take far more to kill her as she is now, thanks to what they had done to her. But thanks to that. It prompted Wilbur to investigate their "friend" and find out what was going on in the depths.