Lurking Dreams

Chapter Twenty: Let Go

*Mortal Realm - Earth*

     A vortex of red energy swirled at the centre of the temple that once held Matthias. The wind picked up, blowing out the nearby candles. Suddenly, Matthias was spat out of the vortex and thrown across the temple marble floor. He slid a few inches away from the vortex, but he managed to see it snap shut, leaving this realm. He inhaled deeply, taking in his surroundings, his head banging.

Matthias sits up, and places his hands behind him and cock his head around. Having no recollection on how he got back here. The last thing he remembers was trying to summon Chaos to bind and capture, and then the vortex being opened. And him being pulled in. And in a blink of an eye, was spat back out of it. Everything looked the same, but there was no sign of his mentor.

"Vassilis!" He called out his mentor's name. "Vassilis, are you here!" Matthias stood to his feet, feeling a bit off balance but he kept upright. But the temple was silent, and dead of life. His eyes glanced at the ground where the vortex had opened, and there was a small leather pouch. He frowns in confusion, but steps closer to the pouch. He noticed that it was filled to the brim with round objects. Matthias leans down and grabs the pouch, even picking it up was heavy. He opens the draw strings and notices that there were thousands of Drachma silver coins. The currency for Greece. His eyes widened in shock, this was enough to live comfortably, or invest into making a business.

Unknowing to Matthias, Calliope the Lady of Chaos stood behind a pillar, watching him take the money she gave him. So he could live a life in the mortal realm without any problems. But seeing him live, and be happy and knowing he will be alright will be enough for her. Tears ran down her cheeks, as she watched him walk away with the pouch. Never looking back, as he was going to start a new life. A life without her...

Calliope somehow found the courage to walk away, and fade into the red mist as she travels back to her realm. But now she was full of anger, and hate, and will resume her life like it always has been for millions of years.

Calliope reforms into her dungeon, landing in front of a cell that she knows too well. She stares at Vassilis who is beaten and bloody. She promised that his sessions would resume and that they did. He manages to slowly raise his head up to meet her gaze.

"Are those tears in your eyes?" He questions but it was more of a snarky remark. This infuriated Calliope, making her raise her hand up as strands of red energy laced her fingertips and at the same time threw Vassilis into the air and he began to scream in pain.

"Do not test me!" She roars at him. "You were only breathing because Matthias demanded it. But now he is gone," her voice got low, and turned away from Vassilis. And his screams became quiet as she lost interest in torturing him.

"Gone?" The old man states making Calliope bring her attention back to Vassilis.

"Dead!" She spoke through clenched teeth, before shifting her fingers and Vassilis screamed out in pain once again. "He is dead, by my hand and now you will die," Calliope was filled with anger about the whole situation. She began to curl her fingers into her palm, more agonising screams fell from his lips. She steps forward and if she was mist she walked through the solid metal bars, entering his cell. She lowered her hand down and Vassilis came further down to her level.

"Put...Me...Out...Of...My...Misery," Vassilis pleaded with Calliope, as he just wanted to die and have this torment to be over with. She held out her hand, and he lowered to her grip, as she wrapped her hand tight around his throat.

"It will be my pleasure," she responded in a dark tone, and this was it. The final piece of Matthias that was left. Vassilis was a reminder, a reminder that she did not want to look at. Calliope's grip tightened even more, Vassilis tried to struggle as all mortals do, but it was pointless. His face began to turn red, his eyes bloodshot. Suddenly, a sound of bones cracking came to ear, and Vassilis became limp in her hold. His eyes quickly became lifeless, as his limbs sagged down.

Calliope threw him to one side, swiping her hands up and down in a fashion that one finds someone who has cleansed their hands of them.

"Have fun in Hell," she spat in anger, as she threw her hand across the room and red energy flew through her hand. It hits Vassilis, disintegrating him within seconds of the energy touching. It was also a fact that he was heading to Hell. You know magic comes in handy when you want to smite someone.

In a blink of an eye she was now in her chambers, it was filled with a massive bed for her and Matthias to share. Though the Queen rarely slept, she just liked watching him fall asleep in her embrace or the other way round. It also held her vanity table, multiple drawers, to accommodate Matthias as well. And all the basic things a Queen would have. She looks around her chambers, just remembering all the times she had with him. Tears threatened her eyes, but all she wanted to do was scream, punch, cry. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, and frankly, she didn't like it.

Calliope didn't want to hold back her anger, so she let rip. She began to pull the bed apart, by its wooden frame, and threw the sheets and pillows around. While screaming in anger, and rage. Within minutes the whole room was trashed, wooden pieces broken, clothes ripped and slung everywhere. The bed was completely destroyed. She walked over to the vanity table to stare into the three mirrors. Calliope sees how angry she is, and she was just seeing red at the moment. She let out another scream, but it was at herself. Her scream was so powerful that it smashed all three mirrors, cracking them like a spider's web. She used her arms to sling the items off of them, bottles, jewellery, comb, other little trinkets. She was just filled with anger...

After it was all said and done, she crumbled to the ground and let out a wretched sound. It was one of those cries of pain, and if you heard it, it would shatter a heart. She wraps her arms around herself, hugging the life out of her.

Calliope sat there and cried for hours, wanting to forget him, but she could not. The tears were real as anyone else losing a loved one. Her reign as Queen has been a successful one, and she's been Queen for millions of years. She will go back to the way it was, torturing souls that are in her dungeon still. Find new mortals that will join her realm, and if they refuse. It will be death for them. Calliope knew her time as Queen would not be easy, she would have drawbacks, obstacles that she would need to conquer. And at times, she would wish that she was never Queen, never had a crown and lived a simple life. Sadly, it was not in the cards for her.

Heavy as the head that wears the crown...

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