Left for Carnage (Twisted Wonderland x Reader) (PAUSED)

Chapter 10: Riddle Rosehearts

WARNING the following chapter contains: mentions of blood, violence, weapons (spears), possession, beast, body horror, cursing, and child abuse/neglect (Riddle's mother and also the reader's parents).

━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━

There is an invisible tension pervading the atmosphere of the room. Everyone is completely silent, pondering over the theory you have just stated. Your eyes focus on Lord Rosehearts, who has lowered his gaze and his hands are shaking. He is completely different from the image with which he normally presents himself: pristine clothes without any wrinkles, no hair out of place, and he walks with his back straight and his gaze always facing up, it's the spitting image of what a nobleman is supposed to behave and look like.

And now in front of you, is a young man who is terrified of what he has been told, he no longer follows the rules established by parents, society, and tutors, right now he's vulnerable and scared, a human with flaws and fears.

"However, we must consider this to be just a theory at the moment", after all, you're going on a hunch and you might be completely wrong. The creature and the weird anomalies may just be caused by something else and Riddle's outburst might be the product of his anxiety or something else.

Though it still doesn't take away the feeling that something is definitely wrong.

"If this were to be true, how would we know if a divine beast truly possesses Roseheart's body? And how do we even get it out of his body?", Malleus asks with a calm tone, though the frown that decorates his face clearly states otherwise. You scratch your arm absentmindedly, racking your brain for any sort of information.

The divine beasts have been a great mystery to mankind, including when they roamed Twisted Wonderland. Many of the manuscripts that speak of them are in very poor condition: parts torn, letters erased either by poor preservation, water, mold, among others. The letters are difficult to read and because of the language in which they were written, many of these pieces seem more like riddles than descriptive entries.

And those that have been rescued in their entirety hardly give any information about them as they tend to concentrate on the fiercest beast of all, Guddommelig ulykke . Its power was so magnificent and terrifying that one of the manuscripts describes how the beast enveloped in complete darkness two villages and with the palm of its hand eradicated an entire city.

"That's the problem. Even though divine beasts are a big part of history, there is very little information about them, the most concrete fact that we have are their names and from there, much of the information about these monsters come from legends, theories, and hypotheses," Yuuken explains with a hushed tone.

'Wait a minute... Legends... That's it!'

You let out a sudden gasp and your eyes widen in happiness, reminding you of an old legend of one of Sleepy Hollow's inhabitants. The three men turn to look at you with curious stares. "Ichabod Crane, was a somewhat strange schoolteacher, who lived in Sleepy Hollow a few years after its initial founding. He was a superstitious man and his goal was always to find someone to take care of him, usually chasing after widows," you continue.

"I'll get to the point because the story is long. Legend has it that Ichabod, after a party, went back through a forest and came face to face with the Headless Horseman, another famous legend of Sleepy Hollow. The children are told the version that Ichabod returned home safely, but the original legend doesn't stop there," Riddle raises his head and looks at you with crystalline eyes.

"Ichabod returned to town with tattered clothes and a pale face. He did not attend to his work due to terrible nightmares that prevented him from sleeping. His behavior became more drastic, he had constant outbursts and he was more violent and erratic. He became paranoid and did not allow anyone to enter his home. However, five nights after the headless horseman incident, Ichabod stood in the middle of the central square and his back snapped in two," Riddle's face becomes even paler.