My Inner Demons (if it was continued...)

Chapter 5: A Matron's Tale

Recap...

I stuttered out a reply before looking away, slightly ashamed. "Do you guys remember the Matron's Tale?" I asked, my voice quieter than it's ever been.

"Huh?- the Children's folklore?" Leif asked, confused.

Noi, on the other hand, cooed in excitement. "Yes! Yes! I loved that story as a kid!" He smiled temporarily, letting his face relax as he lifted a brow. "But what does that have to do with Princess Ava?-"

I take a deep breath as I grip the table slightly.

"Irene's magics was purple"
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The Matron's story was a kids-tale, one told to teach them that their actions have their shared consequences.

The Matron's story was of a foreign being that had come to Daemos. She looked like a human, yet the wounds that were inflicted upon her before her arrival were not those a mortal could withstand.

The raven girl, dressed in white and purple. She was the embodiment of grace and power. But we, Daemos, were narrow-minded. All we saw, or moreover, felt was the overwhelming power that oozed from her.

Without thinking of the consequences to follow, we trapped her in our world. She had warned us that our misdeed would end in drastic outcomes. But with her mortal body injured, we, Daemos, couldn't help but rejoice- ignoring the warning she paved. As to us, we had caught ourselves a god. One who was now forced to do as we instructed.

Or atleast that is what we believed- truly how foolish we were...

One night, the last night, her cell was found empty and barren. The only trace of her leave being the blood of the bodies that lied dead on the floor in front of us and the purple glow of the jail bars she was trapped behind.

We had angered a divine...

Our king at the time didn't think too much of it, as he believed a god who allows themselves to be captured mustn't be a god after all. But, oh, how wrong one can truly be.

His highness quickly fell ill, along with his connection to magic. That severed cord caused the late king to lose his mind. Thus, he was haunted by the words the goddess had said in warning- deeming it all a curse, or so he preached until his death.

The king that had followed him, the late king's son, spent the rest of his life on the throne repenting for his father's sins. As did those who followed him. Not only that, the source of magic in the world quickly became scarcer as every king passed. Thus, the people called it the curse of the Matron.

A couple of decades later, the Matron visited once more. She could see the world was damaged- physically, but also spiritually. 

Knowing the curse, the king of the time fell to his knees before the goddess- begging for only a fraction of her power. Appalled by the dense king's words, the matron eyes began to glow white as her hands released the same purple glow that coated her cell all those years ago.

The glow expanded all throughout the castle, even coating every blade of grass outside- for she had just cursed the entirety of the Daemos Astral plane.

"This curse I lay upon these lands shall live through the dead of night and the bright of day, never to be broken 'less a king of doves rises from his grave"

Horrified, the foolish king bowed his head before the divine- pleading for her forgiveness. But the matron ignored his words as she slowly walked away.

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"Please! My divine! I will spread your name and truth across these lands if only to satisfy you 'til you bless us in turn! Please my divine-"

"You Daemos are all the same"

"Please! I did not mean to anger you, my goddess... if I may be so bold as to ask, what is your name- so I may bless every Daemos in these lands with the wisdom that follows you"

"It's Irene... Irene of the Divine Warriors"

~~~~

"There's no way she's Irene" Rhys cackled, ridiculing my idea.

I just scoff, watching him with blazing eyes as he and Pierce place down the books they had taken from the library. I feel a hand settle on my shoulder, looking back I see Noi standing there. He gives me a firm nod before looking on, as if telling me to try again.

"Rhys, just hear me out-"

"There's no way Prince Asch" He sighed, placing down the book that was in his hand with a firm push. "She doesn't even know how to use her magic-"

I struggle to come up with an argument, stuttering out nothing as a wallowed look consumes me.

"But Rhys, that was multiple years ago. Who's to say Ava isn't a reincarnation of the Matron? Or even a blood relative?" I hear Leif argue.

I look back, offering him a warm smile as a thanks. He just nods. "That's not a bad shout" Rhys groans, scratching his head softly, "But what's the possibility of that really happening-"

"I mean if you think about it, hasn't everything reoccured as the story said so far?" Pierce asked as he sat in one of the empty chairs.

"What do you mean Pierce?"

"Think about it. She arrived her, as you mentioned most-likely unconscious due to the damage she had attained from her transformation. And now she's currently trapped within the palace"

I blinked, astonished. Pierce is right, everything has been going exactly as the story told. Arriving in our world, damaged beyond any mere mortal could comprehend. Then trapped with the our world, unable to return back to hers. At first it was just a theory, but could it actually be?

"Okay, sure. That makes sense. But then what? Ava's going to recurse the land?" Rhys asked, still skeptical.

"What if it's the opposite? What if she's meant to be the King of Doves?" Leif questioned, quoting the word King as he throws the idea out there.

Rhys sighed, "It's possible" He admitted, "But I want to go through all of these books and make sure that's the only possibility before we get our hopes up, okay?"

I smiled before looking at the vast underground city before us.

Maybe we can fix all of this after all.

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End of Chapter 5: A Matron's Tale

Words Written: 1049
Date Original Published: 3/10/24
Date Rewrite Published: 4/11/24