The Marí

Part.23

I crawled, gasping for breath, my body trembling as I clawed at the walls. The oppressive darkness seemed to chase me even as I stumbled back into the room, my lungs burning for air. When I finally collapsed against the wall, Dr. Liz appeared, rushing toward me. Without a word, she helped me back into the dressing room, guiding me to the stool in front of the vanity. I sat there, trembling, trying to steady my breath.

But something was wrong. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and my heart stopped. My eyes-they were flickering between blue and green, shifting like a flame caught in the wind.

"Liz..." I whispered, barely able to speak. "What's happening to me?"

Dr. Liz crouched before me, her hands gripping my knees. Her voice was low, urgent. "You need to go, Erald. The seal-it's breaking. What were you thinking, going in there?" Her voice shook with frustration. "He knows you're here now."

I stared at her, the fear tightening in my chest. "I think I k...now h...im, Liz. He saved my life." The words tumbled out, and I couldn't stop them. "Every time I see his eyes, I feel like something is awakening inside me. I'm so scared, Liz, please make it stop," I pleaded, my voice trembling with desperation.

Liz's grip tightened on my hands. "Stay with me," she urged, her voice cutting through the fog in my mind. But the pain in my head only grew stronger, a fire that refused to be contained. My vision blurred as the colors in my eyes shifted more violently.

I tilted my head in her direction as she instructed me further, "Stare into my palms." Her eyes began to glow white, just like the last time. Struggling to keep my focus on her palm, she chanted with quiet intensity:

"Mentis Claritas, Somnus Pacis. Turba in mente evanescat, veritas et pax renascantur. Aeterna serenitas te regat, et tranquillae cogitationes te redeant."

(Clarity of mind, sleep of peace. Let the turmoil in the mind disappear, and let truth and peace be reborn. May eternal serenity guide you, and may calm thoughts return to you.)

Her voice pushed away the hurt, filling the air with an eerily calm resonance.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing pain struck me again, my body instinctively flinching. But Liz softly called my name, urging me to open my eyes. Reluctantly, I obeyed. As I slowly opened them again, they fell on her pretty face, and without thinking, I pulled her into a tight embrace. She returned it, her warmth melting away the residual pain. Gently, she kissed my forehead, a gesture so soft it almost made me forget everything.

"You need to leave. Now!" she insisted, breaking our sweet moment. Her urgency returned, and her eyes flickered with worry. "Where is the potion I gave you?" she asked.

"Right here." I reached into my cloak, pulling out the vial once more.

"Good. Now drink it. It should sever the bond," she added, her voice firm as she squeezed the potion tightly in her palm.

She began pacing the room, her movements restless as if searching for something unseen. Curiosity gnawed at me, and I couldn't help but ask, "You know... you never told me how you knew my mother."

She stopped in her tracks and looked at me, a faint smile lighting up her pale face.
"She was my sister," Liz began, her voice soft. "A good one, too," she added with a chuckle. "She swore to protect you with her life when you were found... and she paid the price." Her voice quivered, betraying the deep emotion she tried to hide.

I stood up gently, reaching out to hold her hand, needing answers. "I don't understand. What do you mean 'found'? And who is Erald?" I pressed further, frustration bubbling within me. Lately, it felt like everyone knew something I didn't, and I was desperate to be ahead for once.

"You don't need to..." Dr. Liz started, but her words were abruptly cut off by a voice calling my name from the hallway.

"Merald!" Simon's voice rang out sweetly, causing Dr. Liz to freeze. Her eyes flicked toward the door before she stepped back, her face tense. "Leave while you still can," she whispered fiercely, slipping away and leaving me alone just as Simon stumbled into the room.

"Simon," I gasped, my heart leaping with a mix of relief and something else-hope. We embraced briefly, a small chuckle escaping my lips as we pulled apart.

"Where have you been?" I asked, the annoyance creeping into my voice despite my relief.

"So, you missed me?" he teased, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I swatted his hand away, my fingers still gripping the vial tightly, desperate to keep it hidden from his prying eyes. His gaze narrowed as he took in the room, the tension rising between us.

He took my hand, his voice dropping to a hushed, urgent tone. "You never talked about it, but I know... I know deep down you've always wanted to escape this. To be the sweet, charming princess you were meant to be."

My heart raced. "Simon..." I began, but he cut me off.

"Shhh," he whispered, pressing a finger to my lips. "Run away with me, Merald. We can leave now, tonight. You don't have to go back to your kingdom, not if you don't want to. We can go far away from here, start over-just the two of us."

His grip tightened on my hands as his voice grew more insistent, more desperate. I could feel the intensity of his plea, but something in me recoiled. His grip was too tight, his urgency too suffocating.

I wrenched my hand free, stumbling backward, nearly losing my balance in the process. "I'm sorry, Simon... I-"

But before I could finish, Simon grabbed me roughly by the arm, forcefully trying to drag me out of the dressing room. "Simon, stop!" I begged, my voice rising in panic. He ignored me, his hold ironclad as he yanked me toward the door.

I struggled, twisting and pulling against him, but his grip only tightened. In the chaos, the vial slipped from my hand, shattering on the marble floor with a deafening crack. The liquid spread like a dark stain, its strange scent filling the room.

"Stop!" I screamed, my fear turning to fury as I twisted my arm free. Without thinking, I slapped him across the face. The sharp sound reverberated through the now silent room, punctuating the tension with a violent crack. Simon didn't move for a second, his head snapping to the side, his jaw clenched tight. His expression contorted, a mixture of shock and pain painting his features.

I watched fearfully as his baby-blue eyes shifted, darkening into a glowing, feral gold that gleamed with danger. His lips curled back into a snarl, and from deep within his chest, a low, guttural growl emerged-a sound so primal it sent a jolt of fear racing down my spine. It was the unmistakable sound of a beast.

He squeezed his eyes shut, his breath coming in ragged, controlled bursts, as though struggling to contain the monster clawing beneath his skin.

I frantically scrambled to gather the remnants of the shattered vial, my fingers brushing through the slick liquid as it spread across the floor. But it was useless; the potion had spilled, its contents lost to the cold marble. I was too engrossed, too desperate to fix the impossible, that I didn't hear the soft footsteps approaching.

"You heard the lady, Sim." A deep, seductive voice sliced through the silence, his presence commanding the room with a dark energy that made the air feel heavy. "Don't make me have to repeat it again." The warning was soft but dangerous, the edges of his voice dripping with a lethal promise. The air seemed to thrum with tension.

My body froze. The air in the room shifted, growing dense and electric. Every hair on the back of my neck stood on end, a shiver racing down my spine as that voice sent goosebumps across my skin. There was something unnervingly familiar in it-something dark, something that stirred long-buried desires within me.

I slowly lifted my gaze, my breath catching in my throat as the figure slowly stepped into the light. I could barely form the words, my voice a trembling whisper. "Morpheus..."