Downfall

Chapter 2

She had gotten them from her mum, those beautiful green eyes.

It was the only remarkable thing about her, really.

"Where did you find her?" His voice low.

"Near the Lake of Sorrows, My Lord. She was walking past our home, looking like a lost soul. I thought of keeping her for fun, but as I saw her eyes, I knew I had to bring her to you." The blue creature responded.

They are not calling me "it" anymore.

Ase had woken up from her paralysis, being able to regain her strength and thoughts as soon as that bloody gaze had left her, focusing on the monster again.

Still kneeling on the floor in front of the dais, she managed to collect herself and started assessing the situation, trying to understand how to behave if she wanted to survive. There was no way in hell she would stay still and silent another time. Was she in Hell? That was one thing she had to find out.

The fact that she had stopped fighting years ago did not mean she had to keep quiet. That, she never stopped to do.

Wake the fuck up, Ase.

She shook her head, while listening to the conversation ongoing.

"You did well." The tone almost like a rumbling in the rock.

"Thank you My Lord." He prostrated himself on the ground. "Thank you so much."

"You may go." But the creature seemed to linger. "What?"

"My King...I was wondering..." Its voice seemed insecure, for the first time since she had first heard it the day before. "I have brought you a wonderful gift, beyond imagination."

I am not a gift.

"You did."

The creature seemed to smile, showing its rows of sharp teeth. "So, could I ask for a reward?"

"Oh...you wish to be praised?" A devilish smile appeared on the man's face, even if man was he not.

"I just thought that, since you liked my gift, you might be inclined to listen to a request."

The King emitted a guttural sound, like he was pondering, reflecting.

"It is a very good day, indeed." He admitted. "Fine, you can take part in the celebration. Choose whatever spot you prefer."

"Thank you so much My King." The winged creature bowed again, finally moving away from the center of the room.

She was looking at that scene as if through a glass, their words muffled to her ears, as she tried to take in the rest of the surroundings from the side of the throne where she was put to kneel by one of the purple skinned guards.

A gigantic chamber composed what looked like to be his throne room, shaped from stone, as if under a mountain, like she vaguely remembered from her trip there, if not for the huge windows that framed the walls and opened up to what seemed like a scenery from Mars.

The sky still had two moons, a huge red one and a smaller white one, that shined in the dim light of night. Stone and earth where everywhere, designing a landscape of death and desolation, lit by the reddish glow of the moons that casted a weird shade on everything, as if a philter was put in front of the camera before clicking record.

No, that was not her world and she knew better than trying to hope it was just a dream. The pain felt real, the fear too, that shivering sensation in her bones coming in waves every time that "man" talked was too powerful to be fake.

She did end up somewhere crazy and she had no idea why or how.

Well, on the how maybe she did.

However, if she had learned anything from all those stories she loved to read before going to bed, was that a character is never brought to another world for no reason. She was not going to die, not so soon, it would make no sense.