WORLD OF EYES

chapter 9

Lilith fifteen years ago had been a girl with emerald eyes that sparkled with curiosity and hope, her smile a beacon in the dreary landscape of Solis. She had roamed the cobblestone streets with her mother, their laughter echoing off the ancient buildings that had stood for centuries, a stark contrast to the whispers that had followed them like shadows.

Solis was a town where tradition was a cage, a place where whispers of dark magic were met with narrowed eyes and sharpened pitchforks. Yet, in the quiet moments between the town's gossip, she and her mother had found refuge in the warm embrace of their little cottage. There, the walls were lined with books filled with ancient knowledge and the faint scent of her mother's herbs. It was their sanctuary, a bastion of love and learning in a world that feared the unfamiliar. Lilith was fifteen, her green eyes alight with the same curiosity that had fueled her mother's own magic. She was a spitting image of her, with the same fiery spirit and unyielding determination. Her mother had taught her the ways of the arcane, the gentle art of healing and the subtle dance of the elements. But there was a hunger in Lilith, a thirst for power that her mother had never understood.

Virilem Andrew Mond, Lilith's father, like a comet, a blaze of power and charm that had captured the town's collective imagination. His magic was like nothing they had ever seen, a spectacle that could make the very air hum with energy and the crops grow tall and strong. The Mond family name had become synonymous with salvation, a beacon in a world that often felt mundane and unforgiving. But there was a shadow that trailed behind him, a wisp of smoke that grew darker and more substantial with each passing day. His true nature was a secret he kept hidden behind his charming smile and earnest promises. Virilem had a hunger for power that was insatiable, a thirst that had led him down a path of darkness. It was a path that had begun with the love of a good woman, a witch whose heart had been as pure as the emeralds that danced in her eyes.

Lilith's mother had seen the good in Virilem, had believed in his potential for greatness. She had loved him despite the whispers, had borne him a child despite the shadows that clung to his name. But the love she had given him had not been enough to save him from the embrace of the dark arts. His appetite for power had grown with each spell cast, each incantation spoken, until it had consumed him entirely. And then, on a day that had started like any other, everything had changed. The whispers grew louder, the shadows grew darker, and the town of Solis had been torn apart by the revelation of his true nature. The day Lilith was born, the second daughter with eyes that mirrored the first, the town had turned on them. They had seen in her the potential for evil, a reflection of her father's tainted soul. Her mother had wept, knowing that she had brought a child into a world that would never accept her.
Virilem had tried to hide his disappointment, his love for his firstborn daughter, but Cherry, shining brighter in contrast to the coldness he showed Lilith. Yet, he couldn't help but see the girl as a mistake, a blemish on his perfect facade. The resentment grew like a malignant tumor, festering within him until it had become a part of his very essence.

Lilith had felt the chill of her father's disdain from the moment she could understand the concept of love. Her mother's warm embrace had been her only sanctuary in a house that had become a prison of expectations and fear. Every time she looked into Virilem's eyes, she saw the reflection of her own imperfections, the stark reminder that she would never be the daughter he had wanted.

"Lilith, Cherry, dinner is ready!"

The call echoed through the small house, a place that had once been a bastion of warmth and love, now a mere facade for the dark secrets it held. Lilith looked up from her book, the same brown hair that marked her as an outsider in her own home falling into her eyes. Her mother's emerald gaze was filled with love as she stepped into the room. "Lilith," her mother whispered, her voice a gentle caress that seemed to banish the shadows that clung to her husband's name. She took Lilith's hand, leading her to the table where Virilem and Cherry were already seated. Cherry, with her perfect features and piercing blue eyes, was the apple of her father's eye. Her blonde hair shimmered like spun gold in the candlelight, a stark contrast to Lilith's unruly brown locks.
The meal was a silent affair, the air thick with tension. Virilem's eyes flickered to Lilith's emerald gaze, a sneer playing at the corners of his lips. His disdain was palpable, a miasma that choked the life out of every room he entered. Yet, Lilith's mother's love remained a beacon, a warmth that filled the void left by her father's coldness.