𝐌𝐘 𝐀𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

十八 | 𝐈𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐘

adulation (n.)
adoration. worship.
admiration. devotion.
reverence. favor.

「 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑬𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑬𝑬𝑵 」
𝐈𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐘

꧁꧂

The next few weeks passed by rather quickly in (Y/N)'s opinion despite her being nothing more than entertainment designed for Ferid's twisted amusement, something that oftentimes led her to lament for long periods of time by herself. Staring out the window, soaking in a bath, or curled up in Ferid's bed, she would allow her mind to wander back to her old world, her old life, her old self.

    She wondered about many things.

    Her family.

    Her friends.

    The impact of her disappearance.

    Did anyone even miss her?

    Or did her existence become erased as if she had never been there, corrected by whatever mistake that had exiled her to this new world?

    She didn't know.

    It was likely she would never know.

    The thought hurt her more than it should.

    Currently, (Y/N) was in Ferid's study with him, sitting on the ground while he sat at his desk doing paperwork. Her chain trailed along the floor before ascending upwards to where it was connected to an iron ring attached to his desk, cementing her in place. Although the slack allowed her some movement, it was minimal at best, and she felt like a dog on a leash, the lowest she had ever felt. However, she tried to push such dispirits away as she focused her attention on the piece of paper in front of her.

    She didn't want to forget her life before.

    She couldn't.

    So she drew.

    To the best of her abilities, she drew her family, her friends, her pets, her favorite outfit, her college, her favorite book, what she liked to eat or drink, and what she aspired to be.

    Everything.

    She poured everything onto that page.

    She knew she needed it.

    "What's that?" Ferid suddenly questioned, startling (Y/N) and making her head snap back to where she met his eyes, finding that he had momentarily paused in his paperwork to stand and tower over her, his red gaze filled with intrigue. "A drawing? Of who?"

    "Just... my family and friends, master," she swallowed, averting her eyes quickly.

"Let me guess... you miss them?"

"Of course I do," she spoke back quickly with a biting tone, almost defensively so, as she gripped the paper in her hands tighter. "They are... everything to me. I love them."

    "Such a silly concept," Ferid scoffed at the absurdity of her statements, leaning against his desk with a smug grin before crossing his arms over his chest, his cloak shifting with the action. "Love is merely a useless chemical reaction within the brain that doesn't serve any purpose. It makes you humans pathetically weak. Vulnerable. Love, after all, can be gone as quickly as it appeared, so in that sense, was it love at all? Or merely what it is: chemicals? The need for constant, affectionate reassurance is foolish, in my opinion."

    (Y/N) didn't say anything, but she didn't have to—the look of pity in her eyes was enough.

    Ferid's smile wavered.

    She had never looked at him like that before.

    It bothered him greatly.

    "I'll put the drawing away, master... sorry that it displeased you," she then sighed as she folded up the piece of paper before sliding it into her pocket, her jaw tightening as if she were restraining herself from saying anything more. "Since I can't see them anymore... I thought it would be nice to do this. It won't happen again."

    "I don't care," Ferid then uttered, waving his hand at her words. "Do as you please."

    "Thank you... master."

    As Ferid sat back down at his desk, raising up the pen that he had initially set down, he watched (Y/N) closely, waiting to see if she would continue to draw the life that had been snatched away from her. However, all she did was curl up on the floor, her hair splaying around her like a halo, the irony of the thought making Ferid want to chuckle. To compare a human to an Angel was absurd in and of itself as humans were corrupted with sin while Angels were holy beings of light.

    He propped up his head with his fist, his eyes tracing (Y/N)'s form.

    However...

    I guess the same can be said about me.

    About vampires.

    All of us are riddled with sin.

    Why are humans even born if they are to be immediately corrupted?

    I've asked this question before... about why I was born... but why have I yet to receive an answer? Am I not worthy of such knowledge?

    Several thoughts swirled within Ferid's mind, but he chose to suppress them all the same since they were pointless. He made it a point not to bother himself with the memories of his human life, finding that the past was ever so dreadful when he could enjoy the present to the fullest. Certainly, (Y/N) as his little pet was giving him much fulfillment in his never ending life of boredom, but how she suddenly made certain memories come dredging up from the corners of his mind was unpleasant.

    At the same time, exciting.

    How did one single human with one look alone spark such a reaction?

    It intrigued him.

    Then again, everything about (Y/N) it seemed was intriguing. From her invisible presence to her rotten blood that was changing with every day, she pertained her strange existence. Sometimes, she acted as if she were far away, as if she were not entirely present—almost like she were in another world. Other times, she looked so defeated that it was as if she would blow away, a stark contrast to when she would glare at Ferid with such hatred it would melt his bones if possible.

    She was a walking contradiction.

    A walking mystery.

    Something that needed to be peeled back and studied until she was stripped of all secrets.

    And if there was one thing Ferid was prone to, it was soaking in the veneration of how enticing it was to reveal what stoked his curiosity. He would make it so that (Y/N) was squeezed dry of all entertaining qualities when he was done with her. Once completed, he would take joy in having her blood soak his hands when running a blade across her throat.

━━━━━━━━ ꧁ ♥ ꧂ ━━━━━━━━

「 𝑻𝑶 𝑩𝑬 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑼𝑬𝑫 」