To Lovingly Hate You

Ascension

Third Person

In a pursuit of the truth, of the Shadow that Harry believed to be cast from Adeline's very figure, he had no idea it would lead to a confession of such violence and gore.

"If I am to speak of what happened... Harry..." Adeline suddenly spoke, bringing Harry out of his stunned staring off and looked back to Adeline, whose hardened gaze was fixated on a place upon the ground,

"... you must understand... you will not be able to fathom it, it will poison your mind with a greater sense of tragedy in which no living being should have to endure, speak of, or even learn of. You will not look at me the same ever again, I will forever be tainted with the soot of the demon who has tarnished me, so... do you want to continue seeing Princess Adeline and all her glory? Or how horribly mangled I truly am?"

Adeline quietly spoke, her gaze unmoving, as if she wasn't... present. But Harry could see that, after hearing the mere fact that the sigil was etched into her skin with a blade, he knew this would not be something she could possibly handle much of, talking about it that is. Disassociating was the only way she could handle it, and he could understand that perfectly fine. A facade was what he always felt he'd seen, and the confirmation of such led him longing to understand and know who lay underneath the well-constructed mask that Adeline flaunted. He nodded once and held his hand within the space between them, laid upon the blue velvet of the chaise, a gesture of openness and the wish to listen,

"Nothing you can tell me will change the way I look at you... nothing"

Harry softly spoke, surprising Adeline ever so slightly, her gaze shifted closer to him and her head turned towards him ever so slightly, but she dared not look at him. Adeline shifted for a second uncomfortably as the memories inevitably raced through her mind, but when her gaze did bravely flicker up to meet his once more... and his ocean eyes, ever captivating and soothing as much as she hated to admit it, pierced through her cold sirens gaze, leaving a rip in the mask she held to her face since she was merely fourteen years old... leaving space for aged vulnerability to trickle through,

"What... do you see... when you look at me? How... do you look at me?"

Adeline very very quietly asked, as if she was frightened the gods above would hear her. Harry paused... his gentle gaze moved across her form slowly, but thoughtfully. Perhaps it was how foreign such gazes felt to her, as there was not a hint of lust or resentment within his ocean blues, but she swore the longer her just silently looked at her the more comfortable she seemed to grow, which was not how Adeline was used to feeling, especially due to a simple look. After a few additional moments, Harry finally took a deep breath and spoke,

"I... see someone who isn't real"

Harry simply spoke, making Adeline blink a few times somewhat rapidly in surprise, as that was not the answer she expected to receive, but it... almost evoked a sense of... what felt reminiscent to... was that guilt?

Or... was it grief that she too... did not know who she was?

-Many Moons Ago Once More-

-Viewer Discretion is Advised: Heavy Reference to Sexual Assault, Blood and Gore, and General Sense of Disturbance-

"LET ME GO!" The young, wounded girl shrieked at her attacker as he dumped her wounded body roughly onto the jagged rocky shore, roaring waves crashing below with the ferocity of raging gods, a thunderstorm boiling in the clouds above.

She shrieked in pain as she was let go indeed, one of her deepest wounds hitting a corner of jagged stone. This was her twenty-third shredded nightgown, her twenty-third set of bruises, broken bones, and shredded insides, but never had her torture been brought to the edge of the sea.