Eyes of White

Chapter 19: Broken

"Hey!" Persephone shouted at her sister as she marched towards the gryphon in the corner. "Penelope, at least say bye!"

Penelope didn't even turn. Instead, nearing the gryphon, she became a chimaera and leapt at it. Her snake tail lashed around, biting. Her feet smashed against its hide, making it bleed. Her lion head bit at first, but then she remembered that chimaeras could breathe fire, and within a second the gryphon was half-burnt.

Persephone knew she had to do something for the poor creature. She knew Wardens with Water Gifts could heal, but she didn't know how. Instead she focused on the sounds of the sea, mimicking them until the sounds of beatings stopped. Persephone opened her eyes and saw the chimaera standing before her. "What... do for you... lady?"

Persephone half-growled, half-spoke back. "Just stay here while I heal myself. I feel a little sick."

Penelope, now in human form, nodded. "Of course."

Persephone trudged over to a nearby rock pool and summoned it up to the gryphon. "Good gryphon," she whispered as the water began to heal it.

Penelope still couldn't remember who Persephone was, but, after hearing the calming sounds of the sea, she thought Persephone was lovely and of a higher level than her.

But when Persephone started to heal the gryphon, she didn't think that much of her anymore. Mainly because The Evil was back in her head.

++We lost the battle. Coco is dead, and the other four renounced us. Do you still reside with us?++

"Of course I do."

++Stop that girl! Break that ward!++

Penelope morphed into an Arctic wolf, only she was six times bigger than a regular dog. Baying and howling, she leapt past her sister and tore a chunk out of the gryphon's side. She chewed it quickly then swallowed before tackling it and ripping its head off. Breathing heavily, blood and saliva dripping from her vampiric teeth, she fixed her white eyes on Persephone, and charged, feeling the strength of all of The Evil behind her as the ward's fleeting powers died and the white eyes spread over every non-Warden in town. Ants, cockroaches, spiders, flies and midges swarmed to Penelope's wolfish form and she absorbed them, making her bigger, stronger, more intimidating. Her mid-section was now a broiling mass of insect bodies. Rats, dogs, birds and bats built up behind her, creating a massive army.

All of their eyes were aimed at Persephone.

The ward was broken. To Persephone, The Evil had won. It was time to join her sister.

Sighing, she knelt to the ground and held out her hand to a rat that lacked the white eyes of the others. She smiled and whispered to it. "You must help me. When my eyes become white, stop me from doing anything to hurt anyone by biting my hand, alright?"

"Yes ma'am," the rat squeaked and ran up her arm.

Persephone turned to the white-eyed army, mouth open, whispering, "I'll join you." But none of The Evil's attention was on her. Persephone could feel the weighty power aimed towards the opening of the cave. The white eyes were fixed in that direction, too.

Penelope was back to human form, yet she was a lot taller, and her torso was a mass of insects. She was truly a manifestation of The Evil. Her hair was grey and wispy, and spiders dangled from it. Only then did Persephone realise: Penelope's hair was made of cobwebs. Cockroach heads protruded from her shoulders. And her finger was pointed in the same direction as the eyes.

A single command resonated around Persephone's mind: ++Tear her apart!++

The command was backed up with a single voice: Penelope's. That's when Persephone knew that, for her sister, there was no return. She was, body, heart, and soul, part of it. She would never, ever return to being fully human. Although The Evil might leave her, she would lose a part of herself. A part of herself would leave with The Evil, her good part.

Persephone followed the unblinking gaze, and the finger, and gasped when she saw who they were aimed at.

Zania.

~~Did you guys remember to take your daily dose of voting?~~