Tell Me A Story

Chapter 35: Tell Me A Story

Mom's scream pierced our ears. Irene gaped at what I'd done. The victims stared at me with a callous expression. Anna finally stood up, supporting herself against the wall.

I pulled out the sword from Nana's heart. The sickening sound of metal running through flesh was ringing in my head. She groaned and clutched at the position where I'd punctured her.

Drops of blood oozed down the blade and onto my hands. Nana looked at me with a cold expression. Her facial features began to change. Her forehead broadened, the wrinkles became light. Her fingernalis grew in length and stubbles appeared on her face which soon formed a beard. She grew taller and finally, there stood a man before us. A man who'd crossed timelines to witness this night.

"Welcome back, Aranchis!" I greeted him. Everyone gasped.

"Metamorphosis has always been your speciality. It is with that very power that you drove this peaceful empire into conflicts which ended in disastrous consequences."

"You... How did you...find out?" he managed to ask, warm blood flowing from between his fingers of the hand he held across his chest. He knelt down, unable to bear the pain.

"Before that, tell them about how you became Nana and the details you've been holding from us."

He grumbled in pain and backed away, pressing his back against the wall. He coughed violently. He took in a few deep breaths. But every breath taken in seemed to hurt him more.

"It was her decision...her decision to foil my plan that led me to into this. I threatened her. But it was of no use. I couldn't just kill her. She was my daughter after all. I waited to see if she'd undergo a change of mind.

She didn't. By then she believed that I'd gone to the Other World and that I'd given her my powers. In reality, I let her have some powers which I could withdraw from her whenever I wanted.

I decided to take matters into my own hands. I knew everything about Jacob, or rather Swit and the children he'd adopted. When I learned that Anna and Seth were searching for the location of the Palace, I contacted Seth and brought him here. I showed him how to set the mirror and took him back, telling him he could come back whenever he wanted. He came back and released the soul.

My daughter knew what had happened and she suspected my involvement. I killed her one night - the very night you first came to her cabin. You might remember that I wasn't inside when you both got in. I'd gone out to bury her. I metamorphosed into her.

From then on, I'd been helping you both and I lied when you asked me about Megan because my daughter had no knowledge about it. Like you said," he coughed violently, "I'd performed a spell that would prevent George from knowing the truth. But now that I've spoken about it, it's broken." He coughed violently again.

"Tell her what your plans were!" I ordered.

Tears were there in Irene's eyes now.

"It was me..." Aranchis said, his voice barely audible, "I turned them against one another. It was I who killed everyone. Edward was innocent! All I ever wanted was to see the destruction of this place. To see you all turning against one another!"

Irene looked aghast. "You!"

"I have put a dark spell on this sword. Even immortality is no match against this spell. I wanted you both to kill each other. After that, I planned to establish my tribe here again, where they rightfully belong. It was I who sent this sword through Seth. Actually..." he trailed off, gasping for breath. "The victims are my servants. It was on my orders that they were acting for you."

"No..." It was Irene who was crying now. The sudden revelations had completely taken her by surprise. She was finding it difficult to cope with all this.