Rebirth

7. Secrets

Dear Journal,
Real secrets are the ones that are kept in the deepest, darkest crevices of our souls. I intend to uncover the secrets of this castle...of this world. But more importantly, I intend to uncover the secrets of myself.

                                                               - 𝓔. 𝓢𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓮
                                                                    (1605)

Elias did not sleep that night.

It was not his desire to stay up all night but he did not have a choice. His new form did not require rest so after binge drinking on the blood of castle servants, he returned to his quarters with a full stomach and a hungry soul.

As he paced back and forth in his room, he caught sight of is reflection in glass of his window.

He was sickened by the story of horror his reflection told. A scowl overcame his gaunt face as he watched himself, raising his rotting, blackened and peeling hands to touch his sunken jaws. His eyes made like a skeleton; dark, hollow and empty. His skin looked flayed as it's surfaces portrayed that of necrosis.

Elias's reflection resembled that of a dead man.

His face felt nothing like it looked. It was smooth and refined as it connoted pallor. His nose was straight but his reflection spoke of its absence. His hair was in a long, black ponytail but the image showed patchy strings of black hay sitting on top of his head.

He had been told many times that he was beautiful and fetching before and after his transformation but the glass had shot these statements down with a flaming arrow.

Anger overcame him once more as he spun away from the corpse that stared back at him.

He soon realized that even though he had been in his quarters last night, he had not properly observed the interior of his new room.

His chambers were well furnished with a canopied Queen sized bed decorated with white linen bedsheets and pillow covers that rested upon a sheet-draped bolster. A bedside table was to the right of it with only an empty jug, gauntlet cup and unlit candle sitting on its wooden surface.

The four beautiful bare stone walls were embellished with tapestry and the large bay window was unfortunately guarded by glass. There was also hand-carved period furniture such as a chest at the foot of his bed along with a polished oak stool and table in right side of his room.

The monumental fire place looked as if it had not been lit in ages.

He changed out of his blood-stained attire into a white linen shirt and black doublet that he found in the chest and paired them with his black hoses and boots before leaving his quarters.

He was repulsed by what he had seen in the glass and decided it was best if he found something else to occupy his mind.

After his previous conversation with Baltazaar, he was more than curious to know what exactly lied below in the castle dungeons. Could it be another vampire? Or another monster? Was it as powerful as him? These questions bombarded his mind as he walked down the corridor.

He recalled where he had walked before and found the stone staircase. He inhaled deeply once he arrived at the foot of the stairs as he tried to find the odor from yesterday. Though faint, it was still there.

He turned left of the stairs, walking down a narrow hallway in the castle. He passed the pantry and buttery undetected by the servants. The smell of food and spirits overcame that of the stench, making it harder for Elias to locate the dungeon.