𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐁𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐔𝐒

VI. Dangerous proposals

CHAPTER SIX

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

GROWING UP, LILITH HAD BEEN TOLD to beware of the demonis, because they were the incarnation of sin. Red-skinned fingers had molded them with the matter of nightmares; black masses of fear shaping into men, brought to life by the breath of fire. Their existence mocked the Gods who had created humankind. As such, demonis were equal parts sinful and divine, a deadly blend that went against nature, a promise of inevitable destruction.

Of course, Lilith had never seen one nor had another soul, but the tales whispered at midnight kept them alive in spirit, haunting young ones in their sleep, feeding on adult fear. For the longest time, the young witch would stay hidden under her bed covers, sweating, the voices of the pastor and maidens from the village murmuring in her ears; Be wary, dear child, demonis have left a terrible curse upon us all! Pray for thy brother and sister! Judgment day is near and the demonis will come once more to enslave the innocent and bring Satan back to his reign! And for a very long time after that, Lilith could feel the impression of evil in WestEdens, as if the demonis had tainted the creation of the gods forever, leaving all the believers in Heldise anticipating the moment the ground would part and they would emerge with the beasts of hell.

At least then, when they had warned her of the demonis, she knew what to expect. But no one, not even her mother when she lived, had warned her about something she had yet to comprehend. It left her in a void; her body crumbling with anxiety.

She was the young girl hiding under her blankets all over again.

A small circle of condensation formed on the cold glass of the windowpane. Lilith lifted one finger and pressed it to the glass, collecting dew as she drew a question mark. When she was done, she watched moonlight leak from the mark and spill onto her hands. Her fingers moved under the glow, grasping at something that was not quite there- answers. She had hoped at least one would reveal itself, but of course, the condensation evaporated, and with it, the clarity she had felt for only a moment. In the complete darkness of the room, Lilith was left clueless, unanswered questions pooling in her mind.

She looked down at her lap and took the key in her hands once more, grazing the shaft with her thumb over and over again until friction pricked at her skin. Yet, not even the pain spurred her mind to think faster, or what she truly wanted- to banish Regulus Winters from her mind.

Amid her reeling thoughts, he was lucent and static. And as if he were a fabled weathercaster, he manipulated the tornado of questions to revolve around him. He demanded her absolute attention. It was frightening, but above all, maddening. Lilith sighed, yet it was not the sound of surrender. It was the sound of resistance; the sigh of a man going into battle, which is exactly what Winters promised- war.

She'd be damned if he bewitched her body and soul.

Shaking her head, Lilith stood up from the windowsill. With light steps, she began to make her way towards the parlor, but not before hesitating and stopping by the door. She looked over her shoulder and observed the rising chests of her friends. While they used the night to dream, Lilith used the night to escape her nightmares. She could not fathom what it felt like, not anymore, but for a moment, she felt the urge to slip back into bed and close her eyes, to feel the enchantment dreams had over the human mind. Perhaps then, she'd be able to see her mother again; the beautiful face she had seen four solar eclipses ago. But even so, the witch was not ready to take her chances. She did not want to see the monsters from her dreams, did not want to feel the way she did that May. It made her feel like a coward, but the fear of seeing those savages was far greater than anything, even the desire to see her very mother.