Kaleidoscope

Three

The dim orange light reflected off the crystalline body shapes which still highlighted the mounted shackles, some which seemed alive but had no physical form. Some of the crystalline bodies still displayed eyes and mouths, but there were mere holes in their would-be abdomens whereas the . . . how could she describe them? They moved around like steam from a kettle spout, yet they seemed like thick air. She got lost in thought, completely forgetting about her wounds as she was dragged to the middle of the room.

"Welcome to the torture chamber" Pralekai suddenly announced in a mischievous, loud voice which started Perry, making Pralekai grin like a smiling cat in the night." Fascinated about these creatures?" he smiled as he jerked her head to forcibly make her look at what seemed like a fresh body. "That one is a Vorgoth." He pointed to where he was making her gawk at, then turned her head to another pair of shackles. "Those are mists, soulless embodiments of Vorgoths who were cursed, exiled and killed. All these are the children of Vixoniac, the Damned. Except for those over there, those are the Sirathine. Water-like demons created by Sirakith the Drowned."

Perry was consumed with fear but paralyzed by the unknown, making it nearly impossible to stop looking at their torture. "What are you doing to them" she finally managed to mumble "The same the devil is tasked with" he smirked as he sat down on the top of a stone altar stained in colours of blue, red, green and black, as some of those colours still seemed to flow down into the crevices of the stone floor, between the thousands upon thousands of crystalline shards still piercing her skin.

"Are you the Devil?"

Pralekai just sat there with a disturbing grin, his burning eyes filling her with terror.

"So, if you're not the devil, what do you have in common with him then?"

"Everything I am about to tell you." Pralekai giggled. "I have a sister and a brother, not that I would call them that by choice. My sister, Lillathriel, and my brother, Asatune, both live amongst the Vixoniac in the ethereal realm"

"Hopefully, they are not as horrible as you."

"Oh, on the contrary." Pralekai smirked. "Do you believe in good and evil?"

"Yeah" she said, wondering what the point of it all was and when she might find a way to escape from the stench.

"Well, Lillathriel is the good in the world and I, the bad."

"If you are like the devil, you punish people for doing wrong things?" Perry feared that she might have gone too far and that Pralekai might be setting a bear trap.

"Not people per sé, but..."

"That's enough Pralekai!" Lillathriel shouted from outside the room. "Ah, little sister, why don't you come join us here by the fire." He laughed.

Perry stared at Lillathriel, completely frozen with fear. Her long, elegantly curled white hair shimmered in the glowing aura that surrounded her. Her eyes glowed purple and her lips shimmered with a soft pink colour. She wore a sleek white gown with gold and blue detail which caressed her hourglass figure perfectly. Her skin strayed slightly to almost greyish.

"Can you not see the little one is paralyzed with fear?" When she spoke, her voice trilled like a violin concerto at the onset of spring. "Little sister, have you forgotten what my purpose is in this world?" Pralekai snarled

"Your purpose is to deliver punishment to those of our kind that deserve it - not to the mortals"

"And who said she is mortal?" Pralekai sneered and walked closer to Lillathriel "Have you not smelled it on her yet?"

Perry looked at the two ancients speaking in a language she could somewhat understand. Not completely, but she caught a few words. She thought of what Pralekai had told her of good and evil as she looked around, trying not to make eye contact with the prisoners . . . until she did.