Chapter 66

For once, he felt so much at ease across the confused landscape he stood.

Meanwhile, at the household, the butler offered some pies to the dazed boy.

"Where did you get the ingredients to bake this?" Toren curiously asked. "I do not think the colonists provide flours and cornstarch."

"The colonists themselves offered it, knowing I am from the headquarters who had escaped from the rebelling citizens. I did not think the emblem would be of use someday like this."

Over the sweet, hot pie, the two of them had a meaningful conversation about Toren's father. He narrated the whole story of how he was misunderstood right after the very moment he was adopted to that beautiful family.

The only reason why such a painful ordeal had been quite bearable despite its suffocating situation was because of his brother Coen and his paintings.

Those were the only solace he found amidst the darkness of his hours.

Toren decided to leave out Airen and the otherworld where he always met her for he was afraid to let his tongue slip about their intimate and special relationship to each other.

There was something especially peculiar and special between the two of them.

Later on, Toren returned to the underground room to continue his painting.

The butler followed him down there and saw the half-finished painting exuding so much eeriness and darkness. It was almost as if the canvas sheet itself was burning alive.

It felt like it was more real than anything that exists.

The butler could hear black chants of evil mantras and flowing sea of lava, churning rocks and ashes. "What is this?" He asked, his breath was robbed off of him.

Toren stares intensely at the painting.

He seemed quite pleased and scared at the same time with his own creation.

"The underworld," Toren answered in an undertone. "Hell, as it was famously called. This is what it looks like. Is this not frightening?"

The butler could not answer as he was completely drawn into the image, as if he was softly and secretly getting beguiled over it.

He could still hear the black chants, a siren's lullaby, the thundering skies, some hollering and begging souls, and igniting flames bursting out of the cracked ground.

His eyes could see a swirling vision of blackness.

Soon, the butler fell unconscious on the floor.

Toren sighed and brought him to the bed.

When the butler had woken up again, Toren gave him some instructions before they departed from the house.

The colonist soldiers allowed the butler out, while Toren went through unseen by ordinary mortals. They have gone over Captain Brochille's residence to request for some assistance.

Recognizing the emblem, the butler was given accommodation and proper service by the captain's command.

Staying at the comfortable residence for the meantime, Toren left his butler there.

He followed the captain towards the headquarters and saw the horrible sight of a bloodbath.

All the rebels were massacred mercilessly by the newly deployed troops. The soldiers did not even hesitate to shoot and behead the citizens that came their way.

Any method seemed acceptable by the emperor's command as long as the people ends up lifeless, resulting to a brutal mass murder. Toren could not stand the sight of it.

Whether it would be their citizens or the enemy's, the scenery only made him weak and nervous.

He hid among the tree branches at the forest surface, closing shut his ears using both his palms despite being invisible among everyone else.

He waited and waited until the cruelty ended, but nothing seems to change.

He sat there motionless and tensed until he finally fell asleep.

Hours later, he woke up through the subtle breeze and noticed that it was already nightfall.

There was not a single heavenly body above the skies and the soldiers around seemed to be on their guard posts.

The headquarter establishment was completely burned and run-down, while the corpses lay silent and motionless on the meadows and ground.

Toren returned to the captain's household.