Chapter 42: Words of Blood
"Lady Circe, you're starting to scare me now." Cain frowned as he watched Raven step closer to him.
Raven stopped after reaching within an arm's distance of Cain. There was only a scary silence at that moment, a silence that was only broken by the sound of thunder outside.
Many within the Mansion looked through their glass windows at the sky that was covered in dark clouds. The clouds were roaring with the sound of thunder, the weather changing almost abruptly.
The beautiful moon was hidden behind the dark clouds, something that they hadn't seen before.
Even Circe who was roaming outside noticed the sudden change. She too gazed up at the sky, her curiosity piqued by the unusual phenomenon.
Circe's eyes narrowed as she studied the clouds, her mind racing with thoughts of what could have caused such a swift shift in weather. She couldn't feel any magical manipulation to the weather. Instead, it all felt so natural.
There seemed to be no external influence to this sudden weather change. As she was lost in thoughts, wondering why something that had never happened in this place was happening now.
Merlin took his hands off the illusory sphere, hearing the roaring thunder. Frowning, he also looked at the sky, using his magic.
"What an unexpected change. Is Zeus playing around in Camelot?" He pondered, noticing that it wasn't just the mountain that was covered in dark clouds but the entire Camelot.
He could only think of one person who could do something like this, and was playful enough to actually do it. For a moment, he thought about going out to check if Zeus was actually in Camelot, but in the end, he dropped the plan.
Arthur was already there to take care of any unexpected changes. For now, he focused on discovering the secret of this illusory sphere.
He had been fascinated by this, ever since he discovered it on the mountain. He even created his Palace in this place, all to protect and study this magical thing.
It was only later that he came to know that this was something that belonged to the biggest criminal amongst the Gods throughout the history.
Although he had only scratched the surface of this knowledge, but with that knowledge, he had managed to achieve things he never thought possible.
It was also the small fragment of essence from this sphere that he had used to keep the entire mansion working.
After recovering his energy, he once again placed his hand on the sphere. He used his consciousness to try to pass through another layer of protection.
It was a slow process and he had only managed to pass through the first few layers out of thousands. However, each layer he passed, came with miraculous knowledge that was all worth it for him.
The more layers he passed through, the deeper he delved into the realm of ancient wisdom. He believed that hidden within the core of the sphere were secrets of the universe, revelations that could reshape his perception of reality.
He was right on the threshold of passing through another layer and didn't want to be distracted by Zeus playing around. Unfortunately, he hadn't realised that this wasn't the work of Zeus.
....
"Arghhh!" Cain's painful roar echoed through the room, buried under the explosive sound of the thunder.
His forehead bled as Raven using the sharp pen to carve through his skin, writing a word through blood.
"Stop!!!" Cain shouted, his voice filled with desperation. Unfortunately, he couldn't even fight for himself with both his hands and legs tied to the bed. He was at the mercy of the boy that appeared to have gone crazy.
"Why are you doing it?! What did I do wrong?!" The man roared, tears streaming down his face. His entire face had gone pale due to pain. And the paleness was only washed by the blood that was streaming down his forehead.
Raven remained silent, his eyes fixed as he continued writing. With each inch that his pen travelled, it faced resistance from Cain's flesh.
With each stroke of the pen, Cain's agony deepened, both physically and emotionally.
Unfortunately, no one was there to protect him. No one could even hear his cries for pain as no sound travelled past this room. Even if the sound had managed to go past the room, it still would've been buried in the roaring thunder.
It didn't take long before Cain stopped asking questions and started pleading. He didn't know why this person was doing it, but it didn't matter! He just wanted the pain to end.
Cain's pleas grew louder but Raven's pen didn't stop. The tip of the pen was completely painted red in blood. With each stroke of the pen, Raven expressed himself, carving more and more in red.
After what felt like an eternity for Cain, Raven finally stopped. He moved back, looking at the piece of art.
On Cain's forehead, there were four bloody words visible.
Caen's body was in a pain that he never felt in his life. His heart was beating irregularly, making him feel as if it might stop at any time. He didn't know which demon he had offended to be put through this torture. However, he kept asking for forgiveness.
It was only after Raven stepped back that he felt slightly relieved, thinking that the torment was over. Unfortunately, he soon realised that it was only his misconception.
As Cain was thinking that this might be the end of his torment, he saw the cold ruthless look in Raven's eyes.
....
Raven wiped his hands that were tainted with blood, using a wet towel. Behind him, there was a gruesome sight, something that could make anyone disgusted. However, he wasn't phased in the slightest.
For him, this was just the beginning. They all had to pay. They had to suffer more than they made 'her' suffer.
Raven opened the door, finally leaving the room. Behind him, Cain was lying on the bed. His eyes were still open but there was no life in them now.
The roar of thunder resounded again outside, followed by a flash of light with the appearance of lightning. With the flash, the dark room lit up momentarily, revealing the four bloody words.
"Happy... Birthday... To... Me…"