Peeking monster
I seek to fill
The bottomless pit
Through the door
You go
Into the deep
For an eternal sleep
She opened her eyes blinking the fuzziness away. "Ow," she groaned. It felt as if she been hit by a car. Shifting her eyes to the ceiling she frowned looking at blackened sky with diamonds encrusted into them. Was she outside? No. It was just the ceiling.
She shifted her bones feeling heavy in her skin. Forcing herself to sit up, she gaped. Umm, why was she surrounded by glowing crystals? Was this how darklings healed? Her sight swayed once more and she pressed the palm of her hand against her eye. What happened? "Oh no!" she gasped as the day's events burst to the forefront of her mind.
Looking to her right, her eyes met the professor's worried ones. It was quite strange seeing worry lingering in yellow hawk like eyes.
"Where is she?" she asked terrified at the answer he would give. Rosalinda could only recall the agonizing feeling of starving.
There's no way she could have gobbled her best friend up. What the hell was wrong with her if she was running around wanting to eat the other monsters? It felt as though a hand was around her throat, slowly squeezing it, cutting off her air supply. Her lip began to tremble as tears prickled the corner of her eyes. She twisted her hands in her lap waiting for an explanation. Anything.
"Abigor!" professor Aegius called and she nearly collapsed as a swirling black portal appeared and she stepped through. She was here! Alive! A sobbed tore from Rosalinda as Gora raced towards her side eyes full of tears.
"Gora, I'm so sorry," she cried wrapping her arms around the demoness. "I didn't know."
"Rose. Don't worry," she sniffed. "We're going to figure this out together."
"No!" she yelled pulling back from their embrace. "It's time I stop running. I can't live like this. I have to face my past and present," she said wiping her tears and sniffing. Closing her eyes, she found her center. The shadows, they were always there. Waiting for her. Energy gathered in her stomach before bursting. The shadows devoured the room plunging it into complete darkness.
"Father! Come to me!" she called using every ounce of power in her body. She didn't dare breathe as time froze and malevolent energy swirled around her. Suddenly, time swiftly resumed, and she scanned the room searching for her father. She knew he heard her. She could feel it within every fiber of her being.
"Rosalinda, girl there's no need to apologize we all ma--" her sentence cut by the loud cracking in the air. Gora froze looking on in horror.
A small black flame hovered in the air, glowing. The flame gave way to smoke, and the smoke solidify into ink, before stretching into a seven foot male. Gora squealed as white eyes possessing no iris or pupil, but swirling with infinite wisdom opened. They latched onto her own eyes.
"Dumu-mi, you called my daughter?"
She felt her own eyes prickle and had no idea that her eyes reflected her father's. Rosalinda was ready for answers.
"I see you've made allies already," he hissed, a wicked smile twisting his face into something ferocious. She followed his gaze toward Gora who continued to shake in fear her face pale.
"Gora are you okay?"
"Y-your father is Death? He—its not even a god!" she squealed in terror, swallowing thickly. Rosalinda was worried she was going to hyperventilate. She sighed, geez, she was causing lots of trouble for Gora. Before she could even open her mouth, her father closed in on her. Rosalinda held her breath as darkness stroked Gora's hair.
"Why so afraid Abigor, name after your father. One of my right hand men that he is; after all who else is going to be the commander of my infernos. As one of the most powerful demons in existence, your blood begs for war. You're already following in your father's footsteps. After all, you were drawn to my precious Dumu-mi as she was to you," he hissed.
At this rate, he was going to frighten Gora to death. Rosalinda felt her stomach gurgle and her hunger for those wispy things came roaring to the surface. She was hungry. So, she did something she'd never done before.
Stomping her foot like a three-year-old throwing a tantrum, she shouted. "Daddy I'm hungry!"
Thanatos head appeared from behind Gora boring into her with an unreadable expression. His eyes, they were a pale gray like her own. Reaching out a hand towards her, darkness leapt from them. It latched onto her cocooning her in a world of black. She sank into a world of darkness.
When they arrived at their destination, there was no time to explore the very place she'd been dreaming about. Hunger gnawed at her. Food. It was an all-consuming thought.
"Not to fear Dumu-mi, there is plenty of food," her father said. He led her to a river where blue transparent balls of light were floating down the stream. Drooled pooled in her mouth at the delicious sight. It reminded her of the blue ball that came from Rachel the day of the attack. The hunger returned full force driving her to the brink of insanity. Running towards the river, she pounced on the balls of light gobbling them up without a second thought. She didn't care what they were, only these balls of light could satisfy the insatiable feeling roaring through her. Delicious.
Crouching at the waist her eyes honed in on the luminescent green balls of light subtly glowing deep within the black pits at the foot of a mountain. More. If she had any inkling of what her appearance looked like she would be afraid. Afraid to know that she was now one of those monsters who lurked under beds, hid in the closets, and stalked prey from the shadows waiting for the perfect moment she could strike.
She felt her mouth expanded and like a whirlpool, she sucked down the glowing green balls of light. The feeling of hunger was fading. It no longer felt like her stomach was touching her spine. Feeling her skin prickle, she straighten spotting the whirlpool of darkness forming towards her right.
Her father's cackles seeped from darkness at her last thought. She was starting to believe he was a mind reader.
"Very impressive Dumu-mi. You are after all mine," he said possessively stepping out of a shadow, and gesturing for her. She wrapped her hand around his taking comfort in know this entity—her father had come for her. They sank through the shadows down to the bottom of the pit that held more luminescent balls of light. Glee erupted inside of her. Seemed she had more room for food. Leaping from the darkness, she fell upon the balls of light devouring them until she felt like she was going to burst with energy. These balls of light were so good.
"You've been starving yourself Dumu-mi. Not good at all, he said shaking his head. Moving towards him, she stared in shock as the shadows stretched from him to her naturally. Was she doing this?
"Come."
Rosalinda gaped whipping her head back and forth as she took in the new scenery. Everything was white. There was not a speck of color in the entire room. The walls, minimalistic furniture, even the floor was white. Only a massive thin rectangular shape window stretching across the wall sat untouched by the color. She shuffled over towards it. Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as she spotted the skeletons moving around below as if they were fully functionally humans. She reared back and averted her gaze from the sight. Instead, she focused on her father.
"Come to me Dumu-mi," he said with his arms opened. Compelled, she willing thrusted herself into his arms. All those memories of never belonging, never being good enough were obliterated as he wrapped his arms around her. She was no longer the odd one out. The black sheep of the family. It was quite humorous to think it took staring death in the face to understand this.
There were no words needed to understand her father. Staring into his eyes, she could see the horrors that mortals and immortals face, and yet there was the promise that nothing should ever harm her again. She closed her eyes as her nostrils flared breathing in his scent. She would be lying, if she said he smelt of roses and male cologne. No. He reeked of decay and rotting flesh. Of fears and sweat. Odd. The smell was extremely intoxicating.
"Dumu-mi, I can't have you biting me darling," he hissed pulling her from his chest. She blanched. She hadn't realized she moved. Her mouth had returned to its normal size. She ran her tongue across her fangs. Sure enough, they were sharp enough to pierce through skin.
"What is happening to me?" she asked terrified and yet accepting of the answer.
"Come and all should be revealed," he said guiding her to the minimalistic white Italian leather sofa. She sank under its weight and waited as he took a seat across from her. Rosalinda fought the overwhelming urge to fidget underneath his serious gaze.
"How are you feeling?" he hissed enshrouded in shadows. She watched as they formed the infamous cloak.
"Much better father."
"Do tell?"
"Um, the wispy tendril things coming from the students were good. But they don't compare to the balls of light. Those were quite tasty," she said focusing on the automatic switch on the chair that would allow the chair to recline. Fancy. What was this, the Spanish Inquisition?
"Really?" he replied with interest flaring in his eyes. "Now, which ones were the most desirable to your palette?
This question felt heavy. Like the answer would decide her fate or something. It only made her nervous. Her eyes flickered towards her father before darting away. Should she tell the truth? What if it meant something terrible? She didn't want to be a burden.
Focusing on the window instead, she nearly fell off the sectional as her father's face appeared in the window. B-but he was sitting across from her. How d-did he get there? She closed her eyes trying to think, to clear her mind. But he was everywhere. His eyes, they pressed in on her staring, and boring into her until she couldn't take it anymore.
"The luminescent green ones and the florescent purple ones!" she shouted out wishing he would stop. A thin layer of sweat covered her body, and she was panting as if she had ran in a triathlon. What did he do to her? There really was no way of deceiving or cheating death. One may be under the false notion that they've escaped, but it was only temporary. For they'd spend the rest of eternity glancing over their shoulders, afraid that he's going to jump out from the shadows. Eventually, Death would torture them as punishment for defying him. Soon they'd beg to be taken. She swallowed thickly at her thoughts.
"This is not the time to be afraid Dumu-mi, you come from the very essence of fear itself. You come from Death." She breathed deeply reminding herself that she was Thanatos daughter. She jerked, her eyes colliding with his pitless ones.
"Ah, Thanatos is a name the mortals have given me. One of the many that I've come to favor. Okan, is what I named myself the moment I realized it was a thing."
She gaped processing this tidbit of information. What a tale he lived. The sights he'd seen. His experiences. She could always question him about it later. It was quite mindboggling to think she was a part of an ancient entity.
"You are a marvel Rosalinda," he said. She noticed his eyes shifting from the pale grayness like her own to the black pits of the abyss. It was this face that sent nerves festering in her stomach.
"Dumu-mi, the concept behind the balls of light is that they are indeed souls. The things that you described as wispy tendrils are the energy of the creatures or those souls. The soul will only appear after you have drained them of all energy," he finished.
Souls?! She was a soul eater. Excuse her? Did she hear him correctly? This was going too far!? Didn't people who ate souls usually ate human souls and not supernatural? She sat horrified. Sucking blood for nourishment sounded a lot better than eating souls. Horror clung to her pores as her mouth went slack jawed. This couldn't be true. She didn't want this! Her father continued relentlessly.
"What's so special about you Dumu-mi is that you seek powerful and dark souls," he cackled. Great, she had a preference for demons. A freak! She was a freak of nature!
"Don't let your humanity govern you!" he bellowed, the room shaking from his power and jerking her from her thoughts. Stunned, she stared in shock.
"It would surely destroy you my daughter. For your people sake accept it. You are royalty. Daughter, it's time you think for your people. Cyriac is a King, reigning over all darklings. I'm aware he's your destine. You will govern everything that falls in my domain. It is important to maintain balance. That pertains to the darklings and everything in between, even those people who die and go to the light realm. There's much to learn." He said his eyes piercing straight through her.
Surely, this was too much. To manage realms, creatures, she was petrified by such thoughts and responsibilities. But Cyriac, he could help her. He always made things better.
"However; until I discover what those light creatures are planning, your identity must remain under wraps. In the meantime, you will continue to attend Helvitti Academy. Cyriac will be joining you soon. It may be best to use him as a distraction from your true identity Dumu-mi."
She nodded as Ari'el's image flooded her mind. Did he have something to do with this? More importantly, Cyriac, her boyfriend was going to join her. Anticipation welled inside of her.
"I will teach you about your abilities. It seems, you are familiar with wrapping the shadows around you, but there is much more to learn."
"Wait!" she called out standing as the white room and her father began to fade away. There was so much she wanted to ask him.
"Sleep well, Dumu-mi," he whispered fading completely away. And so she did.
A/N:
Thoughts? Don't forget to hit that little button at the end of the chapter. I appreciate it! XOXOXO!