Chapter 32: Lord of the mountain

Welcome back to Hello Charlotte everyone I'm glad everyone enjoyed the first chapter. Please remember to COMMENT and VOTE, it means a lot to me. Plus I like talking to you guys and hearing your opinions. Also, remember to watch the video it goes with the chapter. The song is Regret messages (music box version) by Mothy

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-Ivo-

Saying that Charlotte was pissed was a complete understatement she seemed to almost radiate anger. When I entered the house she refused to look at me as her tail thumped violently against the couch and she guzzled the liquor from her flask.

Eventually she fell asleep as night set in, her gentle snoring softly echoing in the room. As I laid down next to her on the floor she almost instantly rolled over her body wrapping around my own as she unconsciously looked for warmth. She curled up against my side her arm wrapped around my waist while her tail curled around my leg.

No matter how angry she may have been the need for warmth almost always overrode that.

"I can't exactly blame her for getting pissed," I whispered to myself as I gently stroked Charlotte's hair. She let out a small sigh as the slight rumbling sound came from her chest.

So she does still purr.

I had almost dozed off when I heard footsteps slowly coming downstairs. Looking up I saw Lorithia standing at the bottom of the stairs watching me with an odd look on her face. "Are you going on another mountain expedition?" I asked softly.

Lorithia frowned as she crossed her arms, she glanced at Charlotte. "With that monster in the mountains? Of course not."

I let out a small chuckle. "Someone's learning," I said as I adjusted Charlotte so that her wings wouldn't be crumpled underneath her.

"Honestly I don't understand you or Charlotte. Kessel made it sound like she was a level headed person like him. But she's staying with you despite the fact that you're killing her the same way you're killing Kessel. Yet she doesn't care she's actively refusing to break your contract or come back to Kessel. Hell, she even cuddles up to you more than Atlas." Lorithia said softly. She shook her head as her cat ears flicked back. "I just don't understand you two."

I gave her a small smile. "It took me years for her to even think about trusting me. But I worked hard and it paid off. You seem to have made the mistake of thinking that because of Charlotte's circumstances and her relation to Kessel that she'd be so meek little girl that needed saving from the big bad monster. When you couldn't be more wrong. She's like a cat with the temperament of a badger, stubborn, angry and willing to fight tooth and claw about anything."

As Charlotte curled her wings around us I began stroking her hair again. "I'll be the first to admit it though she's given me more trouble and headaches than anyone I know."

For a few moments, Lorithia was quiet before she spoke up her voice barely a whisper. "Are you going to let me die?" She asked her hand going to her contract markings.

I stared at her. "I may be a monster but I'm not cruel. Unless you give me a reason to I won't kill you, I'll grant you what you wanted when we made the contract. Which was to get back home to your brother safe and sound." I informed her gently.

She looked at me with wide eyes before turning around and walking into the kitchen where the fruit was. She emerged a second later with two apples in her hands before darting back upstairs.

Lorithia's words made me think about something, Charlotte's soul and her contract.

The barrier is still around her soul and after I kill Kessel then what...our contract will be fulfilled. If that happens I won't be able to make her sick or kill her but at the same time, we'll lose something that bonds us close together.

Charlotte whimpered in my arms her hands weakly pushing at my chest. I kissed her forehead as I wrapped my arms around her. "Don't worry Charlotte, I'm not going anywhere."

She twitched and mumbled something I couldn't make out before snuggling into my chest again, a light rumbling purr coming from her chest.

I closed my eyes and focused on trying to relax. I could hear the soft howl of the wind outside, the house-made soft groans and creaks as the wind brushed it.

I remember our castle used to make the same noises whenever it rained. And while father and I were inside, mom would be outside running around, jumping in puddles. She loved the rain so much...

I let out a sigh as my body relaxed. "Goodnight Charlotte."

~~~

I woke up early the next morning, my back stiff from lying on the floor. Charlotte was still lying beside me one wing crumpled underneath her while the other covered her body like a blanket.

For a moment I just stared at her.

That looks really uncomfortable, but then again I've seen her sleep in stranger positions.

Charlotte opened her eyes and slowly sat up yawning as she stretched. She scratched the wing that had been folded beneath her before she slowly looked at me.

"What time is it?" She mumbled.

I shrugged glancing toward the window where the sun wasn't visible. While the sky had lightened to a shade of dark blue it was still dim outside.

"I don't know but it's early," I told her.

"Too fucking early," she grumbled as she laid back down.

She looked up at me before reaching out and gently tugging on my sleeve with one hand. "It's cold," she said.

"Shouldn't we go into the mountains while it's early?" I asked her as I laid down next to her.

"No, it's easier to navigate when the sun is up. Most of the fog at the beginning of the mountain evaporates once the sun touches it. However the further you walk the denser the fog gets," she explained as she nuzzled me.

"Are you still mad about yesterday?" I asked softly.

"Kind of, but I hate the cold more," she sighed.

I chuckled as one of her wings laid across us like a blanket. "Of course."

As Charlotte began to doze off again with me following close behind, I heard an odd sound in the darkness around us. It sounded like a snake hissing right beside my ear, I froze as a violent chill ran up my spine.

Am I hearing things? I don't sense anything...

Something soft brushed against my ear as a voice spoke its rasping tone like a razor cutting through someone's eye.

"Give me the girl..."

Slowly I glanced over my shoulder but other than the couch I didn't see anything. A soft thumping began to echo from upstairs, starting off slow until it turned rapid and almost frantic.

I glanced back at Charlotte who was beginning to snore in my grasp, she didn't move or even acknowledge that she could hear the thumping noise.

What the hell is that? Is it Atlas and Delilah finally fiucking? Is it Lorithia trying to practice her magic?

Letting out a sigh I carefully detached myself from Charlotte and stood up. I stretched before I walked over to the stairs and peered up. From the top of the stairs, I could see an odd white and red glow, I jumped reeling back as I placed my hand on the banister only for it to come away wet and slick.

"What the hell..." I sniffed my hand instantly catching the scent of rust. "Blood?" I muttered as I rubbed my fingers together.

The thumping seemed to get even faster, as I carefully walked up the stairs I noticed a stark trail of red that led up the stairs ahead of me. I picked up my pace skidding to a stop at the top of the stairs, the white and red glow seemed to fill the hallway overpowering everything else and dying my vision red.

The thumping slowed being almost replaced the trickling sound of liquid hitting liquid. I glanced around but the sound wasn't coming from the bathroom, it was coming from a familiar door with peeling paint, faded lettering, thick chains and an enormous lock on it.

As I approached the door I couldn't help but notice the dark liquid leaking out from underneath the door staining the carpet. From the top of the door, the red and white glow gleamed brightly.

This room, this is the only room in this house I've never been in. From what Charlotte said it was chained up like this before I even came here. Before even Kessel was here...

Reaching out I grasped one of the chains only to snatch my hand back as heat seared across my palm stinging the flesh there.

"You can't go in that room. It's not allowed," a familiar voice told me gently.

Whipping around I saw Charlotte except she look odd, younger, her eyes were listless and her face incredibly pale. She wore a white sundress that hung off her thin frame, and a bruise was healing on her right cheek.

"Charlotte are you okay? Come here," I said gently reaching out for her.

She slowly blinked at me and took a step back, it was then that I noticed her wings. They were small purple bat-like wings.

They look like they did before Kiree-Kiree village.

"You're not Charlotte are you?" I said crossing my arms.

Her eyes met mine and she stared at me for a moment before turning her gaze downward and staring at her feet. "I don't know who I am. I'm a husk."

A husk? An astral projection of Charlotte? Kessel had to have made it all he would've needed was a lock of hair or some of her scales.

I took a deep breath as I tapped my fingers on my arm. "Why can't I go in that room, what even is in that room?"

"You haven't gotten permission from Charlotte or R," she whispered as she wrung her tail in her hands.

R? Is that Rebecca or Raevali?

"Raevali?" I said slowly.

She flinched her gaze turning upward as her eyes widened. "I-I need to go. I've been called," she whispered.

I reached out to grab her wrist but my hand passed right through her. For a moment she froze and looked back at me. "I'm the only one who can go. I'm the only one not trapped in the basement,"

"The only thing in the basement is a washing machine and dryer. Do you mean the one in the church?" I asked quickly.

She was beginning to fade away,  her form turning transparent right before my eyes. She smiled sadly and shook her head slowly. "Charlotte knows about the others left behind."

Then she was gone and suddenly the house was mostly silent. The thumping was no longer around nor was the glow, as I glanced down at the floor I noticed that the dark liquid was gone. It was quiet and peaceful almost eerily so, as a block of ice settled in my chest and my heart pounded violently in my ears I could only let out a shuddering breath.

I walked back downstairs taking note of the fact that the blood had also disappeared. Slowly I looked over at Charlotte, walking over to her I knelt down beside her and carefully brushed her hair out of her face. She looked very peaceful considering where she was. As I laid down beside her she instantly clung to me.

"Don't worry Charlotte, I'm here. And I always will be," I whispered.

The image of her listless eyes and empty expression seemed to play over and over again in my head.

I'm never letting her feel like that ever again.

~~~~~

I yawned as I helped Delilah make breakfast, she glanced over at me frowning.

"You didn't sleep last night?" She asked giving me a gentle smile.

I glanced at her. "Oh I slept but then I got to a point where I couldn't sleep anymore," I grumbled, letting out a huff.

Delilah let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep much either. This house is so strange, you'd think everything would be dust-covered and broken. It's almost like its frozen in time."

"Hey Delilah, you know that room upstairs, the one with all the chains on it, have you tried going inside?" I asked her as I chopped the potatoes.

Delilah looked at me with wide eyes as though I was insane. "That door is locked up like Vincent's palace, I don't even think I can break chains like that. You and Charlotte maybe but not anyone else," she protested.

"Charlotte can't," I said. "But I know someone who probably can, however, he's dead." I sighed.

If possible Delilah's eyes widened even more. "Wait, wait, wait you can't open it either?" She practically exclaimed in shock.

I let out a huff. "I tried last night, the chains burned my hands then I got told that I needed permission from Charlotte and R. There are only two people that R could be and both are dead."

She frowned before she spoke lowering her voice to a whisper. "Wait did Charlotte tell you that? Was she sleepwalking or something?"

I shook my head slowly. "It was Charlotte and it wasn't her, more like an astral projection I suppose. When I touched her my hand went right through her, she also called herself a husk but she looked exactly like Charlotte did all those years ago." I shuddered as I looked over at her. "I've never actually been in that room, that room was apparently locked up tight even before Kessel came here."

Charlotte stumbled into the kitchen yawning with a lantern in her hand. "If we're gonna go to that fucking mountain, we better go now. The fog will be at its thinnest now." She grumbled.

"We'll be done with the food soon Charlotte. We should at least eat before we go trekking through the forest." Delilah suggested.

"Yeah we probably should eat, where are the other two?" Charlotte sighed placing the lantern on the table with a loud thud.

It was an old-looking thing, covered in patches of rust and made of thick iron. The thick smell of wet dirt emanated from it.

"Atlas is taking a small flight outside, his wings were getting cramped. And Lorithia is taking a bath I believe." Delilah informed Charlotte.

"Where did you get that dirty old thing?" I asked as I picked it up. It had a nice weight to it and creaked as it shifted.

Charlotte yawned again and for a moment or two, she was quiet. "I had to go get it from the basement, its a really old thing and it barely works. But it can hold a dragon's fire in it without it burning to a crisp,"

"I don't remember seeing this in the basement," I said to myself more than Charlotte.

Glancing at her I saw the color drain from Charlotte's face as she glared down at the floor, her mouth set in a thin line. "I found the stupid thing in the basement behind the dryer," she mumbled quickly before she took the lantern from me and walked away.

"Did you see her face? She looked like she saw a ghost," I told Delilah.

She nodded as she walked over to me, a deep frown on her face. "It's understandable, this place is hell on earth for her. The longer she stays here the worse it'll get."

I let out a small tsk as I turned back to the counter. "I'm not letting anything else happen to her."

"Ivo, sweetie, I know you want to protect her but there are certain things that can't be controlled," Delilah told me gently.

"The hell there is!" I grumbled my tone coming out harsher than necessary.

Delilah laid a hand on my arm. "You've accepted that Charlotte may get hurt because she's your vessel, so why can't you accept this?"

I let out a soft sigh. "This is different, she already knew what she was getting into when she summoned me. But this is something else she doesn't deserve this, to be trapped here. It's just..."

She tilted her head to the side as she looked away. "If anything was fair we would be home. You'd be about to take the throne with Kessel by your side. Elise would be standing by Vincent's side. But at the same time while everything would be perfect back home Atlas and Charlotte would still be allowed to suffer," she reminded me softly.

"I know, I know," I whispered as I continued cutting up fruit.

By the time Atlas came back and Lorithia finished her bath Delilah and I were finished making breakfast.

"Here," I told Charlotte as I held out a bowl of fruit salad to her. She was sitting down on the floor doing something to the bottom of the lantern.

She looked up at me briefly before taking the bowl and setting it down next to her without a word. I crossed my arms frowning as I watched her switch the different small rusted gears this way and that.

"What are you doing exactly?" I asked her.

"I'm trying to remember how to do the puzzle, it's a stupid safety measure used to keep people from trying to go up the mountains alone," she informed me. "See, when you get all the gears to touch, they start moving and it'll raise the special wick inside," she explained as she tapped the largest gear with one claw.

She shifted two more gears and a moment later a soft click sounded out. A small satisfied smile spread across Charlotte's face as a white strip of fabric slowly rose out of the slot in the lantern.

"There we go," she muttered. Charlotte took a small breath then gently blew out a small puff of fire on the wick, instantly it ignited.

"Huh, so it really can withstand a dragon's flame. It's probably older than Delilah," I said as I sat down next to Charlotte.

She shrugged as she picked up her food, and began eating. "It's been here since before you I think, Raevali once told me that its something's dragons used to use when they had their own kingdoms."

I frowned. "Then whatever is up in those mountains if anything, is old and pissed."

I looked over as I heard Lorithia come back downstairs, she slowly came over to me a scowl on her face. "Did you possess me?" she demanded the expression on her face was somewhere between anger and fear.

Charlotte let out a small snort, "Oh trust me you'd know if Ivo possessed you, you'd be covered in bruises from whenever he's tripped over your tail," Charlotte told her.

Lorithia's eyes widened as I looked over at Charlotte. "Listen after being with you for years I think I know how to control a tail. It's the wings I have trouble with now."

When I looked back at Lorithia she looked more confused and scared than angry. "To answer your question, no I didn't possess you. I ask permission before I do it unless you're in danger. Anyway, why do you ask?"

She looked away from me biting her lip. "I heard you upstairs last night talking to someone. And when I woke up one of my spellbooks were gone, my door was locked so I just figured it was you. I know Delilah didn't do it because she was controlling Atlas last night." Lorithia sighed, "Maybe I put it down somewhere." She muttered as she went back upstairs.

"So who were you talking to last night Ivo?" Charlotte asked instantly as she set her empty bowl off to the side.

"A husk, astral projection I don't know, before I could get anything out of it the thing got scared and ran away," I sighed.

Charlotte doesn't need to know what that thing was if she did it'd probably send her into a panic attack.

She stared at me for a long moment, her tail curled slightly giving it an almost question mark shape. "So, there is something in the house just like I said."

I shook my head. "I saw the husk but I didn't sense anything before it showed up. I just heard a strange thumping noise from upstairs and some hissing."

"Dragons don't hiss though, we're more like lizards than snakes. So it's not Raevali, I can't remember if there was a chimera villager that had a snake in them though," Charlotte sighed. She looked out the window and frowned, "Looks like we should get going, the fog should be about as thin as it's going to get."

~~~~

"I can't believe I have to trek back up there," Lorithia whined next to me as she looked up at the mountain.

We stood at the base of the mountain, right where the forest began. The fog that had been thick enough to drink the other day was now reduced to thin, see-through wisps. The smell of wet dirt lingered in the air.

Charlotte let out a snort, "If you hadn't acted like an idiot this wouldn't be your second time going up the mountain. Besides you're in the Aveon foundation dealing with paranormal shit in the middle of nowhere is mostly what you do." Charlotte reminded Lorithia from ahead of us. Since she was the only one who knew how to navigate the forest and deal with the fog she would be the one leading us.

If there was any other way I wouldn't let her do it, but it's not like she'll just say yes to me digging around in her mind. Especially not in this place.

"Well yes like the rest of Kessel's personal guard I went through even more extensive training than the usual members. But I'm also a shapeshift, our bodies run mostly on sugar and it has been a challenge to get the actual amount I need. Not to mention I burn through it incredibly quick," Lorithia explained as we began walking.

"Oh Lorithia honey, why didn't you say anything? I could've easily adjusted the levels of sugar in the fruits you eat," Delilah offered.

"How much sugar do you usually eat?" Atlas asked Lorithia.

"If I'm going out in the field I usually eat a lot more than I normally would. So six bowls of frosting, two small ice cream tubs, and two bottles of soda," Lorithia said frowning.

"Holy shit, I think I went into a diabetic coma just imagining that," Atlas muttered.

Lorithia let out a small laugh. "If you think that's bad you should see how much my brother eats. Since he's out all the time he usually just eats half of the sugary food in the fridge, but because he still changes forms all day he comes back asking Kessel to make him pancakes." Lorithia smiled as she looked at Atlas. "Do you have a sibling too?"

I guess Delilah didn't tell her.

I glanced over at Delilah to see her looking down as she silently walked.

Surprisingly Atlas let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I used to have an identical twin brother named Caesar. We were complete opposites, sometimes he was an amazing brother other times he was just a completely awful person. But he was my brother and I still love him."

I saw Delilah's eyes go wide as she suddenly looked up, then a small smile spread across her face.

"Someone's happy," I said to her.

"Of course, I have every right to be," She responded cheerfully.

Ahead of us Charlotte suddenly stopped at a fork in the path, where the fog had started to thicken up slightly.

"Charlotte, the tree over there says we have to go left," Delilah informed her.

Instantly Charlotte looked at her a scowl on her face. "Which tree said that?" She asked as she looked around.

"Huh? Oh that one over there, on the left side of the path. The one with leaves like pine needles," Delilah told her pointing to the tree in question.

It was a gnarled, half-withered tree with twisted branches and dark brown bark bordering on black due to rot. It's leaves, however, were surprisingly green and healthy-looking.

"Are you sure that thing is even alive it looks like a rotting corpse?" I asked Delilah.

She nodded. "Yes, it clearly spoke to me. Besides it's a kaiwase tree, they typically grow in the same region the king of Vampires rules over so they adapted to be able to grow with little to no sunlight," she explained.

"Well that does explain the green leaves and dead bark," I said.

Charlotte quickly walked over to the tree, leaning forward she sniffed it first a frown forming on her face right before she licked the bark.

"Charlotte what in the world are you doing?" I asked.

Charlotte said nothing as she tapped a spot on the tree her eyes closed as though she were listening, then a moment later she pulled her hand back and punched the tree. A loud cracking noise came from the tree as the already weak bark almost crumbled to dust under her strength. Lorithia jumped at the noise.

The trunk of the tree bent backward hanging halfway by a large chunk of bark still attached to the stump. Charlotte reached into the hole she had created and dug around in it for a moment as we watched her in slight shock.

As she withdrew her arm it was covered in this strange, black, vicious-looking sludge in her hand Charlotte held a human-looking skull. It was covered in the same black sludge that covered her arm, with thin, red thread looking tendrils attached to the back of it that led back into the hole.

Almost immediately my skin began to tingle, a buzzing sensation rushing through my body.

Why didn't I sense that thing until she pulled it out?

"What in the hell is that?" Atlas asked his face twisting in disgust.

"This is one of the reasons you don't go up this mountain without a guide," Charlotte told him as she set the lantern down at her feet.

She brought her other hand to the skull and crushed it before picking up the lantern again.

Delilah gasped. "That's why Ivo and I had trouble getting back yesterday. I didn't think it would be the trees though." She said softly.

Charlotte nodded. "That's what happens to people who die up here, they get angry, resentful and with their physical bodies given up to nature, they try to lead others in the wrong direction any way they can. Without this lantern and a guide you're pretty much guaranteed to get lost in the fog and unable to find the right way back." She explained.

"Oh gods...I-I could've truly died up here," Lorithia whispered in horror the color draining from her face as her eyes went wide.

"Yep now you know why I called you stupid," Charlotte sighed as she shook her hand trying to get the sludge off it. "Although paranormal creatures tend to fend better up here if they know what to look for."

"Okay so how do we tell the difference, since the trees look normal until you crack them open?" I asked her.

"Well for one thing they smell and taste strange. The smell is always really faint, but they smell almost sickly sweet. Since that could be fruit juice or honey left by an animal you can also try licking it if it tastes like salt, rust, and ash then it grew from a corpse. Once you know that you tap it to find the hollow spot to find the skull in the trunk after you destroy it." Charlotte explained her tone made it sound like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Wait so how did Ivo find Lorithia? And how did he and Delilah get back to the house?" Atlas asked slowly.

"I found her close to the entrance, it was still early in the morning so the fog was barely there," I told him.

"Since Ivo and I are contract demons when we realized we were going in circles and getting lost we turn non-corporeal and just phased through everything until we made it back," Delilah said.

"Um Charlotte, if you don't mind me asking how exactly did you learn to do that?" Lorithia asked.

"Raevali taught me, he was the last and final guide for the village. We came up here a lot back when he used to take me camping, now that I think about it he probably wanted me to take over for him before everything went to shit," she said softly.

She was silent for a moment a scowl covering her face before she sighed, turned around and began walking down the right path the rest of us following closely behind.

"Did you sense that when she took the skull out?" Delilah asked looking worried.

I nodded. "Yep, it was like my skin was trying to crawl off me."

~~~

As we walked every know and then Charlotte would stop and destroy more of those odd trees. Surprisingly she didn't even need Delilah's help identifying them, Charlotte would sniff the air, walk over to a tree that appeared normal, crack it open and retrieve the skull inside to destroy it. Then she would just continue walking.

It's almost like watching a trained pet or something. She wasn't even this calm in Kiree-Kiree, it's almost like she's just going through the motions.

I couldn't help but notice how thick the fog had become, compared to this morning. It had gone from see-through wisps to thick blanket that felt heavy enough to weigh down my lungs.

"What time is it if the fog is this thick?" Atlas asked Charlotte.

It was Lorithia who answered. "Let's see...it should be a minute or two before noon," she said in a matter of fact tone.

Charlotte froze suddenly before whipping around to face Lorithia her eyes wide. "What did you say?"

"Huh? Oh, I said that it's almost noon," she repeated.

Charlotte's face drained of color as she opened her mouth to say something, a second later however she was gone as though the fog had suddenly swallowed her.

"Charlotte!" I yelled, however, she didn't respond.

Where is she? What happened to her?

Behind me, I heard Lorithia let out a little whimper of fear. "D-Delilah and A-Atlas are gone too!" She forced out. Turning around I saw that she was right Atlas and Delilah were nowhere to be found.

If possible, it looked like the fog was creeping towards us, trying to enclose us. Whispering echoed around us, multiple hushed raspy voices talking over one another.

I grabbed Lorithia hand which caused her to look at me. "Don't worry I won't let anything happen to you," I reassured her gently.

Atlas and Delilah disappeared at the same so they're probably together. Charlotte was taken alone but she has the lantern and knows her way around the mountain. Still... I have to find Charlotte first, something isn't right, I can't sense Charlotte's presence anywhere. I can hear Lorithia's thoughts but not Charlotte's.

I gritted my teeth as Lorithia and I slowly walked into the fog. The fog was thick, blanketing the world around us in whitish gray. It was a struggle to even breathe properly, the fog filled my lungs weighing down my chest.

"Charlotte!" I called out as loudly as I could.

Dammit, I can't see anything, I might as well be blind.

"Charlotte answer me!" I yelled.

"You really do care about her," Lorithia said softly.

"What?" I asked looking back at her, my tone came out harsher than necessary.

"Charlotte, you really do care about her. I can see the panic, worry, and concern on your face. I can hear the desperation in your voice," she whispered looking down. She made a small sniffling noise as her shoulders trembled. "Kessel really did lie to us didn't he," she whimpered her voice breaking.

I let out a soft sigh as I watched her struggling to hold back tears. "Of course he did, he's willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to get what he wants. But he didn't always use to be like that but that's my fault." I told her as I began walking again my hand still holding hers

"What was he like before?" She asked softly.

"Honestly back then he and Atlas would've had a lot in common. Except he was less innocent but, that was probably because I was his only friend and would drag him into trouble with me. He was incredibly smart and a slight perfectionist, which was annoying as fuck but it didn't matter to me," I told her I couldn't help but smile slightly as spoke.

For a moment she was silent, her sniffling blending in with the echoing whispers. "Do you truly have to kill him? You're a therion then you should know of a way to reverse the damage done to his soul," Lorithia asked practically pleading with me, for some way to help him.

I stopped walking staring into the fog.

I wonder if that was the same question Lawerence asked my father when he found out what happened to Kessel.

I slowly turned to her. "There's no other way, he's on death's doorstep. I caused him to end up this way, so it's my responsibility to send him off as peacefully as I can. If there were any other way then my father would have immediately done it after all Kessel was like a second son to him. I may hate Kessel for everything he's done but somewhere in there I still think of whatever's left of his old self as my brother, I don't want his final moments to be full of pain."

Lorithia stared at me for a long moment before she sniffled as she wiped at her eyes. "I understand...I-I won't try to stop you..." she said softly. "He's been suffering for so long...all four of us always wanted to help him any way he could. We never thought it was this serious until he told us."

Her hands balled into fists as she clenched her teeth. "That fucking dumbass didn't want to worry us...Caius died without ever knowing the truth. In his last moments, he thought Kessel gave up on him, that Kessel had abandoned him to die..."

I watched her as she continued to cry as she was whimpering I realized something. The whispers had stopped, other than the soft noises Lorithia was making it was completely silent.

When did the whispering stop?

Lorithia looked up after she finished wiping away her tears, her red-rimmed eyes going wide. "Ivo!" She exclaimed suddenly pointing behind me.

Whipping around I saw an enormous furry creature, it looked like a big grizzly bear. Dark purple scales streaked down its face and across its front left leg in place of the shaggy, matted, filthy light brown fur that covered the rest of its body. Two large black almost ram-like horns curled out of the creature's head. It stood up suddenly towering over me as it let out a roar loud enough to shatter glass. It looked down at me its light blue eyes glaring into mine.

Those eyes...and the purple scales...

"Raevali?" I whispered my eyes going wide.

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