Jack POV

Blurry ...

I sit up, I feel the silk texture beneath my hands.

My eyes slowly awaken and I hear distant talking, "Your Majesty, The Prince is awake."

My vision is restored and scan the room, it's my room ... I haven't withered away. What is going on? What happened?

My sister enters the room with her default expression and sits of my bed side.

I start to speak, "What is go-"

"I am the Queen." She interrupts me and I am left speechless, "Jasp- I mean Elsa was about to give you the final blow, so I attacked Jaspar."

I give out a big exhale as I am left in disbelief, and I abruptly switch moods and turn to Jenx in urgency, "Where's Elsa? I want to see her now."

I start to get up but Jenx pushes me back down, "Woah demon ... you don't want to speak to her right now. She's in a mood, she's still lingering around the Plains."

I look away and it takes a moment for me to calm down, "So you kill him?"

Jenx pauses for a moment then speaks, "I was about to ... but Elsa stopped me."

"You wouldn't let her stop you." I respond.

She shrugs, "That angel is simultaneously kind and reckless ... she told me that his death would be pitiful."

Damn, there's truth to that.

"Her father will be at the Coronation." She informs me, "Since I am Queen, I can dismiss her. But I don't think Elsa would accept it if I told her to leave. So you must consider her returning to Heaven."

I rub my forehead.

"You know what- you should actually see Elsa." Jenx suggests, "Then you'll understand."

"Wait-" I attempt to halt her.

"We'll talk later. Meet me by the entrance after." She tells me.

I sigh and take a moment to collect my thoughts.

Human ...

How can I accept this? How can I accept being another being when I've been given such vague evidence? But it makes sense. My mother made sense. The biology of my vessel makes sense.

Why is it affecting how I perceive myself? Could I have been innately strong and naturally won the hearts of all the inhabitants of Hell?

I shake these questions off and compose myself.

I change my torn clothes. I pick out a simple trench coat and discarding my leather clothing. 

I look towards the mirror to see if I'm presentable, that I covered my wounds. But instead of that simple purpose, I end up staring too long in the mirror. Long enough to doubt who I am.

I leave in irritation. 

I fly over to the Plains. I identify another light. The light was dull and grey, gleaming right at me. 

Only Elsa radiates a white glow, so it was only natural that I questioned whether it was truly Elsa.

I land below to confirm my beliefs and she looks to me in surprise then proceeds to force her smile.

"How are you Jack?" She asks with a tired but soft voice.

I look at her up and down, "You're kidding me right? You were possessed then! That piece of shit used you!"

She speaks with voice on the verge of breaking, "But I let him ..."

I calm my fury and approach her closer, "Let me relay the question back to you. How are you?"

Elsa wryly laughs, "You didn't answer me though."

"I'm okay," I sigh, "Now answer me."

"I feel all the consequences that should've affected me earlier." Elsa tells me looking down, "Up in Heaven, I never listened. I wanted to experience the freedom of no rules or limits, then I acquired a taste of it. The new experiences and adventures I've enjoyed with you. I thought Hell, was really mine, I was a part of it. I didn't want to listen to anyone who took it from me."

I look at her with content, it was rare for Elsa to speak of her emotions to me, all she really projected was the importance I had to her and positive things at most ... she only speaks like this when she bleeds.

"But a land that offers that sort of luxury is cruel. Things like this is what exactly my father was desperately trying to protect us from. What all of the Heads of Heaven tried to protect us from." She continues then looks at me, "I don't know what life is considered normal living. I don't know whether Heaven or Hell is right."

I look away from her, I cannot bear seeing her face after the all the pain she has experienced, "The land you're happier in ..."

"Or the less I have hurt." 

I turn around aggressively, ready to backfire on that comment. But I see a gleaming tear roll down her porcelain cheek and I was rendered powerless to speak. I forbid myself to speak. I calm down.

"Be at the Palace by bed," I tell her, "I don't want to come looking for you."

I return at the Palace, shaken about what I've experienced. The radiant and determined Angel I am so used to have by my side has been sucked out by her first encounter of true pain.

Jenx is standing nearby the entrance with a bright smile that annoys me instantly and says, "Follow me."

We tread near the garden and breaks the silence, "How is she?"

I don't respond.

"I know. That girl is in an awful state." Jenx says, "I can't imagine how it feels when you're up in Heaven for the majority of life and you come down here and you finally understand what being 'safe' means."

"Is this your way of mocking her?" I ask in annoyance, "I don't know whether you like her or not."

Jenx smiles amused by my response and says, "I like her. But I'm not used to seeing a being react to a tragedy so extremely. I mean the outcome, was okay. What is there to be sad about? Bad shit happens to us beings all the time, immortals or mortals. But Elsa, hasn't experienced anything that tragic, this is why I told her to preserve her innocence, she can't handle anything once she breaks that."

"You have a big mouth." I narrow my eyes at her.

"A big mouth that only speaks the truth," She replies, "Let her leave before Hell corrupts her even more. Her big sparkly googly eyes loved this place, but she now realizes that fantasy is gone."

"No but you lie, you lie about liking her." I correct her.

"I did like her. Everyone did. Elsa was determined and bright and so full of hope, but that angel has no perseverance. Now she's a brat, because of what she went through now she's all 'woe is me'. To be frank, it's annoying. The love you have for her will fade, you will be disappointed as the angel you loved is gone and she won't seem so foreign to you anymore." Jenx elaborates.

"You are a bitch. Jaspar should've killed me to spare the throne of someone as foul as you." 

She smirks, "Honesty is what we all need. Everyone loves to be blinded. If Jaspar was ruling he'd be spitting lies and propaganda, but you would simply keep the blindfolds on."

Jenx stops in front of a door hidden deep through the multiple doors we walked through. It had layers of bars covering it, I was about to touch it but my sister quickly flung my hand away.

"Don't." She tells me firmly, "This place is secured by very fine magic. The door is invisible to all but the royal family and this door once touched will prick you with a billion needles of pain unless you tell it dominus est nunc quasdam monstruosas."

The bars unravel themselves and a dark unsettling chamber is revealed.

"... Is this the place they describe in tales?" I ask.

"The Tenebrae, the Prison of the Feared Who Cannot be Tamed" 

A/N

Yes, I've been off the grid for another 2 weeks. But I'm just prepping for my new venture in life. Hope ya'll enjoy the rest of your day!