Oh pain, what have I done
To make you my companionHaving you around is no funI want you goneRayven opened his eyes slowly, the lights greeting him with their warmth. But right now, all he wanted was to feel cold. To feel numb. Why did he wake up? He wished he had never opened his eyes again.Skender sat next to the bed in a chair and Acheron on a coach in the corner. He was falling asleep when he saw that Rayven had woken up.Skender loomed over him with a worried expression. "Rayven, you worried me." He said, breathing out in relief.Acheron came to his side as well. "What did she do to you?"Rayven saw anger in Acheron's eyes. The man never showed anger unless he was hungry. Opening his mouth, Rayven tried to speak despite his extremely dry mouth and throat. The words cut through him, causing him to grimace in pain, but he could barely be heard.Acheron hurried away to bring him water.Pushing himself up with his arms, Rayven tried to sit, but almost cursed when his healing skin rubbed against the sheets. He realized they had undressed him and taken care of his wounds.Acheron handed him the glass of water and Rayven gulped it down at once. The cold against his throat made him want to feel the same on his body.Both Acheron and Skender watched him with concern."What is wrong?" Rayven asked."You were sleeping for a week."A week? That couldn't be possible, but when he looked down at his body and saw how his wounds were healing, he believed them.Why would he be sleeping for a week? He had been through worse than this and woke up the next day.Rayven pushed the blankets aside to get out of bed. "You should rest some more," Skender told him."Who has been training the boys?" Rayven asked."Zarus has been training them," Acheron replied.Rayven looked outside the window. It was early morning, so the boys would soon arrive for their training. He went to look for clothes while Skender and Acheron watched him in silence. He got dressed and left the room in a rush.He could hear Acheron telling Skender "leave him. He needs the distraction."Distraction? What could make him forget the misery he lived in? It would be enough to arrive at the backyard where the boys waited and cause them to gasp at his hideous face to be reminded of who he was and what he looked like.It didn't matter.He was used to people staring at him, whispering about him and gasping at the sight of him. Only the reason was different now.When he arrived in the backyard, just as he expected, the boys were horrified to see him in the state he was in. If they had only seen his whole body. His clothes covered most of his wounds."Welcome back, Lord Rayven." Lazarus, who was already there to train the boys, greeted him."I can take it from here," Rayven said.Lazarus smirked. "Of course you can. Just avoid the sun." He patted him on the shoulder and left him with the boys."Welcome back, Lord Rayven," some of them greeted.Rayven squinted his eyes, feeling the sunrays burn through his lashes. His skin began to itch, but he ignored it and went to instruct the boys.Time went by slowly as he showed the boys different techniques and taught them his skills. He just wished for the day to end, the month and all the years. He wanted his life to end.What was wrong with him? He wasn't someone to drown in self pity. He should just go back to accepting his fate and stop complaining.When the evening came, he sent the boys away but as usual, William stayed. Rayven watched him in silence, thinking of how his punishment kept this boy's father alive.William went to put his wooden sword back in the box when he was satisfied with his training, then he came up to him.Why? Why pester him? Rayven wasn't in the mood to behave appropriately. He felt like tearing apart anyone who spoke to him, especially this boy."My Lord, I am glad you are back," he said."Was Lord Quintus terrible?"William smiled. "No, I am just used to having you training us," he shrugged.Then he looked at his face, not with disgust or any other feeling Rayven could distinguish. "It seems like you got hurt again," he said.Again? It seemed like the boy paid attention to his scars. No one looked at him long enough to notice.William reached inside his pocket and pulled out a little box. "My sister mixes herbs to help heal my wounds. Look," he said, showing him his healed fists. "I am healed now. You can have it."He held out the box, but Rayven slapped it out of his hands. William was startled, but only for a brief moment before he went to pick up the box. Then he came back to him."It is alright. I get angry too when I don't get enough sleep because of my nightmares. I took your advice and began to read. Now I sleep a little better."What a way to make him know he was terrible and make him feel good at the same time. Rayven was amused, even in his bad mood.When he said nothing, William gently put the box beside him. "Have a good evening, My Lord." He bowed and left.In the shade of the tree, Rayven rested his back against its trunk. He blocked his mind from any thoughts and emotions and only focused on the pain caused by his wounds. After a while, when he was sure that he was feeling nothing but pain, he stood up and returned to the chamber where he had been resting earlier.He put the box of herbs on the table before letting himself fall into the bed. Wait! Did he bring the box with him?"I think I am becoming more human and using the door," he said, with Acheron and Vitale trailing behind him."Except humans don't come uninvited and they knock first," Rayven spoke in a bitter tone."Are you saying I am not invited?" He pretended to be hurt as he came to sit on the other end of the bed. He swung his legs up the bed, still wearing his shoes. "I took care of your children while you were sick."Children? The boys were far from being his children. He couldn't imagine himself being a father. How unlucky his child would be.Blayze arrived, but not through the door like the others. "You are alive," he said."Sadly." Rayven replied and Blayze smirked."Is Skender busy?" Vitale asked."Yes. He is busy doing nothing." Blayze said, causing Lazarus to laugh. "We do the work, he gets the praise. He doesn't do the work, we get the punishment."Blayze had never concealed his dislike of their newest member. Skender. The one who was punished for the shortest amount of time amongst them. He still had that light of hope left in his eyes, but soon, after many years of being punished like them, he would lose hope as well.If Lucrezia wanted to save someone, she should save him. Rayven was beyond saving. The punishment was supposed to make him a better person, but he only got worse. His heart remained dark and his body remained cold.He was nothing but a waste of space right now. He was better off dead.29"William, ;come here!" Rayven ordered when all the boys left their training. ;William came to him, keeping his head down. ;"What has happened to you?" he asked. ;Today, he wasn't as focused as he used to be. ;William looked up at him. "I didn't sleep well." ;"Seems like reading isn't helping anymore.""I have read all the books at home. I have nothing left to read. My sister will buy me a book today," he explained. ;"Take this," he said, giving him the book in his hands. "Make sure to come well prepared tomorrow." ;William looked at the book in his hands. The Monster Is Me. Then he looked up at him again. "What are you, My Lord?" he asked straight. ;"What do you think I am?" Rayven asked. ;"I am not sure," William replied. ;Interesting, Rayven thought. So he could sense that he wasn't human. Rayven wondered how he would react if he told him the truth. Most people didn't believe when the truth was told blatantly. ;"I am what most people call a demon." ;"Not evil? Just dem
Angelica paced back and forth in her room feeling anxious while her brother followed her with his gaze until he became dizzy and gave up. "Why didn't you tell me first?" She scolded. "I am sorry. I thought it was the right opportunity." He said. She stopped pacing and looked at him. "Why did you tell him?" she asked curiously. She thought he liked the King the most. "He is honest. If I tell him, I will know his intentions. He won't pretend to be kind and then betray me." Angelica didn't know him as much as her brother knew him, so she trusted his intuition. "What about the King?" "I can't know for sure if I can trust him." William replied. If the King was a charmer, then it would be hard to know what he was thinking if William told him. She was proud of her clever brother. When they went to bed at night, William was reading Lord Rayven's book. The one that had caught her and his attention in the bookstore. He had refused to lend it to her, but he gave it to William. He definit
"My Lord, thank you for giving me your book. I enjoyed it greatly and finished reading it at once. I believe the book is special to you so I thought of giving it back." William held out the book he had given to him. Rayven had regretted all of his actions last night, but he mostly regretted that he gave away his book when he remembered what he had written in it. Without hesitance he took it back from William. Spending time with this boy was messing with his mind, so he left him this time before William could leave. Rayven went to his chamber so he could be alone, but found Blayze waiting for him. Rayven gave him a questioning look. "Have you asked Skender if he found a solution on how to deal with Lord Davis or will your punishment go to waste?" Rayven sighed as he sat down on the bed. "He was willing to take the punishment to save him, so I am sure he is thinking of a way." "Are you sure?" Blayze asked skeptically. Skender was known to be negligent. Maybe he wasn't doing his j
Rayven was walking through the market, causing heads to turn and eyes to widen in fascination. Women would nudge each other with their elbows whenever he walked by, giggle or try to catch his attention. He was taller than most men, but he carried his length with elegance, just like the rest of his attire. His skin changes tones depending on season and on this summer day, his sun-kissed skin had a healthy glow and his dark hair looked more well kept than the wealthiest woman in town. He was aware of everyone's glances, but his obsidian eyes didn't wander amongst the woman. Instead, they turned to gaze at the woman by his side, who had her arm through his. She looked up at him with a smile, and he smiled back at her. Rayven didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed that he woke up from this beautiful dream. It had been a long time since he hadn't had a nightmare. In his dream, his scars were gone, and he had a lovely woman by his side. He seeme
Why did she have to come here at this time? Her eyes burned like blue flames into his. "Release him at once." She said. And so he did. The man almost fell down but stayed hidden behind the counter. Rayven was in shock. Did he just obey her orders? Pretending like he did no such thing, he adjusted himself while Angelica went to help the seller get up on his feet. "Are you alright, Sir?" "Yes. Thank you, My Lady." Turning to him, she gave him a stern look. Rayven ignored her and picked up his books before walking past her maid, who looked like she had seen a ghost. When he was outside the shop, he went to his horse that was tied to a tree nearby. "Lord Rayven." He almost groaned. Why was she following him? He kept pretending as if she didn't exist and began to pack his books into the bag that hung from the saddle. She was quiet for a moment that he had to glance her way to see what she was doing. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and he could hear her heart beat a little faster
"You can kill him." Skender finally gave his approval to kill Lord Davis. He called Lazarus and Acheron to his room and appointed them to do it discreetly. Perhaps the problem could still be solved if more words didn't reach the public yet. Lazarus could see that Skender was torn about his decision but there was no other way than killing Lord Davis at this moment, since he was planning to attack the castle tonight. "We will take care of it," Acheron said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. Lazarus gave him a nod, and they both left Skender behind. They walked into the darkness of the night, moving toward the camp where Lord Davis and his men were preparing for their mission. "It has been some time since we were sent on a mission." Acheron said. "I miss it," Lazarus replied, feeling excitement pump in his veins.But these were humans, and they would probably be done in no time. Lazarus wished they were facing other creatures. "I wished Skender would cause more mishaps so we would
Angelica had no chance of escaping. In the basement, there was only one small window, through which sunlight came in. But even if she could escape, what would she actually do?Her father was right when he laughed at her threat. It would be dangerous and foolish to go to the King to expose her own father, that is, if she even could bring herself to do that. How could she be the cause of her father's death and for what purpose? To be a woman alone in this world? Without a man, there was almost nothing she could do. Especially if she exposed her father as a traitor. Her world would crumble. There was also no guarantee that the King would believe her and suspicion alone could lead to her execution. It was also not rare for a King to execute the traitor with his family members, especially the males to eliminate any threat of them wanting revenge in the future. She could put her brother in danger even if she didn't think that Skender was that kind of King. She wouldn't gamble with her br
Angelica wished the night was longer so she could sleep the pain away, but the morning had already arrived with the promise of the dreadful day ahead of her. The first thing she noticed when she awoke was that her brother was no longer in her bed. Sitting up, she rubbed her swollen eyes that she could barely open. Her eyelids felt heavy and her throat was dry. A light knock made her turn to the door. Eva walked inside with a tray in her hand. "Good morning, My Lady." She greeted and then came to place the tray on the bedstand next to her. Then she remained standing there. "My Lady," she looked down at her hands which she rubbed together. "I am truly sorry. I wish I had the courage to defy your father and come to release you.""It's alright Eva. What happened has already happened and I don't blame you." Angelica said. "I wish to take care of you. Please allow me." Angelica nodded. "Thank you, My Lady. Shall I help you get dressed?" "Yes, please." Eva picked a dress for her and