Alixandre shot up from bed, opened the bedroom door, and shouted. "All maids and workers, leave this floor. Anyone caught eavesdropping will be beheaded."Footsteps of the scurrying workers faded away as they ran as far away from the door.
"Sophia, I need you to let me show you an illusion. Please don't fight me mentally."
Sophia's face frowned. Why would she lower her mental defenses against someone she met a few days ago?
" Are you going to tell me why? I'm sure you know what would happen if I was harmed." Black veins under her eyes formed, threatening Alixandre, who showed no signs of fear.
"I'm simply showing you what I've seen. An illusion is merely the manipulation of the senses and mind. It can be dangerous, but I could use it to show you what I've seen. You're way stronger than me, so I can't do anything you won't allow, but I'm about to show you something you need to see.
Sophia stared at the boy in front of her. Could she truly trust this person? She remembers him defending the misses against an opponent stronger than him with no hesitation and decided he meant no harm.
" I allow it, but tread lightly. Torturing you would be fun mutt."
Slight bloodlust seeped from his body and immediately dissipated at the raise of her eyebrow. This was truly the first time he felt anger from being insulted for being a wolf. His face was confused, wondering why he let someone much more powerful than him, know that he wanted them dead. As if reading his mind, Sophia answered his thought.
" Don't worry, we are natural enemies, so naturally we want to fight each other, but you need to work on your emotions. I could kill you so easily, but I can't. Others aren't as merciful."
" I agree. I apologize." He bowed at the maid to show sincerity. " Let's begin."
He looked Sophia in the eye, not breaking contact one bit. His pupils changed into an assortment of different shapes and circles. Sophia's emerald eyes turned blood red. She was now under his illusion. He showed her what happened between Lucas and Amara.
Sophia's arm broke the illusion and picked Alixandre up by his neck, choking him until his face was blue.
" What did you show me!" Her grip tightened. Alixandre scratched and grabbed her forearm, pleading with her to let him go to no avail.
" He can't tell you while he's being choked to death," a deep voice ranged in her head. Sophia looked around the room, searching for the person it belonged to.
" Who's here! Show yourself or I'll kill the boy!"
" You idiot. It's Astus, and you can't kill someone who can't die."
Sophia released her grip. Alixandre's body. plopped on the floor as he gasped and wheezed for air.
" Sophia, just fucking listen!" Sophia looked into Alixandre's eyes. He was serious.
" Explain to me what I just saw! What type of illusion did you put in my head!"
" My healing ability allows me to inherit the trauma and pain of whoever I heal. When I healed Amara, that was the trauma I saw. That's the reason why she hates men."
Sophia went over the visions she just saw in her head. She was in disbelief. How can what she had seen be true? Lucas was known as one of the kindest rulers of the large kingdom of Aeyeaseon. He was a big supporter of the main kingdom when the other families had turned their back on them. The citizen loved him because of his charismatic leadership. Soldiers respected him because of his valiant efforts on the battle. How could a man who risked his life for his people do such a thing? SHe couldn't accept it.
" Lies! Nothing but Lies. Sir Lucas would never do that. Not to his niece. I should kill you for your treason!"
Sophia moved in to finish the job, but Alixandre wouldn't let her accept her delusion.
"Do you truly believe I'm lying, Sophia? I can see it in your eyes. I can literally see your heart beating out of your chest. How is it possible for me to show you a man I've never met in the first place? How can I create the illusion of a kingdom that I've never been to? Face the truth Sophia, these aren't my memories that you're seeing!"
" I .... I.. can't." tears formed in the corner of her eyes. Her anger had clouded her rationality. How could he show her something he'd never seen? The vision also answered why the misses hated men so much. She just still couldn't accept it still.
" What do you think was going to happen by exposing this information to me? Do you think I was going to help expose Lucas? Go out and kill him because I'm strong? Leave this situation alone. It's above you. You aren't a part of this divine family. This has nothing to do with you."
Alixandre slowly stood to his feet with his head pointed toward the ground. His dreads cast a shadow over his eyes. His bloodlust began to overwhelm him.
" You would allow a man who molested the princess to live without repercussions? Would you allow our daughter to suffer the same fate?" He slowly raised his head, revealing three new red veins had formed under each of his eyes. His blood-red iris seemed to pierce through Sophia's body.
" I ... I... I wouldn't allow it, but that's because I'm strong enough to protect what I love! Could you protect the misses? Queen Scarlett? Her Husband?Jamie? What about her territory? No, you can't! You are weak and would get everybody killed! Amara is strong enough to bear this trauma."
Alixandre gritted his teeth. He wanted to kill the woman in front of him, but his instincts screamed to control himself, but still, he snapped.
" Do you think she's strong enough to harbor such a secret? You don't know how it feels!"
"Neither do you!"
" I do!" Sophia stared into the teary eyes of Alixandre. His breathing became short. His eyes widened. Alixandre realized he had just opened a memory he had buried in his mind. He fell to his knees, staring blankly into space.
" Alixandre! Alixandre!" Sophia snapped and shoved the boy to wake him out of his trance, but nothing worked.
***
Inside Alixandre's soul, where Astus lay, had now turned into a white corridor with hundreds of doors on the sides, three red doors and a bigger black door ahead. Astus, who was once massive on this plane, now looks like a regular huskie. He could see a black figure close to the red doors and went toward it, hoping to find answers
' This kid never ceases to surprise me.'
As Astus got close to the figure, he heard the muffled sounds of crying, but the closer he got to the figure, the more those cries sounded like a sadistic laugh.
" What are you doing here, Doggy? the figure raised his head and revealed himself to be a little black boy with long dreaded hair and red eyes.
" Isn't that the question I should be asking you?"Astus was confused as to why his successor had turned into a child.
"I am the ruler of this plane. The protector of what he wished to bury. Someone unlocked one of the red doors and you manifested here." The boy pointed to the cracked door at the end of the row.
" We should go see what it is," the boy said with a grin. The two made their way to the door. The locks looked like the door was broken into. They peeked inside and Astus's stomach turned to the horror of what he was witnessing
" Ohhh. I remember this. His uncle made his private parts bleed and he was too afraid to tell anyone. Ever since that day, he was a really mean person," the boy said. "Let's go check the other doors."
The boy pulled out a key holder with hundreds of keys dangling. Four were black and stood out compared to the silver keys. The boy opened the door to the left of the one they exited and looked in.
"This is the memory of Alixandre stabbing the kid who bullied him to death and burying the body in the woods close to the playground."
Astus watched the gruesome scene of Alixandre brutally murdering his peer. Every stab to the boy's chest caused Astus to wince a bit. He couldn't bear to watch it any longer a walked away in disgust at his successor. He was worse internally than he imagined.
" Hey doggy, where are you going? There are still two more doors." The boy looked at the wolf with puppy eyes. Astus was bewildered at the boy's attitude after witnessing such atrocities.
" These aren't even the bad ones. Come on."
The boy opened the second door.
This memory showed a young Alixandre putting bleach in his parent's wine. The wine put his mother in a coma for three months. During every hospital visit, the family cried over his mother's unresponsive body. Alixandre looked at her with indifference.
As the boy closed the door, the boy looked at Astus sideways.
" Hey Doggy, why are you scared? I'm sure you've done bad things."
Astus ignored the remark. Sure he did bad things, to his enemies of course. The only person who could handle his power is a psychopath who tried to kill his family, any chance he could. No wonder they hated him, he clearly meant them harm, but they were too afraid to do something about it.
" This is the last door Doggy. I can sense that you're about to leave, so let's make this quick," the little boy skipped playfully toward the door. Every step Astus took was filled with dread as his head hung low.
The little boy opened the black door, and the pair saw the memory of Alixandre driving his little sister to school. Alixandre's eyes were crying tears of blood, but he wasn't sad. In fact, he was happy. He decided today was the day he was going to give his parents a present. Two dead kids. He pushed the peddle to the floor and drove on to incoming traffic with a wide smile as the little girl screamed at the top of her lungs.
Astus couldn't take it anymore. He ran as fast as he could away from the doors, but the boy appeared in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.
" Leave me alone you demon!" He caught a glimpse of the black door behind the boy. It was broken. An ominous red aura oozed from it and filled the corridor.
" That's not nice!" the boy said while pouting. " You've been a bad dog. Now leave!"
Astus returned back to his darkness, happy he left hell.
******
" Alixandre! Get Up!"
* Smack*
Alixandre finally woke from his stupor. The brightness of the sun lit the whole room. It was now morning.