Daisuke's point of view
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I froze. The shock hit me like a physical blow, and my body stiffened as I stood there, frozen in place, staring at the horrifying sight before me. My mind struggled to process what I was witnessing. There, kneeling in a pool of Eileithya's blood, was my mother. Her once-perfect composure had shattered into something raw and desperate.
Her hands shook as she held the unconscious girl in her arms, her face twisted in panic, and her eyes were wide with an emotion I hadn't seen in them before—fear. That simple emotion, fear, struck me harder than any insult or attack could have. The woman who had always been so steady, so unwavering, was now reduced to this fragile, vulnerable figure, clinging to Eileithya as though her life depended on it.
The sight of her, so broken and helpless, filled me with an overwhelming sense of disgust. My stomach turned, and my chest tightened. I hated it. I hated how weak I felt, standing there and doing nothing, unable to fix the chaos unfolding around me. I felt so small in that moment, utterly powerless. It made my skin crawl to see my mother—someone I had always seen as a figure of authority and control—reduced to this.
I hated the helplessness that washed over me, gnawing at my insides. I wanted to scream. I wanted to shout at the unfairness of it all. To question how everything had gone so wrong, so fast. But no sound came from my mouth. I stood there, paralyzed, my body refusing to move. My thoughts were a storm, chaotic and unfocused, swirling through my mind as I tried to process everything. The only thing I could focus on was my mother, kneeling in the bloodied water, holding Eileithya like she was her only hope, and I could do nothing to help either of them. The sight of it—the helplessness, the desperation—was suffocating.
Then, like a punch to the gut, I heard it—a sharp thud. The sudden sound of a body hitting the ground sent me into overdrive. I turned to see Rai collapsing behind me, his body crumpling to the floor like a ragdoll. The suddenness of it caught me off guard, and for a moment, I could only stare at him, uncomprehending. He was out cold, just like that, and I had no idea how to react. My pulse quickened. The sight of him, fainting with such finality, made everything feel even more out of control, like the world around me was slipping through my fingers.
"Damn it!" I cursed aloud, my heart hammering in my chest. Panic surged through me, pushing me into motion. "Take care of your brother, Aeneas!" I barked, my voice sharp and frantic. Aeneas immediately rushed to Rai's side, his arms catching him before he could hit the ground any harder. But I barely noticed it. I barely registered anything other than the overwhelming sense of confusion and dread clouding my mind. I needed answers. I needed to know why everything had gone so wrong so quickly.
"Is she… Is she dead?" Elodie's voice cut through the noise, trembling and weak. I looked at her, her face pale, her body shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes were wide, locked on Eileithya's lifeless form, and for a moment, I saw the same fear reflected in her gaze that I felt clawing at my chest. It made my stomach lurch.
I didn't know how to answer her. How could I? The reality of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks, and my thoughts became a jumbled mess, spinning out of control. And then, through the haze of my confusion, I heard my mother's voice, cutting through the panic and chaos. It was raw, filled with fury and fear.
"Did you do this?" she demanded, her eyes locking onto mine with a fury that burned. Her gaze was like a whip, sharp and accusing, and I couldn't look away. But I couldn't answer either. The weight of her question was too much. "Did you ask the boys to do this?"
Her words hung in the air like an accusation, heavy and suffocating. My chest tightened as I tried to make sense of it. The boys? Adonis and Sohan? No. No way. There was no way they could be responsible for something like this. Not them. Not after everything that had happened.
"Mother, I don't think this was their doing," I replied, my voice strained, disbelief pouring into every word. I wasn't sure what I was trying to say or prove, but I needed to deny the accusation. The thought that my friends could be involved in this made my blood run cold. But my mother didn't seem convinced.
Her fury only deepened. "Where is the fucking physician?" she yelled, her voice cracking with desperation. Her words were sharp, cutting through the tension in the room. At that exact moment, the door swung open, and two physicians rushed inside, their faces grim, filled with the same dread that gripped all of us. Behind them, I saw Adonis and Sohan, looking uneasy, their faces pale and filled with guilt. They looked like they had just realized the gravity of the situation—just how far everything had spiraled out of control.
"Fast. She's almost not breathing!" my mother shouted, her voice breaking with panic. The urgency in her tone shook me. Eileithya wasn't just unconscious; she was slipping away. The reality of it hit me like a freight train. My stomach churned, and a cold sweat broke out across my forehead. This wasn't just some fight. This was life and death, and it had all spiraled into this awful mess because of everything that had happened before. My mind raced, and I felt my body begin to shake. I couldn't process it fast enough.
I turned away, trying to steady myself. My vision blurred, the edges of everything around me becoming fuzzy and disjointed. I looked to Adonis and Sohan. They were the ones I had trusted, the ones who were always by my side, and now this. Now I had to know the truth. I needed to know if they had played any part in this.
"Tell me you didn't do this," I demanded, my voice cold, the edge of my anger sharpening my words like a blade. It was a question I needed an answer to, one that had been clawing at me ever since my mother's accusation. Their eyes widened with shock, and for a brief moment, I saw the fear flicker in their gaze. It was almost enough to make me hesitate.
"No! We didn't hit her head on the table!" Adonis blurted out, his voice cracking with panic. "It wasn't us. We didn't do it!"
"We just… we just beat her a little bit," Sohan stammered, his voice quivering as he spoke, his body visibly trembling. "But… but it wasn't enough to… to leave her unconscious. I swear!"
Their words hit me like a slap, a cold, nauseating slap that twisted my insides. I felt my vision go red, the anger surging up inside me, a heat that burned hotter with every word they spoke. How could they have done that? How could they have treated her like that?
"You did what?" I hissed through gritted teeth. My voice trembled with fury, barely able to hold back the storm raging inside me. My mother screamed in disbelief, her fury now turned on them.
"For fuck's sake! Don't you know about this girl's poor health?" she screamed.
"Poor health?" We all echoed in confusion, the words coming out in unison, a chorus of disbelief. What the hell was she talking about?
"She was…" My mother's voice faltered, and for the first time, I saw a crack in her cold exterior. She sounded almost human, vulnerable. "Gods above. Eileithya was born weak. Any sickness she got, it would be worse for her than anyone else. Her bones… her bones are weaker than a normal person's. That's why she's always tried so hard to get stronger," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes locked onto mine, filled with a deep sadness that made my stomach twist. "Fuck. What am I supposed to tell her parents? This girl is almost dying and she hasn't even been here for a full day. They asked me to let you punish her, but not to go overboard! Now look at this!"
I didn't know that. I had no idea. None of us did.
"Why… why didn't you tell us about that?" I demanded, the question leaving my lips before I could stop it. The anger, the hurt, the confusion—it all rushed out in that moment. Why had she kept this from us?
My mother's gaze turned on me, sharp and unforgiving. "As if you cared about this, Dai," she spat bitterly. "We all know how you hate the girl. And now look at what's happened."
Her words cut deeper than I expected. Her disappointment was palpable, and it stung. It stung worse than I cared to admit.
She paused, letting her words sink in. "Do whatever you want to do after the damn trials, but do not kill her here. Not in my palace. Do not let her die because of the two boys under my wing," she said, her eyes piercing Adonis and Sohan. They both shrank under her gaze, avoiding her eyes. "What did she do to you? We have a reason to hate her, but do you?" Her words were sharp, like daggers.