Pop!
Out of nowhere, a man appeared on the ground, straightening his back and running a hand through his hair, the darkness around him more prominent than anything. Slipping a hand inside his trousers' pocket, he stalked off to a jumble of trees, walking as if he owned the place and everything in it.
He was dressed up completely in black from top to bottom, a few strands of his inky hair dangling off his forehead. Reaching the first tree that loomed over him, he placed a finger on it and closed his eyes, his face growing serious in concentration and focus.
A second later when he opened his cold eyes, Theo could no longer see any jumble of trees. Instead, a tall tower towered above his figure looking like the most enchanting thing to ever exist. Its purple and white light shimmered around, sending a faint glow around the surroundings as the guards around the perimeter immediately straightened when they saw Theodore approach.
Without sparing them a glance, Theo walked past them and pushed open the doors with a slight nudge of his foot. The gates opened to reveal a vast space, sturdy pillars holding the structure upright. His eyes stared at the three thrones that were placed on top of a platform seated with three women who dazzled brighter than a star's light, their faces glowing.
Two of them were dressed in pure white silky material while the third was wearing a shimmery red gown which left her shoulders and collarbone exposed to his eyes and her eyes lightened up when she saw him.
"Theo!" she exclaimed but Theodore managed to keep a black expression on his face, trying his best not to cringe at her.
He merely nodded, only acknowledging her presence and shifted his face to look at the other two ladies who seemed to be provoking him with their sneering expressions.
"To what do we owe this pleasure?" the one in the middle asked in a velvety voice but it didn't melt any of the walls he had dug inside his mind to stop them from seeing what he was hiding.
Rolling his eyes, he said, "You were the one who demanded my presence."
"Estella couldn't help but miss you," she spoke, inclining her head towards the stunning woman in red sitting beside her as the girl blushed but continued gazing at Theo with expectant eyes.
This happened every time he stepped into this tower. No—this hell they called a tower. How every time he arrived he would have no choice but to step inside a room with that witch dressed in red and how he couldn't say no to either of her requests no matter how deeply they broke and shattered his already wounded soul.
He saw a beautiful girl with silver hair in his head and willed himself to forget her face for now. This was not the time. He couldn't let himself feel weak after all this time. He needed to keep protecting his people no matter what it costs and stuck deep within his thoughts, Theo didn't notice the hard gazes of the three females on him.
"You seem a little lost today Theo." cooed Estella and the woman sitting on the third throne cast her a look of disgust.
"Maybe you should start giving him a few days for recovering after you torture him you know," Edeline stated, caressing her nails as Estella stood up, her rage blazing all over the place.
Theo cursed himself for letting his guard down. For the first time in all these decades, he was feeling... like he wanted to give up. No, he shouted at himself and almost roared. His people were his first priority but once again, her words returned to him in full force.
'If I had the power to leave you, I wouldn't waste a second in doing so.'
A black void opened inside his mind as he turned off his switch. The very switch that let him chuckle over her words and let him smile when he thought of the girl that let herself fall off a tree in her despair. The void swallowed up all of his weaknesses, letting nothing but plain calm show on his face.
Stepping up, he walked up the stairs and offered her his hand. One day, soon, this nightmare would end and he would kill each one of them slowly over the years, just like they had slaughtered him mercilessly.
He would do it. For his people.
And now for Birdie too.
Estella smiled, happy to see the man she knew come back. It was most likely because of all the stress and pressure he had been bottling up for all the days he hadn't seen her, she thought to herself and placed her hand in his.
The three of them had always been wary of him even when Estella was busy using him to fulfill her needs with his body, she never let her guard down for a minute. They were aware that he could most likely destroy them considering the calm rage that flickered between those hollow eyes. It hadn't been unleashed but when it did, a shudder traveled down their spines thinking of the Devil he had been born into.
The Devil that would be their doom.
The reason he hadn't attacked yet, was unknown to all except for him. All these years, they had tried breaking through his walls, clawing at the boundaries but to no avail. Futile attempts to break him had only made him colder and more dangerous. All they could do was try and invade his thoughts and weaken him from inside but even the Devil would gulp seeing the monster that had been born into this world without a crack in his heart to let anyone in.
Unless...
A thought entered Estella's mind as she led Theodore into her room, shutting the door close behind her. What if... ? No it wasn't possible but could it be?
Her eyes glinted as she saw him standing upright, his face the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in all her centuries of living. From the very first time, he hadn't hesitated nor backed away. Their minds had gotten tired of thinking of ways to control him and find a weakness.
He was not under their control. The five-year-old Theodore had been, who had long died under their hands.
This man's heart didn't beat.