"Leave us, Jude. I will talk with you when I need you."
Jude wanted to protest, but after receiving a cold glare from Zach, he decided to retreat.
Zach's attention shifted to Silas when Jude was nowhere to be seen. "Let me in, and after that, tell your mother that the king wanted to meet her."
Silas wanted to refuse, but somehow, he could not say no to Zach. Instead, he had the urge to do everything Zach had asked. It was like he was under a spell. A spell that he could not break free of no matter how much he tried.
The door opened with a creaking sound, and Silas made way for Zach to enter his small house.
Zach entered the small house and looked closely at his surroundings. The house did not have anything remarkable. Like the rest of the commoners, the house was only filled with the necessity of house furniture, like a chair for two people and a tiny table. And a bed that was concealed behind the black curtain to separate the living and sleeping space.
Zach positioned Nevea on the small chair and ensured that his wife's body was sitting comfortably before he sat beside her. While waiting, he took her hands which kept getting colder each day. His eyes stayed on her, never leaving even for a second.
One part of him was telling him to stop trying and let his wife rest peacefully, but the other part was adamant about bringing his wife back. And the latter was much stronger.
If only he could follow his wife to the afterlife, he would not have to suffer in this world. But unfortunately, he could not. No one could leave a scratch on his body for more than five seconds; it was nearly impossible to die.
The sound of slow footsteps getting neared made Zach jerk his head in the direction of the sound. There he saw an older woman walking with difficulty along with his son. On a closer look, the woman's hair had turned white over time, only leaving several strains of brown.
The woman, Liezel, glanced at the corpse of a beautiful woman sitting in her small chair. Her head shook lightly, and she sighed heavily, 'Your daughter died for the second time, Jane. And all because of the same man.'
"Bring her soul back, and I will make sure you and your son live comfortably for the rest of your life."
'He never changes.' Liezel clicked her tongue. Since a long time ago, Zach always behaved as he pleased. He commanded everyone to grant his desire without caring about the consequences of his action.
"No," Liezel said. It was a lie. Nevea's journey had not over, and she would have to go through another life with the same man.
The moment the word no left Liezel's mouth, Zach moved like a light, and he pushed the old woman's body against the fragile woods and squeezed the old woman's neck.
"Mama." Silas ran toward his mother. And he tried to punch Zach's body, but it was like a feather punch. It did not have an impact.
"Sit down, boy!" Zach's red eyes shone brightly as he said that.
"Listen to me, Liezel. Bring my wife's soul back, or you will have to send your son's soul to the afterlife. Your choice."
Despite the pain in her neck, Liezel laughed so hard at his words. "Can you be more creative, Zachary? Back then, you also used the same words."
The shock on Zach's face was an understatement. He was sure he had never met Liezel before. But the old woman talked to him as though she was familiar with him. He gripped Liezel's neck harder than before he spoke, "BRING MY WIFE'S SOUL BACK."
Liezel did not feel afraid or threatened at all. Instead, she gave him a motherly smile to Zach that came as a surprise to him. Then, Liezel lifted her wrinkled hands to touch Zach's shoulder, pushing him until he fell on his knees.
"What did you—" Zach's eyes enlarged at the current situation. Nobody has enough power to overpower him, but this old and frail woman did it so easily, like it was nothing.
"You may be strong, Zach. But not as strong as me." Liezel patted his head which made Zach's nose flare. "Well, at least in your current state, you are nothing to me."
Liezel left Zach's side to go to Nevea. She observed Nevea thoroughly. Over the years, Nevea's beauty never changed at all. She was the most stunning woman then and now. No wonder someone like Zachary was drawn to her like a bee to a flower.
Liezel raised her hand to feel Nevea's hair, stroking it gently like she was touching her daughter's hair. Nevea's hair was as soft as she had remembered.
"Don't touch her!" Zach barked loudly. He did not like that he was not the one in control.
"I wonder what makes Nevea fall for someone with a terrible temper like you," Liezel said with her arms folded in front of her chest. "She always has terrible taste in men. Imagine falling in love with the same man with the same personality."
After digesting Liezel's words carefully, a deep frown formed on Zach's temple. "What do you mean?"
"Believe me. You don't want to hear it, Zach."
"Try me."
Liezel ignored Zach. Instead, she touched her son's head to make him break free. Then said, "Bring me the stone."
Silas moved to the back of the curtain and groped under their old mattress until he could feel the sharp edge of the stone, then he took it out.
In his hand was a blue-colored stone with many cracks in the center of it. The rock shone, but it did not emit the same light as the first time he saw it. The light had dimmed for some reason he did not know of. Only his mother has the answer.
When Silas moved to his mother's side, he eyed the king carefully. The king was seething in anger as the sign showed he clenched his hand and gritted his teeth at every move Liezel made.
Liezel chuckled in amusement at the sight of Zach. In the past, she would have died if she dared to treat him like that, but now she had the liberty to treat the almighty Zach as she pleased since he was not aware of what he truly was and how strong the power in his body was.
"You can get up," Liezel ordered like she was the queen and Zach was the commoner.
Zach was not impressed at all. He felt humiliated by a mere human. He could snap her neck, and he should. But he would not. He needed Liezel's help.
Without saying anything, he made his way to Nevea's chair, lifting her, and sat with her on his lap.
"It's true that I can bring your wife back, but the price won't be cheap, Your Majesty." Liezel finally addressed him as how she should be.
"Say the word. I don't care as long as she is back with me."
Once again, Liezel smiled at his words as if she found that everything he did was a comedy show about a traveling merchant.
"Soul catcher is not supposed to bring the dead back. Our responsibility is to haunt them down so they can move to the afterlife." Liezel explained. It was not the first time; this was her second. "So, you are asking me to bring your wife back is the same as me playing with the law of life."
"I don't need your explanation." Zach said impatiently, "Just give me the answer. Can you do it or not?"
"I can," Liezel answered. She noticed the gleam of hope dancing in Zach's eyes, making her want to laugh. "But you will have to sacrifice something for that. It must be the most precious thing in your life."
A frown marred his forehead as he said, "I don't have anything more precious than Nevea."
"You have something. Not as important as Nevea, but important enough for your identity."
"You have been talking like you are familiar with us, human. But I don't remember meeting you, and I believe my wife also never had the chance to step foot on Stormsire. So, tell me why it seems like you know many things that I, myself, is not aware of."
"You will know soon, Your Majesty. All you have to do is, agree to sacrifice." The corner of Liezel's mouth lifted to smile knowingly as she noted Zach's expression.
She had seen that look in his red eyes before. Well, in the past, the color of his eyes was golden. And she knew what was coming. The man would do everything. She was sure of it. Sure enough, Zach opened his mouth to speak.
"You can have everything except her," He said firmly. There was no hesitation in his mind and heart.
"And one more thing, Your Majesty." She added, making Zach display his displeasure again. "I have little time in this world, so bring Silas with you. Let him serve you and turn him into a vampire when he reaches the age of eighteen. In the future, you will need him."
"Ma—" Silas wanted to protest, but his mother's glare was enough to shut him down. He sat still with tears brimming in his eyes.
"Okay." Zach agreed immediately. It was not a complicated request; if Silas misbehaved in the future, he could just kill him. Easy.
"Then I will begin."
Liezel took both Nevea and Zach's hands and placed them on top of hers that was holding the blue stone. Her eyelids closed as she muttered something under her breath.
Suddenly a blue light emerged from the stone. It was so bright that it was hard to look at. Zach squinted and tried to look away but could not. It was as if the light was pulling him in. Lured him to let the light invade all his senses.
Zach could not hear anything, and his attention was solely on the light as it shone even brighter and brighter with each passing second. Then he saw it. Himself kneeling in a dark place with his head hung lower, seemed to have no power.
He tried to move and touched the back of himself, but a pain hit him hard as he heard the other him scream in pure agony like a wounded animal he hunted during his boredom.
Shock struck him like a flood as he witnessed Liezel take the horns on the head of his other self. Zach screamed and wanted to tear Liezel from the other him, but his effort was for naught. No matter how many steps he took, he still stayed in the same place—rooting while watching the other him suffer at Liezel's hands.
"STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING THIS INSTANT, LIEZEL. TOUCH HIM AGAIN, AND WATCH ME KILL YOUR SON THE SAME WAY." Zach roared. He was so angry. He wanted blood on his hands. So much blood to satiate his rage.
Liezel did not take Zach's words. She only smiled as she took both horns from the other Zach. Then, she touched him and said, "There is nothing else you can sacrifice, Zach. So, make sure to protect Nevea from them."
With that, everything disappeared from Zach's vision. Instead, a wave of memories that he did not exist played in his head. The moment of rage, hopelessness, happiness, love, and agony appeared in the form of Nevea.
She was there for almost all his life. Breathing life into him, giving him hope, and crushing his heart. The sound of her laugh and sob assaulted him, leaving him broken.
'You are my sin, Zach. The one I willingly committed.'
Zach heard her say it as he thrust himself into her, marking her, tainting her soul, and uniting their heart. The memories brought him so much contentment and pain because what he saw next was the moment Nevea's body evaporated into a blue light.
His heart had never been so broken before; it shattered into small pieces. It hurt so much that he wanted to gauge his heart and feed it to animals. He wanted to forget, wanted to erase the feeling. But could not.
Zach was stuck in memory lane. On the other side, Liezel felt pity as she watched tears storm down his cheeks. Liezel touched Zach's head tenderly as a mother would to his son.
"This is your punishment for daring to taste the apple from heaven." Liezel's voice broke as she choked on her tears, "This is her punishment for the desire she has for you."
Silas watched everything unfold before his eyes. The king and his mother were crying, and the lifeless woman on the king's lap was gone. He did not understand what his mother had done, but he believed his mother meant no harm to the king.
Crack~
The stone broke completely, and Liezel's body fell into the rough ground with blood coming from her mouth.
"Mama!" Silas screamed and moved to touch his mother's body.
Liezel lifted her hand to wipe the tears on Silas's cheeks tenderly. Her eyes also watered. Although Silas was not her biological son, she had raised him since he was a baby, so she was saddened that she had to leave him alone. "Thank you for being my son during my stay in this world, Silas. You have been a great joy to my life." She said with a sad smile.
"Don't say anything, Ma. I'll look for a physician. Don't worry. It's going to be okay."
Before Silas stood up, Liezel caught his arm and shook her head. "I don't have much time, Silas. It's okay."
"No, no, it's not okay." He sobbed uncontrollably.
"Listen, son. The king will wake up soon, and he won't remember about the woman, so don't mention her name in front of him. Serve him well, do everything he asks, and make sure he turned you at the age of eighteen."
"But you said he won't remember—"
"We already had a deal." Liezel vomited blood. This time, the color was darker. She handed him her bracelet with a black stone and said, "Don't be afraid, son. After I am gone, continue your life. One day you will understand everything."
"No, I don't want to—" Silas's jaw dropped before he could finish because his mother's body suddenly turned into ashes. He lost his mind and his words. He could not believe what he had seen. "Mama!" He screamed and screamed with tears falling like a waterfall. He could not stop. This was a nightmare.
"Stop screaming, human. You are hurting my ears."
Silas jumped at Zach's voice. He looked over his shoulder and saw the king. There was nothing he could feel except fear. Something changed. The king looked more dangerous than before, his face twisted in a snarl, his eyes gleamed menacingly, and his lips crooked in a lopsided grin. He looked like a demon from hell.
Then Silas realized that the king had lost his sanity.