After Ely departed from Philip's room, he lay down, preparing to drift off to sleep, or so it seemed. However, as soon as the door closed, the familiar loving atmosphere was frozen cold, he sprang up, shedding his shirt.
The black lace curtain billowed reluctantly and a breeze of cold air danced with his hair as he walked. However, Philip was not bothered by the wind nor the cold atmosphere which promised rainfall tonight. His reflection in the mirror showed a gloomy figure, devoid of emotion, with icy eyes and a hint of madness swirling within.
His pale face seemed drained of life, his eyes losing their sparkle. Whispering incomprehensible words, he suddenly snapped out of it, his reflection now calm and collected, a faint smile adorning his lips. With a satisfied expression, he savored a sip of coffee and walked to his bed, finally primed to go to bed.
He stared at the dark-colored ceiling. It was the first time in his twenty years of existence that he had noticed it well. The design was intricate and darkly exquisite. He smiled emptily. The design was so befitting of his character. He gradually drifted to dreamland, boarding the last train. His mind was covered in mist and transported to a dimly lit chamber. He stared around, the walls were inconspicuous and the windows were covered in heavy black curtains, leaving only a few candelabra to provide light. His gaze fell on a figure on a bed with another kneeling beside it. He tried to walk and noticed that his steps were much shorter than normal and looking down, he noticed a pair of smaller legs.
He fell on his butt and screamed in fear, awakening the two silhouettes in the room. The figure on the bed stiffly turned its neck and the other figure walked towards him. Their steps were heavy and dark to him, he attempted to crawl to the door but he was met by the figure.
"Philip? When did you get here?" A younger Ely questioned, her head was tied to a ponytail and she looked disheveled. She extended her hand to help him. He stared at the hand for a few minutes before cautiously, putting his hand in hers.
"Do you want to see mum?" She questioned. Even though the lighting in the room was poor, he managed to discern a gentle smile on her face. Without even waiting for his answer, she pulled him to the bedside where she sat and there he saw the person who lay on the bed.
She was emaciated and her face looked incredibly old, wiping out any hint of her youthfulness. She was draped in a blanket but her shivers were still evident. She tried to smile, but it came out stiff, her larynx bobbled up and down as she tried to speak, a violent whimper rather came out and Ely ran to get her water.
Left alone with his old mother, Philip stared at her curiously, then he suddenly frowned and questioned in his childish tone.
"Where is my mother? My mother was not an old lady." He angrily stomped his foot, waiting for an answer.
The woman forced out a smile and tried to answer, however, her coughs became violent and blood began seeping from her mouth.
Philip's conscience screamed to call someone but he stood still and silent, unwilling to make the woman who had "stolen" his mother live.
Blood seeped from all her holes and she began jerking violently, her frail hands flailing here and there. The door was opened and Philip jerked back a bit like a child caught doing something bad.
The King rushed towards the bed when he saw his wife's violent movements, he held her up and threw a glare at Philip making the poor child cower in fear.
"Call the doctor! Call the DOCTOR, NOW!!!!" He screamed at whoever would hear and a series of footsteps were heard running down the stairs.
Ely returned with a jar of water, panting her way in. She rushed to her mother's side and her eyes widened in fear, sorrow, horror, and worst of all, anger.
Her bloodshot eyes turned towards the four-year-old Philip who had his hand held in mid-air.
There was blood on his hands, no, on his whole body. He was drenched in blood. He began shaking his head hysterically and stared at Ely slowly, hoping to answer, but the word got trapped in his throat when he saw the rage and loathing in her eyes.
Suddenly, his chest tightened and he felt suffocated, his body was screaming for air but his mind had shut down.
"I hate you!" The room suddenly became noiseless and Ely's cold words echoed in his ears like a death sentence.
"She hates me, she hates me, Ely hates me!" He began murmuring the words like a mantra, he began shivering, and then boom, he broke down, his body refused to work and his eyes lost their light...
Philip jolted from the dream, all wet and motionless. He had ceased all motion, including breathing, thinking, and even blinking. After a few seconds, he sucked in a cold air and began panting for air. He looked around, perhaps looking for signs to tell him he had successfully escaped. He sat up and rested his head on the comfy headboard for some support and his wandering gaze landed on the design again.
It was picturesque of a child wearing a mask to seek attention. It could be explained differently by many critics but for him, that is what he saw.
After catching his breath and a crumb of his demeanor, he traipsed to the bathroom. He needed to wash off the sweat and...that memory, if possible.
Helios drove his sunny carriage to the Kingdom of Elyptis, announcing daybreak and the beginning of their daily activities.
Ely stretched, relaxed from having a good night's sleep. She stared out her window and saw the sun peeking through the curtains. The maids came in and helped her get ready for the day.
She walked down to breakfast and saw only Philip at the table, he looked gloomy.
"Why is my cute doll looking so down today, anything the matter?" Ely questioned as she walked towards him, she took a seat beside him and rubbed his hand.
The maid carried her plate from the opposite side and served her breakfast.
Philip stared at her quietly, her polite words and her ever-elegant composure. He sighed and with a smile hanging at the corner of his lips, he asked;
"Would you go hunting with me?" His voice was pleading for her to say yes and even though Ely had a plethora of things to do, she couldn't stand to refuse her brother.
"OK, ok, I will go with you. You know, you are getting better at manipulation. Who taught you that? Is it a girl?" Her eyes sparkled as she threw questions at him, this action melted any residue of worry he had in his heart and he smiled, a genuine smile that reached his eyes.
Ely blinked incessantly for a few seconds and then her eyes widened in shock, then she squealed in surprise and then smiled in excitement. She dropped her fork and held Philip's hands and with happy eyes,
" Who is she?"
Philip rolled his eyes jerked his hands away from hers and gave her the "there you go again look" before focusing on his food. However that didn't guarantee him peace, Ely began shaking him for an answer and alas, he carried his food and walked away. Ely sat there blankly before following him with her food and her questions.
From an aerial view, a lady was chasing a gentleman with her food while the gentleman held on to his food and tried to outrun her and her questions. The maids looked on while trying hard to keep a straight face.