Chapter 196: Chapter 196

“No way… It’s you? The girl with the blue skin and metal arm?!” exclaimed Lillian when I lowered my hood. She should’ve recognized Primrose—therefore knew it was me—but I suppose the ‘excitement’ was too much for her mind to register.

“I’m more than that descriptor,” I replied, speaking low. “I’m the ghost. I’m the one you claim to have seen, yet no one else seemed to know who you were talking about. That room existed, you know. It was my prison for a long time.”

“Shut it!” I barked, silencing Thaddeus. “Your father held me hostage. That man—this family, even—possesses dark secrets they will never tell you. You don’t know even half of it. You’re just…living in willful ignorance most people would kill to experience.”

“This is between you and me!” Thaddeus found a source of strength when he looked at his wife. “Not them. We can resolve this without harm befalling my family.”

“That’s true. I had the opportunity to really hurt you.” I reached into my cloak to retrieve a silenced pistol. The sleek frame almost melted into the shadows. “I almost used this when we met, Lillian. You had turned around, and I raised my weapon. The barrel was inches away from your head. This gun is modified to emit no noise. Even an elf is unable to hear its bark. Yet that does not come at the cost of its strength. It’s powerful—more than you imagine. Just one pull of the trigger would’ve splattered your brains. You.” I stared Thaddeus down, my eyes unblinking. “You would’ve felt a bit of the agony of what you forced me to endure. You’d have shared the pain of losing someone close to you.”

“I won’t allow this farce to continue any longer!” Cedric slammed his hands. “Not when I’m forced to hear my sister being threatened for something we aren’t aware of! We don’t even know you!”

“No, Mother. I won’t,” replied the eldest son. “A proud Mesalitos won’t back down—especially when they have nothing to be ashamed of!”

Julian, the youngest son, couldn’t hold his emotions and had to be comforted by Mirabelle. She held her brother close—those eyes of hatred wishing for my agonizing death.

“It doesn’t have to be ,” pleaded Thaddeus. “Not my family. They aren’t involved. They never were.”

“It’s funny you say that for reasons I know you find ironic. However, you’re correct. My anger lies with you, not the rest. So, go. Return to your rooms. Or remain behind if you desire to know how heartless and cruel Thaddeus has been. It’s as I said. He’s been hiding a horrible truth.”

“I demand you cease your lying!”

“Oh? Cedric Mesalitos demands this of me?” I humored him.

“You’re right. I do. This is meaningless slander meant to ruin our reputation. Leave. Now. The Mesalitos are a proud family! We have righteous honor! Honor, mind you, that earned us a respected spot by Holy Lord Gloria’s side.”

“Righteous honor? Respected spot?” Those words didn’t belong near that bitch’s name. “Continue to cling to a false reality because you’re not ready for the truth.” I looked at the extended family. “I have no business with you. Believe my words or don’t, but it’s the truth. Leave? Stay? You can do what you want. Just know it may get ugly. I strongly suggest you and your children return to your rooms. Oh, don’t think getting a message to Gloria will change things. She knows I’m here. She wouldn’t dare intervene.”

Cassandra and Hector shared a concerned look before dashing to grab their children and Thaddeus’s youngest two. They bolted away. I looked at Lillian’s quivering frame, who remained near her brother. The thought of leaving their father never crossed their minds, I suppose. Cedric was the heir—a man with a rigid sense of duty towards his family, so his reasoning was probably different.

Marriage often had the saying ‘til death do us part, so was Valeria obligated to stay? Or did her love for him grant this bastard the benefit of the doubt? She probably believed I was some crazed cyclops who only spoke falsehoods.

Would she still hold the same affection once the truth emerged? That would really be a test of her character.

I gave Primrose her staff before walking to the table, leaning against it with the gun still visibly displayed. Mila would’ve been upset at my lack of trigger discipline, but I didn’t care.

“Cedric, you claim your family is honorable—that it’s because of your just actions you were able to assist Gloria. Tell me, do you really think that?”

“I shouldn’t subject you to her words,” said Thaddeus, cutting off his son. “You can leave us. It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

“Why do you care now? You didn’t care when you practically crawled on your hands and knees to beg Gloria for a chance to prove yourself. That was a decade ago, wasn’t it? You were swayed by her sickened words and lured to a den of depravity and sin.”

Thaddeus’s outburst was silenced by the barking howl of my gun. Smoke wafted from the barrel as all eyes turned to the thin streak of blood oozing down Thaddeus’s head.

The bullet grazed his head.

“HOW DARE YOU!!!” Cedric roared, throwing a dinner plate. Primrose flourished her staff, weaving a razor-sharp chorus of deadly wind that cut the projectile to pieces. Surtr did nothing. He’d act to save me from danger, but other than that? He was only here to keep the atmosphere tense.

“Let that be a warning. I may be blind, but I’m an excellent shot. The next bullet will land between the eyes. Now, I want you to think of a horrible place. A place where you can pay to hunt people like animals—where you—the hunter—are given a compass magically linked to their chosen prey.”

Thaddeus’s eyes twitched. Tris’s waypoint infographic of his vitals informed me of his rapidly increasing heart rate and blood pressure.  The numbers meant little. I didn’t know how to interpret them like she did, but they were above the registered baseline.

So, that meant something…

“The place I told you to think of isn’t imaginary. It’s real. It’s an organization called Hymn.  It’s one of Dirge’s closely guarded secrets, so many believe it to be an urban legend. It’s what you tell misbehaving children, but it’s not folklore. Your father—the man you think is this paragon of justice…is a valued member. He’s a client. He pays well to satiate his sick desires.”

Cedric grabbed another plate, but the cries originated from his sister. She frantically yelled as she launched a thick chicken like a rock. I swatted it away without effort.

“That’s not true!” Lillian, exasperated, argued that I was wrong. “My father taught me how to be virtuous! He taught me how to be optimistic! He’s someone who wants to make people smile! So, to think he’d do something like that?!”

“I’m responsible for many things, but this is not one of them. Where is your evidence? Surely, you must have something—”

No—it was fucking hysterical.

I just couldn’t contain my laughter because this piece of shit HAD to veer in that direction. That was Thaddeus's card, but his hand was open.

“I knew you’d say that. No, I actually hoped you’d choose that as your defense. Because I do have evidence. I have hard proof, Thaddeus.”

I slapped my mythril prosthetic on the table. Simultaneously, Tris void warped a stack of records—the first piece of evidence.

“These documents-- signed by Thaddeus Mesalitos—are receipts authorizing the transfer of money to Gloria. They’re arranged as donations to the Harmonia Institute of Sound, yet that’s a cover. The funds were delivered—that’s no lie—but since the academy ultimately answers to her, their assets also become hers.”

“That’s nothing!” retorted Cedric. “Those documents don’t prove anything. Every noble family—nay, most businesses have d. You’d find similar papers—”

“I’m not finished. I know this wouldn’t be enough. That’s why I have this.” I tapped the table twice as two bloody compasses manifested from nowhere.

“These are keepsakes the man you cherish stores in a lockbox inside the vault. It’s the one behind the safe with blue stripes. The floor has four indents hidden by magic, which need four rings to open. The same four he wears on his person. The ones he never takes off.”

Thaddeus’s gaze looked like it could kill the dead.

“Hymn allows a hunter to keep their compass as a trophy—a sick reminder of a successful hunt. He’s only gone twice, to be fair. Yet that's twice too many. He lied to you about going on business when he wanted to hunt… To stalk people like me.”

The family was in shock. The compasses’ dried blood held their gazes like glue. The numbers indicated that Thaddeus’s heart rate and blood pressure continued to rise. He must’ve racked his mind to say anything, except his thoughts came up empty. It was like Mila said at the meeting.

Everyone should assume Mila knew their secrets. Safes? Boxes? Barred doors?   Original content can be found at novᴇlfire.net

The same went for places protected magically rather than mechanically.

The city was an open book, and Tris had already read ten thousand pages. Nothing escaped her all-seeing sight.

“But I’m not here about that.” I crushed the compasses before throwing them against the wall. “At least, that’s not the primary reason. Yes, Hymn found me. Yes, Hymn abducted me. And yes, Hymn sold me off—I’m sure my compass is somewhere, but I’m in no hurry to find it.”

“Then why are you here?!” growled Valeria through her teeth. “Did you come to tear this family apart?! What did we ever do to you? We don’t even know you!”

“You’re wrong,” I corrected her. “You know me. Lillian once referred to me as a ghost. The mysterious girl trapped in a room she could not find... That’s right.” I looked at the daughter. “That was me.”

From there, I briefly summarized my life, abridging many details except the crucial ones. I started when Hymn kidnapped me after the Water Lord gave me my power, to my abuse at the hands of many, while not forgoing missed details about the late spirits who fatally answered my call.

Thus, I arrived at the Mesalitos portion of my tale.

“Gloria came to Thaddeus with a mission. He accepted without hesitation, like the good little pet he wished to be. Anything to get within her good graces… Anything to further his status or have some honor to gloat above his peers. Your father took me in…and locked me away.  The hallway you never found? It’s on the second floor of the west wing, protected by powerful illusion magic. A second barrier prevents anyone from unintentionally wandering. Yet there’s a third and fourth barrier as well. The key? Well, your father wears four rings…”

I let the info soak in before continuing.

“His abuse was all the same… Being stuck in a room, not knowing when the next beating would come. So what if my skin was free from welts? So what if the belt didn’t come? What did that say about tomorrow? Or the next day? Or the day after that? What if you consider this: no one spoke to me. No one acknowledged me. They only saw a tool that needed maintenance, but nothing past that.”

“You’re saying my father never hurt you?” scoffed Cedric. “That he never once harmed a hair upon your head?!”

“Is that what you really took away from all that? No, I shouldn’t be surprised by someone born with a silver spoon in their mouth. You just don’t get it, Cedric.  Abuse is still abuse. Your father never physically hurt me because it wasn’t in the plan. It wasn’t because he had a change of heart. It was because they decided on a new approach to lure the Water Lord back to their clutches.”

I retrieved a letter Tris had found earlier. We had planned to forge it if it didn’t exist—but it did.

It wasn’t in the best shape. Time had almost dissolved the parchment. Those ash stains didn’t help, yet the seal remained—a seal only Gloria and the Mesalitos family head would have.

That verified its authenticity.

“This document proves my words are true. ‘Physical encouragement isn’t working, so I command you to take a different approach. Do whatever you want as long as you spare the girl’s skin the discomfort of the whip. I suggest degrading her emotional walls, but I leave the final decision to you.’” I slid the letter across the table.

“So, it’s not that he didn’t beat me out of the kindness of his heart! Beating me hadn't worked! So they opted for a different strategy!” My voice steadily became louder. I lost track of my thoughts. The words Tris had helped me prepare were foggy—almost ungraspable, so I just spoke…

To hell with it if I repeated myself!

“If things had gone differently, I’d felt the whip! And that damn man wouldn’t have cared! He obviously didn’t because he ordered my spirits’ deaths without a goddamn care! He commanded his soldiers to kill them in cold blood! He’s part of the reason why the Spirit Realm blacklisted me!”

“You didn’t even know them—”

Suddenly, Cedric clutched his arm. His screams followed because I had shot the bastard.

It took all I had to stop myself from sending a bullet to his brain as his father leapt to his side, crying his name.

“I am a spirit summoner, you ungrateful bastard! Nothing is more important than the trust between a spirit and its summoner since the spirit is the one who decides to answer your call! They answered me! They arrived! Even if I didn’t know them… I loved them all the same because they picked me! And they died for that! Because that man… That goddamn awful man you call a father desired even more status with Gloria!”

My emotions reached a fever pitch. I had to scream to release this growing anger.

So, I shouted—louder than ever-- before something broke inside me.

I looked Cedric up and down, slowly shaking my head. If I had gone this far…

Primrose probably had a look, but…

I didn’t know if I wanted to meet her eyes. What expression would she have? If… This family would be mourning their eldest son if things had been different.

And I really would not have cared one bit…

“Gloria took ownership of me after that.  ‘What use is a spirit summoner who cannot summon?’ Those were her exact words. She gave me to a Soul Warrior after placing a damage transfer seal. My ultimate fate was that of a meat shield. But… I didn’t die. I’ve burned alive… I’ve felt my bones break… I’ve been chained to a bed and abused so she could earn another copper… I lost my arm and leg twice. I… I’m still standing, you know. I’m alive. I’ve endured what many couldn’t. I survived when many would die. All… All for this… You’re not the only one I want to kill, Thaddeus. You’re just the first on a very long list.”

Lillian’s sobbing was incorrigible—like nails grating against a chalkboard. Her mother was inconsolable at hearing my story. My words even affected Cedric, who punched the table. The pain of broken knuckles dulled the gunshot wound. He was quickly admonished by his hysterical mother, though.

I raised my pistol at the man I hated, but a daughter’s love wasn’t easily broken. Lillian jumped to protect her father, holding her arms as wide as a bird’s wingspan.

“You still wish to defend him? Even after learning the truth?” I asked. Somehow, I expected this. Emotions weren’t always easy to calculate. You’d always have situations where you’d react differently than you thought you’d perform.

Daughterly instinct or not, this wasn’t something Tris hadn’t accounted for.  So, I knew how to proceed. “You still wish to defend him?” I repeated, following the script. “Even after learning the truth?”

“My father is still my father!” she barked, her nostrils flaring. It was a valiant effort betrayed by her stuttering voice. She didn’t have a plan. “I—I won’t for-forgive you—”

“The forgiveness of some pompous noble born with a silver spoon up her ass is something I can live without. Your father will die, Lillian. I will not allow him to live.”

“I… I…” The frantic woman bit her lips. That brilliant mind struggled to rebuke me. I let her try, though. “I empathize with what you went through!” she finally said. “It wasn’t easy. No one should have to endure…that. No one. I…” The waterworks increased. Were those tears real? Or part of an act?

“Killing my father would anger Lord Gloria. I don’t want—"

“Do I care if she’s upset? She gave me to Noelia. She ordered your father to do what he did. She told all the others… She’s behind it. Right now, her feelings matter very little. So, I’m not afraid of her because she has much more to fear than me.”

Lillian held resolute. Although her arms trembled. Stammering, she focused on something to say. “This cycle of hatred will only continue to spiral if you let hate dictate your actions! You can break it, Niva. You can live your life the way you want! You can be a better—"

“You’re making a fool out of yourself. A better person? I never claimed to be better than anyone else. Your father should’ve thought about the cycle of hatred before he abused me. I’ve killed before this. People stood in my way, and I used these hands to remove them from my path. Stopping now means they died for nothing.”

“I LOVE MY FATHER! I DON’T WANT TO SEE HIM KILLED!” Lillian screamed, having reached the end of her paltry attempt to grandstand me.

I sensed movement. Cedric, who had been quiet, bared his teeth. I trained my gun on him—I wouldn’t think twice about blowing his brains out if he tried something.

However… He did try something…

He formed a tight fist before swinging at his father, striking him right on the chin as he flew to the ground. Without delay—like an animal—the mad son straddled his father, tightly wrapping his thick hands around his wrinkled collar. “You’re a disappointment!” He shouted. “Stay there, Mother!” His gaze froze her solid. The woman was already a mess. Seeing a son strike their father probably pushed her over the edge. “You told me being a Mesalitos meant you had to be honorable! You had to be just! But… But… You’re none of that! Your actions have ruined our name! It’s like it’s been splattered with cow dung, you bastard!!!”

“Do you believe me? I thought you’d adamantly refuse my words until the end.” I was almost caught off guard.

That was why his following action didn’t surprise me.

“I do. Truthfully, I’d heard rumors of an organization like Hymn. I just…didn’t want to believe them. Much less think my own father was a patron… However, he’s my father.” Cedric spat his disgust across Thaddeus’s jacket before standing. He ignored the gunshot while walking in front of his sister. Slowly, he spread his arms.  “You must kill me if you want to get to him. Can you kill in cold blood to get your revenge? Can your soul handle that? Will your conscience permit it? You’ve already wounded me, so can you finish the task?”

Cedric’s mother finally moved. I didn’t know if she was all there, but she had bitten a chunk of her lip. A narrow river of crimson trailed down her chin, staining her gown the color of blood. Like her children, she stood between my target and myself—using her very body to protect the one I hated.

“My husband and I vowed to spend our lives together.  I am not happy with him, but he is still the man I love and will continue to love. You must kill me, but know that my life is not my own. Another is growing within my womb.”

That wasn’t a lie. Valeria really was pregnant, although only she and her nurse knew. The information wasn’t supposed to be revealed for another few weeks.

Thaddeus brushed past his son and tripped, crawling the rest of the way to his wife. Frantically, his shaky hands touched her belly, albeit with hesitation. “Is it true? Is it—Ah—it kicked! The baby kicked! You are pregnant!" His eyes met mine...

Pure, unadulterated regret.

Pure, unrestrained, apologetic regret.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Niva. I’ll do anything to make it right. Anything! If it’s within my power, I will grant it! You can continue to hate me. I know I deserve that. But my child is innocent. They don’t deserve to grow up without an absent father. Please…”

“Why should that matter to me? You didn’t care about my spirits. They meant nothing to you. Your unborn child is the least of my concerns. There is nothing you can offer me except your life.”