This Gothic World
Chapter 11

Irene

“Irene.”

His blank face meant nothing. Irene already knew what he was planning to do. She could see it in his eyes…in his mind…

“My King.” Irene’s words were echoing with power. “Or should I say, the false King?”

He took in a sharp breath. “F—false?”

Irene shook her head. “I hadn’t forgotten.”

Her words were like the truth ringing out everywhere like the Tomb’s bells. And what it did…was only show the world the true nature of humankind…

“What haven’t you—

“You killed her.”

Her words flowed like the cold river Calelan under the snowy storms of winter. It was serene, collected, and deadly. Ceres’s hands gripped the weapon tightly making his knuckles whiter than snow.

“You killed the last old mage. You murdered her during her sleep. She had trusted you. She had loved you because she thought you were her son. Because…she loved your father…more than anyone else in the world…”

The visions didn’t falter. Irene saw through all of Ceres’s memories like it was her own. None of his expressions swayed her. After all…she knew…the truth.

“It was night-time. You knew she’d lose her power once under sleep. She was a mage who required the sun to enhance her magic. So you spilled some sleeping medicine into her food and waited…for the right time to kill her.”

Irene’s voice trailed on.

“You took your sweet time too. You tortured her. You made her scream and wish she were never born. She begged for mercy. She pleaded with you.”

Salty tears went down both of their cheeks. Irene felt all of the Queen’s emotions while Ceres felt not one ounce of guilt for his deeds. He did however feel humiliation crawl up his spine with a vengeance.

“She asked you the reason for all of the torture and the madness she had to endure. But, you…you never let her rest…”

“Because she was a traitorous son of a—

“She was your Queen.” Irene’s voice spoke with a mighty flair of anger. “She was your Mother. She was your life. She was the one who had rescued you from your true mother.” Irene’s voice lowered to a bitter tone. “The mother who tortured you mercilessly underneath her small millhouse…”

Ceres’s hand gripped the sword tighter. His face was strained to the extreme. His body shook with violent anger. “So what?”

Irene remained silent. Ceres’s voice pitched up high. “So What? What if she tortured me? What if she made me sick to my stomach? What if—

His voice trailed on while Irene saw it all. The maddened look in his eyes…the insanity…

“She loved me! My true mother loved me! That’s why she tortured me! That’s why she did so much to protect me!” His voice got louder and louder by the second. “But the Queen…oh…that bitch destroyed my true mother! When my true mother tried to protect me the Queen flicked her wrist and made my mother bleed! Bleed to Death!”

It was true. Irene knew. Her expression remained calm and collected while Ceres’s voice went higher and higher.

“She killed my mother! My true mother! So…I murdered her…I killed that evil witch! I killed that—that monster!”

Sadness swept through Irene like a wave. True depression…Ceres truly felt depressed…

“However, that was not all.”

Ceres’s face looked stumped. Horror flashed in his eyes. “W—What do you mean?”

Irene slowly descended and walked right in front of Ceres to meet him eye to eye. He was trembling. He was fearful. But Irene…she felt nothing more than disgust…

Her voice came like the soft winter wind. “You wanted what she had. You wanted her power. You wanted her strength.” Their eyes met. Irene’s were impassive and hollow while Ceres’s eyes were dilated with hate and anger. “You wanted what your father could not have. You wanted the throne. You wanted her crown.”

Ceres couldn’t hold on much longer. “Who are you to know all this?”

His anger was starting to make his pale face fill with blood. Irene only smiled wryly.

“Who am I?”

She moved forward while Ceres backed away.

“I am Regina Irene Methuselah.”

Her powers flared to life exuding strings of violet stars all around her.

“I am the granddaughter of Narine Methuselah, the wife of the blind King’s brother.”

Her eyes darkened while Ceres’s eyes dilated with horror. His steps faltered but he did not fall. Irene however moved on with grace and strength.

“I am the descendant of the first old magus, Anahera.”

She finally stopped to raise her arms up above in an open embrace.

“I am the last of the old magus blood…the last of the true royals…the last of the One Destroyer’s followers…the last person you will ever see or hear of…”

Ceres’s hand gripped on the sword and for a moment he felt helpless. Yet the next moment his body flew towards Irene in a flash of rage. He charged with his sword aiming at her heart. The same place where her father took the fatal blow…

Alas, Irene disappeared and reappeared behind him. Tendrils of violet smoke bound his arms and his body completely before turning him to face her eye to eye yet again. His hands were crushed by a simple blink of her eyelids letting the sword fall to the floor with a metallic clank. Ceres looked at her with hatred shining through his irises.

“You—

“I am…your worst ever nightmare…”

Ceres struggled but it was of no use. Irene’s eyes were serene pits of darkness while her magical tendrils held Ceres fast afloat in the middle of the balcony. The moonlit shone upon them enhancing the menace within Irene’s eyes. She knew he would crack soon enough.

“Admit the truth, Ceres Judas. Admit it and I might…I just might just spare you.”

Her voice was cold. Her anger palpable. Yet Ceres refused with the last of his breaths.

“Never.”

Irene’s eyes narrowed. “Then you leave me no choice.”

He mustn’t die…

Yes, he mustn’t die. But it never meant Irene couldn’t do anything about the tragic end of her family. All because of this little pipsqueak! This…this masochistic psychopath!

Let your emotions loose…

Irene breathed in and then breathed out…

Shed the ego…

Her vision expanded rapidly…

Focus on the center…

Find your core…

Irene envisioned Alina. But this time she was smiling peacefully. She was smiling along with the rest of her dead family…

Now…Release…

Bright violet rays exuded from Irene’s body and pierced Ceres in different places of his body and brain. The power leaped and skittered until finally…finally everything faded into darkness…

Ceres’s body landed softly onto the veranda floor right next to Temperance Methuselah. Irene stood under the stars overlooking all of Crane…and overlooking her dead father…

His expression…

Both of their expressions matched each other like mirror reflections. Irene sighed. It seemed life was not with its oddities and dramatic irony. It seemed…life was much more than what she had ever hoped it would be…

It’s time…

Yes it was. Irene turned towards the Castle and marched inside with determination. It was time to finally take her life in her own hands and live for the first time. Live…for her own self…

Nahass Judas

She was a powerful one. Nahass had always known the Methuselah family to have strength. But being married to Fortitude wasn’t much of a grand deal. He had no magic in his veins. Nor did he show any respectable aura.

Nahass sighed while she looked at her Husband’s corpse sitting on he left. The last of the Methuselahs were gone. The last of the mages…were finally gone…

The soldiers looked up at her with stone cold faces. Nahass sighed again.

“All of you are sure that the Methuselah’s are dead?”

They nodded. Nahass detected no lie. Her magic wasn’t powerful but it was strong enough. Just enough…after all she did possess a bone of Yuhnu…

“Then you are all dismissed.”

Her voice was impassive. She searched the soldier’s memories while they passed. All of their minds had the same image. The dead and rotten corpse of Irene Methuselah and Nahass’s sister-in-law Nora…they were well and truly dead…

Nahass sighed again when she looked to her right and directly met the stone-faced nephew of hers. Ceres…

“Son, I took care of that bitch…” She gently stroked his cheek. “So no need to fret anymore…”

An evil smile played along her lips. Now that she was the Queen…how could she resist?

She had it all. All of it was hers now. All because of the nephew she had seduced along with the last of the magus blood…

Maddening Laughter rang throughout the throne room…

Crane would soon fall…The mortal realm would soon tremble again…Long live the Queen…