Achlys

Had it always been so cold here? A thought so small, it ran over the child’s head as if it were nothing at all. Rather his soft green eyes were filled with tears that had begun to blur his vision. The harsh sound of his bare feet echoing loudly off the empty cold marble floor pulled his attention from nonsensical thoughts to the heavy beating of his heart like claws sinking into flesh. This sound, it had wrapped around him leaving him feeling as if he were the only one in the building but where was she? After everything they had been through, the lies, the secrets, the hurt, she was missing. With a small shake of his head, he pressed on. He knew she was here.

“Mom..” he whispered softly under his breath as he rounded a corner.

The corridor seemed to stretch into eternity as his eyes became distorted with heavy tears. Endless, hopeless, all words that describe how the boy felt as his legs began to burn from exhaustion and the relentless tempo he refused to slow. Such strong will carried his heavy legs forward. He wouldn’t give up so easily for his mother was all he had and all he knew. Having not seen her in the morning, it was jarring. Her warm face slipped into his mind as hot tears left even hotter streaks down his face. Distraught is how he felt as the familiar knot of worry, and fear coiled into his stomach like a suffocating rope wrapped around his neck. There was no doubt in his soul that his mother was not close by. She was here, and she was in danger.

Another corner would come and pass, but sudden noise broke the boy’s thoughts entirely. Footsteps, loud and aggressive approached with such hatred and disgust. Where had they come from? His mind tempted the question but only briefly as he couldn’t wonder for long as they were growing louder. The race against the clock had truly begun for the boy.

Slowly, he took a chance to look back, to catch a look at the noise. A large figure, decorated in all black was approaching with vigor and cold distaste. The black shadow was fast, taking long strides that nearly doubled his own. His eyes widened and a gasp fell from his silent lips before he turned back around to focus on why he was truly here. He couldn’t waste such valuable time on being scared.

His breathing had grown labored, mimicking the sounds of a hoard of children running alongside him. Yet he was alone and real terror was beginning to control his mind. The sound of the footsteps behind were overwhelming him. So unwelcomed and yet they were coming. Regardless of the circumstances, he felt determined to make it to his mother. Wherever she may be within these chilling marbled walls.

As if someone heard his thoughts, a door in the distance appeared. Woven in the endless white marbled corridor, the door stood like a calling from his mother beckoning him closer. This sparked hope in his mind as he approached the white pillars.

Upon arriving at the doors, his legs momentarily felt like concrete. His mouth gently hung open as he marveled at the grand stature of the door. Wooden was the first thing that came to mind. Never had he seen a wooden door as the doors in his “home” were metal or aluminum. It was marvelous to the boy. Truly, however this was no ordinary door to him. The coloring, so white, it was as if another had never touched it before. It was almost blinding how white the wooden door was. It forced him to squint as his eyes continued to breathe in the door. A lotus flower engraved upon the wooden door paired with golden vines that curled and swirled behind it. The structure was breathtaking to the young boy who had only known pale gray walls and poorly decorated rooms. The intricate design was meant to mesmerize whoever came across it with its beauty. It almost was like time had stopped, however this was not the case. A loud skin crawling voice caused the boy to jump. Swirling around he saw the figure was almost to him. He knew this angel all too well. His face lit up with disgust and hatred as he turned back around. With one touch, the charm of the door faded instantly. A dark dirty hand print was left right upon the heart of the lotus.

The door swung open with ease. The boy rushed inside frantically but still so determined to find his mother. With wide eyes, he would begin his search but this search was short lived when soft green eyes fell upon a blonde woman looking peacefully at the ground. One step forward the figure behind the woman came into view. Within an instant the boy halted any further movement.

“Mom!” his voice shook and echoed around the room causing the woman to look up.

Once gentle blue eyes now stared back at him with shock and fear swirling within them. She couldn’t believe herself nor her son for being so reckless and yet all she could do was watch. The angel who had been after the young boy swiftly wrapped his rough scarred arms around his slim form. The boy cried out, squirming in the angel’s steel like grasp.

“Let me go!” He cried, “Mom! Get off me!”

The boy was desperate to check on his mother so with everything he had in his body he leaned his head forward only to pull back abruptly. His head collided with the angel’s nose. A sickening crack could be heard from around the room. The assault clearly caught the other off guard which caused him to drop the boy in an attempt to cradle his broken nose. The boy would fall hard on the floor, momentarily having the air ripped from his lungs, he only let out a sharp gasp of pain before scurrying quickly to his feet.

Slightly disoriented, he swayed and lightly stumbled. Managing to catch himself, he looked at his mother. They were both in trouble, so when he took another step forward the world around him would abruptly be ripped away. The feeling of a black void surrounded him.

“Hello?” He whispered confusedly.

Silence was all he was met with until a certain feeling came crawling back. Terror filled the void and the boy collapsed to his knees. He knew what was happening now.

“Stop.” He spoke through gritted teeth as chill ran up his spine.

Yet even his words were empty as the cold feeling of water began to pour in. At first it was just on his knees and then slowly it grew higher to his thighs and soon to his waist. Petrified he felt the sickening feeling of a panic attack brewing in his chest. Unable to escape as water climbed higher and higher. A pained wheeze left the boy once the water rose to his neck. He thought he would die but just as sudden as it came it went.

A large gasp broke the trance. Eyes wide, body in a cold sweat as he looked around. He wasn’t in a black void, rather he was in the same room as before. All he could do at that moment was breathe. At some point in the trance the angel from before had picked him up.

This angel hated the boy just as much as the boy hated him. Rafael had known about the Ivory family for some time. Every time the boy needed to be punished he had to do it. Which lead to their hatred for each other. However the boy he held in his hands was rebellious. A wild spirit not meant to be caged but forced into their society.

While Rafael was thinking about their history, the boy weakly held onto his arm. He was tired, it always took so much from him when he was forced into the paranoia. His blonde curls now stuck to his forehead while his breath continued to steady.

Unfortunately for the boy this nightmare was not yet over. His mother had been forced to watch her son nearly suffocate on his own fears. The once warm complexion was now pale and fragile looking. She worried for her son, and yelled at the angel to release him from the void.

“This is about us! Why harm such an innocent child?” Her voice, loud and filled with sadness and frustration.

The celestial being had hardly moved but the smallest adjustment of his hand had released the child from his darkest fears.

“Your son is strong willed, Beatrice. However it won’t save him nor you,” the angel spoke clearly with a hint of disgust laced within his voice. For a moment their eyes met before the woman would watch her pale baby gasp for air. Even now the growing teenager was still her sweet innocent boy. Seeing him trapped within his mind, eyes rolled back, hands clawing at the floor for release, It scared her. Once her hand rested softly on the floor but now it rested tightly clutching her chest.

“Please spare him. He means no harm sir. He is only a naive child,” Her voice, soft yet desperate.

The angel spared the woman no grace as he walked towards where the young male was held. The boy was looking down at the moment, clearly focused on regaining his composure. However the sounds of footsteps grew louder and louder until he could feel the waves of power that the angel in front of him dripped. Without a word he could feel the angel’s eyes staring a hole into him, daring the boy to make any wrong moves. Yet he didn’t he remained in place, and quiet.

“Now, Theodore, I know you’re not usually so obedient. Where is that disgusting, foul, spirit?”

The boy would remain silent even after a taunt he usually would have lashed out on but right this minute he was still recovering from his own terrors. Once again silence would fall upon them as if the angel was waiting for the boy to speak and he wouldn’t be disappointed. Minutes later the boy would lift his head and stare the man down. His complexion finally gained some color.

“Monsters,” he said with so much spite and hate it nearly dripped venom.

A sudden darkness rolled over the angel’s eyes. It was a feeling that no one in the room had felt before.

“Monsters? Is that what you think I am? What we are, boy?” The man laughed cruelly, turning on his heel with ease. “I fear, I must show you what type of monsters we really are. After all humans never understand, until everything they love is stripped away from them.” His voice, which once held disappointment, held nothing but a cold reality.

A hand reached out to the woman on the floor but it wasn’t to help her up. The hand gently intertwined into those blonde locks. The world had grown quiet as the scene unfolded. Theodore watched with sobs tempting to rise to his throat. What his mother couldn’t see just yet was the long divine sword forming in the angel’s hand.

“No please!” he cried, suddenly finding strength to squirm within Rafael’s grasp.

Rafael’s grip would tighten to almost a crushing feeling and yet the boy would squirm worse. Thinking this was foolish Rafael began to turn around to send the boy off to his punishment for breaking several rules.

“Wait, Rafael,” the man had spoken.

Rafael paused, turning back around with the boy still squirming in his grip. Out of respect the archangel would lower his head, showing he was listening.

“Let the boy watch. He should understand the consequences of breaking the order.” Such cold words sent a dark chill down Theodore’s spine. He swallowed hard not knowing what was to come as they were now rooted in the ground it seemed. The dominion angel stepped behind the woman who’s cheeks were now flushed and tear stained mimicking her sons. A sob wrecked the child seeing his once warm, and strong mother being diminished to nothing but a piece of trash.

Determined to be freed he thrashed worse. His energy, low but his spirit was far from being broken.

“Let me go, you bast-,” He went to yell but was silenced with a hand sliding over his mouth. Sealing his vile words to his throat.

“Hush boy,” Rafael whispered with annoyance.

Displeased, the boy struggled but to no avail it was pointless as the angel exposed the blade he had once been hiding. In an almost animalist way, the angel caught Theodore’s eyes. A sinister soul sickening smile formed on his lips.

“Say goodbye.” The male commanded from the woman who stared down her son with unwavering concern but not for herself. For him.

“I’m sorry, my sweet boy.” She whispered tenderly.

Tears spilled over his eyes as she spoke, his voice muted by a hand but his emotions were loud.

Just like that, the world deafened as the child watched the blade descend into his mothers back. The sickening sound of metal entering flesh filled the room. Nothing could have prepared Theodore for this as his heart sank. Violently, he shuttered when the unforgettable sound of his mothers dying gasp danced like a sad melody in his ears. Tears would continue to flow but faster like a river raging.

It was all so abruptly. No more peaceful melodies, no more soft hums. It burned something into him that he had never felt before. His heart shattered in thousands of pieces.

To his surprise he no longer had a hand over his mouth as his own sobs and mournful wheezes reached his ears.

“No…please..” he whispered.

His voice was raw with emotion as his mother’s body would be so roughly pulled off the sword as if she were nothing but dirt. Watching with loud pleading sobs, his mother caught herself. A single bloodied hand now stained the white floor as blood poured from her chest, and back like a crimson waterfall. The sight was disheartening, foul, and tragic. So many emotions hung in the air like an unknown secret.

For Theodore there was nothing left for him. Arms still held him so tightly until they didn’t. Being released he stumbled forward, falling onto the ground in front of his mother. Blood had begun to stain his own hands as he crawled to her, closing the distance.

“M-mom..” he whispered.

His hands worn from physical labor gently curled around his mothers blonde hair. Softly he cradled her head in his lap, an attempt to protect her from the world. Looking down he didn’t expect her to still hold such a soft smile. She had always been the strongest woman he knew and even in the face of death she smiled.

“My beautiful Theodore,” she whispered.

The young boy felt an indescribable feeling, one that words couldn’t explain. His mother slowly dying in his hands, her weak, unstable, shaky breaths filled his ears. All the boy could do was cry as he held his mother close. She coughed, causing blood to tint her lips with red.

“Don’t cry my sweet boy, we won’t part forever. Just for now…I love you..”

Her soft words, mirrored with the way her hand had reached out to gently hold his cheek. He held it tightly to his face until she no longer made a sound. Even in her dying breaths she reassured him that she would never truly be gone, just not physically around. For a moment cries and devastation ran through him but he didn’t want her to leave him.

“Mom please don’t leave,” He cried out as he gently shook her.

Met with nothing but silence he was forced to face the truth. She was gone, the light in her eyes had faded and that soft smile was no longer around. His tears had begun to stain his clothes and his mother’s face.

“Please..” he pleaded a final time before the grim reality came to find him.

A hand so cold, and so rough gripped his shoulders. Without a word he was ripped from his mother’s corpse.

“No! Wait! Mom!” He cried out for her.

He was met with nothing, unfortunately for him he was drug away slowly from the scene. His vision had begun to grow blurry, and dark the further he was pulled away from her. Soon enough the darkness would swallow him whole.