Revenant of Hertis

Unceasing pain, tears, and festering resentment engulfed Genevieve’s soul as she watched the blood from the cut on her finger seep into the soil like an offering. Her body quivered, tears gathering in her eyes, yet still-no sound. It was the most grievous torment imaginable: to scream in agony, yet have no voice strong enough to break the air.

This suffering had plagued her ever since her father perished-poisoned by an unseen hand whose identity remained veiled in shadows. It could have been anyone in their town, or someone from the surrounding realms; every trail vanished, every clue erased. Yet cruel whispers clung to the wind, murmuring that her stepmother was the serpent behind it all.

Losing her father meant losing her life. When Casimir died, the world turned on her like vultures-treating her as muck, drowning her in slurs, striking her with hands that knew no mercy. And now, alone in the gloom of Vexaria Cave, she felt the urge to unleash a wail that could shatter stone, yet she swallowed it, suffocating beneath the weight of her own anguish. She desired to strike something, anything, to quiet the storm clawing at her chest. But all she could do was let her tears fall, heavy with grief and wrath, drowning her in a chasm of despair.

A sudden footstep cut through her sorrow, making her heart race as her breath stuttered.

“Hey! Stupid hunchback. Get up!” The voice was a venom she knew too well.

Lady Eleanor-her wicked stepmother.The woman who claimed her father’s properties, wealth, land, and even Genevieve’s liberty as her own.

“I said, get up!” Eleanor snarled as she stepped on the hem of Genevieve’s black kirtle, pressing her deeper into the cold sand.

Genevieve tried to rise, but her legs buckled immediately. Her body was too frail, too battered by the endless torment inflicted upon her. Still, she attempted again-only to collapse.

“I-I’m sorry... but I cannot. My body needs time to heal.” Her voice cracked, brittle from exhaustion.

Eleanor laughed sharply. “So I should simply let you sit there?”

“Maybe... I can return to the palace later...”

The lady’s expression darkened. Her eyes sliced through Genevieve’s soul before she seized her by the arm and dragged her like a ragdoll. She stopped only to strike her across the face.

“How dare you complain?! You have no right to disobey me, stupid hunchback!” Eleanor roared. “Whatever I command, you obey. No objections. No excuses.”

Tears swelled again, but Genevieve let them fall freely. “I l-lost everything. I obey you in everything... yet this is how you repay me? Do you believe I deserve this?”

“And where did you find the courage to speak to someone vastly superior to you?” Eleanor hissed before slapping her again.

“Courage...?” Genevieve’s gaze hardened. She regretted the words the moment they slipped out, yet they were the truth-raw, buried truth clawing from her core.

“Such arrogance,” Eleanor scoffed. “For the first time, you dare speak with audacity. But listen well, Genevieve.” She strode closer, hatred blazing in her eyes. “If you imagine yourself a noble brave enough to defy me, think again. Learn your place before I beat you to death.”

Genevieve’s bitter stare met hers. And then she uttered words sharp enough to draw blood.

“Truth is revealed.”

For a few seconds, silence thickened the air as they glared at one another-mutual hatred pulsing like fire between them.

Genevieve finally spoke, her voice steady yet trembling with rage. “All my life, I never disrespected you. I never opposed you. So answer me-where did you find the courage to steal everything from me? To ruin my life? Tell me... did you kill my father?!”

Eleanor’s eyes widened in shock before fury twisted her features, and she struck Genevieve once more. “You worthless, mucky creature! Yes-I killed him, you pitiful hunchback!”

“You’re evil! A murderer!” Genevieve shrieked for the first time as the tears blurred her sight.

“I will not tolerate your insolence!” Eleanor spat. “Now that you know the truth, I’ll make sure your suffering is endless.” She stormed out of the cave and called, “Charlotte! Come here!”

Charlotte, chief of the parlormaids, entered the cave. Genevieve watched her nod with cold obedience before seizing her roughly. Genevieve shoved her off, but the sound of approaching steps froze her.

Then came the sting-the bite of a whip hitting skin-when Aragon and Harevo, the guardsmen who had tortured her moments earlier, appeared. Their grips tightened around their whips, their eyes dripping with disgust.

“What can we do for you, Lady Eleanor?” Aragon asked.

“It’s time to end her existence,” Eleanor said, her voice dripping venom. She turned to Charlotte. “Ensure no one discovers this execution.”

“Y-yes, Lady Eleanor,” Charlotte stammered.

“We’re ready, my lady,” Harevo added.

The guards dragged Genevieve across the ground, pain shooting through her limbs.

“You have no escape now,” Aragon jeered. “Accept your fate, ugly hunchback.”

“This is your final hour,” Harevo sneered.

They laughed at her suffering, mocking her as though she were a plague to be cleansed-a wretched creature unworthy of breath.

Then the whipping began. Each lash tore a cry from her throat, the pain unbearable.

“N-no...” She curled into herself, trying in vain to dull the agony.

The blows continued-whips, kicks, slaps, curses. She let the tears fall freely until the pain numbed into a hollow ache. Blood trickled from every gash, burning her skin like fire.

“P-please... s-stop...” she whispered weakly.

At last, they stopped. Their smirks carved deeper wounds.

“We’ve done our duty,” Harevo mocked. “But Lady Eleanor demands more.”

Charlotte stepped forward, clutching a bottle of fuel and matchsticks.

Genevieve met her gaze, desperate. “Please... don’t... please...”

But Charlotte poured the fuel, ignited the flame, and cast it upon her. Fire devoured her skin; she screamed as her flesh burned.

Charlotte fled, leaving her to die.

Summoning the last fragments of her strength, Genevieve crawled toward the creek-its surface coated with murky green water and drifting black petals. She threw herself into the cold depths to extinguish the flames tearing at her body.

As darkness claimed her, she uttered a curse she never knew she carried—words dripping with wrath and promise.

“I will destroy you... one by one... for killing my father... and me. I swear... your lives will be swallowed in gloom and ruin.”