“What is this place?”
Edith was standing in front of a tall, black gate. Behind the black gate, Edith could see a building with an inverted pyramid-shaped design. Edith felt a dark aura emanating from the building.
“This is Black Bold, a prison for prisoners in the supernatural realm. My father was sent here to be the warden of this prison. Matthieu managed to get rid of one of his rivals, which was my father. This place is just like hell,” Seth started the conversation.
Edith shuddered in horror as soon as she heard Seth’s words. No wonder this place had a dark aura; its inhabitants were high-class criminals.
“The shape of the building is like that because the bottom end is the most basic prison reserved for the most violent prisoners. The security level is layered with the maximum strength of the three representatives: werewolf, vampire, and witch. My father represented the werewolf race after Matthieu submitted his proposition to the Idris Council.”
“I can’t imagine how your mom and dad lived their daily lives in this place; it’s so horrible!” Edith could only say it weakly.
“You’re right, it is the worst. The good news is that there hasn’t been a single prisoner who managed to escape from this place. That’s a relief, isn’t it?” Seth quipped.
Seth was already holding the iron handle of the fence until an echoing voice startled them both. Seth searched for the origin of the sound and slowly saw a faceless, hooded figure coming from behind the fence.
“Passcode werewolf?” The voice sounded cold.
“Pawfoot,” said Seth loudly.
Edith saw the five key slots lined up from top to bottom, opened one by one. The five open locks emitted a red light, changing to yellow and finally to blue. After it disappeared, the gate opened wide, and the figure made way for Seth and Edith to enter the path to the building.
Edith cast her eyes around the building. At the outer boundary of the building, there was a tall wall towering with dimly lit lamps, each guarded by the same figure that gave them access to enter earlier. The figure caught Edith’s attention because, when Edith was near the creature, she felt something dark squeeze her chest.
“What are those creatures, Seth?”
“Calamitors of Despair are witches whose souls were cursed and sealed in limbo, leaving their bodies in this world. The soul separated from the body after a long time will make their bodies become like that. The sensation you feel will become their power. Therefore, no one can ever escape from this prison. Usually they will die of desperation, and they are immune to any magic.”
“Bloody hell, that’s horrible!”
“Yeah, it was horrible.”
Seth and Edith led the way to the main part of the building. With each step, Edith could hear the sound of her own steps because the prison hall was so quiet. She could see several figures-probably vampires-who moved very quickly, passing between rooms with files carried in both hands.
The second room Edith travelled through was brighter than the previous one. The atmosphere was a little more crowded as Edith felt the heat hit her body. She understood that this was the werewolf’s room spot, with all their activities organising the control of the prisoners.
In one of the glassed-in rooms, Edith saw Seth’s father sitting behind his desk and watching the large screen opposite. Seth opened the door and greeted his father, who was surprised at his son’s sudden arrival.
“Dad, how are you?”
“Almost desperate, son. I guess you’ve heard about me,” he said as he showed his hand, which was wrapped in a brace up to his neck.
“Yeah, I found out yesterday from Matthieu. He was about to incite my wrath if Edith didn’t intervene.”
Chris turned to look at Edith. He scrutinised Edith from head to toe until he finally opened his voice and asked, “How are you, Luna?”
“Dying and coming back to life until I get bored,” Edith replied with a grin to break the ice.
“Yeah, I can see that. I heard from Ashley that you had a daughter after that incident, and she told me about her situation. My two grandchildren are a hybrid and a tribrid; what other destiny is the Moon Goddess planning?”
Edith didn’t want to answer Chris’ frustration. She distracted Chris by showing him Juliette’s picture on Seth’s mobile phone. Chris smiled after seeing the portrait of his granddaughter.
“I hope you love her; she’s always wanted a daughter, and now you’ve given her the granddaughter she wanted. She’s beautiful like you, Luna.” said Chris.
“Julie is with Anne at the hotel. It’s a good thing Seth told me not to bring Julie here; I just found out that this place is horrible. Sorry, Chris, no offence.” said Edith matter-of-factly.
“I’m sick of being in this place, let alone a child. Huh, my sense of humour is strained by the aura of this place.”
Chris looked down sluggishly. He leaned his back against the chair and rubbed his face roughly. He himself also did not know when this would end.
“I’ll try to get you out of here, dad. This place is slowly sucking away your happiness without you realising it. Matthieu is a wanker!”
Edith didn’t want the sadness to linger. She wanted her and Seth’s arrival to have some good effect on Seth’s father. She looked straight at the screen that Chris had been watching when they entered.
“Is this place also powered by human technology?”
“Their technology is quite advanced when compared to magic. Witches can’t be trusted sometimes, so the Council installed human technology to monitor the prisoners. We werewolves are at the forefront of security, while vampires, with their meticulousness, take care of all the administration in this prison,” Chris said.
“Seth told me that the bottom floor is where the most severely punished prisoners are; is there anyone living in that cell yet?” Edith was curious after hearing Seth’s explanation.
“Not yet. Only the most sadistic creatures will occupy that cell,” Chris replied quickly.
“What kind of case is the most severe?”
“Mass murder of a village with a magic curse; brutal attacks with body parts left for werewolves or corpses with no trace of blood left; provided the victim is human.”
Edith gaped wide. Images of many dead bodies filled her mind. Was there, or would there be, such a case in the future?
She imagined herself, Seth, or her children doing something like that. There would be a possibility, given that she once strangled a woman until she was almost out of breath; or Seth ripping off a human’s head, as he had done to her in the past; or one of his children losing control of their hidden powers. It was frustrating for Edith just to imagine it.
“Why does your face look like that?” asked Seth, who was already looking at her in surprise.
“I’m just imagining things that worry me. We have the potential to become uncontrollable; we’re all monsters, Seth.”
“But we also still have a human side; you’re forgetting that, baby.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Do you want to take a walk around here?” offered Seth.
“Of course not; who wants to go bonkers after a walk? You’re kidding,” said Edith, pursing her lips.
“I’m just offering, in case you’re interested. You’ve never seen the behaviour of supernatural prisoners, have you?”
“I haven’t, and I won’t!”
“You certainly haven’t seen the witch who split her soul into more just because she wanted revenge on her werewolf mate. Her magic is one of the five forbidden magics in the Idris Covenant.”
“What? Dividing the soul into more?”