I screamed at the top of my lungs as soon as the hot iron rod was pressed to the flesh on my back, creating a searing pain that made me want to pass out immediately.
“I do not know how to communicate with Her! I only have done it one time with the former Luna Queen Beatrice’s painting! That was only one time!” I said through gritted teeth, hissing as I felt the flesh from my back was slowly healing.
I heard Lothim’s snort behind me before I screamed again when he pressed the rod again to my back. “My apologies, my dear daughter, but I am not going to accept that as an excuse!” he said angrily. “I want to speak with your mother!” he demanded.
“Halt! Please…” … Father. I wanted to say it but that word couldn’t come out because until now, I still couldn’t believe that… Magnius Lothim was my… father.
When he didn’t hear anything from me, I was coerced to return back to their man-made prison cell where I was too weak to even get up. I hissed because my back was in pain again because the last thing he did was to soak the iron rod to the wolfsbane and pressed it to my flesh again and again.
I slowly peeled my eyes open. The first thing I saw was the moist ceiling of the cave while I was hearing the loud screams from the battlefield. Even so, I couldn’t help wondering what happened to Claude and Cloudy.
“Claude… Cloudy…”
Were you two safe? Were the two of you alright while I was away? Has Cloudy been fed properly? Was it on time? Who was taking care of him?
“Cloudy…” I murmured my son’s nickname.
Tears started to form in my eyes. I had been held captive here for a few days. I was being tortured by Lothim demanding that he wanted to speak with my… mother, the Moon Goddess.
I wanted to ask him how he became my father and the Moon Goddess became my mother but how could I ask when he kept insisting on me that he wanted to speak with the Moon Goddess which I had only done one time.
Then, if the Moon Goddess was really my mother, then… I am a spirit goddess? I was bound to be a witness to Her creations? And Lothim said that I was the first offspring… As far as I could remember from Princess Eustacia’s words, the first daughter shall come forth and would be the one to find her sisters…
Then, if I was the first born, am I really bound to find my… sisters?
I castigated myself. I was still having a hard time accepting the information that Lothim was my father. All I knew was that a monk living from the Southeast coast was the one who took care of me before he left me in front of the Dark Soul pack when I was young.
I had a vague memory of the monk who took me under his wing. I couldn’t even remember what he looked like after all.
Later that night, I heard footsteps coming to my prison cell after it took me a lot of energy to lean back to the wall of their man-made cell. The guards had bestowed me with some meal to eat but I didn’t have the power to even lift a finger. All I could do was stare at it.
“How’s your back, dear daughter?”
I secretly gnashed my teeth upon hearing Lothim’s baritone voice. I lifted my gaze to see him crouching down so we could have an equal vision of seeing each other.
“You…” I wanted to bark. I wanted to demand answers from him. I wanted to know how I became the spirit goddess or must I say, one of the daughters of the Moon Goddess.
Lothim smiled sweetly. “Have you spoken to your mother? Tell Her that Her first mate wants to speak with Her already,” he said while he was clenching his teeth. “After leaving me alone… After She gave birth to you… She never showed Herself before me again!” I flinched when his voice raised. “And now… I am finding out that She will give birth to more daughters… from different men? How outrageous she is!” I gasped when he shook the cage and looked at me menacingly. “I am the one who took care of you as soon as your mother gave birth to you! I am the one who bestowed you the name, Rachelle! How can She play my heart like that?! Your mother is a whore!”
Suddenly, there was a prick in my heart as soon as he uttered that. Feeling furious, I spoke. “She is not a whore! How dare you accuse Her of that!” I immediately gasped at the words I uttered. My eyes even widened.
Why did I do that? How could I utter those words? It was as if I knew the Moon Goddess well…
His face darkened. “Do you have any idea how your mother informed me that She has many mates aside from me?! Can you even accept that if your mate has more than one mate other than you?!” That rendered me speechless. I even felt my heart being squeezed upon thinking that Claude would have another mate other than me. I couldn’t accept it somehow… “You, my daughter…” I snapped back when he shook the cage again. “You are even lucky that you are bound to meet that man! Your mother… She made an agreement with that deceased Luna Queen! You are bound to protect your mate and die in exchange for his life!”
“W-What?” My heart stopped as soon as he said that. He didn’t say anything as he remained smiling maniacally. “I-I am part of their agreement?” I asked for confirmation but he remained silent. “Hey! Answer me!”
He scoffed, grinning. “You are born to die, Rachelle. Your purpose as to why you are born is because of their agreement. Tell me… How cruel your mother is to even give you birth here only to die in the near future by protecting your mate?”
I was left with no words. I was… already part of their agreement? To protect… my mate? I was bound to protect Claude after all?
Which reminds me… I protected Claude and sacrificed myself… Was this it? Was this my purpose? I would really die soon?
How about Cloudy? Cloudy and I didn’t even have a proper reunion yet… Cloudy wouldn’t get to know that I am his mother… I wouldn’t even witness him growing up… I couldn’t oversee him being crowned as the next Crown Prince or even Alpha King. I wouldn’t get to witness him having a mate.
“I can help you escape with that fate, Rachelle.” I snapped back when Lothim-my father-was already in front of me. I didn’t realize that he opened the cage door and was crouching down right now. “If you want, we can kill your mate. I can allow you to rule the Waevalon Kingdom. You can become the Luna Queen pregnant.”
“I-I have a son…” I mindlessly said, still unable to comprehend his words.
His eyes widened a little before he chuckled. “Of course… My daughter already has a son. And I became a grandfather… How ironic…” He smiled bitterly. “Your mother really plans unexpectedly. It is truly annoying that my fated mate is the Moon Goddess herself.”
I looked at him, bewildered. “Why… W-Why would you want to speak with Her?”
I’d been wondering why he hated the Moon Goddess so much. Was being not the only mate of the Moon Goddess enraged him? Was that the only reason why he desperately wanted to speak with Her? I am confused.
He said that She played with his heart. But did the Moon Goddess intentionally play his heart?
Lothim smiled darkly. “I want Her to know that I am going to kill Her.”