Chapter 121: 121-More hell than paradise
The song came to an end. Aenyra tapped Sseraphis’ shoulder to awaken him to the end of their dance, but the snake didn’t open his eyes.
"Ask them to play another song," he whispered, his head felt too heavy to lift, and without the music, the world seemed to quiet for him. He desperately yearned for noise to tune out his inner voices that were mostly endless screams now. "I want to continue dancing."
"I don’t think that we should," Aenyra disagreed with his plans.
Just then, a melody flowed through the room. It was sweet to the ears, loud enough to reach every corner of the hall and pleasing to the soul.
Because underneath the song, the singer was releasing powerful calming spiritual energy that not only relaxed the mind but also mended any wounds, physical, mental, and spiritual.
Sseraphis opened his eyes and looked past Aenyra and caught a glimpse of Nytherael seated with the orchestra crew and singing his heart out.
His eyes lingered on him for a few seconds before he lowered his eyes. "On second thought, I think I am right about done with dancing," he declared and separated from Aenyra before storming towards the door.
Nytherael noticed him leaving and stopped singing. He heard Sseraphis say that he wanted to continue dancing and after seeing him wounded, he figured he could hit two birds with one stone; grant his wish by singing for him and healing his aches in the process.
"Ahhh," the guests groaned in displeasure. "Why did you stop?" Most raised the question.
Having been exposed to poisons and curses lingering in most corners of the beastworld, Nytherael’s singing was the perfect remedy for them. They felt relieved when they listened to him, and the moment he stopped, their aches returned.
"Sorry, but I must head out," he applogized to them and rushed out after Sseraphis and Aeltharion followed behind him after a moment. "Sseraphis, wait up."
Sseraphis didn’t wait. He increased his speed. He was going insane from both Nytherael’s voice and the screams inside his head.
"Little truth, hold on. Let’s talk."
"I have nothing to say to you."
"Then, won’t you hear what I have to say."
Sseraphis had no interest in anything Nytherael or the rest of the world had to say, at least not that very moment. He simply wished for destruction, anything to distract the chaos in his head until he got a hold of himself.
He just needed the pain to stop. But what Nytherael offered, a talk... that might work for Nytherael and Aeltharion when it comes to their problems and sorting out their issues, but it wasn’t for him.
Nytherael made chase, desperate to catch up and talk about what happened when Aninma’s voice sounded in his ear. "He grew up alone, Nythe," Nytherael stopped and listened. "Deep down, I’m not sure he realizes it either, but... he burns himself for you and Aeltharion because deep down he is afraid if he doesn’t, you’ll both leave him life his parents did."
Nytherael’s tears fell. He knew Sseraphis had a fear of being abandoned deep down, but with how well he held himself most of the time, he didn’t think it was that bad.
"Unlike you, he didn’t grow up with a community around him. He grew up closed off to the world, so talking is probably not the best approach," Aninma cautioned him. "Why not offer him distraction instead."
Nytherael held his breath. One, two, three... he counted in his head and chose to trust Madam Zhen since the girl seemed to know a thing or two about what she was doing.
"Want to go watch a hunt?" He shouted.
Sseraphis halted. He raised his eyes to the sky, judging by the time there was no hunt available at that hour.
Nytherael looked up too and made the realization. He thought on his feet, a place with loud noises, bustling and could distract Sseraphis.
"How about taking a trip to the capital’s night market?" Aeltharion helped.
Nytherael flashed him a grateful smile, and Aeltharion returned it with a gaze thar said ’we ate in thos together’.
Sseraphis considered it. Though he didn’t like mingling with common folk, he could use the distraction, and there was nothing more distracting than a market bustling with activities. The comings and goings, sellers and buyers and he could window shop for shimmering things.
"Okay. But no talking," he set his rule.
"No talking," Nytherael and Aeltharion raised three fingers to seal the promise. Sseraphis smiled at their childishness. With a snap of his finger, he changed out of the outfit and back to his usual black robes.
The outfit had served its purpose, though not as grandly as he’d hoped, but it had been effective to create noise for him at the party. Now that he was going out, it felt inappropriate.
With that, the three left the Zhen estates and wondered into the night.
Back at the party, with Sseraphis and her brother gone. Aenyra was stuck with her aunt at the same table. She broke into cold sweats.
No secrets were ever secretly kept from her young aunt. She just hoped Aninma would focus too much on work to care about what was going on in her life.
"So," Aninma motioned for a server to serve her. Aenyra gulped, waiting for her to complete her thoughts. "Are you going to leave your bound one at the guest wing all night with a party at home?"
Aenyra’s eyes widened. As expected, even without saying a word, her aunt already knew the truth. Her eyes darted from one spot to another, and her mind struggled to find the right words to explain why she made the rushed choice.
Even though she had a reasonable motivation behind her actions, it doesn’t change the fact that she acted without the blessings of her elders and sinned.
When she failed to find a way to explain. She lowered her head and admitted, "I’ll accept any punishment you give me."
Aninma was at a loss of what to do with her rule abiding niece. Unlike her, Aenyra was born with crashing responsibilities on her shoulder and had the choice to live a little.
However, with years of training in restraint, isolation and rule following drilled into her since she was young, she had never once set her foot outside the line her mother drew for him which was sad since she could and not suffer much consequences.
She let out a long, soft breath and opened her small palm, signalling for Aenyra to hand over her hand. Aenyra breathed in and out, and her moment of judgement had come. She braced herself, ready for whatever decision Aninma reached for her behaviour.
When she placed her hand on Aninma’s chilling palm, she expected to be struck with a hidden technique or be condemned to the lightning room to be struck down until she remembered the rules of the Zhen family.
Sweat formed on her forehead. She had seen dragons sent to that room, and none who survived it had ever been the same again. As thought it was an unspoken rule, no beast who ever entered the punishment chamber has ever spoken of what happens inside. She had no clue what awaited her if that was her fate, and that scared her even more.
"I think..." Aninma paused, Aenyra lowered her head, her heart beating so loudly she was afraid the guests could hear it. The corner of Aninma’s lips lifted up in amusement. "I think that you’ve reached the right age to move out and start a life of your own," she said.
Aenyra lifted her head. That was the strangest she’d ever been yelled at or scolded. "What?"
"I saw her, Sheana, I mean," she squeezed Aenyra’s hand with gentleness. "She makes for one fine daughter-in-law."
"... but she’s loud, careless, spontaneous, and isn’t much for rules..." Aenyra argued. She couldn’t tell if she was fighting her case or against it.
Aninma’s smile didn’t waver. "You and I can agree. Your time with her is the most you’ve lived and experienced what life is supposed to be."
"That..."
"And this family could use a bit of positive misbehaviour," she added.
"Mother..."
"I’ll handle her and the elders if you promise you’ll do right by that girl."
Aenyra blinked. In Aninma’s eyes, she saw a rare sympathy, and it wasn’t for her but for Sheana.
"Why?"
"I’m twelve and carrying this family like I’m eighty nine... It’s a lonely, isolated path... and it has given me the talent to spot loneliness in even then brightest of faces," she explained, a rare sight. "And just like Sseraphis, you bound one is carrying years of loneliness and disappointment. If you’re not going to be happiness, I suggest letting her down slowly... she’s been through more hell than paradise that any beast her age should."
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