Heart of Darkness

William woke up feeling cold. Without opening his eyes he tried to reach for his blanket but felt like he was sleeping on something hard. He opened his eyes and found himself in a dark place and sleeping on a hard surface. When he touched it, it seemed like he was sleeping on what seemed like a large rock.

Fear crawled under his skin as he slowly sat up and looked around. Did the monsters in his dreams already come for him?

Suddenly fire was lit around him, to light up the room he was in, which looked rather like a cave. Yes, the monsters must have found him. Did he misinterpret his dream because it seemed like they would find him later than sooner?

Jumping down from the rock he looked for an exit, despite knowing that he couldn't outrun the monsters he had seen in his nightmares. They were dangerous and possessed abilities beyond his imagination.

"I am sorry to disturb your sleep." A female voice purred.

William followed the sound and found a woman dressed in white standing in the room with him. His lips parted and his jaw slowly dropped. Who was this… lady?

He forgot to breathe as he stared wide-eyed at her. She had hair like the night, cascading down her shoulders in soft waves and eyes so green they mesmerized him. Her face was that of an angel but with a hint of wickedness as she smiled knowingly at his reaction.

William's eyelids fluttered and he looked away quickly as heat crept to his face.

Not knowing what to do the politeness in him took over and he bowed slightly. "My Lady."

"My Lady? Oh, are you not charming?" She said as she neared, walking across the floor with smooth elegance.

William tried his best to stand still. He had already made the conclusion that she was the type of monster that Lord Rayven and His Majesty were. She had the same aura of danger, maybe even more dangerous and he suspected that he had seen her in his dreams. He wasn't sure yet because in his dreams he never saw faces clearly, and the woman in his dreams seemed evil rather than beautiful. Perhaps it wasn't the same person but he remembered those unique green eyes.

"You seem calm. Did you perhaps know that I would come for you?" She asked.

She knew what he was.

"No. Who are you if I may ask, My Lady?"

She seemed cunning, dangerous, even deadly… yet not.

"I am not the enemy." She replied with a smile.

She had heard him speak to others.

"My name is Lucrezia." she continued.

Even her name was beautiful and now that he saw her closer, she was indeed the woman in his nightmares. The one giving to Lord Rayven and taking from His Majesty. He wasn't sure what that dream meant, yet, but she seemed to be of higher status and they were her subordinates. He also saw her punish His Majesty.

Who was she really? And what did she want from him?

"Why am I here?" He asked.

Suddenly the room turned into a beautiful extravagant parlor. "Oh, I am sorry. Is this place more pleasant?"

He nodded. She was one to avoid questions in a smart way.

"Come. Sit." She said motioning toward a white sofa.

William sat down, still a bit shaken by how she easily transformed the room. So they could do these kinds of things? Definitely not creatures he could easily escape.

These creatures, with such power, existed in his world. He was in much more danger than he could imagine.

"Do you want something to drink?" She asked as she sat across from him.

"No, thank you." He replied. "You know what I am. May I know what you are?"

"You already know and I am the reason why you can never say the word."

"Then am I here because I know of your secret?"

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you because of it, since I know your secret as well. And it seems you have chosen to be on our side."

Their side? So he was right that the demons were on the opposing side of the other monsters he had seen that were looking for him. Or was she speaking of the humans?

"Who are the others?" He asked now that he didn't have to speak in secret if she was the one causing them to whisper.

"The shades. They are a lot like us. Creatures of the dark."

"Why do they need me if you don't then?"

If both creatures were somehow similar, why was only one of them looking for him?

Lucrezia leaned back and seemed thoughtful. "I guess someone powerful among them needs to know something about the future. Or perhaps they just want to have equal power. Some of us demons have the ability to see the future which the shades don't have."

He nodded. "Then why are they killing the women?"

"Because prophets are females. You are the first male prophet. It is a way to tell the prophets to show themselves. Most of them feel guilty and surrender because of their good nature." She smiled.

So it was done to lure him out. To make him feel responsible and guilty. Should he feel those things?

"Is there anything else you want to know?" She asked.

"You want something in return for answering my questions." He said.

"I only want answers as well." She smirked.

He nodded calmly. "You may ask."

Perhaps she thought he knew everything about the future which wasn't the case.

"I want to know about Rayven and why your attitude toward him has changed?"

Lord Rayven? The man who planned to leave his sister after marrying her. William got rarely angry but thinking about this always infuriated him.

His sister had lost enough. First their mother, then their father, then their home, then her innocence, her reputation, her joy...

People had left her with almost nothing and this man wanted to give back those things for a moment to leave her with nothing again. Give her hope, just to crush those hopes later, causing her to never dare to have hope again. And the fact that he was doing this knowing the consequences for his sister angered him even more.

Anyone who intentionally did anything that would hurt his sister was on his bad side.

"It seems like you know a lot about my relationship with others."

"I know everything." She smiled. "Almost."

"Then why is Lord Rayven planning to leave my sister and where is he going?"

"Oh, so it is that part." She sighed. "Lord Rayven had always wanted to die, but don't worry. That won't happen so easily unless… he keeps being stubborn and refuses to find his redemption, which is what I wanted to ask. Do you think he is redeemable? Do you see his future? With your sister, perhaps?"

"He wants to die?" William finally understood his dreams. Where Lord Rayven was running to.

"He wants to escape his punishment."

Escape? That would explain the running.

"What is he being punished for?"

"He was being punished for his pride. Yes, I am the punisher." She said as if answering his unspoken question.

He was… I am … He paid attention to the words she chose.

Then who was she still punishing? His Majesty?

This woman didn't look as frightening as she did in his dreams. It could be because he couldn't read her well and this was all a mask to hide the person underneath. The punisher.

He looked at her. How could this woman punish, he wondered. But then he looked closer into her eyes. They weren't much different from their eyes. Her eyes were also dead somehow. Also dark and empty.

"What are you being punished for?" He wondered.

She seemed taken aback by his question. Her eyes widened slightly before they narrowed and then she smiled. This time with a hint of mockery and sadness in her expression.

"So, do you know anything about his future?" She asked feeling uncomfortable with the sudden change of topic.

He sensed her uneasiness from the way her eyes darted slightly, just this one time. Otherwise, her posture was always strong and confident.

"What is His Majesty being punished for?" He asked.

He could see that she desperately sought answers so he might as well use the opportunity to get answers himself.

"Have you heard of the seven deadly sins?" she asked.

William nodded.

"I punish those sins. I am sure you will figure out which sin His Majesty is being punished for."

So Lord Rayven was punished for pride. The sin was said to be the root of all other sins. It was the worst of all sins. The one that brought destruction.

"Lord Rayven wants to die to escape his punishment?"

She chuckled. "Truth is no one is punishing him anymore. Pride makes you blind. Selfish. Lord Rayven knows nothing and wants to know nothing that doesn't have to do with him. It is always about him. His pain, his suffering, his sorrow. His and him. And somehow that became his punishment. Now I wonder if that is changing for good or if I am only being misled?"

She was afraid of being disappointed.

She shook her head with a smile as if knowing he had read her well this time.

"Nevermind. I guess you don't know the answer." She said leaning back again.

She was right. Dreams weren't always clear. Most of the time, they were hints, warnings, or guidance.

"You only seem curious about Lord Rayven's future. I thought His Majesty also committed a sin." William said.

"His Majesty is different. He chose to be punished even though he regretted it later but it was too late."

He chose to be punished? William was surprised.

Lucrezia saw the questioning look on his face and smiled. "How about this. Since you are curious I'll tell you all about it one day. The only thing I ask in return is for you to let me know if you see anything about their future."

"Do they trust you?" He asked then tried to read her expression. The answer seemed to be no. "They trust me. I don't know what they have done, but I don't want to break their trust."

She didn't seem disappointed by his answer which surprised him a little. She was a challenge to understand.

"Then you shouldn't. But perhaps one day you will want to know why His Majesty feels familiar to you."

She knew…

Did this mean that there truly was a reason behind the feeling? What was the reason? And what was his relationship with the King?

Lucrezia smiled satisfied that she had piqued his curiosity, but William tried to remain calm.

"Yes. Perhaps one day." He said.

"Then I shall take you back home. It was a pleasure to meet you, William. I am sure we will see each other again." She smiled charmingly and he found himself staring, mesmerized by her beauty again.

She chuckled. "It happens." She told him when he blushed and looked away.. "Sleep well now, my dear." She whispered and before he could fully panic realizing what she had done, the world became dark