Chapter 65- To Hell

^^This song created the tone for this chapter. It's SO good O.O^^

"We're all in the same game; just different levels. Dealing with the same hell; just different devils."

Chapter 65

To Hell

Luna's POV

My hands clammed up, fingers anxiously playing with the bedsheets. Though, within I was calm. Like a motionless ocean shook by a sudden wind. River's body was reacting, shaken. Yet to what, I did not know. He was silent, too silent.

The click of a door resounded through the room in a chiming mantra. My head whipped to the side, already on edge. A mop of raven hair swirled my vision as the back of a man met my gaze, facing the door, he pushed it shut and turned to face me.

In his hand held a steaming cup of tea. His shoes tapped lightly against the floor as he approached the bed. My fingers tightened into the sheets, watching him through blown eyes.

He placed the cup on the night table beside me and lowered himself to the bed to sit beside my feet. His hand rose, fingers brushing against my cheeks lightly. A burning sensation ran down my body as he did so. A chipped whimper escaped my throat, a strange garbled sound that startled both him and me simultaneously.

"A-Alastair," I gasped out, fingers tightening against the sheets as I bent forward, short of breath.

"What's wrong?" His head bent to meet my eyes, "you're paling."

"I-I don't know," I panted. A heat so strong traveled down my body, boiling liquid ran through my veins, nearly setting me on fire. And it was then that I realized what was happening. Though I wouldn't dare declare it after Alastair's former disgust by the topic.

But that could only mean one thing.

My head shot up, eyes latching onto Alastair's, searching. Hoping.

Please, please let it be.

A little yellow spark shone beside his pupil. A light welcoming in my dark world. My breath caught in my throat and I fell forward, crawling closer to Alastair in hopes of a better look.

Alastair's brows knitted, "Luna?"

And like that, the spark demolished along with the previous, all-consuming heat. All that remained in its scorching trail was frost. A cold, broken chip in my heart. Sharp and unyielding.

I felt back onto the bed, breath back to its usual pace as my head floated, aimlessly peering up at the cream-colored ceiling.

The scent of sweet cinnamon wafted past my nose as a cup of tea was brought to my face nearly startling me off the bed.

"I brought you this," Alastair urged.

I eyed the cup before sitting up and taking it into my hands. It was still hot, a light trail of steam rising from the cup and spreading the scent of cinnamon across my face as I leaned forward to peer at it.

I licked my lips before bringing it to my mouth and taking a light sip. A groan escaped my mouth as the liquid heat ran down my body, leaving a heated trail as it traveled to my stomach.

A gasp rang in front of me. My head lifted from the cup to tilt my head.

"Luna, that's too hot. You need to blow on it first."

Was it?

I peered down at the steaming cup.

Compared to the previous heat I've encountered, this was nothing.

I took another sip, pulling a sigh from Alastair as I drank it straight without blowing on it.

"What is this?" I asked as I licked my lips.

Alastair smiled, "Chai. River's favorite actually."

My chest tightened.

Did he only bring it for River?

"I met a maid on the way up and she took to telling me how strange it was that River didn't drink his chai today," Alastair raised a brow and folded his arms.

I swallowed.

"A m-maid brought breakfast to our room a-and I didn't know what to do..." I trailed on as I watched his eyes. Is he angry?

His fingers raked through the back of his hair, "just be a bit more careful. River loves chai and hates to waste. The maids are aware of that. Your actions can cause for suspicion."

I dipped my head and nodded.

"I cleared it up so everything should be fine now."

I nodded again.

It was silent for a few minutes before Alastair spoke up.

"How would you feel about taking a little trip to the garden?"

My head lifted.

"You're always cooped up in this room," Alastair's head turned to observe the four-cornered cage he'd kept me in since I appeared. "I think some fresh air could do you some good. What do you think?"

I nodded, already getting antsy by the image of greenery. I've always wanted to see what they really looked like, what they really felt like. To know for myself the softness of a rose petal.

Alastair led me from the room and down a pair of stairways till we came to a side door. There he opened it slowly. My hands rose to shield my eyes as an unfamiliar brightness hit me. My eyes squinted, teeth clenching as I peered up at the cause for the overwhelming light hitting me.

So that's what the sun looks like.

It reminded me of the spark in Alastair's eyes earlier. A light that seemed to pull hope from those witnessing its calming heat.

My eyes laid on a shrubbery all too familiar.

"A rose bush," I gasped out.

My feet took to a sprint, nearly tripping over myself as I rushed to the infamous flower that River was all too obsessed with. This flower, this red bud was one of the first of many things I first witnessed through River's vision.

It was so bright, standing out within the green shellings protecting it.

They were beautiful, breathtaking even.

I fell to my knees and reached out to brush my fingers against a single petal. Like silk against my fingertips, a light sigh escaped my mouth.

It was just as I imagined.

My fingers played with the petals, eyes roaming the garden. Everything was so different than how I'd imagined it in River's mind. Yet, at the same time, so familiar.

A cold, crisp breeze brushed past my shoulders, pulling a shiver from me. My hair whipped lightly in the wind as my eyes shut, just feeling the cooling wind sweep past my body.

A smile pulled to my lips as I soaked in the chilling wind. My eyes opened.

I was experiencing so much from my memory on my own. Feeling and interpreting everything through my own senses. It was so strange yet so empowering.

It was amazing.

Loose tears built in the corners of my eyes as everything grew so overwhelming. My senses were flaring. There was so much to feel, to hear, to see.

A presence could be felt at my side as Alastair took to sitting beside me.

His eyes absorbed the unshed tears building in my eyes, "do you hate it?"

I shook my head hastily.

"No," I sighed, eyes peered back down at the rose cupped in my hands, "it's just so amazing," I choked, "to experience all of this through my own senses and not through the memories of another."

His eyes softened at this, fingers lifting touch a rose as well. His fingers cupped the precious bud and a sigh escaped his throat, "it's quite beautiful isn't it?"

A giddy feeling swirled in my chest, "yes, exactly," I chirped.

A small smile lit his face. No words were spoken, yet none had to be. His expression spoke for itself.

I bent my head and continued to lightly stroke the roses in front of me, traveling from one to another to test which was the softest. I felt so giddy, so happy. I breathed in a refreshing, cooling breath as a permanent smile lit my face.

A click of a tongue pulled me from my excitement. My head lifted, focusing on Alastair whose head face back. I followed his gaze to a man by the door waving his hand toward him.

"Goddess," Alastair sighed, eyeing the man.

My head tilted in confusion.

Alastair turned back to me, "I'm being summoned back to the meeting room. Something must have gone wrong," I nodded slowly, "I'll be back in an hour or two. You can stay here if you like. Just...be careful with your actions."

I nodded, "I'll be good," my voice came out low, nearly lost in the breezing wind.

He stood up with a sigh and I watched as he disappeared behind the door we had come from. I watched the door for a few minutes before my attention was pulled back to the garden around me.

My attention pulled to a rock in the distance, spouting water. My head tilted to the side.

How is it doing that?

I lifted my body from the grass and took to it. I stood before the tall rock with a widened gaze and sucked in a breath. The rock was in the shape a woman and from her mouth spilled a stream of water, following by her feet in a small pond. I fell to my feet, hands dropping to touch the water by her feet. It was cold.

My fingers lifted to my nose to sniff it at. Yet, it smelled of nothing. I lifted my long robe to sit on the circular ring wrapped around the tiny pond. It was slightly moist, yet I took no fault to it as I splashed my feet in the water. A light giggle escaped my lips as I took to playing with the water.

"Like a child," a deep voice mocked.

My gaze pulled from the water to a tall man slowly approaching me.

My brows knotted as I observed him. His white hair pulled to the side, a light trail of white dots peppering chin. His eyes were a dark hazel, giving off a sinister persona as his shoes crunched harshly against the grass.

I remained silent as I observed him.

His feet stopped in their track, settling a mere foot from me. My body tensed as his eyes roamed my soaked form.

"Have you forgotten who you are, River?" His eyes were like sharpened arrows, digging into mine.

He knows, he knows.

My breath picked up.

"Have you forgotten that you, as a royal, represent this family?" His eyes narrowed.

To that, my brows knitted. Confusion plagued my mind.

...He doesn't know?

"River?" His harsh voice pulled me from my thoughts.

My head shot up, flinching upon his menacing expression.

His eyes narrowed and suddenly he as moving closer. My breath grew chipped, heart pounding. His nails dug into my shoulder and he pulled me backward, away from the pond. I lost my balance and a sharp shout escaped my throat as I fell backward. My head collided with an edged rock and a sudden heat swept through my mind.

My breath grew heavy. Above me stood the older man, his eyes narrowed. Words escaped his mouth yet none coherent. His shouting presumed as my hand dipped back to touch the back of my head, where the heat was radiating from. A heated wetness met upon contact as my breath hitched. My hand whipped forward as a gripping nausea built in my throat.

Blood painted my hand in a searing, grotesque red.

"N-no," my voice shook.

More shouting ensued yet in my hazy vision, words were but a distant memory.

My body grew suddenly hot. My head pounded. A strange numbing feeling crawled up the tips of my toes at an overwhelming speed. Before I could comprehend what was happening, my pain-filled shouts took a deeper tone. My vision switched light a flickering candle, the red roses in the distance turning into a dulled gray.

My head fell to the side as the numbing feeling turned to that of searing pain. I screamed in agony but as the sound escaped my mouth it turned to that of a deep howl.

No.

My eyes widened.

The tall form that was previously standing on top of me backed up. His eyes growing from that of annoyance to a panic as sudden fear gripping his pupils.

His shouting stopped, replaced with a deadly silence as he watched me.

My nails dug into the ground, gripping tightly as the pain became too much. My bones cracked, shifting within me. My nails gripping against the hard ground turned to that of claws, ripping and clawing at any surface it could reach. My vision flicker, black dots painted my vision, draining all color from my surroundings as an agonizing howl shook my entire body.

And like that, the world turned. Everything grew bigger, darker. All that remained the same was the man beside me, watching me through horror-filled eyes.