This Gothic World: A Horror Fantasy ✔

CHAPTER 5

IRENE

The world was cruel and careless. All this time Irene had believed in her mother was a wrong move. She should've believed in Temperance. She should've killed herself. She should've gone to the beyond with her family. 

Yet...

Picking up the spare wood nowhere near the place she'd kept the King, Irene returned towards the depths of Zolios. It wasn't her first time to venture in this deep and sad jungle. The trees spoke to her of their relentless torture with the low whistle of wind. The river cried of its harrowing tale at the hands of humans with each tide. 

It was those voices of the world that kept her going. Those voices told her of old and new worlds. Those voices spoke truths she never dared disbelief. Most of all, those voices made her want reap vengeance from her father and then die one final time. 

"I teka ia ki a koe..." The voices whispered in her ear as always. "Kei te ora to tuahine..." 

Irene smirked. Her feet rolling with each movement. Her sister was alive and if she brought the King to their miserable fucking faces... 

The kid was still asleep when she returned. His face upturned, his lips parted slightly. He was a vision of male beauty and if anything went wrong that pretty face of his wouldn't last. Grinning like the devil, she sat down onto the forest floor and put up a new fire with magic. 

Here in the forest, mana wasn't an issue. She could pull and push and probe all she wanted. If she went mad... well, it would be an added bonus now wouldn't it? Her life's purpose was gone except one burning desire: Beat Temperance Methuselah and rescue Halona. 

Keeping her mantra up, Irene cooked up a fish stew with minimal seasoning. Not like the food would make a difference. She was already sated with power and her body never had loss for meat since it was always too fat. No wonder she could go through living without food for a while if she wanted to. 

Sighing at the horrid taste, she woke the brat up and forced his body to comply by eating. There were a couple of nose wrinkle and a lot of curses from the mind-wave while he drank in the soup. Irene only chuckled and then set the grueling pace towards the next stop - City of Cranes. If they got there in time, she'd be able to reach her father soon near Mt. Zolios' ruins. 

Temperance had better watch his back...

Glint in her eyes, she rearranged everything with powerful magic before beginning the journey. 

Lest she blow him away before the new moon's darkness...

___________________

Irene had about enough from the King. The boy's words were incessant and rather endearing were they not dripping with sarcasm. She even had the bad notion of answering a couple like she answered her internal monologues and the budding words continued to flow off the boy king's mouth like a stream. 

At the end of the day, she had about enough of the stories and the questions and all other words necessary for the incessant conversation. Having used up most of her her mana, she was more tired than she had let on. Now, it was getting to her. Sighing, she stopped in the middle of their trek towards City of Cranes. With her, stopped the boy king's pace.