A Hell Called Serestral - Chapter 65

The princess led him into the shadows and they were once again enveloped by absolute darkness. Even the princess had vanished from his sight and a voice called out to him.

“For how long will you hide from me, Aries Del Luna?”

That voice of a woman had a familiar ring to his ear but Aries could not remember where and when he had heard it.

Curiosity had pulled him out of his dark sanctuary. When he opened his eyes, he found himself at an unfamiliar house where everything was painted white. For a second, he thought that he had finally reached heaven. But he instantly negated that thought. A man like him would never be permitted to step inside a holy ground.

“You are finally awake.”

The person who said that was a stunning lady that was probably around the age of Aries.. She was tall and angelic. It must be because of the white robe she was wearing. It had an intricate design made out of tiny white crystals. Her hair looked as soft and white as snow. It was elegantly braided down to the back of her hips. Her eyes were also white and appeared as if it could see through Aries. If there truly was an angel, that beautiful lady looked like one but she was radiating an ominous aura that Aries could mostly sense from the corrupted souls.

“Who are you?” Aries sat up and noticed that his vessel had changed.

It was no longer made out of white cloth but from light-colored wood. At first glance, it could be mistaken as a human body. But as Aries looked closely at his hand, he could notice the carvings. He was wearing a white overcoat that was similar to the doll that had taken him. The only difference was the design formed by the white sparkling beads. A huge head of a ram was delicately woven at the chest of the overcoat.

“Of course,” the lady sighed and sat on the bed right next to Aries. “There is always a need for introductions. I am Cari, a Zodiac Knight. You can call me a House Leader even though the House of Goat is now the house of ghosts,” she beamed at her words that she found funny. “I am your most reliable and loyal comrade. And…” she halted her speech for a few seconds then resumed with a frown, “I can go on and on, Aries. For years. It will be faster if you ask me things that you want to know.”

“Seeing that I am not tied or imprisoned can either mean you don’t want to hurt me or… you can simply kill me with a flick of your fingers. So, did you take me here to ask for my help, or… you just want to make things complicated for all of us?”

“You’re getting funnier,” Cari replied with a soft laugh. “I am the one who had saved you from those terrible people.”

“Terrible people?” Aries was confused. “The princess and the other Zodiac Knights?”

“Yes,” Cari suddenly became serious and she quickly shifted position. One second she was sitting right next to Aries and the next moment, she had settled at his lap. “The Zodiac Knights especially Gust. And that hateful Pieffer… I cannot believe that she will be reborn as a princess. It is extremely irritating.”

Aries could sense from the eyes of Cari that she was holding a deep resentment towards the princess.

“We should be comrades,” Aries tried to reason with the Goat House Leader.

“Comrades,” her voice was filled with sarcasm. “I don’t have any comrades. I only have you and my dolls.”

“If I am not a comrade, then what am I to you?” Aries was getting more confused.

Cari furrowed her brows and leaned towards Aries. Her face was only inches away from him that he had to tilt his head to prevent their lips from touching.

“I am your beloved,” she whispered to his ear.

“I’m not,” Aries gently touched the shoulders of Cari and he was surprised that he could feel the warmth from her white and smooth skin.

“You want to kiss me,” she tenderly breathed in his ear and her voice had momentarily made Aries lightheaded and a strong desire to kiss her pinkish lips had overwhelmed him.

He would have hungrily devoured her lips if not for the wet and heavy droplet that touched his right forearm.

He failed to see what it was. He only felt it seep through his sleeve and darkness instantly enveloped his vision. Then he heard faint sobbing that gradually grew louder. As if someone was crying from above his head.

“Hey, you are crying again.”

Aries was certain that it was the voice of Prince Sunrei and he sounded deeply concerned.

“You know he will return to us safe and sound,” the prince went on.

Aries heard footsteps over a ground that was probably covered with grasses or leaves. He suddenly wanted to see what he was hearing but there was only pitch-black darkness around him.

“I used to believe on it because of the things I read in that stupid Book of Legends.”

That was Princess Pieffer and she was the one who was sobbing.

“He will not die unless his duty is fulfilled but… I don’t know about our previous lives… but in this lifetime… since the first time I met him… Aries… he is always risking his life for the safety of this kingdom and its people… even if it cost him not only his life but the purity of his soul. What if… he ends up… getting corrupted?”

“After all these years, you will doubt him?”

“He is still human,” Princess Pieffer reminded her brother.

“Have you forgotten what you told me when we were at the house of Tauren?”

The princess remained quiet.

“We both want the same thing. He only needs to see that we are truly his allies and not his enemies. He will not kill me. He will not kill the person dearest to him. He will not kill any of us.”

Princess Pieffer laughed softly then asked, “How can you say the exact same words I said ten years ago?”

Aries was wondering the same thing. It was as if he heard those words from the princess instead of the prince. She had said those words while Aries was around. She was trying to convince her brother and Tauren to give him time to trust them. She wanted him to see her honesty.

“I also want to trust him as much as you do. Even at that time when he had gotten out of control, your faith in him had never wavered. Just continue believing in him and he will return to us like the last time.”

Aries was confused. He had no idea what the siblings were talking about. He could absorb corrupted souls and remain as he was.

What do they mean that I had gotten out of control? Was it because of rage? Or… did I get possessed?

“Aries!”

Cari was repeatedly screaming his name until he had been pulled out of the pitch-black darkness.

“Why is your consciousness drifting out of your vessel?” her brows were furrowed while searching for the answer to her own question. “Right,” she moved out of the bed. “It must be because of that ripped arm. That guardian is always disrupting my plans for you.”

“Are you talking about Guardian Aika?”

“Let’s not talk about that witch,” Cari snapped at him. She seemed to hate a lot of people but Aries could not sense any corrupted soul within her.

“You told me that I can ask you things that I want to know.”

The Goat House Leader glared at him for a few seconds then let out a deep breath. She was trying to be patient with Aries.

“Fine,” she sighed one more time. “I know that honesty is important for long lasting relationships. Well… Guardian Aika was my master.”

“Was?”

“Our paths had crossed centuries ago,” Cari walked towards an open window that was partly covered by a thin white curtain. She looked up at the sky covered with white clouds. “I became her disciple and I learned a lot of things from her in my single lifetime. And that was it. We part ways because of our different goals in life. She wanted to rot in that boring dungeon. I want to explore the world with you, Aries,” she sat on the bed and held Aries in both his cheek. “Forget this kingdom.”

“I can’t,” Aries gently removed the hands on his cheeks and moved out of the bed. He was still surprised at how easily he could move with his new vessel. It felt like his original body. “I promised to help in saving this kingdom.”

“You had been doing this for centuries,” Cari remained sitting on the bed. She was frustrated. “Aren’t you getting tired of this endless cycle? Our lives are getting worse. The people in it, our enemies, even us Zodiac Knights! Serestral is no longer the kingdom we know. This place is not worth saving. We should stop wasting our lifetime in this place. We should live for ourselves.”

“I understand. Everything sounds tiring,” Aries looked out at the window and only saw white trees, bushes, flowers, vines, grasses, and soil. “Maybe that is the reason we are forgetting our past memories each time we are reborn.”

“I hate you,” Cari blurted then sighed. “But I like you more than I hate you,” she moved out of the bed and stood right next to him. “Stop that heroic act Aries,” she seriously advised. “You will only die because of that and those ungrateful people will never remember. They don’t care if you save them or not. Why should we care for them?”

“I don’t care about them either,” Aries said. “I want to send someone to a better place. I can only do that if I save Serestral.”

“Right,” Cari stared bitterly at Aries. “You will sacrifice yourself and your comrades just to save Pieffer. As always.”

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