Chapter 36: Torment In The Darkness

Chapter Warning: mental abuse, murder, blood, torture.

As I watched Aren helplessly fall down on the concrete ground where his eyes flickered and that both his knees thud and collapse..

The skies veiled our world gray, and blood slowly pooled around his corpse.

At this point, i dont even think i could scream with my voice anymore.

—you

I wont forgive you.

I wont forgive myself.

Don't leave me alone..—!

"—AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

The day continued. The people who attended the execution turned back in silence after they saw Aren be murdered in front of them leaving them with a chunk of strange feeling creeping on their hearts, that hunch-like feeling that something was wrong, even so, they still decided to ignore these thoughts and went back to their homes silently. Well, in exceptions of some gossiping here and there.

The pillory that was locking the boy's hands and head in place was undone. The wild and barbaric Jian Li who kept crying was released and freed from it but only to be transferred to another hell.

Still on the capital's streets, he was locked inside a thin, vertical maiden. A tall box that fitted his body with no room for him to sit, but only stand. After witnessing such traumatizing events just moments ago, he was faced by another punishment arranged for him and for his crimes.

Jian Li felt like breaking. Both physically and spiritually.

His fingers shook and pulsed hard, he was still filled with terror, anger and all sorts of emotions. His knees could not stop trembling and his face was full of dripping snot and fluids.

From his tears, his saliva, his sweat and his blood, he looked and sounded like a madman who wailed and wept so loudly. People feared the loud and shaking box, the person's screams from the inside of it sounded like he was in a lot of agony, his voice was full of remorse, and the way that the chains around his wrists hits the iron maiden clangs eerily. People would talk about 'The crazy dead man' like a horror legend, spreading the news of their king being fully insane and manic.

Four straight hours. He faced the hellish maiden and kept screaming and shouting inside, no one could tell if it was from his body's wounds, or because he was trying to mourn for the people he has lost.

Jian Li's feet was numb, his knees cannot carry on the position he was in that only his knees does the job to keep his body standing. His chest was slumped flat on the metal, and the thorn around his head just kept on poking his scalp even harder as he moves.

There was only one or two holes from above his head, then another set around his ankles; but it was more or less just an inch each. The rest, was his vision being pitch black despite the time being midday.

He felt like suffocating inside, keeping him tormented in the darkness.

His head was about to scream and crumble out, his brain hurt more than ever. The crying boy hated darkness more than anything, and being stuck inside it was the worst torture to damage his barely decent sanity. Standing up from the pillory and this maiden for nearly two days, his thigh muscles are now so sore that he couldn't help but cry in pain and he couldn't move it anymore. His throat was dry and damaged from screaming for hours, his head felt like it was being dug and drilled, stirred and pinched over and over again. And as this sensation continuously wreck his mentality, as soon as he knew it, he was already burning up with fever from all the wounds and cuts he took.

To top all of it, his mental strain was way worse, witnessing two deaths in a short period of time is no joke, he felt extremely miserable and having to hear his trapped voice echoing back to him was more than enough for his head to bloat and explode, feeling way more devastated by his current conditions. Even though he could get short naps, everything was memories of Aren and ends with how he was killed. Fuck, all of it was nightmares.

The energy within him had to be dissolved, it's the fourth hour of his pleads to be released. His breath was shallow and quick making it harder for him to calm down. "Release me!!" His hoarse voice tries to yell.

Jian Li sniffs his snot and wipes his face with his chained hands. "How dare you leave me alone! Aren!" The wrathful boy groaned like a broken record, clanging his chains to the maiden continuously.

"Release me!"

"Aren!" He calls out.

"Help!!! Help me!"

"Please! Somebody! Help me!"

"Help...."

"Please.."

"Please get me out of here.."

"Help.."

Little by little, his hope to be saved dissipates.

He looks up, staring at the small dots that displayed light to him. "Father.." he looks to the gray morning clouds.

His voice turned groggy: "All those years of training to be a perfect King, to be a good Prince, to my composure.. i didn't know it was this hard, im so weak.. im so powerless without all of you.."

"Is this my punishment for my sins?" He hiccups, breaking to a soft cry.

A golden carriage halts, stopping in front of a flower shop white blue and red flags dangling down, flapping on the cold wind of the cloudy skies.

Deverus' smile was so wide that his cheeks would raise his eyes to crescents. He felt satisfied and super relaxed on his warm seat that he even chuckled and tapped the wooden armrest in delight.

'Easily kicking two royals in two days, how lucky.' he hums happily, imagining his life as the King.

His footman opens the carriage door and quickly changes the look on his face. There was no trace of smiling from seconds ago, but only close brows and shaking eyes, he puts on another act of empathy.

He approaches a woman busily talking with other white-clothed servants. This woman was wearing an oak-brown apron and was holding her records of sales from her shop, looking like she's in the middle of discussion with the servant in-charge.

The Lockharts are the clan owning one of the rich harvesting flower fields around the Kingdom. They are famous with their products being top class and was personally commissioned by the late King to provide the palace their top quality flowers for its aesthetics, commonly supplied are blue flowers as the Kingdom's color brand is of the seas.

Adrei Lockhart noticed the presence of a high ranking official. She turned and faced him with a bow as well as the servants that automatically courtesies as well and exits, going back to the carriages to supervise the soldiers how to properly carry the flowers being delivered.

Deverus stopped on his tracks about two steps away from her, then sighs: "Adrei. Im sorry about your sister's death." He taps her back.

"..." Adrei didn't budge, she stood looking away from him. Her hand crippled the scroll on her palm, huffing her anger away and trying to keep herself calm. She was the older sister of Reyna Lockhart, a palace cook, and the one whom Deverus instructed or either threatened to pour poison to Jian Li and the King's wine. But now, after Deverus heard Jian Li talking to her and that she was threatened by Deverus, he immediately killed her. Her body having found floating in one of the northern ponds.

She was murdered, mostly stabbed by a sword by the chest and disposed for her body to sink down the pond, but it was quickly noticed by one of the farm gardeners.

Deverus shakes his head, looking down to look more believable of his regrets of her death. "She was caught by the Crown Prince's—"

"Red magnolias." Adrei firmly cuts in. "This is your order, right? My Lord?" She showed a plump and big crimson magnolia to him, caressing it on her left palm.

He stops and mumbles. "Yes.."

She looks up but doesn't look to his eyes. She knows that it was because of him that her little sister was killed. "These carriage will transport all of our red magnolia flower stock to the palace. Use them all you want. I'll make you pay for it."

He wasn't sure if it was because of the running wheels of the carriage but he thinks that his ears betrayed him for a second. "Excuse me what?"

She extends her hand and looks at him in the eyes, something about her was eerie. "Your payment for all of it?"

"Ah, here." A bag was handed to her, taking it with her right hand.

She smiles to him and breathes out. "Im so glad you came here in person, My Lord. I am relieved of your presence. I hope my sister will get the justice she deserves." She sniffs, having the vulnerability of someone in the process of mourning helped Deverus clear out suspicions, he nods and lowers his voice.

"Yes. I too."

After that quick conversation, the lady Adrei watched his back fade when he mounts the carriage again, she was in rage, she wants revenge for her dead sister.

"Bastard." The magnolia in her left palm was crunched away and tossed aside.

The night has come. Thousands of citizens of the high and well respected Jian Kingdom now gathers to the sea side, standing on a border to observe the King's funeral and weeps over it. Red magnolias was displayed everywhere as respect for the king to his death, offering him a beautiful bid to his kingdom. They also had square lanterns in hold, writing their gratitude to their king with their own blood that even children stamped their thumb on it.

High rank officials from each kingdom attended the funeral, but no other King was spotted as how much danger looms over the Jian territory. Plus, it would be reckless to suddenly leave their kingdom as well leaving them vulnerable. Even though they might be peers and allies to Hongwu, they cannot risk their kingdom's wellness as well.

Deverus and Morfran stood on a high platform, observing how the preparations are going. There are four priests wearing different temple crests that blesses the King's ship as his funeral will be a sea burial.

The king looked like he was just sleeping comfortably on a heap of red magnolias that covered the entire wooden ship. He was wearing golden clothes and was holding a white sword that laid on his chest. Under his body were golden bars and jewelries that will most probably end up under the sea.

Once the four priests finishes their ritual to send the king off, the people starts to throw roses and different sorts of flowers to the king's ship, a white rose ended up landing perfectly on his chest just on top of the sword. It must be a really beautiful death to be told.

The drums began pounding loudly and gongs were rung, the time has come for the sea to take their King.

A child yelled: "Long live the King!"

The people began tearing up, chanting their words: "Farewell our King!" The all knelt down and placed their palm on top of their heart.

The soldiers poured oil to the ship and after making sure it was well loaded, they pushed the ship forward and gave the it to the waves to pull. The ship smoothly sailed not far away from them.

Morfran cracks his neck and stretches his biceps which the armor tries to keep. A servant lit the torch and handed him his bow and arrows that was covered in oil, he will be performing as the honorary archer. He took the arrow and set it ablaze by the help of the torch and drew back the string of the bow, taking aim for his father's ship.

He laughs. 'Unbelievable. I couldn't even make memories with you, but at least, i could be the one to send you to the gates of hell. You must pay for what you did to my mother and brother.'

He squints his eye and pulls the string further near to the point of it snapping in two. As he felt the wind leave, he slowly exhales and fixes his gaze to the floating ship, then loosens his finger's hold to the string and finally fired the arrow with a sharp sound that travelled the air.

The flaming arrow reached the wood and the flowers covered in oil. Just in seconds, the ship was on fire, the flowers burned to black and it crawled around the King's body.

About five hundred drummers lined up by the shoreline, and with the howl of their leader, they rhythmically struck the skin of the drum causing a very loud and scary noise. Men wore white and black, waving their heavy drum sticks around the air in sync with the other drummers. They would hammer the skin so strongly that the whole land could hear their King's farewell and even their neighbouring kingdom would hear it as well. The surface of the skin's drums had this red thick powder that flies around the air like an explosion the moment the stick hits the drum's skin, time by time the drummers would switch positions and would look like dancing as they swing their arms.

The deafening fast pacing of the drums vibrates around them, the water would feel waves of vibration and everyone's hearts felt like linked to one another because of the drum's loud beats, the drummers yell their chants of goodbye to their king.

One by one, as the drumming sound softens, the citizens lits their individual lanterns, turning the night to orange. The view was way too overwhelming to feast on, about ten thousand lanterns was lit and was sent to the heavens to pay tribute to their dead King, hoping he would have a safe arrival on heaven.

Jian Li's maiden began to vibrate and shook, it was his first time hearing such loud, and rhythmic patterns of drums, but it was not a happy piece at all, it was stiffening and agonizing, he felt tense and crazy as the sound felt way intense while being inside the maiden. As he looks up, dots of red filled the sky, it was the lanterns.

The people that was unable to attend to the sea funeral had their family lanterns lit on their homes, giving it to the wind and sky the moment they see the other lanterns flying. It was a shame Jian Li couldn't see how beautiful it was.

People were observing, the sea turned red by the lights of the fire-lit lanterns, they could see the body of the king engulfed in fire, burning peacefully along the red magnolias.

The people slowly joined together and began singing.

"The blue night comes.."

"Your joys were gentle,"

"Here comes the god,"

"This body dipped, drowning, in blue crystals,"

"Forever, to protect"

"Anything, not known. "

"Just like this life,"

"Is over when the sun rises,"

"Up till now,"

"Your everything,"

"Is surely to be met again,"

"In the night place."

Jian Li began feeling sad. Unconscious tears began overflowing his eyes the moment he heard thousands of people sing the same song together. Their voices echoes around the kingdom and everyone stopped doing their jobs and sung along the faint voices from the people from the sea, everyone stood solemnly still and paid their respects to their king, soldiers drew their sword and red fireworks were released as sign of the funeral ending.

"Aren, tell me not to cry, please hug me, tell me everything's gonna be alright!" The boy inside the pitch black maiden trembles in coldness and pain, he grips his scalp, scratching it.

He huffs heavily, heaving trouble with his feet and back. "It's so hard without you!"

"I wont forgive you... Leaving me... I wont forgive you..!" He kept mumbling pitifully and banging his forehead to the metal. The soldiers that was guarding the maiden was struck by a tight feeling of spookiness from the madman.

He tried to catch his fast and shallow breaths, immediately thinking of someone. "You said... You'll come for me.." he mutters under his breath, trying so hard to widen his eyes even though it was no use and will not bring him light to see anything.

"Where are you..." He whispers while thinking of someone, touching the iron, his body was failing miserably.

"Nobody came.." his voice broke.

"Why.. did i ever wait?" He looked up and tears would drop down his eyes, completely sucking the life out of him.

"Have i fallen for a lie?" His mouth curves up as he tries to laugh, he couldn't believe that the boy didn't fulfil his promise to him.

He realized that what we all must believe is that the root of all suffering is from attachment from someone. And being pulled along a lie for years was painful.

He was just too young to know.

He felt himself slowly being corrupted by something.

The next day, the soldiers removed his sleeping body from the maiden, instead, his four limbs was tied while standing up, his hand was stretched in the air while his feet was chained. With no strength left on his knees, his arms was the one who carried him to keep standing up from his position. Unlike yesterday's cloudy weather, it is way too hot the following day. Jian Li was tied in the middle of the streets, as they were trying to kill him from starvation. The day burns through his skin, his arms and nape that wasn't used in sunlight was greatly inflamed from the sun exposure.

He felt extremely fatigued and near death. His stomach growls so loudly that people would hear it. As a royal, he had never been this embarrassed infront of other people before, especially his own citizens that he loved and respected so much.

"Somebody... Please.. give me some food.." his voice was all cracked and weak, he had been begging since dawn for anyone to give him some bread. At this point, he could even take eggs and tomatoes to be thrown to his face just for him to eat. It was way too humiliating, asking and begging is never a King's duty.

But he has no choice but try. "Please... Im so hungry.."

Even though how much he tried asking for vendors and pedestrians, no one stopped and even gave him drop of water. Jian Li is dying of dehydration.

His vision began flashing red and black. He will lose consciousness very soon.

'This is all your fault Deverus.' His mind spoke and his blue eyes flickered open, jolting the soldiers as they feel waves of bloodthirst in the air. They we're immediately alarmed as these amounts of pressure comes from Jian Li's eyes that was filled with murderous intent.

'Im going to kill you.'

'ImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyouimgoingtokillyouImgoingtokillyou!!!!'

'What are you doing?' Someone's voice called out inside his head. It sounded just like his but having deeper, way more calmer tone.

The tension that built inside him was instantly gone from hearing the voice. His eyebrows stopped scrunching, and his face muscles relaxed as well, the soldiers thought that he looks like he regained a bit of mind.

'Don't lose yourself!' he yelled to himself, trying to breath and clear out thoughts as much as he can and begin thinking again.

'Ha.. no matter how much i think, this is all my fault.'

'I'm going crazy.'

Amidst all his cries, begging for food, even for scraps, no one tried to look at him, if anyone does, it was to laugh at him. The people ignored their king, he was never fed no matter how hard he begged for it, never.

'There is no hope'

'I must accept my fate.'

'This is my sin.''

'Something hurts,

That sensation like I'm forgetting something,

Or when something is missing,

Anxious and scared.

So cold and dry.

I cant hear, I can't talk, I can't think of anything.

The blood, the sky, the ground, my sweat and tears.

There's just so much heartache.

I feel so pained.

How can i lift this burden? Can it be erased? How can i feel better again?

Can this be undone? Tell me, Aren—?

Ah.

I know now.

This isolation, this sadness, this feeling of loneliness.

There's nobody to help me now.

I am all alone.'