An Eldritch Legacy: Sin & Sacrilege-Chapter 12: The Darkness of a mind gone sour...

As Krael lay there, he let his mind wander, his thoughts seemingly irrelevant, with no coherence to his thought process. He thought of everything innately possible to distract himself from how he had seemingly lost the one-sided war he had declared against 'the entity' one he had never seen.

All he knew was the instinct to call it deranged. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, it had never been offended. In fact, it seemed to take a slight pride in the offhanded insult I made to make myself feel better.

But as much as he wanted to escape his thoughts by drowning them in memories of a seemingly different life, the decision he had made was one he could not ignore. And quite literally, the heat that flowed through his once bloodless veins made sure of it.

The weight of his decision crushed him; like an avalanche, suffocating him to no end, he felt his lung constrict as though there was a rock placed upon him. He felt the urge to tremble, to scream, to curse his fate, and wonder how he had allowed himself to be backed into a corner like this.

But in this place, which was not the sanctuary of his mind, he could never show emotion; he would not allow himself to be weak. That was not something he would ever compromise on.

Surely this'madness' could not be the only way to access his power, right? Krael's thoughts seemed to fly right off the edges of normality, as he considered things he would never have.

Maybe, if he were just diligent enough, he could find a solution that would work.

Weren't the worshippers of the Eternal Flame a way out? They preached of the Eternal Warmth and Light of the great Diearch and how faith in him could make one more powerful than any other.

But even in his delirium, he knew it was not feasible.

Compared to this entity, the worship of the Eternal Flame was something he repulsed with all his mind, body, and soul. Lowering himself to seek the handouts of some 'Diearch' was not something he could and would ever do.

Ironic, wasn't it? Here he was, thinking about how much it repulsed him to receive the handouts of another, yet he had just signed away his existence to 'the mad one'.

At least in this partnership he was not required to worship, and to him, that was enough.

His mind continued to bear an increasing weight as life before all this, flashed through his mind. He could not help but conclude that things... would never be the same again...

It would depend on him whether he would walk this road with his spirit beaten and battered or walk with his head held high, waiting for the day he was powerful enough to right all the wrongs.

"Have I... made a mistake?"

He spoke to no one in particular, as the darkness in his chambers remained thick and the rain outside began to fade into silence. The chilling cold had also lessened—things he felt all too intimately.

How he hoped they wouldn't fade away so soon.

And yet, a voice replied to him.

A familiar, soothing voice, powerful yet gentle.

The way it flowed promised protection against the skies and the burdens of fate, but all Krael felt was hate.

"The young master has never erred."

"That's not what I wanted to hear, Adler..." Krael barely whispered, but the owner of the voice seemed to hear him just fine.

"Tell me then what you would have me say, young master."

At this point, Krael's voice became a roar.

"Tell me that I have simply lost my mind! Tell me how pathetic I am! Tell me I have no right to feel any pride in the meager accomplishments I believe I've made. Tell me I am a coward for taking the easy way out! Just tell me anything, Adler."

"Tell me something that doesn't sound like you patronize me." This time, Krael could not hide the broken emotion in his voice. Even as his face remained impassive, no ripple of emotion could be seen or felt. But it seemed he had let his mask slip without realizing it.

There was no immediate reply.

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Just when Krael thought Adler wouldn't respond, his voice flowed through the darkness of the chambers.

"I'm sorry, young master... but in my eyes, you will always be right."

"Nothing you will ever do will be wrong."

This time, there was a trace of firmness in Adler's voice.

"So, if you wish for me to present my head, I will, my lord. But I will not say things I have never believed to be the truth."

"Fucking cunt!" Something snapped within Krael, and he roared louder.

"Get the hell out of my sight."

"How dare you stand in my presence when you reek like a bloody corpse?"

Adler's voice remained gentle and soothing. If he was angry at what his master had said, he did not show it.

"As you wish, my lord."

"I've prepared your bath and your change of clothes. Soon I will bring the morning meal."

Krael had never felt more fury toward his butler.

As usual, Adler never reacted; he took all the insults as if they hardly mattered. And that angered Krael more than he would like to admit. At least if Adler reacted, Krael might think him normal.

But the bloody cunt was so stoic!

"Get the hell out, you piece of shit."

"At once, your grace."

Gosh! The idiot still dared to reply.

And just when Krael thought that would be the end of it...

"Though my lord, I would like to ask if you prefer to have your meal on the terrace as you watch the First Light of New Dawn, or maybe under the shade of the willow tree in the garden?"

"..."

"Test my patience once more, Adler! And I won't care how much your head fetches on the slave market. Or maybe a pleasure house in the South would be a better fit for someone with your mouth."

"..."

"Fucking idiot," Krael muttered.

With that, Adler swiftly left, and Krael could no longer feel his overwhelming presence in his chambers.

-------

"Hmmm... it seems the Count is not in the best of moods."

"Maybe I should use 'Whispering Root' for his tea? Or should I use 'Moonstone Wail'? That would calm his mind."

Adler murmured to himself as he walked down the hall from the Count's chambers, clearly lost in his thoughts.

"But he seemed to have developed a liking for the 'Demon's Touch.' What should I go with?"

"Let's get cleaned first... I really do smell like a bloody corpse..."

"Younger master still cares for my well-being, even with his bad mood~"