Chapter 18
Veylor
The doors of my lab burst open.
Rage surges through me as I violently slam the doors shut with my magik, the force echoing like thunder.
Lightning electrifies the room, casting jagged shadows as I hurl myself onto the cluttered table, laden with papers, glass vials, and books.
With a ferocious sweep of my arm, I send them flying, relishing the shattering crash.
I can only see red when I slump to my knees in defeat.
This catastrophe was entirely my fault.
If only I had opened my heart to Oryx, instead of shoving him aside with my cruel indifference, none of this chaos would have happened.
If only I had poured every ounce of my being into my efforts, been relentless in my pursuit of him, and treated every second as a precious gift rather than something to squander.
Time was slipping through my fingers, an unforgiving tide, even if we could cheat death itself.
There was no defined timeline for life or death for either of us, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that eventually, he would move on from me. This thought clashed with everything I had envisioned for us, yet a part of me wondered if, perhaps, it would be for the best.
I had wrecked his life, but I was trying hard to make things right. Although I hadn't recovered his memories, I was committed to providing him with the best body possible. I just needed a little more time.
I stood and waved my hand at the mess. The bottles, papers and books all lifted into the air and sat neatly back onto the table. The liquids stayed in the spot on the floor, but I did not mind it. I’d make more of the potions, make more of what I needed.
I strolled down the dimly lit hallway, the flickering torches casting a warm glow that intensified with each step I took. Their flames danced against the stone walls, creating shadows that seemed to come alive.
As I reached the heavy wooden door, which had remained securely locked and untouched by any other soul, I paused for a moment.
With a gentle wave of my hand over its surface, a soft click resonated through the silence, signaling its release.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside, the ancient hinges creaking softly in the stillness.
On the table lay a body draped in a black sheet, a shadowy monument to my relentless obsession.
I stepped forward, my hand trembling as it settled on its chest, feeling the eerie stillness beneath.
It was nearly finished, the culmination of countless years spent in painstaking pursuit, each moment a torturous blend of patience and agony.
It was all worth it.
He would hopefully appreciate it, grant me forgiveness, as I will never forgive myself.
"I am so sorry, Oryx," I murmured into the chilly room. On the far wall hung a painting of what Oryx once was. His long golden hair was pinned back, and despite the hours spent creating the portrait, a smile adorned his face. His sharp jawline, his green orbs, he was the light I craved.
Oryx was the most joyful fae, the one who melted my heart when I was younger, leading me to fall in love with him. He was vibrant, while I was the darkness, the shadow standing behind him, embracing him for all that he was.
I never had the courage to tell him how I felt, not until his last moments. Finding out he felt the same as well, I gave everything to bring him back only to find that he had forgotten everything of who he once was, even me.
After becoming a lich, an undead sorcerer capable of resurrecting the deceased, my magik was still immature. I was careless, overly emotional, and in my rush, I may have jeopardized everything.
I’ve been too slow, too careful now.
Always making mistakes.
Was it physical touch he was after with this female? Just his carnal desires? He surely didn’t care for this female, this… witch. She didn’t have pointed ears, her hair was white just as mine and Benedicts. She was a hybrid of some kind.
Amethyst eyes that glowed in the dim candlelight that captured me.
Her scent, her face, it all entrapped me when it shouldn’t have.
Oryx was meant to be mine, and an overwhelming surge of emotion crashed through me, an unwanted storm I could barely contain.
Oryx had desired me once, or at least I believed he did with every fiber of my being. But now, as he looked through me like a stranger, I am tormented by the thought: will he ever desire me again?
How can I shatter the illusion and make him see the essence of who I truly am? I was irresistibly pulled toward Oryx’s very soul, yet my body betrayed me, igniting an uncontrollable craving for this woman as well, leaving me in a whirlwind of longing and confusion.
Where did she come from?
She needs to be eradicated, I don’t need this. I only needed Oryx, I am so close to completing his new body. He will see who he was once before. With my research to bring back memories, surely he will see.
If he forgives me, then everything will be fine again.
I took a deep breath and stepped away from the body.
I must get rid of the female. Even if it breaks him.
Oryx will be happy once his memories return, he will see who I am and he will cling to me. Oryx will be joyful to have each other and not even death will separate us. No one will rip us apart, not like last time.
I shut the door to the room, locking it with magik. As I come back down the hallway, time has passed. More than I realized because dawn has broken, the candles have dwindled, and the natural light has come inside the lab.
There was no relief when I stepped in the lab. That lavender and honeysuckle scent lingered in the room. She was in this space, she was in here where I had worked.
With a grimace, I approached the door to retrieve the bags containing body parts.
These bags were magikally infused with anti-decomposition spells to preserve them long enough for me to treat them with a potion to prevent early decay.
I carried one bag over to the examination table and placed it down.
As I reached for a tool to cut the tie, I realized it was missing.
I lifted my eyebrow and turned to find all my tools were scattered… over by the sink. I huffed in annoyance and stomped over.
She used my tools.
Of course she did, she sewed up Benedict.
I pushed back the falling pieces of my hair in my face and huffed in exasperation. I will get rid of her, I will be sure to do that sooner or later. First I will get the parts I need and then…
An idea popped into my head.
She sewed Benedict up perfectly. No seams, and she used thread, my thread that wasn’t magically infused.
This could make Oryx’s new body seamless, he would look alive, not botched up like an insane creature such as Benedict once did. He would not have to hide his body. He would look perfect.
His body was now flawless only because I used demonic parts. These parts could regenerate from any wound. I couldn't blend his DNA with that of a demon; I wanted him to remain as he once was. Even now he suffers from parts he has. Hunger, thirst, the want to destroy.
I folded my arms and drummed my fingers on my bicep.
Maybe I could get her to teach me.
Even better, have her work on Oryx's body.
I narrowed my eyes, pondering whether I should let her.
She'd likely desire him more afterward.
That was unacceptable; I needed her out of the picture.
She could show me on another body. I can put something together quickly and have a new servant for the house. Yes, that could work. Then get rid of her.
I rubbed my chin when the door of the lab creaked open. There was no knock and there was a significant grunt when the door was being pushed away. I huffed in annoyance when that smell hit the air.
“If you are hunting for compliments on your bravery to enter here, you won’t find any. If anything, I find you foolish and weak to come hunting for the predator.”
The female scoffed and I gripped the table as she entered. Her scent grew stronger the closer she came, but still I did not turn. With a flick of the wrist I could have her slung to the wall, have the insides of her body twist, take her heart and use her parts for another being if I so wished.
She came closer, quiet as a mouse. I heard her finger dance along the table.
“You won’t do anything to me, at least not yet.” She stepped closer to me. “While I was taking care of Oryx, there were two things I realized about you.”
This piqued my interest. I lifted an eyebrow and turned to look her in the eye. She genuinely wasn’t scared, which meant she was firm in her decision to meet with me.
“One,” she raised her finger, “You care for Oryx, more than you let on. You stay away from him, but you give him things, I’m guessing, out of guilt.
You eat with him at meals, though your conversations are minimal, you care to see him.
” She didn’t look me in the eye, instead she glanced down at the papers on my desk.
None that she could read anyway, they were in Latin. A dead language in the human realm. Which gathering by her accent she could very well have come from.
“Two,” her arm went down at her side. “You don’t want to hurt him.
” She crossed her arms. “At least not right now. You have to form a plan to get me away from him without making you at fault. You want to keep your creation, yet you have no time to take care of him. You treat him as a pet and take hold of him when you want or desire. It’s rather disgusting. ”
I balled my hands up into fists. “You act like you know me.”
"No, I'm just processing what I've seen.
You're a grade A asshole. Top tier. He admires you, speaks highly of you, and even justifies your ridiculous experiments and the lack of time you spend with him. But I’m not as lenient.
I've witnessed the emotional damage you've caused him.
You've messed him up, and all he craves is affection and love.
He even went to the extent of kidnapping me and bringing me into an unfamiliar world just to obtain it. "