CH.25 Empty words of the ghost of the past
My dearest Iris!
I hope your insatiable curiosity has led you to this letter before it's too late.
Iris sat at the window, reading over and over the letter her mother had written. If only she had found it sooner. Maybe everything could have been different. Maybe she wouldn't have been tempted by the demon she couldn't get out of her head. It was too late. He had gotten under her skin and deeper.
There is so much I didn't get to tell you.
I hoped to teach you everything when you grew up, but I don't have much time left.
And if you're reading this, I've probably already set off on a journey through eternity.
I'm so sorry I had to leave you. I longed to see you grow up, stand by you and see you fall in love for the first time, to see you walk in white. But fate decided otherwise.
I have a lot to explain to you, and it will probably sound crazy, but you have to believe every word I say. You know I would never lie to you.
Did she know? She didn't know what to believe anymore.
Our family has been hiding a secret for generations. We are witches. Me, my mother, her mother, and so are you.
Nothing she didn't already know. Luc had already told her the big secret.
I grew up in an orphanage, never knowing my mother.
It wasn't until he arrived, that mysterious man with the golden eyes, that I learned the truth about my origins.
I was only twelve. But I had no idea what evil had found me.
A demon who pretended to be my protector.
He introduced himself as Luc. He taught me everything I know.
I was too intoxicated by his existence, even though he never showed me the affection I did for him, to realize that he was slowly poisoning my soul.
At first, it was easy spells. He helped me get everything I wanted, he made my dreams come true.
I wanted more and more. I could never have enough.
And when he had me in his grasp, the whispering began.
It started with simple pranks that ended in accidents.
Broken limbs, spilled blood. I took everything I wanted and destroyed everything and everyone who stood in my way to get it.
I built respect in the city I lived in. Through fear and violence.
I met a lord who brought me to the royal court, where I got involved with the king.
He had many mistresses, and I was naive, thinking I was special.
But he didn't love me, and as punishment, I cursed his daughter to eternal sorrow.
She would never smile, she would never feel happiness. Eventually, she killed herself.
Those words didn't sound like her mother at all.
Cruel and vengeful. She remembered her as a kind woman.
She was always kind and good-hearted. She helped people.
She didn't hurt. Or was it just a dream?
Just a twisted illusion she had created about her?
It had been so long ago. Her mother had secrets she had kept hidden and a past she had tried to forget.
It wasn't until I hurt my best friend Isabelle that I realized what had become of me. She tried to stop me and I killed her. I had to lose her to find the light and you have no idea how much I wish I could turn back time and change what happened. I don't want you to end up the same way.
Luc is a demon. An evil that came from the depths of Hell to wreak havoc on the earth. Whatever he tells you, do not believe him. No matter how beautiful his words and tempting his promises are. He is not the protector of our lineage but the destroyer.
He is the devil. The lord of all demons. At least he was.
Witches and demons have always been enemies. But he once fell in love with one, and she broke his heart.
It was naive of her to hope, somewhere in the corner of her soul, that he might have a place for her in his broken heart, she told herself as she read it. She didn't even know why she had thought that. It was stupid. She had to push the thoughts out of her head.
She tricked him into a deal, forced him to protect her and all future generations of her bloodline, from witches seeking revenge for murdering her own kind for greater power. He was humiliated. She stripped him of his crown.
Perhaps an ancient pact compelled him to protect us, but he found a way to avenge her betrayal. He whispered to entire generations of our ancestors, leading them to their own destruction.
When I learned the truth, I ran away. I made a new life for myself in a kingdom far to the south. Our home. With your father. He had no idea of the gift and curse of our family. We were happy, and we had you, our beautiful little girl.
She forgot to mention at what cost.
I managed to hide from Luc for years, but then he found me.
And he found you, Iris.
Something draws him to you, something stronger than the deal. From the moment he felt your power, he has lusted after you. You are the most powerful witch of our family ever born. And he will try to use you to reclaim his throne. You must not let him. He will destroy you.
Maybe I should have told you the truth sooner, taught you, but sometimes ignorance is better. I don't want you to end up like me, Iris. On the run. Alone.
I've been alone for a long time, she said to herself.
Luc is a liar who will do anything to get what he wants. Don't get fooled. Don't lose yourself in his eyes. I made that mistake and paid a high price for it.
Magic is not worth the sacrifices, Iris.
Without it, you are worthless to him, and you can be free.
I wanted you to live a normal, human life full of peace.
You would find friends, the love of your life.
You would experience beautiful moments that you will be able to remember when your time comes.
I'm sorry I can't be there with you now.
I wish we had more time. I would take care of you, but I feel like mine has already come.
But I believe you can handle it. Remember, always be kind and brave.
And never take off the necklace I gave you.
It protects you from demons. Luc or any other demon can't come near you as long as you wear it around your neck.
He didn't wait for the day she lost her father nor for the moment of her greatest despair. All that time, he waited for the moment she would take that necklace off her neck and allow him to come near.
I miss you, honey. And don't be sad. I will always be with you, even if you can't see me.
Just empty words written on paper. They meant nothing, forgotten by time.
She dipped the letter into the candle flame and burned it.
She watched it turn to dust and her mother's last words disappear into the void.
Maybe if she had found her letter sooner, everything could have been different.
But it was too late. She's bonded with the demon she had warned her about. She couldn't resist his allure.
Her mother overestimated her abilities. Maybe if she had taught her instead of hiding it, everything could have been different.
She wanted her to live like an ordinary person, even though fate had chosen a different path for her.
She had thrown her into this chaos and a part of her hated her for it.
If she had taught her instead of keeping secrets.
She had so many questions and no explanations.
Maybe she should have run away with Jace when he suggested it. Somewhere far away. Away from the chaos. They would have fled across the seas to other lands.
She didn't want to feel it, but her mother was the first poisonous thorn in her heart. The love for her turned into hate.
"Iris..." she heard his voice again. Every time her heart was gripped by pain and sadness.
She wished she could silence him, but at the same time, she didn't want to. Without him, she felt alone, lonely.
"Iris..."
She now understood why he called her my queen. He was the demon king, robbed of his crown.
And for that, she hated her mother the most because she was right. He was just using her. And she let him. She was seduced by his sweet words. She got lost in his golden eyes. She succumbed to his kisses. And even somewhere deep down, she felt something for him.
Iris stared at the stars that adorned the ebony sky, wondering if there was any good left in her.
She sat there in her stepsister's chambers, pretending to be her.
She had stolen her face. There were still streaks of her blood on her hands that wouldn't wash away.
She tore at her skin to get it off, as if she could hide the monster she had become.
Luc was right. There was darkness in her.
Even if she refused to admit it. And the worst part was, she craved that blood.
She felt a pleasant tingle beneath her skin as she watched it drain from her veins. It tasted so good on her tongue.
Maybe there was never any good in her. Maybe she was born evil, pretending to be good all her life.
She didn't even know who she was anymore. She was afraid of herself.
"Iris... My queen.Come back to me."