Symphony of Death

Cain’s POV

Another fucking night of lies.

I dragged the woman inside and cast the mirage once I sensed Anastasia’s presence nearby.

I was getting sick of this.

I stopped by the entrance of the living area and leaned against the wall. Anastasia was sitting with a magazine in her lap and surfing through her phone keenly. She didn’t look up from it even when I made my presence and actions visible.

It irked me.

Her silence after that night at Fairthon.

Anastasia didn’t ask anything further or tried to confront me. She became too calm and composed.

Our paths barely crossed. And if they did, Anastasia never looked at me or acknowledged my presence.

Just like now.

I never saw her leaving for work in the morning or coming back. She was either locked in the room working or asleep.

This was what I wanted but it was pissing me off now.

I hauled the woman to the same room and locked the door. I let go of her arm and went to the bar. I took off my coat and tie and unbuttoned the shirt to its last button. I shrugged out of the shirt and threw it aside.

My anger and agitation were all over the place.

“For how long do I need to continue this charade?” I glared at the woman behind me. She climbed on the bed and began touching herself sensually.

I didn’t even know her name. I just grabbed them blindly for the tricks I needed to play on Anastasia.

I never slept with any of them.

I downed glass on glass of bitter liquor. I wish I could get drunk or something. At least I wouldn’t have to listen to her moans. They were giving me a headache.

She was under my mirage so she had no fucking idea that everything she was seeing and feeling was a lie.

I grabbed the glass and went to the window.

“It was going to be another long night.” I scoffed bitterly. Since when did I start counting the hours? The day and night never mattered to me before.

“Mr. Black!” I showed no response to her advances. “That was amazing.” I pushed her arms off my waist and glared at her murderously.

Poor creature couldn’t even decipher death from desire right now.

“Your job here is done,” I pushed her back. “Leave through the back door without anyone noticing you. The car is waiting outside.” She nodded like a puppet. “You won’t remember anything once you step out of here.”

“I won’t remember anything,” she repeated like a robot. I ordered her to leave and she did without looking back or batting a lash.

“What a drag!” I sat on the bed and rubbed my face. “I guess I don’t need to keep this up anymore.” I scowled darkly.

It all started at Aether Estuary.

If I knew I would get this fucked up, I would have never given a dime to find that damned place.

“Damn you, Lyra,” I cursed under my breath. “Damn you for fucking with me.”

Flashback

“Let’s cut the chase now, shall we?” I said once Anastasia left. “What did you do to end up here?”

“I opened the time rift, Cain” Lyra interjected. “I opened the portal of time and crossed it.” Her expressions contorted. “And you saw what it did to me.”

“Why did you break the law?” My scowl deepened. “Didn’t you know?”

“I was left with no choice,” Lyra said exasperatedly. “I had to save that little life from those monsters.” She looked at Anastasia. “Yes, I took Anastasia with me. She crossed the time rift with me.”

“You are lying.” I hissed. “It can’t be possible. She would have died.”

“It’s because she has your wing.” She responded calmly. “Her body didn’t show any symptoms of time travel so far. Anastasia grew up normally but she might stop aging soon. She might suffer the repercussions once you took-”

Lyra left the sentence hanging.

“Anastasia is not Omisha, Cain. She was born a few days before Omisha died.”

“Aisling” It suddenly dawned on me. “She was Omisha’s cousin.” I scoffed at the absurdity of the events. “The one who were cast out for marrying humans.”

“Yes,” Lyra smiled bitterly. “The one she always bad mouthed and hated with all her guts. So much that she even got her kin killed without any shame and placed her daughter’s life at stake. She used Anastasia for the feud between you and them.”

Somewhere I knew. I always knew.

“I’m sorry, Cain.” The guilt in her eyes did nothing but infuriated me more. “I asked Salam to lie to you and everyone so I could take Anastasia away. No other Blue Blood knows this except for Sorush.”

“What’s the surety that you are not lying right now?” I taunted her. “All you have done until now is nothing but lie and deceive and go against nature. You tinkered with the flow of time. Why should I believe you?”

“Take it,” Lyra extended her hand to me. “I will show you everything.”

A pulse coursed through me when I placed my palm over hers. I saw everything she experienced over time.

“I will never forgive them for what they did to Aisling and her family. They were innocent. Anastasia was innocent. Omisha had no right to play with innocent lives like that.”

Her eyes showed every bit of resentment towards them.

“She didn’t even know her father was using her to the end.” Lyra scoffed bitterly.

“So I did the only thing I thought was right. I took Anastasia through the time rift. I couldn’t keep that child there. Those Blue Bloods wouldn’t have spared her.”

“They would have gone to any lengths to get your wing out of her. I was not strong enough to fight. So I ran. But I never thought fate would play such a ludicrous gimmick.”

“Why didn’t you bring her to me?”

“Would you have cared for that innocent life that wasn’t even a month old?” Lyra questioned back. “You wanted nothing but your wing. Would it have mattered to you even if you learned that time?” Her eyes hardened.

“What has changed now? I see no flicker of acceptance in your eyes for everything I told you. You still want your wing even at the cost of her life.”

I fisted my hands at this.

“Her life means nothing to you even now when you know that she is not Omisha. She did you no wrong. All you and those reapers breed care about is how to get your power from her.”

“Lyra!” I warned her. “Yes, I don’t care because I was not created to care. It’s not my headache that she is caught in between.”

“What was I even expecting from you?” She chuckled dryly. “If only I lived enough to undo the curse so my child could live a happy life free of the monsters.” Her voice cracked. “Anastasia doesn’t deserve any of this.”

A heavy silence fell between us.

Something was amiss from this entire conversation.

“You can take back your wing. I just want one promise in return.” Lyra pursed her lips. “You will leave her alone.”

“Fair enough,” I scoffed and looked at Anastasia. She was surrounded by a group of young Astras in front of helirum. “Is that the notorious mirror, helirum, that shows one’s past self?”

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” Lyra smiled. “What do you have to be afraid about? It’s not like it’s going to change anything.”

“You enchantress has a way with your tongue,” I walked away from her.

I was slightly surprised but not convinced yet. Lyra was not being honest about this whole situation. She was still keeping a part of it.

Anastasia looked at me when I stopped behind her. I looked at her reflection in the mirror.

A white light!

“There is something wrong with this mirror,” Anastasia murmured to me. “Look, it is showing a white light ball instead of my reflection and black light ball in place of yours.” She pointed out. “Oh look,” she said excitedly, “they are merging.”

I looked back at Lyra.

Well, this was one fucked up reality I didn’t expect to unfold.

End of Flashback

Something in Lyra’s silence told me that we would be meeting again very soon.

Then there was what Dalim said.

If only I knew at that time how much fucked things were going to be later.

I got up and went out. The entire mansion was drowned in silence and darkness. I went to my room upstairs. It became a kind of routine for me over days.

To watch over Anastasia once she was asleep.

I walked inside the room silently and expected to find her sleeping soundly in the bed as always.

But she wasn’t.

That sent my nerves on high alert. I surveyed the entire room in darkness. I couldn’t trace any suspicious activity and the barrier was still intact.

“Where did she go?” I stormed out of the room. Anastasia was not the type to wander around at night. She always stayed in the room.

There were only a handful of places here that she liked.

“Of all the places, she decided to sleep here,” I frowned at her small figure snuggled on the couch in the library.

The book she might be reading was lying on her chest, one arm was clutching it and the other was dangling mid-air. I took the book and put it aside before kneeling next to her.

“Ana?” I whispered in her ear. “Go back to room and sleep.” She hummed meekly in response. “Ana!” I patted her cheek softly. “Wake up.”

“Mhmm,” she turned slightly.

My eyes wandered all over her face and stopped on her lips. Her soft, plush, and kissable lips.

Fuck!

I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out an irritated sigh.

“Ana!” I shook her shoulder a little roughly. “Wake up.” Her eyes opened and focused on me.

“Why?” She said groggily. I controlled my impulses that her defenselessness stirred.

“Your neck will hurt in the morning if you sleep here,” I grabbed her arm and pulled her up in a sitting position. “Go back to the room.” I waited for her to stand up and leave but she kept sitting with her head bowed. “Ana?”

“Mhmm!” I cupped her chin and pulled her face up. She was struggling fruitlessly to open her eyes and look at me.

There was no point.

I wound her arms around my neck and carried her up. I chuckled when she nuzzled my neck.

Her sleepiness was adorable.

I never noticed when curiosity became a habit. The sight felt peaceful in inexplicable ways.

“You are a heavy sleeper,” she just hummed in response.

I carried her back to my room and tucked her in the bed. I sat next to her and soaked in her innocence. I was seeing her this close after so long. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out.

“Sweet dreams-” My hand stopped near her cheek.

What am I doing?

I clenched my jaw while looking at her harmless face. Why do I keep forgetting? I fisted my hand angrily and looked away from her.

“I should have stayed oblivious,” I muttered darkly. “That way I wouldn’t be having second thoughts beating at my conscience that I never knew existed.” I closed my eyes and breathed harshly.

I had to confirm Lyra’s words and for that, I needed to find Salam. It was hard but we succeeded in locating him.

I didn’t need to use any extreme measures to extract the truth from him. He spat out everything on his own.

And all the remaining facts came to the surface that day when Anastasia collapsed.

I couldn’t forget what happened. That one incident answered every fucking doubt I had.

Flashback

“I’m going to get an answer out of you, my dear Ana,” I smirked. “You cannot escape my clutches that easily.”

She was mine now and I was going to make sure she knew it along with the rest of the world.

I buckled over when a sharp pain shot through my left shoulder blade. I gripped the door to support myself and grunted loudly when the pain intensified instead of subsiding.

“What the hell” I panted hard, “is happening?” I could feel my flesh tearing and something hard poking out.

I could feel something binding itself to me.

My wing!

“Ana!” I yelled when she fell.

Something was rising out of her left wrist and coming toward me in the form of a twisted rope.

The eternal flame.

“Fucking shit,” I rushed to her and cradled her in my arms. “Ana?” I couldn’t hear her heartbeat. “Fuck! Einar!”

“What’s going on?” He knelt next to me and checked Anastasia’s pulse. “Cain, she has no heartbeat.” He frowned at the flames rising out of her wrist. “What?”

“I don’t know.” I snapped. “Just do something.” I carried her in my arms and we rushed to my room. I laid Anastasia on the bed and stepped back to let Einar do his job.

“I need to know,” he started casting spells upon her. “What happened?”

“I said I don’t know.” Her condition was aggravating me. “She was fine moments ago and then she fell.”

“Cain!” Einar whispered grimly. “This is bad.” We looked at each other when time stopped suddenly.

“Lyra!” I glared at her. “What is the meaning of this?”

“So it began,” her face showed pain when she looked at Anastasia. “And I was hoping it would never happen in this lifetime.”

“You lied to me again, you witch,” I snarled in her face. “What did you keep from me this time?”

“Nothing that could hurt you,” she spat back. “But it’s going to hurt my baby.”

“Lyra!” Einar pressed. “You have kept enough secrets. Any more and you will be solely responsible for hurting Anastasia.”

“Anastasia was created for you.” Lyra looked me dead in the eye. “The divinity created her to balance your existence, Cain.” She wiped her cheek.

“She is your other half. She is the light to your darkness.” Her voice shook. “Not only that but her presence by your side will increase your powers beyond comprehension.”

“You are shitting with me.” I roared. “A human! She is a fragile human. Don’t mock me.”

“She is no ordinary human, Cain,” Lyra smiled bitterly. “If she was, she wouldn’t have been able to carry your wing for this long. It would have killed her already.”

I gnashed my teeth at this.

“Anastasia drew out its power once, in Aessegar. Your wing protected her.”

“You are lying.” I was ready to unleash my wrath if she uttered any more nonsense.

“She told me herself but I stopped her from telling you.” Lyra replied calmly. “I was present when her birth was prophesied. Einar’s mother was too.” She looked at him.

“Your parents knew and Sorush came to know of it too. He was furious that divinity was giving you a chance and giving you something that will make you even more powerful. He couldn’t accept it.”

“That’s why he sent Omisha to you so he could trap you before you learned the truth.” I balled my fists. “But they failed and then they went after Anastasia in the worst way possible.” Lyra spat in disgust. “They wanted to kill two birds with one stone. You and her.”

What kind of sick joke is this?

“I tried everything to stop the wing from merging with her soul but nothing worked. The curse grew with her.” Lyra sucked in a breath. “And now she has given herself to you physically. It has triggered the vicious cycle, Cain. A part of her soul has bound itself with you.”

“The more she will get close and feel, the more you will draw out the power of your wing from her. Her life is the key to breaking this curse.” A single tear rolled down her cheek.

“She is going to die because she was made to love you. She would have loved you unconditionally even if you had met under different circumstances. She would have loved you irrevocably even when you would have not. And her love will continue to grow stronger and stronger until nothing is left of her.”

A heavy silence fell between us.

“Is it possible to stop the curse?” I asked coldly.

“Don’t let her fall in love with you,” Lyra answered blankly. “I’m not sure because I couldn’t get to the core of it but there might be one way to undo the curse. The Erlking know of it.”

“He is not ready to spill the beans,” Einar remarked. “I think we need to switch our approach.”

“He is living on my land, on my mercy,” I growled. “I’ll see how he won’t.” I looked back at Lyra. “Anastasia won’t suffer or die as long as we stay away from each other?” Lyra nodded.

“That won’t be a problem.” I chuckled darkly. “Because making her hate me won’t even need a heartbeat.” I looked at Anastasia.

Why create her if you were going to play such a nasty game?

“Keep in mind one thing, Cain,” I looked back at Lyra. “Don’t ever let her blood come in contact with you.”

End of Flashback

“Made for me!” I chuckled evilly and twirled the dagger in my palm. I guess I won’t be needing this anymore. “What a sick joke!” I glanced at her from my periphery.

Anastasia recovered as soon as I distanced myself from her. I didn’t come near her until the effects of the curse subsided completely and Einar created a strong charm to protect her from me.

We told everything to my brothers and Clarissa. Their reactions were something to the new truth we discovered.

I was going to be enough of a nightmare for her so they didn’t need to add any more to her miseries. It didn’t take much convincing since they already liked her.

Einar went back to Acreoterra. It was time to put an end to everything. If Harold and Sorush learned that I was now aware of Anastasia’s real identity, it was going to stir a lot of trouble for me.

I needed my wing before I dealt with them.

Breaking the curse was my top priority now.

But ignoring Anastasia was becoming next to impossible for me.

I left no leaf unturned to make her hate me. I brought women and cast the mirage on her to make her see what I wanted her to see. I mocked and humiliated her every chance I got.

But the stubborn woman didn’t break.

Instead, she caught onto me because of my own mistake.

I felt frustrated for the first time. I never lost my cool but she made me react.

This little thing made me dance to her tune.

I was so infuriated that I wanted to kill her then and there.

But at the same time, I couldn’t.

I couldn’t understand why I reacted the way I did. I couldn’t bear the thought of her being hurt. That memory of her lying on the floor like a corpse always filled me with something bitter and acidic.

The feeling didn’t subside. It kept getting stronger.

“I don’t need rubbish like love in my life.” I brushed the hair out of her face.

I caressed her eyes, cheeks, nose, and lips. My throat felt dry when her lips parted under my touch. I couldn’t stop myself from running my thumb over them roughly.

The pull I felt toward her was no joke.

I grabbed her left wrist and observed the symbol glowing on her skin.

Born to be mine.

I kissed it softly.

I wanted her badly. I fucking wanted her to be mine in every fucking way.

But I couldn’t have her. I was not ready to let something as fickle as emotions intervene.

“If your existence became a hindrance to me, Ana,” I murmured against her forehead. “I will annihilate you myself.” I closed my eyes and inhaled her scent. “You will have to leave my side.” My eyes shifted. “I don’t need you next to me.”

I will not let her invade my life anymore. I will end this myself.

Anastasia could not become my weakness.