Devil's Prison

Chapter # 22

1 Month Later

It was a month since their marriage and the longer Aurelia stayed in his domain, the longer she lost her strength to fight, to resist.

He was breaking her by his nothing, his presence was enough to embed fright in her heart and break her soul.

Maybe this is fate.. Or my own wrongdoing? She thought, looking at herself in the mirror.

She knew she couldn't fight him, he was way out of her league, but that doesn’t mean her anguish will go unnoticed by him.

He couldn’t bear this state of the extremity of his emotions, he cannot allow her darkness to consume her, it would steal his ability of cognition.

“Aurelia.” He called, it was Sunday, he was free and noticed she was about to leave the room the moment he entered.

“Yes, Alphonse?” She asked, stopping her in her tracks. Her tone was devoid yet tender, refraining to cause unnecessary trouble.

She was about to leave when he didn’t respond but he held her wrist which increased her heart rate, drying her throat.

“Wait.” He called dominantly, turning her to strike his mystifying gems with her hollow ones, patiently waiting for his next words.

But parting his lips, nothing came out except an intense stare into her soul accompanied by a rapid breath to which he gulped in response.

“Hmm?” She hummed. He was trying to collect proper words but there weren't any and it sealed his voice.

“Nothing.” He breathed out, left defeat before the war within his own self, averting his eyes.

“Is there something you want to say?” She asked, narrowing her eyes in bewilderment, not preferring his proximity in the slightest.

“No.” He shook his head, sighing deeply before his drained words.

“Then let me go. I want to see Mama.” She said coldly, moving her wrist in the air.

His mouth gaped, realizing he held it unintentionally and let it go immediately as she ran away, leaving him all alone in his worrisome thoughts for her state.

He watched her leave with a sting in his chest, narrowing his eyes in her traces with a question arousing in his heart.

One month.. is that all it took me to steal her shine?

This thought afflicted his mind and he couldn’t find serenity unless he reached its core.

“No, wait.” He called, resting his hand on the wall to stop her.

“Yes?” She asked, lifting her gaze to collide with him.

Inhaling sharply, he asked, which bothered him for a while, “Are you okay?”

“I could never be okay. You stole this privilege from me.” Her grip on the doorknob tightened, lowering her gaze sorrowfully, pressing her teeth together to contain it in her heart.

“What do you want?” He asked, leaning closer to her face, breaths becoming heavy.

He lifted her chin to stare back into his eyes, willing to provide her anything for the glisten he stole.

“Liberation. From you.” She whispered with her quivering lips, hopes crashing by each passing second in his arena.

“I don’t want you to be like this.” He pretended he didn’t hear her previous words and spoke softly, moving his thumb over her jawline slowly.

“Do you expect me to fight knowing I can’t?” She asked, lips curling down, emitting a strange anguish he cannot comprehend.

Sighing deeply, he moved back, leading her to the bed.

“Sit.” He said in a low tone, she complied as he sat beside her, offering her his hand.

“Aurelia.” She gulped but took it hesitantly, distressed to feel him next to her.

“You mean much more than you can imagine to me. I want to do whatever I can for you.” He whispered sincerely, kissing the back of her palm, caressing her knuckles.

He deeply prayed his words could convey the emotions he failed miserably to display, to let her know his thoughts, his feelings.

“Then let me go.” She said desperately, pulling her hand back.

Her voice broke, using it as her opportunity to use emotions for her redemption, but to no avail.

“Except this.” He sighed, curling his hands in a fist to control himself, taking a deep breath.

“You are a possession I cannot lose, even if I lose myself in the process.” He enunciated, aware of the ferocious longing burning in his words yet he didn’t care.

“Then why did you do this to me? You said if I was married you would happily let me go.” She argued, her voice croaked, clutching the sheets between her fingers, turning her head away.

“That was before you betrayed me. You broke my trust. If you have said it once, just once.” His voice went lower, angrier to perceive what she did.

“I would have let you go.” He breathed out, trying to sound calm but failed, the wrath in his resonance left its impact when she startled.

“But you used me for your own purpose, you used my leniency, you used my feelings, used me.” He scowled, glaring at her, reminding her about the greatest mistake of her life which entrapped her.

“And you destroy my life.” She sniffed, turning her head away, gritting her teeth to compress the agony building in her chest.

“You stole my dreams, my hopes… My Elliot from me.” She whispered, putting her hand over her mouth, shutting her eyes with rapid breaths.

She tried fighting the sorrow but it left its toll in the form of suffering.

“How do you expect me to fight you, to go against you after what happened?” She asked, trying not to cry, sniffing to swallow her sob and opening her eyes slowly, affixing them on the ground.

“I see…” His gaze softened in compassion but soon it brought an empty smile to his lips, locking his eyes on the ground as well.

“Maybe I lost the value of a life that is why I didn’t think before stealing yours too.” He chuckled emptily, biting his cheek harder.

He never felt this powerless before the fiery of emotions for an unbelievably long time.

“You did.” She gulped, turning her head to contemplate his mournful expression.

“I won’t lie, I became selfish, I was infuriated, I was jealous.” He whispered, a hollow smile adorning his aesthetic features.

He knew his desires led them to this point.

Did he regret it? No.

“We can still fix it, give me back my life, I won’t cross my path with you ever again. I promise, I won’t.” She pleaded, shifting her upper body in his direction.

Holding his arms, her hopeless aura collided with his stubborn one, blinded in the fire of possession, he cannot allow it anymore.

“That’s the problem.” He growled, slamming his hand down.

An inaudible gasp escaped her lips, narrowing her eyes in dejection.

“I can’t let you go anymore.” He growled, knitting their gaze of contrary emotions.

“You have become a perennial desire.” He enunciated, moving his hand to hold her cheek possessively, bringing their faces lethally closer.

“I need you with me, near me.” He hissed, breathlessly, hopeless, powerless before his own yearning to grasp her in his claw.

“No matter what?” She asked, shivering by the contact with his fingers.

“Yes.” He replied without thinking twice. Apprehension traveled in her body, increasing her distress, but was soon replaced by bewilderment.

“I don’t understand why. What are we? Who am I to you?” She whispered, an unwanted shiver went down her spine to tangle her breath with his.

“My first friend.” He breathed out, leading his hand down to the side of her neck along with his eyes to her desirable lips.

“For God’s Sake, Alphonse, we were kids back then. Are you still stuck on a decade old memory?” She snarled, pushing him away to break the rhythm created by the closeness.

“If it has become the reason for my existence, then yes, I am still stuck on that.” He growled, knitting his brows into rage, parting his hand from her neck.

“What do you mean?” She asked, perplexed by his statement.

“Nothing.” He muttered, rolling his eyes off.

“You have ripped my life, you realize this, right? I would give you- us a chance.” She asked, tilting her head to find a single glint of remorse on his face.

But there wasn’t any.

“I know. You shouldn't.” He replied calmly, straightening his back, back to how they sat.

“So you will keep me imprisoned here forever?” She asked. It stung his heart but this has become his undeniable ache.

“I will give you whatever you want, just stay with me, I need you in my life.” He confessed his darkest desire, his intentions that were growing uncontrollable at this point.

“But have lost me the day you became corrupted. You have chained this body, that is all.” She hissed, rising from her seat.

She glared at him, arms folded at her chest, hoping to forget the day when she lost him, which devastated her.

But her heart has accepted it; she has lost him. He is not the person she once knew.

“Then so be it. I accept as long as it includes your presence.” He replied heartlessly, looking emotionlessly into her dejected orbs.

“Do you know how selfish you sound right now?” She asked in disbelief, taking a step back in appall.

“Because I am. For you.” He shrugged, accepting this fact wholeheartedly that he is selfish for her.

“I will never forgive you for it, Alphonse.” She growled, curling her hands in a fist before leaving with a growl.

“Never.”