Egrimorth: Demon's Rising

Housemaster

"Everything that breaks you down can also build your character" ~ NF

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SOMETIMES people feel a sudden surge of rage, not because of what anyone did to them, nor because they feel irritated. It just happens. Kyla was in the same mood. She scrubbed the floor as hard as she could, pressing her hand firm against the wooden brush. She stopped for a bit, wiping the sweat off her light-brown face. She continued again, dipping the brush in the pail so aggressively that the soap splashed in her face.

"Argh!" she grunted, throwing the brush at the wall in front of her.

She couldn't pinpoint why she was mad, not that she wanted to, but still. She was living her life like she used to, even though it was a crappy and painful one with barely any happy memories but still she was used to it. Not even her step mother's insults got to her anymore. She got up to pick the brush, lifting her blue gown that was already soaked in water and lather.

"Kyla!" her step mom's voice boomed from the kitchen.

"Ughh! Avaerius help me!" she exhaled. Her name was called a second time and she answered hurriedly.

"Why aren't the dishes done?" her stepmother asked, facing her with a mean demeanor, her hand clasped against her hips. Her stomach was big and round from being pregnant for more than eight months now.

Kyla exhaled, wrapping her palm against the wooden table behind her. It was taking everything she got to stop her from punching the baby out of her. "I am still cleaning the passage!"

"And how many years will it take you to do that."

"The number of years it took you to be this stupid." she replied firmly and stormed off.

The lady screamed behind her, but she didn't even listen. Even though she knew she would be in trouble when her father arrived, but she didn't care, not today.

She picked up the brush and started off again, scrubbing has hard as she could. Letting off her anger on the innocent floorboards. She was too engulfed in her little task that she didn't even hear her step mom's footstep.

"Kyla! You insolent little thing," she said, kicking the water bucket causing water to pour all over the floorboards.

"Okay, what is your problem!" Kyla stood up, flinging the brush away.

"Oh, I have a problem now, huh? The whole passage is filled with water, the kitchen is filled with undone dishes, the animals are not fed. Did you even water the vegetables your dad told you to..." she continued for a while. Kyla stood there, her face held no expression whatsoever but inwardly she was looking for the best spot to punch.

"Are we done?" Kyla asked.

"Not until you finish all your chores."

Kyla stared at the annoying thing in front of her. Dirty blonde hair that had been coiled into pigtails, grey eyes and a porcelain skin. Only Avaerius knows what her father saw in her. She was stupid, she couldn't do anything herself except knitting. She couldn't even read. Everything about her disgusted Kyla.

"First and foremost, Harlene, let me tell you something that shouldn't be news to you. You are not my father so you don't order me around," Kyla began gently, her voice rising as she continued. "Two, the next time I am working and you hinder my work in whatever way. I am going to punch out that baby in your stomach through your throat. I don't care if heaven will rain fire afterwards," Harlene sulked. "And lastly, you are just two seasons older than I am, if you want any ounce of respect from me, you treat me with the same." Kyla replied and walked away, kicking the bucket towards the end of the wall in annoyance.

She entered her room which was a small compartment that could barely contain her straw bed. She sat down on the bed, running her fingers over her face. She had barely sat down when a soft knock landed on her door.

"Leave me alone!" she rushed to open the door and give Harlene another piece of her mind only to find her mom standing in front of the door.

Her brown eyes were filled with pain and pity. She wore a brown tunic that extended all the way down her porcelain calf. She was the same height as Kyla but a little bit fleshier and rounder.

"I heard the noise," she said in a delicate, but fading voice.

"I am sorry ma, but Harlene is too rude, too bossy, too..." her mother raised a finger and she paused, sulking and bulging her cheeks.

"Follow me, I have a few things to tell you today. You have grown enough!" She declared.

Kyla rushed behind her mother whose feet barely touched the ground as she moved. She moved with so much haste that her blonde hair flew backwards trying to catch up with her head.

"Good morning Rephana," Harlene said from the dining as they walked past her. Kyla's mom grumbled a quick reply and she turned swiftly into her room.

Her mom's room was tidy, and a bit spacious than hers. A white bed made out of stuffed wool and feathers. Other than that, a large mirror stood exactly adjacent, with drawers attached to it. A rocking chair was placed right in front of the mirror. Kyla waited for her mum to catch her breath whilst she sat on the rocking chair.

"How many times have I warned you not to fight with Harlene?" her mother asked softly. The softness in her voice might sound soothing to any other person, but to Kyla it struck her bowels with fear.

"Mum? she..." Kyla wanted to defend herself.

"She what? Called you a lazy oaf? Told you to do seven chores at the same time? Tell me what she did today that's different from what she always does?"

Kyla stopped short. Her mother was right, Harlene didn't do anything other than what she normally does. Being the youngest wife with a baby gave her the audacity. The thing was Kyla blames her father for all this. If he hadn't hated her mother so much, maybe everything would be different, maybe she would be able to speak up to Harlene without the fear of being whacked. Her dad never thought much about her, or said much to her. He treated her like an unsightly wound even a beggar in the streets of Alkhamas will hide.

"Yes. I guess you are right," she replied, barely opening her mouth to speak. "Can I go now?"

"Depends? Are you willing to apologize to Harlene."

She wanted to say yes, to make her mother happy. She wanted to abide by the rules, to turn herself into the faithful dog her mother wanted, but there are some things she can't just do. One of them was apologize to Harlene. After giving it an ample of thoughts, she decided it was better not to answer her mother.

"Well?" her mother asked, after they both had won the staring contest on more than five different occasions each.

"Why?" Kyla asked out of the blue.

"Why what?" her mother countered.

"Why should I apologize?"

"Because speaking harshly to Harlene makes your father mad and you know it,"

"My father doesn't like me," Kyla said simply. "Why do I have to care what makes him mad."

Her mother's expression changed from that of a cold hearted killer to a bloodlusted one. Even Kyla could feel the rage seething from her. "Your father gives you everything he can, food, shelter, you even get to have your own room. What else do you want?"

"Love, affection, happiness, those won't be so bad either?" she replied while faking a thinking expression.

Her mother sulked and her expression returned back to the natural cold hearted demeanor. "Look Kyla, this life we live, this life that I chose, it's not necessarily what you have to choose." she gestured her to come closer, and Kyla felt there was a wave of emotional speech coming. She wasn't feeling very emotional at the moment but she didn't complain. She knelt down gently beside her.

"Did I ever tell you the story of Taurus and Armastus?"

"Yes mum. Taurus fell in love with the goddess of love and he craved her so much he would do anything for her. Armastus then tasked Taurus to betray his own mother and steal for her the breath of life. Taurus blinded by love did her bidding. Only for him to discover Armastus had been working with Khasm whom she truly loved." Kyla breathed.

"And what happened?"

"Taurus discovered Armastus could never love him, and he had just lost the love of his mother. It ate him alive, and he became a god that loathed both love and peace .Hence how he became the god of war." Kyla finished.

"Yes. A little lesson I want you to learn. You can't force people to love you. You'd just lose yourself in the process." she said. "Your father was a kind man. But a lot happened years ago, and he turned sour."

"What does that have to do with me?" Kyla sat on the floor in front of her mom and placed her head on her mum's lap.

"A lot actually, but that's a conversation for another day."

Kyla was tired of talking, she just kept quiet while her mother fiddled with her hair. Soon she knew her mother would start singing Echo of Gods. Probably that's what she needed to get her out of the bad mood. A nice song from her mother's lovely voice. As soon as her mother started, she closed her eyes, humming the song along with her mum. Soon she drifted off to sleep.

The sky burned red, rain of fire pouring from it. War raged on, and warriors clashed in bloodlust. Kyla raised her sword high, standing on the back of a dragon that breathed fire as it flew. An arrow shot from the earth, and whistled towards her, hitting her directly in the chest and causing her to fall from the mighty beast. A voice started screaming her name has she plunged to her own death.

Kyla woke up with a start, sweating profusely. Harlene was standing above her, repeating her name in the most annoying way ever.

"Your father seeks your attention." she declared, walking off with a triumphant smirk.

Kyla looked around, she was in her mother's room. She got up from the white cotton bed and stretched, accompanying it with a yawn.

She walked to the living room, scratching her head and chewing an invisible nut. Her mother sat directly in front of her dad, both of them holding a stern reaction. Harlene was right beside them, her face filled with satisfaction and triumph. This was not in anyway good.

"Father I am here!" she announced.

"Kyla, your mother and I have been talking and we seemed to have reached an agreement." her father started. "It is high time you know the truth."

"We did not reach an agreement." her mother said calmly.

"Silence woman!" her father stood up angrily.

Sleep cleared from Kyla's eyes immediately. What in the name of Avaerius was going on.

"I will not keep silent, I have been silent enough Ian. I let you take in that wretched witch as a wife, I let you ignore us for years. But I will not let you take my daughter from me." her mother rose up gently. Everything she said, she said one after the other but in a way she was scarier than her father.

"Do I have to remind you that this cocoon of tragedy is no daughter of yours? Should I remind you how you picked her up in..."

"Enough," her mother snapped, cutting her father short. "You are the only tragic thing here Ian. You and only you."

"I don't care what you say. But as the legal master of this house she leaves at first light."

"You wouldn't do that."

It seemed as if time froze in that instant. Kyla's head began ravaging like a typhoon. Leaving? not a child of hers? Cocoon of tragedy? Her head could barely process all that was going on, but one thing she knew was that Harlene had succeeded in making her father so mad he wanted her out of the house.

"I just did and there is nothing you will do about it Ana, NOTHING!" her father said storming off.

Her mother turned to Harlene. "You will know hell," she told her and stormed off. "Kyla in my room now!"

Kyla rushed behind her mom, and with one more glance at Harlene, she noticed a small sign of discomfort as if she thought she had done too much.