[BOOK TWO]
"Anniversaries to some are like counting the years spent doing something great, years spent together, or years spent alive." I started slowly, voice dropping to a drawl as I peeked cautiously out of my bedroom blinds, scanning the road to...
LAUGHTER RANG LOUDEST of all in the air as generations of families ran scattered among the fields. There were children around, and knowing that this was a land for the dead, my heart swelled painfully with sorrow. Trees loomed over us, towering high above to create a canopy that shielded us from the sunlight above. It was perhaps near the end of the evening, somewhere in which time was nearing the line of dusk when Dimitri and I finally reached a more deserted part of the fields.
The line of huts, houses and mansions seemed so very far away, and by the cliffs out at sea stood the castle, tall and proud as its turrets soared high into the sky. Golden sunlight was cast upon the reflective tops of the roofs, and the view seemed so much more serene and blessed as compared to what Paradise had been like.
Once again, I was reminded with the fact that nothing was what it is. Hell wasn't so very terrible and the dead do not go to Heaven. The angels were most likely a bunch of bullies and there was no such thing as the devil.
The only demons and devils were the ones that live within us; live within the ones we love.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Dimitri grinned fondly down as he watched the scene. The photograph-worthy image of families laughing and a beautiful scenic background. There was nothing but pure pride on his features as he looked at his people, his world.
"It is certainly more beautiful than I had ever imagined." Agreeing, I shrugged slightly before bending down to pick at the flowers on the grass. "Nothing is like what I know. It is all so very different."
As well as the fact that Death is a killer. That line had long been blurred.
"You can't look at the world as it is and expect to see everything." Settling down on the grass as well, he placed a hand over the grass as flowers started to bloom in abundance.
Chrysanthemums.
"There is always so much more to inspect, to examine before you finally come to a conclusion. It's just like the fact that I'm not just death. I can be so much more if I wanted to be."
Raising my line of sight to meet his, I made a mental note of just how beautiful the man was. I've probably mentioned it countless of times, and yet the phenomenal beauty of Dimitri resembled a god. He seemed too surreal, too ethereal.
"Why don't you want to be?"
His hands reached over to comb a strand of my hair behind my ear, making me go a perfect shade of scarlet under his touch.
"I don't want to be under the thumb of him. They made me a monster because they couldn't have him to themselves. I am not like them all."
There was an inevitable trace of sadness detectable within the irises of Dimitri's silver eyes. And yet, it seemed as though it had been suppressed for far too long. There was no need for Dimitri to clearly specify who he was talking about; I had a clue or two. So instead I nodded once, urging him to go on before he retracted his hand hesitantly. Instantly, I could feel his cold hands leaving my skin as the sky began to melt into a whole different palette.
"I was an angel too, you know? All four of us were. And yet when the Devil left the high Heavens, he brought us all down with him. Kidnapped us down with him. He was life itself, a mighty creator that brought everything to life. To spite the almighty, the Devil changed the four of us into soulless creatures that took and killed. It is what fuels our life source."
As the sun dipped down half way below the horizon where the sky kissed the surface of the ocean waters, the golden glow was cast against Dimitri's face. His features were then split into two, one sheltered by the shadows and another bathing in illuminating light.
"I don't want to be like the angels. At least not anymore. Not when they didn't believe that we were taken against our will. And yet, I don't want to be like the Devil. He was the one that ripped almost everything away from me. Ever since the four of us overthrew him, we lived in the castle. We governed the realm of the dead exactly where it was. Nobody is allowed into heaven -- even the biggest of saints had made some sins. There is a villain in every do-gooder."
And the sun was then fully gone, drenching the land with an explosion of darkness, caressed by the glittering stars in the sky.
"The good in us never leaves for no one was born evil. But for me, the bad dominates. When people tell you too often about what you're expected to be, you will end up upholding that expectation. It's only nature. I've lived my entire existence attempting to balance the good and bad side of me. Until I've met you."
His eyes caught the reflection of the moonlight, and while the sky could change ever so quickly, my feelings had too changed within the snap of my fingers. It was as though I was thrown off my axis and found myself impossible in landing properly on both my feet.
"I refuse to be someone.. good. Not when they abandoned me when I needed them the most. But you're making me doubt everything."
"You killed all those people. Why?"
"It was a game." And then, his lazy smirk was returned back onto his face. Once he noticed how mortified I probably looked, he shook his head with a light chuckle. "I'm joking. Those were people in which I've already granted an extension to their lives. The party this year was the only one that had such a mass killing. Except the guy that tried to get lucky with you. He deserved what was coming to him. I shouldn't have granted him a second chance a few years ago."
"And the girls? Lucius said that I'm not the first you've set eyes on."
"Obviously not. The first I've set eyes on was God himself." He shrugged almost nonchalantly, lying back against the grass as he folded his hands behind his head to serve as a cushion. There was a small mischievous glint in his eyes, but the very second he met my deadpanned expression, that glint grew even brighter. "Lucius doesn't know when to keep his fucking mouth shut. Those girls were simply part of a collection in which I had started to keep myself entertained. And to get Lucius off my damn trail."
And somehow, through all those lies I've been fed through my life, I soon found myself believing the words he spoke. It was as though I was placed under a spell that made me trust him unconditionally. He looked at me with that glance, one that begged me to believe him and just understand. I could see so much of myself within this image of him portrayed.
He still spoke in riddles. Of whatever 'trail' he spoke of, or the truth hidden behind those grins and smirks. Yet, I still found this version of him the clearest. All of a sudden, he was the most illuminant star, glinting brighter than any other constellation in the galaxy.
Unable to stop my own expressions, I chanced upon myself offering Dimitri a small smile before placing a single hand on his forehead, combing his midnight dark hair behind his head.
"I've lived the past year of my life fearing you, so much so that it had ruined me. Now that I am presented another side to the same story, I honestly don't know how exactly to feel. And yet I find myself believing in you. So please, don't make me regret it."
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