Lucian threw up into the bucket. The food he had eaten was gone, and now he was dry-heaving, 'Can't I do anything without throwing up?'
"Are you alright, Father?" Nilo asked.
"I'm fine." Lucian gave the dirty water to Nilo to throw it out.
Nilo gave him a new bucket of water in exchange, "You look tired. Why don't you rest?"
Lucian took him up on that offer and lay down on the dirty floor. He dug his fingernails into his skin, focusing on creating a stronger barrier against the shackles' influence. He learned to ignore the words, but the images were harder to control.
'Did Voice evolve? It didn't use to attack me like this before.'
Voice was becoming more powerful. It was after the other Voices failed to break him. They damaged his natural barriers, allowing Voice to find a way in.
'I'm enrolling in the academy once I get out of this place,' he decided. He could operate his business from a distance now, he didn't have to be there all the time. He could also keep an eye on Celine.
Speaking about Celine…
He let Celine's curse course through the new barrier he had built, letting it poison his mind with anger and hatred that matched his own. Hating himself? She did too. Wanting to end his life? She did too.
'Curses weaken the body, and blessings strengthen it.'
Those were the basics she should have known better than anyone. The curse wasn't anything strong, just annoying enough to make him question her intentions, like he didn't have enough on his plate.
'Shouldn't she be comforting me instead of hurting me? I thought she loved me.'
Motivation was hard to find when his loved one was being the opposite of supportive.
'She only cares about herself, so why do I care about her? Why am I even thinking of her right now? She doesn't deserve my love, my time, or my thoughts. I hate her, I hate her, I HATE HER!'
"Ughhh..." He covered his mouth before the vomit could escape. He wasn't pregnant for goodness sake. He used to eat rotten food and moldy bread. His stomach was stronger than this. He thought it was motion sickness, but the ship was not moving, and he had never been motion sick before.
'Is it Celine? Is she doing this?' He blocked her curse in case, and it helped, 'Yeah, let's write a breakup letter and send it to her. She can take her stupid curse with her. I'm so done.'
He was going to find someone else who would treat him with so much love, and never make him feel like he was a burden.
'Or I will just stay single. Single sounded good. Peaceful. No more heartache.'
Lucian covered his face with the back of his arm. Why did he expect her to help him get through this with a blessing? Maybe because so many proclaimed to be his saviours? He would rather be grateful to her than anyone else, if she decided to do the same.
His lips quivered. 'You don't encourage death, Celine. You are supposed to tell me to hold on, not let go. Stupid. Gods, I'm so mad at her.'
He overcame death again, and she had the nerve to—
He exhaled loudly. He was so upset that images of him snatching Celine's heart and squeezing it until it recognized him as its owner, reappeared in his head. It was making him feel better and he wanted to squeeze it more. The more he squeezed it, the better he felt.
The pressure on his shoulders eased, the shackles' whispers in his mind became quieter. A sense of control returned to him, and the barrier he built seemed to close tighter, shutting out the unwanted noise.
However, the guilt that followed made him ask for another bucket to empty his stomach.
'I'm not like my father. She deserves it,' he convinced himself, 'She is driving me crazy. She is evil, so why should I feel sorry for hurting her? She doesn't feel bad for hurting me. She doesn't love me like I do. She only cares about herself.'
The cycle continued, the image becoming more violent, the guilt getting smaller and smaller.
'She always wants to kill me. She is the reason I'm like this. I'm just returning the favor.'
With that, he closed his eyes, letting his body rest and recover after not having any proper sleep for days.
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Lucian continued to play the role of a priest, blessing the guard the following morning as well. He got a new change of clothes and more guards lining up for his blessings. He even got a small mattress to sleep on.
"Father," Nilo whispered from the other side of the door. Lucian blinked his eyes awake, and rose from the sheet. "Are you awake?"
"Yes, my child," Lucian rubbed his eyes and walked to the door., "Is there something wrong?"
"The ship will arrive in Black Heart in an hour," Nilo informed him. He handed him an apple through the small window. "We were ordered to bring you to the deck."
Lucian broke the apple in half, handing the other half back to Nilo. He took a bite of his half and chewed, "I understand."
He could eat without vomiting again, thankfully. Celine's curse was still present, and he used it as a drive, instead of letting it distract him. She didn't curse him all day, mostly at night, when she had the most free time on her hands, just to mess with him.
The cell door opened, and the guards gestured for him to follow them. They didn't tie his hands this time, trusting him enough not to cause trouble. They led him up the stairs and onto the deck.
Miss Karina was waiting for him, eating her breakfast. The meeting room had a table and chairs placed in the center, with Miss Karina sitting at the head of it.
"Miss Karina," Lucian bowed his head, his hands pressed together in a prayer position, "May the Gods bless you on this fine day."
Mathieu wasn't present. Lucian heard the guards say that they were going at it like rabbits in Miss Karina's room, giving him a mental image he could live without.
The guards left him and Miss Karina alone.
Miss Karina dropped her fork on her plate, crossing her arms on the table, "Let's skip the formalities," she waved her hand at the seat in front of her. "Sit."
Lucian sat down, a serene smile on his face.
"I never expected you to be Glory's founder, but since you are, I would like to strike a deal." She leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "The new Academy year will start soon, and I know you have some connections in the academy. Get me inside under a false identity, and your debt to me will be paid in full."
Lucian knew she was somewhat suicidal with her actions, but to want to enter the academy full of people, who wanted her father's death?
'What did Mathieu do that she trusts him enough to put her life in my hands?'