House of Hules

Chapter 8: A Wound To The Heart 

I opened my eyes and found myself lying in a massive bed with a red canopy embroidered with gold thread, beads, and emeralds. The room was spacious, with gleaming white tiled floors. In front of me stood a dresser with a large mirror. To my left, heavy curtains concealed a balcony. To my right, a closed door near a giant wardrobe.

"Hey, you. You're finally awake," a female voice called.

I turned to see the speaker. The voice belonged to a pale-skinned woman with long, curly pink hair that fell to the floor. Horns stuck out from her head—though one was broken. She looked about my age, her expression serious as she stared at me.

"This is the part where you ask questions like, 'Where am I?' or 'Who are you?' Stick to the script, buddy," she said.

I looked at her but didn't respond.

Beside me, Eliza laid unconscious.

"You don't get to ignore me in my own house, buddy," the girl continued. "People these days are so rude."

She sighed. "Mother, he's awake!"

"And he's rude," she added.

"Stop teasing the boy, Melody. Leave us. I need to have a chat with him," a commanding voice interrupted.

"But I wanna stay!"

"Leave us now, young lady," the woman said firmly.

"So unfair, Mom," Melody muttered, stomping out of the room.

The woman—Lilith, I presumed—sat beside me and Eliza. Moments passed in silence as I held Eliza's hand.

"Why won't she wake?" I finally asked. My voice surprised me: weak, rough, and defeated.

"My servants have done all they can. She has not sustained any physical injuries. This is a wound only time can heal—a wound to the heart that no medicine can ever fix."

"One of my helpers found you unconscious in the forest," Lilith continued. "She claims you single-handedly took out an entire tribe of Keeth with a powerful spell. Is that true?"

In that moment, the memories flooded back like a tidal wave.

"My friends at the orphanage! Ren, Bethany, Isaac, Ola—we need to save them! Please, I need your help. I don't know how much longer they have."

Lilith studied me. "For now, you should focus on regaining your strength. Then we will help your friends," she said.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Her tone softened.

She had a striking resemblance to Melody, horns and all, though hers were intact. Her shadow-black hair was styled into an elegant bun, pinned with a golden rose hairpin. Her beauty was unreal.She wore a white dress, a gold-crested necklace that had a black flower resting on her chest.

I told her everything: the orphanage, Magnus, Bethany, Ola, Isaac. I wasn't sure why I trusted her so easily, but her warm, motherly aura put me at ease. By the time I finished, tears streamed down my face.

Lilith said nothing, merely wrapping her arms around me. Her silent comfort helped more than words ever could. When I finally stopped sobbing, she released me and said gently, "You did well. Rest for now. I'll call for you later to eat. Sora, the maid who found you, will be here if you need anything."

At her command, Sora appeared silently in the corner of the room.

"I will take my leave now," Lilith said, addressing Sora. "Stay with the boy and get him anything he may need."

"Yes, ma'am," Sora replied with a bow as Lilith left the room.

Later that evening, Sora informed me it was time to head downstairs. As we walked, I was shocked at the sheer size of the place. Doors lined the long corridor, a red carpet stretched along the floor, and the walls were filled with paintings, suits of armor, and other decorations I couldn't even name.

This corridor alone was ten times fancier than the entire orphanage.

We went down several staircases until we reached the great hall. A massive table was at the center of the room, long enough to seat fifty people. Lilith sat at its head, pointing for me to sit next to her.

A bowl of soup lay before me. "Eat," Lilith said.

I did as she instructed. The soup was warm, sweet, and creamy. Each bite seemed to energize me. I practically inhaled it.

When I was done, Lilith ordered one of the maids to clear the bowl.

"I'm not sure where I am right now, and I'm grateful for your help, but—" I hesitated. My voice sounded strange to me, as though it wasn't my own. "I'm sorry to ask for more help when you don't even know me, but my friends—I need to save them. I've been thinking… if I can bring them here, to Eliza, maybe she will wake up too."

Lilith looked at me in silence for a moment. Then she stood. "Come with me, boy," she ordered.

We went down into an underground chamber, dark until Lilith snapped her fingers. Torches lining the walls burst into flame, lighting the room. It was a large, room at its center a statue surrounded by plants . She guided me to the middle.

"My name is Lilith, but I assume you already knew that. I am the one in charge of this place. If you want me to help save your friends, then fine. But first, you must complete one task for me. The statue before you is known as the Murabasa Statue of Vision. Place your palms upon it and close your eyes. Only then will I help you."

"I don't have time for this! My friends might be dying!" I shouted, frustrated by the delay.

"Murabasa will cleanse your soul. Only then will I help you. Do as I ask."

The statue was no larger than a human and stood in the center of the room, surrounded by candles, flowers, and other charms. It depicted a woman with one hand to her chest and the other outstretched, as though reaching for something. Her face was etched with sorrow, tears streaming down her stone cheeks.the statue sat in the center of an empty pond.

Reluctantly, I placed my palm on the statue. A warm sensation spread over my body, soothing and comforting.

"Okay, I did it. Now what?" I asked, opening my eyes. I was immediately blinded by a ray of sunlight.

"What is this?" I muttered, disoriented. I smelled the familiar scent of roses and fresh grass. I laid beneath a giant oak tree I recognized instantly. Turning my head, I saw it the orphanage.

"What is going on?"

"Maddox! Heeeelp!" a familiar voice screamed.

I shot up and ran to the dorms, where the voice had come from. There, I found Eliza on a bed, clutching her head. Shoes and other objects littered the ground.

"What's going on, Eliza? Why are you screaming?"

I just saw the biggest bug I've ever seen in my life. Kill it, please, Maddox!

"No way you're serious. You usually handle all the bugs like a champ, and now you're screaming and crying about this?" I burst out laughing. "Come on now, Eliza."

At that moment, a small two-headed grasshopper sprung out from under the bed.

"That's what you were afraid of? No way, Eliza!" I fell to the ground laughing. "No way!"

"Madoxxx, help me!" she said, embarrassed.

"Nope, you're on your own this time. I've got mopping duties."

"How rude, you jerk!" she yelled, throwing a shoe at me.

"Be careful! That's your only ammo for the big bad grasshopper," I teased, walking out of the room, still laughing.

Today, I was on mopping duty. I don't know how I always get stuck with it, but I hate it so much. It's impossible to get the stains out of the floor because no one ever takes their shoes off. I've told them so many times, but they just don't listen.

"Hey, Maddox," a voice said from behind me.

"Oh, hi, Ren," I said, turning around.

"What's taking so long, dude? You've been cleaning forever," Ren said dryly.

"No, no, no, it's you guys! I've told you so many times to take your shoes off before coming inside because they leave stains, but no one listens to me."

Ren laughed. "I've never seen you take your shoes off either, hospital boy."

"Wait, what?" I said, confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"I just mean, don't go telling us to take our shoes off if you're not gonna follow your own rules," he said with a salute.

"No, not that! You called me hospit—"

"Hiii, Maddox!" a voice interrupted as a girl skipped into the hallway. "We're about to play Hot Pocket! Hurry up!"

"Oh, Ren, you found your glasses! That's neat; I thought you actually lost them," the girl said, pleased.

"Yeah, they were hard to find. Thanks for helping me look earlier, Ola."

"No problem, I don't mind at all," she said, laughing sweetly.

"Since when do you wear your glasses again, Ren? What happened to being 'cured' of your blindness? Or did you finally stop taking it so personally that Bethany calls you a nerd?"

"Wait, what? Bethany thinks I'm a nerd? She said she liked my glasses! What the hell, man?"

"That's not nice, Maddox," Ola said, pouting. "Don't make fun of him."

"Err, what? I—"

"Anyway, like I said, we wanna play a game of Hot Pocket, so please hurry up!"

"Sure, I'll be out in a bit."

"Okie dokie," Ola said, skipping back out. "Let's go, Ren," she added.

"Don't run into the wall again, you blind bat," I said dryly.

"Wait, did you say something, Maddox?" Ren called from the backyard.

"No-no, it's fine. Just a dumb joke."

I scratched my head, wondering, What is going on today?

It took forever to get the stains out of the floor, but I managed. I don't know what people have stuck under their shoes, but damn, we seriously need a "no shoes in the house" sign—fast.

"Hey guys, I'm finally done," I said, exhausted.

"Hey, man, Ola's been on a legendary run. She's won eight games in a row! We don't even know how she's doing it," Ren said, shaking his head.

"What? No way! Ola, you winning at Hot Pocket? That's impossible!" I laughed. "We all know Ola can't lie to save her life."

"Mmmhh, we're being so rude today, aren't we, Maddox?" she said smugly. "Well, look at my pants—not a single hole or speck of dust," she added proudly.

I glanced around and noticed something strange. Everyone else's pants were a mess, ripped and dirty, but Ola's were spotless.

"No, no, wait..." My vision blurred, and I stumbled. That's not right...

Suddenly, my head burned up, and my thoughts were overwhelmed by loud, jumbled images. Flashes of Bethany's face, her cold eyes piercing into me. It's your fault, she said in my mind.

"No, it's not—what is going on?"

The last thing I remembered was hitting the floor with a loud bang. Everything went black.

Medical ward

I woke up a day later, my head pounding. Ren, Eliza, and Ola were at my side.

"Wow, dude, you really had to be dramatic didn't you…..so embarrassing ?" Ren said, grinning.

" yeah what happened maddox ," Ola added, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I've never seen someone have a panic attack over hot pocket before, " Ren chuckled softly.

"What happened?" I asked, confused.

"We're not sure. Lady Malinda said it could have been heat stroke or stress," Ola replied.

The doors to the medic ward opened violently as two people walked in Milinda and Magnus.

"Thank God, I can't have you dying under my supervision, boy," Milinda said, taking a deep breath herself.

Magnus followed behind her. "Thank God, boy, you gave us a fright."

"Children, I've told you many times that that game of Hot Porcupine is dangerous and should not be played."

Ola and Ren let out a bit of a giggle.

"Are you feeling okay now, boy?" Magnus asked, ignoring them.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine now," I said, my mind still foggy.

The Dorms

"Oh hey, look who it is! You gave us quite the scare!" Bethany shouted as she came in to hug me.

"I really hope you're feeling better now," she added.

"Yeah, I'm good now… I'm not sure what's been happening to me," I replied.

"Welcome back! Never knew a game of Hot Pocket could send someone to the hospital," Issac said jokingly. "Anyway, I hope you're good, man," he added.

"Yeah, I'm going to be fine," I responded, but deep down, I knew that was a lie.

"Anyway, I have great news!" he said, smiling. "I waited for your ass to get back, but it's official now—"

He grinned. "Me and Bethany got adopted."

My mind went blank.

"A royal family from Veloria has been in contact with the orphanage, and Magnus gave us the news to—"

"How can I do it?" I said weakly.

The room went silent.

"Do what?" Ola asked.

"How… how… how?" I muttered, grabbing at my hair, falling to the ground.

"Are you okay, man?" Ren said.

"How can I save you all if it's all different? All of it is different! So how?!" I screamed as tears fell from my eyes.

Everyone in the room froze in an unnatural, glitched way, as if time itself had stopped.

"I can't, can I? Because none of it is real. All of you are already gone," I whispered, defeated.

Deep down, I'd always known. I was there when Magnus held Bethany's lifeless head. I was there when he eviscerated Ren and Ola. I was there when he killed my family right in front of me.

My heart burned—a pain I had never felt before—as I sobbed to myself.

I was there. And I couldn't do anything about it.

A blinding white light took over the world.

And then—

I was back.

The Statue

It was different this time.

Both of its hands cradled its heart, as water flowed from its eyes . I was sitting in a small pool, the entire room covered in the statue's water.

I sat there, defeated, staring at my reflection in the water.

I caught sight of my hands—my red hands.

Panic seized me. I shoved them into the water, scrubbing violently, trying to wash it off. But the red—the blood—wouldn't come off.

I thrashed my hands in the water, harder, harder—yet nothing happened.

I heard someone walking up behind me, but I didn't bother to look. I needed to get this blood off my hands.

Then—

A pair of hands grabbed mine, stopping my struggle.

She knelt beside me, letting the water soak her too.

It was Melody.

Then, without a word, she lowered my hands into the water and began to wash them. Slowly. Carefully. As if I hadn't been trying to scrub them raw just moments ago.

She ran her thumbs over my palms, tracing small circles against the torn skin. Her touch wasn't hurried. It wasn't desperate. It was patient. Like she was telling me I didn't have to do this alone.

Then she pulled them from the water, placing them on her lap.

"Look what you did," she said softly. "Your hands are covered in cuts."

I stared down at them, my breathing uneven. In my struggle, I had clawed at my own flesh, leaving deep red scratches across my palms.

"It's okay, Maddox"

Something about those words…

The pit in my chest loosened. Just a little.

"You did your best. This wasn't your fault."

My heart beat lowered.

She ran her fingers over my palms, tracing random invisible shapes before looking me in the eyes.

"You don't have to punish yourself," she said.

Something in me cracked.

The tears came, but they weren't the hot, suffocating ones I was used to. They were softer. Steady.

I let them fall.

I didn't know why the simple words of a girl I barely knew made me react this way.

But I needed to hear them.