The Chamber of Sins

The brisk wind made Robert shiver. The moon was lightening the Earth gently. He peeked at Stephionee. Her bangs partially covered her eyes, and from time to time, she would blow it, her lips at a perfect angle. The moon was adding a silver touch to her grey blonde hair.

She glared at the two black holes positioned at the castle’s base. They had once been the entrance of the place where the orchestra would play during sunny days; their well-contoured arcades had decayed under the attack of wind and rain. Their columns had been conquered by green plants, continuing on the ground, flooding the spaces between the rough stones.

Dubois and Lefebvre were on the other side of the little grove. Robert noticed their imposing bodies trying to hide behind a fragile bush. The boy smiled, part of his fear dissipating. He felt protected. Moreover, being part of something important made him realise he had a purpose.

A sharp sound cut into the night’s silence. Burning silhouettes sneaked around the castle, and the boy squinted his eyes as the muffled noises got his attention.

“Is that a person?” he whispered, terrified.

“I think it is,” Stephionee said.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s save them!” Robert jumped from his place, his hatchet prepared.

“Be calm, or you will blow our cover,” Stephionee muttered.

“But they are killing a person,” Robert said, and without listening to the girl’s voice, he snicked by the trees. His foot kicked hard against something on the ground and landed with a dry sound. The creature in front of him stopped and sniffed the air. The boy held his breath while his fist clenched the axe. He jumped to his feet, ready to cut off their heads. Instead, a wave of heat flooded his body, and a wave of white light surrounded him and spread concentrically on the entire domain.

“You have courage, boy,” a voice reverberated and covered the demons’ squeaks as he flew in the air. Ignoring the danger, Robert glared at the mesmerising image of the domain seen from where he was. His massive wings burned his shoulder blades and pressed on his back. The boy tumbled in the air twice, trying to regain his stability. Then, after stabilising, he realised he was facing the enemy with his back.

He turned, only to see the demons transformed into piles of ashes. Again, a burning sensation passed through his veins.

Have I killed them? He wondered.

“Yes, you did,” Derek’s voice sounded close enough to Robert’s ears to startle him.

The boy realised that his chest was still glowing. His brain could now perceive the smallest being in the universe, the most delicate scent, the immensity of human feelings, and the celestial cosmos’ hugeness.

The world seen through his eyes was full of intense colours - colours never seen before and melodious sounds - that would make his soul vibrate and be one with the universe.

And then he noticed her - lost and powerless, a transcendent being that caught his attention and made him wish to protect her. Margo was studying a bunch of small domestic cats and dogs’ stone tombs. Robert smiled. Her face looked sad and white. Ghost-white. He had forgotten for a moment that she was dead, and the two of them being together was something impossible.

Muttered sounds interrupted his thoughts. The person he just saved was on the ground, mumbling incoherent words. The young man was startled and disoriented; his pupils were dilated, and his forehead flooded with sweat. As Robert landed, his wings disappeared. A groan distracted him. Stephionee stood in a pool of blood, lying aside. Her forearm was injured, and the cutting brought the dark red flash to the surface. Robert gasped and, ripping a piece of his shirt, started wrapping the woman’s wound.

“That polluted creature got me,” she said gravely. “I think one of them escaped through there,” she pointed to a rusted gate.

“Are you sure?” Robert asked.

The girl nodded and closed her eyes in pain.

Robert brushed her shoulder and headed to the shady exit. He turned back, undecided.

“Are you going to be alright?” he asked.

“Yes. Go!” the woman groaned.

The pendant glowed in the dark, helping him orient through the arboretum. The gate had been ajar, stuck in the same position for years, helped by the English rainy weather and the limited resources allocated for maintenance.

Robert slipped inside of what appeared to be an old private cemetery. On his left, a small chapel loomed, followed by an imposing mausoleum. It had been slowly decaying under the oppression of the rain. The door was sealed, protected by thick chains and locks. Someone had obstructed the window frame with large slats, preventing animals and birds from making a home.

Opposite, stone graves lined up one after another. Towering crosses were erecting, rotten by time and housing the green moss. Blurred words celebrating the deceased’s life and angels praying for their souls adorned them.

Robert’s glare passed over them, trying to find the creature’s hideout. The pearly moon, now back in the sky, was sending a cold light to inspect every corner of Robert’s path. He was close to the end of the eternity place when a soft noise got his attention. A bizarre light was radiating from the edge of the last grave. The pendant gleamed, his light burning the grave surface. The stone lid dissipated, letting a dark red light appear; a growling followed.

A revolting, nauseating smell accompanied. Hardly controlling his sickness, the boy came close to the edge of the grave. It was a pit of hell, a hiding place for demonic creatures. Robert looked behind, pondering whether going inside alone was a good idea.

“That is very brave of you,” Derek’s unmistakable voice sounded behind him.

“Thank you, God!” Robert exclaimed, at ease.

“For what?” Derek grinned and peeked into the pit. “That is a nasty place. What are you going to do?”

“Me?” Robert asked, confused.

“Yes, you. Don’t you want to explore your powers?”

Looking at the boiling pit, the boy came up with a way to solve the problem without being a coward.

“Well?” Derek asked, focusing on the boy’s feet edging the grave.

“I,” Robert got to say before rolling into the hole. The last thing he looked at was Derek’s smirking face following his fall and his palm waving at him.