As I descended further to the dead mountain's foot, thick woods surrounded me. I didn't stop until the forest floor replaced the stone stairs beneath my feet.

This part of the island's rim was quite rocky, and the water currents were rugged at this time of the day, sending the waves bashing on the rocks. The sound of the water drowned the other noise of the woods.

I was still trembling with the rage, blinking tears, but my vision was comparatively more clear now. Briefly, as I stood at the end of the stairs and stared at the rocks, I was tempted to go running towards them and surrender to the furious waves.

Vittoria would be so happy if I ever did that.

I didn't want to make her happy; thus, I edged towards the rocks carefully and watched the waves while waiting for the rage to die down before I could do something foolish. I needed to stay here and do some thinking. I needed to think of something... I needed to have a defence; otherwise, if I went to the shrine next, Vittoria would send me to my brother's kingdom again, trapping me in this vicious cycle.

Though my rage was too potent and overwhelming for my reasoning to work properly. Vittoria's words were ringing in my ear repeatedly to worsen my situation. After making sure that no one had followed me here, I sat on a boulder facing the sea and broke down into tears. I remained there for the rest of the day, weeping until I had run out of tears, and the only thing left behind was the salt of vengeance searing my wounds.

With my last tear, I saw the sun disappearing behind the horizon, plunging the woods behind me into steely shadows.

Somewhere in the distance, I heard the sky growl, hinting at the possibilities of rain tonight. I wasn't ready to go back just yet because my head was still empty. Of all the time I'd been here, the majority was spent wiping my tears, glowering at the sea and abhorring Vittoria's existence.

My thoughts were scattered. I didn't know where to start. The only thing in my head at the moment was vengeance— make Vittoria pay for the humiliation she caused me today. So, I sat there and thought about everything for a while, mainly about Vittoria. She was currently competing with Herren on my list of most hated people in my life. The third position would always belong to my brother.

As I sat there in the dark woods, submerged in my thoughts, I heard something which made me sit up straight. At first, I decided to ignore it, but then I heard it again. It sounded like someone was calling my name in the distance.

Did the Matriarch send someone to call me back?

This seemed very unlikely. As I was thinking about it, I heard the voice call out for me again. This time, it was eerily clear, sending shivers down my spine. I dismissed it, thinking it to be just a figment of my imagination, but I heard the noise again, and this time, it sounded like several voices were calling my name in a chorus.

I got up from there and decided to leave when I noticed the small hut on the dead mountain for the first time. I hadn't seen it when I came here in the daylight. Something about that dark hut seemed to be calling me, but I decided to turn and go back to the shrine. Staying here for longer would be ridiculous.

There were countless nooks in the shrine to hide for the day. I could think there without worrying about Vittoria sniffing me out but staying here at this hour didn't seem safe. As I was getting up to leave, the sky cracked open in half by a thunderbolt, and it started raining heavily. I

Within seconds I was surrounded by white sheets of rain, and the only thing visible was the hut on the foot of the dead mountain. Other than that, there was no other shelter available in proximity. I had to go to the hut. I could have given this idea a second thought if it wasn't for the rain coming down in torrents. I was soaked within seconds, and it would have been more dangerous to climb a hundred slippery stairs in the dark while the rain pounded down on me.

It took a great deal of effort to make it to the small hut. It was a wonder that I didn't slip and crack my skull open on my way there. I guess the dead priestesses weren't looking for a new resident on their mountain tonight.

I flung the door of the hut open and entered it. It was only then I took a sigh of relief, but soon, the chilling cold atmosphere of the hut greeted me by pricking my skin with goosebumps. Since there was no one else, I took off all my drenched clothes and started wringing them while I glanced around the hut.

I'd never been here, only heard about it. This hut was used for preparing the dead bodies to bury up on the hill.

There was a raised platform at one corner of the hut where the dead bodies were laid and prepared for the funeral ceremonies. One of the cabin walls was lined with shelves of bottled herbs, some surgical tools, and cleanly folded clothes that the dead wore before being buried. A small window in the next wall faced the stairs leading up to the graves. Beside the window, a dozen shovels stood in line, leaning against the wall in a strange fashion. I noticed a chair by the shovels as I put my relatively drier clothes on. I sat on the chair and stared out of the window, waiting for the rain to stop.

I was alone in that hut, and as another ground-shaking thunder cracked the sky open again, I shivered. It was too dark to see anything, yet I could make out some silhouettes, and soon, my imagination was torturing me.

As if to make things worse, I felt something pat on my shoulder. I stood up with a jolt and instantly heard a shovel fall in front of me. I shuddered. I decided to leave this eerie cabin, even if it meant climbing 100 stairs in the rain when my eyes fell on the shovel.

'If you wish to find the truth, go back to the shrine and do some digging,' Herren's words crossed my mind all of a sudden.

"No," I whispered as blasphemous thoughts crossed my mind. As if an unknown force was conspiring against me, the rain stopped suddenly, and the moonlight illuminated the woods, entering the hut as well.

I could see the shovel more clearly now. It was urging me to do the unthinkable. I found it hard to agree to it, but as soon as Vittoria's humiliating words rang in my ears, I picked up the shovel and left the hut.

Instead of heading towards the shrine, I found myself climbing the stairs on the dead mountain. The stairs to the graveyard were extra slippery for not being used regularly. The semi-darkness only added to it. I almost slipped once, but I felt someone helping me from the back. It felt like a phantom touch, pricking my skin with goosebumps.

I mumbled a thank you to whoever and continued my ascend on the dead mountain, guided by the moonlight. It would be done tonight, and even unknown forces were aiding me in this unholy plan.

I kept climbing the stairs breathlessly until I was on the top of the dead mountain where the dead priestesses lived... or rather, slept. It was the graveyard—the necropolis of the Eternal Lagrifiri.

The moon was out from the clouds, lighting the whole sky. Tonight it was the lone celestial body visible in the abyssal night sky, standing witness to the sin I was about to commit.

I was still in denial of what I was going to do. As soon as my eyes fell on the gravestones, I stopped and questioned myself while catching my breath.

Was I going to stoop so low to get back at Vittoria?

HELL YES!

I clutched the shovel hard and headed towards the grave to locate the tomb of the former High Priestesses. I had never met her. She died before I came here, but I knew her name regardless.

Vittoria is said to have been the closest to her. It wouldn't be surprising if she buried a secret or two with the former High Priestess.

It didn't take me long to find her tombstone. I swallowed hard as I stood in front of her grave and read the letters on the headstone.

Ceredora, the nine hundred and ninety-ninth guardian of the Eternal Lagrifiri, rests here.

Behind me, the sky growled again while whispers of the dead brought by the sea wind caressed my ear.

"I'm sorry," I told her weakly, "I'm doing this for the truth. Please forgive me," With that, I started digging. My shovel quickly went through the ground since the soil was wet due to the recent rain.

My whole existence begged me to stop committing this debauchery, but I was blinded by vengeance.

My pride was too great. I kept digging deeper and deeper and deeper until my shovel hit something... something soft and fleshy. I knew I was there due to the sickening odour.

I dropped the shovel and went on my knees. Something heavy settled in my stomach as I removed the last bit of earth from the dead High Priestess. The moonlight illuminated everything with a blazing clarity that was there for me to see in that grave.

I stared at what was beneath me for the most prolonged moment. It was so heinous and repulsive, yet I couldn't look away from it. It was as if some unknown force had me tied up and was holding my eyes open, forcing me to see the truth until every last detail of it was permanently etched into my brain, providing it with enough content to haunt me for the rest of my life.

I turned around and gaged, but nothing came out because I hadn't had anything in the last two days, but that didn't matter because I was sure that I would find it hard to eat anything at all after what I had seen tonight.

_