Chapter 4: 4-Adding salt to unhealed wounds

"This isn’t who you are, Sseraphis," Nytherael chased after him. He made sure to look him dead in the eyes as he said, "This isn’t who you are."

Sseraphis stopped, met his eyes, and tried to find in the reflection of himself in them; the serpent he used to be before the betrayal. Before that fateful day when Nytherael stood before the beast court, before the world and invoked the death trial divorce just to get away from him and their other mate, Aeltharion.

The reflection that stared back at him were pieces of his broken self. Fragments of what once was seeped in through the fractures, only to haunt his present self that can never find his way back to that version of him.

"Who I am?" He asked, laughter breaking through his throat. It was self-mocking. "That version is the person you know me to be, Nythe," he paused, choking down his emotions, "...because you’ve never known what I look like when I am not madly in love with you."

Nytherael shook his head refusing to believe Sseraphas’ words. His eyes locked steady on Sseraphis’s violet-black eyes, and the eyes that used to twitch with affection for him seemed lost, confused.

"I refuse to believe that you have fallen out of love with me. I know I made a mistake and..."

"And what... you see now?"

Nytherael argued, "I have always seen you, little truth."

"Lies," Sseraphis whispered, the loud sound of Nytherael’s voice when be demanded a divorce still echoed in his mind, always.

He remembered clearly the loving gaze Nytherael cast on Ilyrien as he presented him before the beast court as the one he wished to spend his life with. It was every bit of how he had once yearned for Nytherael to look at him.

To be held in an affectionate gaze by his mates had once been his only true ambition until Nytherael turned around and decided that his efforts, his devotion and love held no candle to the aura of his first love.

The memory enlarged the cracks in him, breaking apart the small parts of him that were sane. With every subtle thought that slips his mind and every void space in his empty soul, he had given all of him to their bond and when one half of it pulled away... it crashed him deeply.

"Now that I assume your first love has abandoned you. Now I matter?"

"Little truth, listen to me."

"No, I’ve heard enough from you," Sseraphis denied his request. "And about who I am..."

Aeltharion stepped in, clasping a hand on Sseraphis’ shoulder. "You are the one who said that he isn’t worth it, right? Then, don’t do this."

Sseraphis shook off his hand. He took a step forward, his feet light on the ground and barely making a sound as he moved.

Nytherael straightened up. Becoming alert and ready for any surprises. With how changed Sseraphis was, he wasn’t sure what to expect so he braced himself for the unexpected.

Sseraphis walked right past him and closely approached a passerby behind Nytherael. His rotating ring pupils twitched as they locked unbreakingly with the stranger’s blue eyes.

"From darkness you came, to the darkness you’ll return," he chanted.

Then, the stranger’s shadow woke. It gained its own will, rose from the ground and approached its owner.

Nytherael watched in horror as the shadow wrapped around its owned so tightly, pulling and dragging the beast into the shadow cast onto the ground by the spa building. The beast put up no fight as though his body had been stripped of the will to fight. He let himself be dragged by his shadow, raising no alarms and attracting no attention with a call for help like a lifeless shell.

"Enjoy the shadows," Sseraphis said, zero remorse on his face for his actions.

The beast was slowly swallowed by the shadows until he vanished. Having seen a similar scene on the memory orb, Nytherael felt the difference between watching it as a history fact and witnessing it first hand.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. A chill running down his spine. His body froze over at the cruelty of his lover.

Sseraphis turned around and flashed him a bright venom-coated smile. "This is who I’ve become," he declared proudly. "And I don’t care whether you accept it or not. I simply am."

He returned to Aeltharion’s side. Unfazed by his actions and unburdened by guilt of sending an innocent beast to the abyss.

"Did you have to do that?" Aeltharion asked in disapproval.

"No."

"Then why?"

"Because I felt like it... and someone I once loved deeply taught me that when it comes to what you feel, embrace it, regardless of the consequences or who you hurt in the process," he said, indirectly taking a jab at Nytherael.

Nytherael saw the result of his betrayal and finally understood Yiwa’s panic. In his quest to fulfil the love that got away, he wounded the ones who stayed with him, by him and turned his innocent serpent; cruel, demonic and downright evil.

Sseraphis put on the most innocent face he could muster, and hooked his arm on the crook of Aeltharion’s hand,"You and I, dearest, are but pale shadows of his golden first love. The darker side of a love that once shone so brightly that it burnt out," he said harmlessly, hiding the hurt that resonated in his heart when he let out the bitter reality of their life.

"I made a mistake. Everyone does."

"It’s funny, isn’t it," Sseraphis quickly took the opportunity to take another shot at Nytherael. "You claim to be sorry yet, I am not the only one you hurt, Nythe," he drected the spotlight of the moment to their other partner, Aeltharion, "Why aren’t you even attempting to apologize to Ael?"

"Huh?" Nytherael reacted as though he hadn’t heard him even though every word hit home and it hit hard. His eyes left Sseraphis and landed on his dragon. Lightning seemed to connect their gazes.

He knew why he hadn’t initiated a conversation with Aeltharion. The answer was at the tip of his tongue but it was a question he’d never answer out loud without breaking down.

Its easy with Sseraphis because his snake was atleast willing to excahnge words wth him, however bitter. Whereas Aeltharion hadn’t said a single word to him at all, barely acknowledging his presence.

Aeltharion treated him less than air; knowing he is there, feeling him but refusing to recognize him. The anchor of their relationship had made up his mind that he, wasn’t worth the effort anymore.

Fueling the flames, Sseraphis continued, "Unless this is your way of saying that you aren’t sorry for hurting him. Is it?"

Nytherael and Aeltharion’s eyes met once more. Unlike the first time, Aeltharion didn’t hold his gaze but averted his eyes after a two seconds.

"No. That..." he tried to voice his truth.

Refusing to let the cunning fox talk his way out of mess, Sseraphis became even more brutal.

"Oh, let me guess," he said and stalled. Nytherael looked up at him, having a bad feeling about what carefully constructed words he was about to drop to enhance the distance in their broken bond. Sseraphis sneered, loving the look of despair in Nytherael’s eyes. "Are you implying with your apology to me that... you’re in love with only me?" he asked.

Nytherael went pale. The insunuation behind Sseraphis’ words was enough to push Aeltharion further away.

He was able to discern the intention behind Sseraphis’ provocation. The slippery serpent was intentionally staring trouble and creating distance between him and Aeltharion to keep Aeltharion for himself without him in the picture.

He glanced at his dragon, desperately wishing Aeltharion will look into his eyes once and understand him. Understand that he never meant to hurt them, he’d been a fool in the past but that was a different time ago.

However, Aeltharion didn’t look at him again and didn’t even ask him for an explanation. He remained a silent bystander, waiting for him and Sseraphis to be done so they can leave.

Sseraphis smiled even more brightly, not caring about the Nytherael broken state but loving the indiference in Aeltharion towards Nytherael.

He hugged Aeltharion tenderly and stroked his head gently. "Even if Nytherael doesn’t love you, even if he always chooses everyone else but you. Rest assured that I, will always choose you, Ael," he confessed, putting Nytherael down while lifting himself up in Aeltharion’s eyes.

"I know that," Aeltharion responded, simple and straight to the point.

"I just want to say it so that you don’t forget it."

"I won’t."

"Good. Because for you, Ael, I’m willing to turn the whole world into hell just to create heaven for you," Sseraphis confessed, adding salt Nytherael’s unhealed wounds by intentionally leaving him out of his profession of love.

Sseraphis’ words were like a gun and the bullets were headed right for Nytherael’s heart. And Nytherael felt the exclusion, it echoed in every ounce of his being!