Chapter Text
Chisa's POV
He was back...
Joseph was back...
My hands were numb from his death grip - when Cartaphilus gave him back control. He was staring at me intensely, trying to read my reaction to the whole affair. He loosened his vice-like grip on my hands slightly, but didn't let go.
"Well? Do you understand me better now? Can you see why I hurt people who deserve to feel the pain I feel everyday?"
I blinked at his words. Do I understand him better? He has no right to hurt others just because he's hurting. A sudden thought occurred to me. The words escaped my mouth before I thought about them.
"Did I deserve the agony you inflicted upon me?"
I... am... dead...
Joseph was taken aback by my question. I bit my lip nervously as I read his eyes. He was about to respond when there was a loud knock at the door. I flinched at the sudden noise, and tucked my knees under my chin. Joseph stood up quickly, as though he remembered he would have guests.
"I forgot Renfred was coming... just sit there, puppy. I might ask him to close your wounds... he's better at sealing wounds than me."
I glanced down at my bandaged arms; my eyes widened as I saw that they were almost completely saturated with my blood. Now that I'm not focusing on Joseph, a surge of pain creeps back into my arms. I'm not sure any magic could fix this... and it hurts so much... When I looked up again, Joseph was at the door, unlocking the bolts.
He opened the door, smiling: "Well, well, well! How lovely to see you again, Renfred! And Alice, too! It's good to see your health is improving... please come in." His voice sounds eerily cheerful - he's trying to act like an innocent child... but I know better.
Alice came strolling in, her guard up. This girl must have a sixth sense. Her eyes scan the room and she soon spots me. Her hand flies to her mouth when she sees the state I'm in: bloody bandages and a wounded face, fear evident in my eyes.
Renfred follows closely behind Alice. The left sleeve of his coat flaps from side to side, a constant reminder of what Joseph did to him. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees me. His dark eyes widen and a deep frown develops on his face. He quickly walks over to me, Alice follows him.
Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared for this. I scooted to the far end of the couch, pressing my back firmly against it and holding up my arms in a weak defence. The lump in my throat returns as I cry, partly in fear, and partly in pain. Alice kneels down in front of me, anger flashing in her eyes. She takes my hands in hers, stretching my arms out straight, allowing Renfred to clearly see the now scarlet bandages. I hiss slightly, gripping her hands tightly. Renfred turns to face Joseph, who is now closing the door.
"What happened to your Sleigh Beggy?"
His voice sounded demanding, sending chills down my spine. Joseph turned round to face Renfred, the mask of a neutral expression was set on his face.
"That information does not concern you." Joseph snips back.
Renfred scowls at his words, but says nothing. He trails his hand down my arm - I hiss lowly, the stinging sensation making my eyes water. He moves his hand away, and I gape at the blood that coats his hand - I didn't realise it was that bad.
"You could at least stop her bleeding. Her bandages are soaked." He says seriously.
Joseph doesn't miss a beat, strolling over to me, grabbing my arm and examining the bandages himself. As usual, I flinch at the contact, and he gives me a dangerous look. I immediately look down, defeated. After a few seconds, he speaks:
"Why don't you seal her wounds for me? I already tried, but it wasn't very effective as you can see. I'll admit, this line of sorcery is not my specialty, but you make it look easy. Please, use as much of her energy as you need."
He lets go of my arm and walks away - I visibly relax, closing my eyes. I hear Renfred moving towards me, and I open my eyes again, slightly startled to find him kneeling in front of me. I hear a door close and I look around to investigate. Joseph is nowhere in sight - he must have left...
"Alice, will you remove her bandages please? And be careful, I can already tell that he wounds are deep."
His abrupt and blunt response had tears streaming down my cheeks again. I sniffed loudly, trying to compose myself. Alice, who had been gripping my hands the entire time, slowly started to remove my bandages, being careful not to cause me too much discomfort. I didn't want to look at my arms, but I felt as though I had too. I needed to know just how badly he hurt me.
I felt cool air hit my arms, soothing them slightly, but I also heard Alice gasp, outraged. My head shot down, I couldn't help but steal a glance.
Big mistake...
I struggled to choke back the scream that threatened to escape my lips. My wounds were bad - really bad. Every visible inch of my arms were slashed. But the initial cut, where Joseph had dragged the blade down my arms, was the worst. Even though the blood was still trickling down my arms, I could see how red and swollen the gashes were.
I felt despair... This, was how bad he could hurt me. How he reacts when his anger blinds him. This was how he would take care of me...
I hate him...
I sob uncontrollably. I couldn't help it. The agony of the flames that were licking my arms were horrendous. I brought hands to my eyes, covering my face and ignoring the searing pain that erupted from my harsh movement. Blood was starting to stain my clothes, but I didn't care.
I felt strong arms wrap themselves around my small frame, but I knew it wasn't Joseph. Peeking through the gaps of my hands, I say a red hoodie - it was Alice. She was giving me a much needed hug, rubbing my back in a soothing manner.
"It's okay, we'll fix it, I promise. Master is good at this kind of thing."
I sniffled into her shoulder and eventually, I quietened. She released me, allowing Renfred to take my hands away from my face and firmly holding them in his own. His eyes held disgust and malice - I felt at fault for what Joseph had done. Out of shame, I tried to pull my hands away; but Renfred kept his grip firm.
"I'm sorry, Chisa. I'm finding it difficult to control my temper at the moment. You're a Sleigh Beggy - a rarity in this modern age. With your unique abilities concerning magic, your lifespan is destined to be short if nothing is done to control it. Your whole demeanour has changed since the last time we met; your spirit is dying. You're a fragile being and he is breaking you."
My hands shook in his and tears brimmed at the corners of my eyes. I knew Joseph was cruel, but now Renfred has given me a new perspective. Before I met Joseph, my life was fairly ordinary, bar the depression. There were things that made me happy, angry, sad... I enjoyed peaceful scenery and despised crowded areas. But I had never experienced this level of fear until Joseph kidnapped me - because of my own stupid mistake. Because of Joseph, I woke up each day fearing for my life, wondering if I'd see another sunset; wondering if I could handle anymore pain; wondering if I could keep whatever sanity I had left. In that moment, I realised the horrifying truth...
"He... has... broken... me..."
My voice cracked and I bowed my head, feeling truly defeated. My shoulders heaved as silent sobs raked through my body once more. It wasn't long before I felt fingers brush underneath me chin, pulling it up slowly until I was eye level with Renfred.
"No. You're only broken if you believe you are. Understand?"
His words were blunt - but so true. Deep down, I knew I still had a lot of fight left in me. I just needed to be reminded of that. Taking a deep breath, I composed myself.
"I understand. Thank you."
Renfred nods approvingly. "Good. Now, I will seal your wounds for you. I'll try and use as little of your energy as possible." As he speaks, he straightens my arms, the stretching of my skin stings my cuts. I can't stop my arms from flinching. My fear grows, remembering what happened just a few hours ago when Joseph used an enchantment on me.
"It won't hurt, will it?" The words tumble out of my mouth quickly.
Renfred's eyes soften, "I can't guarantee it will be painless. It may feel uncomfortable, but it shouldn't cause you too much discomfort."
There was sincerity in his words - no doubt about it. I don't even know him that well, but I feel like I can trust him. Accepting his words, I nod my head, allowing him to continue the procedure.
Renfred shifted his attention to my arms, making sure they were completely straight before moving his hands to hover over my massacred arms. He started mumbling incoherent words under his breath. Almost immediately, I felt my skin tingling. I watched in wonder as the swelling in my wounds went down. But that wasn't all, my mouth fell open in shock as I witnessed my skin fusing itself back together. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. If there was any pain, I felt nothing.
Soon after, Renfred had sealed all of my cuts, leaving behind the streaks of blood and prominent red lines - scars. Constant reminders of Joseph's torture. Hopefully, they would fade with time. I hesitantly moved my arms; when I discovered that the searing pain had vanished, I smiled in relief.
"Thank you... thank you so much..." This time, it was tears of happiness that blurred my vision.
"I did my best, although I'm glad to see you smile. However, those scars may not fade, because we used an enchantment to bind your wounds."
My heart sank a little at his words, but at least I wasn't in any pain. He had healed me, and I was grateful, so grateful. It would've taken me much longer to heal on my own. I guess this is a perk of the magical world...
"Oh, I almost forgot about your face." Renfred stated, pressing his fingertips on the left side of my face.
He mumbled the same words - which sounded foreign. I felt the familiar tingle in my face as the wound closed over. He removed his hand and I reached up, slowly tracing the now raised and slightly bumpy line that travelled down my face.
Renfred got to his feet again, taking a few steps back so I wouldn't be craning my neck to talk to him. I thanked him again, relieved that the ordeal was over. I really hoped that after seeing my reaction to his presence after my ordeal that Joseph would refrain from hurting me. It was a silly wish, yet I hoped it would come true.
"Just as a precaution, I'm going to let Alice bandage your arms again - to ensure your wounds remain closed. Try not to make any sudden or harsh movements - they could reopen your wounds again."
At his words, Alice came over to me with a roll of snowy white bandages, and proceeded to wrap them around my arms. Once she was finished, I thanked her. She smiled at me and patted my shoulder. She was about to speak when the door opened and I immediately tensed.
"Ah good! You healed my puppy! Excellent!" Joseph exclaimed.
I heard him make his way over to me and I fixed my eyes on the floor again, wrapping my arms around me knees, hugging them tightly. Soon, Joseph was in front of me, blocking my view of the floor. Suddenly, I felt his ice-cold hands cup my face. I jerked away in fear, but also because his cold touch made me shiver. However, Joseph persisted, until his hands rested on my cheeks.
"Sorry, Sleigh Beggy! I realise my hands are colder than normal, but I just want to see how well Renfred has sealed your cuts."
Reluctantly, I relented. Partly because I didn't have a choice, and partly because I wanted it to be over quickly. He traced his thumb over the vertical line that started at my forehead and ended at my jawline.
"Good... this shouldn't cause any problems now. You'll be right as rain in no time." He gave my cheek a pat before turning to face Renfred. He held his hand out, revealing a glass vial with a crystal-like substance inside. "Here," He said, handing it to Renfred. "This should take you to the Kingdom of Cats in one trip. And please, do hurry - I don't have time to waste."
Renfred clenched his jaw, clearly not happy with taking orders from Joseph. He motions Alice to his side, who gives me one last reassuring smile. Slipping the cord of the vial around his neck, he tugs it sharply. I gasp as a bright flash of light illuminates the room... and they disappear. To say I was shocked was an understatement. However, a heavy feeling settled into my heart now that they were gone, leaving me alone with Joseph.
Joseph appeared to relax slightly, which surprised me. But the grin on his face when he faced me made my stomach do somersaults. He made his way back over to me, kneeling in front of me. I tried to look away, but he caught my face in his icy palms, forcing me to look directly into his stormy irises.
What he said next chilled my blood...
"Now, puppy. I believe we need to have a little chat... don't you?"
*****
Dun dun dun... what's gonna happen now?
Thoughts on Alice and Renfred?
Hope you enjoyed this chapter
Until next time 😊
ilovemanga19💕