Hellbound Heart

This chapter is dedicated to @Dreamer_Princess and @Monica_Ceja! Thank you so much for the supergifts!

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A long and heavy silence reigned after Elijah's statement.

What he had just revealed... That his mother had taken her own life had reminded Elle of her own sister. Ellaine. Her heart could only shudder in remembrance of the situation that her sister found herself in which had driven her to choose to end her own life. She could almost see that familiar look in his grey eyes. It reminded her of how her own gaze looked whenever she stared at herself through the mirror since the day she found Ellaine cold and dead in her room. That horror had been burnt into her memory and had stayed there ever since.

But the horrors reflected in his eyes were far worse. The hatred and everything else were blazing like an eternal inferno, as though never able to be quenched nor sated. The kind that looked irreversible. The kind that would demand exact repayment for every wrong - that he deemed it to be - counted against him.

He pushed himself away and Elle finally realized her breathing was uneven and shallow. His emotions and fluctuating aura had affected her once again.

She panted for air once he was a few steps from her again.

None of them spoke for a long while until Elle somehow managed to regain her normal breathing, all the while just watching him move back to his earlier spot from the corners of her eyes. She only lifted her face when she saw him leaning against the wall once again. The dangerous inferno in his eyes seemed to have calmed down for now. She really wished she could see his face clearly to at least be able to discern and have an idea on what expression he was wearing.

When he did not speak, Elle fidgeted and could not sit still to just wait for him to start talking again. Thus, she could only force herself to break the silence.

"Why... are you coming after Sebastian instead of... Prince Ezekiel? Is it because he's gone and now you are venting all your anger and frustrations onto Sebastian in his place?" Elle's brow furrowed as she tried to understand where Elijah was coming from.

She thought she saw him smirk, but could not be sure from the dimness where he was standing. However, that alone was enough to make Elle's heartbeat race harder.

"The story didn't end there, Sunshine." He replied as he pulled something out from his shirt pocket. She could not tell what it was, but she could see him playing with it in his hand. Tossing it a little and catching it. "Sebastian had done something much worse and I'm not going to tell you about it right now. I know you're doubting my words and obviously, you'd choose to believe their version of the story instead of mine. But worry not, Princess Elle, I'm not going to force you to believe me. You'll find out about it all soon anyway, once he wakes up... now Sunshine... you need to get out of this place for now and go get something to eat. We can't have you starving here, can we?"

The sudden sound of her stomach growling followed Elijah's words. But Elle could barely bother about hunger or even her thirst for water at the moment at all.

She shook her head. "Please... don't hurt him." She said softly, pleadingly.

Elle could now feel real dread. Back then, when she first met Elijah, she could not make herself feel the kind of fear she was supposed to feel when she was near him. Now she could feel it. But it still was not that directed to herself. She feared what he would do to Sebastian instead of herself.

"You said he'd been locked and chained up for seven hundred years..." she continued, just saying these words was enough to make her chest squeeze tighter. "He had su –"

"Enough, Sunshine." His tone was hard, cold, and unforgiving. This was the first time she had heard him in that tone. "Don't you dare tell me he's suffered enough. It's not enough. I want to drive him insane not because of some demonic powers. I wanted him to go insane for real. For real, Princess Elle..."

Elle shook her head and her eyes began to feel hot. The thought that this man was planning to most probably drive Sebastian into taking his own life in the end made her shiver so hard that her knees weakened with the fear that was threatening to overtake her.

"Please don't do this." She begged. She wanted to believe Sebastian was not going to yield. That he was stronger than anything. But she knew Sebastian was already living with nightmares and traumas. What if Elijah knew what exactly it was that could break him?

"You need to get yourself prepared too, Princess Elle." He added, as though giving her that warning was a last friendly move on his part. He did not seem to have heard her begging at all.

"Y-you're going to make me watch –" Elle choked at the thought. Her insides twisting into a knot.

"Not just watch, Sunshine." He cut her off, causing her eyes to widen with the horror of the unknown.

"W-what are you... planning to do?"

"You will see. But for now, go and eat. This is for your own sake. Unless you want to pass out due to hunger and weakness once Sebastian wakes up."

She could only clench her fists tight and fought hard to keep her trembling under control. Fighting to not succumb to any fear.

"I'll go... If you come with me." She would not let him remain alone with Sebastian. She was very fearful that he would do something to Sebastian once she was outside. "There is no one outside and... I don't think I see any food in the kitchen."

He stared at her. And then he glanced over at Sebastian.

However... "Fine." He still gave in, causing Elle to secretly feel a little relieved as she secretly let out the breath that she had held in.

When he began to walk away, Elle glanced over at Sebastian and then followed after him. Elle was busy trying to force herself to think and come up with a useful plan, while her gaze was fixated on Elijah's broad back.

Soon, the secret door opened and when they were finally out, Elijah turned around to face her.