Chapter 5: The Suffering That Leads to Madness

Chapter 5: The Suffering That Leads to Madness

Time passed, and the forest surrounding Yggdrasil shifted through seasons while Rina endured the agonizing months of her pregnancy.

When the day finally came, elven midwives rushed through the dimly lit halls of the underground sanctuary, whispering prayers and lighting candles as if trying to ward off a curse they could not see.

Rina screamed through the pain, gripping the sheets until her knuckles turned white, the scent of sweat and herbal incense hanging thick in the air.

Beside her, a wheelchair sat close to the bed.

Sophie remained there, her frail body trembling slightly with each movement.

Her arms rested forward, one hand shakily reaching out until her fingers found Rina’s.

She held on as best as she could, her grip uneven and unsteady, but determined.

Her wings were gone, reduced to small, broken stubs along her back.

One eye stared lifelessly ahead, dull and unmoving, while the other struggled to focus, lagging behind everything it tried to see.

Her lips parted, but when she tried to speak, the words came slow and fractured.

"R... Ri... na..."

"Y... yo... u... a... re... al... mo... st... th... th... ere... k... k... keep... pu... shing..."

Her voice shook, each syllable dragged out with effort, but she did not let go of Rina’s hand.

Then, at last, the wail of a newborn filled the chamber.

Relief washed through Rina’s chest.

Her daughter was here.

Her Rachel.

Sophie’s fingers twitched, tightening weakly as she listened to the cry, her head turning slightly toward the sound, as if trying to see the child she could not fully focus on.

But the relief did not last.

Sophie’s grip faltered slightly, her hand trembling harder now, as if something about the cry unsettled her.

The baby would not stop crying.

Not the frightened wail of a newborn, but a raw, piercing scream that clawed at the heart.

When they placed her in Rina’s arms, she froze.

Rachel’s tiny body was covered in black and blue marks, as if every touch bruised her.

Tears rolled down the infant’s face.

Rina reached forward with trembling fingers to wipe them away.

The moment her skin brushed her daughter’s cheek, a new bruise blossomed beneath her touch.

Rachel screamed even louder.

Rina’s breath shattered.

She clutched the child close without touching her skin directly, her voice breaking.

"Why… why would a goddess do this to her? She is innocent. She is just a baby."

Days later.

Rina had not slept.

Rachel’s cries had become a constant, echoing through the chamber without pause.

No matter what she tried, the screaming never truly stopped.

Every attempt to soothe her only brought more bruises, more pain.

Rina had learned to wrap her daughter carefully, to hold her without direct contact, to move slowly, to breathe slowly, to exist around her child instead of touching her.

Still, it was never enough.

The marks spread across Rachel’s tiny body, black and blue blooming like rot beneath her skin.

Rina watched them form again and again, helpless to stop it.

She told herself it would pass, that this was temporary, that whatever the goddess had done could be undone.

She had to believe that.

That night, their home was quiet.

Rina sat beside Sophie, exhaustion weighing heavily on her body.

The candles burned low, their light soft and unsteady against the stone walls.

Sophie held Rachel in her arms.

Her movements were slow and uncoordinated, her hands trembling as she tried to support the fragile infant.

Yet despite it all, she held her gently, carefully, as if she understood exactly how delicate Rachel had become.

Rachel had finally fallen asleep.

For the first time in days, there was silence.

Sophie looked down at her, her one functioning eye struggling to focus on the small face resting against her.

Her lips parted slightly, but no words came.

Her expression barely moved, the damage to her face making it difficult to show emotion, yet something in the way she held Rachel said everything.

Her grip tightened, just a little.

Rina watched them as the exhaustion from the past few days finally began to overtake her.

Her eyes slowly closed as she fell into a deep sleep.

For a brief moment, it was peaceful.

Then the candles flickered.

The shadows trembled throughout the house.

Rina woke up in her house, but there was no Rachel, no Sophie.

Rina stood up, worry gripping her chest as she called out.

"Sophie… where are you? Where is Rachel?"

Rina started to move, panic rising, but then the shadows on the wall began to shift.

They twisted and combined, forming a shadowy figure with no distinct features.

Rina’s heart began to beat rapidly as fear took over.

Then it began to circle her slowly, like a predator testing its prey.

Rina tried to turn with it, but her body would not respond.

She could only feel it passing behind her… then beside her… then behind her again.

Getting closer each time.

The air grew cold.

Then the figure pressed against her back and whispered right into her ear.

The goddess delights in Rachel’s suffering. But you do not have to watch her suffer forever. I will give you part of my power, and you can save her. All you need to do is kill the goddess before the curse kills Rachel.

Then Rina noticed movement as a figure appeared from the hallway of the house.

The goddess Veyra stood in the darkness, holding Rachel in one arm.

In her other hand, a familiar, ominous black flame ignited, the same flame she had used before.

Rina screamed,

"Get away from my child!"

Rina tried to charge forward to save her, but her body refused to move.

She forced herself, straining against an unseen weight, each step feeling impossible as she struggled to reach her daughter.

The black flame in the goddess’s hand descended onto Rachel, consuming her completely as Rachel’s screams filled the house, piercing and desperate, until they suddenly stopped, leaving Rina frozen in place.

Rachel’s body crumbled into ash in the goddess’s grasp, slipping through her fingers like dust, while Rina could only watch, powerless, as tears streamed down her face.

Rina awoke with a violent jolt, both hands shooting forward as she reached out.

"Rachel!"

Her voice broke into panic, her heart hammering as her body trembled, soaked in sweat.

Then she saw them.

Sophie was still there, sitting beside her, Rachel resting quietly in her arms, fast asleep.

Sophie turned her head slightly, her movements slow and unsteady.

Her lips parted, her voice strained and uneven.

"A… a… re… you… o… okay…?"

Rina froze, her breath catching as she looked around the room.

Nothing was wrong.

Just the faint candlelight… and the quiet sound of her daughter breathing.

Rina slowly leaned back, her body still shaking as she tried to calm herself.

"A dream…" she whispered to herself. "It was only a dream."

For days, everything seemed back to normal, but that dream lingered in the back of her mind, continuing to haunt Rina as the shadowy voice whispered at the edge of her thoughts.

For weeks, it clung to her mind.

Rina finally came to realize it had not been an ordinary dream.

The whispers persisted, hissing venom about the goddess and insisting she accept the deal it offered.

Rina forced herself to push it deep into the back of her mind as she continued to focus on raising Rachel.

But the curse did not stay quiet for long.

Then years had passed.

Rachel grew up unable to live like a normal child should, as even the softest touch left bruises.

Yet the little girl refused to distance herself from Rina or Sophie, forcing herself to endure the pain that struck her every time she made contact with them.

"Mommy, don’t look sad. I am strong, see?" Rachel would say, her small arms wrapping around Rina’s waist despite the dark marks forming instantly.

Rina bit her lip until she tasted blood, forcing a smile through the pain twisting in her chest.

"Yes, Rachel. You are strong. Too strong for this world."

As years passed, more curses awakened within Rachel.

Sometimes Rachel could not speak, her voice stolen for hours.

Sometimes she could not hear.

Sometimes blood trickled from her eyes, ears, and mouth, leaving her trembling and exhausted.

Every healed wound became a scar.

Her small body slowly turned into a map of suffering.

And the whispers continued to haunt Rina’s mind.

She suffers because of the goddess. You cling to hope like a fool. Let go. Take my power. Strike the goddess down.

Night after night, Rina covered her ears and sobbed, turning to potions to numb her mind to the whispers.

"Stop. Please stop. I just want to raise my daughter in peace."

But her mind was breaking.

As Sophie quietly watched Rina over the past few years struggle to hold herself together, she had Rachel push her wheelchair closer to Rina, who was slumped in her chair, before she spoke.

"R... Rina... I... th...ink... w...we... shou...ld... tr...y... to... g...get... y...you... so...me... h...help..."

As Sophie shakily moved her hand to Rina’s slumped head, she slowly caressed her hair.

Rina then looked up, exhaustion evident in her eyes, as she spoke.

"I'm fine. I already reached out to Lyssara."

"She left to find Elyndra, who has not shown herself since the incident with Logan. Hopefully, she can help us with Rachel’s problem."

Then Sophie’s hand moved to Rina’s and held it as tightly as her weak body would allow, her face attempting to show a worried expression.

"Th... that's... fi...ne... b...but... I'm... worr...ied... ab...out... y...you... it's... unh...ealthy... to... k...keep... dri...nking... th...those... p...po...tions... a...all... th...the... t...time..."

Rina’s grip tightened as she nodded.

"I understand. After she checks Rachel, I will have her take a look at me. Hopefully, Elyndra can help me as well, as she is a powerful healer."

And they continued to raise Rachel as they awaited Elyndra’s arrival.

And hoped help would come before everything fell apart.