The Paragon Antaris - a secret World of magic #2
Chapter 4

Warning: Violence and abuse

It is said that prophets have special abilities. There were a total of five prophets, three of whom Abbadon had already murdered when he realized that they could be dangerous to him. My mother, once human, was possessed by a demon when she was pregnant, and he saw in me the sign of the prophets depicted on my back. A feather-shaped birthmark was the sign of the prophets created by the Father of all beings. Abbadon then told them that they were the prophets of darkness, which later turned out to be one of his big lies. My mother was taken captive, and when I was born, I didn't know the life of the human world at all. I was born into darkness. Since I was a child, I only knew pain and suffering, and so I spent years locked in Hell.

Everything I knew I heard...I heard it from the beings...from the guards...from the princes of darkness. Abbadon waited for my gift to show itself, and then he would decide whether I was of any use to him.

He punished me regularly when he didn't see any progress, and when I was already a young woman, he was no longer satisfied with beatings and threats. I got used to being beaten, and the pain became my everyday companion. What destroyed me was when Abbadon attacked my mother and threatened me that I would soon end up like that too.

I was a maid and a slave and was treated like that.

He loved to tie me to the wall and punish my naked body if I did something wrong. The whippings were so painful that I often lost consciousness.

But I never gave him what he wanted. I had known for years that I had the ability to escape into the dream world, but I couldn't leave my mother here, and so I waited patiently.

It turned out I can live in other people's dreams, not just in my mind but my whole body. I just knew what to say as if it was a part of me, and I would disappear. So when I did that for the first time, Abbadon became suspicious. I let it go and waited for the perfect time to escape with my mother.

I was never allowed to see her alone, only in his presence, and I never wanted to show him my gift. He could have easily captured me and used my gift to replace Avery and Iris. They seemed to be important for the good, and so I decided to protect us all in this way.

I waited for years and endured. I persevered and survived. Broken, abused, and lonely...but I had hope.

I saw my mother every now and then through the small bars. I heard what Abbadon did to her and all the children she bore for him that he murdered when there were no signs of the prophets. A chosen woman could give birth to a prophet, and this was Abbadon's plan. The perfect prophet for himself and his sick plan of destroying everything good.

His obsession with Avery and Iris became so great that he only talked about replaceing them and invading their world to destroy all good beings. I didn't know who they were, but the contemptuous way he spoke of them made me realize that they had killed his brother and were therefore his enemies. I knew if he knew about my abilities, then he would use them to fulfill this plan. And I wouldn't wish a life like mine on anyone, but if he was successful, then all living beings would be destined for it.

After the death of his last brother, he seemed to have gone mad and, as a fallen angel, he thought that he might be able to father a prophet himself. I also served him to blackmail my mother, and as long as I was alive, he had hope either I will be the prophet he wants or my mother will give birth to him. My wrists had scars from the bonds, and my feet hurt every time they touched the ground, but my back was the worst. The wounds didn't even heal properly before he tore open new wounds with his whip, and so my life was spent in pain and fear.

When I lived with him for about fifteen years, I heard my mother giving birth again. Something must have gone wrong because she died. He ordered me to dispose of the child and come to his bedchamber...I knew what that meant.

When I saw her disfigured face and her starved body, I knew that my mother's death saved her and finally freed her from Abbadon. I was supposed to dispose of the small bundle that was lying on the ground, but when I got closer, I saw that the child was still alive. I took the child and disappeared. I had practiced in my mind as many times as I would do this, but shocked by the sight of my dead mother and with a newborn child in my hand, I decided not to waste any time. This was the first time that Abbadon left me alone with my mother, I know he wanted to send me a message, but the only thing he got was my escape.

Life with a newborn child is hard and I had to search for food and clothes in other people's dreams. I was afraid that the child would be evil like Abbadon, but it wasn't. Not one bit. I loved her with all my heart, and she loved me too. She was my greatest happiness that I protected. So we lived hidden for years, where I raised Nyllis. That's what I called the child. I've been free of Abbadon for five years...but freedom looked different. The fear of what I experienced didn't let me leave my dream world, and so we wandered through the dreams of unknown people.

I learned to read and write, and so I taught myself everything. What I liked most was the story that is told about the Father of all beings, so I memorized it so that I could pass it on to my sister.

I found the empty shell of a man lying in constant sleep in a place they called a hospital, with machines ventilating him. We stayed there last before he came. The man with the light hair and the friendly voice. He found me in my darkness. And I thought he was someone like me.

Or someone that the Father of all beings sent to help me after I prayed to him so many times.

He came into my world with an angel and a demon. I was confused and scared, but when King Avery and Queen Iris turned out to be his parents, I knew that these were definitely not Abbadon's henchmen.

They took me to Antaris, and the menacing guards standing before us were quickly warned by him. I've never seen anything like that in my life. I didn't know this, no one had ever stood up for me or defended me, so I stood there and just looked at him. The place where my hand touched his body, which was surrounded by a dark red aura, seemed to burn. His presence gave me comfort, and I felt like I was only safe with him and wanted to stay there. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and his kindness for me and my sister was huge.

When he had to leave the room because the Queen wanted to take care of our well-being, I felt sad. I didn't want him to leave, but his presence in front of the door was pleasing to me. Queen Iris brought healers, as she called them, to take care of mine and Nylli's physical condition. When I was supposed to show where they could help, I was confused, but when they healed my torn lip, I understood that these magical beings could repair my body. I stripped down to my underwear in front of all these women, and their shocked faces showed the terrible condition my body was in. The compassion and care I received from them was amazing, and without asking, they healed all my wounds, and all the scars disappeared as if Abbadon had never tormented me. The only thing that remained is the birthmark that resembled a feather, and when the angel saw this, her eyes widened.

I looked at myself in the mirror without all the scars and all the blood for the first time. As if none of this had ever happened, it was healed away.

The woman named Ava helped me get into a dress that she brought, and Nyllis got one too. I've never had a dress that even fit, and now I was looking at myself and Nyllis in the mirror. The queen called Elyon back in when they were finished, and he stopped when he saw me.

The lustful looks and lust of the demons was disgusting, but when Elyon looked at me so lustfully, I was proud. I wanted to be beautiful for him. When we went to see the king, Elyon left my sister with his friends in the garden who gave her a warm welcome. They looked over at me, and all smiled so kindly, while the queen hugged me and took me into a room.

And now I'm standing here before the king and telling him and the queen and all their important friends everything I know. About Abbadon and his plans, about the army he has been building for years, and the new species of demons he has created and calls them inhumans. I told them everything about me and what I am. They know everything about me, every detail, and everything I had experienced. When I looked up at them again, the queen had her hand over her mouth, and her eyes were filled with tears. Elyon's face was sad, and he couldn't hold back his tears as he looked at me. I didn't want any sympathy from them, I just wanted to thank them for the grace they showed me. Their arch-enemy is also mine, and so with a heavy heart, I laid everything down in front of them. Maybe they see me as a danger and I'm unwanted. But at least, they should know what he's up to and prepare for it.