“Luke…wh-what happened to you?” Her voice was shaky and as she hugged her stomach her body trembled. “You did it…didn’t you?” Her eyes welled up. She already knew the answer. Luke had fallen victim to his temptation and her heart broke for him. “Why Luke? Why? You stupid, stupid man! You knew what could happen to you!” She let out a shattering cry for her greatest fear had came true.
Quickened to anger, he snarled in response. “I did it for you! For us Seraphine!” He slowly walked towards her with arm stretched out. “Now we can be together forever…eternity. Just like we talked about, just like we wanted!” His gaze locked onto Seraphine, but she saw nothing more than an empty man. That wasn’t Luke anymore. With once arm extended, the other silently shook as he ran his fingertips against the soft curves of her face. She held his gaze for but a single moment before turning her cheek into his palm. “Luke…this isn’t right. I told you. I mean, look at yourself! You…you-” He lifted her chin just slightly “Seraphine, my love. I can live forever. There is nothing wrong. How could you possibly think there is something wrong with this?” His grip on her tightened and she could barely move her face. “Luke you are not you.” It was difficult to speak as his fingers started to dig into her skin. Under short breaths she tried to shake him away. “You’re hurting me. Luke, let…me…go. Let me…go…Please. Luke.” She pleaded. “We can fix this.” “There is nothing to fix!” He hissed and released his grasp on her. Seraphine stumbled back, her pale green eyes danced underneath pools of tears. She stared at him as he made his way back towards her. His bare feet crossed over silently and her mumbled inaudibly to himself. Seraphine tucked back the loose strands of her golden hair that waved against the winds of her scared breaths. Luke parted his lips and let a single huff of desperation for attention fall. “Seraphine…”
“I’m pregnant Luke.” In and instant those words rang in his ears, like loud bells of a chapel. He was stuck in place. Stuck in a loop of those words. Seraphine gathered herself with a heavy but defeated sigh. She placed her arm around her waist, gently rubbing her stomach. “I found out last night.” She looked down and smiled, but the corners of her lips were tainted with dread. “We…are having a child?” Those words fell dryly off of his lips. He was anchored by the news, but couldn’t hold back half a smile followed by a happy chuckle. “I’m going to be a father. This is amazing. Seraphine…” The heaviness lifted and he immediately quickened his steps towards her. He embraced Seraphine and pressed his lips against her forehead. “Oh this is really something…it’s amazing!” Seraphine hummed and her arms hung at her sides. She closed her eyes, afraid to make eye contact. She could feel his power. it warmed her like a fire on a late December’s night. His dark energy coursed through him and she felt it pounding against her chest. A single tear fell from her eye and she took a few small steps away from Luke. With a gentle push to his chest she was suddenly a few feet away. “It can’t be like this. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I didn’t want it to be this way, Luke.” Seraphine hung her her head, strands of her hair that were perfectly placed fell once again and covered her eyes. “What are you talking about Seraphine?” Luke was puzzled and stared at the distance between them. “We are going to have a family…”
A few moments of silence passed. The air was thick. Finally Seraphine lifted her head, her lips trembling. “You are a monster. I can feel it…” She placed her hand over her heart. Her voice cracking under tears she was holding back. “I can feel you Luke. I feel…whatever darkness that is surging through you. That energy…that dark energy. It’s not who I fell in love with and it surely is not who I want to or can raise a child with.” She cocked her head to the right and let it hang just above her shoulder. “I’m sorry Luke…” Her words trailed off and played over and over in his head.
“You’re a monster.” That stung. The words pranced around in his mind, growing louder with every repetition. “You’re a monster.”
“A monster?” Luke tightened his lips, clenching his jaw as he clinched his fists at his sides. When he raised his head his once beautiful, sterling gray eyes muddied into black. He watched as his skin went from a frosty white to a dark gray. It was as if he walked through the ruins and ash of Pompeii. “I’ll show you a monster. “
He lunged towards her like a feral creature, mumbling curses under his breath. Standing stoically Seraphine waved her hand in front of Luke, freezing him in place. She stood silently before him. Was this all just a vivid, bad dream? Was this actually happening? It was at that moment where she realized that she had lost her true love. Seraphine looked into the onyx eyes of her beloved, but she saw nothing. Nothing good at least. She saw a broken reflection of herself and the love that they shared. Little by little the tears rolled down her cheeks. Her sniffles and stiffened breaths were a weak attempt to delay the inevitable. The longer she stood in front of him the less strength she had. her knees weakened and she sudden found herself on the cold travertine floor, sobbing at Luke’s feet. She slammed her hands on the ground and cursed it.
“Why? Why? Why?” Her sobs turned into a woeful wail, her tears trickling down the smooth edges of her face and onto the ground. “It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I am so sorry Luke.” Through her sobs she called for her guards to take Luke to the dungeon. That call hurt her more than he would ever know. The guards rushed to Seraphine. No questions asked they took Luke’s frozen body and made way to the lower level cells. One of the guards held Seraphine at her shoulders and helped her up. She nodded in respect. “Please take me to where you will be putting him.” The guard nodded and motion for her to follow him…
-s.c
Prologue: Part One
Published
Vagabond Prophet 