To His Hell and Back-Chapter 128: My Sister, Not-I

Stunned by the question and taken aback by the innocent smile shown by her sister, Arabella stopped on her heels and pulled her hands away from Ariel. She took a step back in the staircase and stared down at the darkness that spread behind Ariel’s back which loomed like a deadly abyss.

"Are you... joking?" Bella asked but her tone had turned strained. The shift in the air became cold, ice cold, as an impending grim fastened her heartbeat. "What do you mean by that? You are asking whether one day I woke up from my sleep and feel an intense hatred toward vampire, just like that?"

Ariel who stared back at her seemed confused by the shock that took place over her face. She smiled softly, as though she hadn’t said anything that was out of her usual character, "It’s rooted in us to hate vampires. But you seem to have always forgotten that rightful belief.:

"What are you saying sister? It’s not rooted in us to hate certain people. Do you also believe it’s right to hate them because we are human and that we’re are the opposite of vampires? Or because they feed off us?" Bella inquired as she took a step backward again, reaching to Cassius’s strong body that startled her. He didn’t say anything when she turned her face to him, instead his hand held her shoulder tightly which caused Ariel to frown.

"Because vampires are our natural enemy. There is no why questions to ask, Bella. To hate vampires is only right and just but you seem to not have that emotion in you since your birth as if something is broken inside you which set you apart from everyone else." she then point her finger behind Arabella, over to Cassius, "Move away from him, Bella. That man behind you is lying about everything. I know everything. I know that he is the crown prince. Isn’t he?"

At this, Bella’s expression twist. Ariel like her lacks knowledge of the kingdom and the royalties. Her sister in particular couldn’t read and the brothels people wouldn’t have known how exactly Cassius would look or even his birth name, knowing him only as the Crown Prince. She couldn’t deny the oddness she had felt since the start anymore and demanded at once to the liar in front of her, using her sister’s appearance, "Who are you?! You are not my sister!"

Ariel’s facial expression remain the same for a couple of seconds until it curled into a wider smirk. She placed her hands in front of her chests, crossing it, "I do expect that you are more sensitive to changes more than the others, after all you are different, more special than everyone."

Cassius exhaled and let out a chuckle, "See birdie? I told you this wasn’t your sister."

She turned to him and the back at Ariel. Hurt took over her face as she had really believed that she had finally met her sister. Anger filled her and she clenched her fists, wary as she questioned, "Where is Ariel. What have you done to her?!"

"Don’t worry, I didn’t and I won’t hurt her," whispered Ariel. "She is simply in a better place, well rested, well fed, and away from this nightmare of a place to where she really belongs."

"You kidnap my sister?" Arabella rushed forward but Cassius held her back to which makes her head snap at him, "I need to find my sister!"

"I know," Cassius said and walked before her, "I’ll squeeze that information out of this fake sister of yours. So stand back behind me," he whispered and turned back to the fake Ariel, smiling in the friendliest manner even though his eyes had turned grim. "So were you pretending to be my birdie’s sister on purpose so you could also take her away?"

"’Take her away’ makes it sounds as though I have brought them away against their wishes but that wasn’t what happened. Ariel was the one who had decided to go where she is now; All on her own, willingly as she had recalled what is right and what was inherited for her," then the fake Ariel’s green eyes moved to her, "And soon, you Bella will also come with me to where you truly belong. Unfortunately I didn’t expect that you will be bringing the crown prince of this filthy creature with you."

"You sound so confident despite kidnapping my sister. Ariel wouldn’t have trusted you easily unless you have tricked her." Bella clutched to her dress, "Where is she now? How could you take her away?!"

"Well if you are worried," the fake Ariel reached out her hands toward her, "Then simply come with me dear. I will show you where your sister really is and the place where you should be calling as your home sweet home."

Arabella saw the outstretched hands and felt an indescribable sense of unease. It’s different than just feeling fear. Rather she feels ill. Like she had been invited to take another step forward to Hell. But if that is where her sister is, how could she refuse it?

"Don’t."

Cassius’s words snapped her from her daze and she only realized now that she had moved in involuntarily without her will, as if controlled the moment the "Ariel" in front of her had asked her to follow.

Shivers ran down her spine when she noticed this and she stared at the fake Ariel who seemed unhappy upon seeing that whatever trick she had pulled wasn’t working due to Cassius’s interference.

"Seems that it’s not only that you are capable of making lies, you’re also quite good when it comes to using your words to move people into doing what you want them to do. What are you exactly?" Cassius hummed, "You can use Ariel’s body but you aren’t a skin walker, your reflection is too perfect. You call yourself the enemy of vampires and I do remember how I’ve heard that keyword before," hummed Cassius, "Oh I see. There has been a rise of creatures calling themselves as sorcerers, you are one of them aren’t you?"

The darkness behind Ariel grew, as if it was a small little black beast that had eventually overgrown enough to cover the entire ceiling, it moved right to her skirt, clinging to her arms that she had crossed over her chest. Her sweet voice distorted, turning deeper and losing its smoothness, "This is why I dislike smarty pants like you," whispered Ariel but now her voice had turned into a man’s voice, new to Bella’s ears yet somehow familiar to her.

The darkness began to envelope Ariel’s body entirely, turning it into a pristine long white coat that had reached her ankle. Her short statures turned taller, her small body becoming more robust, and her blonde long hair turned glimmering in silver glow. The once body of a small, shorter young girl had turned into a fine tall body of a man in his late thirties, leaving no trace of the femininity that Ariel’s body had possessed, leaving a new appearance of a stranger’s face.

The man’s eyes moved from green to gold and his features though soft was akin to a snake’s, clever, and androgynous.

"Most vampires don’t think with their head so I always despise finding those like you with a rather brilliant head," said Morpheus with a smirk over his pale pink lips, "Now that you know what I am, mind stepping away little crown prince? Of you do so willingly, I promise not to end your life just for today."