At the demon’s ball. Gothic

“Give her to me,” he ordered, “give me Maerlin.

“No,” Roderick said firmly, boldly looking the bloody demon in the eye. “No way in the world,” he repeated boldly, squeezing the child tightly in his arms.

Courage and fearlessness gave him his vow Emily.

The demon chuckled.

“You think you defeated me,” he said, “but you are wrong, I needed you, so you are still alive. It was you who brought me here, to Maerlin, you let me in here, you opened the way for me to her. Now I can kill both of you, but you can still be saved. I will let you go, just give me Maerlin.

He held out his clawed hands, covered in the blood of many people, towards him, but Roderick did not hesitate for a moment.

“Give it to me,” the demon repeated.

“And forget your love,” Roderick looked straight into the monster’s eyes.

“I’m not afraid of you,” he whispered, “no matter what, I will keep my oath, and in the end your fate will find you.

– Your love was also just a dream teasing you, and in gratitude for the torment you are faithful to it,” the tempting voice of the devil sounded in the darkness.

– Now take revenge on this dream that gave you not love, but eternal suffering and sorrow, help me kill her, give us both liberation.”

He persuaded, but his speech could not suppress Roderick’s will. The prince gripped Emily’s child tightly in his arms, like the last spark of life.

“No,” he said firmly, “I’m not afraid of you, demon. Let the whole world shudder at the mere sound of your name, but it will not inspire fear in me, I loved Emily and I still love, so may my hatred for you help fate kill you.

“Give her to me,” the devil almost cried out, slowly approaching Roderick.

“No,” the prince said even more firmly.

“Well, then try to save her,” the bloody demon said with the same cruel mockery, “prove your immortal love.

Roderick no longer looked into inhuman eyes, clouded with bloodlust, but tightly squeezed the child in his arms and quickly rushed away from the mysterious house, where darkness of evil and mysteries prevailed over the light.

He ran out of the hall without even looking at the beautiful portrait of Emily, whose wonderful face at that moment was distorted by an ominous smile.

Roderick quickly ran down the narrow steps of the stairs, but suddenly at the very end, at the behest of something incomprehensible, he looked up and again saw her, Emily.

“Emily,” Roderick blurted out. He was ready to forget that it was the spirit of darkness, the ghost of a bloody demon. The only thing he wanted now was to stay with her with Emily forever.

“Give it to me,” in a voice similar to a mournful moan, whispered Emily, holding out her hands to him, “give me my daughter.”

Only a few steps separated him from her, and at that moment Roderick noticed that Emily’s hands were covered with streams of blood.

“No,” Roderick said.

The silhouette of a bloody demon flashed in Emily’s beautiful eyes, but Roderick managed to run past her and rushed out of the house.

Roderick leaned against the wall and hugged the small child tightly to him. Already, he loved her as much as he loved anyone else, a beautiful dream with Emily’s face and soul.

“Roderick,” suddenly it was heard not far from him. Again the silhouette of the beautiful Emily appeared in front of him.

“Come to me.”

Then another hateful voice sounded:

“You belong to her forever, and she will destroy you, because now her beauty is born of darkness.”

“No,” Roderick could only whisper back, although Emily’s beautiful image was already obscuring all his thoughts with a veil of unrestrained fog. He no longer controlled himself, all his feelings, all his actions, prayers, all his dreams were already subordinated to the darkness in this beautiful image. He was ready to rush to her, forgetting about everything, to surrender himself into the arms of death itself, if only the bloody death had her face.

“Emily,” he whispered.

He was already ready to completely and completely surrender to the forces of evil, but suddenly it was heard behind him:

“Roderick.”

The sound of this voice suddenly brought him back from the world of dark dreams to ordinary human life.

The prince turned involuntarily quickly.

Before him stood a beautiful girl, as beautiful as the ghosts of the rocks of sorcery, but, unlike them, kind, sympathetic and open.

“Clara,” Roderick said, hiding his weariness.

He was looking at a cute face, similar to Emily’s, but so implacably different from it. One was the embodiment of purity, the second was a seductive sorceress, a siren who stole his soul forever. The black-haired Clara was a kindness, Emily was an eternal darkness. One was innocence, the other evil. One was a beauty with golden blond hair, a symbol of a clean day, although her soul was covered with an eternal darkness of mystery. The flame of the night itself burned in the black hair of the other, but in her heart there was not even a drop of mysterious evil that overwhelmed Emily’s soul, which had been completely sold to darkness. Nevertheless, they have always been real sisters, although the soul of one of them was open and pure, and the other was hidden by the eternal darkness.

Roderick, in the throes of despair and unwillingness to believe that Emily is no longer alive, closed his eyes for a moment, and only Clara’s soft voice woke him up again, forcing him to wake up from his dreams.

“I don’t know why I came here,” Clara said quietly, “but I feel like Emily needs help.

“That’s right,” Roderick whispered.

He knew that this was his only hope to save Maerlin, until a vision of Emily made him give his soul to the darkness, and he was already close to it. The bloody demon knew he could hurt him, and he was about to deliver his final crushing blow, which Roderick could no longer resist.

He approached Clara, and now they stood together against the background of the old house, the tomb of ghosts.

“Take Emily’s baby,” Roderick said, “get her out of here as far as you can. Evil and death reign here, which will lie in wait for you if you appear here at least once. You can handle it, can you save her?

He looked hopefully into Clara’s clear and open eyes.

“Yes,” she replied, “I’ll take her as far away from the damned rocks of sorgery as possible. This is what Emily wanted, and that means I must do it, I must give her the name of the dream itself.

She looked at Roderick with pain in her eyes.

“I know that Emily died,” said Clara, “after all, not only your heart died with her, but part of my soul as well. I know you loved Emily and never loved me, but I don’t blame you for that. I loved her myself, even though she ruined my own life. It was impossible not to love such a beauty as her.

“You look so much like her,” said Roderick, already peering into the beautiful face covered with the shadow of sadness, “but you are not her.

“I know,” Clara whispered with the same sadness, “I know everything.

“Will you save Emily’s daughter?” Promise me.

“I promise,” she said slowly, “I will love her as much as I can. I’ll call it Maerlin, a dream.

“But will there be happiness in your life?” Roderick looked at Clara for the last time, some distant pain flashed in his eyes.

“Go away,” he asked, “the sooner the better, and no matter where, it’s important that you leave here as soon as possible.

He slowly held out the child to her, and she took it.

“Go away,” Roderick repeated, and shouted again, “go, go, Clara, save Maerlin. Just thinking that you will take her away from here will allow me to find peace. I must die, Clara, I cannot live without Emily, and you still have a whole life ahead of you, like the life of the one who will give you light in this fog of time, and now leave.

Clara knew that she needed to leave now, once and for all. She loved, but her love was unrequited. Beautiful Emily forever killed her happiness with her beauty, but she loved her and her child with all her heart. She had to save Maerlin, had to get her out of here. However, in the depths of her heart, not wanting to admit even to herself, she knew that the memory of the past would forever remain in her soul.

Now Roderick was left alone, he tightly gripped the hilt of his sword, but could this time ordinary human steel defeat the merciless power of witchcraft.

Roderick became alert, a black bird flew past with a wild, soul-tearing cry in the dark sky. Suddenly there was a rustle behind Roderick’s back that made him instantly turn around. Again, Emily was standing in front of him not far away.

Life and death have now lost their meaning for him, and only it, alluring and beautiful, the image of Emily remains.

“Roderick,” she whispered, “may death unite us forever, may she not deny us what life has denied. It is a wonderful world, my love, a world of blood, a world of death, but it can give you a precious moment of selected happiness.

The hilt of the sword involuntarily slipped out of Roderick’s hand as he approached Emily. He was no longer able to resist, only the vision created by the demon of the night now completely commanded him, all his thoughts, feelings, dreams.

“You’re mine now,” came the demon’s triumphant voice.

The prince did not hear him.

“Yes,” Roderick said. “Yes. Emily. In spite of everything, I forever love you alone. Even if I did not give it away with a single word, now I appeal to your immortal soul, hear me, Emily. The Lord has forgiven you, so let him send this forgiveness to me too. I will always pray to him about this, as now I pray you to hear the request of my heart.

For a moment, something frank, pure and innocent shone in Emily’s eyes. Her face was cleared of evil. Maybe it really was Emily’s very soul for a moment, driving out the spirit of the nightmare demon from its image.

“Emily,” Roderick whispered.

This very image Roderick loved all his life, with it he was ready to die, so beautiful, secretly, and selflessly loved by him. Emily for a wonderful and dazzling moment of happiness returned to life from death, and now remorse shone in her eyes, almost tears of bitter joy with which she looked at Roderick stood in them.

“Be with me forever,” she whispered.

Suddenly the ominous cry of a hellish bird echoed over the desolate space.

Pity and sympathy flashed across Emily’s beautiful face before she disappeared into the darkness again, just as suddenly. as it had appeared, but the kingdom of death could not for a moment do without evil, and Roderick knew it.

Before he even had time to recover, the bloody demon appeared in the darkness of the night again.

“You sought your death,” he hissed, “and you will get it.

Roderick barely had time to grab his sword before the rays of some strange glow almost pierced him with the point of his lightning. There was a wound on his shoulder.

He knew that in this fight he would not survive, but he did not want to give up.

“I’ll kill you, demon,” he whispered, “and now nothing can stop me.

With a lightning strike, Roderick thrust his sword into the demon’s heart up to the hilt, and streams of blood gushed out of it, but the devil was still alive. He drew the prince’s sword from his heart with his clawed paw and immediately plunged into Roderick’s shoulder.

“Enough,” said the demon, “I’ve had enough of the games of death and human victories for you and me. You must die, how Emily died and how her daughter dies.

Probably, the power of love for a moment returned the ghostly image of Emily to the prince.

“Get away, get out of here quickly,” she whispered, and her face reflected the same intense pain, the same suffering, the same anguish as in Roderick’s heart.

“I cannot,” – he answered, – now I will forever stay with you, and it doesn’t matter that along with this I leave my soul to bloody death.

He looked at Emily again, and she gave him the last kiss of death itself.

Fire flared around their figures, and in its flames they both disappeared.

Clara, with sadness and heart-tearing longing, looked from afar at the hellish fire, where her own heart was also burning. She looked like a dream, but she was not a dream, she loved, and she wanted to love, but she was never loved. The beautiful Emily took away forever her happiness, her dreams, her love.

She loved Roderick and at the same time loved Emily, who took her love away from her. Even now, she loved her daughter as her own flesh and blood, and she knew that she could save her and protect her from all evil and all the powers of darkness.

Yes, she will take her away from here, forgetting about everything, and she will be able to save the beautiful Maerlin, she will help her become a dream come true, and this only possible love in her life, full of the betrayals and deceptions she experienced, will become expiation for all the torments that haunt her, and, perhaps, will give real happiness.

– We will leave here, Maerlin, – Klara whispered, – the forces of evil will never be able to find you, we will defeat them forever.

Clara involuntarily shuddered, trying to contain her sobs, and looked at the fire.

Yes, her love burned out in the flame of this fire, and there was no way to return happiness.

The feeling of great loss has never left Klara since then.

The eyes of the bloody demon, burning with fierce malice, looked at the flame of the same fire. He whispered:

– I will seek you, Maerlin, your heart will lead you to me, your soul belongs to death forever, and the dreams of your heart will give you to her.

Time was flowing inexorably, taking with it all new moments, days, months, years into eternal immortality. The fire of the bloody demon’s mad eyes mingled with the legend of the past. It was ready to show itself at any moment, but still it was inexorably fading in memory. Not only time destroyed the memory of the past, but human life itself wanted to destroy the memories of evil.

Above the blazing fire of a beautiful fireplace at the end of the huge hall hung a charming portrait filled with endless magic of beauty, and the light of a weakening day, barely breaking through the hall, filled it with inexplicable mystery.

Two people stood in the room and silently looked at the wonderful face depicted in the mysterious portrait, not daring to carry out the order and destroy it.

“Is this a portrait?” Said one of the servants, addressing a beautiful blonde girl who stood alone in the middle of a deserted room, but did not want to come closer to the beautiful portrait, but only looked at it from afar.

She looked pretty much like the beauty in the portrait. Only her whole appearance radiated goodness, and in the ominous depth of beautiful eyes from the portrait was read cruelty.

“Burn it,” she ordered, but every word was given to her with incredible difficulty. “Burn it.

Without a drop of regret, the ruthless servants tore the portrait of a beautiful young girl from the wall and threw it into the fire. The picture flared up with a bright flame and it, touching it, for a moment illuminated the beautiful face of the witch with its light.

A tear rolled down the face of the young beauty, but then a snow-white hand fell on her shoulder in a gesture of tender sympathy and support, and the beauty touched her with the same love.

“What should I do, Clara?” She whispered, barely audibly.

“Forget everything,” Clara’s quiet voice answered her.

“Forget it all, Maerlin,” she repeated, “it doesn’t matter anymore.”

The portrait of the beautiful Emily was already burning in the fire, and a particle of evil embodied in the portrait burned with it.

“I would like to be as beautiful as she,” Maerlin said.

She did not yet know that fate was preparing her fate to be many times more beautiful than her own dream.

Waves beat against the shore at the wild rocks. It was another sea and other rocks, Clara took Maerlin away from the witch’s castle and the kingdom of evil.

Clara stood on a high cliff by the steep, deserted shore.

Neither time nor tears could change her beautiful face, not a single wrinkle was visible on her still young face. There was not even a strand of gray in her black hair.

She gazed sadly down at the sea, so beautiful, distant and deadly here on the top of the cliff.

A cold wind blew from the sea, driving the icy waves of the tide. Clara’s hands involuntarily pressed against her body, trying to keep warm.

“Your dreams have died, Clara,” a voice filled with evil whispered behind her, “the memory of them revived me in your memory, your memories brought me here.

She barely flinched when she heard his voice, but did not even turn around, because she already knew who was standing in front of her.

“Why did you come back,” she said, restraining her anger, “why did you come here, this place does not belong to you, there is no magic of your witchcraft in these rocks.

“Forces of darkness are present everywhere, they just need to be awakened by human evil, grief or pain. They will become even more powerful, and the whole world will belong to me when there is no pure, bright and beautiful dream left in it.

“It will never happen,” she hastily interrupted him, “the dream of goodness is immortal in the hearts of people, and it will defeat you.”

“Oh no,” – a short laugh escaped from the chest of the bloody demon, “she needs to be saved, not me. After all, even in goodness I can find evil, in beauty ugliness, in a dream inconsolable grief. This is my strength, I can find the worst in the beautiful soul of people, I can turn their dignity into a curse. It happened with Roderick, it will happen with the daughter of our princess.”

“I will not allow,” said Clara, “I will not allow you to kill her.

“She’s only a human.”

“But why then did you wait for so many years, why do you need her life now?”

“I just know that if some time passes, then the same magical charm of the princess will appear in her, she took your life, so why would you save her daughter.”

“Because she became my daughter, and you cannot deceive me, demon.”

“And I don’t need it, I just give you a choice, Clara, give me Maerlin, and then I will save your life.”

“No,” Clara answered firmly, her decision was unshakable.

Clara slowly turned around and looked straight into the fiery eyes of the bloody demon, who now wanted to destroy her. She believed that Maerlin would survive, no forces of evil could defeat her. Clara understood this, because she loved her, but now she looked into the eyes of her own bloody death.

A clawed, bloody hand rested on her shoulder, and pain shot through Clara’s entire body. Suddenly, something unexpected forced the demon to release its victim from the embrace of death, and Clara’s bloody corpse fell lifelessly down, where the sea was rustling, and its waves forever preserved the beauty of her sweet face. The gaze of the bloody demon instantly rushed to where not far away, on a high rock, stood a small lonely house, filled with warmth and comfort.

“Clara,” came from there the low cry of someone’s clear and beautiful voice, barely drowning out the violent gusts of wind. A beautiful young girl came out of the house, and the fiery eyes of the devil widened in insane anger when he saw her.

“Clara,” she shouted again, gathering all her strength.

She quickly ran forward, although gusts of wind blocked her way to the sea and to the edge of the cliff, where Clara had previously stood.

“Clara,” she whispered softly with growing fear, looking around, but nowhere was a living soul to be seen.

“Maerlin, Maerlin,” a mysterious whisper echoed in a mysterious silence.

“Clara,” Maerlin repeated involuntarily, but she knew that the voice was not Klara’s.

“Maerlin, beautiful dream,” sounded again in the silence, making her shudder all over.

“Who is there?” Looking around apprehensively, she whispered softly and again, in a terrible fit of fear, shouted with all her might:

“Clara!”

Her desperate cry went unanswered. A long, clawed hand from behind reached out to Maerlin, almost touching her shoulder, but as soon as she flinched with a bad feeling, the strange hand disappeared into the mist again.

“Clara,” Maerlin whispered for the last time, but then a sound suddenly made her turn sharply, but there was no one around. Sighing heavily, Maerlin involuntarily backed away. Suddenly icy hands grabbed her from behind.

Maerlin screamed and dashed away with all her might. In the very last moment, when she was about to run back home, something made her turn around. At the edge of the cliff, a huge figure surged up in a fit of pain, or, perhaps, inhuman anger.

Bloody eyes looked directly at her from somewhere in the very darkness, and it seemed to her that if they only wanted, they could kill her at any moment.

“You are beautiful,” the monster whispered softly, almost touching her face with its clawed paw.

In wild fright, Maerlin recoiled, and the small golden cross in her hand, always kept by her as the last spark of good in memory of her mother, slipped out of her fingers and fell to the cold ground with a clang.

The monster’s eyes flashed with fire, now he longed for the death of Maerlin.

Maerlin made a sharp movement, wanting to get away from here as soon as possible, but involuntarily fell to the cold ground next to her golden crucifix. Her hand, in the last hope of salvation, reached out to this cross.

She did not understand that the last moment saved her. As if some light and pure radiance helped her reach the cross, some magic of light blinded the bloody demon for a moment. Maerlin quickly grabbed the cross in her hand.

The cross in her hand immediately shone with a blinding light, reflected in the eyes of the bloody demon. The demon screamed in pain and disappeared.

Then the snow-white hand of the figure slowly bending over her gently touched her shoulder, and there was so much tenderness in this light touch that made Maerlin distinctly whisper one single and so sweet, but never known to her word:

– Mum.

She gripped the golden crucifix tightly in her hand and barely opened her eyes.

Before her was a beautiful face, so similar to Clara’s and so different from her in its truly magical beauty.

“Mom,” she whispered in a dream.

The beauty ran her snow-white sparkling magic hand over Maerlin’s cheek, and from her hand a magical radiance of light spread around and filled Maerlin’s soul with something magical forever. Emily disappeared into the beams of an unreal, magical glow. This radiance is forever etched in Maerlin’s heart, as is Emily’s fabulous beauty.

Only a miracle saved her, and she did not know who summoned him. In the fog of the sea, another indescribably beautiful face of a young man flashed before her for a moment, and she realized that he had saved her.

Maerlin gripped the small gold cross tightly in her hand and headed towards the house.