RED EYES
Dark Point's

My legs are heavy, painful and hard to move, that's the first thing I've felt since the incident. My eyes were still closed, it felt like there was no energy to face the grievous reality. I dare not see what I have to face. I don't want to hear the witches' voices, even though there's only silence at the moment.

I opened my eyes slowly. I wish my eyes would not see the witches. I'm starting to know why Erasmus hates red so much.

Both my hands were tied by a thick rope very tightly, my hands were abrasive because of the bond. Feet feel heavy and hard to move, they chain my legs. I was also confined in a small, dark room, like a basement. A foul smell started to enter my nose, my mood got worse because of this. I hate this, they just treat me like an animal.

I sat down and tried to get help. But there are no trees. I'm trying to get help from the wind, I can't. I asked for help from the fire on the torch away from me, couldn't. The earth and the stone don't help me either. Keep trying, I know it's impossible but I keep pushing. I also realized that I was not as strong as Erasmus who was able to control many elements on earth.

"Away awake?" The familiar voice surprised me. However, I did not see anyone because there was no light around me.

"Eric?" I'm sure Eric called me.

I heard the sound of footsteps echoing in the dark hallway. The sound of footsteps grew clearer, he approached. I started to see Eric approaching me.

Now he was in front of the iron bars that locked me up. He did not wear iron. He looks so different, he looks like a knight. A sword that looks strong is on its left side and there is a protective shield visible from the steel hanging on its back. His performance is more tidy, just like Erasmus's daily appearance if he is in Wiender.

Eric opened the iron bars. He entered this prison and approached me. Our faces face off in this disgusting prison. He lifted my body, he carried me with both hands.

"We're gonna run away?" That's the question I asked him. I was expecting only one answer to that question.

He didn't answer me, nor did he look at me.

I was trying to guess his mind. His face was flat and his eyes were full of sadness. Is he sorry? Is he scared? Was the crime he committed just for a reason?

We passed dozens of prisons through the hallway and some stairs. Walking in the dark hallway and smelling a foul smell. I saw every prison, somebody locked up and I saw a human skull. Is this a murder? I didn't think that the stench came from the corpse in this place.

Eric's footsteps stopped as we exited the prison and an elderly woman with black eyeballs was seen waiting for us to arrive. The prison is located under the Dark Point Palace. He did get me out of prison, but he didn't get me out of the palace. Eric took the chain from my feet. He also helped me stand up and gave me to the old woman.

"I'll approach the queen." He said that to the old woman.

Eric left me without a word. He avoided my eyes. Although he did not cover his ears with his hands, I guess he did not want to hear me. Back away from me. He continued to walk without looking for a second. He betrayed us.

"My name is Rewen, I'll be your personal maid. Come on, let's change your clothes." Take the old lady friendly.

It shouldn't be the old woman who supports my body and helps me walk. The pain in my legs is non-stop, troublesome! We step together. He doesn't look like any other witch. If my eyes met the woman's eyes, she gave me a warm smile.

"Am I going to be killed?" I asked the old woman.

"Your mother loves you so much and misses you. How could he kill you?" Reply to the woman with a hoarse voice.

Nothing eliminates the possibility that I won't be killed. He could have locked me in a prison full of dead bodies. Besides, I'm not sure if she's my mom.

The woman took me to a room. The rooms are very spacious, though not as beautiful as the rooms in Erasmus' palace. She gave me some beautiful clothes and some jewelry. I think it looks too much if it's worn by a prisoner.

The old woman untied my hand with the kitchen knife she had brought from nowhere. He also treated the wounds on my hands and feet with traditional medicine that he took out of his pocket.

"May I ask for help, princess?" He asked as he treated my wounds.

"What?"

"My lady's son became a slave in this palace. I risked my life to take care of you. I beg you not to run away?"

I was silent, I looked at him with annoyance. The old woman knelt before me. He was crying without a sound.

"Then I let myself get killed?" I asked him.

"No mother wants to kill her daughter." The answer.

I don't think about this world. The two people I knew were dead, Eric was a traitor, Wiender was in danger and an old woman asked for my life.

"Where's your daughter?" My toot. I accidentally asked.

"He served the queen in a place that only the queen knew." The answer.

I also asked the woman to leave.

A few seconds before the old woman begged for my help, I was planning to escape from this palace. I have to postpone this departure.

...

I don't believe in my choices.

I stepped on my limp leg. I stepped in a dark green dress that was dragged to the floor if I walked. A little crown on my head. Rewen forced me to wear the bracelets and earrings the palace provided.

The queen is in my eyes.

Not only the queen, this palace is very crowded. There were so many guests present, servants and guards present. I don't know all those present in the palace at the moment. I only knew that they all had red eyeballs, even though I saw some palace servants who had black eyeballs.

I still don't understand what show to do.

Someone came up to me from behind and stood on my left side, the man was trying to help me to step up. I looked, Eric apparently. It's not like I saw before. He no longer hid his red eyes. He also looked more haughty and more silent. Her hair is very well-groomed. Never mind dust, the skin is completely clean and fragrant. The clothes he wore were like a groom in a fairyland.

The bride?

"What is this way?" I asked Eric.

Eric kept quiet and helped me move on. I know if he hears my question and deliberately doesn't answer my question. I tried to stop my steps, but he forced me to keep going. He didn't look me in the eye either.

Our steps stopped right in front of the old man who had red eyeballs. I looked to my right side, the Queen was sitting down and giving her smile to me. I turned to Eric's left side, I saw a blind old man and a crippled old woman.

Eric pulled out a dagger. Eric scratched the dagger in my left hand forcibly, after which he immersed my hand in the red water that was in the cup. He also scratched the dagger in his right hand and immersed his hand. Eric held my hand tightly. I think Eric did a Dark Point custom I didn't know about.

"You promised to live together until the end of your life. Likes or sorrows, face them with happiness. Happy new life, prince and princess of Dark Point." The old man in front of us said that it was as if I had sworn to be with Eric.

Everyone present in the palace knelt before us, except for the queen and the couple on Eric's left side. Prince? The princess?

The queen approached us with her graceful steps. Eric looked down as the queen was standing right in front of us. The queen looks happy. He touched my eyes too. He only touched my eyelids for about a second, but my eyes were sore as his delicate palms filled my eyelids.

"Congratulations, you've become part of Dark Point." Said the Queen as the look on my eyes met the look on her eyes.

I immediately looked into Eric's eyes, but he immediately saw the other direction. I was too upset to ask him questions. I'm also sure he just answered my question with his alibi. All this was done without my knowledge.

"I like both of your red eyes." Queen continues. He smiled, I was angry.

...

"What are you doing, Eric?" My toot. My eyes were wide open because Eric had blown my mind.

Eric hasn't looked me in the eye since our wedding day. I was sitting on the edge of the bed and he was locking the door. No eyes for me. There was no sound he gave me. Shut up, he avoided me but kept carrying out this marriage.

I immediately threw his head with a pillow. The pillow was right about his face. He seemed to be holding back his anger. He remained silent, silent and avoided my gaze.

"You're the one I'm most worried about, Eric! Did the queen force you to do all this?" My toot.

He still did not make his voice, but his eyes began to look at me. He sat on the couch looking at me. It felt like there was a word stuck in his heart and mind.

"Wizards are stronger than Garde. Wiender and the rest of the earth, including your home, will belong to the witches, Claire. Why do you want to keep Wiender even if it's not your home? Why trust a weak human being to be a ruler? You're part of a witch, I hope you'll side with us sincerely." Eric's voice came out. I was disappointed with the words he said.

"Why do you want a witch to be a ruler? It is beautiful if we make peace, does not each one have his territory. I ..."

"I'll sleep on the couch. Good night." He cut my words.

He's retracing. He was lying on the couch. No more noise, very quiet. I immediately threw the blanket at him violently. I sincerely gave the blanket because the weather temperature was very cold, even though I was very angry with him.

"Gear!" Called him.

"Hm." He replied, as if lazy to return my greeting.

"Have you hated me all this time, Erasmus and Cassie? Do you hate Wiender?" Ask her.

I'm waiting for the answer. He was silent for too long. Has he slept? Does he hate us? Does he not know what to answer?

"The four of us always sleep on the ground and rocks. Now, I can't believe that you and I slept in a soft place." My speech. Eric remained silent.

"Good night." He doesn't reply anymore.

...

The sun and the moon do not divide the time well. Is their cycle too slow as if there are 48 hours in a day? Time went so slow and it didn't feel like I'd been living in Dark Point for 5 days, it felt like 5 years to me.

"Eat night." I didn't turn my head when someone entered my room with his distinctive voice. As usual, Queen Vei delivered my dinner to the room.

Every morning he wakes me up, even though I always pretend to be asleep and always refuse to get up sooner. Every day he commanded the servants to serve me. Every night he would take my dinner to the room because he knew that I didn't like to eat with Eric and the Queen.

"Mom put it on the table." Her speech. I don't give a shit.

I stared at Dark Point from the window, this place is very different from Dark Point. If Wiender's been quiet since ten o'clock. However, the city is still filled with crowds even at 1 am. If Wiender has a lot of fireflies, then in Dark Point a lot of lights that adorn the streets. I only saw the houses and many people passing by. Not infrequently if I see an object floating in Dark Point, all residents use magic.

"Beautiful, right?" Ask Queen. I didn't realize he was next to me.

I didn't look and try to ignore it.

"Why does the Queen want to rule the earth?" My toot.

"I don't want to master it." Reply quickly.

I don't believe her words very much. Although he did not admit that he was lying, it seemed that the word was clearly a lie. Why would he attack Wiender and try to get my blood?

"I just want to fix it." He continued his lie. I don't give a shit.

"You must know a lot of unfairness in your home. The ruler destroys the earth for profit, the common people accept the consequences. I just want to protect all the weak." Queen Resume.

"The queen can work with the Garde and-"

"If working with Garde would be able to achieve that advantage, I wouldn't abandon your father." The queen cut my words.

My eyes began to stare at her red, very red eyeballs. The words he put out continued to attract my curiosity.

"The Gardes don't want to deal with the humans. Certainly not because Garde is weak, just that humans are more clever and cunning. Garde doesn't want to cause chaos and just wants to keep nature. How can one preserve nature if another is destructive?" Reply Queen.

"Then, the Queen will use violence? Destroying Wiender and killing the Gardes is not the right thing." Reply with a high enough tone.

"You're like your father who only sees witches as evil. Did Erasmus keep his promise? Do you still believe in Erasmus? You're too naive if you've been deceived by her all this time." Queen Resume. I'm sure he lied.

The queen touched my forehead and all around me blackened, I could only see the queen. We saw little stars all around us. I don't know what I'm doing or where I am right now.

...