What am I even supposed to do? He thought, his steps unsteady as he exited the car.
Helix had just seen what could have very well been his death, surrounded by what he hated the most and an unknown woman.
Dozens of Knights in gray armor stood in a neat line, from the door of the limo all the way to the massive entrance door of the Abaddon Estate.
Darkness nestled behind the knights’ visors. Without sparing them a glance, Helix strode forward and entered his house.
It was truly magnificent, with endless corridors of gray glass and tall interchanging wooden and marble beams extending all the way to the roof, which was also gray glass.
Sunlight drizzled through the tinted glass like a pervert would peek at a changing lady, faint and barely present.
Would one have to give great care not to be caught.
One would also expect that having a house made of glass would be a great security risk, but it was truly not so.
The glass that made up the Abaddon Estate was a special variant brought straight from the domain of a dead angel, the Realm of Reflections.
Maids and butlers lowered their heads in respect as he passed, but Helix was too deep in his mind to pay them any...mind.
He closed his eyes in an attempt to nurse his headache, feet moving automatically towards his room. Dinner with Morgan and Esmeray was in an hour.
He had until then to figure out what his vision meant.
What a damned lineage I have.
There was also the question of how Ezekiel’s bloodline slipped into a family that exclusively married into the Azrael and Israfel families.
I could try and ask Ezekiel...but I have a feeling she won’t tell me anything.
He sighed.
Great, another mystery dropped onto my shoulders.
Since Helix had played the game from Morgan’s perspective, he hadn’t had a chance to explore much related to Helix.
Finally arriving at his room, Helix opened his eyes. The door to his room was...special to say the least.
For starters, it was pitch black, with dozens of weird symbols crudely carved into the wood. And finally, there were the sigils of the Abaddon family.
The sigil was a gray halo shattered into a dozen pieces, pale crimson light bleeding from the cracks.
Instead of just a single sigil near the center, dozens of sigils were branded onto the door, giving it a mystic appearance. Like abstract art, something that made no sense to anyone but the artist.
Helix opened the door and beelined to the bathroom. He looked around the bathroom, eyes landing on a mirror near the back wall.
His reflection stared back at him, a deathly pale boy with gray hair and an abyss for eyes. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, ugly and deep.
Clearly he hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep. Helix barked a laugh, then fell silent.
"Hot water."
At his words, the violet bathtub—the size of a small pool—started to fill with clear water. Steam curled upwards in ribbons of smoke, disappearing into the vents above.
Stripped off his clothes, a jacket, a white T-shirt, and his trousers, Helix stepped inside.
He dipped his toes slightly, checking the water temperature. Satisfied, Helix stepped in fully.
Water surrounded him almost instantly, swallowing him to the shoulders, hot enough to sting but not enough to burn, exactly how he liked it.
He leaned back against the curved edge of the tub, head tilting towards the ceiling, eyes half-closed.
The bathroom was quiet save for the soft sound of water settling.
Ok think. How is the vision relevant, and when is it gonna come?
Those were the only two things he could do right now. And to top it all off, he couldn’t even get help from anyone else.
In front of him, floating words
Curse of Cassandra:
Description: ["What use is being able to see the future and helpless to change it?" Such were the words of Cassandra, a woman who went mad from her own abilities. Hated by the Angel of Worthlessness, your poor ancestor was cursed.
Rejoice, Ruin’s Child, for you have received Cassandra’s fate. Will you fall helpless to fate just like your predecessor, or will you avert the terrible future you envisioned?]
Details: [You cannot share knowledge of the future with others. Beware, Ruin’s Child: fate is not easily averted.]
Staring at the grim description of his curse, Helix felt an ugly feeling rise from deep within him. Helplessness.
But there was also curiosity. Just who was Cassandra, when and how had she lived, and why the hell had the Angel of Worthlessness cursed her?
Questions, oh so many questions, yet he had no answers. Why was life always like this? Why would it always give just enough to quell one’s hunger without ever letting them fill their stomach?
Helix let out a self-deprecating smile; he already knew why.
Helix sank lower into the water until it lapped at his chin, eyes still fixed on the floating text.
Rejoice, they say.
Rejoice.
What fucking bullshit. Was he supposed to pray to the heavens for being damned with knowledge he never asked for?
Helix slammed his fists into the water.
BOOM!
Scalding water exploded over the edge of the tub, crashing across the marble floor.
"..."
"...Rejoice?"
His shoulders trembled.
"...Rejoice."
A laugh escaped him. Then another. But it wasn’t laughter, it was something broken, a pitiful sound.
"Rejoice."
His voice cracked into something ugly while his face twisted with anger.
"What the fuck am I supposed to rejoice about?"
His fist crashed into the water again.
BOOM!
Steam burst around him.
"I saw myself die!"
He struck again, sending water flying over the edge.
"I can’t tell anyone! I don’t even know when it happens!"
Water splashed against the walls.
His breathing grew ragged. His nails dug into his palms until they bled, beads of blood staining the bath water crimson.
"And the one thing that could actually help me has the audacity to tell me to fucking rejoice?"
Helix shot to his feet.
Water poured from his body as he staggered out of the bathtub, nearly slipping on the soaked marble.
What kind of sick joke was this? Did fucking God find it funny?
His chest rose and fell violently.
Staggering, he grabbed a nearby bottle of expensive perfume and hurled it across the room.
CRASH!
Glass exploded against the wall. His eyes traveled across the room and landed on the mirror.
His reflection stared at him for the briefest second.
Pale skin and hollow eyes.
Fear.
The mirror burst apart, thousands of tiny reflections scattered across the floor like polished marbles.
And, as if mocking him, each and every one of them showed the same scene. His face twisted into an unholy expression.
W-what am I doing...
Anger disappeared like water slipping from his fingers.
He slowly slid down the wall until he was sitting on the cold marble floor, knees pulled against his chest.
His hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
I don’t...
He didn’t want to die...
The confession was so quiet it almost disappeared beneath the sound of dripping water.
I don’t want to die...
Helix stared at the light above, eyes dark and glassy.
Hey Hilda...what am I supposed to do?
He truly did feel alone.