4 His Coy Mistress

"Every starry night I become a delver, a seeker of forbidden emotions that vitalize even the most pious, dispassionate mind of a saint. I could not dare say I have seen such treasure in reality for my entire life, yet its container, shall I proudly claim I have vividly perceived; for that vessel is you..."

Esteban couldn't convey his words of comfort nor affection onto the vox-recorder any further, since his heart, now tendered with sorrow, was in bottomless grief for losing his son. The monster, that accursed shadow of doom, took him away. Only if the kidnapper had been his fever then would the father's grief be a burden more manageable to bear.

'Lo, my precious songbird, in what manner, might I ask you from afar, shall I ease you further now I know you too are in sorrow as I am?' He thought.

He remembered the very moment he had first met his mistress, the songbird that anyone in the Holy Empire would have adored greatly. He was just a mere bishop without any worth, back then. However, her appearance in his life, so radiant it was in any mortal eyes, altered his course of fate permanently. Upon meeting her, Esteban found the very reason to live on. Through her encouragements he became a priest worthy in the eyes of any others and even 3-Divines. His soul, a power-source at a core of his existence in this mortal realm, was forged anew in a manufactorum that was his mistress. In a luncheon of past where gazes of the two first met one another, there grew a flower of splendor in his stoic heart. Among the couple's vox-records in secrecy there had always been confessions of their longings for each other. At that very night, alas, in a slice of time that had been too short for these fiery lovers, they made an eternal pact named love, by means of flesh and passion, with the moonlight being their witness.

However, the fruit of their love and labor was now taken away forevermore. 'Deadly curses upon thee who illegitimately stole what was rightfully ours!' Esteban vengefully damned his enemy in silence. The beautiful relationships they had made together so far would not be the same anymore, he feared. Now that his precious son, albeit illegitimate, had gone to heavens up above, the only one in this universe he could possibly rely onto was his lover. Should he ever come to lose her heart following the tragic demise of his child, he would no longer be able to find any reason for his further existence. Yes, he would lose every hue of his soul's color, and why, his adamant faith in 3-Divines would even falter!

This meant to Esteban a total annihilation of his self, which should never happen despite the costs. With such desperate sentiments in his heart, Esteban managed to put himself together and continued on with his vox-recordings.

"O, my coy soul, an invaluable lira of legends that plays and dwells in the Museion of mine! Thou shalt weep no longer, for our loss, despite its wicked nature, does not mean our eternal damnation; there still lies a chance for us to recover and start anew."

"I, one among the prestigious cardinals of the Holy Empire, a true servant of 3-Divines and His Majesty alike, have solid ground for my such statement. First among what I shall tell you concerns my noble status. Since my service for both the Divines and the Empire is great in its nature, I am occasionally given, as a meager reward for my labors day and night, a wealth enormous in any other eyes to behold."

This was the truth, Esteban thought to himself, for he already possessed a great fortune second to none, as long as it was concerned within a boundary of the Main Continent. His lady songbird would live in pure happiness even after his passing should she ever come to inherit such wealth he had, Esteban thought again.

"Second be my heritage to speak of. For I have great fathers and ancestors since the era of ancients, my reputation precedes me and those of others, including my enemies in politics, alike. I shall gladly be your savior, if you ever fall into a mouth of a vile predator jealous of your beauty."

Protecting his beloved mistress from any assaults of her enemies would be an easy task indeed, He assured.

"I shall also be an impenetrable shield devoted to protect your precious bosoms and only, should any of evil fangs, be them of politicians, priests, or even saints, seek to bleed your innocent flesh. These are the words I give you with confidence, my dear songbird!"

This, too, would not break even a single drop of his sweat with all his influence and wealth in the Empire, Esteban thought for sure. Yet, there now left the last reason to give her, of which he wasn't sure unlike other two mentioned earlier.

"The third and the last to speak of, is how dearly I adore you even from afar. As the stars in the sky that have shone above our earthly bodies since the era of myths and ancestors, my love for you, too, will be shining everlastingly upon you no matter where you choose to tread..."

Now in this third statement, there were barely any firmness nor certainty he had been able to show a few minutes ago. "O' my precious lady, what if your heart and soul already left me, even at this present moment I record these words of affection; what shall I do if it is truly a case?" He said to himself, without anyone around him to eavesdrop.

Then moving back onto his vox-recordings, he finally spake his intention that had been kept in his mind.

"Come unto my place, to my blissful palace with 3-Divines' blessings, from where you have been dwelling apart from me. For here, in my residence, you shall find happiness once again now that you are in sorrow of losing our baby. In this place only, shall our joy blossom anew which we shall enjoy for the rest of our lives. Under my wings that each named prestige and faith, you shall be protected from any evil that lurks within the Holy Empire, tirelessly endeavoring to devour you. Thus, I beseech you; Seek refuge in my arms, no more with your fruitless stubbornness, for I know you need me just as my longings for your presence here. I cannot possibly live no longer without you near me..."

He had to hold onto her; he could not possibly let her slip away from his fingers. He had to light a fire of affections again among their relationships. Losing her was of equal tragedy of his losing self forever.

The recording was interrupted as one of his trustworthy bishops approached with a certain news.

"Be generous and pardon me for interrupting you, yet I have now words of agony that you need to hear in person. They are about Lady Dolores, one of the believers under your guidance in their faith. I feel terrified now that I become a dreadful messenger of ill news at this moment."

"Make haste of it without holding back any further, for I have many other important messages to record yet. What shall be the news you would dare convey unto me?"

"I ask nothing but to preserve thy servant's breath, my lord, upon delivering this message to you; Lady Dolores is presumed to be deceased, so long as the current evidences continue to speak in favor of the incident."

"What did thou saith, with thy horrid mouth?"

"She seems to be murdered, or butchered pieces to pieces, for there were none but bits and chunks of human flesh all around her room when one of her servants came into the room."

"Pieces to pieces, thou said?"

"Aye, my lord. Bits to Bits, flesh to flesh, in the very words of the witness."

It was the same monster who killed his son with its shadowy talons; he knew it by a gut feeling. It took away his mistress too, with her visceral remains left everywhere in the room.

"Oh, my songbird, my love, my heart..."

He wept, he mourned, and he tore his silky wardrobe apart upon hearing such terrible news. He could no longer contain himself; He raged, mocked, and cursed not like a saint but in a manner of a madman. He swore an eternal vengeance on his nemesis to 3-Divines in heaven.

"O' heed my words, the Three Divines governing Gaia-Seven and the Holy Empire alike, for one of your mortal children vows in your sacred names!"

"Hear now, ye evil-most spawn on the earth; I crave for a sweet, vengeful vengeance upon thee! A monster, an abomination ugly even to the eyes of the Divines, ye terrible thing! Thou shalt kiss the filth of the soil by the two unforgivable sins you committed against me!"