74 Chapter 74
Gilles entered the city with hurried steps, creating a melancholic echo through the empty streets. His heart was pounding at a frantic pace, driven by the overwhelming restlessness that consumed his thoughts. Finally, he arrived at the place where the bonfire burned intensely, and the crackling of the flames seemed to echo the symphony of his own anxieties.
Anguish enveloped his mind as he cautiously approached the epicenter of the fire, each step being a tough battle against the mixture of hope and fear. "No... impossible!" Gilles whispered, in a desperate attempt to deny the terrible reality. However, like a blow of disappointment that tore his soul apart, his eyes witnessed the charred corpse, a victim of the voracious flames. The fire had turned the figure into ashes, disfiguring the identity of the once living being.
Disbelief struck him like a sharp dagger, piercing his soul. The legs that had once supported him firmly now weakened, forcing him to fall to his knees before the harsh evidence. "It must be a lie, just an illusion!" he desperately cried, seeking refuge in any remote possibility that denied the horror before his eyes.
Gilles closed his eyes, in a desperate attempt to fight against the terrifying images invading his mind. The incinerated figure couldn't be Jeanne, the woman he adored and had promised to protect, the leader he aimed to free France with. However, deep down, he knew that disturbing vision was indeed Jeanne herself, now reduced to ashes. The truth dealt him an unrelenting blow, tearing his soul apart and plunging him into deep sorrow and excruciating pain.
"Don't worry, I will resurrect her!" Gilles muttered to himself, anguish reflecting in his eyes, which almost popped out of their sockets. With hands grasping his hair, he pulled desperately, his expression reflecting a mix of despair and determination. His gaze fixated intensely on the bonfire before him, as if seeking answers in the dancing flames.
"You!" Gilles thought, rising with renewed determination, a strength emerging from his trembling legs. He advanced towards the bonfire, dangerously approaching the flames. With a precise strike, he hit the charred head lying in the fire. The impact of the punch made the head disintegrate, reducing to ashes.
"Hahahaha! You worm! I knew you weren't worthy of protecting the saint! You revealed your purpose! I curse you for it!" Gilles, with his arms wide open, began to laugh uncontrollably. A sense of satisfaction overflowed from him, having finally expressed everything that had been boiling inside him. Rémy was to blame for the failure to protect the woman he himself was going to marry. Not forgetting to collect some of Jeanne's ashes, dissipating in the air.
"Don't worry, my precious Jeanne, I will save you." As if receiving a divine revelation, Gilles stepped back from the bonfire with a malicious smile on his face. He would save Jeanne! He would bring her back! This would become his mission from now on.
Gilles passed by the soldiers without even a glance. Guillaume noticed the distance Gilles seemed to be in, but he didn't give it much importance. To Guillaume, as long as Gilles' actions weren't against him or the English court, it didn't matter what he did.
The French soldiers, still mourning, stood up and followed Gilles. Many of them were deeply saddened, although there were some who remained indifferent to it all.
"Hey, if we attack now, won't we secure the victory?" Guillaume asked, with a cunning smile, to François. The latter, observing the bonfire where the charred bodies of Jeanne and Rémy lay, turned surprised by what Guillaume was suggesting.
"You want to attack them? Haven't you seen the state they're in?" François spoke, incredulous at the cruelty proposed by Guillaume.
"What does that have to do with me? We are at war," Guillaume replied, indifferent to any compassion. In war, there is no honor, no enemies, only interests. If he attacked the French at that moment when they were vulnerable, victory would be easy. Wouldn't it be an advantage for him?
However, he didn't attack; he allowed the French soldiers to leave the city.
------------------
Days passed, and Guillaume was preparing to leave the city. François went to visit his wife and daughter.
"Sir, everything is ready." A soldier approached and informed.
"Great. We will depart tomorrow. Make sure everyone is ready." Guillaume, who was pondering whether to attack Orléans or some other city that had not yet been conquered, was interrupted by the soldier. He looked up at the sky, seeking clarity in his thoughts.
"Hm? But what is that?" Guillaume questioned, confused, noticing a strange circle in the sky. He rubbed his eyes, trying to discern if it was just an illusion of his vision. However, upon looking again, the circle still hung in the firmament, defying understanding.
"What is that in the sky!" The soldiers, some of them, also noticed the circle and let out cries of surprise. The others, who had not paid attention to the sky before, now stared at it. There was the circle, clearly present in the heights, arousing a sense of unease and mystery.
------------------
In a distant location from the city of Rouen, something sinister and obscure was taking place. Devouring mud swallowed the trees around it, turning solid ground into a quagmire. The sound of footsteps on that viscous mass could be heard if there were anyone present to witness. However, in that solitary moment, only the sound of the person's footsteps cut through the disturbing silence.
"Where... am I...?" The voice, muffled by the shadows, echoed ominously through the swampy environment, reverberating in an enigmatic and unsettling tone. Each word spoken seemed immersed in darkness, carrying a malevolent determination that echoed to the core of the soul. The being advanced ruthlessly on the treacherous mud, each heavy step sinking into the depths of the waterlogged soil with an insatiable thirst.
It was as if the mud itself possessed consciousness, an evil presence that responded to the wicked desires of the being. In response to its voracious cravings, the mud stirred, awakened by a dark and indomitable energy. An intoxicating restlessness hung in the air, causing the mud to cling to every word spoken, eager to fulfill the wishes of the sinister entity.
In an overwhelming frenzy, the mud began to consume and devour everything around it, as if possessed by an insatiable hunger. Every object and living being in its path was swallowed by its ravenous depths, engulfed by this overwhelming force of destruction. The once tranquil and serene environment transformed into a voracious chaos, swept away by the uncontrolled voracity of the mud. Annihilation spread like a ferocious storm, relentlessly devouring everything in its path, in an orgy of unrestrained destruction.
It was evident that the being walking on the mud possessed a nefarious and dark purpose. Its insatiable desires unleashed a primordial force of destruction, a thirsting entity that would consume everything in its path until its objective was achieved. The world trembled under the imminent threat, awaiting the moment when this sinister entity would finally reveal itself, and the battle for survival would commence, plunging everyone into a desperate struggle to preserve life in the face of this dark menace.
---------------------
"What are you doing? I am desperately seeking a way to bring her back!" A man with a hoarse voice shouted at a group of soldiers, his words reverberating intensely through the room. Clad in a black cloak that clung to his body, obscuring his contours and accentuating his sinister appearance, he stood out as a shadowy and enigmatic figure. His eyes seemed to bulge from their sockets, sparking with a sickly obsession. His face, to some extent, resembled that of an owl, a distorted and humanized version. Hands with fingers sharp as claws revealed a frightening figure capable of inspiring deep fear.
"Gilles! How did you come to this point? What have you become?" One of the soldiers exclaimed to Gilles, his voice filled with astonishment and disappointment. Under Gilles' feet lay the bodies of innocent children, arranged in a magical circle on the floor. From this circle emerged a dark and sinister tentacle, as if belonging to a macabre entity.
"Hahahaha, you ask me what I'm doing? I will tell you! I will bring Jeanne back! Something even God failed to do, but I, I will succeed!" Gilles uttered his words with a maniacal laugh, his wild eyes gleaming with fervor. In a theatrical gesture, he opened his arms as if he were an owl about to take flight.
"You will not do this! She is gone, and you will pay for your crimes with your own life!" The soldiers advanced against Gilles, wielding their swords in a merciless attack. Gilles had never expected that those who had once fought by his side would now turn against him.
"Ingrates! How dare you refuse my help? I wish to bring Jeanne back! At any cost!" Gilles tried to persuade the soldiers who were once his comrades in arms. He firmly believed that they needed to assist him in bringing Jeanne back, no matter the price to be paid.
"Gilles..." A familiar voice echoed, and Gilles immediately recognized it. It was Étienne's voice.
"You also wish to bring Jeanne back, don't you? Then let us do it together!" Gilles spoke with enthusiasm, his eyes displaying a twisted joy. "Jeanne, you will be eternally grateful to us. Hahahaha, my precious Jeanne..." Gilles thought to himself, barely containing the eagerness to reunite with her.
Étienne approached Gilles, surprising the soldiers who wondered if he planned to join Gilles in his dark actions.
"Yes! Yes! Come to my side and help me bring Jeanne back!" Gilles smiled grotesquely, his arms opened, seeming to embrace a new brother in a macabre sect, inviting Étienne to join him.
But then... a cry of pain pierced the air. Gilles felt a searing pain in his arms and, looking down, realized they were absent. His limbs had been severed by Étienne, who now wielded his sword. Despite having fought together in war, Gilles was no longer the man he once was. He had strayed too far from the path.
"What have you done?!" Gilles roared with fury and desperation. How could he bring Jeanne back now? If he failed there, how would he fulfill his promise? But before he could formulate an answer, a powerful punch struck his chin, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground.
"Gilles de Rais, you will be burned at the stake." Étienne pronounced with difficulty, his heart heavy for having to make this decision against a former comrade-in-arms. He did not wish for it, but he could not forgive Gilles' deeds.
The soldiers advanced and seized Gilles, dragging him out of the house. Étienne looked sadly at the bodies of the children who had been brutally sacrificed, taking them in his arms and carrying them with him. He planned to give them a dignified burial.
Gilles was taken by the soldiers to a prepared pyre. Several citizens watched, their gazes fixed on Gilles, whose figure now appeared even more macabre. He was tied and fastened to the stake.
"You are all ungrateful! Jeanne saved most of you, and this is how you treat the one who strives to bring her back? Where is the gratitude you should have for her? You worms!" Gilles shouted angrily at the population and the soldiers. How could they be so devoid of recognition? All he wanted was to bring Jeanne back, nothing more.
"We are all grateful to her. However, I will not allow children to be sacrificed to bring someone back from the dead. Jeanne would never agree to that. She would prefer to be remembered!" Étienne spoke with conviction, throwing the torch he carried and casting it into the pyre, which began to crackle and gain strength.
"You... all of you will burn in hell! Hahahahahahahah!" Gilles descended into complete madness. He believed that people would help him bring Jeanne back, but he felt betrayed as he was abandoned by everyone. He was so close to achieving his goal! Gilles screamed with internal rage, wishing he had more time to accomplish the feat.
Étienne and the crowd looked at Gilles with sadness. They hadn't expected him to fall so deep after Jeanne's death. Everyone was shaken, especially his family and those who knew him intimately. However, none of them had resorted to black magic or any obscure artifice to bring Jeanne back. To them, she remained alive in their hearts, inspiring them to fight against the English invaders.
-------------
38 advanced chapters on my Patreon: patreon.com/Louisdg
