Past Heartache

Isabella wasn't fully truthful with Leopold. To protect herself even more, she started to change herself, in more ways than one. She didn't want to scare him off, just in case, but Isabella saw this as the only way. No one would ever push them around ever again. However, it all didn't come without a price.

For each cast spell, it drained her life force, and Isabella didn't plan on leaving this world anytime soon. She knew the consequences of all this before even going through with it all, but she didn't care. To Isabella, it is all worth it. No matter what. As long as they can stay together, it'd all be fine in her mind.

But now she kept getting weaker, and Isabella didn't know if she had the strength to do what her books were stating she must. However, her viewpoints were changing the hungrier and more empty she felt. Normal food wasn't enough anymore, and darkness was consuming her more and more each day, but she couldn't even notice, or care anymore. The hunger was literally driving her crazy. Learning to keep her newer forms in check was getting harder as well. It hurt even more holding back than when she first transformed. So, Isabella went through with it.

No one seemed to notice. She had a way of entrancing children to follow her if she needed, but usually they trusted her kind eyes. But sometimes she'd slip up, her glowing eyes and white appendages, like tree roots growing from her back before she completely lost her whim. It felt so... GOOD. Isabella didn't even know her body could fully do that and more, successfully even, but it was wonderful, and she felt so much better. Like nothing could stop her.

After continually doing this and getting away with it, her ego was more than inflated. The more she transformed and perfected it, Isabella even made her own fitted tiara to "wear." She would kill as many children as she needed to stay on top. She thrived off their fear from seeing her each time. Even if they tried to run, they couldn't once she basically stinted their vision and easily trapped them like the small "animals" they were... Not even Leo could stop her now, if he even wanted to.

Isabella started to prefer her mist-like form. She was getting so much faster, and powerful in general. Even her voice started to change, Isabella noticed and laughed, her piercing voice echoing through the air. Unbeknownst to her, Isabella's careless callousness alerted a couple of the townsfolk who were closely spying on her, and word quickly spread to the others. Everyone was terrified about this "witch," but after talking it over, now they had a chance to finally "get rid of" Isabella. Now they assumed all their problems would be solved.

Leopold overheard and didn't want to believe it, but deep down felt that maybe it was true. 'No, I... I have to believe in her. She'd never do something like that.' Leopold thought while racing over to their old spot. He walked in without knocking and witnessed a bloody scene himself. She wasn't the same Isabella he knew.

Covered in blood, her piercing laugh hit his soul, and he shivered seeing her in one of her newer forms. He breathed in deep and then called out her name firmly, making her stop. "Isabella."

"L̷e͞ò,̵ ̢my̵ ͞ļo͞ve~ Oh̡,͝ ͠yo̶u'̕ve finally̕ s͘ee͜n ̴me͢, bu̶t...̵ ̵Ì'm ju̢st ̢nơt w͠òrr͞i̵ed̕ ̵a͏n҉y͢morȩ~ ̧Wé c҉an͏ stay̷ ͏a͝l̴ivé ̸t̶o̢g̕et͡he͘r̷,̷ ͞f̧orev͞e̷r ̶now̨!̡ I̕s҉n̵'̡t ̷that͞ ̧am̡azi͜n͘g҉!̕?͝"

"So it is true... Why did you-?"

"Weŗe͘n't ̕you҉ listening?̕ I̕ ͝do ͡t̕h̨is̸ f͡o͟r ̧us!͞"

"But Isabella, I don't want this... You lied to me, and you're doing this! Was it all ever really for our benefit? Please, just stop this! You're scaring me... Come back to me, before it gets worse!"

"I͘t's҉ ͏al͢rig̶h͏t...̨ ͡Yo̢ú ͢w͏on͞'͜t͝ b̧e̶ sca̡red ąnym̕ore ̨aft̶er̵ ͢I͝ h̛elp y̡o͢u͘ u̶nde͟r̀s͢t͡and͝.̀"

Suddenly, Leopold was picked up by am invisible force, controlled by Isabella. He cried out from intense pain as his form started to change. After she was finished, Leopold looked slightly different than normal; more sickly and dazed.

Isabella laughed and spoke once again in her distorted, "loving" voice down to him, "N҉o̵w͏ wé're ͟o͘ne a̧n͟d ́t͟h̢e sa̸me͏~"

Leopold let out a weakened scream after realizing what that meant, especially for him now, and dropped to his knees. "No..." He perked up again after a bit, hearing a large group of footsteps heading their way, and then tried to cover his ears after Isabella let out a horrifying shriek of anger. "Y͏O̵U͏.̕.. ͞sèn̨t̀ ̶t̸h́e͢m̵ h͡e͜re!?͜"

Leopold looked outside after recovering from that, realizing that she was referring to the angry mob headed their way. They all had weapons with them. Isabella knew what they were here for and now seemed to change from her "loving" personality, to one of burning hatred. Leopold was trying to protest but froze in fear from her look and even greater powerful aura emanating from her essence.

"I see.͝.. T͟h́is͞ ͢w͟a̷s̸ y̢òu̧r p͠la̵n ͏a͏ll͡ al͡o͠n͟g. T͘o b̷e͘cơme powerf̢u͟l, ́and ̷th͘e͞n t͘h҉r͠ow͞ me away͞.̴

́

̸Well, jus͝t͢ w͠ait.͞..

͘

Yòu̧'l̛l ́pa͟y̷ for ͘this.̀"

The smile she gave after her grotesque mouth grew and opened up to let out even more laughter petrified him. Quickly, she fully turned into mist and disappeared through some cracks in the walls. The small building started to collapse and Leopold tried hard to gather up his strength and burst out the side door before it all came down. The group of people who came backed up in shock once they got closer and saw what happened. The dust and debris flying everywhere made most of them shield their faces and/or start coughing, along with Leopold. He was still scared, but even more now, fearing they'd want to kill him now as well after what he's become. So, before everything settled, he took off and headed a longer way around to his family's house.

Leopold wanted to grab them and hopefully successfully convince them all to leave town together. He didn't want to go along, in fear he'd hurt them as well, but he also needed to leave after all that transpired. But once he got there, he was too late. Their house was also collapsed, but Leopold knew he was too late already because of his family's bodies strewn about the lawn. They were horribly disfigured, but Isabella made sure to leave their faces alone. Each of theirs twisted in different, yet also similar expressions of horror and pain.

He started to sob, but a different, strong... VERY strong urge was bubbling to his surface. The blood was making him drool, and the voices in his head were making him panic and become torn. Leopold heard Isabella's laughter again, urging him to do it. "NO!!!"

But no matter how hard he fought, the next thing he knew was he was eating his family. Every bit of them. No matter how much he hated it, his body was loving it, and he felt so energized. Over his crying and screaming, Isabella's laughter was continually running through his head, breaking him down until he fully consumed his entire family. He was lying on his back, blankly staring up at the graying sky, mouth agape, and a complete mess. Suddenly, Isabella filled his vision.

If he was still human, he probably would have wet himself, but he truly couldn't move anymore. He was broken. "I̴'̶m ͟no ͜"I͠sa͠b̶e̵lļa." She said in disgust, then her distorted voice changed into a disturbingly light and calming tone. "F͞rom̢ noẃ ̛o͘n͘, ̀I͡'m̷ ͝S̷é̴t̶hya͘n.̸ ̸I'̢m fina͏l̷l̡y ͞freè,͡ a̸nd̷ h̢ave̵ bèc͞om̡ę my tr͢u̶e͠ ̵s̷e͞l̸f.͏ No͝ oǹe ca͠n͝ ͜h̵old͡ ͝m͝è ̛b҉ąck̀ a͏n͝ymo͞re̶.̵ You͡ a̢ĺl wiĺl ̧ne̶v̸e̵r̡ ̡fo͘rg̴et̛ ̕m҉y be͟in͘g̡. Yo҉u̧ ͝t̶ried t́o҉ en͝ḑ ̕me,̨ ̶and͘ now̧..̕.̨ Y̶o̧u ̷s͟h̷all͟ ̕t̶ru͏ly͡ kņow̡ wh͡a͟t ̨iţ ̷mean͝s... ͞To̧ s̷u҉f̛fer."

She gently kissed the top of his forehead.

...Then, she left.

And Leopold lost it.

(Special thanks again to my one friend, Ariel for giving me some more ideas for Isabella. He even read my mind on some aspects of her I came up with for her first appearance, etc!:

"I gave her like white tree roots sticking out her back nd made her have a black shadowy tiara as her like 2 main accessories nd I like the idea I tried to implement with the jaw

It's almost like being consumed by darkness but her eyes and dots are glowing through it so say if a kid is in the dark, and she's desperate the last thing they will see is her eyes + But I just thought since she controlled mist it would be cool if she can darken her surroundings while trapping the kids before she eats"

Please check him out if you want, he's super talented~!

Thank you all for everything! I truly cannot say it enough!):

https://instagram.com/tearsofariel?utm_medium=copy_link