Chastisement

And then later she knew the taste of his lips, his kisses, his passion and his terrible will. This person communicated through a simple kiss, all the hidden and terrifying things he contained within, whether it was the smell of his skin, the coldness of his body or his deep taste of the night. Common sense would have dictated that Ivy forget about him and never look back at his memory. But Zion was the kind of person no one would ever have the power to forget. And she least of all, to her misfortune. Ivy knew exactly what that person meant to her now, but even later, after a few decades, she still couldn't find the courage to acknowledge him. And somehow that hurt even more.

***

And the object of all her pain came back into her life the very next day. Ivy came out of a rather intense class on the sources of power of certain sacred beasts whose professor, an eccentric with a face covered in colored dots and blue-gray hair always braided, had made his students suffer under a barrage of questions. Ivy wore a radiant smile at the end of class, rather proud of herself for having missed only one question, which had of course provoked the jealousy of some, including a certain Amis, a voluptuous brunette with whom she was often in competition.

This smile soon disappeared when she opened her personal locker, which was however strongly sealed by codes and magic, and found that her paper had been ruined on the poems of the great winged ones, papers smashed to pieces, data storage materials destroyed, and whose author she could perfectly guess. But powerless to prove it, she could only look at her beautiful and petty rival with a look of coldness and deep contempt, the latter supported this visual attack with a mocking, sly smile, daring her to prove her guilt with concrete evidence. Not being able to do it, Ivy bit her lips, almost bled them then demonstrated herself by slamming the door of her locker, and turned away, tears flowing to her eyes, but she repressed them fiercely, not wanting to give this last satisfaction to the young woman.

But what she did not suspect it was that a being, which killed his presence, was witness of all the small maneuver. At first a frightful cold rage invaded him and flowed in his body in all its power and its fury, at the point that it liquefied all the metals which surrounded him, without that the people being around could not guess that it was him, then straightening, he mastered his anger prodigiously, a cruel smile curving over his mouth, while his pale blue eyes closed all imaginable horrors, so terrible that the beautiful Amis shuddered deeply without yet being aware of the inexorable danger that was advancing towards her.

- Is something wrong Amis? asked one of her minions, a small insignificant blonde, who worshipped the ground she was treading.

For a few seconds, Amis looked around with a stalkerish look on her face, then pulled herself together, thinking that she was exaggerating and that it was not at all in her habits, well except on the success side.

- No, it's all right, little bitch, she answered by spreading her beautiful hair. Today is a perfect day. In my image of course.

- Yes Friends, today is a perfect day, just like my thoughts.

Then drawing imaginary lines with a careless finger on the glass in front of him, the beautiful Amis became invisible.

- Amis? asked her flunky, surprised.

- Yes, I'm here, what's wrong with you.

But the blonde continued to look for her. Amis realized that she really couldn't see her. Worse, no one seemed to see her anymore. The beautiful student couldn't seem to stop herself from moving, from banging around painfully, but people couldn't feel her shock, while she was in terrible pain. She called for help, but no one heard, no one cared about her. And on top of that, she was unable to leave the university. Her world became a world of nightmares, where ugly and cruel beings populated it and never stopped chasing and tormenting her, and she became one of them. Her beauty faded and she became as repulsive and awful as her tormentors.

- Oh, the perfect image of what you are inside. Declared a macabre, magical voice in a mocking tone.

- Who's there? Are you the one responsible for this? Amis shouted hysterically.

- Of course I am. And before I leave, to let my little minions have their fun with you, I'd like to warn you never to bother Ivy in the future, of course if I ever let you out of here.

- I'll do what you want, she cried in pain, wretch, I beg you, let me out. Please!

- No, you won't. he refuted, nonchalantly. You will stay here until your companions here are satisfied. Have fun!

- No, wait! No! I beg you! Don't go away! Don't leave me here alone! No, my beauty is gone! At least bring back my beauty! Wait! Wait! WAIT!

The young woman's cries of distress did not move him at all. In fact, he was quite amused by it, although he found it vulgar.

He shrugged his shoulders and left.

***

After a soup, a hot bath and an amused lecture from her parents, Ivy returned to her room, exhausted. She was brushing her long hair in front of her dressing table, contemplating herself in the mirror, too absorbed by incomprehensible thoughts to find herself beautiful in her ivory lace nightgown, when a cold shadow darkened her room and startled her.

She turned quickly and saw the beast on her balcony, gazing at her sardonically.

- Zion! she exclaimed as she ran to the patio door. But the beast stopped her with a gesture and then fragmented the entire wall and entered, transforming into a slender but beautiful young man, before putting the wall back up. A young man with curly hair of a Venetian blond that fell to the neck, framing a thin face with a profile accentuated by a crazy charm, and wearing simple clothes, a long-sleeved polo shirt of a sky blue color with a white outline and jean pants, without forgetting light moccasins of an inky black.

- Hi princess!