Chapter 66: The Blasphemy
Andromeda felt fear invade her... Her hands were shaking so violently that she had to press them against her chest to stabilize them. The presence of her master in the body of this servant awakened memories in her that she had spent years trying to bury, memories of pain and submission that she thought she had forgotten.
She lowered her head, unable to meet the gaze of those black eyes that pierced through her. Her jaws clenched as she struggled to keep her calm. She took a deep breath, several times, trying to slow the frantic beating of her heart.
"M-Master..." she began in a trembling voice, the words coming out with difficulty. "I do not want to kill anymore..."
A silence settled, heavy and oppressive. Andromeda felt her master’s gaze weighing on her.
"Oh really?" replied The Painter, his voice tinged with a morbid curiosity.
Andromeda swallowed with difficulty. "I-I have already done everything you asked of me," she continued, her fingers clenched on the edge of the towel. "I have repaid my debt... I-Please, I would like to lead a peaceful life and—"
She did not have time to finish her sentence. A hand closed brutally on her throat, strangling her, preventing her from breathing. Andromeda felt her master’s fingers dig into her flesh, cutting off her breath.
"You have really become insolent?" asked The Painter, his voice low and threatening. "My creation rebels against its creator? Look me in the eyes."
Andromeda shook her head, her eyes fixed on the floor. "No! I—"
"Look me in the eyes!" ordered The Painter.
Despite herself, Andromeda raised her head. Her eyes met those of her master, those black and vertical pupils that seemed to plunge directly into her soul. And as she held that gaze, a throbbing pain tore through her mind.
Her eyes rolled back. The pain was atrocious, as if her soul was being torn apart piece by piece. She felt her legs give way beneath her and she collapsed to the floor, her body shaken by uncontrollable spasms.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! "
On her back, burn scars began to appear. They spread across the entire width of her shoulder blades, drawing complex and tortured patterns. The marks seemed to come alive, glowing under the effect of her master’s chi.
Andromeda clenched her teeth, fighting against the pain consuming her. Sweat covered her body, her muscles contracting with the effort. She felt the scars or rather the painting her master had drawn spread, deepen into her flesh.
"Look at yourself," said The Painter in a detached voice quite amused by the situation. "Even if I wanted to, do you think you can lead an ordinary life?"
Andromeda clenched her teeth, the pain making her tremble. Her fingers scratched the wooden floor, looking for a hold, anything to cling to.
"I-I apologize, master," she managed to say, her voice broken by sobs. "I will complete my mission..."
The Painter looked at her, a cold smile on his lips.
Andromeda passed a hand over her shoulder to scratch her itching back, her nails turning black digging into her flesh.
"aarggh! "
The scars became darker, more pronounced. Seven monstrous dragon heads appeared on her back, each head topped with a crown of ten horns. The patterns were so detailed that they looked like living scars.
Andromeda literally fell to the ground, crawling for her life, to escape the pain devouring her. But she could not flee. She was trapped in this flesh that burned her from the inside.
In the center of the scars, writing in red and burning flesh appeared: The Blasphemy.
The letters seemed to pulsate, making her pain even greater...
The pain was unbearable. But Andromeda knew it was nothing compared to what her master made her endure when he drew these marks on her back. She had lived through these sessions so many times that she could no longer count them, and each time she thought she was going to die. And yet she was still there, alive, marked forever...
The woman possessed by The Painter approached her, seized her chin with a firm hand and lifted her face. The Painter’s gaze was cold, merciless, as he observed the tears flowing down Andromeda’s cheeks.
Andromeda’s face was marked by suffering.
An inverted cross shone on her forehead. Her eyes turned black, then returned to their normal color, then became black again and again. She fought relentlessly to keep her human form, not to give in to the instinct threatening to overwhelm her.
"Ah..." said The Painter, his voice almost affectionate. "It is really a shame. You are my most accomplished work. But unfortunately, you are far too mentally weak." He shook his head, as if regretting a wasted opportunity. "Vamp has less potential than you, but he is much more interesting."
Andromeda breathed noisily, each breath painful. Her lungs burned, her throat was on fire.
"You are really a failure," continued The Painter, his voice hardening. "You should have known that you are all in the palm of my hand."
He released her chin and Andromeda collapsed against the floor, her body shaken by tremors.
"Anyway, whether you want to restrain your true nature or not, I do not care," said The Painter while straightening up. "But make sure you bring me Luci’El’s heart."
Andromeda remained silent for a moment, short of breath. Then she raised her eyes toward her master, a glimmer of despair in her gaze.
"Master... Help me," she said in a broken voice. "Help me repress it."
The Painter looked at her, his black eyes shining with an indecipherable gleam. "You know what to do to calm this instinct," he replied in a neutral voice.
The servant’s eyes suddenly returned to their normal color. The woman blinked, disoriented, as if she had just woken from a dream.
"Huh?" she said while looking around, confused. "What..."
Then she noticed the young woman on the ground, trying to get up.
"Miss, are you okay?" asked the servant, approaching to help her.
She extended her hand toward Andromeda, but stopped abruptly. Her eyes widened in horror. The young woman on the ground had claws. Sharp, black claws that had lengthened at the tips of her fingers.
The servant retreated hastily, fear distorting her face. But before she could scream or flee, a hand closed on her throat.
Blood Moon stood up slowly, her eyes now completely black, empty of all humanity. Her movements were fluid.
"I apologize..." she murmured in a voice that was not quite her own.
She broke the servant’s neck. Then she approached, her canines lengthening, and sank her teeth into the woman’s neck.
She drank her blood, her black eyes shining in the darkness of the room. And while she fed, tears flowed down her cheeks, mixing the salty of the tears with the metallic of the blood.
Then, abruptly, her eyes returned to their normal color. She stepped back, releasing the servant’s inert body, her hand going to her mouth.
The taste of blood in her mouth made her vomit immediately. She collapsed to her knees, her body shaken by spasms, regurgitating everything she had ingested.
She remained like that for a few minutes, trembling, her hands pressed against the floor, watching the contents of her stomach mix with the blood on the floorboards.
"Shit...*Cough*Shit! Shit! "
She frantically searched for a cigarette, her trembling fingers rummaging around. But she was so shaken that the pack fell to the ground, scattering on the floor.
She passed her trembling hand over her face, wiping away the tears and blood. Her breathing was irregular, jerky.
"I... I must leave this room!" she said in a panicked voice.
She stood up unsteadily, her legs weak, and began to dress quickly, her hands still trembling. She put on her clothes without taking the time to adjust them, her fingers fumbling on the buttons and fastenings.
Then, with a gesture, she fed the candle flame with her chi. The fire spread quickly, devouring the curtains, the bed, the walls. The room burst into flames in a few seconds.
Andromeda rushed to the window, opened it with a push, and jumped into the night. She landed on the roof of a neighboring building, rolled to cushion her fall, then stood up and disappeared into the darkness.