Chapter 60 Morning Glory

Morning Glory

Avalyn

(The Latin to English translations are given at the end of the chapter.)

I saw Max on the ground and everyone surrounding him. He used his hands to rise again.

"Sinit satus sanguine festun." He and extended his arms wide, almost like he was inviting everyone.

What does that even mean?

The wolves started backing away from him. This was unlike anything anybody has seen or heard.

His usual light blue eye had changed into a pitch-black color and the white area of his eyes had turned blood red. The green and blue veins under his eyes had risen to the surface, making his eyes look even scarier. His fangs were also out, longer and sharper than that of a normal vampire.

His features had turned sharper, harsher in a way.

Max looked like he was possessed. No. Seeing him like this, I know he is possessed.

I focused on him and froze him in his place, walking past the semi-circle formed around him.

"Pithonissam." He hissed as he looked at me, his voice heavier but also high-pitched at the same time.

"Fall back." Nik came to stand beside me. Everyone backed away now, giving us a wide girth.

Nik nodded at me and strode forward, standing right in from of Max. I made sure that Max could not move at all. I was not going to take a single chance with so many people around us that are in harm's way, especially Nik.

In this state, Max was unpredictable. And the people around me were vulnerable, especially because not everyone knew what was happening and no one knew his potential.

We have to bring Max back now.

Nik punched Max in the face. Again and again. Hard. So much, that Max's nose started bleeding.

The wolves brought a silver chain and I imagined it wounding around Max's wrist, behind his back. It should weaken him.

The chains flew out of the wolves' glove-covered hands and wound around Max's wrists and then pulled his hands behind his back. It is for extra precaution.

"Sanguis." He hissed.

Nik punched him again, making his head snap to the side. It was working. I could see his eyes flickering until they turned back to his normal light blue color.

He lifted his head and Nik was the first one he saw.

"What the fuck Nikolai?" He growled in Nik's face.

Max was back but he was still angry. The devil could still come out again.

"Come back," I told Nik.

Releasing a harsh breath, Nik walked back to me. Dimitri, Andrei, and Talia stood beside me too.

Seeing Talia's bruised face, he pulled at the constraints. He was strong. So it was difficult for me to keep him tied up but I focused hard, not letting him move just yet.

"What the hell happened to her face?" He snarled, applying more pressure on the restraints.

He was too strong, and it hurt my head and the chains loosened for a split second but I focused and tightened them again.

There is no way in hell I can let him go, not like this.

"Please tell me what happened?" His eyes looked troubled as he looked at all of us. "I'm a guest at your home right now, Kol."

When he didn't reply, anger took over Max's face. "Is this how you fucking treat your elder brother?" He growled.

I could feel Nik being hurt through our bond. I heard a small whimper and realized Nat was crying.

"Come here, princess," Max whispered, begging her.

She took a step to go to him, almost instinctively. I can only imagine what she must be going through, seeing Max like this.

No...

Max applied all his strength to pull, making a searing pain go through my head. Why does it hurt so much?

Nik's hand captured mine, giving me more power. His hair had turned golden now.

I focused on keeping Max still.

Once he was not trying to fight against me, I walked to him, releasing Nik's hand.

"Avalyn, let me go." He hissed, his fangs extending because he was angry.

I need him to calm down a little so I can go nearer to him. I should get him talking.

"No," I replied and then showed him the wilted flowers that were still in my hand. "Do you know what these are?"

"Yes. Morning glories." He replied, sounding frustrated.

"They wilted when you touched him, didn't they?" I wanted confirmation.

He gave a short nod and his canines receded. Good.

"They are also called moonflowers," I told him.

His eyes flickered to red before coming back to blue again.

I forced him to kneel and be still. I placed my hand on top of his head.

I hope I'm doing this right.

I closed my eyes and forced myself to go through all his memories. I need to pinpoint the start of this devil. I need to find out the point when the devil found Max and used him as its host body.

His memories flashed in front of my eyes like a movie on fast forward.

His father hits his mother in front of him.

Max screamed for him to stop.

His mother left him at an orphanage.

He begged her not to go. He cried himself to sleep for days.

His mother picked him back from there.

And then dropping him back.

And then picking him up again.

And again. And again.

His father belts his mother. Her screaming.

His mother ran away.

Max cried for her to come back to him. To save him from his father.

"Stop," Max screamed. I could feel he was in a lot of pain. But I kept him still. I'm so sorry but I need to do this.

His father forced him to have sex with one of his whore.

I controlled my tears as I continued going through his memories. He was so young when all of this happened to him.

His father taught him the right way to beat up women. Teaching him how to use a paddle, a crop, a cane, a whip.

He ran off to the orphanage.

His father finds him and drags him back home. And then punishing him.

His mother returning.

She apologizes to him for leaving.

She dropped him off at Mary's.

He sees the dead body of his mother.

Max's screams weren't stopping. But I tuned them out. I needed to focus.

Mary helping him.

Him slowly getting better.

Him having breakfast with Mary every day. Tea and biscuits.

Mary dropped him off at Viktoria's after a close call with his father.

The devil appears on his shoulder, telling him to kill his father.

I snatched my hand. I can't believe a twelve-year-old boy had been through all of this. I shuddered in a breath.

Once Max's agonizing screams ceased, I placed my fingers on both sides of his temple.

The devil was just beneath the surface so when I just prodded him, he came forward and Max's eyes changed color again and he let out a loud snarl.

I started to yank it out of Max's body from the moment he had entered his life. It felt like I was tearing apart his soul. But Max's soul was in its place. I was only tearing out the little black part that was covering his soul.

A dark wail escaped Max's mouth, making my ears ring. I just kept going because it meant that it was working.

The devil's scream.

Both Max and the devil's scream was prominent in the air. The noise noises are very distinct but come from the same source.

Max was screaming because he was hurting too. He was feeling like his soul was being ripped into halves.

I could feel the darkness seeping out of his body, slowly but steadily.

It was a long, lengthy process.

Max was in pain. Too much pain. I could feel it. All of it. Tears streamed down my face for him.

Once the devil was separated from his soul, after hours of hard work and torture and screaming, I took away my fingers from his temple.

Max was crying as I rose him to his feet, but kept him still. I could feel his head and body hurting. His soul was hurting.

I extended my claws and tore away his black t-shirt, making the tatters fall on the ground.

I drew a circle in the middle of his chest with my nail, deep enough to engrave it in his body and cause him to bleed.

A dark and twisted scream left his mouth again, his head rolled back and his body shuddered and writhed and started twisting at odd angles.

My heart was racing as I continued.

I drew to semi-circles on the left and the right sides of the circle, facing outwards.

The mark of Moon Goddess.

I'll send the damn devil to the gods. No one hurts my family without any consequences.

"Vampire. G-god Sol." Max rasped out.

So he knew what I was doing. Max is smart.

God Sol's mark was a circle with a dot in between so I simply dug my finger in the middle of the circle, carving a dot.

The combined symbol of Goddess Lun and God Sol.

Max was bleeding. Blood oozed out of the marks I had carved and the rivulets rolled down his body.

I placed my hands on the center of his chest and closed my eyes, pushing positive energy, into his soul.

More anguished dark cries left his mouth.

The devil's cries.

He knew what was coming too. This was his end.

I push all of the parts of the devil out of Max's body and send them to the Gods.

Another loud wail of cries escaped his mouth. The last remains of the devil.

The screams were non stop and then Max's body convulsed and his mouth opened wide and small black particles erupted out of his mouth, nose, and ears and flew up in the sky. I realized that the sun was just rising now. We were at it all night.

My eyes followed them until I couldn't see them anymore.

Once I felt his body was a hundred percent pure, I took my hand off him and released him.

Too weak to hold his weight up, Max fell on his knees and supported his weight with his hands.

I placed my hand on his head. Max deserved better. The twelve-year-old Max deserved better.

He lifted his head and his blue eyes met mine and the first rays of the sun reflected in them.

"The devil is gone," I whispered to him, feeling the relief he felt in his bones upon hearing my words. I lowered myself in front of him and then hugged him.

"Where?" He asked, his voice throaty because of all the screaming.

"To the gods." I gave him a small smile. He won't have to worry about the evil whispers in his head anymore. He has fought the voice his entire life.

Now he is truly free.

"Thank you." His voice cracked as his arms came around me.

I pushed inside his head and he allowed me in easily. "I'm sorry for what happened to you when you were just a kid. You didn't deserve that." I mind-linked him, not wanting others to know.

This was something private. Only his to share.

"I think that's enough of hugging," Nik said dryly and I chuckled, releasing Max.

I was drained too. I needed rest. Using so much of my powers had drained all my energy.

Nik smiled down at me and kissed me. "You did very well, Moya Lyubov."

"Thank you." I cracked a smile. My head was spinning and I was about to faint but Nik was quick to catch me.

"You need rest. Go to sleep." He murmured and picked me up.

Nodding, I rested my head against his shoulder.

The last thing I saw was Natalia running towards him and collapsing on her knees in front of him before she kissed him.

A small smile formed on my lips at that sight.

They deserved happiness.

Translations-

1 Sinit status sanguine fun: Let's start the bloody feast

2  Pithonissam: Witch

3 Sanguis: Blood