Tower of Paradise

Chapter 19: Broken dreams (2)

I had to cover my mouth to prevent screaming while feeling a wave of trembling. I felt goosebumps rising from my feet to my head, my skin tingling like needles.

This can't be happening.

My eyes opened so wide that I could see every detail even better, and from that point, nausea rose to my throat, burning the walls of my organs.

What was happening?

All the air trapped inside my lungs came out as a frozen vapor. A trembling hand forcefully covered my mouth to contain the scream that froze on my lips. And no matter how much I tried to break away from this image, I couldn't.

My eyes, covered in wild horror, stared fixedly at the body hanging in the container that the monster was carrying.

—Don't move.

I told myself, trying to prevent my heart from bursting out of my chest.

I didn't even realize how I started trembling feverishly. My lips trembled while I felt everything freezing with horror, feeling the void that was slowly sinking me. My hands began to shake violently and my teeth started chattering slightly.

—Children are not my favorite dish.

The monster's voice awakened all my senses.

—Idiot, carry the container carefully. That girl is valuable merchandise, not something to eat

I heard another say.

What were they talking about? I brought both hands to my face trying to understand what was behind their words.

—The human flesh from this shelter is for the conservation of our species

One of them continued.

—That's right, leave everything in our hands.

Emilia's voice, my mother, seriously frightened me when my body shuddered.

A sharp sword pierced my brain as I began to understand....

My God, it wasn't possible...

My skin bristled and shivered, and I felt my spirit split in two...

Then...

An unexpected change fell like lightning, a strange sensation that everyone felt. This sensation rose across my skin. It was hard to describe, but something in it felt... twisted.

What did I just witness?

These monsters were worse than I could have imagined.

All the adopted children... were dead.

Were we food?

Did we live just to be eaten?

No, that didn't seem to be the case. The monsters' way of speaking didn't seem to talk about simple food. They seemed to give us a much more important role.

Were we raised and killed for pleasure?

No, that makes no sense. They called us "merchandise", so our bodies clearly had value... But what?

I didn't understand.

I suppressed a sob and rubbed my face with a sleeve to dry the tears falling... I had been desperately trying not to cry about this disturbing reality all this time.

But now it was practically impossible.

I couldn't lie to myself and continue as if everything was fine until my turn. I couldn't let my other companions go to their death without knowing.

We had to get out of here. Flee as far away as possible.

Rage, anguish, helplessness, and betrayal invaded me when remembering everything. My body shivered as I began to sob.

No... Mom.

Faced with the crushing truth, tears began to run down my face like a torrent that finally broke the containment wall.

My face turned pale and my entire body trembled while I lost my voice in a heartbreaking cry of pain.

Gritting my teeth and holding back the sobs forming in my chest, the tears wouldn't stop. My hands were trembling and I was breathing intermittently.

I began to cry from rage, from sadness. I felt humiliated for having believed I finally had a mother I could trust.

I opened my hands forcefully when a heartbreaking scream escaped from my dry throat. Rage fought against the pain in my heart for a long time while I lamented everything.

I cried and cursed the whole time, refusing to believe that all of this was real. As a sister, as a companion, I just wanted to protect my family, the few people who were important to me, let them be happy and healthy.

I was prisoner to an immense, indescribable anger, more terrible than I had ever felt in my life.