Chapter 1: The Ladder of Obsession
"I'm home!" Ririon welcomed himself home after his day at work. He worked as an apothecary. "Daddy!" Letharia jumped up from playing with her colorful wooden blocks to greet her father. Ririon smiled down at his daughter who clutched onto his leg "Where is your mummy? Daddy needs to see her." He said as his hand cupped her head. "Mummy is in the kitchen!" Letharia smiled as she pulled him along by his sleeve. Ririon let himself get lead by his daughter into the kitchen where his wife, Bellerise, was preparing dinner. He kneeled down to Letharia after they entered the kitchen and said "Thank you, my girl, Now go back to playing with your toys" and patted her head. "Okay, daddy!" She said as she skipped back to her colorful wooden blocks to create another tower to push over.
"Hello, darling." Ririon planted a kiss upon his wife's neck. Bellerise smiled "How was your day at work?" She asked him as she seasoned the meat. "Just another casual day." Ririon said. Bellerise placed the food onto the dining table, "What did you do today?" Ririon asked as he sat down and glanced to his wife. "I was out for a stroll through the city with Letharia." A slight expression of annoyance shifted onto his face, but decided to hide it. "Ah, that's nice." He coughed up "Did anything happen?" Ririon tried to hide his suspiciousness. Bellerise shook her head "Not really." Ririon sighed, but something told him that she was hiding something. He stared at his hands that were resting on the table. They looked like adult man's hands. "Letharia, dinner is ready, dear!" Bellerise shouted from the kitchen as she placed a pillow on Letharia's chair. A cheerfully and hungry Letharia skipped into the room with a block in her hand. Bellerise lifts her daughter up to place her on the chair. "Eat your vegetables, okay?" Bellerise made sure. Letharia nodded with a bright smile before digging in.
"Mummy, can I play with my friends?" Letharia asked after dinner. Bellerise shook her head as she sat down on the couch "No, dear, it's getting dark outside." She said. Letharia pouted her lips and crossed her arms. "It's not fair! My friends are allowed to play outside still." She protested. "You can play with your friends tomorrow again, okay?" She tried to soften her mood. "I'll go play with daddy then!" Letharia ran over to a door. Behind the door was Ririon's research lab, where he researched and studied things for the medical industry. "Daddy is busy, dear." Bellerise gestured Letharia to come over as she held her arms open. Letharia shuffled into her mothers arms. "Why is daddy always busy?" Letharia grumpily grumbled. "He works hard, my dear." Bellerise tried to soothe her.
Ririon sighed as he looked at his paper work. It was still an empty page. He slammed a book closed in frustration and shoved it off the table. He muttered to himself in annoyance. Things didn't go as planned, it seemed. 'It's not enough.' Ririon thought to himself as he glanced over the mess he had made. Blank sheets of paper were scattered across the floor. He sighed and sat down. 'Calm down.' Ririon thought to himself as he unwinded. He grabbed a new sheet of paper and started writing down a new formula. There is somewhere he had to start.
After a few hours, Letharia was already put to sleep a while ago. The door gently opened. Bellerise looked upon her hard working husband who seemed to be puzzled and annoyed. "Ririon?" She asked, hoping it wouldn't upset him too much. He straightened his posture at an instance and glared in frurstation and Bellerise. "WHAT?!" He exclaimed. "Uhm. I'm sorry to bother, it's quite late." Ririon stood up and sighed gently, as if he had returned to a more calm posture. He placed his hands on her hips. "I'm going to go bed now." Bellerise said, as she gazed into the face of Ririon. She noticed his bloodshot eyes as he came closer "You should get some sleep too, dear." Bellerise said with a worried tone to her voice. "Soon." He said, before he planted a goodnight kiss on her lips and retreat back to his desk. Bellerise wouldn't admit she was worried about her husband. Every day that past he seemed to be more wicked, more crazed, more insane. Compared to the day she met him, he has changed drastically. If she was honest, she sometimes felt a bit uncomfortable to leave Letharia alone with her father.