Well! Here is the next chapter; the chapter that gives this story its R rating! This is VERY dark and evil and scary, so be forewarned. Seriously.
Chapter 3: Revenge
We're running down the stairs so fast that I nearly trip over myself and fall the rest of the way down. "Sister! Sister, what's wrong?" I call out.
She doesn't answer me; she just keeps running, panting from the effort. If I don't look at how fast her feet are moving, it looks almost as though she is gliding down the stairs. We finally reach the bottom and rush to my room.
It's in complete disarray. We can see the blankets that Rishid tried to put in the beds to make it seem as though we were still in them. They're tossed about and the bed dressings are mostly on the floor. Without saying anything else, my sister once again takes off, running down the hall again.
I can feel my fear growing, and I feel a sharp pang of it in the pit of my stomach when I hear some yells of pain arising as we get closer to our father's waiting room. We come to a skidding halt just in time to see my father crack his whip again.
"Rishid!" I cry. He falls to the floor, motionless; his hands are tied in front of him and his back is cut open and bleeding from my father's whip.
"Master Malik…" he groans out. "I'm sorry… I failed you…" I hear him exhale deeply. His eyes close.
Isis gasps and puts her hands to her mouth in shock. What in Ra's name has my father done? He disciplined my slave… my slave failed me—
He's not my slave! He's my big brother! What has Father done to him?
He serves me… he failed me… Father killed him… I should repay the favor…
My father turns to Isis and me. "You two must watch the consequences of your disobedience!"
I clutch at my head. No! No! Rishid! He's not dead! He's not! But he's hurt badly… he could die later… Father killed him… He killed Rishid for his disobedience…
No… no… Rishid's not dead… he shouldn't have been punished! Father shouldn't have punished him… he let me go to see the world—
"You're next, Malik!" yells my father. He snaps the whip and my hand catches the end of it. What an insolent fool…
"How dare you resist me, Malik!" He tries to pull it back, but I won't let up. He's weak; without this whip and the Millennium Items he's just a weak and powerless old man.
"Thank you for getting rid of Rishid for me," I growl out.
I let go of the whip and my father nearly stumbles back. Feeble old man… "You don't scare me," I hiss venomously at him. I make my way towards the two Millennium Items my family has guarded for centuries. "These Items are mine now…"
"You will inherit those in due time, Malik! No sooner!" my father yells at me.
I ignore him and pick up the Millennium Rod. "It seems to accept me…" I thrust it out towards him and feel a power like none other surge through my body. A light emerges from the Item in my hand and it slams my father against the wall behind him. I can't help but smirk at his helplessness.
"Malik!" my sister yells. She comes running towards me."This doesn't concern you!" I pin her up against a different wall with it, intending to deal with her later. Foolish girl…Now for my father…
I feel my grip tightening upon the Rod as I approach him and slide off the end of it to unsheathe the dagger that's underneath. Now it's his turn to pay for what he's done to me… now he will die and suffer for the pain he's caused me…I raise the Rod above my head and behind me, ignoring my sister's screams to stop. She doesn't know the pain he's caused me… she hasn't suffered like I have…my father made me want to die… he made me want to die!I swing my arm forward.
Both my father and my sister scream in unison as the dagger pierces his flesh just underneath his collarbone. But he can't do anything about it… she can't do anything about it… they are trapped. My sister's cries turn into noisy sobbing but my father continues to shriek out in pain as his blood starts to spill out and over my hand.
His blood is warm… just like mine when it was spilled for him… he's screaming just as I was when he was cutting my back apart…I'll tear his soul to shreds for the pain…I grin again and push the Millennium Rod deeper into him, so the blade is embedded deep within his robes; he screams out with such agony that I almost feel like laughing at him. Now he is feeling my suffering… what a stupid old man… he should have known my pain would come back to greet him…
I start to feel a small rumble in my throat as I feel my strength growing. He didn't know he would be dying today… you thought you were going to live on with the memory that you disciplined your son by slicing into him… that wouldn't have bothered you… you'd have thought about it like it was your duty… like you did what you had to do to keep this stupid family tradition alive…well I am changing all of that now!
A laugh resonates in my throat and I twist the Rod slightly, hearing the end of it scratching the wall behind the dying fool. His screams start to choke off slightly as he draws his final breaths, and my cackle gets louder and louder until it drowns him out. I watch as his weak, frail body gives a giant shudder, and his head slumps down onto his chest.
He is dead… finally, that old fool is dead…I tug on the Rod, but it's so deep within him that I can barely budge it. I place both my hands on its hilt and put a foot into his stomach, holding his body to as I yank on the Rod again. It comes free with a squelch of flesh, and he slowly sinks down to the floor, leaving a smear of blood on the wall behind him. I look down at the lifeless thing and lightly lick one of my fingers.
The blood tastes bittersweet, like a poisoned candy. I reach down to grab a fistful of robes to wipe my hands clean of it; I also get the crimson off the Rod—such a powerful thing need not be stained with something so foul and insignificant. The girl's weak cries start to rise again and I sneer one last time before turning to her.
"There's still a woman left…" I lick my lips slightly and start over to her. She looks so helpless and afraid, pinned against that wall. I wouldn't mind keeping her like that for a while…
"Master...Malik…"
I turn slightly to see Rishid stirring, still upon the floor. He's still alive?I walk over to him and stop beside his pitiful form. He can't be alive… I won't let him… he failed me as a slave and he must pay for that… besides… I raised the Rod over my head again. I can't have him here moaning out in pain when I'm alone with Isis… he'll just get in the way.
My lips open, turned up in a twisted smile. "Go to hell," I hiss at my once obedient slave. Right as I am about to swing the dagger down, he lifts his head to me.
"Master Malik… I need to protect you…" he barely murmurs out.
I freeze above him, staring. Something switches inside me and I suddenly blink down at him, confused immensely. What is the Rod doing in my hand? I drop it and fall to my knees in front of him. Why do I feel so empowered? Why did I have my family's Millennium Rod in my hand? "Rishid, what has happened to me?" I whisper out, looking down at him.
He struggles to his knees as well and looks for a second at something behind me. "Don't look, Master Malik!" he says sternly, bringing his bound hands around me and pulling me to him.
"Don't look at what?" I shift in his arms and turn to look behind me. My eyes go wide. Is that my father?! What happened to him? Is he dead? What happened? I panic, trying to force myself away from Rishid. "Let me go! Let me go!"
Something bright appears in front of my father's still form and I see the strange man that my sister and I had run into earlier. "The soul of the pharaoh gave rise to this fate," he says. "It is growing strong and He is reviving. You must go to find Him."
I'm still struggling against Rishid, shaking my head from side to side and not coming to grips with anything. Tears are manifesting on my face and I start to shake uncontrollably as the stranger disappears once more without another word. Rishid gently tightens his grip on me and rocks me from side to side, but it's not helping. I don't know what happened, but it's terrifying me so much that I can't think.
We sit for a long time, and my crying finally quiets. I take up the Rod with a shaky hand and cut Rishid's bindings off, and he helps me to my feet. We both turn to see my sister on the floor. She must have fainted. Rishid goes over to her and picks her up, and we take her to her room, laying her on her bed.
As I look down at her, I feel a surge of guilt well up in the pit of my stomach, and I know what I must do. I need to save her from myself. I've already caused too much damage here… I call for Rishid to pack some bags for us—we are going to leave tonight. He nods and leaves without even questioning me.
I don't move from my sister's side for the duration of his absence, but when he returns, I start to cry again, knowing very well that I might never see her again. I throw my arms about her and hold her, sobbing into her unconscious form. I let all of my emotions out, but remaining strong in my decision to keep her safe. I finally sit up and wipe my eyes, smiling down at her.
"Sister… dear Isis… you will be safe from now on… farewell." I lean down and kiss her gently on the forehead.