The next few pages detailed his involvement with the Eclipse—his vile acts, and the guilt he initially felt. At first, the weight of what he had done burdened him, but the longer he stayed with the Eclipse, the more his mind unraveled. Eventually, the guilt stopped holding him back.
“I committed a grave sin. I kidnapped a woman and killed her as an offering. Her blood, still warm, stained my hands, yet… I felt nothing. It was the most repulsive thing I’d ever done. But somehow, the guilt didn’t come. Was it gone for good? Maybe it was the cult leader’s relentless brainwashing, twisting my mind. I couldn’t run anymore. If I did, they’d blow my head apart. I saw what happened to others who tried to escape. I would be next. I wanted to go back to Grace, even though I fucked up by cheating on her. But what choice did I have now? I don’t deserve to even face her, not after the things I’ve done.”
“The cult leader asked me about the artifact. I didn’t know shit, so he stopped bothering with me.”
“I bought a camera from Leonamon. With it, I captured images—proof of everything I witnessed in this twisted place. Evidence to document the cult’s sins.”
“They caught me. The cult leader punished me. He told me he wanted my wife fucked by many men. And I… I agreed.”
“As I watched my wife get fucked, her body used and violated by a line of men, I felt nothing but pure satisfaction. No guilt. Just an overwhelming, sick delight. My eyes never left her, as I soaked in every moment. The pleasure surged through me like I was reaching some kind of divine connection. It made me feel like I was getting closer to the lord.”
I gritted my teeth, unable to believe what I was reading. Was it really necessary for him to be punished like that? And did it have to be in such a twisted way? The Eclipse was making me sick to my core.
I flipped through the pages, each one detailing his descent into depravity. It was clear he had sunk so deep that there was no coming back. I suddenly stopped at one particular page.
“I finally got to know his name.”
That was all that was written. Just those few words, nothing more.
I turned to the next page, but it was blank. And the one after that was blank too. And the next, and the next, and the next.
“Who the fuck was it?!” I shouted, staring at the empty pages. There was nothing—no text, no clues. Just blank pages that mocked me.
I slammed the book shut and let it fall to the ground. It was worthless. There was evidence of his twisted actions, sure, but nothing substantial. To me, the book seemed like nothing more than the ramblings of a delusional man who had lost his way. The Eclipse was far more hidden and insidious than anyone realized.
“Fuck…” I muttered to myself, frustration and confusion thick in my voice. Then something flickered in the corner of my vision, just outside the reach of the flame in my hand. It was shrouded in darkness, hidden from view. I moved closer, letting the firelight reveal whatever was lurking in the shadows. When it finally came into focus, a sharp gasp escaped my lips.
It looked like a bulletin board, similar to mine, where I pieced together all my evidence, pinning the puzzle pieces in place. But this wasn’t neatly pinned—it was all plastered messily on the wall, like someone had thrown it together in desperation. And there, scrawled across the wall in dried blood, were words. But it wasn’t written with a finger. It looked like the blood had been used as ink.
“I couldn’t say it in the journal because my mind wouldn’t let me. But strangely enough, writing it in blood didn’t stop me. So I decided to write in blood,” it read.
“I hope you see this, Grace. I can’t speak to you anymore. After everything I’ve done, I don’t have the right. And I’m too far gone in this hellhole to ever crawl back out. Not even you could save me now. I’ve lost all my love for you, but I hope—even if you’ve lost your love for me—that you’ll still love our daughter. This is the secret the cult was trying to keep hidden.”
And right in the middle of all that chaos, there it was…
“He was behind it all.”
My blood ran cold as I stared at the photo pinned to the center of it all. It was someone I knew.
***
It was dark out. My fists slammed into the tree over and over, knuckles raw and bloody. Anger surged through me with every hit. How could he…? I thought he was a decent person, but it turned out he was worse than all the others. A fucking scumbag. I wanted to kill him. The one behind all of this—behind the kidnappings and the horror—was someone I knew. Someone who had been right beside me the entire time.
“Fuck…” I gritted my teeth so hard my lip split, a drop of blood rolling down my chin. “How the fuck could he do this?”
Just as I muttered that, a voice broke through the quiet night.
“Can you stop hitting the tree?”
My head snapped up. There, right in front of me, was a woman, her bottom half literally fused with the tree. At first, I was taken aback, but with everything I’d been through lately, I was too exhausted to be surprised for long.
“Who the fuck are you?” I asked, my voice rough with frustration.
“I am Morthea,” she replied, her tone calm, almost indifferent. “One of Master’s women, and a member of his Shadow.”
“Master?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “Who the fuck is that?”
“You already know him,” she said, her voice almost teasing. “I can smell his life force on you. That means you’ve had sex with him already.”
“…Leon?”
“That’s right.”
So, this woman was another one of his? It wasn’t just the Princess, Irene, Gabrielle, and me? There were others? How much of a fucking scumbag was Leon to have this many women wrapped around his damn finger?
“Master said he’s coming back,” she continued, her voice smooth. “He’s found someone who might lead you to all the answers you’re looking for.”
