Chapter 659: Root of Evil-I

It had turned out the boy was Ernest. Elise knew the man had twisted believe in himself and only now she knew how it had rooted since he was young. Ernest didn't see killing as something he should stay away from, frightening, or disgusting. He sees killing as an interesting event, one that piqued his interests. Both Elise and Ian watched how Ernest drank the medicine as if it was nothing and begin to stand on his feet again.

The boy went on his day like usual. Taking the mop, he carefully wiped away the blood on the floor, being careful so he won't slipped and fell. He pulled his brother's body, placing it aside carefully before dragging his father's body with his small hands. After realizing he could not drag his father's body whereas the man weight heavier compared to his brother who ate only once a day until he almost become skin and bone. 

Elise wondered how Mr. and Mrs. Lone adopted Ernest and had found out how once his eyes was healed, Ernest left the house. Elise and Ian followed to see fog blocking their sight once they walked out. In next second, the fog disappeared and the entire street had taken a different appearance, changing its view into a pedestrian walk of a small town.

Ernest was on the corner of the house, handing out his hand as if waiting for anyone to show kindness by giving him some money to spend on food. His appearance looked normal and while he seemed miserable and pitiful, Elise knew what kind of soul had reside inside Ernest, making her wary instead of pitying the small boy. 

As Ernest stared at the street, a lone luxurious carriage that had passed by the street stopped its track. No one stepped out from the carriage but from the curtain, they could see the shadow of two people moving inside the carriage. They were discussing words to each other before a knock was heard. The coachman stepped down, knowing the knock was a cue for him to open the door for his two masters who were inside the carriage. 

The woman who stepped out from the carriage was dressed extremely posh. A glance can tell how the woman was hailed from the higher class. 

Elise frowned seeing who it was and said to Ian, "That is Mrs. Lone."

"So the story went this way," Ian hummed, he watched how the woman extended hand to Ernest and the boy smiling in delight while knowing how the two people was faking their emotions. "Perhaps Ernest thought this was an easier path for him to go back on track with his life but what a shame, he foolishly took hand while thinking he was a smart one."

Ian's words were true as they then was lead to enter a newer house as fog begin to appear and clear in front of them again. They saw how Ernest reached out his hand to older Dalton before seeing how Ernest was locked in a room where his face was then filled with rage. He was angered when he knew how he had been used by the couple and had taken the wrong choice. 

Night played out on the house when his room opened. Mr. and Mrs. Lone entered the room with a man beside them. "Will it take long, sir?"

"It won't," answered the man who was covered by a black hood. "Questioning me more will not only slowed my progress to the ritual and angered me. What's that on your hand?"

Mrs. Lone looked at her hand where the man had pointed out her bandaged hand. With angry face she glared at Ernest, "That fucking boy bite my hand when I came to give him food. Therefore today and until tomorrow he wouldn't be given a single bite or sip of water."

"Don't take your punishment more than necessary. You don't want to lose such an important vessel for your son, do you not? Do whatever you could by keeping him alive," answered the man, giving no pity to the boy as well. He then handed out his hand to the two women while watching Ernest whose was bind by rope as he had earlier bitten Mrs. Lone's hand. 

Mrs. Lone with a grin hand out the dagger toward the man's hand and when the man took step froward, Ernest dragged himself backward, suspiciously glaring at the dagger. The man smiled while meeting his face where to Ernest's eyes, the man appeared like a monster. His ear to ear grin was horrendous, and the way his eyes glowered sent him an immeasurable anger. 

Dalton came to his room when the ritual had ended. The older boy cried his eyes out seeing how there were whip marks, wounds, and cuts severely on Ernest's body. Ernest didn't have time to think of what he should do to take care of Dalton's tears only saying, "I am alright." In truth he wasn't and he cursed his entire time at Mr. and Mrs. Lone who had allowed this to happen to him. Dalton took care of tending his wounds and once he was done, he was forced to leave as his parents would get angry if he hadn't come back to his room and spend more time with Ernest.

Alone in the darkest room, Ernest felt nauseous. His body shivered as the temperature in the room fell. He could feel his head ringing when accidentally he had turned at the wrong side of his wounded back, straining his wound, causing more blood to soak the bandage Dalton put on him earlier. He grunted, trying to move away without knowing how his blood had trailed itself away from him, making a red line toward the magic circle that the man who had tortured him earlier made. 

Everything happened in the dark, thus Ernest hadn't noticed how the magic circle begin to move on its own way and black wisps erupted from the drawings. Black smokes filled the room but that too went unnoticed by him who tried to ease the wound by sleeping. It was then when he heard a whisper, "Are you angry, boy?"