Content warning: This episode contains implict mentions of sexual violence and gore. Reader's discretion is advised. Thank you. 

The next morning, Odiva made her due diligence to inspect the servant Reem. To her surprise, however, she didn't have to leave her bed to realise that the servant was none the wiser.

Odiva had visited the servant’s dreams during the night, with the intention of implanting threat and fear, should the servant forget her place and start rumours on Jahi's situation. Instead, and with a firm grasp inside the servant's mind, Odiva was astonished to find she could meddle much more than she ever could before. Surrounded by floating memories, the novice Seer found she could manipulate them to her will; she could rewrite the servant’s memories. She hesitated, thinking of the return of her illnesses. Was this how it was supposed to be? She still hadn't even sensed the ancients. Still, this was Jahi's reputation and life on the line. She would not leave loose threads, no matter the cost.

Odiva blinked to further astonishment at how refreshed she felt. It worked. Whatever was in that parchment Samael had given her had worked. She felt it. She wasn’t the same the very moment she sensed wakefulness.

Her two favourite servants chanted a peaceful hymn she had grown used to every morning after Nana Sioh passed on. Odiva could still hear her grandmother's stick cracking down the door while she roared her name to wake up. The old hag had her under her heel from morning till dusk. Instead of the cold soaks Nana Sioh insisted were the best for a morning start, the novice now bathed in a lukewarm, rose scented milky baths that awaited her every morning. The servants rinsed and combed her hair with the gentleness she had long earned and waited for before her breakfast was brought in. She would need to add on to this routine. This would be a daily celebration, after all: The better part of her life was just beginning.

Today her sight was hers; to own and to reach far beyond. Today, she welcomed that part of herself that she had been deprived of, but she so knew would shape the whole of Nar. Today, she would no longer be the inept novice; the stain on her sister's impeccable reputation. She would stand next to her Seer sisters as a proud equal (if not superior, she mused). She would protect Jahi, whatever may come. Imagining the astonished look on her Seer sisters' faces made her stomach flutter. What was this new feeling? Was she in love with her new self?

First, she needed to have a full grasp of her black power.

When her servants arrived, Odiva didn’t just sense their presence about her bedchamber; she read their hatred, too. For the first time, Odiva saw the lives of her two servants unfolding before her eyes: two human souls, tortured and nibbled at in all corners of Hell, until they finally elevated to lower demons. Too damaged to be of use to any other realm, they made their way to Nar, seeking the protection of the Seers, only to be turned into servants instead.

This was not surprising; Odiva had deduced this much herself before unlocking her powers. It was her reach into their previous human lives that stunned her. As human men, these two performed barbaric acts on females worthy of making a new demon blush. One of them had the sense of killing himself, while the other was killed by other inmates during his incarceration. In Hell, like a cruel, or maybe a fantastic joke, they became female demons.

These servants, always inseparable for reasons even they could not understand, had no memories of their past lives. They comforted one another; sometimes inflicted physical pain on each other; constantly drawn to female bodies while lost in their own confusion and lust.

They resented this life of servitude in Nar, even though it spared them from the harshness of Hell they had already witness and survived. To their core, they despised the Seers, yet here they were; here they had been all this time, looking after Odiva and Jahi since they were young, humming with their most melodious voices, offering comfort when Nana Sioh had been too strict, smiling at Odiva's jokes and tales about her latest mischiefs, while deep down, if they could get away with it alive, they would brutalise and kill either one of them without a moment's thought.

The smiles that greeted Odiva most mornings couldn’t overflow with darker poison. Still, as much as they loathed the Seers, they equally feared them, as well as what Hell had in store for them should they attempted to leave. This explained why Nana Sioh was so violent and despicable with the servants; with these two in particular. And even old Nestor! Would this be why Jahi would often flee from the old servant? Only for the child Odiva to cling on to the devil, insisting on further plays and talks of marriage.

Those days when Jahi acted strange, preferring to be left alone; to be quiet for days...

Now Odiva understood how it felt to be surrounded by this hate. To think that Jahi had seen all of this while Odiva had been so oblivious. Odiva always thought she was the closest one to her sister, knowing all there was to know about Jahi without needing her sight; how she felt, what she liked, what she hated, even when she had bad dreams; but how could she be, when her sister, from a very young age, was facing truths like these alone? Odiva couldn't piece together how little Jahi dealt with this hatred alone and still kept her smile. Why, Jahi? Why keep it all quiet. They promised they would never lie to each other.

Odiva glared at the two servants. She saw their future, too. Or futures. None of them held the best outcome. Perhaps this was why Jahi never interfered. Hell had an endless and vengeful memory, after all.

While they dressed Odiva, the servants would let their eyes linger on her exposed curves, their urges from their male human days tempting them; Odiva could hear their thoughts as though they were speaking directly in her mind; quite loudly. Quite ardently.

Odiva had known these two for most of her life, but not even her parlour tricks would grant her access to their diminished and filthy minds. How they raged with their hate and compulsion while looking so placid and tame. It was too disgusting not to laugh. Odiva chuckled, and one of them flinched — Olga. She’d been staring at Odiva’s bosom for too long.

“Relax, darling Olga. I find myself staring at them, too. They've come along nicely, wouldn't you say?"

The servant nodded with a flustered smile, keeping her eyes to the floor, though Odiva noticed a quick twitch of her index finger.

The black-eyed Seer sneered. "Keep your dark urges in check, darling; who knows, I might let you play with them one day.”

Olga kept her gaze low, but her index finger trembled and Odiva felt the servant’s mind race. What a revolting creature her sight was showing her.

Yes, there were going to be fine days ahead, indeed. Odiva’s grin widened. 

**

 Nothing looked different in Nahar while Odiva made her way to the High Seer’s temple. Yet everything felt different. She remarked a few stragglers from the previous night, wobbling their way out of the city. The party was over; the newlyweds deserved their time together, and Odiva celebrated while she peeked into whatever demon she fancied looking into.

By all accounts, Odiva had learnt that even the strongest Seer was limited to use their power to a certain number of times per day; this depended on their strength and the good will of the ancients. Odiva was still testing her limits. And the ancients? She had yet to hear from them. She found it odd, but it was known that a Seer's relationship with the ancients was their own. It was not to be discussed with other Seers. Maybe her ancients just preferred to remain quiet...

Since she had woken up, Odiva used her powers on almost everything that moved. She particularly found the previous lives of servants entertaining. The consequences for going too far never seemed to come, so she kept on. She was unsealed now, and she was ready for whatever came. If she was upsetting the ancients, she was sure they wouldn’t be shy about making her aware. 

Try as she did, however, Odiva couldn’t see anything on Jahi. Not her current life, not her future. It was as if her sister’s life was a distant blur. Not faded or absent; just inaccessible. This was the purpose of her visit to the High Seer’s quarters. Not only to reveal her unsealed status, but so they could discuss Jahi’s situation. Perhaps now, their auntie would sense something more; a way to help Jahi; or at the very least, allow Odiva to move closer to Jahi. Surely, the High Seer would see the value in Odiva’s yet immeasurable power.

Why Jahi had kept everything from her until now still angered her, but then again, Jahi always did this. Odiva hated it. Jahi always had to hog all the complicated bits to herself. Jahi needed to be drunk to open up! It was true, discretion was a Seer’s greatest weapon, but Jahi constantly took it a step too far, neglecting that they were kin; they only had each other.

No matter. Odiva found out in time, and things were going to change.

Her mind then drifted to the red demon she met the night before. The one-horned fallen one. Recalling his heated breath near her ear still gave her stomach jolts. How dare he? How reckless. How irresistible. Mmm.

Him, she would save for later, taking great pleasure in reading him. Then, she would gorge in properly, seeing him lose control underneath her. Like a decadent dessert, one had to save the tastiest for last.

Odiva stepped on the stairs up to the temple and froze. Her feet suddenly splashed on water as black as her eyes. It reached her ankles. Her eyes widened to the darkening blood-orange sky above her; she was seeing everything and nothing at the same time, while uncontrollable dread consumed her. She tried to scream, but her sound was smothered by so many others around her. Other Seers. Dead Seers. Many of them, none she recognised, none that wore attires from her time. Some were as tall and languid as poles, while others were as small as toddlers. All of them surrounded, and closed in on her.

The air grew putrid, heavy and soaked with their cries. Odiva looked around, frantic. She was somewhere else, but she was also still on that first step of the temple. She was in Nahar still, but it was as though it was the shadow of it; another side of Nahar that no Seer ever entered willingly.

The crowd of Seers then packed the steps that led to the entrance of the temple, and Odiva could now see behind them, were the demons and human souls debasing themselves, begging and pleading for them. The Seers looked down at Odiva. Two depthless holes marked their faces where their eyes should've been.

A path opened up to only one Seer who floated past. It was as if she had an invisible dome shielding her. Odiva recognised her mother as she floated graciously above the ground, wordlessly looking down on the lost.

Saleen's black eyes fixed themselves on Odiva as though she was new prey. Still, something about her gaze felt comforting.

“My child, welcome,” Odiva heard in her mind. “You have finally come. To your rightful place.”

“Mother…” Odiva felt her mouth dry.

“YOU!” The closest Seer to Odiva shouted. “You’ve ruined us! You’ve proved her right!” Tears of blood ran down the woman’s cheeks. Odiva did not know this Seer, she struggled to make sense of the scene above her.

“Pay them no heed, my beautiful child,” Saleen said again in her mind. “They are fools who gorged in too much power for too long. Now, they will bow to you. Their power will be your power.”

“My power… what are you—”

Then, like death itself ready to collect its due, Odiva spotted her. The elderly woman hobbled, relentless in her limpy advance that Odiva had always known. Nana Sioh looked almost the same, if her eyes had not been completely removed from her sockets. Odiva's heart raced, poisoned with the old fear this woman had so inflicted.

“You’ve killed us all, child!! Destroyer of worlds! Abomination! Wretch!" The grandmother paused, her wrinkly brow pulled up, and her voice broke while blood tears ran down her cheeks. "I-I should’ve… let them kill you! I should have... let them do it... all that we are, you stole and you’ve destroyed! How could you take everything...”

In a fit of rage, the old woman raised her cane, ready to strike, and Odiva shut her eyes, stepped back and fell on the water; she quickly raised her arms to protect herself from the assault; but nothing came.

There was only an eerie quietness, but still Odiva did not dare open her eyes. 

“You are free, Odiva, as you so wished for so long.” Saleen’s voice came through. “No longer will you be bound to the ancients. It is they who are bound to you. It is you they'll obey when you so wish it. My beautiful Diva. My very own pride.” It was as though Saleen had muted all the other mourns and screams.

“Open your eyes, Diva, do not fear. Your destiny, your powers are your own; you have been deprived of them for too long. Do with them what you will. You were born to rule; to be the black-eyed queen. You are not to be ruled. By anyone.”

Heaving hard and slowly opening her eyes, Odiva blinked in disbelief.

In the palms of her hands, Saleen extended an offering to her. The blood dripped over the water. Odiva looked up at her mother who smiled warmly under her bloody cheeks. "Take them, child. My eyes are yours. Everything here is yours. This is your home." 

Odiva crawled back while the strength in her legs refused her. She heaved and possibly screamed; she couldn't tell. She turned to flee, but in the next blink, everything was bright once more.

She was back. She recognised the stairs of the temple. Servants ogled, while a few other Seers giggled at her as they walked by. Perhaps for the first time in her life, Odiva’s mind knew crippling fear. She felt the coarseness in her throat. No one needed to tell her that she’d been screaming.

A familiar dizziness blurred her vision, though just before she passed out, Odiva saw his red furred hand reaching for her.

I believe the illustration speaks for itself xD. 

Thank you so much to Emalie for this gorgeous and sassy commission 🥰✨!