Sunbeam Lair As he[a righteous man] breaks, so shall it [hell] break

The weight on his soul was lifted a fraction at the kind embrace of his sister, and he couldn’t the water works that followed. He simply cried into her leaning on her and rested his head atop hers. Time evaporated as brother and sister took comfort from the other.

Slowly, the sniffling stopped and Sia felt embarrassment building alongside his self-loathing. How could he?! Trying to take comfort, when he didn’t deserve it. How dare he beg the torment to stop, how could he try and escape his purgatory. Ashamed, he pulled back slightly. “This isn’t right.” He spoke softly, because she should be angry, she should hate him. She must hate him, that was the only absolute that stuck in his damaged mind. Everyone hated him. Their father, their mother, their sisters, their brothers, Nanook. Everyone. Even he hated himself. It was the only truth he had lived by since his disappearing act.

“Hate me. You have to hate me.” He pressed, not accepting the gift of peace that was being offered to him. Siarut didn’t know what to do with calm, he couldn’t stand the never-ending anticipation. Waiting for his mind to break, for one miss step to lead to oblivion. He couldn’t stand the thrill. The constant flip of his stomach, making eating impossible. And the continuing ringing in his ears, forcing an ice pike into his brain.

“Yell at me! Scream at me!” He practically begged for he violence he craved, the anarchy that only rage could construct. Surely his hot-headed sister could give him that, the craving that he deserved and wanted of so badly.