Chapter 1 — Sleeping Beast

(Natasha)

WHEN I was a little girl, I heard a myth about a man named Cain Del Roman. There were so many rumors circulating about him that it was hard to guess which among them was true. Some said that Cain used to be a loyal servant of God. But there were also others saying that he was the most powerful Arch Mage of his time. They said he was punished because he abused his power and made hundreds suffer. Countless Mages were needed to capture him.

They also said that Cain Del Roman could not be killed. Or maybe the Mages were just not enough to kill someone like him. They could only put him in a deep slumber. He was cursed to sleep for eternity. And the man was said to have slept for over a hundred years now in this same mansion where I was standing in the middle of the night.

I stared at the mansion. It was beautiful and huge, but nobody had tried to buy it because of the rumors about its owner. Some were afraid that by doing so, they might awaken the man they called the ‘Beast’ and be punished by him. Because the ones who had sinned against him had all suffered the same fate: They had all died.

But those rumors did not stop women from attempting to enter Cain’s mansion in the middle of the forest in Talavera, Nueva Ecija, just to wake him up.

Now that I was old enough, I finally understood why. Because out of all the rumors about Cain, they said that at least two of them were true.

First, Cain was like a genie. He fulfilled the wishes of the women who captured his interest. And the grandchildren of those women were the living proof of this.

But of course, I found it impossible to believe that someone would simply grant wishes on a whim. There had to be something that Cain got in return. But all anyone cared about was the result, not the process.

Second, they said that Cain was a beast who fed on the bodily fluids that came with sexual intercourse. The women who had wanted their wishes granted by him had tried several methods to awaken him, including having sex with him.

But in the end, they had all gone home defeated.

What kind of a woman was so desperate for the Beast’s help that she was willing to sell her body or souls to him? I used to find those women ridiculous. But I ended up swallowing my words.

I took a couple of deep breaths as I grabbed the plants that crawled over the mansion’s incredibly tall gate. Its color had faded, but its ancient beauty could not be denied.

It was almost twelve in the evening. I was hungry and exhausted. I had traveled for four hours to reach Nueva Ecija. After arriving, I only had time to rest for a bit in an inn, take a bath, and change my dress before I had to go to the terminal to find a taxi that would take me to Talavera.

I rode in the taxi for almost an hour. I needed to walk for a few more hours afterwards before I finally reached the Beast’s domain, which was located in the middle of the forest.

The taxi would only take me near the forest. The old driver hesitated to leave me there alone, but in the end, even though I had offered him the remaining four thousand pesos in my wallet to accompany me to the gate of the mansion, he left in a hurry, so strong was his fear of the rumored Beast.

The driver had already asked me many times if I was sure of my destination before he finally agreed to take me as his passenger. And before the old man left, he said something that I couldn’t get out of my mind.

“I’ve been a taxi driver for a long time, young lady. I’ve brought many women to this place before. But most of those women went insane just a few days after they entered the Beast’s territory. You look so young. I’m sure that there are other ways for you to accomplish your goals. You don’t have to do this. If you want, I will take you back to the terminal right now. You have no idea what’s waiting for you inside the Beast’s mansion.”

Of course, I was aware of what I was getting myself into. Stories about the Beast had always been used to warn children. The elders often said that we needed to behave or we would end up like Cain. His story was the most effective way to discipline and scare children. And as a child, I was easily frightened, so I tried my best to be a good girl. But I could no longer afford to be good.

I could still remember the warning bells that rang in my head at the driver’s last words to me. I was terrified as hell too. Who wouldn’t be?

If the rumors were true, I would be facing the Beast. But my desire for revenge was stronger than my fear. I had lost so many important people in my life in just a few days. And if I didn’t take this risk now, I could end up losing more. That was how greedy the Ricafortes were.

My head suddenly filled with memories I wished I could erase. I'd done all that I could to avoid ending up in this situation. I had tried fighting, but I had lost. Yet I knew I could still fight some more. My family was involved now. Their lives were on the line too.

And I was running out of time.

I shook my head before I pushed the rusty gate open. It had been past eight in the evening when I entered the forest. But because I wasn’t familiar with the place, it took me a few hours before I was able to reach the mansion. Luckily, there weren’t any wild animals around here.

Some said that the animals in the area had disappeared when Cain came to live here. No man had tried stepping inside the forest either. That was why I had been confident enough to come here all by myself.

They said that there was a strong force that a person would feel upon entering the forest. Then they would hear a strange language, as if someone were giving them a warning. And yet, I did not feel or hear anything. Maybe those were just rumors meant to cause more fear. Besides, even if I did hear or feel something, I would still push through with my plan. I had already gone this far to reach the legendary Cain Del Roman.

I could not back out now. I would do everything in my power to awaken the Beast.

I firmly held my flashlight and continued to walk towards the big, wide garden. From the gate, the Victorian-style mansion looked very intimidating. It was like a house straight from a horror novel. Its old glory was still visible, though. There were three massive golden fountains in the center of the garden. Were they made of real gold? Their colors did not seem to have faded with time. It was also a wonder that the roof and the windows had remained intact when the mansion had been unused for so long.

“It probably has something to do with the Beast’s magic,” I whispered. That was the only explanation I could come up with for why a mansion over a hundred years old was still in such good shape. Who would have imagined that there was a place like this in the middle of the forest?

When the wind blew, I shivered and adjusted my faded denim jacket. There were a lot of pine trees surrounding the mansion. I could hear the sound of them swaying in the strong wind. All the hair on the nape of my neck stood up, and I almost screamed when bats flew out of nowhere toward me. My hands trembled. I was only able to continue walking when they had finally disappeared into the night.

After a while, a bitter smile formed on my lips. I had always been scared of the dark. I had been a scaredy cat when I was a little girl. And I never dared to watch horror movies, not even once. No one, including my family, would have thought that I would be entering an abandoned property on my own, and at this ungodly hour at that.

Maybe rage could really strengthen a person’s resolve.

I stopped in front of the door. It was made of narra. The plants had crawled over it too. I brushed them off to search for the knob, more proof of just how old the place was, until I found a large old solid brass door handle.

The door creaked when I pushed it open. My heart kept pounding. I shut my eyes to calm myself and only opened them again when my breathing became steadier. I was greeted the cobwebs, which made me cough.

But it seemed like it was true that nobody had tried to steal anything from the mansion. The owner’s name was more than enough to scare even the bad thieves away. The antique furniture in the living room was still intact. There were paintings hanging on the brick walls, which had been covered in spider webs too. And there was a grand piano in one corner, along with other furniture that looked like it belonged in black-and-white movies.

There were spiders scurrying in some corners of the mansion, and the tiled floor was mossy. In the center of the spacious living room, there was a spiral staircase. It gave the mansion a regal vibe. There was a carpet on the stairs, but it was hard to tell its original color anymore. There was also a huge crystal chandelier, which had become the spiders’ domain.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to search far and wide for the man I was looking for. Beside the staircase lay a coffin. It was made of glass. I didn’t expect to find him sleeping there. From where I was standing, I could clearly see the body of the man lying in the casket. I swallowed hard before slowly stepping closer. The lid had been left open, probably moved by the women who had tried waking him up before.

I had only heard rumors about Cain’s past, never about his looks. People said that all the women who came before me were no longer sane. But I had imagined him to be an average-looking old man.

That’s why I almost dropped the flashlight when I finally saw the face of the rumored Beast. I gasped and nearly pressed my body against the casket so I could look at him properly. It was a surprise that there was not even a speck of dust on his clothes. The white long-sleeved shirt he was wearing looked immaculate, as if it were still brand new. It did not hide his muscular build, and it suited him so well.

The coffin was long, indicating that he was a tall man. His wavy blond hair reached his shoulders. He was said to have been sleeping for a hundred years, so it should be longer. But it looked like everything had been frozen for Cain the moment the spell was cast on him, including his looks. He had a fair complexion, and his face…his face was a work of art.

Was this man really Cain Del Roman? It wasn’t fair. How could a supposed ‘Beast’ look this young and this good? Was remaining young part of his magical abilities? He looked like he was only in his early thirties.

I could hear him breathing. And there was an alluring scent coming from him. He had long and thick eyelashes, an upturned nose, and rosy lips. This man right here was living proof that the devil doesn’t have a red cape and pointy horns. He takes a form that has everything a woman could ever want. Instead of a Beast, he looked more like a sleeping Prince Charming. He had this magnetic charm that drew people in.

I could see why women, in particular, had rushed to his side, even without confirmation of his power to grant wishes.

But I was different. And tonight, I would make sure that I didn’t go home crying like them because I was more desperate than the women who came before me.

I put my traveling bag on the floor and took my clothes off until only my underwear was left.

I clenched my hands when I remembered what my family had gone through. I would give everything to save them, even my life. And this Beast was my family’s only way of surviving now.

Despite his reputation, what I was about to do to this sleeping man was sin itself. But tonight, I had decided to throw all my inhibitions away.

Because tonight, I was prepared to be a sinner…and so much more.