Curse of Silence Read online

  Curse of Silence

  Viola Tempest

  Published by Lena Ma, 2021.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  CURSE OF SILENCE

  First edition. December 7, 2021.

  Copyright © 2021 Viola Tempest.

  ISBN: 978-1952716201

  Written by Viola Tempest.

  Curse of Silence

  The Tragic Story of Remphelia

  Curse of Silence

  The Tragic Story of Remphelia

  Curse of Silence

  The Tragic Story of Remphelia

  © Copyright 2021 Viola Tempest

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination.

  Cover Design by Ryn Katryn Digital Art

  https://www.rynkatryn.com/

  Curse of Silence

  The Tragic Story of Remphelia

  ISBN-13: 978-1-952716-20-1 (Ebook)

  ISBN-13: 978-1-952716-19-5 (Print)

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  The Fall of Acacia

  1837

  Chapter Two

  Francesca Billings

  1844

  Chapter Three

  Red Eyes

  1851

  Chapter Four

  A Killer Among Us

  1853

  Chapter Five

  The Angel of Death

  1853

  Chapter Six

  The Birth of Liliana Watson

  1924

  Chapter Seven

  An Illness Spreads

  1939

  Chapter Eight

  A Dictator is Born

  1939

  Chapter Nine

  A New World

  2010

  Chapter Ten

  A Child of Destiny

  1978

  Chapter Eleven

  A Warrior’s Endurance

  2010

  Chapter Twelve

  The Journey Home

  2010

  Chapter Thirteen

  A Strange New World

  2010

  Chapter Fourteen

  Yin Suzuki

  2010

  Chapter Fifteen

  Home

  2010

  Chapter Sixteen

  In Search of the Past

  2010

  Chapter Seventeen

  The Discovery

  2010

  Chapter Eighteen

  Taking Down the Queen

  2010

  Chapter Nineteen

  Rebuilding a New World

  2010

  Chapter Twenty

  The Next Generation

  2013

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Birth of the New Queen

  2011

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Reconstructing Baylor

  2013

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  A New Life

  2018

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Mara

  2018

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Uncovering History

  2018

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  History Repeats Itself

  2018

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The New Dictator

  2018

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Breaking the Curse

  2018

  Chapter One

  The Fall of Acacia

  1837

  Far beneath the dark, heavy clouds, laid a beautiful kingdom, both powerful and majestic. Ruled by a magnificent king, the kingdom of Acacia dominated the Russian nation and surrounding countries. Known for its beauty and charm, tourists from all over the world traveled to Acacia to admire its wealthy estates and rich soil.

  The people of Acacia lived a peaceful life, content with the mundane routines they had and usually kept to themselves. Their children played amongst other children with no quarrels or jealousy, no animosity or hate. Adults helped each other out without expecting anything in return. No wars ever broke out in Acacia, not even a single fist fight. The kingdom of Acacia was a calm one, so calm that sounds were barely heard, and sometimes, neighboring towns forgot the kingdom even existed.

  Nearly four thousand miles away from Acacia, laid the kingdom of Norfolk. Unlike Acacia, Norfolk did not boast a calm and peaceful lifestyle. A kingdom located in the south of France, Norfolk was hungry for power, and they would do anything, including murder, to seize it.

  You see, Norfolk and Acacia used to be part of one kingdom, ruled by two brothers who worked side by side to create the most powerful realm in the entire world. However, with creative minds, also came creative differences. Soon, the two brothers found themselves tearing down the empire as they wanted to go their separate ways. Kilgert Norcia, the older of the two brothers, moved his half of the empire to northern Russia, while Prylar Norcia, the younger brother, stayed in France.

  At first, things went as smoothly as planned, Kilgert ruling his docile kingdom while Prylar overtook the aggressive. However, soon, this divide began to create conflict. Kilgert slowly became the powerhouse, the respectable king, while Prylar was seen as a joke. Kilgert wore the crown of dominance over his head while Prylar was crushed under the weight of his, and the supremacy of Europe belonged to the East.

  The Eastern part of Europe belonged to the Russians, a territory marked with wisdom and intelligence, and was considered to be the land of the rising sun. Their territory was surrounded by beautiful and lush green forests, magnificent blue lakes, and spectacularly high mountains. They were well-established; cities were built with underground drainage systems, houses were made of brick and stone, and their education was among the best in the world. It was also considered a global market for trade, with merchants traveling far and away from other countries, elevating the land with even more riches.

  On the other side of the continent, lied the French, the side not so well off. Because of the failing kingdom of Prylar, France began to fall apart, with its people living in poor conditions on the streets, their homes made of mud and wet wood, and they were forced to eat whatever animals and rodents they found roaming the dirty streets. They had no clean water, resorting to only showering whenever it rained, and despite the beautiful mountains that used to surround them, now, they were just mountains of trash and hatred.

  Their king had failed them, and the people of France became bitter and angry. Once hard-working peasants, they had now given up on life, waking up each morning and cursing to themselves that they were still alive. The French despised the Russians for claiming all the riches and wealth while they were left to eat dirt. They hated Kilgert and his people, yet they never did anything about it. Still, the barriers around Acacia were so strong and powerful that they couldn’t even if they wanted to.

  One depressing morning, Kilgert Norcia, the esteemed king of Acacia, fell ill. He was nearly ninety years old, and his body no longer had the strength it did before to handle the harsh cold winters of Siberia. He soon passed away, and his lovely wife, Racinda, took over his empire as the new ruler.

  The people of Acacia were devastated about the passing of Kilgert, but they were hopeful that the kingdom would remain strong even under the new rul
e of Queen Racinda. However, life started to take a turn, and the once peaceful kingdom of Acacia fell weak at the hands of the new docile queen. Racinda didn’t know how to rule a kingdom, not like her husband. She was more focused on immediate needs like hearty foods and large homes than she was on safety and security. She didn’t know how to negotiate trade, and soon, merchants stopped coming, losing their main source of income.

  Because of this, Racinda decided to make some cuts. She tore down the walls around the empire and removed the military guards so she would have enough money to continue feeding her people and allowing them to keep their lavish homes. Neither she nor the people of Acacia saw this as a problem. Never once in their lifetime had they ever faced an invasion. No one expected one to happen any time soon.

  ***

  Far to the left, the bitter French were preparing for battle. Prylar Norcia had heard about the death of his brother and gathered his army for takeover, now that the barricades around the kingdom were down, allowing for easy access.

  “It’s time we take back what rightfully belongs to us!” he commanded as he prepared his army for battle.

  While Kilgert always cared deeply for his brother, Prylar never batted an eye when it came to sabotage. He had always been jealous of Kilgert, seeing the injustice of his brother’s successful kingdom while his was sentenced to a lifetime of misery and pain.

  ***

  The silence of the night in Acacia was broken down by the screaming, crying voices of the upper-class citizens and their families. The French were out for blood, with no one left unscathed, slaughtering everyone in sight. The rage had built up inside the French for so long that their murders became impulsive. They had become blinded to the actions that they were committing.

  The Russians tried to fight back, but they were powerless against the army of the French, who trained for battle most of their lives while the Russians sat back and enjoyed life for what it was. And after Racinda had sold all their weapons and armory, they were no match. Even hiding inside their homes didn’t work; the French simply tore down their doors and slaughtered them.

  Four long and brutal years later, the French and Russians were still at war, the Russians trying to escape and keep themselves from being found while the French refused to quit until every single last one of the Russians were dead.

  During the winter of 1841, the climate proved much more challenging for the dying Russians. Their lakes were frozen, and they were slowly running out of food. All the farmers and their land had been decimated, and the few remaining people were entering into famine. The French had taken over the kingdom of Acacia, with Prylar threatening Racinda into marriage and becoming their new leader, and the remaining Russians were forced out to fend for themselves.

  ***

  Far off in the countryside, hidden in a tiny cabin covered by snow and rotting trees, was the Billings family. At the head of the household, was Richard Billings, a hard-working Russian trader who used to live a lavish lifestyle. He never had to deal with financial hardships, his family always living a comfortable life, until now.

  Less than a year ago, the Billings family tried to hide in their cottage within the kingdom of Acacia. They thought it was a good idea, spending millions in attempts to seal the home from any of the French intruders. However, the French were much more powerful than they had thought, and several barged in, killed Richard’s son, and kidnapped his wife. Luckily, he was able to grab his two daughters, Sable and Francesca, in time to escape before they were captured alongside her.

  Month after month inside the broken-down cabin, Richard and his daughters found themselves starving, chewing on the burnt twigs they collected from the woods to curb their hunger pains.

  “Daddy, will this be over soon? I’m hungry, and I miss home,” Sable cried out, her stomach wrenching in pain.

  Sable was seven years older than her little sister, Francesca, always eager to venture out and take on new challenges while Francesca liked to keep to herself, preferring peace and silence to keep a clear mind.

  “Soon, honey, soon,” Richard whispered back.

  However, deep within his heart, he knew this nightmare wasn’t going to end until the French had their blood as well.

  One dark night, Richard gathered a couple of the other remaining Russian survivors and made a plan to take back their land from the French.

  “Sable, stay here with your little sister. Daddy needs to go take care of some things. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Are you going to bring back some food?” Sable asked.

  Richard smiled. “Don’t you worry, Sable, I’m going to bring back more than just food.”

  And with that, he grabbed his hand-carved stake, threw on his coat, and walked out the door.

  ***

  Their plan was simple. They would divide themselves into two groups, the distractors and the terminators. The distractors would drive the French’s attention toward their way while the terminators slashed their necks from behind. It was a risky plan, with a high chance of most, if not all, of the Russian tribe dying. But they knew they had to try. Even if some were to sacrifice themselves and perish, at least the others had a chance of surviving the brutal winter.

  “Alright, it’s now or never,” Richard exclaimed. “Everyone ready?”

  As the others nodded, the gang slowly began approaching Acacia. Under the moonlight, the empire looked more beautiful than ever, especially during a time when they missed it the most. Even with the shriveled corpses on the ground and half the village in ruins, Acacia still flaunted one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country.

  They walked closer toward the gates of the kingdom, their plan in action. The distractors turned left toward the guards while the terminators turned right. Richard was part of the terminators, and he crept down behind the bushes beside the wall and waited, waited for the gates to open so he could quickly run in.

  However, their plan took a turn for the worst. The distractors managed to pull the guards away from the gates, allowing it to open wide for the terminators, but it was all a trap, arrows and knives shooting straight toward Richard and his group, several men falling fatal on the spot.

  “Run!” Richard shouted, hoping to grab the attention of at least a few men before the rest of them fell victim to the French.

  “Fuck! How did they know we were coming?” Marlin, Richard’s closest friend, shouted as they started running back to their base camp.

  “I don’t know, but just keep running. We can’t let them take us. I have two daughters at home I need to get back to!” Richard shouted back

  “Oh, you two won’t make it very far, but I guess I’ll at least give you a chance,” a female voice ominously said behind them.

  The entire Russian gang were men, so hearing a female voice caught Richard and Marlin by surprise. They quickly turned around while continuing to run and saw long black hair hanging over the woman’s face. Screaming in terror, the two men pushed themselves harder and harder, their legs tearing as their boots jabbed into their shins. All they needed to do was reach their base camp, where they created a dugout they could crawl inside for safety.

  “Only a few more feet,” Marlin reassured his partner as their legs began to go numb.

  Richard could see it, the entrance so close yet so out of reach. He couldn’t focus on anything other than getting himself to safety. The lives of his daughters depended on it.

  “Gotcha!” The woman startled both Richard and Marlin when she grabbed them by the shoulders. “Not fast enough, boys.”

  ***

  “Sable? When’s father coming home?” Francesca turned to her older sister and asked several days later.

  “Soon, Frannie, soon.”

  However, Sable didn’t know whether it would be soon or not. She hadn’t heard anything from their father, and she was beginning to fear that something had happened to him.

  Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.

  “Who… who is it?” Francesca
asked, backing away into the corner of the old cabin, hugging her blanket tight.

  Sable was just as terrified as Francesca, but she knew she had to stay strong. She had to protect her little sister at all costs. Slowly, she crept closer toward the door, and she pulled it wide open.

  A rush of snow blew in from the harsh wind, blinding both Sable and Francesca. Sable tried to hold on tight to the door, but she soon found herself falling over onto the ground. When she finally regained her vision, she saw Isabella, Marlin’s wife, standing at the front door, her eyes filled with tears, and clutching onto the skirt of her dress.

  “Isabella?” Sable asked.

  “Girls, I… I…” Isabella started to choke as she spoke. “I need you to come with me.”

  Francesca interjected. “But we can’t! We have to wait for father to come home!”

  This triggered Isabella to cry even harder, causing Sable to walk closer and hug her just to keep her from going hysterical.

  “Isabella, what happened? Is father okay?” Sable asked.

  Shaking her head, Isabella quietly whispered. “No. They got him; they got them all. They’re… they’re all gone.”

  As Isabella mourned for the loss of her husband and all the fallen warriors, she fell to her knees.

  Chapter Two

  Francesca Billings

  1844

  On the foggy night of December 28, 1844, the French military made their way back toward the White Palace. The White Palace was considered to be the most sacred place in Acacia, the place where the royal family resided, where heroes and gods were worshipped, and where people peacefully said their prayers. The building was made of marble stones, and in the middle, laid a celestial fire, symbolizing the Great Russian Empire, constantly burning to protect the Russian people.