My family betrayed me - chapter 2

465096

The unwanted daughter

2025, Jessica Alami

Fantasy Novel

Radish, the unwanted eldest daughter of a declining knight family, endures neglect and abuse while her brother David is favored despite his lack of talent. Her secret swordsmanship skills, nurtured by a kind tutor, are exploited when she's forced to impersonate David for a crucial exam. Burdened by her family's debt and desperation, she is ultimately given a cruel choice: marry an elderly lord for money or face deadly monster hunts to save her family's honor and finances. This is the story of her struggle against a cruel fate and her eventual fight for herself.

Radish

The protagonist, she is the eldest daughter of the Tellrod family who is severely neglected and abused by her parents. Despite a harsh upbringing and lack of affection, she possesses a hidden, significant talent for swordsmanship. She is often forced to endure hardship and make sacrifices for her family's sake.

Margaret

Radish's mother, she is cruel, narcissistic, and deeply favors her son, David. She openly despises Radish, treating her as an inconvenience and an eyesore, and is primarily concerned with maintaining appearances and securing a good future for David.

Jayde

Radish's father, he is largely indifferent and distant towards Radish. A former knight with a physical disability, he is primarily focused on his son David inheriting the family's legacy as knights and seems to largely ignore the mistreatment of Radish.

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Hot tears streamed down Radish's cheeks.
She felt the shadows of death looming over her by her bedside, waiting for their chance to swallow her whole.
She'd never really felt alive before, but now she was on the verge of dying.
She'd been thrown onto a thorny path the moment she was born, and ever since, all she'd been trying to do was survive.
She'd endured so much pain that she'd forgotten what pain felt like.
The whole time, she'd just believed that happiness would come someday.
But at the end of the road... this is how she died!
In that moment, Radish felt a fierce emotion settle in her heart, something she'd never felt before.
Why did she have to die after everything she'd gone through on this thorny path?
She couldn't accept that she'd only find peace after death.
Over and over, she'd believed happiness would come someday... so she'd just endured and endured and endured.
"...That was all just a phony dream."
"I shouldn't have lived for my parents, for my brother... for my family. I should have lived for myself...!"
She couldn't believe she'd figured out something so huge right at the end of her life!
Gradually, it got harder for her to breathe.
She couldn't tell if it was from the physical pain or if it was because of the sorrow, because the grief she felt for herself was so immense it was indistinguishable from her fatal injuries.
The light started leaving her blurry vision.
Radish couldn't move anymore.
Then a colorful light enveloped her, and the pain was gone.
Feeling like this was the end of her life, she slowly closed her eyes.

Radish died, and no one was by her side.

2. The Eldest Daughter's Second Life

Radish Tellrod was the eldest daughter of the Tellrod family.
"Known as the daughter nobody wanted."
Her parents, Jayde and Margaret, were a typical couple brought together by an arranged marriage.
Jayde had loved a woman before he got married – Flora, who worked at the village flower shop.
Margaret didn't love Jayde either.
Jayde was a lot older than her, and his leg had been paralyzed in an accident years ago. Margaret resented Jayde because he was far from being the ideal husband.
Still, despite not being an affectionate couple, they at least agreed to respect each other as partners.
— If only the firstborn had been a son.
— If only Jayde hadn't reacted that way when he heard the baby was a daughter.
"For heaven's sake, a girl? Damn it, is that all I get from the hellish marriage I've put up with till now?"
— If only Margaret, who had just given birth, hadn't overheard that.
Margaret pushed the baby away from her arms like she was some giant leech.
"Get rid of this damn girl right now!"
And so, the baby was abandoned, and the relationship between Jayde and Margaret was irrevocably broken.

The baby was raised by a maid who did small chores in the staff quarters.
Whenever she was hungry, she'd crawl under a goat that regularly grazed in the backyard and drink its milk.
Whenever she felt sleepy, she'd curl up and sleep just about anywhere.
For her, the warmth of the sun was her blanket, and the whistling wind was her lullaby.

The child grew up then like one of the tall, sword-like flowers in the backyard.
Named after that flower, the maids started calling the unknown child "Radish" only after she turned two.
Margaret couldn't keep ignoring her daughter due to social pressure now that the child was walking, so she called her to the mansion.
However, just because there was less physical distance between them didn't mean affection would just sprout naturally if there wasn't any seed to begin with.
Margaret couldn't understand the child; in her eyes, Radish was like a strange animal.
So Margaret would scream hysterically when she saw the child.
"Why are your clothes always so dirty? Why, why, why do you pee on yourself like that?! Ugh! I can't stand it!"
Because she was so scared, she couldn't even leave her room, which was tiny, like a closet. When the maid brought her meals, Radish would cling to her apron.
"I think Mom hates me."
The maid didn't know what to do. She hadn't been trained to be a nanny; she was just a maid who did housework.
She didn't know how to handle the lady's child who kept clinging to her.
The maid took Radish's hands off her apron.
"No, Miss, the lady doesn't hate you. The lady is the mother who carried you in her belly. There's no parent in the world who hates their child. If she's mad at you, maybe you did something wrong. You gotta make up for it. You gotta try."
The child believed the maid's words.





In fact, she believed her with all her heart.
And that's why it took Radish such a long time to realize that was wrong.
Because she tried and tried again.
She ate properly and cleaned herself up in the bath so her mom wouldn't get upset anymore.

She tried to be a good kid, but it didn't change anything. Margaret still thought Radish was an eyesore and let the kid eat alone.
She played by herself too, since nobody paid any mind to her.
That was fine; she could play by herself all day.
But then, one day.
David, the Tellrod family's first son, was born.
David's birth was celebrated like a real blessing from heaven; it wasn't anything like Radish's birth.
When she was told she'd had a son, Margaret's face lit up instantly.
And when Jayde heard the news about his son's birth, he bolted from his mistress's place and came home with enough flowers to fill the mother's room.
Radish was happy because everyone else was happy. Even though she went back to her tiny room alone and slept with an empty stomach, she was still happy.

David grew up carrying the family's expectations.
Jayde brought two wet nurses from the capital for the family's oldest son.
David, who gained weight after breastfeeding from the wet nurses, was a beautiful baby, and Margaret didn't know what to do because he was so wonderful.
"How can my baby be so cute? David, you're the only light in my life!"
Radish could only look at David with envy in her eyes.   

The year after David was born, Margaret gave birth to their third child, Yurhee.
She'd wanted the third child to be another son, but she wasn't too flustered since she didn't want to see two boys competing for the inheritance anyway.
"I bet you'll be pretty!"
"Milady, young miss Yurhee looks just like you. Look how lovely her golden hair and green eyes are!"
Margaret smiled with satisfaction at her third child who resembled her so much.
"That's right. You really are my daughter...!"

Radish and David had red hair and black eyes like their father, but Yurhee was different.
Margaret felt a special kind of affection for Yurhee. For the first time, she felt overjoyed about her daughter and kissed Yurhee's golden hair.

When David was four, the indifferent Jayde opened his mouth.
"We're a family of knights, so David, learn swordsmanship and become a great knight. You'd better be diligent because the south is full of demonic beasts."
After the meal when Jayde left, Margaret scoffed behind his back.
"He's crippled, but he's still a great knight?"
Margaret patted David's plump cheek, laughing at her husband's words.
"My baby! You must never become like your father. You have to be an amazing knight. David, you will march like a king in shiny silver armor, riding a white horse. After that, everyone will look and know that you're my son and I'm your mother!"
After that, Margaret grabbed Radish's arm, dug her fingernails into it, and then said,
"Be quiet and go back to your room!"

The sword instructor who came to teach David was a man named Armano.
Since David had never been taught how to use a sword, he was supposed to spend a week just holding a wooden sword, but all he did was run away from his instructor.
"Jeez, what a clueless kid. Do you even wanna learn how to use this thing?"
At that, David properly grabbed his sword with his hand for the first time.
Then he yelled and hit Armano's leg.
"You cripple! You dumb cripple!"
Armano couldn't help but hold his forehead in his hand.
Then Radish, who had a branch and was playing by herself in a corner of the backyard, came over.
And with that, Armano instantly saw her potential.
When he spoke to her, Radish turned away with flushed cheeks, then backed off, hiding the branch behind her back.
"Hey, hey, don't run off. Why don't we learn together?"
Armano was just trying to motivate David by using his sister as competition.
But it was the first compliment Radish had ever heard in her life.
This was their first meeting.



Just like Jayde mentioned, the Tellrods were a family of knights.
Their ancestor, Alexis Tellrod, was a knight for Dantes Alfred, Cardia's first emperor, and they said he was called "The Sword of Fire."
As the first Emperor's knight, he kicked off a new era by reclaiming lands overrun by demonic beasts.
But ever since his time, the Tellrods had been in serious decline, failing to produce decent knights generation after generation.
Turns out, Alexis Tellrod's talent was misplaced.
It showed up in Radish, the outcast of the Tellrod family.
Armano realized he'd found a single pearl in a whole ocean of mud. Now he understood that this mud wasn't just any mud.
But the governess, who'd secretly visited Armano, had warned him before he even met the kid.
"Don't praise Miss Radish. If you do, you might get kicked out without even getting a letter of recommendation."
Armano didn't want to bury Radish's talent away. He poured all his passion into Radish and her potential, pretending to teach both David and Radish together.
And lazy David liked it that way.
It was kinda entertaining watching his sister sweat under the hot sun. David happily laughed at Radish, content to take a nap under the cool shade.
And in her own way, Radish was happy too because she got to learn swordsmanship and get compliments from a reputable teacher.
Armano, who was teaching her, was happy as well.
But this little bubble of happiness in the mud was bound to pop.
It didn't last long.

The year David turned fourteen, everything was laid bare.
"Sir, I'm sending David to the Imperial Academy."
"I hear it's the elite training ground for knights. I'm thinking about getting David in for early admission. What do you think?"
As he looked into Jayde and Margaret's eager eyes, Armano knew the time was right. He opened his mouth, extremely hesitant.

"That's probably going to be tough."
Jayde's face stiffened up. Same with Margaret, but she hid it and smiled, then asked again.
"As expected, fourteen is too early, isn't it? Will it be okay if it's next year, or the year after that?"
"No, that won't be possible no matter his age. I apologize for telling you this so late. David has no talent for swordsmanship."
Armano tried to explain to Margaret that David had no talent, no perseverance, and no drive to become a knight in the first place.
Instead, Radish had all of it.
But Margaret didn't want to hear any of it.
"You sneaky little tramp...!"
The target instantly became Radish.
"You seduced your teacher like a fox, you did! This is how you ruined your brother's and your family's future!"
Margaret shrieked and slapped Radish hard across the cheek.
Radish didn't complain so much as she just kept her head down. She was already used to accepting and enduring all the violence and verbal abuse aimed at her.
Armano grabbed Margaret's arm.
"Milady, please stop!"
Margaret slapped his cheek too.
"You're fired! You even ruined my jewel!"
Armano was immediately kicked out, but the current situation wasn't resolved yet.
Margaret needed to get her son into the Academy somehow. She always did everything to give her precious jewel a bright future.
Radish, whose face was swelling after being slapped, raised her head.
"You ruined everything, so fix it. You go take the exam instead of David."
"You're roughly the same height, so nobody will know if you're wearing armor and a helmet. Your faces are pretty alike too."

Margaret brought over scissors used for cutting cloth.
Margaret hit Radish on the head again, making her bend her head down, then Margaret grabbed the kid's hair and swooped in with her scissors.
Radish couldn't say anything and just trembled as she watched her tangled hair fall in front of her eyes.
She could see her younger siblings' faces through the gap in the open door.
David's face was red from trying to hold back laughter, and Yurhee's big eyes were wide with horror.
Then, after Margaret had cut Radish's hair, she said,
"I'll forgive you if you do a good job for David. You're the eldest daughter of the Tellrod family, aren't you? Isn't it natural for you to do your best to support your brother since he's a pillar of our family?"
The word sounded like a revelation to Radish. She'd never been called "daughter" before.
Radish did everything Margaret ordered her to do.




She took the Academy entrance exam, wearing her brother's armor and with her chest, which had just started to grow, bound up tight.
Then she saw her brother leave the house after she passed the exam.
It was the first compliment she'd ever heard from her mother. Radish smiled.
Her hair was badly cut, and her face and body were covered in bruises, but she was happy.
Radish wrote a letter to Armano saying she was grateful to him and that she was sorry he'd been fired because of her.
One day, she found out he'd replied.
Margaret came to her room with a single letter in her hand.
No matter how hard she tried to practice swordsmanship and strengthen her resolve, Radish was still scared of her mother. When she saw her mother's angry face, her heart pounded.
Radish instinctively put her arms up around her head because she thought she was about to get hit.
But Margaret didn't do that this time.
She silently threw Armano's letter into the fireplace right in front of Radish, a nasty smile on her face.

That hurt way more than a slap.

A long time passed, and David graduated from the Academy. He became a junior knight after that.
But a trainee was still just a trainee.
His worthiness had to be acknowledged for him to be officially appointed as a knight.
In other words, he had to go monster hunting.
David, who was eighteen, cried.
"Subdue a demon? Why do I gotta join something like that? I'm gonna get hurt! I'm gonna die!"
"Oh, my son! You'll only have to go a few times."
"Bryan didn't do any subduing! His dad made him an apprentice for a knight he knows. Dad, don't you have any connections to make that happen for me?!"
Listening to David, Jayde walked out of the drawing-room.
Then Margaret said coolly, looking at his back,
"You said our family was an empire-founding family, but look at us now?"
David talked like the sky was about to fall.
"How many times am I supposed to go? Mom, please don't pretend you don't know! Do you have any idea what happens during subduing? I'll have to fight in the woods! Do you think I'm not gonna die? Besides, they give off demonic energy!"
"Do you have any clue how awful demonic energy is? It's like poison! They say if you go hunting for a month and come back home, people need to rest for half a year or they'll die. Or they gotta go to the temple and pay a ton of money and get blessed by the priests. Do you have that kind of money in this house?"
"But... if you kill a monster, you get a magic stone, right?"
"How can I kill one? I'm gonna get hurt! I'm gonna die!"
So the story came back to the beginning.
After listening to the conversation in silence, Radish turned around and went to her room.
At that time, Radish was twenty. If she were a regular noblewoman, she would have been married already.
But she couldn't. In this era, a woman's parents or guardians had to prepare a dowry for the groom.
Neither Margaret nor Jayde cared about her.
Plus, like David said, they didn't have any cash.
The taxes they collected were really low, and it was tough managing their territory.
The Tellrod family was also carrying huge debts from sending David to the Academy, for both tuition and living expenses.
On top of that, Radish, who wasn't active in high society, didn't have any connections at all.
There were guys dating Yurhee, who was three years younger than her, but Radish hadn't even had a conversation with a man.
She didn't belong anywhere.
Margaret mistreated her, and Jayde just ignored it.
Her younger siblings saw her as a nuisance.
The only place she could relax and be herself was the empty spot where Armano had taught her swordsmanship a long time ago.
She just practiced the same routine over and over.
It was the same situation that day.
While she was using her sword, she stopped mid-practice when she saw her mother approaching.
She wondered if she was about to get slapped again, but Margaret didn't do that.
"A lord from the Wenns family wants you to be his wife. If you're a healthy woman, shouldn't you have a son? They don't need a dowry, and he'll give you money. If you have a son, he'll give you property. Ah, I feel like I'm finally getting rewarded for having you. You know, it's right for the eldest daughter to be the breadwinner. He's seventy years old, but he's still alive, so just live with him like newlyweds."
Margaret smirked when she saw the blood drain from Radish's face.
"You don't want to? Then go hunt demons instead of your brother. You'll get to use that sword you like so much. It's just too embarrassing to have an unmarried daughter hanging around the house. But if you go on that expedition, I'll let you stay here."

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My family betrayed me - a Novel

465096

My family betrayed me

2025, Jessica Alami

Historical Story

the oldest kid in a family who totally favored her worthless brother. She spent her life bustin' her butt, sacrificin' everything for their status and fake reputation. But when she got messed up protectin' their secret, her folks just left her to die alone. After realizin' they never loved her, she got this wild chance, zappin' back in time to start over.

Radis Tilrod

the oldest daughter who got a raw deal from the start. All she did was sacrifice everything for her family, gettin' used and tossed aside in return. Died heartbroken, but somehow got sent back to her younger self for a do-over.

Margaret

The mother of the family. Pretty cold and totally played favorites, mostly with her son, David. She was more about the family's image than Radis's well-being and could be straight-up mean.

David Tilrod

The golden boy, the favored son. Problem is, he's a total coward who needed Radis to do his dirty work, like fightin' demons, while he took all the credit. He's kinda arrogant and picks fights, especially with his sister Yurehi.

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The oldest daughter? Nah, she wasn't seen as helpful or loved by her folks, who'd always just wanted a son.

Radis, the first kid in the Tilrod family, she spent her whole life sticking to this "sacrifice" thing she was apparently supposed to make.

"You're the Tilrod family's oldest daughter, right? Ain't it just natural you'd bust your butt supporting your brother 'cause he's like, a cornerstone of our family?"
"You know, it's the right thing for the oldest daughter to be the breadwinner."
"Go hunt down those demons instead of your brother. It's seriously messed up for an unmarried daughter to just hang around at home. But if you go on that expedition, fine, I'll let you stay here."

To keep her spot in the family, she tried pretty much anything and everything to get them to love her.

She figured happiness would show up eventually if she just kept putting up with everything.

But man, she finally fell apart after her family totally betrayed her when she got back home.

"That was such a pipe dream. I never shoulda lived for my parents, or my brother... for my family. I should've just lived for myself!"

When she took her last breath, she thought, "Okay, it's finally over."

But Radis? She snapped back to the past, all the way back to when she was sixteen.
----


A knight came ridin' a horse right through the Tilrod family gate. The knight showin' up outta nowhere? That was the start of a real mess.

His armor was totally covered in black demon blood, stinkin' somethin' fierce, and the knight himself was bleedin' bad right through the heavy metal of the armor. It looked like the guy could barely hang on to the saddle.

Groanin' in pain, the knight slid off the horse right after the mansion gates shut behind 'em. The gardener, who was workin' near the fence, was stunned and immediately bolted towards the knight. The gardener quickly got himself together and used the right title. While he was tryin' to get the knight's helmet off, he yelled at the village kids who'd followed the knight outta curiosity.

"Get outta here, you little brats! What, is this some kinda show? Scram!"

Turns out the knight who fell was David Tilrod, the oldest son of the Tilrod family and the boss of the expedition team for the Imperial Knight Order, the guys in charge of huntin' demons.

The gardener, who'd chased off the village kids with threats, quickly laid the knight down and pulled off his armor. It wasn't long before red hair came spillin' out and spread over the knight's shoulder.

"Oh my gosh! Miss! Please, wake up!"

Wanting the knight to breathe easier, the gardener straightened the knight's head. The face that was out cold was soaked in black demon blood and the knight's own red blood, but there was still this clear, distinct beauty to it. The knight's eyebrows furrowed, then the eyes under 'em slowly opened.

"Miss, are you awake? Let me help you."

The knight got up off the ground without sayin' a single word, walkin' off slowly and shakin' off the gardener's help. With a mix of sadness and respect, the gardener watched the knight walk away and bowed his head.

Meanwhile, dinner was full-on inside the Tilrod house.

Margaret, the lady of the house, was busy fussin' over David Tilrod, the oldest son who was sittin' at the table.

"David, my boy! Eat some veggies, too."

But David was too busy starin' at a poetry book.

Yurehi, the second daughter in the family, was sittin' across from David.

"Leave him alone, Mom! Big bro's busy lookin' up poems to put in his love letter."

David, who had his nose buried in his poetry collection, lifted his head and glared at Yurehi. Margaret pushed a plate of meat in front of David.

"David, don't be so hard on your sister. Dating isn't somethin' you gotta hide. But who's the lucky girl? Heh heh!"

Instead of answerin' his mom, David yelled at Yurehi.

"You're married! Why do you keep comin' here?! Hey! If you and your big mouth wanna start somethin', just do it with your husband!"

Margaret stopped the little spat between the brother and sister before it blew up into a bigger fight. Then right at that moment, a maid came up to Margaret.

"Ma'am, Master David has..."

When the maid realized David was sittin' at the table, she quickly corrected herself.

"No—Lady Radis is back."

Margaret let out a deep sigh, puttin' the back of her hand on her forehead not outta worry, but outta annoyance. Her silverware clattered on the table as she stood up.

"I gotta go. David, eat your veggies, okay? And Yurehi, don't bug your brother anymore."

After Margaret left, Yurehi put down her knife 'cause her appetite was gone. She just stared at the fish on David's plate. It wasn't just any fish—it was stuffed with veggies, bread, and some grilled meat. No matter how you looked at it, all the good dishes were put right in front of her brother.





Yurehi watched David real close. He was still zoned in on his poems. He didn't even look at the food, just used his fork to take whatever he wanted from all the dishes, like it all belonged to him.

Finally, Yurehi decided she couldn't take it anymore, so she opened her mouth with this kinda mean smile. "Oh, our poor Radis."

"She sacrificed everything for her family, for her brother, just for things to end up like this."

David whipped around to Yurehi when he heard that sarcastic tone. "That's right. She fought demons 'cause her chicken-crap brother couldn't do it – for six whole years. Got a title in her brother's name, got a pure mana stone, brought everything home. What else you gonna call that but sacrifice?"

"Hey, watch your language! Who you callin' chicken-crap?!" David slammed his knife on the table.

"So I should call you a lowlife instead? Come to think of it, Radis was the one who took the Imperial Academy test in your name, somethin' you've bragged about without shame your whole life. I was only thirteen when that happened, but I remember it all clearly."

David's eyes were burnin' with rage. "Did anyone ask her to do that? Why am I chicken-crap when she did all that herself? And why am I a lowlife?"

"Oh, right, right! You never asked her! It's all 'cause Mom forced her to do it for her precious son. And now, this precious son is layin' under a tree with his mouth open, waitin' for an apple to fall while Mom shakes the tree hard for him."

To make fun of him even more, she pretended she was under a tree herself, openin' her mouth with a red face. Then she spoke in a low voice to copy her brother's sound, pretendin' to hold an apple in her hand. "I hate obligations, but it's great to get the benefits without havin' to do anythin'. I was too scared to hunt demons, but whoa! While I pretend to be a brave knight, I can meet lots of girls! Yeah, yeah!"

David jumped up and lunged at Yurehi, grabbin' her hair. "I told you to shut it! I never asked for anythin' like that!"

"Ugh, it's always like this, ain't it? You're only tough in front of weak people like me and her!"

"Shut up! You married well only 'cause of the money Radis earned! Why are you only pickin' on me, you hypocrite!"

"Oh, I know. Does your husband have a mistress? Gerik does, you know, 'cause he loves young women so much. I heard a daughter's fate totally mirrors her mother's. Does your husband have a concubine too?"

Not bein' able to take it anymore, Yurehi turned and dug her nails into David's arm. The brother and sister fought like hyenas, rippin' each other's hair, scratchin' each other like kids fightin' over candy. And it wasn't until Margaret came back that they finally broke apart, tears in their eyes.

The oldest daughter of the Tilrod family, Miss Radis Tilrod, couldn't even get her heavy armor and helmet off until she got home. When someone took the helmet off and wiped the dry blood, it was clear her face looked awful. The face that used to be beautiful now looked thin and sickly like a corpse. Her skin had turned kinda purplish and splotchy after being exposed to demon energy for so long. Her condition wasn't much better than a single candle in a howlin' wind. The demon energy exposure was nothin' compared to all the injuries she'd gotten during the expedition.

The old maid who was cleanin' Radis's body hesitated before talkin' to Margaret. "Ma'am, she's in really bad shape. Shouldn't we get a doctor or a priest?"

Without any warnin', Margaret slapped the maid hard across the cheek. "If a doctor or priest finds out she was exposed to demon energy and not David, are you gonna take responsibility?"

The maid quietly took off the blood-stained armor, clearly wanting to say somethin', but decided to just be quiet. She also picked up the helmet off the floor and gave Radis a sympathetic look. 'Poor young miss...' Since she was just a maid, she wouldn't dare go against the lady of the Tilrod house.

When the maid left the room with the armor and helmet, Margaret looked at Radis. Even if she didn't know squat about medicine, she knew instinctively that this was serious. She couldn't call a doctor to stitch her up or a priest to get rid of the demon energy. Her eyes were kinda glazed over. Margaret was freaked out by those unusually dark, gloomy black eyes that usually sparkled real sharp.

She forced herself to talk in a bright tone, but she avoided lookin' Radis in the eyes. "Are you hungry? You want somethin' to eat?"

Margaret hurried outta Radis's little cramped room.







It wasn't until Radis was by herself that she finally furrowed her brows and let out a painful groan. When she forced herself to sit up, she saw the bandages the maid had wrapped around her. Blood was already showin' through the fresh wraps and the thin layer of medicine on 'em.

The person known as David, the oldest son of the Tilrod family, who now didn't need to be disguised as Knight Willingham anymore. The maid did her best to treat her wounds, but it was just a quick fix. Her body was pretty much beyond savin', with her old injuries mixed in with the deadly ones she got while takin' down demons.

'This time was a fail. I shouldn't have gone. It was a setup.'

Radis's crew fought demons for three days and three nights just to stay alive. She was able to come back breathing, but a bunch of her buddies lost their lives. The ones who made it were messed up bad, just like her. Injuries like that could still be dealt with, but the real problem was the demon energy that seeped through the air into their bodies when the strong demons got wiped out.

'It was stupid to fall for a trap like that.'

Layin' there on her bed, lookin' like a wreck, Radis let out a laugh, totally down on herself. But weirdly, it didn't cross her mind that any of this was unfair. 'Cause her whole life had been this long, rough road. One step'd be an empty space, the next'd be a fire pit. She couldn't even picture an easy, straight path.

Her whole life, she'd always lived fightin' to navigate through those traps, rippin' up her body and mind countin' times, but now that she'd finally fallen into one, she was mad.

But more than anything, she was just totally worn out. She couldn't even lift her hand to cover her mouth. Radis coughed, her body jerkin' like a fish outta water. It felt like her lungs were bein' ripped apart. After that, she could feel somethin' runnin' from her mouth. She must've puked blood.

"Now, your favorite rabbit stew..."

Margaret, holdin' a bowl, freaked out when she saw Radis covered in blood. "Oh, my god! Someone get in here! Maggie, Maggie—clean her up!"

The old maid, who'd gone to the wash area, came runnin' back 'cause of Margaret's screamin'. The maid carefully wiped Radis's face with a sad look. After Maggie left, Margaret put the soup bowl on the stand next to Radis.

"Eat this and get some rest. You'll be better after you sleep." Margaret still couldn't bring herself to look Radis in the eyes.   

Radis, who was lookin' quietly at Margaret, grabbed her blood-stained coat from the floor and pulled somethin' out. In a flash, the room lit up with five glowin' colors. Margaret backed away a step, her face lookin' so scared she seemed like she might faint any second.

What Radis pulled out was a fist-sized gem shinin' with five colors. "This is the mana stone I brought back from the last expedition."

Margaret's eyes got wide at the words "mana stone." Mana stones sometimes went for more than diamonds the same size, dependin' on how good the magic inside was. This mana stone was shinin' like crazy, with a sparkle you could even see with your own eyes. Besides, look at the size of it!

"No way... this... how much is this worth? You did an amazing job!"

Radis answered the hyped-up Margaret. "I was told there was a priest who got his honor stripped and was kicked outta the temple. They're tryin' to keep it quiet with money. If that's the case, you can secretly call that priest."

The weight of the stone left Radis's hand as she handed it to Margaret, and the older woman's jaw immediately dropped. Margaret left the room without sayin' a single word, like the mana stone's glow had blinded her.

Radis lay down on the bed and looked out the window at the sky. 'It's okay. I'll be better after the priest cleanses me.' A lot of thoughts were runnin' through Radis's mind, but one in particular just ate at her. That... once she woke up from her sleep, she'd still be all alone.

...She let the sad thoughts go.

"I sent a messenger to the temple. He'll be here soon."
"Didn't I say I already sent someone?"
"Did you hear a false rumor? Maybe the priest you're talkin' about wasn't even real."

Now, Radis didn't even have the strength to sit up anymore. Layin' there on the small bed that barely fit her body, Radis looked at Margaret, who was twitchin' defensively, foldin' her arms to cover her chest while tryin' to keep her face straight.

And Radis realized the priest wasn't comin'.




Radis opened her mouth like she was gonna say somethin', but then just closed it without makin' a sound. Her throat felt tight with all sorts of feelings she couldn't quite get out right. After a bit, she barely managed to string a few words together.

Margaret said flat-out, lookin' at her fingernails, "What? Did I do somethin'?"

One single tear rolled down Radis's cheek, which was already so dark purple it was almost black. "Are you... are you doing this 'cause I'm bad? Was I... a bad daughter?"

Margaret turned away, her arms still crossed, and stared at the cracked wall. The silence that hung between them was Radis waitin' for Margaret's answer, and Margaret thinkin' about what Radis had said, like she was ponderin' all this for the first time.

Radis was a daughter Margaret hadn't wanted from the get-go, so she never loved her. Margaret never felt any warmth towards Radis. Maybe it was 'cause she was a cold mother? Margaret loved her oldest son, David, like crazy. For David, she'd even give up her own life. She could give the world to Yurehi.

So, Margaret was sure she wasn't a bad mother. What about Radis? To Margaret, she was just a pain in the neck. For some reason, she just didn't like her. But was it 'cause she was a bad daughter? It was seriously annoyin' just thinkin' about it.

"So what? You deserve it!"

At Margaret's words, Radis's spirit just shattered. To her folks, that was all they felt about Radis. They didn't even feel guilty when they used her like an emotional garbage can, rollin' and dumpin' all their frustrations on her. Even to the very end, they didn't feel guilty at all.

Not valuable, not someone to be proud of, not even loved. It wasn't like Radis didn't know that. With all her might, she tried everything she could to become a real part of her family, so much so she didn't care how her body melted down, how her bones would break. That's why now, she was just wrecked.

Her father, Jade Tilrod, he always kept his distance from her. Maybe if he saw her like this, in such a mess, he'd be a little sad. Maybe her father would try and help her if he saw her now. But her sad callin' out seemed to just piss Margaret off more.

"I don't know where he is!" But contrary to her words, she knew exactly where he was. Jade was with his mistress, Flora. Like they were just playin' house, Jade and Flora had a little place with their two stupid kids. Just thinkin' about it made Margaret feel like she was gonna lose it.

Frustrated, Margaret started makin' fun of her, totally ignorin' Radis's serious condition. "Come to think of it, your name comes from the lily flower, right?" Even while she was chokin' on despair, Radis kept listenin' to her mother. "You know lilies are usually put on a virgin's grave? Your fate was tied to that name from the moment you were born, so don't blame me."

Margaret spoke coldly, pickin' up the bowl of soup no one had touched. "Get some good rest. Maybe you'll get better that way."

Radis stared quietly at the ceiling. She thought happiness would come to her someday if she just kept puttin' up with everything. But she thought that even though Margaret was a heartless mother, because she needed Radis, she might love her, even just a little. A little... just a little... Radis thought Margaret would love her.

And as she kept providing for the family, she thought her father would look her way someday. She thought if she just kept hangin' in there, kept sacrificing, she'd hear a thank you from her younger siblings someday.

Alone on her bed, Radis coughed up blood. Even if she couldn't see it herself, she could feel the black crystals mixed in with her blood.

"Just once... Mom... Dad... I wanted to feel the warmth of your hug..." The feeling in her hands and feet slowly disappeared. "I wanted you guys... to be proud of me..."

But it was a dream that would never come true.

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The Gates of Atlantis - Chapter 2

699371

The Mermaid

2025, Daniel Bower

Fantasy

The chapter starts with Noah annoyingly waking up his friend Elias early on a Friday morning. Later, Noah visits Elias, and after a funny argument over food, they decide to call their other friends, Adam, Ghaith, and Bahr, to come over and hang out. Noah successfully gets Adam to come by tempting him with cake, then continues to tease Ghaith about his art skills, leading to more playful banter among the friends. Amidst the chaos, Elias reveals the real reason for his quietness: disturbing dreams about a mermaid, prompting Ghaith to agree to draw the mysterious figure he saw.

Elias

He seems to be the central figure and the host. He's easily annoyed, especially when woken up early, and is the target of Noah's constant teasing. He's been having disturbing dreams about a mermaid, which is a key mystery introduced in the chapter.

Noah

The energetic instigator of the group. He loves to tease, annoy, and provoke his friends, particularly Elias and Adam. He's sarcastic and playful, enjoying the chaos he creates.

Bahr

The friend who is studying to be a psychological specialist, though his behavior is anything but calm or professional in this chapter. He's boisterous, physically affectionate (jumping on them), and joins the teasing.

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It was around seven in the morning.

He woke up to his phone ringing and fumbled around for it until his hand found it. He grabbed it and answered, clearly annoyed.

"Seriously, man, who calls someone at seven in the morning on a Friday? What are you... you're seriously not human."

"Yeah, sorry, but I really don't know what got me up this early on a Friday... I honestly planned on sleeping until prayer," Noah said, laughing at Elias's reaction. He loved bugging him in the morning because he knew how much he loved to sleep in.

"Noah, for real, cut out your annoying crap this morning and just leave me alone, please... I just wanna get some decent sleep for once," Elias grumbled.

"Okay, okay, man... but hey... are we meeting up after prayer or what?"

"Nah, just come over to the house. Mom's already planned for you to eat with us anyway," Elias said sleepily, sitting up in bed, getting ready to go back to sleep.

"Alright, cool. I'll pray and head over. Don't you guys eat without me, alright?" Noah said, laughing and messing with him.

Elias just mumbled back and next thing he knew, he was out cold again.

"You asleep or what?" Noah said, annoyed.

But he didn't get a response from the other end, so he chuckled to himself and hung up, shaking his head like, "typical."

Now it was one in the afternoon... Noah had gone over to Elias's place as usual.

"Noah, I swear I'm gonna block you from everything for what you're doing to me!" Elias said, annoyed and agitated by what Noah was doing.

Noah just ignored him, grabbing a chicken breast and cutting it up to eat it.

"So what did I even do to you for all this? Is it wrong to wake you up so I don't suffer alone?" Noah said, laughing as he ate his food, looking at Elias who looked like he was about to jump him any second.

"You seriously have no shame, no feelings, no dignity! And if I killed you right now, I'd be totally justified!" Elias said, barely holding back his anger as he snatched the piece of chicken right out of Noah's hand.

"Hey! That's mine!" Noah yelled, looking at the chicken piece in Elias's hand.

"Nah, buddy, this is mine... and my mom cooked it... so you're lucky I'm even letting you eat," Elias said, eating Noah's chicken.

"Fine, I'm telling your mom!" Noah said, standing up and leaving Elias to head towards his mother.

"Honestly, I was gonna give it to you, but after that, no way you're getting it, Noah," Elias said, annoyed and resentful, putting the whole piece in his mouth.

Noah gave him an annoyed look and went to complain to his mother.

"Mom, look at Elias... he took my piece of chicken and ate it... and I didn't even do anything!" Noah told Elias's mother, whining and looking at her innocently.

"Here, take this and just leave him be. I swear, I wish you two would finally grow up," Elias's mother said, giving him another piece of chicken and patting his shoulder. She still saw them as kids, unfortunately.

"Actually, I'm sensible... your son's the idiot!" Noah said, taking the piece and going back to his seat.

Elias's mom sighed, shaking her head in despair. "Lord, give me strength," she thought, then went back to what she was doing.

"You think getting another piece is gonna make me mad?" Elias said, looking at the piece in Noah's hand, annoyed.

Noah smiled, sat down, and started cutting up his chicken and eating it, saying... "Did I do anything to you now? Just chill out and let me eat, please."

Elias gave him a look of disgust and annoyance, then stayed quiet and went back to eating his own food.

They both finished eating and cleaning up after themselves, then sat down to talk.

"Hey, why don't you call the rest of the guys to come hang out... it's a day off anyway," Noah said, looking at Elias.

"Dude, Adam's probably still asleep, and the afternoon prayer is gonna be called pretty soon anyway," Elias said, lying back on the bed and stretching out.

"Call him anyway, wake him up, and mess with him, why not?" Noah said, laughing.

"Alright, you call him, and when he cusses you out, don't blame me," Elias said, laughing, pulling out his phone to scroll through Facebook.

"Okay, let's see..." Noah said, sitting up straight and calling Adam.

After a moment, the other end answered with a sleepy voice. "Hello?"

"You still sleeping?" Noah asked.

"What does it look like?" Adam said sleepily, rolling over in bed and hugging his pillow.

"Well, if it's about seeing, I can't even see you... Anyway, why don't you come over?" Noah said, messing with him.

"Come over where?"

"Come over to Elias's. We're all getting together here like usual... and besides, it's a day off."

"Can't do it... seriously, I wanna sleep."

"Dude, the afternoon prayer is gonna be called, what are you talking about?"

"So what? Just let me sleep these few minutes until the afternoon prayer, I'll wake up, pray, and come."

"Adam, get up, wash your face, and come on, man, we're waiting here."

"Okay, after the afternoon prayer, God willing."

"Mom made orange cake. If you're not here in ten minutes, you're not getting any," he said, laughing, and hung up on him.

Elias looked at him, laughing. "You tempting him with the cake?"

Noah laughed, looking back at him. "You know how much he loves it, he'll totally come for that!"

Elias laughed, shaking his head. "Okay, why don't you call our artist while you're at it?"

Noah nodded, picked up his phone again, and called their fourth friend, waiting for him to answer.

"Morning."

"You mean afternoon," Noah said, laughing.

"Doesn't matter if it's morning or afternoon, what do you want?" Ghaith said, laughing.

"Draw me," Noah said, smiling.

"Dude, every time you see my face you tell me to draw you... Geez, man, give me a break... Seriously, I don't need this!" Ghaith said, annoyed and agitated.

Noah laughed. "What's up, why are you so annoyed? So what exactly are you learning in Art Education?"

"Drawing and art and stuff like that... What else would I be learning?" Ghaith answered simply.

"Okay, so why won't you draw me then?"

"Dude, get it... Drawing is art, right? So if I see something that really grabs me and pulls me in... and it's something really beautiful, something that just draws me in, then I'll draw it... But you're gross, why would you draw anyone in... That's not even a look."

"What??... So I'm gross?? Okay, I swear, I'll show you... Just come over to Elias's... Just let me see your face, and I'll show you who's gross, you gross dude." Noah said, biting his lip, barely holding back his angry resentment.

Ghaith laughed, shaking his head. "Alright," he said and hung up on him.

Noah looked at the phone, annoyed, and tossed it aside, saying... "He called me gross? He said gross? I'm gross??? Oh, I'm totally gonna get him back for that."

Elias laughed, looking at him. "What happened?"

"The gross dude won't draw me... Yeah, he said I'm gross," Noah said, annoyed.

Elias burst out laughing, so Noah gave him a look of disgust and grabbed a pillow to hit him with, while Elias blocked the hits, laughing.

"Okay, okay, cut it out!" he shouted, laughing, pushing Noah away.

"You're such a pain in the butt!" Elias said, laughing and looking at him with disgust.

Noah looked back, equally disgusted, and threw the pillow at his face before sitting down on the bed next to him.

Elias laughed, grabbing the pillow and hugging it. "Call Bahr, have him come too."

"Alright, since I'm your personal operator," Noah said, annoyed, picking up his phone and calling Bahr.

After a moment, Bahr answered, "Yeah?"

"'Yeah?' What kind of answer is 'Yeah?'" Noah said sarcastically.

"Are you just gonna critique what I say? Get on with it," Bahr said, annoyed.

"Dude, why are you so impatient? You're supposed to be a shrink, right? Like, you're supposed to sit there and listen to people and their problems, and supposedly you fix 'em... not act like this."

"Honestly, I have no idea why I even went to that college, I can't even stand myself," Bahr said, annoyed.

"Tough break, man," Noah said, laughing.

Bahr sighed. "Okay, yeah, so what do you want?"

"We're waiting for you at Elias's, me and the rest of the guys. Don't be late, alright?"




"Yeah, just the drive."
"Alright, hurry up then!"
"Gotcha... I'll be flying!"
Noah laughed and hung up the phone.

Elias looked at him, laughing, and said... "Stop being such a pain, man, why are you always bugging the guys?"

"Me, man?? God forgive you," Noah said, pretending to be innocent.

"Oh, so now you're playing the innocent victim?" Elias said, shoving Noah away from him, making him fall to the floor.

"You dog," Noah said, looking at him disgusted. He grabbed him by the foot, dragging him down to the floor next to him.

Elias grabbed his back, looking at Noah disgusted, and said... "Okay, I swear, I'm gonna get you back, you dog Noah!" Elias stood up and was about to hit him until his mother's voice from outside stopped him.

"Elias, your friend's here."

"What? Did he actually fly or something?" Noah said, shocked, standing up.

"Dude, you're seriously dense, get out of my face!" Elias shoved him away, annoyed, and went to see his friend who'd arrived, and Noah followed him out too.

"See? I told you he'd come for the cake," Noah said, laughing, looking at Adam standing by the door.

Adam gave him a disgusted look, said hi to Elias's mom, and came in.

"And what's wrong with coming for the cake? I just hope it's not gone, 'cause I'll be mad."

"Too bad, I finished it," Noah said, bugging Adam, laughing.

Adam gave him a resentful look, then looked at Elias's mom, saying... "Is the cake really gone, Mom?"

Elias's mom laughed, shaking her head. "Nah, he's just messing with you. You guys sit down, I'll get you the cake."

Adam smiled and nodded, then looked at Noah sarcastically and shoved him by the shoulder before going into Elias's room to sit.

"Where are the others?" Adam said.

"On their way," Elias said, sitting down next to him on the bed.

Adam nodded.

"What kept you sleeping till the afternoon prayer?" Noah said, sitting down next to them too.

"Like usual, I stayed up late at the gym, got back at dawn, prayed, ate a little, and crashed. Woke up, prayed noon prayer, and didn't even get back to sleep, so I figured I'd just keep sleeping till the afternoon prayer, but then some annoying person called and woke me up," Adam said, looking at Noah annoyed.

Noah laughed, looking at him. "Ah well, ah well, maybe next time, God willing."

Adam sighed in despair, looking at Elias. "Why are you so quiet?"

Elias shook his head. "Nothing much, just some nightmares. Haven't been able to sleep well for a few days."

"Still having those dreams about the sea?" Noah said, looking at him.

"Yeah, they're getting more intense, man, seriously," Elias said, shaking his head in despair.

"How so?" Adam said, looking at him.

"Like, the..." His mom knocked on the door, cutting him off. She came in and put a plate of orange cake in front of them, saying... "Here's the cake! Enjoy, guys, but leave some for Ghaith and Bahr, alright?"

"First come, first serve, Mom!" Adam said, grabbing a piece of cake to eat.

Elias's mom laughed, shaking her head. "Okay, no big deal, you guys eat it. I'll just make another one for Ghaith and Bahr later."

Adam smiled, looking at her as he ate the cake. "Seriously, Mom, you have no idea how much I love you. You're the best, for real."

"All that just for cake?" Noah said, laughing, looking at him.

"Mind your own business," Adam said, annoyed.

"Go on, enjoy the food!" Elias's mother smiled and left, leaving them alone again.

Adam smiled and grabbed another piece to eat.

"Anyway, keep going, man," Noah said, looking at Elias.

"Nothing, like I told you guys before, the dream sometimes repeats and all that... But this time something weird happened," Elias said, looking confused.

"What happened?" Adam looked at him.

"I saw a girl in the dream... or actually, she was more like a mermaid, not a regular girl," Elias said, looking at them both.

"Elias, you think this is just a dream?" Noah said, trying to sound serious.

"Well, it is just a dream, so is it gonna be real or something?" Adam said sarcastically.

"Adam's right, it really is just a dream... And anyway, we all know mermaids are just a myth," Elias said, looking at them.

"Honestly, I don't know either," Noah mumbled, looking at them, shaking his head slowly.

The three of them were quiet for a moment, looking at each other, the silence broken by Adam grabbing more cake and eating it.

Elias sighed and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling quietly, lost in thought.

Noah looked at Adam, annoyed, and took the piece of cake from him. "Have some feelings! The guy looks depressed, and you're just stuffing your face? What the...? No empathy... seriously, not even a little?"

"Oh, like you're Mr. Sensitive when you're bugging all of us and waking us up early??" Adam said sarcastically, shoving him and taking the piece of cake.

"That's for your own good, actually... You guys have no idea how many benefits there are to waking up early," Noah said sarcastically.

"Keep it to yourself then, we don't want it," Adam said, patting Noah's leg sarcastically.

Noah gave him an annoyed look and moved his hand off his leg.

Their arguing was cut short by Ghaith and Bahr coming into the room.

"What's up?" Bahr said, laughing, and proceeded to jump on them.

Ghaith laughed and sat down on the desk chair in front of them.

Adam shoved Bahr away, annoyed. "Dude, you're seriously obnoxious, what the heck?!"

Bahr laughed hard and sat down next to them.

Noah looked at him. "You couldn't even stand yourself when you were talking to me on the phone, and now you're laughing... What's up with you?"





"Is it a crime for me to laugh now?" Bahr said, annoyed, looking at Noah.

"Nah, it's not forbidden, did I say anything?" Noah said, laughing.

"Oh, okay," Bahr laughed.

"So, how's our artist doing?" Noah said, laughing, looking at Ghaith.

"Can't stand the sight of you," Ghaith said, looking at him annoyed.

"Me, man?? Seriously, I didn't do anything to deserve all this! What's wrong with asking you to draw me, is it against the rules or something?" Noah whined, looking at him.

"Yeah, it's forbidden... drawing that gross mug is a sin... Seriously... you're gonna make me lose my religion!" Ghaith said, annoyed.

"He's totally right," Adam said, laughing.

"None of your business," Noah said, annoyed. "Ghaith, be a good sport and draw me. I'll give you twenty bucks, how 'bout it?"

"Twenty what?? The pen I'd use to draw you costs more than that on its own. Are we kidding around here?" Ghaith said, annoyed.

"Dude, whatever, I'll give you fifty then," Noah said, whining.

"I won't take less than three bills, a hundred bucks each," Ghaith said simply.

"What do you mean??" Noah said, annoyed and agitated.

"Like you heard," Ghaith said, crossing his arms and looking at him.

"Yeah, right, you can ask your mom... I don't want anything," Noah said sarcastically.

Ghaith laughed, shaking his head. "Suit yourself."

Bahr looked at Elias and nudged him in the arm, teasing him. "Thinking about your girl or something?"

Elias looked at him, straightened up, smiling quietly at the mention of her, and shook his head. "I wish, man."

"So what's up with you then?" Bahr said, taking a piece of the cake, which was the last one.

Adam looked at him, slapped his hand, and took the piece, eating it as he said, "This is mine... Mom made you another one."

Bahr looked at him in shock and disbelief, saying... "Seriously!!!! Even if it's yours, you can't just take it out of my hand!" he yelled, annoyed.

"Go get some from Mom," Adam said, eating the last piece.

"All I'm gonna say is, 'God will take care of the oppressor'... and he knows exactly who he is," Bahr said, annoyed, looking at Adam out of the corner of his eye.

Adam just shrugged, enjoying the last piece of cake.

"Ghaith," Elias said, looking at him and getting his attention.

"Yeah?" Ghaith blinked, looking at him.

"Listen, if I describe someone's features... can you draw them?"

"Well, what do you think my job is?... Of course I can."

"Okay, I'll describe someone, and you draw 'em for me, alright?"

"Alright." Ghaith nodded, grabbed the paper and pencil, and started sketching on it to get ready to draw.

"What are you gonna draw?" Adam said, standing next to them.

"The mermaid I saw," Elias said, sitting down next to Ghaith.

"A mermaid?!!" Bahr said in astonishment, going over to stand next to them too.

"When did you see a mermaid?!" Ghaith looked at him, blinking in surprise, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

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