Melinda barely had vague memories after completely losing herself to the corruption of the Abyss.
But it most definitely started after her husband’s death.
A pillar of support for her and the community, his death came as a shock to everyone.
Wailing filled the town for days as they mourned him.
Throughout that period, Melinda had to be the one to step up despite being in the most pain.
That was a man she married as a young damsel.
He had captured her heart and ever since they became one, treated her like a queen.
But she had lost her king and in her grief, still tried to ensure what he built didn’t fall apart.
So while the others were recovering, she slowly sank deeper into the despair that plagued her heart.
It was then it happened.
The voices... the whispers that told her that she could get her husband back again.
At first, she ignored them, considering them as ravings that came about as a result of her grief.
But the more she did so, the worse it became.
It got to a point, it kept her up at night, constantly tormenting her.
She was scared, terribly scared.
But no one believed her when she spoke about it and knowing that if she kept on harping on it, the people would think her to be crazy, Melinda decided to keep it to herself.
Days turned to months and soon, months turned to years.
Then one night, she saw her husband... or at least, an apparition of his figure.
That night, they laughed and joked.
It was the happiest day in her life ever since his death.
So when the Lightbringer opened and he disappeared, she fell into so deep a despair, it bordered on insanity.
Then the voices came again but this time... Melinda did not fight it.
She took it with open arms and once the offer was made, she dared not refuse.
That singular decision heralded her path down the road of insanity.
She became a Mystic of the Abyss Wheel and her domain was Soul distortion under the banner of the one that called itself, the Mother of Souls.
Her First day would have been her last if not for the knowledge imparted to her by the Mother.
She was able to escape the danger and then, her first trial came.
It was quite simple... get rid of her soul.
Melinda did it without hesitation and after she did so, she was able to spend a whole week with Rufus, her husband.
That was enough to let her understand that she made the right choice.
As long as she reached the 10th Lock of the Abyss Wheel, she would be able to bring her love back and spend an eternity with him.
So when the second trial came... Melinda hadn’t hesitated to do it which was what led to the horrors plaguing Townsend.
It was a tale of love from the perspective of one that had gone mad due to the Abyss.
This was why as she stared at Douglas in her corrupted form, great hatred welled up in her heart.
"Why must you get in my way?" A voice that was neither male nor female assaulted Douglas’s psyche.
He frowned as he realized that Melinda had lost her sanity.
"What have you done to yourself?" Douglas asked wistfully.
Melinda ignored his question as she asked again. "Why must you get in my way?!... All I want is to get Rufus back, so why must you stop me?"
"Rufus..." Douglas trailed off as he recognized the name to be that of the previous chief that presided over Townsend and also, Melinda’s husband.
"You did all this to resurrect him?"
Melinda took a step forward. "She promised to give him back as long as I looked after her children and entertained them, so why can’t you just go away!... Is it because of Emily?... I can’t give her back!... They love her so much... she’s their new favorite toy... Emily is now theirs... so just go... please don’t stand in my way..."
Douglas watched wordlessly as Melinda rambled on.
She was insane, no doubt, because of the Abyss.
Maybe because of the pure nature of her desire, Melinda was quickly corrupted by the Abyss, which led to her losing her mind despite only being an Abyssal.
However, that didn’t mean Douglas would let her off easy.
"Toy?... You dare call my sister a toy?... How about I turn you into a ragdoll!" Douglas cursed.
Melinda shook her head. "You don’t understand do you?"
"What?" Douglas noticed a faint trace of clarity at that moment, from Melinda.
"I am not a danger to either you or Alex... it is she!... The Mother of Lost Souls, Zheztitl. She is asleep but if you dare interfere, she will awaken and an incursion will occur!... So for the sake of the countryside... you have to leave."
Douglas blinked in utter confusion.
Wasn’t she insane?... So why did it look like she was warning him?
Hardly had the thought come to mind when a loud bang erupted across the sky.
Douglas turned wide-eyed as he looked up only to gasp in utter disbelief at the sight.
A massive crack had appeared in the starry sky created by Alex at some point and as the crack continuously increased, a terrifying aura rushed out, completely covering the entirety of Townsend.
If not for Alex’s field, it would have already leaked outside.
Douglas cowered in fear as an icky sensation pervaded his senses.
"No... someone touched Emily!... She is waking up!" Melinda screamed in fear.
A moment later, she dropped to the ground and writhed about like a worm before she suddenly stiffened.
A moment later, her eyes opened with her irises gone, leaving behind a clear white with blood vessels present.
She slowly got to her feet and upon setting eyes on the cowering Douglas a few meters away from her, she attacked without hesitation.