Sweet as the Grape

Sericea felt a chill run down her spine at Absinth's words. The image of Setekh in her mind shifted, the enigmatic aura giving way to something far more sinister. She swallowed hard, trying to reconcile this new information with the grandsire she had been secretly meeting. How could this be?

"He... hurt you?" Sericea asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, but the question tumbled out before she could stop it. Her paws kneaded the soft grass anxiously as she waited for Absinth’s reply, each second stretching longer than the last.

Sericea listened, transfixed, as Absinth's words painted a chilling portrait of Setekh. Her mind reeled, trying desperately to reconcile this monstrous figure with the grandsire who had shown her such attention, such favor. The secrets they shared, the lessons he taught her - had it all been a twisted game, a sick manipulation?

"I don't understand." Sericea whispered, her voice faltering- almost unnoticeably so. She knew she was unable to give voice to the implications that tossed in the back of her mind. Her acidic green eyes shimmered with a mix of confusion and dawning realization. But it was still there- it would take root in the back of her mind.

Sericea felt the weight of her mother's words settle in her chest like a stone, cold and heavy. The image of Setekh she had built in her mind, the wise and powerful grandsire who saw her potential, began to crack and splinter. The secrets she had kept, the meetings with Setekh - they took on a new, sinister light. Had she fallen into the same trap, the same twisted game her mother had endured?

Sericea's mind raced, searching for some way to reconcile the Setekh she thought she knew with the monster Absinth described. But the more she grasped at the memories, the more they slipped through her paws like sand. The praise, the attention, the promises of power and purpose. It had meant a lot to her. She loved him too.

"Sericea Praetor-Inferos"