Nadya slowly sat up and looked at the person in front of her.
Tears streaked down her eyes but they didn't look hopeless. She looked at the person in front of her with all sorts of emotions filling her.
There were five stages of sadness. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
Denial. Where an individual refuses to believe what has happened and clings onto a false preferable reality.
It is at this stage that people are easiest to manipulate. It was even easier for that man named Zero, because she was a child.
She was till date living a false life. She never really remembered the incident and never went past this stage of sadness.
And at this moment she finally went to the second stage.
Anger. At this stage people finally realize denial would never help them and find someone to blame for whatever the cause of this sadness might be.
For her case, the entirety of her anger was directed towards one person… Zero.
It is at this stage that people tend to do the most impulsive things without thinking about any consequences.
The third stage was bargaining. Where an individual struggles to find a cause to avoid this sadness.
And if they fail to do that, they move on to the last stages.
Ray wouldn't let that happen.
Currently Nadya was at the second stage. He would control her impulses and tell her exactly how to have her revenge against him.
After she has successfully had her revenge, she would move on the third stage where she would search for a purpose in life, a reason to live and something that can help her avoid this sadness.
[Lust System: And that's where you come in and become the reason!]
'Exactly.'
[Lust System: You know, the Duke or her children could become the reason for her living right?]
'You think I'll let that happen?'
Nadya tried to control her sadness but the more she thought about what had happened to her, the more she felt… angry.
The person who she loved and believed was the same person that destroyed everything she had.
And right now she wanted nothing more than to rip his head out of his body and feed him to monsters.
She looks at the amethyst eyes staring at her and said.
"How did you recover my memories?"
"That weak spell?"
With that he shrugged.
She felt worse after hearing that. The spell that appeared 'weak' to the person in front of her was controlling her whole life.
"I don't know where you came from… but I am sorry for what I did to you earlier… now I have something else to do…"
She was about to get up when the man in front her started laughing.
"That is exactly the reason."
Nadya was confused.
"What are you talking about?"
"You stay eluded from the reality. That's the reason people can control you so easily."
Nadya who was already pretty angry wanted to explode at this moment. She hadn't found anyone to confide her pain with and this person kept insulting her.
"You! Do you know how much…"
"No one cares."
Silence.
"Whose fault do you think it was? You know most people would want to console and help you but I don't"
She kept listening with her head slightly facing the ground.
"Everything that happened to you was because of your wrong decisions. It's not bad to make wrong decisions, but it's bad to not learn from your mistakes."
"…"
"You were planning to go and hunt that man weren't you?"
Nadya couldn't reply for that was the truth.
"Do you think you stand a chance against him as you are right now?"
She didn't.
"Do you think you can do anything to avenge your parents as you are right now?"
She couldn't.
Ray stopped speaking and observed Nadya who had a complicated expression on her face.
[Lust System: Shouldn't you help her?]
'Not yet…'
She had been betrayed by the person she loved the most. What would happen if a completely unknown person unconditionally showed goodwill towards her and wanted to help her?
She would never believe him
He had to make her ask his help.
Nadya tried to maintain her calm mind and thought about what she could do.
'Nothing.'
She could do nothing even if she wanted to.
She was undoubtedly strong, but the people in the association had stronger. Number 1, Zero and finally the vice leader who was a complete monster.
She couldn't do anything to them… alone.
At this moment she looked at the man named Aerich once again.
"Will you hel-"
"No."
"… I didn't even finish saying anything."
"No."
"..."
Nadya didn't know what she would do now.
'How do you fight someone far stronger than you without taking external help?'
"I'll give you information about the association…"
"Why would you think I would be interested in that?"
"…What do you want?"
Ray really wasn't interested in her information about the association. Before she had woken up, he had scoured all her memories and learned a lot of valuable things.
"So you are absolutely sure you want your revenge?"
"Yes I am…"
"At the cost of anything?"
Nadya took in deep breaths.
"At the cost of anything? Do you think I ever had anything?"
"Oh my, don't tell me you forgot about your husband and children?"
She remembered the faces of these people one by one but she didn't feel anything in particular.
She knew she should feel love for these people who had loved her back for so many years, but the association had controlled her feelings strictly.
She didn't feel anything. They were just like the many other people she knew.
"No, I don't have anything holding me back."
"Alright then, let's make a deal!"
Nadya was prepared to make any sacrifice she could to have her revenge and listened intently to the man.
However, instead of saying anything, he handed her a parchment.
She was slightly surprised, but taking it in her hands she read its contents.
After a few seconds she looked back at him, slightly surprised.
"Are you serious?"
"Always."
She looked back at the conditions once again and got what it wanted to say.
"So you want me to willingly become your slave?"
"It's not really a slave, more like a contract worker. You just have to follow all my instructions without fail and you will obtain your revenge!"
"And why do I need to become your slave for that?"
"Are you sure you can keep up the act when you meet this Zero or your vise leader? I have to give you instructions at every moment and improvise if any complications arise."
'More so, I remember that pressure your vice leader applied on Claire. If you are not my slave, you will spill everything!'
Nadya shook her head. She knew her anger would take the better of her.
"What if you go back on your words?"
"It's all in the contract, after listening to my plan if you don't think it will help you achieve your revenge, or if anything that I make you do doesn't feel right with you, your contract will break, you will become free but your memories about my plan will disappear."
"And why will you do this? What are you getting out of this contract?"
"With you… I can control the association and the Duke as I want, and you can feel the satisfaction of ruining Zero with your own hands."
Nadya started reading the contract again.
This was how enslavement spells worked after all. The person had to have accepted a contract, lost some bet or somehow agreed to the spell. The spell would then read the memories of the caster and the target, determine the conditions and enact the conditions, marking one as a slave.
In this case, Ray had given extremely lenient conditions. If she thought the things Ray made her do was not helping her achieve her revenge she could break the spell anytime, but her memories would be erased as well.
[Lust System: You know you could have asked for everything she had… I mean…everything…]
'Everything has its own time.'
Ray had plans for Nadya and the moment she accepted this deal, everything would fall into place. The association, the Duke and her, no one could escape him.
And as he expected, she didn't disappoint.
"This deal, I accept it, but I have a condition."
"Oh?"
"I am pretty sure you are no oracle. Oracles are physically weak and cannot grow their stats beyond a limit. It's a rule."
"And what does that have to do with your condition?"
"Before I accept the deal, I want to know your real identity."