"You're helpless against me," the Cryptbreaker mocked Leo.
"Helpless? I'll kill you where you stand..." Leo snapped back.
"Oh, really?" the Cryptbreaker grinned. "I don't think you will, even if I harm what's most precious to you."
'Most precious?' Leo turned back to see Charlotte. That's when he knew what the Cryptbreaker referred to. He clenched his teeth as his thoughts were consumed with rage.
You could threaten anything else; you could harm Leo however you wished, and he would still consider sparing you. If you endangered Charlotte, however? If anyone so much as looked at her wrong, he'd gut them with his teeth and no remorse.
Leo snapped his head back toward the Cryptbreaker; his veins throbbed against his skin. "Like hell you will!" he snarled and rushed the Cryptbreaker without hesitation.
The Cryptbreaker maddeningly cackled yet remained still. He made no attempts to dodge, fight back, or even protest Leo's assault. That was because he didn't need to.
As Leo was an inch away from grappling his target, the dark brand on his neck glowed and pulsated a wave of energy.
The next moment, Leo's eyes widened as blackened arcs akin to lightning enveloped him.
"AGHHHHHHHH," Leo gutturally screamed as he experienced burning, stabbing, crushing, tearing, and the breaking of his body all at once.
He fell to his hands and knees, wheezing for air. It was like all his injuries in the war were simultaneously renewed. No, even that paled in comparison to the agony his body was subjected to.
Luckily for him, it was only a psychological curse. It inflicted pain, not injury. It was a perfect tool to enforce a master's will on his servants.
"LEO!!!" Charlotte cried out. She dashed to her suffering lover and cradled his head into her bare chest.
"Are you okay, baby? Are you okay?! Talk to me!" she frantically brushed his hair aside and embraced him.
Though she asked, she knew he wasn't okay. Her usually stoic and unbreakable other half trembled fiercely in her arms. His warm breath against her skin was ragged and shallow.
Despite that, Leo was a proud man, one that didn't like worrying his wife.
"I-I'm fine," he groaned through clenched teeth. "I-"
But another arc of black lightning enveloped him.
Following Leo's guttural screams were the Cryptbreaker's cackles. "I told you, you're helpless against me. You're slaves, and I am your master. Our bond, my Master's Mark, won't let you harm me."
Leo motioned his mouth, trying to tell Charlotte to run, but no noise escaped barring his gasps and pained grunts. Though his tongue was locked to place, his thoughts ran wild, fearing for his wife's safety.
'She needs to get away. She has to get out of here!' After experiencing the mark's influence firsthand, Leo wanted his wife to avoid the same fate at all costs. "G-Get out of here, Charlotte! Leave!"
However, any thoughts of running didn't even occur to Charlotte after seeing Leo in misery. Like Leo, she held an insatiable obsession for her significant other.
Instead of fear, an intense hatred rumbled in her mind.
"You... You..." Charlotte hissed under her breath.
She imagined dozens of torture methods to enact her revenge, wanting nothing more than to slaughter the Cryptbreaker for what he'd done.
Her murderous fury peaked. Anyone that hurt Leo deserved the purest of suffering. Matching her desire to kill as an aura of animosity. It exuded from Charlotte, permeating the air with bloodlust.
"I see, so you've got a little fire in you, too," the Cryptbreaker smirked. "I can't wa-"
"You'll pay..." Charlotte's once sparkling black eyes became deadpan, despite the rage festering inside her. She turned to the Cryptbreaker. "YOU'LL PAY FOR HURTING HIM!!!"
She lunged and, like a lioness, was ready to tear her prey's throat out, among other things. However, like Leo, the [Master's Mark] on her neck flared up.
Her hands, once outstretched to attack, were instinctively brought to clutch her throat as she suffered the way Leo had. However, she hadn't the same tolerance to pain, so her body spasmed in shock.
She writhed on the ground and reached a shaky arm upward, futilely clawing toward the Cryptbreaker. 'No... I was... So close...'
Charlotte gagged for air as her ability to inhale was robbed by the endless agony the mark instilled in her.
"Cha-Charlotte!" Leo wheezed and reached for his wife in desperation. "CHARLOTTE!"
"YES!" the Cryptbreaker maniacally celebrated. "Do you see now?! You two are no longer free beings. You're my POSSESSIONS!" he cackled with his arms raised to his sides.
A similar sight from when they'd died played out as Leo and Charlotte crawled to one another for comfort, only they were thwarted by their alleged master.
The Cryptbreaker kicked the two away from each other and cackled. "Listen here, and listen well. You two are my tools, the latest additions to my arsenal. I even sacrificed a bunch of my loyal followers to reanimate you! Look!" he gestured to the dozen hooded corpses lining the ground.
"I've made an investment upon you two, one that you WILL pay. You'll help me accomplish my ambitions with smiles on your faces if I order it. There are no choices here, no freedoms...no humanity. From this point on, you're puppets."
The effects of the [Master's Mark] were finally dying down, allowing Leo and Charlotte to steady their breathing. With that, Leo and Charlotte leaped into each other's arms. They totally ignored the Cryptbreaker's words; their worry for each other deafened them.
"Are you okay, Yinny? Are you okay?!" Leo frantically brushed his rugged hand against her soft cheek.
"Mmhmm," she nodded, then nuzzled her lover. "I'm sorry I let you get hurt," her eyes trembled with sorrow.
"No, no, I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Yinny."
Several moments later, Leo finally achieved full mental clarity thanks to the pain's disappearance. Then, he turned to the Cryptbreaker while comforting Charlotte. "What do you want from us? What the h*ll are you expecting?"
"Why your undying loyalty, of course! It seems only fair since I... You know... RESURRECTED you from the DEAD! Seeing your two's capabilities, I thought you'd make excellent pawns!"
"Pawns for what?" Charlotte snapped.
"That's not necessary information, Mrs. Bloom. You know what is, though?" the Cryptbreaker donned an evil smirk. "Your first assignment."