POV Thanatos.
As night fell, the forest was enveloped area in a sinister darkness, and a heavy sense of foreboding filled the air. The night was moonless, and the only illumination came from the faint glimmers of stars piercing through the dense canopy. The soft rustling of leaves and distant cries of nocturnal creatures added to the mysterious atmosphere.
In the meantime, we took a moment to rest in each other's arms. Throughout the respite, Evelina taunted Morena with sarcastic remarks from her internet vocabulary.
— So, are we going with my plan? — Evelina asked as she stood up from the cool ground.
— No, we won't do that. Despite her defenseless state, I have no inclination for such perversions. First, we'll strip Morena of her belongings since she surely has spatial rings. After that, we'll decide whether to seek help or use something against her.
Evelina extended her hand to me and asked, — And how can you be sure she's unconscious?
I stood up and looked at the spot where Morena had landed, — I saw her fall like a sack of sauerkraut, creating a crater.
— Oh, you're so powerful! I'm glad you'll become so strong in the future, and no one will dare to harm us.
Evelina playfully kissed me, sniffing the scent she loved.
I smirked during the kiss, and once we parted, I gently stroked her head, — You're quite naive in that regard. There will always be someone stronger than us. So never become arrogant, especially since I see how impolitely you interacted with Morena. Diplomacy during conversation is a useful tactic.
— But she tried to kill me! — Evelina protested, spreading her arms wide.
I shook my head, grabbed Evelina's hand, and led her to the unconscious Morena, explaining what had happened, — As I understood it, she didn't try to kill you. If she wanted to, she could've done it with a snap of her fingers. She was punishing you for your foul language and testing me physically and mentally. But her lack of foresight now comes back to bite her, and we need to hurry and rob her.
Discussing Morena's severity, we approached the ashen-haired girl. Evelina had already put on her black mask since she had been walking without it for some time.
Morena lay in the crater, clinging to the roots of a deciduous tree. Her left arm was slowly regenerating, which I had previously erased from existence.
Looking at her right hand, I noticed a spatial ring on her index finger.
Holy fuck, I could accidentally destroy her right hand and lose all the treasure from its ring! Although I can't exclude the possibility that she had rings on her left hand too. During the battle, I didn't examine her fingers closely.
— Here's the little ring! — Evelina said, reaching for Morena's treasure. She took the ring from the Empress and handed it to me, saying, — It's yours by right. If she utters even a single unnecessary word next time, we'll chop her head off.
I took the spatial ring and tried to see its contents, but suddenly, a siren-like sound emerged, and holographic letters appeared from the ring.
— Biometric authentication? — Evelina read, seeing the same inscriptions as me.
— Hmm, this could be a problem, — I said, glancing at the relaxed Morena.
Even in her unconscious state, her ephemeral clothing covered the most intimate parts of her body. But what struck me the most wasn't Morena's clothing but how delicate and pleasant she looked when she wasn't trying to kill anyone.
However, I didn't feel empathy towards the lying woman because of the serious harm she had done to Evelina's health.
I leaned over Morena and placed my thumbprint on the ring, but a weak beep sounded. The ornament didn't open, so I half-opened her eyelids, and the ring began scanning the retina of her eye.
The ring opened after the scan, and I reviewed the contents of the spatial accessory.
Reviewing the items inside the rings happens as follows: your body remains in place, but your eyes begin to see the spatial storage, and with a simple intention, you can move around the territory, feeling all the objects inside.
There were monster cores of various physical forms and colors. Morena had several artifacts unknown to me, weapons, potions, amulets, and many other unusual items.
Among the rare cores, my attention was drawn to the artifacts that help sign soul contracts without the need for special magic.
I took out what seemed to be the best Soul Artifact, which had an attached instruction, and showed it to Evelina, saying, — Look what I found. With such artifacts, we can turn Morena into an obedient girl.
Evelina eagerly grabbed the instruction, reading its contents, — Artifact for the Master-Slave ritual. If the contract is made on equal terms, both cultivators must desire to be 'soulfully' connected forever. However, if one cultivator wants to control the life of another, it's enough for a one-sided desire to have a soul link.
I scratched my chin, realizing that this artifact could make Morena my slave.
In principle, it's a fitting payment for what she torturing and the suffering she caused to my dear Evelina.
— Oh my god! If we do this to Morena... — Evelina's face lit up with a cunning grin. She pretended to be a crazy girl and said, — I'll make the slave-Morena be my footstool! Spica will be drooling with envy, ha-ha-ha-ha-haha.
I pinched Evelina's nose playfully and scolded her in a non-serious manner, — Stop coming up with silly ideas, you pervert. Give me the instruction; now you'll help me perform the ritual.
...
Ten minutes felt like an eternity to us, and the tension in the air grew with each passing minute. We had to rapidly learn how to use Artefactorics, Alchemy, and Rune Crafting to create the magical-runic circle for the ritual.
Without the instructions, we wouldn't have had a clue about what we were doing.
We strictly followed the instructions, finding the necessary ingredients inside Morena's ring for the ritual.
I stood in the center of the meticulously drawn pentagram with the runic symbol of a certain aspect - the Soul Singularity. My heart pounded with anticipation, and my palms were sweaty with tension. Gracefully moving nearby, Evelina circled the sleeping Morena, who lay motionless within the boundaries of the mystical runes.
— We're almost ready, Thanatos! — Evelina said, placing ingredients around the multi-tiered pentagram.
Neither Evelina nor I were masters of rituals. We lacked the knowledge and skills for that. But we managed to build nine circles around Morena, each adorned with various ingredients symbolizing nine fundamental concepts of the universe. The air was filled with the scent of incense, herbs, and arcane elements, intertwining to create an intoxicating aroma.
Until this moment, I had no idea that such precise information about the structure of the universe existed. Inside the largest tenth circle, Evelina and I drew nine concepts clockwise, starting with a green and ending with a yellow-brown runic pentagram: Time, Positive Energy, Non-Existence, Gravity, Space, Negative Energy, Existence, Matter. The concepts were positioned opposite each other, with the rune of Soul Singularity at the center.
It seemed suspicious to me that such a complex ritual was required for a slave contract.
Perhaps, because it is done without the consent of the other party, it's necessary to establish a connection with nine essential elements? I had no idea.
As Evelina placed each ingredient, she recited ancient incantations from the instruction, and her voice echoed like a haunting melody through the forest. I felt the words vibrate with power, resonating with the essence of the universe. With each uttered word, the atmosphere grew more saturated with magic, and the surrounding trees swayed in response, as if rejoicing in the unfolding ritual.
— Evelina... I have serious doubts about whether we are performing the right ritual. Perhaps it's a trap,— I said, pointing towards the forest where the trees were dancing, — Look at the trees... they're dancing. Will the forces of nature celebrate the signing of a slave contract without the victim's consent?
Evelina shrugged, ignoring my suspicions. I sighed and decided not to interrupt the ritual in full swing, as an unforeseen catastrophe could occur.
Evelina's face showed concentrated determination and fear, as she understood how risky it was to intervene in the work of such powerful forces. But our options were limited, and this ritual was the only chance to restrain Morena's overwhelming power.
The forces we invoked were incomprehensible to mortals, and their capricious nature could lead to tragedy if Evelina or I made any mistakes.
With each passing second, the air became more electric, and I sensed the presence of some being lurking on the periphery of my perception and senses. As I saw no one, there was nothing I could do with the feeling of being watched.
When the circles were complete, each one emitted a faint glow, connecting them like threads in a complex web. The forest seemed to fall silent, as nature sensed the significance of the momentous event. Even the night breeze held its breath.
I focused the energy of my Vial of the Soul on strengthening the runic circles, directing my inner strength into the lines etched on the ground.
Evelina and I had synchronized hearts, and the aura of the pentagrams enveloped me and Morena. For a moment, it felt as if the entire universe converged in one point in time.
The mystical symbols surrounding Morena began to pulsate, and the ground beneath us trembled as Evelina's voice pierced the silence, — Do you wish to forever bind your soul with the participant of this ritual?
I looked at the anxious Evelina, then turned my gaze to the devilish Empress. Taking a deep breath, I nodded and gave my consent, — I desire it.
— And I desire it, — unexpectedly whispered Morena with closed eyes, as the space around us experienced a final surge of concentrated energy.
Evelina and I heard the words clearly, sending shivers down our spines and beads of cold sweat forming. The nine circles vibrated sharply and exploded as Morena opened her eyes.
— She woke up! — Evelina screamed in panic, glancing at the instruction in search of answers. Luckily or regrettably, the ritual was successfully completed. She said to me, — Thanatos, quickly give her a command!
— Umm... You are forbidden to harm me or Evelina in any way, — I commanded as a priority.
Morena smirked and looked at the ruined runes, saying, — You performed the ritual very well. My instruction was quite detailed, so if you had made a mistake, I would have considered you worthless. But everything is fine; now we are bound, my dear.
— You... You knew. You planned it all, — I realized the obvious fact, rising from the scorched ground.
Morena deceived us.
Damn it, I knew it! I felt it deep down that something was wrong!
— What have you done, bitch! — Evelina roared, throwing the instruction at Morena's face.
The Empress caught the sheets of paper and triumphantly replied, — I did nothing. You did everything for me. Evelina, isn't it enlightening to realize that you gave your beloved man away to the woman you hate?
Evelina stood frozen with her mouth open. Her lips trembled, and her heart sank. My girl lowered her head and fell to her knees, starting to cry softly, — I-I... what have I done, Thanatos...
Meanwhile, I clenched my fists and, after thinking for a moment, asked, — Why do you need 'trash' like me? What's the point? It would have been more reasonable to make me your slave since you deceived me.
— I didn't deceive you, dear! You simply can't read between the lines. You're still too young compared to me, — Morena confidently stated, approaching me.
I didn't resist as the Undead Queen grabbed me by the hand; it was useless. I was too tired to fight her. Besides, I couldn't do anything to her. The element of surprise was already spent.
— So, you were conscious all this time? I should have canceled the ritual when I noticed the strange behavior of the trees. Fucking shit, I didn't want to become the husband of such a crazy and inhumane woman. For me, this is real punishment, — I said, disappointedly closing my eyelids.
Morena cunningly chuckled and proudly praised me, — You managed to knock me out for real, so I expressed the desire to be with you forever. The trick was that you wanted to be bound to me, and it didn't matter how – as the master or as a husband.
Evelina sniffled quietly, listening to our conversation. She wiped away her tears and began to raise her voice against Morena, — Why... why do you need MY Thanatos! I will tell everything to Spica, and she'll do something terrible to you!
— Neither of you dare not tell them about the marriage ritual, — Morena released me and approached the kneeling Evelina. Grasping her chin, she coldly declared, — Stop irritating me, little girl! The games are over; I'm fed up with your disrespect towards the Imperial Highness. I forgive your past insults, but for the new ones, you will suffer greatly! I will protect my pride.
I approached them and grabbed Morena's forearm, asserting, — Evelina will no longer insult you for no reason. And I'd like to hear at least one reason from you why I can't tell Nemesis or Spice about this forced marriage. I can step beyond your barrier and loudly ask for help. Do you think no one in my family will find a way to undo the ritual's effects?
Morena shifted her angry gaze from Evelina to me and smiled joyfully, asking with a tender tone, — Can't you fulfill even one request of your fourth wife in the Soul Marriage ritual?
I felt a close connection with Morena, but the imposed factors marred the whole situation. Frowning, I clarified, — What do you mean by 'fourth wife'? You bound my soul to some other three motherfuckers?
— What? — Morena was surprised, asking, — You don't know anything about it? But I immediately sensed that I'm just the fourth wife in line. I thought you also felt it.
Trying to calm down, I looked at the bewildered Evelina and shook my head, — I feel nothing... Since you've become my wife, tell me about the connections with other girls. I hope they're at least girls! Also, tell me everything about my family: who I am, where I come from, who my real parents are. Why do you need me... tell me absolutely everything!
— Of course, you must know, as you've become my dear husband, — Morena said, blushing slightly, and continued to scrutinize me with an odd look.
Evelina felt her own heart shattering into a thousand pieces, so she hugged me tightly by my left hand, jabbing a finger at the Empress and said tearfully, — You're a bad woman! I should have married Thanatos before you! Now you'll owe me for the rest of your life!
— Owe you? Buy you a coffin? I'd gladly do that, — Morena retorted mockingly. Then she came to me and hugged my right hand, saying, — Let's start with the fact that your real surname is Pendragon, and you're from the Dragonborn lineage...
Finally, I'll find out who I am! At least in this, Morena won't be like Nemesis.