Pov Ellen:
A revolting yet nostalgic smell assaulted Ellen's nostrils as her body swayed side to side, as if she were inside an old carriage.
(Where? How? Who?) were her first thoughts, as the cold from the floor seeped into her bones, slowly awakening her...
"Ouch!" At that moment, her head began to throb.
She tried to hold it with her hands, numbed by the cold, but...
An avalanche of memories flooded her mind:
—A filthy, grimy wagon where she spent most of her childhood.
—A fat bastard calling himself an "imperial noble" who made her life a living hell.
—The day she took revenge on that bastard and burned his house to the ground…
"Johan..."
—The love of her life... and finally…
—The person who ruined everything, who humiliated her, stole her hopes, and even her lover...
"Adelina Sherden," she uttered the name with venom, her young, tender voice filled with rancor.
"Aaah!" In that moment, Ellen opened her crimson eyes.
(Huh?), as she opened them, she saw a scene from her past, one she'd wished to forget but to which she had longed to return in her final moments of life.
A cold, dark wagon, a foul odor emanating from her and her companions, an atmosphere of despair and resignation.
*Touching her neck
She felt the cold, annoying collar around her neck, a reminder of her miserable position.
A poor, wretched slave.
(...)
Slowly, she lowered her hand, and her gaze; a dirty, grimy hand appeared in her sight before one last memory returned to her mind.
Pain... pain in its purest form... the pain of seeing her beautiful, feminine hand morph into an abominable tentacle, as her sculpted body transformed into a monstrosity.
A battle against her sworn enemy... a battle in which her beloved took part... and finally, the last words she heard as she was defeated...
"GG, bitch! Ugh, finally, after four tries..." or so she thought she heard.
She looked at her hand again.
*Clench*
*Release*
(A dream?... no, an illusion? I don't remember any mage with skills of this level...), her confusion intensified, and she decided to simply wait.
Who knows? Perhaps this was the last step before meeting the Mother Goddess to atone for her sins.
With a mix of resignation and fear, she held onto her lovely, fluffy tail, her lifelong companion, neglected, and curled up into a fetal position, awaiting her fate…
*Tears*
--
A full day passed.
The wagon looked as bleak and dark as ever, although some rays of light peeked through now and then.
Ellen remained in the same spot, waiting for her end; she didn't even bother to eat, something her closest companion was grateful for.
*Murmurs*
The slavers didn't bother with her either; during long journeys, they only cared about feeding and checking on the captives in case someone tried to rebel.
*Metallic sounds*
"We'll reach Aldronir by afternoon, should we bathe them before or after arriving?"
*Ears perking up
From outside, a voice and its message caught her attention.
"When we arrive; there's no rush, especially since there are no important clients there."
(Aldronir...)
Aldronir, the main city of Stromcrest Duchy, in the kingdom of Celestia.
A kingdom she despised with all her soul, as it was full of "closet racists," though that wasn't the worst part.
*Furrowing her brow
It was the homeland of that bitch, the birthplace of the person who caused all her misfortunes.
*Curling up
Eventually, Ellen didn't open her eyes, and the morning flew by, as did midday, until the afternoon finally arrived.
--
*Murmurs*
*Hasty movements*
Ellen opened her eyes.
Hunger? Perhaps.
Thirst? Maybe a little.
Cold? Is that even necessary to ask?
But those weren't reasons enough for Ellen to move...
"Hurry! Set up the tent! A SuperVIP is on the way!" From outside, the owner of the slave wagon shouted.
(SuperVIP...)
A SuperVIP was someone of great authority, whether a wealthy merchant or a high-ranking noble.
"Hey, you lot! Get up right now!" yelled one of the slavers, entering the wagon and giving orders to everyone.
Ellen obeyed and followed the others to a designated area, where she stripped off her rags and waited for them to do whatever they needed.
"There's no time; just use magic," said the owner, a rotund-looking man, to one of his subordinates. The man, clad in a worn-out robe—likely the mage—made his appearance.
"A single spray will do," the mage declared as he raised his hand and pointed at the slaves, Ellen included.
With Ellen's bored gaze fixed on him, a magic circle appeared on the mage's fingers, glowing blue with ancient inscriptions that she recognized as arcane.
!!!!
Seeing the circle, Ellen's expression finally changed; her eyes widened, her ears and tail stood alert.
"Look! Seems like the little fox girl is scared," one of the slavers commented mockingly.
"""HAHAHAHA"""
Her reaction had been so intense that everyone noticed and laughed.
But to Ellen…
(A real magic circle! Impossible!), she thought, believing she was in an illusion or spiritual limbo. This seemed impossible.
In an illusion, no matter how well a magic circle is replicated, there's always an irregularity, either in the shape or the arcane inscriptions.
The magical circle, seemingly functional, reflected in Ellen's crimson, confused eyes until finally...
|Water spray|
*Swoosh!*
A spray of water drenched her and the other slaves, her body flooded with vivid sensations.
(I... am I alive?), that jet of water, cast by a mediocre mage, finally made Ellen question the reality around her.
*Thud-thud *Thud-thud Thud-thud
With her heart racing faster and faster, she searched her memory for an explanation of what was happening. When did all of this happen?
(Did I travel back in time? How? And if so... why don't I remember this? Did I forget?), her internal excitement rose steadily, though outwardly she merely stood there, waiting for the slavers to bring a clean cloth for her to wear.
In a sort of autopilot, Ellen donned the white rag that low-value slaves typically wore, her thoughts consumed by the possibilities.
*Murmurs*
*Rushed footsteps*
"Ha! The VIP has arrived! They say they want to see all the slaves," she heard someone shout from outside.
"Damn it! These nobles from Celestia do like punctuality. Take them all; we have no choice," muttered the wagon owner, aware that he was just a minor trader before a high-ranking noble of Celestia.
And so, all the slaves, Ellen included, were led to a poorly assembled tent.
--
*Clank! *Clank! *Clank! *Clank!
It didn't take long for the VIP to approach the tent, and the slaves could gauge their importance just by the sound of a knightly march.
It was a common practice among knight orders, designed to command respect wherever their leader went.
But for Ellen, who was in a corner, preoccupied with drying her lovely yet battered tail, it didn't matter.
*Murmurs*
After all, she knew her fate.
(If I truly went back to the past...)
That damned noble immediately came to her mind.
Four years of misery before awakening her powerful spiritual magic; four years filled with torture.
Was it worth it?
(Yes... but this time, I'll give him an... interesting death. Besides...)
She had a score to settle with that opportunistic, lover-stealing bitch named Adelina.
This time, she would finish her off at the first encounter.
*Clenching her fist*
With that resolution, she closed her eyes and waited for the noble to leave and for things to continue as she remembered.
As for the possibility of someone else buying her, she deemed it impossible, especially in Celestia, where nobles discriminated against her race.
"Welcome, Your Excellency!" The owner's voice echoed throughout the tent, greeting the VIP obsequiously.
A brief silence ensued, awaiting the visitor's response, who didn't hesitate to express her opinion on the makeshift tent:
"Is it common for slavers to have such poor arrangements?" Curiously, the VIP's voice had a feminine touch.
Curious, but not enough to make Ellen open her eyes.
"My sincerest apologies for the state of this place, Your Excellency. We just arrived a few hours ago, but if you give me a moment, I'll arrange this space to be worthy of your presence," the owner replied, doing his best to please.
"It's fine; I won't be staying long," replied the VIP, dismissing further apologies.
"Do you have any preferences? If so, let me know immediately, and I'll prepare the best slave for you."
*Murmurs*
"No, I trust my own eyes," she replied, and with those words, the VIP began to walk slowly.
*Step*
"Eek!"
*BAM!*
*Step*
"Eek!"
*BAM!*
Ellen listened, without fully understanding what was happening. Why did she hear a scream followed by the sound of a body falling every time the VIP approached?
But, with her eyes closed, she was unaware of the reason.
The pattern continued.
*Step*
*BAM!*
*Step*
*BAM!*
*Step*
*STEP*
Until, suddenly, she felt a presence directly in front of her.
*Bristling...*
Terror.
Ellen began to feel pure terror with that presence so close.
(What the hell...?)
*Shivering
Without opening her eyes, every fiber of her being stood on edge. Her ears perked up, seeking any sound of danger, her tail lifted and stayed still to avoid obstructing a possible escape, while her body trembled, and her heart pumped adrenaline in a frenzy.
*Thump-thump
(Who...? Who is it? Why am I so afraid?) Ellen questioned herself, unable to understand the magnitude of her own terror.
*Approaching
Thump-thump, thump-thump! Thump-thump!
The presence drew closer and closer.
Tremble... tremble... TREMBLE!
"Open your eyes," ordered a voice, whispering directly in her left ear.
Ellen had no choice but to open her eyes.
And what she saw left her petrified.
In front of her stood a monster disguised as a woman; she wore a cloak that concealed most of her body and face. But Ellen could make out certain features up close.
Long blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, a piercing gaze, and a smile full of malice.
"I like your eyes." Her feminine voice echoed in Ellen's ears, making them tremble with fear instead of thrill at the compliment.
*Gulp!
"Hey, you! Pack this one up; I'm taking her," ordered the VIP to the owner, signaling for her to be prepared.
That day, Ellen met the Duchess, Arabella Stromcrest.