The opulent dinner, though seemingly brief, stretched into an eternity for Aurelia. The tension at the table hung heavy, a suffocating weight that lingered long after the final bite was taken.
Meanwhile, Samael strode down the castle hallway, his imposing form casting a long shadow in the flickering torchlight. He wore a frown, the earlier amusement replaced by a brooding tension. Suddenly, a figure materialized out of thin air behind him.
"Leviathan."
"Well, Your Majesty," Leviathan drawled, his voice a smooth caress, "how was your… delightful dinner with your intriguing guest?"
Samael spoke, his reply clipped. "Intriguing," he echoed, the word devoid of the earlier amusement.
Leviathan chuckled, a low, humorless sound. "Intriguing indeed. She has a fire within her, that much is certain."
Silence fell between them, broken only by the soft click of Leviathan's boots on the polished stone floor. Then, Leviathan spoke again, his voice dropping to a low murmur.
"By the way, Your Majesty, I have some… news." He paused, letting the suspense hang in the air for a dramatic moment.
"News?" Samael echoed, finally stopping his stride and turning towards his advisor. A flicker of annoyance flickered across his golden eyes.
Leviathan offered a sly smile. "One of those… shadowy creatures," he began, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "was caught lurking around the perimeter walls just moments ago."
Samael's eyes narrowed, the annoyance replaced with a surge of sharp interest. He ran a hand through his raven hair, a frustrated sigh escaping his lips. "Is that so?" he rumbled, his voice laced with a dangerous undercurrent.
Leviathan nodded, his smile widening. "Indeed. Thanks to Azrael's vigilance, we were able to capture the… 'creature'. It is currently chained and secured below." Leviathan cast a fleeting glance to the floor
"Your majesty," Leviathan murmured, his brow furrowed in thought. "Why do you suppose these creatures are suddenly bold enough to prowl the castle grounds?"
Samael shrugged, his expression enigmatic. "Seeking their death, perhaps?" he said.
A sudden chill swept through the hallway, extinguishing the torches with an unnatural darkness. In the blink of an eye, a new light source flickered to life – torches mounted on the damp stone walls of a dimly lit dungeon. The flickering flames cast long, grotesque shadows that danced across the corridor ahead.
The air grew thick with the stench of mildew and something far more unsettling – despair. The corridor stretched out before them, a seemingly endless row of iron-barred cells. Grotesque figures huddled within, their gaunt features illuminated by the flickering torches. Each one, a twisted caricature of a human, emanated a sense of hopelessness that hung heavy in the air.
Samael and Leviathan navigated the corridor with an unnerving familiarity, their boots echoing on the cold, damp stone floor. They stopped at each cell for a moment, Samael's gaze lingering on the imprisoned figures with a detached indifference. The creatures within the cells watched them with a mixture of fear and defiance, their expressions a chilling testament to the horrors they'd endured.
Finally, they reached the end of the corridor and ascended a spiral staircase, the metal groaning under their weight. Reaching the top, they found themselves in a larger chamber, its center bathed in the harsh light of a single, overhead torch. In the center, a figure knelt on the cold stone floor, its back to them. Shackles bound its limbs, the metal digging into its flesh, leaving raw wounds that oozed a sickly yellow pus.
The figure's head hung low, its long, matted hair obscuring its face.
Samael cleared his throat. "Hmm," he murmured, his voice devoid of emotion. "It appears to be… whole."
Leviathan leaned closer, peering at the creature with a morbid curiosity. "Still kicking, that's for sure," he said, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice. "Though for how much longer, who can say?"
Understanding dawned on Leviathan's face as he glanced at Samael. He threw his head back and laughed, a dry, humorless sound. "You wouldn't want me to do the honors, would you, Your Majesty? Torture isn't really my forte. I have a soft spot for.... miserable things."
Samael's face remained impassive, his eyes locked on the trembling figure before him.
"Though," Leviathan mused, his voice barely a whisper, "if I had left it to Azrael… well, let's just say he wouldn't have gotten a single word out of it before its head rolled to the ground."
Leviathan leaned casually against the damp stone wall, a morbid curiosity flickering in his dark eyes. Samael stood before the chained figure. With a deliberate flourish, Samael produced a black glove from his pocket and slipped it onto his hand.
"Now then," Samael spoke, "perhaps you would be so kind as to explain your presence within these castle walls? Surely, a creature such as yourself wouldn't be here out of mere curiosity."
The creature remained silent, its defiance unwavering. Its posture, though constrained by the chains, exuded a quiet strength. A tense silence stretched between them, broken only by the dripping of water somewhere in the depths of the dungeon.
Samael's lips twitched into a cruel smile. "Playing the silent prisoner, are we?" he drawled, his voice laced with a dangerous amusement. "A tactic employed by many of your kind before you, with predictably… unfortunate results."
He took a menacing step closer to the creature, the flickering torchlight dancing across his features. Leviathan watched with detached interest, a hint of anticipation building within him.
The creature hissed, a sound that scraped raw against the damp stone walls. Its voice, when it finally spoke, was laced with a chilling venom.
"You… masquerade as a king," it spat, its words carefully chosen but dripping with contempt. "But we see through your charade. You are no ruler, no mortal man. You are the embodiment of darkness, a creature of-"
The creature's defiant words hung heavy in the air, a challenge met by an unsettling silence. Samael lifted his head, his gaze shifting upwards to stare intently at the rough metal and stone ceiling of the dungeon.
The silence stretched, thick with unspoken tension. Finally, Samael spoke, his voice low and dangerous. "Leviathan," he rumbled, turning towards his advisor, "would any… unpleasant sounds be able to penetrate this… reinforced ceiling?"
The question hung in the air, a thinly veiled threat. Leviathan, ever the master of reading unspoken emotions, understood instantly. A sardonic smile played on his lips as he followed Samael's gaze towards the ceiling.
"Excellent question, Your Majesty," he drawled, his voice smooth as silk. "As a matter of fact, the enchanted metals used in the construction of this dungeon are specifically designed to… dampen sound. No scream, no matter how bloodcurdling, would ever reach the delicate ears of your guest above."
The creature flinched, a flicker of fear finally flickering across its eyes.
The once defiant spark in its eyes had been replaced by a flicker of fear, a chilling realization of its predicament. The soundproofed walls, the King's veiled threat – it all weighed heavily on the captive creature.
"Where were we?" Samael rumbled, his voice deceptively calm.
The creature, its bravado shattered, wasted no time. "We are not here for you," it blurted out, its voice raspy with desperation.
"Not here for me?" he echoed, raising an eyebrow in mock surprise. "You wound me. After all this effort, you choose to grace someone else with your… attention?". His words dripped with sarcasm.
Ignoring the creature's discomfort, Samael reached out to Leviathan. He emerged with a selection of instruments – each more gruesome than the last. A glint of sadistic amusement flickered in his eyes.
"Well," he drawled, his voice a silken threat, "perhaps a little… encouragement will loosen your tongue. Tell me, what is your purpose here? What or who are you searching for?"
The creature's breath hitched, its fear palpable in the oppressive silence of the cell.
The creature, trapped between fear and its unknown objective, let out a humorless laugh. "That," it rasped, its voice shaking, "is for me to know… and for you to find out
Samael's lips curled into a smirk, a dangerous glint in his golden eyes. "A clever response," he conceded, his voice devoid of warmth. "But one that will ultimately lead to your downfall. Secrets have a way of unraveling, even in the most soundproof of prisons."
He picked up a wicked-looking pincer, its sharp points glinting ominously. "Now," he continued, his voice low and menacing, "shall we continue our little game? Or will you finally decide to enlighten us?"
--
An inhuman scream erupted through the dungeon walls, a blood-curdling shriek that seemed to claw its way through the supposedly soundproofed ceiling. It echoed through the narrow corridors, a chilling testament to the horrors taking place within.