Trapped in the annex for a day, I endured the tormented skies. Rain lashed down like a malevolent curse, thunder booming ominously. The clouds, a deep, foreboding black, seemed to swallow all light. Every strike sent shivers through my soul.
Ezekiel's barriers suffocated me, fueling dread. What evil plan brewed behind his cold eyes? I thought I'd grown numb to their cruelty, but fear still flickered, refusing to be extinguished.
The thunder cracked louder, shattering my thoughts. Darkness deepened, and with it, my terror. My heart raced, every nerve screaming warning.
As the thunder boomed again, the door swung open, framing Ezekiel smiled. "And there she is, gentlemen." His voice dripped with malice.
My body reacted instinctively, panic coursing through my veins. Escape was my sole chance. If I failed, today would be my last.
"My lord, she surpasses your description," one of them sneered, eyes ravenous with lust.
Ezekiel's smile twisted. "Patience, gentlemen. As promised, a night with her is yours... after her mana is drained."
Their gazes crawled over me, radiating malice and depravity. Each face was a mirror of Ezekiel's cruelty.
He clasped an artifact around my neck, it's cold metal constricting like a noose. The instant it touched my skin, agony ravaged my body. It felt as if my very essence was being ripped apart.
A wave of scorching heat washed over me, leaving me dizzy and reeling. My vision blurred, darkness encroaching.
"Ah, it hurts! Everywhere!" I screamed, writhing in agony. You're draining too much!"
But he continued, relentlessly. "You're mine now. I'll take everything until I'm satisfied.
Unlike before, he'd leave me with a shred of mana,but now he sought to exhaust me completely. I felt my energy dwindling, my life force fading
away.
"Lynn... the others... where are they?" I pleaded, desperate for any connection.
Ezekiel's laughter cut me off, a cold blade to the heart. "Dead, I presume... and you'll join them soon enough."
His words ignited a raging fire within me. "You monster!" I spat, venom dripping from my voice. "I won't forgive you. You killed them. I'll kill you. I'll avenge them."
Ezekiel's laughter grew louder, a cruel mockery. "Revenge? It's not possible, not in this lifetime. You're mine now. Don't waste your breath on futile dreams."
His eyes gleamed with sadistic pleasure. "You're just a slave, plucked before her potential bloomed. Sold to the highest bidder, doomed to suffer. If only you'd met your 'friends' sooner, perhaps your fate would have differed... but now, it's too late."
His voice dripped with malice. "Curse those who brought you into our world, if you must. But know this: your hope is extinguished, your future is shattered. Only Eternal agony awaits."
As he spoke, the shadows around me seemed to deepen, darkness closing in like a suffocating shroud.
"Ezekiel, haven't you had your fill?" one of them spoke up. "Let us take our turn. If you drain her mana completely, she'll perish before we can indulge."
Their words dripped with depravity, fueling my despair. Inside, I felt hollow, devoid of hope. Everything seemed lost. I no longer cared about living; death would be a welcome respite.
Abandoned and unloved, I had no one to turn to. The only thought consuming me was vengeance – how to annihilate Ezekiel.
Their lustful gazes suffocated me, extinguishing my will to live. I felt filthy, hopeless.
No one cared about me, then or now. My thoughts swirled with hatred and self-loathing. How could I protect others when I couldn't even save my friends?
Lynn, Lumi, Keahi, and Sylvanie – their faces haunted me, reminder of my failure.
In that darkness, I vowed to eradicate emotions if I were ever to reborn. No more pain, no more weakness.
The stormy sky and relentless rain echoed my turmoil.
"Your Highness, lost in thought?" Lady Celina asked, her voice grating. "Your betrothed deserves your attention."
"It's nothing, Lady Celina," I replied, forcing a smile. "A trivial matter, nothing worth your concern."
Her gaze lingered, suspicious. "No need to apologize, my love. As your fiancée and future wife, I'll always be by your side."
Her dark mana churned my stomach, a reflection of her tainted soul.
"Your Highness, may I inquire why you spared those monsters? They initiated the attack, yet you didn't order the knights to eliminate them."
The crown prince's eyes narrowed. " Lady Celina,Are you suggesting I desire war with the wyverns, now of all times, when our engagement has just been announced?"
My frustration boiled over. "Isn't that exactly what you're hoping for? Our people are losing mana at an alarming rate. The number of magic-users is dwindling, and yet you seem hell-bent on sparking a conflict that will only accelerate our downfall."
"Your Highness, forgive the intrusion, but Commander Edric requests your immediate attention. The matter is urgent."
Lady Celina's face fell, her disappointment evident.
"I apologize, Lady Celina," I continued, rising from my seat. "Our time together has been cut short, but duty calls. I'll ensure Cassandra escorts you safely back to your estate, despite this dreadful weather."
I turned to the attendant. "Inform Cassandra to exercise utmost caution and ensure Lady Celina's safe passage."
"Commander Edric, what urgent matter demands my attention?" I asked, my voice firm.
"Your Highness, I apologize for interrupting your time with Lady Celina, but our investigation into the Ravenwood family yielded crucial information," Commander Edric explained.
"What did you uncover?" I pressed, my interest deepening.
"Our investigation indicates that the Ravenwood family exists in name only, Your Highness," Commander Edric began. "The woman Lord Ezekiel escorted at your engagement ball was an imposter. The Ravenwoods have two sons, no daughters."
I frowned, intrigued. "Continue."
"We discovered that Lady Ravenwood was a slave purchased by the Marquis five years ago," Commander Edric revealed. "She had distinctive platinum hair, which Lord Ezekiel altered to conceal her identity."
My grip tightened. "Go on."
"Furthermore, there was a breach at the academy library," Commander Edric added "The intruder accessed the restricted sections reserved for the imperial and ducal families. The academy suspects no other then the Luciano family eldest son Ezekiel Luciano, Your Highness."
The words hung like a challenge, casting a shadow on the imperial family reputation.
"I should have known," I whispered, recalling Elizabeth's futile search. "Our eyes met, and I sensed a haunting familiarity."
"Commander Edric, mobilize the knights," I ordered, my voice firm.
"As you command, Your Highness," Commander Edric replied, his tone crisp.
"Ezekiel, you've broken her," Eric sneered. "This bitch is showing no reaction."
Ezekiel countered, "She's playing you, Eric. She withstood torture without flinching; she won't break now."
"Brother, your selfishness knows no bounds. Hoarding the fun for yourself, as always."
Lina's voice dripped with curiosity. "What brought you home before dinner? Did His Highness dismiss you early?" he asked.
"My fiancé had urgent matters to attend to, so he sent me back home."
Ezekiel's face darkened. "That cursed bastard of a prince sent you back alone. Does he think his crown excuses reckless disregard for your safety?"
As thunder boomed outside, Ezekiel's eyes flashed with sinister intent.
"What sick games are you playing with this filthy creature, Ezekiel? Keeping secrets from me, your own sister? Are you hiding this from our father too?
Ezekiel's voice dripped with malevolence. "Lina, my sweet sister, rest easy. This wench has fulfilled her purpose she's no use to us anymore. I'm going to kill her.Soon, the empire will tremble at our feet."
"Big brother, what's your plan? Do you truly intend to topple the imperial family and claim the throne?"
Ezekiel's eyes gleamed with ambition. "Overthrow the empire? Child's play. I'll reshape the realm in my own image."
Lina sneered. "You're delusional, brother. Your mana is insufficient for such a feat."
Ezekiel's smile widened. "Worry not, dear sister. I've accounted for every detail."
"I'm bored with this wench, I'm leaving," Eric said.
The figure departed, and Ezekiel's gaze turned icy.
"You've served your purpose, bitch. Now Die."
His sword flashed, piercing my chest. As darkness encroached, I felt an eerie numbness. As vision faded:
"I thought death would hurt...but it's almost peaceful ...liberating. Finally I'm free from their grasp."
Despair was my constant companion, a shroud that enveloped me in its suffocating embrace. Darkness, my eternal friend, closed in around me, a heavy veil that obscured the faintest glimmer of hope.
Alone, abandoned, and forsaken, I surrendered to the torrent of emotions that ravaged my soul. Tears streamed down my face, a deluge of sorrow that threatened to consume me whole.
I wept for the life I once knew, for the dreams that had been shattered, for the love that had been denied. I wept for the fragile threads of hope that had been cruelly severed.
In the silence, my sobs echoed through the empty corridors of my heart, a haunting lament that seemed to have no end. The darkness absorbed my cries, a cold, uncaring witness to my anguish.
And yet, even in the depths of my despair, I found a strange solace. For in the darkness, I was free to mourn, to grieve, and to let go. Free to surrender to the crushing weight of my sorrow.
I cried, I cried, I cried – until the tears would come no more, until the darkness claimed me, and I was lost in its eternal, silent embrace.
To be continued.