As Voldrak stood atop the wall, the distant beasts retreating under Vordia's command, the notification hovered persistently in his mind's eye.
{Once you choose, the system would immediately handle all matters relating to your level-up. I can assure you that it would be worth it.}
The child-like voice was almost innocent, a contrast to the malice lurking behind its words, yet Voldrak had grown numb to its constant nagging. He stared beyond the battlements, watching the enemy forces pull back. It was still far from dawn, and though the beasts had retreated, he knew Vordia would return before the sun fully rose.
"I choose none," Voldrak muttered under his breath, his voice low but certain. He knew the system would hear him, even if he didn't speak aloud.
For now, he turned his focus back to his immediate needs. His body, while enhanced by dark energy, was still painfully mortal. The toll of overusing his powers was already starting to manifest as weakness in his limbs. He needed to conserve what strength he had left for when Vordia inevitably launched his next attack.
"Find me something to eat that doesn't taste like poison," Voldrak commanded, his gaze locking onto a nearby soldier. The man jumped at the order, scrambling to obey. Voldrak could sense Flonda's desire to offer herself for the task, but she hesitated, holding back just in time. A brief smirk crossed his lips—she was learning to play the game.
******************
"GET OUT!" Vordia's voice thundered through the hall, rattling the stone walls with the force of his fury. The guards scattered like frightened animals, their faces pale as they rushed to obey. Even those who had lingered a moment too long felt the weight of Vordia's murderous gaze. His enormous body heaved with barely-contained rage, his fists clenched tightly as he stood towering over Adrani.
The woman knelt at his feet, her head bowed low, while two former family heads from the Bortris clan sat stiffly on either side of Vordia, their expressions tight with fear. Once proud leaders, they now looked like cornered prey, their positions far less enviable than they once had been. Two of Vordia's own men—originally powerful family heads—sat more comfortably, farther away from the tension in the room, even if their confident postures seemed a little brittle.
Vordia's wrath was palpable, a force all its own. He seethed, barely holding himself back from attacking anyone in his sight, though Adrani felt the full weight of his fury.
"You said the beasts would be enough to wear him down!" Vordia's voice boomed again, his face twisted in a snarl. "You were confident that he wouldn't be able to turn MY MEN into those things!"
His massive frame closed in on Adrani, his presence suffocating. She could feel her hands trembling, though her face remained calm, her head still bowed low. When she finally raised her gaze to respond, Vordia's hand lashed out, striking her across the face with such force that she hit the ground.
Adrani didn't make a sound. She knew better. Any noise would only provoke more violence from Vordia. She lay there, motionless, as he crouched beside her, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper.
"Adrani, I'll ask you only once…" He loomed over her, his eyes gleaming with barely-contained cruelty. "Why should you have limbs? Why shouldn't I reach out and rip your heart from your chest right now?"
His hand hovered over her, fingers gliding just above her skin, brushing close enough to her chest to send a shiver of dread down her spine. Adrani's voice shook as she spoke, barely louder than a whisper.
"Use me… If the beasts aren't enough, use me to wear him down."
Vordia scoffed, his eyes narrowing. "So you can become one of his undead?" He mocked her, his tone dripping with disdain. Just as he finished speaking, one of the black-haired women seated near him opened her mouth to speak—cautious, hesitant, but still speaking.
"He hasn't really used them to fight… they've been mixed among his men. Makes one wonder if they can—" Her words were cut short by violent choking, her face turning pale as she gasped for air. Vordia didn't even glance at her as she struggled to breathe. His focus was elsewhere.
"…And someone tell me," Vordia continued, his voice growing darker, "what happens if he's stronger than that but pretending to be weak?"
The man closest to the door, Jui, answered swiftly, his voice edged with caution. "We'll be wiped out."
A smug look flickered across Jui's face, though he didn't dare show it openly as he watched the black-haired woman, Arita, continue choking, her body writhing as her air supply was cruelly restricted by Vordia's unseen power. His control over her fate was absolute, and he showed no sign of relenting.
Vordia's hand shifted again, this time wrapping around Adrani's throat. He lifted her effortlessly, her body suspended in the air as his fingers tightened, making it clear that her life was hanging by a thread. Adrani locked eyes with him, her mind racing. If he's going to kill me, she thought, I refuse to go out as a coward.
She could feel the dark energy swelling inside her, her very essence ready to explode if she needed to. But just as she prepared to unleash it, Vordia's fingers retracted, releasing her from his grip. She fell to the ground, gasping for breath, but Vordia wasn't finished.
"Regardless," he said, his voice now eerily calm, "we'll do as Arita suggested. It's just as dangerous to overestimate your opponent as it is to underestimate them."
A cruel smile spread across Vordia's face, his massive frame casting a shadow over Adrani as he looked down at her with twisted amusement. "Adrani will go," he declared. "Your last act of service to this realm."
Adrani's heart sank, but she forced herself to nod. "Yes, my lord," she replied through gritted teeth, her voice barely above a whisper. She bowed low, her entire body aching from where his hand had squeezed her neck, leaving bruises that would soon bloom across her skin.
I'll kill you, she swore silently. Even if it's the last thing I do.
The hatred she felt for Vordia burned hotter than ever before. Death would have been preferable to the torment he had subjected her to. He hadn't even granted her the dignity of being his mistress—he had degraded her in ways far worse. He had forced her to lick his feet after he had walked barefoot through filth. He had urinated on her in public and dragged her by chains through the streets, leaving her body covered in scars that even her internal energy couldn't heal.
I will have your head, Vordia, Adrani promised herself. Even if it costs me my life.
But unbeknownst to her, Vordia trusted her even less than she realized.
The first light of dawn had barely touched the sky, the darkness retreating to make way for a soft blue hue. Voldrak stood on the wall, his gaze sharp as he watched the approaching horde of beasts. This time, their numbers were double those from the last attack, and their immense size sent a visible wave of fear through his soldiers. Some trembled where they stood, unable to suppress their terror.
'Looks like I'll have to handle this myself,' Voldrak thought with cold disdain. His gaze swept over his men, who were failing to mask their fear. His bloodthirsty aura pressed down on them like a weight, and he couldn't help but wonder why he bothered keeping them around if he always had to do the heavy lifting.
Just as his thoughts shifted back to the incoming beasts, his attention was drawn to a familiar figure approaching the gate—a woman with striking silver hair. Recognition flickered in his mind, though something about her was different this time.
He waited silently as she moved closer, until she stood directly in front of the gate. His burning gaze locked onto her, waiting for her to make the first move.
"I'm guessing you'd like to come in," Voldrak's voice boomed down from the wall, filled with dark amusement. He noticed the tears brimming in her eyes, though it only fueled his curiosity as she nodded and called back.
"I'm here to fight you!" Her voice wavered but held a surprising conviction.
Voldrak suppressed a laugh, the absurdity of her words almost too much. But instead, he gave a simple nod and signaled for the gates to be opened. He had sensed it the moment she approached—the chaotic energy swirling inside her, the same energy that he had sensed in the beasts he had slain. She had no idea what was surging within her, but he did.
If Vordia intended to blow her up in a vain attempt to take him with her, he would let her come closer. After all, where was the fun without a little risk?