Chereads / The Villain’s Ascension / Chapter 21 - An Endless Spiral of Desire

Chapter 21 - An Endless Spiral of Desire

Kael Draven towered over Lysara, his massive, serpentine form glowing faintly in the moonlight. The once-kind and gentle woman now stood before him, her golden hair wild and disheveled, a cigarette dangling lazily from her lips. She had become everything he wanted—a cruel, hardened reflection of his own desires.

Lysara took a long drag from her cigarette, the ember flaring brightly before she exhaled a plume of smoke into the night air. Her silver-tinted eyes locked onto Kael's, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"So, what's it going to be this time?" she asked, her voice dripping with mockery. "More games? Or are you finally going to admit you can't get enough of me?"

Kael's smirk mirrored hers, his silver eyes gleaming. "Oh, Lysara," he said, his voice low and resonant. "You're exactly what I've made you to be. But you've still got a long way to go before you're perfect."

Lysara raised an eyebrow, flicking ash carelessly onto the ground. "Perfect, huh? And how exactly do you plan to 'perfect' me this time?"

Kael's laughter was deep and chilling, the sound reverberating through the clearing. "Let me show you," he said, his massive body coiling around her.

---

The forest around them seemed to hold its breath as Kael's dark magic enveloped Lysara, lifting her effortlessly into the air. She gasped as the shadows wrapped around her, their touch electric and overwhelming.

Kael moved closer, his voice a low murmur in her ear. "You're mine, Lysara. Completely and utterly mine."

She didn't resist. She never resisted anymore.

Their union was raw and consuming, a fusion of power and desire that left Lysara trembling on the brink of collapse. Kael pushed her to her limits, savoring every moment of her surrender. But just as she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness, he pulled back, his magic retreating as he let her fall gently to the ground.

Lysara lay there, her chest heaving, her body trembling with exhaustion. "You always do this," she muttered, her voice weak but tinged with frustration.

Kael smirked, his massive form looming over her. "Of course I do," he said. "What fun would it be to break you completely? You're far more interesting when you're teetering on the edge."

---

The cycle began anew.

Each time Lysara recovered her strength, Kael would return, his hunger for her as insatiable as ever. He pushed her to the brink over and over, savoring the raw, primal connection they shared.

For Lysara, the constant push and pull left her in a perpetual state of exhaustion and anticipation. She hated how much she craved him, how much she longed for his return even as she resented his control over her.

To cope, she threw herself deeper into her vices.

The smoking, which had started as a rebellious act, became an obsession in its own right. Lysara couldn't go more than a few minutes without lighting another cigarette, the acrid smoke filling her lungs like a lifeline.

"You're going to kill yourself with those," one of the villagers had dared to say to her once.

Lysara had laughed in his face, blowing a stream of smoke directly at him. "And what's it to you?" she had sneered. "You're all dying anyway. At least I'm enjoying myself."

---

Kael found her new habits amusing. He often watched her from the shadows, his silver eyes gleaming as she chain-smoked her way through the day, mocking and taunting anyone who crossed her path.

"You're turning into quite the little monster," he remarked one evening, his voice filled with dark amusement.

Lysara smirked, exhaling a cloud of smoke as she leaned back against a tree. "Takes one to know one," she shot back.

Kael chuckled, his massive body coiling around her. "And yet, you're still not enough," he said, his voice soft but cutting.

Lysara's smirk faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered. "Then maybe you're the one who's not enough," she said, her tone defiant.

Kael's laughter echoed through the forest, dark and chilling. "We'll see about that," he said, his voice a low growl.

---

The pattern continued, each encounter leaving Lysara more drained and dependent on Kael. But even as she spiraled deeper into his control, a small part of her began to wonder if she could ever truly escape.

"What am I to you, Kael?" she asked one night, her voice trembling as she lay on the forest floor, her body trembling with exhaustion.

Kael leaned over her, his silver eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "You're a taste," he said simply. "An appetizer before the main course."

Lysara frowned, her chest tightening. "The Void," she said quietly.

Kael's smirk widened. "Exactly. You're a pale shadow of what I truly want, Lysara. But you'll do for now."

The words cut deeper than Lysara wanted to admit. She turned her head away, blinking back tears as she lit another cigarette with trembling hands.

---

Despite Kael's dismissive words, he couldn't deny the satisfaction he felt each time he returned to Lysara. She was a distraction, a release, a way to stave off the unrelenting hunger for the Void that burned within him.

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to break her completely.

"You're stronger than I thought," he admitted one night, his voice low and thoughtful.

Lysara raised an eyebrow, blowing a stream of smoke into the air. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

Kael chuckled. "Take it however you like," he said.

---

As the months passed, the villagers began to avoid Lysara entirely, their fear of her turning to outright hatred. She didn't care. If anything, she reveled in their disdain, using it as fuel for her growing arrogance.

"You're all cowards," she sneered one day, her voice dripping with contempt as she watched them scurry away from her. "Afraid of a woman who's not afraid to take what she wants. Pathetic."

Kael watched her from the shadows, his silver eyes glinting with approval. She was becoming exactly what he wanted—a creature of defiance and desire, unshackled by morality or weakness.

But even as he admired her transformation, he couldn't ignore the gnawing hunger that still burned within him.

The Void.

It was always there, lingering in the back of his mind, calling to him. Lysara was a taste, a distraction—but she wasn't enough.

She would never be enough.

---

One night, as Kael and Lysara lay entwined in the darkness, she turned to him, her silver eyes searching his. "Why do you keep coming back?" she asked quietly.

Kael smirked, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Because you amuse me," he said simply.

Lysara frowned, her chest tightening. "That's all I am to you? Amusement?"

Kael's expression softened, though his silver eyes remained cold. "You're more than that," he said. "But not much more."

Lysara looked away, blinking back tears as she lit another cigarette with trembling hands. The smoke filled her lungs, dulling the ache in her chest.

"I don't need you," she said, her voice trembling.

Kael chuckled, his massive form coiling around her. "We both know that's not true," he said softly. "You'll always need me, Lysara. Just like I'll always need you."

---

But even as he spoke the words, Kael knew they weren't entirely true. Lysara was a distraction, a taste of what he truly craved. And when the time came to face the Void, he would leave her behind without a second thought.

For now, though, he would savor her. He would push her to the brink and pull her back, over and over, until she was nothing more than a shadow of who she had once been.

And Lysara, despite her defiance, would let him.

Because she couldn't escape him.

And deep down, she didn't want to.