838 Bound and Chained
Consciousness returned to Lilian, suddenly and swiftly, as if she had been stirred awake. As she woke up, a painful sensation from the back of her neck flared up, reminder her quickly of what had happened to her. Her panic began to rise as the events within the throne room flooded back, but she winced in pain before she could fully gather her thoughts.
Her soul felt like it was on fire, on the verge of collapse. It was as if her soul had been branded by a flaming hot metal prong, filling her mind with constant pain. She grimaced against the pain, and opened her eyes to take in her surroundings.
A dark and dank cell came into view; appearing like a prisoner’s cell. Dark-stone walls surrounded her in all directions except for in front, where there was a gate made of unknown metal.
Clank!
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Fear and panic once again washed through her as her thoughts finally stabilized, and she realized the situation she was in. Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes as she tried to forcefully yanks her arms free of the chains, but they didn’t not budge an inch. Clearly they were made from formidable materials too durable for her to break.
“Calm down,” a calm voice sounded out from the corner of her cell, behind her right shoulder.
Startled, Lilian quickly turned to face that corner, and was just barely able to do so before the chains snapped tight, limiting any further movement. Lilian’s eyes went wide as she saw who was sitting there in the dimly lit corner, and those wide eyes began to fill with tears, which soon flowed freely down her face.
“Why?” she whispered, her voice hoarse, choked with emotions. “Why did you take me back to father?” she asked, staring directly at the one who had betrayed her when she needed help the most. She had trusted him with all her heart, and that trust had been shattered into a million pieces.
Zeras sat in the corner of the cellar nearby, his calm eyes studying Lilian. A complicated expression appeared on his face for a brief moment, at which point he sighed and stood up. He walked past her to the front of the cellar, while Lilian turned to face him the entire time, her guard raised at the brother she once trusted with her life.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, you know,” Zeras said, standing directly before her. “You weren’t supposed to find out about the deal father had made, at least not until the time had arrived.”
“So you knew the whole time?” Lilian asked, feeling the betrayal of her brother refresh anew.
“I did,” Zeras said, sighing deeply as if he was truly conflicted by the matter.
“How could you agree to it? How could you allow…father to sell me to that demon?” Lilian asked through choked tears, her words barely audible. She felt as if her whole life had shattered, and no hope was left.
“That wasn’t the initial plan,” Zeras replied. “The initial plan was just for you to heal him, once you became strong enough. You would have most likely lived through that ordeal, at which point you would have resumed life as normal. The demon changed the plan the other day, much to our disappointment.”
“So you’re just going to accept his deal? Sell me to him? Just like that?” she asked, still unable to believe her family would so easily sell her like this.
Zeras sighed deeply again, and shrugged his shoulders as if it was out of his hands.
“It’s father’s call in the end,” Zeras replied. “I tried to convince him otherwise, but the offer the Asura gave is just too much to decline.”
“Asura?” Lilian mumbled, repeating the name Zeras had used. She had never heard the word before.
“It’s what he calls himself,” Zeras replied, “or at least what he tells us to call him.”
She didn’t know why, but Lilian shuddered when she heard the word, as if the name were death itself.
“If you don’t agree with father, why didn’t you help me escape? Why not help me now?” Lilian asked, her voice growing louder and angrier. Her eyes, filled with fearful tears, were quickly becoming colder and angrier.
“Ha, go against father? Do you think I have a death wish?” Zeras replied dismissively, as if his sister had made a funny joke. “Besides, why do you think father and my rise in power this last decade has been so extraordinary?” he asked Lilian.
Lilian quickly realized what Zeras was saying; the treasures the demon, the ‘Asura’, gave them, were supposedly amazing, and had helped their cultivations and battle prowess soar.
“Decade? So you’ve known for that long?” Lilian growled, as the betrayal continued to thicken.
“I have,” Zeras said, pacing back and forth before her. “Like I said, it was supposed to be a much better deal for you, but things have now changed. Unfortunately the deal is too great to pass up on, so you…” he paused, as if conflicted to say the next part.
“You will just need to learn to thrive in the Asura’s presence, and hope that he treats you well. If you prove your worth when you are sold to him, I’m sure he won’t mistreat you too much,” Zeras said to her.
Lilian felt her fear and panic replaced by anger at her brothers calloused words. He would not fight for even a second to defend her, and instead had completely gone along with her fathers will. The last shred of love towards her brother and hope for escape faded away, and a feeling of resignation rose up.
She had given up. There was nothing left to live for. Her bright and hopeful life had shattered in an instant, and death was now a sweet release from her torment to come. She would rather die, than serve that Asura for a single second.
Her gaze, filled with anger and growing hatred, locked onto her brother, and her face seemed determined, her mind made up. Her power suddenly flared, and Zeras raised an eyebrow, watching what was happening with intrigued amusement.
Lilian’s soul power flared to its full power, and at this moment, she attempted to unleash that power inwards on herself. She wanted to use her soul power to destroy her soul. She wanted to kill herself.
Her soul power peaked, and then faded away. A blank look appeared in her eyes, which had become almost lifeless. However, it wasn’t lifeless as if she were dead, but lifeless as if the absolute last shred of hope to escape the situation had failed.
She had been unable to kill herself.
“Father knew you would try such a thing,” Zeras said. “And so he placed a soul-seal on your soul while you were unconscious. It’s not as powerful as a slave-contract, which you would never willingly accept, but it’s still good enough. It can’t control you like a slave contract, but it can forbid you from doing certain things; including attempting to kill yourself.”
Zeras’ words struck Lilian like a bolt of lightning. She no longer even controlled her own fate.
“I’m sorry little sister, but the sooner you get used to the situation, the better it will be for everyone,” Zeras said as he placed a hand on her shoulder for a moment, and then left the cell, leaving her chained in the darkness.
Silence filled the darkness, which was soon filled with the sound of muffled cries and pattering tears.