Chapter 10: Tamara’s Narrative

In a cave, somewhere in the jungles of the Albrorian Empire. Two glowing crystals hanging on the wall were the only light sources for the two people occupying the spacious cavern.

Tyrak was leaning on one of the walls, just beside one of the crystals, with his arms folded across his chest. Tamara stood a short distance away, in the middle of the six-pointed star that had previously surrounded Tyrak's body. She looked beyond tragic as she recounted her side of events to Tyrak.

Tyrak was still in the tattered clothes that had accompanied him for years in the mines. His expression had already turned somber as he listened to Tamara's narrative. The strange girl had been talking for about half an hour, and the more Tyrak heard, the more he felt like he had just survived a fate worse than death.

Tamara was an apprentice from a mystical place called the Oracle Temple. She had already learned some basic clairvoyance skills and could utilize them to peek into the fates of those within her close proximity.

While on her way to Ellwich City, the girl passed through a forested jungle and cast a divination spell on a whim. She was only trying her luck — just to see if there was any treasure or any other good fortune she could discover from the nearby areas. But surprisingly, her divination unearthed something more substantial than she could have anticipated. She uncovered a young man with boundless potential and unfathomable destiny in the vicinity. That young man was obviously Tyrak Morningstar.

Tamara was so surprised by the young man's potential. She couldn't believe what she had just discovered and thus cast the spell multiple times just to be sure. After utilizing a series of clairvoyance treasures, Tamara finally confirmed that her divination was correct without any margin of error.

She immediately got into action and approached Tyrak. Using her wits, she exploited his need for food and drugged him before bringing him to a nearby isolated cave. She then utilized her apprentice oracle skills and initiated the Fate Queen's Rite of Enslavement, hoping to take Tyrak as a fate slave. But something must have gone wrong while she was conducting the ritual, and instead of taking Tyrak as a slave, she became his slave. According to her words, that was the whole story.

Tyrak felt like his entire worldview had been overturned after hearing Tamara's narrative. Once again, he thanked the heavens for helping him survive the ordeal before taking a moment to clear his mind. There were still doubts that he couldn't unravel, so he turned to the strange Tamara for clarification.

"I just saw you extracting those massive bolts from the floor with just a wave of your hand," he said with a sigh. "For sure, you must be more powerful than me. Considering all that, why would you go to great lengths to take me as your slave?"

"As I already stated, I only considered your potential. You might be weak now, but you won't remain without power in the future. According to my divination, your fate is boundless and unfathomable. I can't begin to comprehend how far you will go and how strong you will become after a few decades. I doubt that even the matriarch of the Oracle Temple can unravel your destiny. That knowledge allowed me to harden my resolve, and I initiated the Fate Queens Enslavement Ritual, hoping to bond with you. Had it been successful, I would have managed to tie down a talent with boundless prospects. But unfortunately, everything went wrong, and I became the victim of my own spell. Fate is really merciless."

"I also wish to bring to your attention another matter," Tamara continued. "As an apprentice, I still command some powers and can cast a few attacking and defensive spells of the earth and metal attributes. But after I cross that threshold and become an official oracle, I'll most likely have to give up all those powers. I will become as weak as a mortal after gaining more abilities to peer into the secrets of destiny and fate. That was another reason why I wanted to tie myself to you so that we can rise to the apex of this world together. But please know this: I had no intention to harm you in any way. I just wanted to make you a reliable companion who could weather storms with me in the future."

"This is absurd," Tyrak scoffed with a wave of his arm. "Even though I might be ignorant in many ways of the world, I still understand that true companionship comes from mutual intents of two parties. You can't just enslave someone and presume they will become a companion loyal to you. Instead of going through with such a vile enslavement ritual, why didn't you try to befriend me? Maybe, I would have become your most loyal companion had you gone about things in such a way."

"I'm sorry..." Tamara mumbled. "But I thought it natural to get myself a slave. Every oracle apprentice will, at some point in her life, get herself a slave, who goes on to become her sword and protector. Even the matriarch of our temple, one of the most prominent persons in the whole of Othea, has a fate slave. It's something natural in our temple."

Tyrak sighed and looked at the girl. The fact that she had become his slave didn't bring him any comfort whatsoever. Instead, he felt revolted by the very idea. He had been a slave for the past seven years of his life. He had experienced the horror and felt the terror of being at the mercy of the whims of another countless times. He didn't wish such a fate upon another human being. It was his very bottom line.

Silence descended upon the cave as Tyrak remained still for some time. Then, after straightening his thoughts, he eventually asked, "Is there any way to dispel the enslavement contract between us?"

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On hearing the question, Tamara's pretty lips formed an O-shape. "You wish to dispel the enslavement contract?"

"Yes, I do," Tyrak replied emphatically. "I'm obviously aware that your initial intent was to enslave me. But instead, you ended up allowing me to experience the true pleasures of the bonding between a man and a woman. I'm grateful to you for that. So, I wish to cancel the enslavement contract. Let's call it even and go our own ways from here on."

"Call it even? Is there any way we can make all this even?" A frown outlined her otherwise angelic features, and she inhaled deeply before looking Tyrak in the eye. "Let me tell you a few things about myself. I'm one of the most talented apprentice oracles in the Oracle Temple. As long as I cross that crucial threshold and become an official oracle, casting divination spells to uncover the location of various treasures that can allow you to grow stronger quickly will be effortless for me. Moreover, as your loyal servant, I'll also be able to warn you in advance if you're about to face dangerous situations. Knowing all that, do you still want to dispel the enslavement contract?"

"Yes, I want to cancel the contract," Tyrak answered without hesitation. "Honestly, I don't trust you. I don't think I want you to stay by my side. So, it's better we dispel the contract and go our own ways."

Tamara let out a slow breath as if to calm herself down. "My dear, Tyrak! I guess we're out of luck, then. There's no method to dispel a Queen of Fate Enslavement Ritual contract. Moreover, not even the mightiest of powerhouses in Othea have a way to undo it."

Tyrak's eyes flickered with a shadow of both surprise and helplessness. "You don't seem eager to undo the contract. Is there really no way to dispel it?"

Tamara frowned, clearly with displeasure. "Do you think I would be willing to remain enslaved to a scoundrel such as you if there was another option? If a solution exited, I would eagerly dispel the contract. I wouldn't hesitate before parting with an idiot like you."

The corners of Tyrak's lips curled into a smile. "It was only a short while ago that you were engaging in the most intimate actions with that scoundrel. Now that you have already gotten what you want, you have already started calling the same scoundrel an idiot. I really have to get away from you as soon as possible."

"Tyrak..." Tamara screamed, her loud voice creating echoes in the otherwise silent cave. Her face flushed, heat touching her cheeks and throat. She let out a slow breath and said, "I have just realized that you can be really annoying. But no matter what you say, there's nothing that will change. There's no other way to undo a Queen of Fate Enslavement Ritual contract except by killing the slave among the two contracting parties. If you wish to dispel the contract, you can just end my life. You're already my master in both body and soul. So, I won't resist no matter what you wish to do to me."

Tyrak's eyes narrowed as a troubled expression outlined his face. He glanced at Tamara, taking in her exquisite features before shaking his head. "There's no deep-seated hatred between us. I have no desire to kill you or keep you as a slave. So, even if we cannot undo the contract between us, we can still go our own separate ways. It was a pleasure knowing you, Tamara! But this is where we say our goodbyes!"

Tyrak nodded at the girl and immediately started making his way toward the cave's exit. His steps were quick as he didn't wish to continue staying in the same place as the girl who had almost enslaved him.

"My dear, Tyrak," Tamara's voice sounded before he could even cover a distance of five yards. "Wait a moment! There's something else I wish to say to you. You will surely regret it if you leave before hearing what I have got to say."

"Oh, Tamara!" Tyrak exclaimed, the anger in his eyes becoming more apparent. He whirled around and faced the girl again. "Don't test my patience. I have already forgiven your deed of trying to enslave me with your vile ritual. Even though I can control you through the slave contract, I have still chosen not to do so. I don't trust you, and I don't want anything from you."

"Is that right?" Tamara grimaced. "But where will you go after departing from here? You don't even know the directions to the nearest city. Moreover, you must understand that traversing the forests and jungle at night is really dangerous. There are bandits and dangerous nocturnal beasts roaming about the place. Why not wait until dawn before you leave?"

Tyrak snorted. "If I were to die, you would regain your freedom. Why are you so concerned about my safety?"

"That's where you're wrong," Tamara said, her voice almost like a whisper. "As a fate slave, my life is tied to yours as my master. If you were to die, I would suffer the same fate. That's how the Fate Queen's Rite of Enslavement contract works. There's no way around it."

The cave quietened, and Tyrak's mind grew calmer and less angered. Sighing and shaking his head, he asked, "You wished to make me your companion by enslaving me with such a despicable ritual! Why don't I just kill you right now before you get another opportunity to enslave someone else?"

Tamara looked at Tyrak calmly. "You can do as you please. I won't resist. But before that, let me bring to your attention a matter. During the day, I saw you trying to hunt two rabbits..."

"You even saw that!" Tyrak was surprised again. "For how long were you watching me?"

"Much longer than you can fathom," Tamara replied. "However, all that's not important at the moment. While you were trying to hunt the rabbits, I noticed that you have impressive innate strength and agility. Even though you're yet to awaken your consciousness, you can still match up to apprentice warlocks and master rangers and warriors just with your powerful physique. Nevertheless, all that strength is wasted on you since you don't know how to employ it properly in battle. Additionally, you can't utilize movement spells, and that limits your lethality during fights. You're just like a young kid waving around a powerful weapon that is your body, and if you don't overcome that weakness, you will find it hard to defeat even opponents much weaker than you."

"Oh!" Tyrak's heart skipped a beat as the words resonated with him. He really felt that he had grown powerful after receiving the blessing from the mysterious entity. But when he wanted to hunt down some rabbits, he had been helpless before them. They had effortlessly fled from him long before he could land an attack on them.

Toning down his anger, he nodded to acknowledge Tamara's words. "All you have said is true. But why are you telling me this?"

Tamara sighed. "I can teach you to overcome that weakness."

"You can teach me?"

"Yes. I have grown up taking lessons from many combat warlocks. I can teach you what I have learned throughout the years, and you will become more adept at using your powerful body for combat. Hunting rabbits or even savage beasts will turn into something effortless after learning from me."

"Is that so?" Tyrak's eyes lit up with anticipation. But he forced himself to remain calm. "You have mentioned the word warlocks twice during our conversation. What kind of people are they?"