The sun now shines bright in the sky as Yue travels with her brothers and Ezra as well as elder Feng, they leisurely stroll in a small town passing by drunkards and other common folk, on Yue's back rests a large backpack carrying valuable items from the Jin clan estate.
"I can't believe she was taken... And i was powerless to stop it..." Ezra says with a sad expression but Qiang wraps an arm around his shoulder, "don't worry, kid! We will find her and save her, i can say with outmost certainty!" He says but Ezra doesn't seem to cheer up. "Besides, i know her! She wouldn't ever let herself be defeated in such a way!"
While they converse, Helena is still chained in the palace, kneeling on the cold brick floor of the prison as the Principle of Justice merely sits on a luxurious chair which wasn't there before, he plays with his sword, cutting his finger over and over again on the sword's edge.
Helena looks completely exhausted, still kneeling completely naked, her black hair flowing down onto the floor. Her hair apears cleanly cut but without any pattern, clearly cut by a sword's edge. Astaroth smiles, the holes of his mask only showing his white teeth and narrowed blue eyes.
"Do you like it? This is only a fraction of the pain you had caused to your victims in your missions... You had brought horrible pain and sorrow to them and their loved ones so now you shall face your retribution." He laughs, "after all, that is true Justice, isn't it, Principle of Resentment?"
"Don't act so high and mighty!" She yells, "you have done things far worse so you have no right to judge me!"
"Oh, i have every right! After all, i am Justice, what i do is right by default." He says in a condescending tone as he raises his sword and cleaves Helena's left arm clean off.
Helena screams in pain as blood gushes out of the wound but it quite quickly stops bleeding but her whole body is still cramping up.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
"I see... You still have some demonic blood within you... Small amounts but enough..." He laughs, "i'm glad, i would've hated if you had died from a severed limb, perhaps you aren't as weak as i originally assumed." He brings his blade up to her neck.
"Now... Tell me... Where is Johan?" He asks but Helena keeps quiet, "don't wanna speak, huh? Oh, i will enjoy killing you! Once he arrives, i will cut you up into pieces!"
"I don't know where Johan is..." She says with difficulty, "bullshit!" Astaroth yells, "you traveled with him and our sources say that he is no longer with you, so where is he?!" He shouts again but upon seeing Helena's silence he puts his sword away and facepalms.
"Damn it... That just made my job a whole lot more difficult..." He sighs, "why me... Why couldn't Belphagor get this job? I always get the most difficult jobs..." He complains, talking to himself before finally sheathing his sword and telling Helena that he will leave her alone for a moment before he leaves the room.
Meanwhile, Yue had already found a place to stay in a stranger's home who seemed very welcoming, though she would have to share one room with her brothers and Ezra as well as elder Feng she didn't mind as long as it was shelter from the rain and they didn't have to sleep outside.
The home was humble, as all homes were in the town and they didn't have a large house, seemingly living in home with only a few rooms but it was quite well decorated. As everyone lays on the floor of one of the room, moonlight shining through the open window as the sound of rain fills the quiet space.
Everyone sleeps as Ezra seems to be the only one awake, the fact of Helena's capture seems to eat at his mind, how he could ever allow something like that to happen makes him angry at himself, how would he ever be able to live with himself if Helena dies due to his own weakness?
Though he eventually falls asleep, he still thinks about Helena. As he sleeps he dreams of a dark room, Helena chained up with a severed arm with two tall male figures standing before her while images of a blue palace with a large garden and fountain flash in his mind before one of the figures slashes down with a sword at Helena. Ezra abruptly awakens in a cold sweat, holding his face which is filled with fear as he constantly repeats the words "it is just a dream..."
TO BE CONTINUED...