Echo 8 – Lover’s Silence. [12.0. Scarlet Requiem]
image [https://dokjafang.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/download-11-1-1-1.jpg?w=2046]
On November 26, 2024 By Fang Dokja In Arc 12. Scarlet Requiem
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
This story contains graphic and intense depictions of violence, including detailed descriptions of battlefield deaths, mutilation, and gore, which may be upsetting to some readers. The narrative explores themes of madness, loss of humanity, and the psychological toll of war, including moments of manic behavior and unhinged cruelty.
1. Psychological Horror: There are unsettling portrayals of madness and a descent into uncontrollable bloodlust, creating an oppressive atmosphere of dread.
2. Cruelty and Brutality: Characters exhibit cold-blooded cruelty, with moments of excessive and sadistic violence described in detail.
3. War and Death: Themes of war, fear, and inevitable death are central, with an emphasis on the destruction of lives and humanity.
4. Body Horror: The narrative includes imagery of desecrated corpses and dismembered limbs, which may disturb some readers.
5. Graphic depictions of violence and gore: The story vividly describes physical combat, injuries, and death in a battlefield setting, including bloodshed and explicit descriptions of wounds and carnage.
6. Dark themes of power and dominance: The story explores unsettling dynamics of control and possession, with one character exerting dominance over another in a way that may feel invasive or predatory.
7. Sexual violence and non-consensual acts: The story includes a scene of physical domination that involves unwanted physical contact, which could be triggering for some readers.
8. Foul language: The narrative contains strong and explicit language, often used to emphasize the intensity of the scenes or the characters’ emotions.
9. Psychological manipulation and torment: One character inflicts emotional and psychological distress on another, accompanied by obsessive and possessive behavior.
10. Themes of madness and instability: The story features a character whose descent into madness drives much of their behavior, creating a tense and unsettling atmosphere.
11. Torture and Pain: Themes of physical and psychological pain are central to the narrative, with detailed descriptions of suffering.
12. Dark Sexual Undertones: There are subtle, dark references to lust and desire, interwoven with violence and control.
While the story does not shy away from visceral and intense themes, it also explores the nature of power, chaos, and the human (or inhuman) response to extreme situations. Proceed with caution if you are sensitive to graphic violence or depictions of mental instability. The narrative dives deep into the psyche of its characters, delivering a gripping yet disturbing experience that may not be suitable for all audiences.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Status: Draft #1
Last Edited: November 26, 2024
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Three years ago, when the Azure Empire launched their invasion against the Crimson Empire, the Imperial Family was in panic. The Azure forces, led by their hero Jade Ohara, were sweeping through the fields, leaving nothing but blood and devastation in their wake. Every time the Azure army set foot on a new battlefield, it was as though they were merely sweeping away the Crimson forces with effortless brutality. Victory after victory, Jade’s legend only grew. The Crimson Empire’s borders began to thin, and for the first time, the Imperial Family felt real fear.
But as the fighting worsened and the threat of a full-scale collapse loomed on the horizon, they made a desperate decision. The Imperial Family, reluctant as they were, sent word to the one man they both feared and needed: Archduke Light Valor.
They had their reservations. After all, he wasn’t someone they could trust. He was, at best, a necessary evil, someone with the strength to match Jade Ohara’s mythical reputation but someone whose unpredictable cruelty had made even the Imperial Family wary. But the situation was dire. The Azure Empire had Jade Ohara, and they had no one else capable of turning the tide.
Light Valor had never been a man who responded to calls for help. His motives were his own, his actions dictated by nothing more than the desire for the thrill of the hunt. To everyone’s shock, though, the Archduke accepted their plea for assistance without protest. He didn’t seek glory. He didn’t need any more power or recognition. He simply wanted… something else. No one knew what. But they were too desperate to ask.
And so it began.
----------------------------------------
The Imperial Family sent Light Valor and his private battalion to the front lines of the war with the Azure Empire. They hoped for some kind of strategy, some divine miracle that would tilt the battlefield in their favor. But they were wrong to think they knew what he would do.
The soldiers, those sent to watch over him, were already plotting his death. They hated him, after all. Everyone did. The Archduke was a man who radiated cruelty, and they saw this as an opportunity to get rid of him once and for all. Their plan was simple: corner him, get him alone, and let Jade Ohara finish the job. What better way to rid the world of such a monster than with the most feared warrior in the known world?
But they underestimated one crucial thing.
----------------------------------------
The moment Light Valor stepped onto the battlefield, it was clear that he was not going to die. No, he was going to live—and they were going to die.
The soldiers had been planning their trap, thinking they could bait him into the killing zone, hoping to outsmart him. But Light Valor had other ideas.
The Azure Empire’s forces began to close in, surrounding him. Soldiers, archers, mages, all closing in on their target. Jade Ohara, watching from a distance, prepared to launch the final strike. The Archduke was a sitting duck—so they thought.
The trap snapped shut, but then… nothing.
For a long, quiet moment, there was only the sound of the wind and the distant screams of battle. The air was thick with tension as the soldiers waited for the moment they could strike. The Archduke hadn’t moved. He hadn’t even flinched.
Then, the silence shattered.
Light Valor’s head snapped up, his eyes wide and burning with a crazed hunger that no one had ever seen before. It was as though a switch had been flipped. He grinned—a twisted, insane grin—as the realization hit. The moment he had been waiting for, the one thing that excited him beyond anything else: chaos.
His laughter came first, soft and slow, almost playful. But it built. It grew. The laughter turned into a full-blown cackle, one that rang out over the battlefield.
“I’m entertained,” he hissed between fits of manic laughter, his voice like the crack of a whip. “This is what I’ve been waiting for!”
And just like that, Light Valor surged forward, his sword drawn, moving faster than any man had a right to. The soldiers barely had time to register the movement before they were dead.
One soldier swung his blade in a desperate attempt to cut him down. Light Valor was faster. His body moved like liquid, slipping out of the way of the strike with terrifying ease. He didn’t counterattack with grace or finesse—he didn’t need to. No, he fought with the kind of raw, unbridled violence that made the very air tremble.
With one brutal strike, he cleaved the soldier’s arm clean off, the severed limb falling to the ground with a sickening thud. The man screamed, but Light Valor was already moving, his blade ripping through the air. Another soldier tried to rush him from behind, but the Archduke spun, grabbing the man by the throat with inhuman strength.
“How predictable,” he muttered as he twisted the man’s neck with a sickening crack. He dropped the lifeless body to the ground as though it was nothing more than a discarded toy.
The Azure soldiers hesitated, momentarily stunned. They had all been so sure, so confident that they would crush him. But now… they were beginning to realize the truth. They were not in control. He was.
Light Valor’s body was covered in blood, but the more he was drenched in it, the more his bloodlust grew. It wasn’t just a fight for survival anymore—it was a game. A violent, vicious game. His laughter echoed across the field, mingling with the screams of dying men.
“Who else wants to play?” he yelled, his voice dripping with madness. He charged into the next group of soldiers with the kind of fury that could only be described as primal. His sword cleaved through armor and flesh alike, moving with a speed that left a wake of dismembered bodies behind him.
A mage attempted to cast a spell from the distance, raising his hands to conjure an explosion of magic. Light Valor’s gaze snapped toward him, and in an instant, the Archduke was there. The mage never saw it coming. Light Valor’s fist collided with the man’s face with enough force to shatter bone, sending him sprawling across the battlefield.
“Pathetic,” he muttered as he wiped the blood from his face, the joy in his eyes impossible to miss. “Magic? Really?”
And then, without warning, he dove into the thick of the battle again, a storm of violence, blood, and broken bodies.
The soldiers who had been watching, waiting for Jade Ohara’s arrival, had already begun to panic. Some turned to flee, others attempted to regroup, but it didn’t matter. The Archduke had turned the tables. He wasn’t fighting to win. He wasn’t even fighting to survive.
He was fighting for the thrill.
And in that moment, Light Valor was unstoppable.
The blood of hundreds of men coated the battlefield, and still, the Archduke fought on. His body was bruised, covered in cuts, but every wound seemed to make him more dangerous. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t falter. He only grew more brutal with every passing second.
He had no mercy. He had no empathy. He had no humanity.
And that, perhaps, was the most terrifying thing of all.
----------------------------------------
When the dust finally settled, the battlefield was unrecognizable. The Azure soldiers had been slaughtered. The ground was slick with blood, the bodies of the fallen littering the field like discarded scraps.
And there, standing amidst the carnage, was Light Valor, drenched in blood, his eyes wild with madness. He grinned, panting heavily, his chest rising and falling with the thrill of the kill.
“I win,” he whispered, his voice hoarse but triumphant.
And as the last of the Azure Empire’s forces retreated, they did so in fear, in horror, knowing that they had just witnessed a monster unleashed.
═════════════════
The battlefield had turned into something far worse than any nightmare. The Crimson Empire’s soldiers, who had been watching from the distance, now found themselves frozen in terror. The once cold and calculated Archduke Light Valor, the man they all knew to be ruthless and cruel, was no longer the same. What they saw now was something altogether monstrous.
The azure blood spilled across the field had created a grotesque tapestry of death, each body laying at impossible angles, limbs torn from their sockets, faces disfigured beyond recognition. And through it all, the Archduke was laughing—madly, manically, with a wildness that was utterly alien to them.
“You all look so… funny,” he cackled, his voice almost a growl as he circled the carnage. His eyes gleamed with an unholy joy, his lips stained with the blood of men he had butchered with his own hands. His laughter wasn’t just the sound of a man pleased with his own violence; it was the sound of someone who had been pushed to the edge, who had snapped, and now reveled in the chaos like an animal released from a cage.
“See this?” he gestured to the fallen, his finger tracing the lifeless body of an Azure soldier, “This one’s a real mess. You know what I love about this?” His voice was high-pitched, delirious. “It’s all just… so… entertaining!“
One of the Crimson soldiers, watching from behind a pile of rubble, muttered, his voice trembling with fear, “What the hell is happening to him?”
A fellow soldier, standing beside him, paled, his breath shallow, “That’s Light Valor… but… but he’s not the same. He’s not… I don’t… this isn’t him.” His hand shook as he grasped the hilt of his sword, unsure whether it was for defense or simply to hold himself steady.
Another soldier, his face twisted with disgust and horror, spat, “Madness… he’s always been cold, cruel—dangerous. But this? This… This is different. It’s like he’s enjoying it. And that—that… that’s what scares me most.”
The laughter was like a virus, spreading through the ranks of the soldiers, infecting them with fear. It was no longer a man wielding power—it was a force of nature, something they could not contain. They had all heard of his strength, his intellect, his unrelenting cruelty, but no one had expected this. This primal, unhinged bloodlust.
The man who had once been known for his cold demeanor, for his calculated violence, was now an unpredictable, uncontrollable nightmare.
“He’s enjoying it,” muttered another soldier, wide-eyed. His voice cracked with disbelief. “I thought… I thought he was just… just a monster… but this—this is something else entirely.”
“What is this?!” the first soldier cried out, shaking his head, the cold grip of dread clutching his chest. “That magic—what is that? It’s different. It’s… raw.”
The soldiers could feel it now, that oppressive force in the air—the magic swirling around Light Valor, a tangible presence that made the very earth tremble beneath their feet. It was thick, suffocating, and the soldiers couldn’t breathe without tasting the foul, metallic tang of the blood-soaked battlefield.
“It’s horrible,” whispered one soldier, his voice breaking. He looked at his companions, his face pale with realization. “He has it… doesn’t he? The Madness… he’s got it.“
A wave of panic surged through the soldiers, whispers of the ancient curse known as Madness spreading like wildfire among them. Madness. A phenomenon so rare, so dangerous, that only the most powerful and intelligent individuals were susceptible to it. Those born with it were cursed to suffer excruciating pain, an agony that consumed their mind and body day after day. Most died young, driven to madness by the relentless torment.
The soldiers had never known Light Valor to be affected by it. He had always been… so controlled, so precise. But now, watching him tear through the battlefield with such savage abandon, with that insane, blood-lust grin plastered on his face, it was clear. This was not just him losing his composure. This was Madness.
And it was like nothing they had ever witnessed before.
“Is that what he’s been hiding all this time?” one of the soldiers murmured, eyes wide in horror. “I thought… I thought he was just ruthless, but now—now it’s like he’s… possessed. He’s enjoying every second of it. God help us all.“
The man who had been the very symbol of power and fear for the Empire was now something else entirely. The soldiers didn’t know whether they should flee or fight. But deep down, they all knew—fighting was futile.
Light Valor’s laughter echoed across the battlefield, bouncing off the broken ruins like a bell tolling the death of reason. He wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes wide with manic glee.
“You see, this is what I’ve been waiting for. This is what I want. All of you… you underestimate me. You think you can kill me, make me suffer… but this—this is nothing compared to what I endure every day!” His voice was filled with a twisted sense of triumph. “Do you hear that? I am finally free.“
The soldiers watched, horrified and paralyzed, as Light Valor twisted and wrenched the corpses of his fallen enemies like ragdolls, tossing limbs around, desecrating bodies with an almost casual disregard. He was a man unbound, unleashed from every restraint, a predator in the truest sense. And for the first time in his life, it seemed he had found peace—in the blood, in the gore, in the frenzy of destruction.
His eyes darted toward them—wild, gleaming with the fire of madness. “You’re next,” he purred. “All of you. You’re all just food for the hunt.”
And for a moment, the soldiers froze. It wasn’t fear—they were beyond that. It was horror. The realization that they were not just fighting a man. They were fighting madness itself.
Light Valor’s lips parted in a vicious grin. “I’m not here for your little wars,” he spat. “I’m here because I’m bored. I’m here because this—this is fun.”
And then, without warning, he lunged forward, his body a blur of death and destruction.
The soldiers scattered, but it was too late. There was no escape. Light Valor was upon them like a force of nature, unstoppable, unrelenting. His laughter filled the air as he carved through them like they were nothing more than playthings.
The madness had consumed him. And it was clear: there was no going back.
The Archduke was no longer a man. He was chaos incarnate.
═════════════════
The battlefield had become a wasteland. The once-proud earth, now drenched in crimson, was splattered with the remnants of men who were unfortunate enough to fall within the Archduke’s path. The scent of blood and decay thickened the air, choking those who dared to witness the nightmare unfolding before them.
Amidst the carnage, a figure emerged from the smoke—a towering, monstrous shadow with a presence that seemed to loom even larger than Light Valor’s own. Jade Ohara. His face was hardened with the scars of countless battles, and his muscles rippled with the power of years of combat. His eyes were ice-cold, yet full of the quiet fury of a man who had fought to survive in the most brutal of wars. And unlike the others, Jade showed no fear as he walked towards the Archduke, his gaze unwavering, his steps heavy with intent.
The Azure Empire soldiers, standing behind him, could only watch in silence, dread creeping up their spines. They knew that Jade was their last hope—the one man who could stand against the nightmare that was Light Valor. But even they couldn’t shake the thought: Would Jade be enough?
Light, still drenched in gore, turned his head lazily at the sound of approaching footsteps. His blood-soaked lips parted in a cruel grin, the madness that had taken hold of him now seeping into every inch of his being. His fingers twitched, restless, as he met Jade’s gaze—two titans, staring each other down across the field of death.
For a moment, the world seemed to still, as if time itself was holding its breath.
“You.” Light’s voice was dark, dripping with amusement, his words curling like smoke in the thick air. “What a curious thing. Another hero comes to die.”
Jade’s expression never wavered. “I’m not here to die.” His voice was a low growl, full of quiet intensity. “I’m here to make sure you never get another chance to kill again.”
Light’s laugh cut through the tension, shrill and deranged, echoing across the battlefield. “Make sure I never get another chance? You think you can stop me?” His eyes flashed, and suddenly, the ground beneath them seemed to tremble, as if the earth itself was afraid of the coming storm.
In the blink of an eye, Light launched himself at Jade. His body moved with unnatural speed, a blur of power and magic. Jade reacted instinctively, his massive frame shifting with a fluidity that betrayed the years of training and battle he had endured. His first strike was a heavy blow aimed directly at Light’s torso, but the Archduke twisted in the air, narrowly dodging it, his movements graceful despite the chaos around him.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Light’s eyes glinted with sadistic pleasure as he came back down to earth, his hands glowing with a dark, swirling energy. Without warning, he thrust his palm forward, sending a pulse of raw magic at Jade—a blast of dark, twisting power that seemed to warp reality itself as it surged forward.
Jade braced himself, his body planting firmly into the earth as he raised his forearm to block. The magic struck with devastating force, but Jade’s will was iron, his muscles like steel as the blast sent him skidding backward. Dirt and blood flew into the air, but Jade remained unyielding.
In a split second, he swung his fist at Light, the punch driven by the sheer brutality of his strength. The Archduke dodged, his body flowing like liquid as he shifted, a silhouette of grace and danger. But Jade was relentless, his movements swift and precise, forcing Light to stay on the defensive.
“You’re quick,” Jade growled, his breath steady despite the intensity of the fight. “But I’m faster.”
Light’s laughter rang out again, a wild, maddened sound that sent chills through the air. “Faster? You think your strength can beat me? You think this is a contest of might?” His voice took on a mocking tone as he snapped his fingers, causing the ground beneath them to crack open, sending spikes of jagged stone shooting toward Jade.
Jade leapt back, narrowly avoiding the deadly shards as they pierced the air where he had been just moments before. But as he landed, he immediately went on the offensive again, charging forward with a primal roar, his fist flying toward Light’s chest.
The Archduke blocked, but the force of the blow sent a shockwave through his body. The air around them crackled with energy, and for a moment, it seemed as if the entire world had paused to watch the two titans clash.
“You have no idea,” Jade snarled, his face twisted with determination. “You think you can play with people’s lives. You think you can torment and destroy… but I’m here to end it. I’m here to make sure no one else falls to your madness.”
Light’s expression shifted then, his grin widening, revealing teeth stained red with blood. “End it? You think you can end me?” He twisted his hands, and the air around them seemed to warp, the energy thickening with a sinister force. Suddenly, Light shot forward, his body a blur, moving with inhuman speed.
Jade tried to block, but the sheer force of Light’s magical prowess was overwhelming. His fist struck Jade’s shoulder with a sickening crack, sending him reeling. For a moment, Jade staggered, his breath heavy, but he quickly regained his footing, his muscles straining with the effort.
But there was no time for recovery. Light was on him again, his hands laced with dark, ethereal energy, each strike sending shockwaves of power that rattled Jade’s bones.
“You’re… persistent,” Light hissed through gritted teeth, as he spun, sending a burst of magic into Jade’s face, a brutal wave of force that blasted him backward. “But you can’t keep up.”
Jade wiped the blood from his lips, his eyes alight with fury. “You’re not invincible,” he muttered. “No matter how much power you have.”
And then, with a grunt, he surged forward, once again using his immense strength to press the attack. The ground cracked beneath him as he swung his fists with brutal force, each blow landing with bone-crushing impact. Light twisted and weaved, his body a blur as he countered with magic, creating shields of dark energy to deflect the devastating blows.
The battlefield had become a storm of fury. Jade’s raw power clashed with Light’s intricate, deadly magic in a fight that seemed to have no end. Jade’s strikes were relentless, fueled by his need for vengeance, while Light’s magic was like a storm—dark, untamable, and wild. The two forces collided with a fury that left the air thick with dust, the ground beneath them buckling under the weight of their battle.
But what was truly terrifying—what struck at the heart of every soldier watching—was the look in their eyes. Jade’s was filled with determination, but Light’s… Light’s was filled with madness. This wasn’t just a fight. It was something far darker. A battle between sanity and insanity, between control and chaos.
And as the blood and magic continued to churn around them, one thing became painfully clear:
Only one of them would leave this battlefield alive.
═════════════════
The battlefield was a hellscape. Blood mingled with the earth beneath them, staining the soil as if the land itself had been ravaged by some forgotten curse. Bodies, still twitching with the last remnants of life, scattered across the twisted terrain. The stench of death hung in the air, thick and suffocating, as the war cries of soldiers turned into desperate screams and muffled gasps. But in the midst of this, only two figures mattered now.
Jade Ohara, the war hero of the Azure Empire, stood bloodied and battered, his massive frame heaving with exhaustion. His armor was dented, his skin torn and bruised, and yet his eyes—those eyes—remained fierce, unwavering in their refusal to submit. Across from him, Light Valor, the Archduke of the Crimson Empire, was no less a monster. His blood-streaked face twisted with manic joy, his dark magic still swirling around him like an unholy storm. His once-perfect composure had cracked, revealing something far more dangerous beneath.
Light’s lips curled into a cruel grin, dripping with malice, as he raised his hand, a bolt of black magic crackling in his palm. For a brief moment, it looked like Jade might have a chance—his muscles coiling in preparation, his instincts sharp despite the blood loss. But then, just as the bolt surged forward, Light’s hand snapped into a new, fluid motion—an almost instinctual strike—and the world seemed to slow.
With a speed that defied belief, Light lunged at Jade, his blade flashing like a shadow in the night. Jade barely had time to react, his body still worn from the chaos of the battle. The blade sunk deep into his side, the sharp edge slicing through flesh and bone. Jade gasped, his eyes flashing with disbelief as he felt the cold steel pierce him. But even as his blood spilled onto the ground, Jade refused to fall.
Light pinned him down, his body straddling Jade’s torso, his hands—covered in both magic and gore—pressing Jade’s head against the earth. The Archduke’s eyes were wide, unrestrained, drunk with a bloodlust that could no longer be contained. There was no trace of the cold, calculating figure that had commanded armies; this was a man on the brink of madness, a beast driven by primal hunger.
For a moment, Jade’s gaze remained unyielding. Despite the pain, the blood soaking his tunic, despite the brutal magic that had torn through his body, Jade’s eyes locked onto Light’s with a glare that spoke of defiance. “You’re not going to break me,” he muttered, voice strained but firm.
Light’s smile twisted further, a dangerous, perverse expression crossing his features as he whispered in Jade’s ear. His voice was a low, guttural sound, full of maddened delight. “If you die here, Jade Ohara… the Azure Empire will fall to the Crimson Empire. I’ll make sure of it.”
Light’s breath was hot against Jade’s skin as he dug his blade into the older man’s neck, pressing the edge just enough to draw blood. But it was not the blade that made Jade tense. No, it was what came next that shattered all understanding of the monster before him.
Without a word, Light kissed him. It was violent, brutal—an act of ownership, not affection. The Archduke’s lips were cold with madness, hungry with a need that went far beyond any normal man’s desires. He clutched Jade’s raven-black hair in his hand, pulling him closer, pressing his lips into the older man’s with a desperation that was almost sickening.
Jade’s body went rigid in shock, a sharp, instinctual recoil, but Light’s hold was ironclad, and his tongue lashed out, demanding. The kiss was feral, devoid of any warmth, no tenderness. It was only power—a display of control, of dominance, of the hunt. Jade bit back, sharp and vengeful, sinking his teeth into Light’s lower lip in retaliation. But this only seemed to fuel Light’s fervor.
The Archduke let out a low, guttural laugh, a sound laced with madness, as he pulled away just enough to breathe against Jade’s neck. “You’re a good prey. So damn stubborn.” His words were thick with hunger as he kissed the older man’s neck, his lips tracing down to the vulnerable skin beneath, where the pulse beat—taunting, mocking. He sucked deeply, marking Jade with a possessive bite. “Mine,” he whispered, his voice low and full of bloodlust. “Fuck, I want you.”
Jade’s entire body stiffened, still glaring, his spirit unbroken, even in the face of such twisted violence. He could feel the blood dripping from his throat where the Archduke’s mouth had been, but his will remained unshaken. This man—this monster—would never break him.
But Light wasn’t done yet. He pulled back, a momentary respite for Jade, but the sadistic glint in the Archduke’s eyes never wavered. “You’re not going to break, huh? Fine. I’ll keep you until you do.” The words were laced with a dangerous promise—one that went beyond the physical.
He stood abruptly, backing off for just a moment, wiping the blood from his lips as if trying to regain some of his lost composure. A faint blush, tinged with sweat and blood, colored his pale face, the madness still in his eyes. “Fuck,” he muttered to himself, rubbing his face in frustration. “I need to calm down. You can’t break your toy yet. Patience. Damn it.”
But the truth of it was—Light didn’t want to calm down. Not now, not ever. He had tasted something that he hadn’t known he needed until now. Jade Ohara was a toy—no, he was a treasure, something so rare, so precious, that Light could scarcely contain himself. And now that he had claimed him, marked him as his own, he couldn’t simply destroy him. Not yet.
And then, without a word, he straightened, his cold mask of composure returning, albeit a little frayed. “Retreat,” he ordered in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the rest of the Crimson Empire soldiers. “We’re done here.”
As the soldiers began to move, heading toward the safety of their encampment, Light stood over Jade for one last moment. His hand hovered above the war hero’s body, and for a split second, his voice dropped into something dangerously possessive. “Don’t touch him. He’s mine.” His words were clear, final. The warning wasn’t just for the soldiers around him. It was for anyone who dared to even think about Jade after this day. “My fucking prey.”
The soldiers of the Crimson Empire knew better than to question their Archduke. Even now, they were silent, retreating in a tense, uneasy quiet.
And as Light turned, his back to the broken and defeated Jade, he left the battlefield with an unsettling satisfaction. The world could burn, empires could crumble, but Light would have his toy. And he would not allow anyone to touch what he had claimed.
Jade, still barely conscious, could only glare at Light’s retreating figure. His breath was ragged, the pain consuming him, but the fire in his eyes never wavered. He was far from broken. He was far from defeated. This battle might be over, but the war—his war—was far from finished.
═════════════════
As the Crimson Empire soldiers followed behind their Archduke, the air was thick with unease. The acrid stench of blood still clung to the battlefield, seeping into their very skin. Yet, nothing had prepared them for what came next. As the distant sound of soldiers’ footsteps echoed behind him, Light Valor’s hand shot out with a sudden, violent motion, slamming into a nearby stone wall with such force that it shattered the surface, cracks spider-webbing across the once-sturdy structure. The deafening crack of breaking stone seemed to echo through the air, the tremor reverberating in the chests of those unfortunate enough to be near him.
The Archduke stood there, his back to them, breathing heavily. His movements were almost animalistic, raw. He leaned against the fractured wall, his face buried in his hands, fingers digging into his skin as if to claw away whatever was tormenting him inside. “Fucking hell.” His voice came out low, strained, like a man drowning in his own madness, and yet, despite the venomous fury in his tone, there was something far darker beneath it—a need that was burning uncontrollably. A hunger.
The soldiers froze. They could feel it. The shift. The intensity. The air seemed to thicken, suffocating in the aftermath of what they had just witnessed. Even though Light stood motionless now, the damage he’d wrought on the battlefield—and the terror still lingering in his wake—held them captive.
Light tilted his head back, eyes dark and unfocused, as his hand fell away from his face. He licked his lips slowly, the tip of his tongue tracing the line of them as though savoring a taste that only he could understand. The movement was predatory, unnerving. He was intoxicated by it, by Jade, by the feeling of power surging through him like wildfire. There was an unmistakable glint in his eye as he let out a low, dark laugh, not quite to himself, but to the world, as if mocking it for daring to witness his unraveling.
“Fuck,” he muttered again, his voice a guttural rasp. The arch of his back tensed, and for a split second, it seemed as though he might tear the world apart with his bare hands. There was no denying it—he was aroused, and not just with the bloodshed, not just with the thrill of the fight. It was something deeper. The feeling of conquest, of control, of taking what was his. Jade.
His new toy. His prey. Jade Ohara.
His breathing quickened, and the bloodlust that once felt contained now spiraled out of control. The madness still coursed through his veins, thick like syrup, but it wasn’t pain that consumed him. No, it was desire. A twisted, feral need to possess the man who dared to defy him. Jade’s resistance, his defiance, it all made Light crave him more, like a dog starving for a meal. He wanted to break him. He wanted to see him shattered, piece by piece, until there was nothing left but the hollow, broken shell of a man. Until Jade was his in every conceivable way.
Light clenched his fist so tightly that his nails dug into his skin, drawing blood, but he didn’t flinch. Instead, he closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath, a laugh escaping his lips that sounded far too unhinged for a man of his usual cold demeanor.
“I’m losing control,” he whispered to the air, though the soldiers weren’t sure if the words were meant for them, or for his own fractured mind. His chest heaved with labored breaths, the madness nearly spilling out of him entirely. He could feel it, the lust, the hunger, the mania clawing at him, pushing him to destroy, to consume.
But no. Not yet.
Not until Jade was completely broken.
“Restraint,” he muttered, his voice dark and trembling with a sickened excitement. “I can’t kill him yet…“
And with that, like a switch, it was over. The madness ebbed away just as quickly as it had come, leaving nothing but a cold, calculated silence. The Archduke straightened his back, as if snapping back into some semblance of his old self. His posture regained its impeccable composure, shoulders squared, chin lifted. The sharp, stoic expression returned to his face as if the storm had never touched him. He wiped the blood from his lips and quickly smoothed down his hair, his movements precise, methodical. He was the same Archduke who had led armies with a ruthless hand, the same man who ruled with unfeeling detachment. The madness? Gone. Hidden once more, locked deep within him.
But the soldiers, they could feel it still. They could feel the coldness radiating off him, a darkness that clung to him like a second skin. And they could see the wild, untamed look in his eyes, the depth of his hunger, the possessiveness that wasn’t quite extinguished. He was still hungry. For Jade. For whatever came next.
The silence stretched long and heavy, like the calm before a storm, until Light’s cold voice broke through. “Return to camp. No one touches him. He’s mine.”
It was a warning, and everyone present knew it. The soldiers didn’t speak as they followed their Archduke, eyes cast downward, bodies tense, shoulders hunched as they quickened their pace. There was nothing more to be said. The Crimson Empire soldiers knew their place in the hierarchy, and even the great generals, even those who might have once thought they could oppose Light, felt the weight of his authority now.
Light didn’t spare them another glance. His eyes were distant, unseeing, as he walked back to camp, leaving the battlefield—and the chaos—behind him. But the soldiers couldn’t shake the unease that hung in the air. They had witnessed something that no one could ignore. Something unnatural.
The Archduke was not just a man. He was a monster. A creature bound by his own darkness, a predator stalking his prey, and the world? The world was just a canvas for his madness, a playground for his twisted desires.
And now, they all knew: Jade Ohara was his new obsession.
═════════════════
The camp was deathly still, save for the whispers that slithered through the ranks like the hiss of snakes in the dark. Eyes darted nervously, avoiding the gaze of their superior, for none dared to look at the Archduke directly. Even though he had resumed his usual demeanor, the change in him was palpable, suffocating in its intensity. Light Valor had returned to his cold, composed self, but the soldiers could not forget the madness they had witnessed. They could feel it hanging in the air, like a storm cloud ready to burst. It was wrong. Everything was wrong.
“He should be dead,” one whispered, his voice trembling. “Jade was supposed to kill him. That’s what we all thought.” He glanced nervously toward the direction where Light had walked, but the Archduke was already a distance away, coldly surveying his troops with a look that sent shivers down their spines.
The soldier’s companion, a tall man with a scar running down his cheek, nodded sharply. “We all thought that. Everyone had their bets on it. It was Jade’s moment, his chance to kill the monster. But…” He swallowed hard, the memory of the scene fresh in his mind. “But Light… he just kept going. And then…” His voice faltered, the horror too much to put into words.
A third soldier, younger and still green to the horrors of war, shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t understand. How did he do it? How was he still standing? That Madness… the way he was laughing, the way he—” He stopped himself, his face paling as he recalled the twisted, bloodlust-fueled frenzy of the Archduke. “It was like… like he was alive. Alive with it. Hungry. He shouldn’t have been able to do any of that.”
The scarred soldier clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening. “That’s the part that scares me. He should have been dead. I’ve seen men die from far less, but he? He keeps going. He’s like… like a goddamn machine. He was hurt. He was bleeding. I saw it, but he didn’t care.” His eyes flickered to the others. “What we witnessed… I’ve never seen anything like it. Madness… They say it’s a curse for those who have too much power. It eats them alive from the inside out.” He swallowed again, the image of Light’s manic laughter still vivid in his mind. “And yet, he looked… he looked alive in a way I’ve never seen.”
The young soldier shuddered. “It didn’t even look like he was in pain, though. That’s what doesn’t make sense. A man gets that much hurt and he’s supposed to fall. But he didn’t. Instead, he kept going like the pain was feeding him, like it was… making him stronger. And the blood? Gods, the blood was everywhere. It should’ve been a slaughter, but he was the one enjoying it.” He stopped, his gaze growing distant as if the memories were starting to crawl up his throat.
“Don’t talk about it,” the scarred soldier hissed, cutting him off. “We know what we saw. There’s no denying it. I’ve heard the rumors, but I didn’t want to believe them. Not until now.” He looked down at his hands, clenching them tight. “The man’s a psychopath. We all knew that. But… what we saw today? That’s beyond human.” His eyes locked with the younger soldier’s, and a terrible understanding passed between them.
The first soldier, his voice barely above a whisper, leaned in closer. “What about the Madness? We knew it was a thing, but I thought… I thought it killed people. Made them lose their mind and die, but Light… he doesn’t just survive it.” He paused, his breath catching in his throat. “He thrives on it.”
“He thrives on it,” the scarred soldier repeated in a hushed voice. “The only thing that keeps him going, that makes him live, is his own insanity.” His gaze flicked nervously toward Light, who was now standing some distance away, his back to them as he stared coldly out at the horizon, the unrelenting chill of his presence unmistakable. “That… that wasn’t just a battle. That was a goddamn performance. He was enjoying every second of it. The way he moves, the way he smiles… He’s not a man anymore. He’s something else.”
A dark laugh escaped the young soldier’s lips, but it was bitter, almost desperate. “Yeah. Something else. What do we do now? We just let him keep killing? Let him keep doing whatever the hell he wants?”
The scarred soldier’s eyes narrowed. “We don’t have a choice. Light Valor doesn’t obey anyone. Not the emperor, not the nobles, not even the gods themselves.” He glanced at the younger soldier. “And if you think we have any power to stop him, you’re dead wrong. We’re just pawns. He’s the one pulling the strings.”
The first soldier’s voice trembled as he spoke, his fear more evident than the others. “You saw the way he looked at Jade… like a man possessed. That wasn’t just a fight. That was a goddamn hunt. And now…” He swallowed thickly. “Now he owns him.”
The scarred soldier’s face darkened. “You think he’s done with Jade? Think again. Light doesn’t kill his toys. Not until he’s broken them. Jade is his now, and that’s a death sentence.” He turned, walking away, but his words hung heavy in the air. “We’ll all be caught in the crossfire.”
Silence fell over the group, each man lost in their own thoughts. Their bodies were still tense, still carrying the weight of the violence they had just witnessed. They had thought they knew fear before, but what Light had shown them—what he had become—was something beyond comprehension.
And in the distance, the Archduke stood alone, a man untouched by the very rules that governed life and death, his presence cold, distant, and unwavering. The soldiers whispered, but their words felt hollow in the face of what they knew was coming. There was no escaping the monster they had all just seen—and none of them were brave enough to turn their back on it.
For Light Valor, there was no such thing as mercy.
═════════════════
The Azure Empire soldiers gathered around their general, Jade Ohara, as he sat slumped against the war-torn ground, the dirt and blood mixing into an ugly, muddled stain on his uniform. His body was battered, every movement sending sharp pulses of pain through his veins, but Jade’s mind—his mind was consumed with something far darker than the agony coursing through his flesh. It was the memory of Light Valor’s madness. The way that twisted bastard had looked at him, as if he were some sort of prey, a toy to break, to consume.
Jade’s hand instinctively went to his lips, the taste of Light’s kiss still lingering like a brand upon his skin. He could feel it deep inside him, that alien sensation of violation, as if his very soul had been tainted by the Archduke’s touch. The moment the cold steel had pressed against his throat, the brutal kiss that followed—it all burned like acid, eating away at him. And yet, in the madness of it all, he had felt alive. Not from the kiss itself, but from the insanity that fueled it, from the madness in those eyes.
“General, please, let us help you.” One of his soldiers said quietly, a younger man with a strained voice, his hands shaking as he attempted to help bandage Jade’s side.
But Jade didn’t respond right away. His eyes were distant, unfocused, as if he had slipped away into some other realm where the scent of blood and the echoes of madness lingered in the air.
“Jade, you need to rest,” another soldier urged. The air was heavy with concern, but also fear. Fear of what they had seen. Jade could feel it—their uncertainty, their doubt. They didn’t know how to process what had just happened, and neither did he. Light Valor had spared him. Why? Was it because of some twisted amusement? Or was it because Jade was worth more alive? He clenched his jaw, pushing the thought aside.
“I’m fine,” Jade finally muttered, his voice rough, coated with exhaustion. His words were calm, a stark contrast to the chaos swirling in his chest. He turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing. “You need not worry about me. I’m alive, and I’ll stay that way.”
The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances, some of them trembling under the weight of Jade’s chilling composure. They had all seen what Light Valor had done. How he had acted. It was like watching a beast, unleashed from its chains, enjoying the carnage without a care for the lives it destroyed. It was as though Light had been in some unholy trance, driven not by rage, but by a perverse hunger that Jade had never seen before. His grip on the sword, his laughter, his twisted kiss—it all painted a portrait of a man, no, a monster, who was on the edge of losing all semblance of humanity.
“I said I’m fine,” Jade repeated, this time with more force. He pushed the soldier’s hands away from his wounds and forced himself to stand, though his legs shook. His body burned with the pain of battle, but his spirit… his spirit was unbroken. He had faced worse before. He had fought with the weight of empires on his shoulders. What was one more battle? What was one more monster to fight?
But even as he stood, his mind kept going back to those eyes. The madness in them, the way Light had moved with a hunger so dark, it made Jade’s stomach churn. It wasn’t just about victory—it was about control. About possessing him, about making him his. Jade shivered at the thought, and his hands curled into fists. That moment of intimacy, of violence and twisted pleasure, was something he would never forget. It burned in him, tainted him.
“I will kill him,” Jade whispered to himself, his voice cold, dangerous. The soldiers around him didn’t hear the words, but the dark promise was there. He would kill Light Valor. The psychopath who had spared him. The man who had tasted his blood, marked him as prey.
The thought gnawed at him, but it was the only thing that made sense in the madness. He had never felt so alive, so aware of his own heart beating in his chest, pumping with a raw, primal fury. It wasn’t fear that held him, it was a strange form of disgust, one that filled him with a powerful thirst for vengeance.
“I will kill him,” Jade repeated, louder this time, his eyes blazing with a fire that burned through the veil of pain and confusion. “And when I do, I’ll make sure he knows who did it. That no matter how many times he tries to break me, I will never be his. He will never own me.”
The soldiers, still hovering close by, dared not speak. They saw the shift in him—the cold determination that took root in his words, in the sharpness of his eyes. Jade was no longer just a leader, no longer just the general who commanded them. He had become something more: a man driven by vengeance, by a thirst for justice that would see Light Valor’s twisted reign come to an end.
They knew it was coming. The storm that would follow. Jade was no longer the man they had followed into battle before. This was a different man. A man who would burn everything to the ground in order to destroy the monster that had scarred him.
Jade’s gaze remained fixed on the horizon, the faintest whisper of a dark smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he finally addressed his men. “We’re not done yet,” he said, his voice steel and venom. “Prepare yourselves. We have a psychopath to kill.”
And as he said the words, the truth of them sank into his soul. His hatred for Light Valor had become an insatiable hunger. He would not rest until the man who had claimed him as his prey was nothing more than a memory. A memory of a monster.
His monster.
The soldiers watched in silence, knowing that they had just seen the birth of something far darker than the war they were fighting. The blood had only begun to flow. The real battle had just begun.
And Jade Ohara was ready to hunt.