When my consciousness returned, the very first thing I took note of was the fact that I couldn’t move even an inch of my body. I began to try, but I was completely held in place. No amount of thrashing even seemed to budge whatever surface I was held against. Tightly about me was many cold, metal bands that kept me pinned. A gag had been placed in my mouth causing even what little noise I tried to make silent.

I heard the heavy noise of creaking wood as a fire's light filled the room. I couldn't even see anything beyond the rough stone ceiling as I struggled. The person who entered said in a strange monotone, "I do hope you have not gone feral in madness. Such a state would be useless. A waste of what you could be."

Into my view came the face of a pale woman with a strangely angular face. Her hair was the color of snow. The icy blue, pupil less eyes glowed with a faint light. She had no expression of any kind on her face as she regarded me. I stopped and stared in terror. She looked familiar but I couldn't quite place it. The fire's light shifted as the woman said flatly, "Greetings, so called Hound of Sorrow. I am Lady Lura’mi."

Fearfully, I eyed her as she revealed her pointed ears and continued, "For the foreseeable future, you are now under my care. Rather, you might be. I must ask you to answer some questions in this state. So, do so with one blink for yes. Two for no. Do you understand my words?"

I blinked once as I just lay as still as possible. She was beautiful but also unworldly in her mannerisms. The very look of her was far too doll-like to be comfortable to see. Lady Lura'mi barely moved at all as she stood there. Only the faintest signs of even breathing showed in my still body. The expression of nothingness on her face never shifted even slightly. After a second, she said, "I see. Good. I must confess that I am in a bit of a poor situation right now. I have two real options right now regarding you. Both somewhat undesirable."

My brow furrowed as she paused. Had what happened caused me to be captured by the clergy? Was this some sort of threat? She tilted her head ever so slightly and said, still ever blank of any clear emotions, "I legally have every right to take you out of this prison. Your outburst caused quite the panic in the city, though. For my reputation, leaving you here would be best."

I felt a cold sweat form on my body. I struggled against the bounds again but stopped when she put a hand on my chest. It lacked any warmth as she ran a finger in small circles. I realized then that I was in nothing more than a pair of rough trousers. Lady Lura'mi leaned forward and made soft shushing noises, her eyes having not blinked once. Staring into my fear filled eyes, the ghostly woman said, "Yet I see a potential here for us both. I'm sure that Priest Marindol will try and stop me, but I can just claim custody of you. It was part of the plan to start with and I’d be taking you into my home. I have high hopes that you can serve a better purpose than what that prophecy said."

She leaned back and removed her hand. There was yet still nothing that spoke of any emotion to the elven woman. As she stood there, she might have been a disturbingly life-like statue. My head suddenly felt like it had been hit with a hammer as all the paranoia screamed every potential negative at me. I slowly closed my eyes for a moment, trying to free myself now more of the internal chaos than from the restraints. Then, opening my eyes again, I looked back at her. I waited for her to continue, yet instead Lady Lura'mi took up what must have been a candle and turned. She paused and said, as cold as ever, "So be it then. I'll be back in a moment. Mind, you perhaps will not be freed from restraint for some time yet. At the least, you will be free from the fate of this place."

After a few moments, all light disappeared from the room once more. I stared up into the abyss and just let out a muffled scream of anger. I had lost Veline and failed to even escape. It was a horrible feeling to realize that I was too weak to even manage with help. Lady Lura'mi clearly just wanted to use me for her own interest. Everything that could have gone wrong had. After that I lay there, stewing in my own self hate. I had once again been made an enemy by the belief of others. I began to realize just how weak I was and how much I was at the mercy of others.

Is this all my fate will ever be? No matter where I am, no matter what I try. Why? Why do I always end up being hated for something I didn't do? I thought as I felt the anger give way to dismay. Is there a point to even struggling? Yet, I can’t just give up. I failed to keep her alive, but she wanted more of me yet still. I can’t put trust in anyone. I need to become stronger so they can’t force me to be this.

As I lay there, the door suddenly opened but no light came in. Confused, I strained my eyes trying to see anything. Then suddenly came a white light that blinded me. Grunting with some manner of effort, a flamboyant voice said, "Aha! So this is the one our little friend has been in. Pardon the intrusion on your imprisonment, but I do need to be quick."

Suddenly I felt the restraints being released in rapid fashion. Before I could even see, I was free save for the gag. As soon as I could, I rolled off the table in the opposite direction of the person and quickly jumped to my feet. As my eyes returned to focus, I saw a well dressed main in a long, regal dove tailed jacket. He wore a smirk as he ran a hand through his black hair and flicked his ponytail. With an overly dramatic bow, he said, "A glorious meeting at last, Mr. Moores. I am a...friend of the dear Lady Lura'mi. One Baron Altigastir Montiquen. Do forgive the suddenness, but we should certainly be going."

Not even a moment after had he turned on the spot and began making his way out. Without much other option, I hurried after the man. Outside the cell was a long hallway with many other doors. At one end of the hall was an open, large metal door; against it, propping it open, was a slumped guard. Notably, the entire place was completely silent. There was no place for any sort of torch nor any of those glowing crystals that had provided light in other buildings. Baron Montiquen gave a smile as he happily made his way towards the door.

As much as I didn't want to trust anyone, the only other option was to stay. So I made my way up next to him, to which he said, "Lady Lura'mi is distracting that old man and his following. I do love getting my own hands dirty every once in a while. Especially when it's such an odd request."

He led me along several other rooms, which were either empty or contained people slumped over. I didn't even bother asking whether they were merely out cold. I didn't really even care. Finally, at a set of stairs, the man stopped. He turned and said, "Right, so...out the window and into the carriage."

Yet again, before I could even speak, he went right back to moving. Baron Montiquen bounced up the steps two at a time and opened the door. Sunlight filtered into the stairway from beyond. Once I got close, the man suddenly spun, grabbed me, and yanked me forward as he turned. My knee jerk reaction to resist seemed futile. With a flood motion, he put both hands on my bank and shoved me through a window.

Disoriented I felt two people all grab me and pick me up. By the time my reeling mind could comprehend anything, I was lying on a seat in a carriage with two people on the other side. The entire thing began to move as a blonde haired man around my age said, "I swear, I'm getting damn sick of this nonsense."

As he began wiping his fine clothing off, the girl next to him looked away from me. She had hair like gold and a pair of emerald green eyes. Though she had pointed ears like an elf, her eyes had pupils. Slowly, she shifted her glasses and muttered, "I-I'm sorry."

The man shrugged and let out a long sigh. After a moment he said, "It's not your doing, my Lady. It's your pain in the ass mother's. What kind of nonsense is this for me to do?"

He leaned forward and crossed his arms, staring at me. The elf woman said, meekly, "Captain Zent, p-please...the cussing."

The blond haired guy frowned heavily for a moment before saying, "Sorry. Anyways, you're that hound guy right?"

I got into a more sitting position, painfully away of my own shirtlessness; the lady, red faced and not looking at me as best as she could, sat there as still as she could manage. My eyes narrowed at Captain Zent before saying, "My name is Alexander. Now would you please explain what is going on?"

The woman had her hands together on her lap gripped tightly together as she said, "I'm Misana Lura'mi. Uhm, m-my mother said th-they were likely not going to let you go. So...we're ta-taking you back to the estate while s-she distracts them."

Captain Zent rolled his eyes and said, "Gods, I hate this sneaky nonsense. A lot go- hey!"

He jumped forward and pushed me back into the seat as I went for the door. I grunted and glared at him as he asked aggressively, "You seriously going to try and just leave?"

I sneered at him and said nothing as I stayed seated. The elf woman frowned heavily and said, "P-please, Alexander, don't make this harder. If you run, the clergy will t-try and recapture you."

I didn't respond after taking a deep breath. They had gotten me out of the place, yet I had a feeling this wasn't going to be any better. Lady Lura'mi herself admitted that her only interest in me was basically a want to use me in some capacity. There was no denying the fact of that though. As far as I could tell, it really was a choice between two different cages. So after a few minutes, I clicked my tongue and asked, "Fine then. I don't know what your plans are, but I won't be some tool."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Captain Zent stared at me for a moment and he just began to laugh. Angered, I shot him a glare and began to stand up again. The guy held up a hand and said, "Calm down. I'm laughing more at the similarity here."

I sneered at him, but went back to sitting normally. After a moment, I said, "I don't care to know what you mean. As long as this benefits me, I'll play along."

Misana let out a breath almost inaudibly before saying, "I promise you-"

Cutting her off, I said, "I don't want to hear any promises. I am not an idiot. I know what this is. I'm somehow useful. That's the deal here, yeah?"

She fell silent as the man stared at me calmly. Her head tilted downwards and she gripped the fabric of her dress skirt. Leaning back, Zent said, "yeah. That's right."

With a huff, I said, "I'm your prison. That's right?"

Misana nodded, her face fully turned away. Zent glanced at her, his face somewhat morbid. The carriage fell silent as it moved on. My eyes kept shooting between them and the door. Every small bump on the road made my entire body tense for a moment. Neither of them would look at me. It could have been shame or awkwardness that prevented them from giving me any attention then. I bit back a feeling of guilt as we continued on in silence.

I refused to accept that feeling. I refused to allow myself to feel like I had been cruel. I thought at the time, *Why should I feel any guilt now? The world doesn't. Neither worlds did. Innocence means nothing. So feeling guilty is just going to open me up to another death. No more.*

Gripping my jaw tightly as my head continued to pulse with pain, I thought about how I had failed Veline. She had done everything she could to save me, yet she failed. My pact partner had died from my own weakness, yet I got to go on living. I shook my head and pushed away the thought. Thinking about her only made my heart sink and I couldn't afford to be weak in front of people anymore.

Yet still, I kept accidently thinking about her. Then my memory picked back up something. The Sorrow Penitent had mentioned a name. I didn't dare hope it would bring Veline back to me somehow. Still, it was something. Even if it was a next to nothing chance, I refused to let it go without being looked into. I needed something to strive towards. I didn't care about the prophecy. As much as I hated the world, I didn't care enough to want to do that. If I was to be a monster, it'd be one of my own making.

Veline had asked me what I wanted. There, sitting in that carriage silently with the two strangers, I knew. I didn't want the world or it's riches. I didn't even really want revenge, even if the idea was appealing to me. Sitting there, dwelling on the entire situation, I had exactly what I wanted in mind. Whatever it would take, I'd make it up to her. I would spend hundreds of years if need be, but I knew. I would bring Veline back somehow.

With that singular goal and promise etched into my mind, I relaxed my shoulders. The carriage stopped at the city gates, but the inside wasn't checked at all. After that, I once more was taken out of the city.

The so-called "Estate" was more a fortress than anything I had imagined. It was certainly made to look fancy. The walls had been painstakingly painted white. The outer wall clearly was newer than the main building, but still had a military function to its thickness and design. It too had been painted a bright white color. The gate itself was decorated with great carvings of trees.

The main building itself had glass windows installed into various places that were clearly anything from arrow slits to what appeared vaguely door shaped. The grounds had a giant garden about it, yet still off to the side was many other more utilitarian buildings. A forge was bellowing out smoke and several men trained in a fenced off, sand filled area.

There was a large tower that connected to the wall; a clear gap between it and the main building was noticeable by the fact that the training yard sat in it. The fence base was of old looking stone. I had to wonder, somewhat idly, if Lady Lura'mi was so old as to have run this place when it was less fancy.

The other thing I noticed was the staff; noticing it as I was led out of the carriage. From the gardeners to the maids, everyone there seemed abnormally fit for their professions. I remembered on the street seeing all the soldiers who were with the elven lady. Given little time than to have a quick look around, Captain Zent motioned for me to follow.

I took note of how several members of the staff followed us as we entered. There was no question as to why in my mind. The very look on their faces was enough. That stare I had known all too well of someone knowing exactly who I was. I did what I could to ignore them, but it still irked me.

I was led to a room with a large window that overlooked the training yard. A window that was notable in the fact that it had thick metal bars. The door itself looked to be iron. Captain Zent motioned in and said, "This will be your room. Better than whatever the damn clergy had for you."

At the very least, the inside was decently decorated. The bed was an actual bed and there was a table under the large window with a chair that didn't look like it'd hurt to sit on for more than ten minutes. The floor even had an actual carpet, even if it was a drab brown of undyed cloth. It was clearly a prison cell still, but I had to agree with what my new captor had said. Into the room I strode, listening to the heavy door creak closed behind me.

I stood up against the door carefully, listening as the group left. The door was obviously locked now, but that wasn't what I cared about. If there was one grace the horrid goddess had left me, it was in her parting words. What I planned was something I didn't expect any effect to occur from. I certainly wasn't going to let them hear me say it in any case. So once there was silence from the other side, I stepped away.

Quietly, I said outloud, "Well, fuck it. What's the worst that can happen? Cathurnalt."

Once the word left my mouth I waited. The name itself left an odd feeling in me, but after a few minutes nothing happened. So with a shrug, I walked over to the wardrobe. Inside were some rather plain looking sets of clothes. Basic pants and a shirt with socks and shoes. I closed it and shook my head.

The name having done nothing wasn't unexpected when said out loud. Maybe it was some powerful wizard somewhere in the world. It meant nothing. The name sounded vaguely familiar but there had been so much said in the last few days. Sitting down on the bed, I slowly let my face sink into my hands.

How long will I be trapped here? I can't die, true, but will it be years? Decades? I don't know how long elves live for. They might never die. I thought as I did my best to stay steady. Slowly I felt myself begin to tremble and sink into myself. I clenched my jaw and tried to remain quiet. I hate that I couldn't hold back the tears again. If I hadn't trusted the guards, Veline might still be alive. We could have hid in the forests. It's not like I would ever be accepted into society.

After a few minutes, I began to dry my eyes. Slowly, despite the time of day, I lay down fully on the bed and closed my eyes. Even if I wouldn't be able to sleep, I wanted nothing more than to feel some comfort. Yet even in a fortress, I felt utterly exposed. With a sigh, I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. I had gotten at least some measure of peace for some time, but I couldn't enjoy it. I couldn't even relax.

The large metal door began to creak and groan as it slowly opened. Bracing myself, I turned my head and looked at who entered. Standing there in a fine dress was Lady Lura'mi, with her daughter looking as far from me as possible. The cold elven woman said, "I see you've taken to the room well."

Trying to pretend not to be completely on edge, I stared. I wanted to say something, but the words caught in my throat. It made me feel ashamed that I was too scared to actually speak. After a moment, she said, "You seem agitated. So I'll make this more brief. You will start training tomorrow."

It was not exactly the statement I expected to hear. Whatever she was plotting wasn't something that I spent much of the last while considering. Yet training was particularly foreign to any wild wonderings I could have had. She motioned gently to her daughter, saying, "I will leave it in Misana's hands to teach you magic. My interests in you are many. I believe with time, you can be an amazing asset to my work. Whatever worries you have, be aware that I'd much prefer to use you for benefit than to merely let you waste away in this room."

The younger elven woman still was doing her best to not look at me. Misana's hands where white knuckled as she clinched them together, shaking ever so slightly. I recognized it instantly as fear and suppressed a want to frown. My first reaction was she feared me, yet I could feel Lady Lura'mi's unblinking eyes sat on me. I could practically feel her gaze trying to penetrate every fiber of my being as she continued on in her monotone, "My work is simple but variant in it's needs. I research various things from magic to monsters to the gods. For your ability to rise from death, your use to me should be clear.

"I am aware that you seem to view this captivity as some manner of give and take. Serve me well and your situation will become ever more comfortable. If I believe I can trust you, I'll provide you more freedom. Now, as that is out of the way, I suspect you have your own motives for accepting this so easily. Merely one attempt at escaping foiled by being told to sit down isn't so common without some interest. You can start by providing me what those are."

I stared at her for a moment, trying to keep steady. Every fiber of my being screamed that I couldn't tell her anything. After a few seconds of my silence, Lady Lura'mi stepped forward and reached out her hand. I recoiled from it, but that only made her move faster. Viper like in it's speed and movement, her hand grabbed my face like a vice. Most worrying was how her face still looked so calm as she did that.

The noble elf leaned forward, staring me directly in the eye as I fought with my very instincts to struggle. Carefully, she tilted my head side to side. Again, this entire time, she had made no show of any sort of emotion and moved only in the most necessary of ways. Lady Lura'mi then suddenly let go and said, "Strange. Do answer my question."

I felt both terror and anger in equal ammounts. Pride demanded I say nothing just as much as fear did. Yet I had a cold, looming feeling that if I didn't tell her something, she'd find other ways to pry to information from me. Worse still was the realization that if I couldn't stay dead, then any number of methods might be employed. My attention turned to Misana for a second who gave me a haunted look. With that, the skin on my neck prickled as the realization that my worries were more than mere paranoia. So, with a mouth that felt like it was full of cotton, I said, "I want to get Veline back."

Lady Lura'mi's didn't move for a few worrying heartbeats. A small, sudden feeling washed over me at that moment. Without even a shred of any sign of what I began to suspect was lacking, she said, "A normally impossible goal, but yet you rise from death. I'm in agreement with that idea as a proper goal. I was already planning to see if your pact still lingered and what effects may occur from such a thing."

There is no apt way to properly explain the exact feeling I had when it clicked into place and the understanding took form. Too many emotions and too many thoughts had plagued me for that entire day. Yet, above any hope and distrust of that hope I had at her agreement? The realization of what exactly was the case with the elven noble struck the deepest. It wasn't that she was a master at masking her emotions, it was that she didn't have them at all. It wasn't even something I didn’t quite know how I knew in that moment, but it had struck me suddenly.

I glanced at Misana for a moment, seeing her avoiding looking at both of us. I vaguely began to wonder what kind of life the younger elf had with such a being for a mother. The way she was standing there so quietly and meekly made me more aware of another thing, though. It was very possible that Lady Lura'mi might be potentially worse than the priests. Whatever sympathy I had for the daughter was mute if any misplaced word could end in my own suffering.

Looking back to Lady Laura's Mi, I saw that she was ever continuing to stare in that unnatural way at me. She then gave a rather out of place curtsy and said, "In any case, I expect great things from you. I bid you a restful day. Your food will be delivered to you and I demand you dress in proper clothing by the time it arrives." There was a potent pause. "As for one other matter. I will have a guard assigned as your personal entourage."

Without any further wait for any potential response, the two left. Misana hung for less than a second at the door to give me a quick glance. When she saw that I was still watching, she hurried away. Once the door had shut, I took a deep breath and grabbed the bedpost. I leaned forward and tried to compose myself. I began to worry that, in fact, I had fully made the wrong decision back in the dungeon. With a chuckle without any humor, I thought, *Actually, I don't think I had a choice.*