“Let me go already!”
“As you wish.”
Following her request to the letter, Thales opened a door. He then chucked her body onto a soft bed, before locking the door; the room was simple and to the point, the walls a plain gray and lacking in adornments. The only stand-out sight was that of a table, atop which rested a small butter knife. The walls were thick, preventing screams from seeping in or out, creating a suffocating aura.
Besides that, he and her were all alone, staring down at each other, an exchange of mutual disgust.
“For someone so fragile-looking as yourself, to willingly come to a place like this… it’s quite unexpected, I must admit.”
The praise made Elena groan, as she wanted to hear no praise from such a man. “I would say it surprises me to see a man of your stature running a place like this… but I am not shocked in the slightest.”
In this world, many things ran contrary to the preconceived notions instilled upon her by the stories she’d consumed in her previous life. The charming prince turned out to be a pest without a spine. The handsome rogue turned out to be more awkward than suave. It was only in-brand for the veteran, chivalrous knight to turn out to be a monstrous pervert.
“You are the worst kind of man there is,” Elena said, furrowing her eyebrows. “One that’s blind to the misery of those beneath them.”
“Your words harm me, but thankfully they lack in bite,” Thales said. His piercing gaze only grew in potency as he stepped toward her. “I care not for the judgment of a rabid dog grasping at straws. Especially when it is such a misunderstanding of my character.”
The authoritative tone of his words sent a shiver down Elena’s spine. He was refuting his accusation, claiming her words were bred out of ignorance.
Met by such a claim, Elena raised her chin and said, “Are you blind or stupid? Look around you! Everybody who steps in here fears for their lives.”
Elena knew first-hand the extent of the evil taking place in this underground camp. Even those who stayed alive were dead in spirit, the labor forced upon them irreparably shattering their souls.
“I am simply carrying on the Goddess’s Decree,” Thales answered, not a hint of emotion on his face. “Were I not to be the one to do so, someone else would.”
“So? Is that the way you justify yourself? All that matters is that you’re the one responsible for all the suffering. Even if you’re following your religion’s doctrine, that is no excuse for such horrendous abuse.”
Elena made her argument concise and clear, trying to reason with the seasoned knight. To her, no order from no Goddess was above and beyond the rights of men.
He answered with a hearty laugh. “Gahahaha, do you really believe all that nonsense matters to me?” he said. “You are correct, darling, no words exist that can justify such brutality.”
Elena was shocked—Thales agreed with her. She narrowed her eyes, then said, “What? Did you suddenly have a change of mind?”
“No, milady. I am nothing if not consistent.” Thales sauntered around the room aimlessly, as he cracked a smile—an uncanny one, not just for how uncommon a sight that was, but because of how devilish that grin of his looked. “The Goddess demands we punish the Marked who break the taboo. The Kingdom, in turn, pays handsomely for those willing to step up to such a task.”
“So money is all you want?” Elena said, repulsed.
“Of course not. No gold is worth the cost of poisoning one’s soul. Only one reward is worthy for a man willing to step on their own morals.
“What are you—”
Her question trailed off, as the reality of the situation presented itself to her senses. The softness of the bed she was sitting on and the lustfulness of his gaze came together to cause a quake that shook her very core.
“Luzterna’s hateful policies create vulnerable women and children. I think that’s something we can both agree on,” Thales said.
“So what you’re saying is—”
His explanation only further brewed her hatred for him, her opinion of the man somehow sinking lower and lower.
Elena had indeed misjudged him. He was not the kind of man that Elena believed he was; the kind to obediently carry out his country’s doctrine without question. He was far too cunning and astute to be such a man.
No, the kind of man Thales turned out to be was far more despicable.
“I have fought bravely in the name of this kingdom, to the point of placing its safety above that of my lover. Is it not fair to at least be rewarded? To be pleasured by any woman I want? It’s a fair deal for them, too—they get to avoid death, via the privilege of my protection.”
Thales was the kind of man who understood his role in society, and had decided to take full advantage of it. For Thales, his reward was control. Power. Through his role in the military, he got close to women whose lives were on the brink of extinguishing. Desperate to cling to life in any shape or form, these women gave in to his demands, powerless to escape death in any other way. Most damning of all, these women would then feel grateful to him, considering themselves lucky to remain alive.
“You… you monster. Argh…”
Elena began sputtering random sounds. She lacked the vocabulary needed to express the extent of the revulsion she felt toward this man. When she imagined the faces of not just Cordelia, but of who knows how many scared girls giving in to his whims, she was filled with a burning need to crush his entire body like a worm, for him to drown in a boiling pit.
The most undesirable of fates; that was what her only wish for the man called Thales Lockgood.
Thales, noticing her dismay, smiled deviously while closing the distance between them. “Worry not”—He raised her chin with his hand—”You are not going to die. You are quite the pearl, after all.”
His voice sounded soothing, but it ran Elena over like a fierce, chill wind. So much so, that Elena’s eyes widened like she’d witnessed a murder. In direct consequence, the delight on Thales’ face grew exponentially, pleased with the fear that seeped through Elena.
He had not said it directly, but neither were blind to what was going on. There was a reason for him locking the door, trapping them in this room with a bed and thick walls.
He brought me here to…
That thought morphed into static before it could finish, as she didn’t want to comprehend it.
Normally, fear of death was what disallowed humans from acting, for it was the ultimate consequence for one’s actions. But Elena’s power allowed her to circumvent death. Hence, death was something she had come prepared to face; the source of her bravery was knowing she could beat death. When she stared at that fiery furnace before, knowing she would awake and carry on with her fight was what kept her sane, what allowed her to retain her willpower.
But what her ability had not prepared her for, was for those things in life that were scarier than death.
Rape… it was different in her mind.
Normally, it would be presumptuous to refer to it as a fate worse than death. No matter how hurtful life may be, creatures want to avoid death.
But to an existence like Elena, one possessing a warped perception of life and death, it was easier to arrive at a conclusion.
She’d rather die.
From the point of view of an outsider like myself, it was perhaps a silly assessment. Many of her deaths were not too dissimilar to rape. Back in the Forbidden Land, hundreds of Kabeasts profaned her body, her powerless but to wait for the pain to end. Afterward, she was left with scars that were not visible on her skin. Instead, they resided only on her mind— and were she to try and tell someone else about them, she’d be met with disbelief.
And yet… sexual assault carried baggage that remained impossible to ignore. Inside Elena’s mind, she saw such an act as the worst of fates, one that would forever taint her body and soul.
“I have some quick business to attend,” said Thales, almost mockingly. “Wait here like a well-behaved girl.”
He locked the door and left. There were no windows to jump through. The walls were too thick for cries for help to be heard.
Nonetheless, she pounded on the door and cried for help, but even she knew it was fruitless—well, not entirely. These actions on her part were a distraction, something to divert her mind from what was soon to come. The moment her last bit of hope disappeared, she’d be left with no choice but to confront her upcoming fate.
Her calls for aid began to sound distorted, as she began to weep. She shut her eyes, then slammed her head repeatedly against the steel.
“Why am I so stupid? Who do I think I am?”
She could use this time to curse Thales, to blast the wicked man he was. Instead, the target of her ire was only herself.
“I… can’t save anyone…”
What made her believe she could change the world? That she pondered as her forehead began to bleed. Elena knew exactly the kind of worthless woman she was—her life on Earth had taught that lesson effectively. She was a shut-in with no job who merely pretended to assist university, living in a world full of tragedy and misery which she had no power to fix.
So why would it be any different here?
Perhaps it was her power that had planted that delusion on her, or perhaps her new, beautiful body led her to believe she was an entirely new person. But whatever the case, she was the same María Elena in both worlds, a woman incapable of making a difference. All she had accomplished was to get herself into the worst fate imaginable, one from which she considered herself unable to recover.
Her back slid off the wall, her whole body collapsing to the ground.
I should’ve just accepted Charles’ proposal.
Like a recording, each decision she’d taken on this journey began to flash in her mind. But none stood out more than the moment she slapped Charles’ marriage proposal away.
Had she accepted, then she’d be fine. Well, perhaps fine is an undue word. She’d still be subject to the whims of a man she detested. But at least she’d be in the Palace, where death was foreign, and as the wife of the Prince she was sure to lead a better life than that of most Marked.
To have taken that path would have meant abandoning her values, those instilled on her by her mother and by years of feminist and progressive thought. It would have meant carrying a life of luxury, while others like her struggled under the boot of subjugation.
But really, would anyone have blamed her? When the alternative was indescribable, excruciating pain, anybody would be excused for choosing the easy alternative.
Her childish, naive desire to live up to those ideals was what led her to reject such a prime opportunity for an easy life in this world. And what did that get her?
A seat in this damp, soulless room, awaiting anxiously the moment she’d get raped.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
There was no escape, nobody to help her. All she could do was drown in despair.
But in an ironic twist, giving in to despair would be her salvation.
“I will save you…”
In that sea that was despair, my voice reverberated. Its orotund sound painted her world black, vanquishing all surrounding color. Her torso was being held in a choke, by hands that were invisible to the eye but perceptible to the touch.
Light had forsaken Elena. She remained alive, but her soul had run out of fuel. Such was the extent of her despair, that it had extinguished the light of her life.
“I will fulfill your desire. You know what to do.”
My voice, at long last, managed to reach her. It rang in her ears, so loud it muffled the faint sound of my chains breaking.
Her eyes opened like cracked eggs, no longer able to close even for blinking. There was no flame to them, yet they appeared filled with uncanny conviction. She rose to her feet, then approached the nearby table. There, her hands gravitated toward the knife lying there, placed there seemingly for her sake.
She, who yearned to escape life’s horrors, proceeded to act without hesitation.
—The knife carved a cut across her neck, painting the floor with an outburst of red.
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“I have returned,” said Thales as he made his way inside the room. He wasted no time before locking the door again, putting the key in his pocket. “Ah, what a proper lady you are. Eagerly waiting on the bed for my return.”
Elena, who sat on the edge of the bed with her hands on her legs, showed no reaction to his arrival, nor to his words. Her gaze was straight, focused on what was before her and nothing else.
“You appear to still be shocked. But don’t worry, you’ll enjoy yourself before you know it. And if not, then it will end soon.”
No matter how barbaric, Thales seemed unable to get a rise out of his prey, who appeared indifferent to his existence.
“Are you trying to play hard? Because let me tell you, I do not—”
Before finishing giving voice to his threat, he began to caress her chin—which proved a big mistake.
An icy wind swept his shoulders, and it carried a message.
Stay away from her.
“What the—” He recoiled, his hand momentarily reaching for his blade. He inspected his surroundings, but there was nobody.
“I must be imagining things.” He shook his head.
Meanwhile, Elena remained wordless, with a dead gaze.
“Anyway, let’s continue with our thing.”
His bony arms surrounded Elena’s torso, and his lips closed in upon hers. Her lips were frozen like ice cubes, devoid of any and all motion.
But that was not the only reason why the resulting kiss felt so chilling to Thales.
Heed my last warning. Stay away from her.
This time, Thales fully drew his sword, his arm shaking with trepidation. There was no target for his blade to strike. Only the silent Elena, who was too rude to even bless him with a glance.
“Are you doing this, did you cast a spell, Witch?”
Still, no answer. Elena was a mannequin, stripped of all that could be conceived as a will.
“Answer me! Don’t play dead, you little—”
In that instant, Thales, with his eyes gunning for violence, placed a hand on her shoulder, intent on swinging with the blade in his other arm.
For a warrior as prudent as him, it was an unforgivable mistake.
Fool. In accordance with my host’s desire, you shall be punished accordingly.
My previous warnings were mere whispers, their sound hard to fully make out.
This time, my thunderous voice overtook sound itself. The colors that shaped the world fell before my might, an endless void all that remained.
What is going…on?
Those would be Thales’ final thoughts while belonging to this world. Thoughts that, due to my being chained to Elena, I should be unable to hear. But at that moment, their souls were connected, and the realm of his mind became mine to pick.
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“Any requests, Master Thales?”
“W—what? Oh, it’s just you, Cordelia.”
Thales awoke from what felt like a nightmare. A nightmare that took place in the very same place he now stood; a room deep in the Underground Camp, where he took fair maidens with the purpose of taking advantage of them.
“Ugh, sorry, I had a horrible nightmare.” He stretched his limbs as he lied on the bed. “Please, do the same as always.”
“Roger, Master Thales,” she answered.
Vague order, but Cordelia knew what to do. Without a second of delay, she began to unbutton his trousers. Her thin fingers caressed his crotch, as he rested back his head, savoring in the pleasure.
—At least, until he felt the stabbing edge of a knife pierce his groin.
“GHAAAAAAAAAA”
He yelled in pain, unable to process how the pleasure had rapidly morphed into pain. It was a transition so swift, it fogged his senses. All he could see was the figure of Cordelia, devoid of emotion, raising the knife she held before stabbing again. It was a constant loop.
“S—stooooop. I beg you!”
The finest of knights, Thales Lockgood, was being punished for his deeds, and was left powerless to do anything beyond plead for mercy.
A plea that, surprisingly, served a purpose.
Cordelia put a sudden end to her stabbing. She then stared directly at him, and stepped toward his face. His mouth was constantly opening, an action resulting from his constant screaming in agony.
“As you order. I will stop,” Cordelia said.
With her free hand, she held the bottom of Thales’s jaw, ensuring it would not slam shut.
And with her other hand, she drove the blood-soaked knife down his throat.
The same edge that had pierced his cock was now digging deep through his throat, cutting his tongue. Even screaming was a fate too kind for Thales, who could only stare in horror at the merciless blue eyes of his executioner.
“Don’t worry. It will all be over soon,” she said.
Her face became darker and darker, as eventually, the black void of death took over her shape.
----------------------------------------
“GAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Thales awoke from a nightmare. A nightmare that took place deep within the Underground Camp the King had tasked him with managing. He could feel vomit swell up within his throat. He felt his entire soul shake, his eyes tired.
A nightmare, that was the mantra his mind repeated. It had to be a nightmare, for such pain was beyond reality.
“What is the matter, Sir Thales?”
Pulling him out of his trance was a crisp, ethereal voice, belonging to a woman of milky skin with a blue tattoo on her forehead.
“Samantha? What are you doing here?”
“Albeit the Royal Family has traveled abroad, we are still within their domain. I implore you call me Number 8.”
“That doesn’t matter, you should be dead. I killed you. With my own hands.”
The woman, her real name Samantha, tilted her head, as would anyone were they told that they were supposed to be dead.
Such was Thales’ confusion, he managed to overlook an important detail of the situation—Samantha was sitting on his bed, naked before him from head to toes.
“Why are you naked?” he asked, furrowing his brow. He then glanced downward at himself, and noticed he too was naked.
“You ordered me so, Sir Thales. Now, please, let me pleasure you.”
Thales let out a sigh. Surely, what he’d seen before must have been no more than a bad dream. As he peeked at the woman’s breasts, his shoulders relaxed.
“Very well then.” Thales leaned his body forward, savoring her lips as he ran his hands down her body.
And in the gap between his kisses, a faint mutter came out of her—more specifically, a spell.
“Hielo… perforar.”
Once again, his screech was loud enough to reach the heavens.
He fell out of bed, recoiling from the agony inflicted on his behind. He landed with his back to the floor. Towering over him was Samantha, who cast her glare downward.
“Stop…”
“Oh, don’t worry,” she said, “it will all end soon. Hielo…perforar.”
Her conjuring was accompanied by a flail of her hand. Two icicles floated above each of Thales’ two eyes.
And before he could truly grasp the depth of what their presence meant, they both rained down toward him, ravaging his sight.
“NOOOOO, PLEASE STOP! SOMEBODY HELP ME.”
He was in the Royal Palace, so somebody should be able to answer his desperate pleas.
But nobody came.
More and more icicles continued to pierce the rest of his body. As soon as they tore through his skin, they immediately melted, mending with his outpouring blood.
The finest of all the Kingdoms’ knights, Thales Lockgood—reduced to nothing more than a puddle of blood.
----------------------------------------
“GAAAAAAH.”
Thales awoke from a nightmare.
“Lord Thales, what is going on?”
“SILENCE, WITCH. STAY AWAY FROM ME!”
The target of his outburst was a young girl with blonde hair and a green mark on her nose. She wore leather and held a whip in her right hand. She gave off the appearance of a dominatrix, especially as she sensually sat on the bed with crossed legs and enchanting pink lips.
On any other day, Thales would give in to the seductress, to his primal, lustful desires. Today, he wanted nothing to do with her.
He got up and dashed toward the nearest door, wanting freedom from the trapping walls. With great haste, he rotated the doorknob and opened the door as widely as his arm strength allowed.
But no salvation existed for him.
He dropped to his knees, as he stared in despair at the world beyond the door—an empty, endless void of black.
“What is this…” he muttered.
All remaining light that resided within his soul gathered together in his throat, all in service of managing one last, mighty shout.
“Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?”
That was the last question uttered by an existence that had resigned itself to its fate.
It was pitiful, honestly. And it was such a polite question that, for whatever reason, I felt an uncontrollable itch to answer.
Floating in that shadowy world made of null, within the confines of that door frame, my husky, masculine shape revealed itself before his worn-down eyes.
“You… you are… the Crow King!” he uttered, realizing he was standing in my presence.
“Wow, real impressive for someone who’s never seen me in the flesh. Those sculptors and painters must have done a fine job capturing my fine features,” I said, complimenting his historical knowledge. “I’d rather you not call me by that title, though. It’s a bit embarrassing if you ask me.”
“Crow King, why are you doing this to me?” he repeated his question from earlier.
“Are you listening? I asked you not to call me that! Besides, I’m not doing anything,” I replied, stretching the truth out a bit. It was indeed my power what allowed these repeating deaths to befall him. However, I was not the one who desired this fate for him. “You can thank Elena. She’s the one who has a vendetta against you.”
“Elena…” he muttered. “Are you helping her?”
“Ummmm, depends on your definition of ‘help’. I have my interests separate from hers.”
“Then please, stop this. I’ll serve you however you want. But please—”
“Denied.”
“What?”
His last remains of hope were vanquished upon hearing my rejection, his tearful expression akin to that of a kicked puppy.
“I might be an evil God, but I have some principles. The way men like you behave… you disgust me. Pretending to be all nice and kind, before revealing yourself as a monster. If you consider yourself worthy of holding power over women, then act like it from moment one!”
I grinned my whole way through my speech, as he visibly trembled further and further from despair.
I put my arms behind my head, relaxed and with a cheeky smile. “Now, if you excuse me, I have plans to scheme. And you have a date, so I’ll leave you two alone. Don’t worry, it will… be over soon.”
“Wait!” he pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears. I was no longer within his sight, as I slammed the door shut.
“Sir Thales, don’t ignore me!” said a feminine voice.
Before abandoning that putrid mind for good, I took one last peek.
The cracking sound of a whip was heard, hitting Thales’ shoulder—the tip turning into a snake’s jaw, its fangs digging through his veins with deadly poison.
This death would be a slow, agonizing one.
I hope the next one is a bit easier on the bastard.
----------------------------------------
“Die, you fiend!”
Elena awoke—more precisely, she regained control over her body.
“What the… where am I?”
As she observed her surroundings, her shoes stepped on a puddle—composed of blood.
“How did this—”
“You killed all of them, you Witch!”
The man yelling at her while aiming a gun her way was one of the camp’s guards. The two of them were surrounded by dozens of corpses, all belonging to the man’s colleagues.
Elena raised her arms. “Uhmm, sorry, you got the wrong girl. I cannot kill a fly.”
“Like I’m going to believe a filthy Marked as yourself. Am I supposed to believe the entrance opened on its own, as well?”
“The what now?”
As she heard that, she took notice of the sunshine that was making its way inside the compound. To her right, was the same machine she’d seen upon arriving in here.
Somehow, she’d managed to kill every guard in the vicinity, while operating the machine that allowed entrance into the underground bunker.
How that happened was a mystery… well, a mystery to her.
Because I know.
It would perhaps be a spoiler to give too many details, but let’s just say… killing Thales was not her only desire.
Above all, Elena wished for Miles to come and save her.
And who am I not to oblige
A sudden gust of wind blew.
“What is going—” The man dropped his weapon abruptly.
His hands lacked the strength to hold on to it, for he was dead. A sword cut through his stomach, depriving him of life in an instant.
The wind had halted, along with the guard’s heartbeat. The wind’s purpose was to deliver death. With that role fulfilled, there was no more need for such a gale.
All that remained of it was the swordsman responsible for it—Miles of the Dead Sea Pirates.