Zachary almost laughed. New Calum was not a city without crime but random attacks such as robberies were rare. Everyone was a summoner and it was impossible to figure out how strong someone was unless they knew the person beforehand. Looking at the disheveled appearance of these men and their weak summons, this seemed almost like a joke.
However, it all changed in an instant, before Zachary could even react.
An enormous phantasmal hand shot out of the alley and wrapped around Minah.
"Ahhh!" She screamed as she was pulled into the darkness, her arms trapped tightly against her sides so that she couldn't summon anything.
"Minah!" Zachary shouted.
At the same time, Yaoyao appeared with a loud roar.
"Hehe, we got the girl, hold him off!" A cruel voice shouted from the darkness.
"Yes, boss!"
Zachary had no idea who these people were or what they wanted with Minah. He only wanted to get her back and he would destroy anyone that stood in his way. His will transferred to Yaoyao who emitted a sharp and icy killing intent. Her Eternum surged as she flapped her wings and sprinted through the air. He didn't need to shout out commands, she already knew what to do.
Her claws lengthened into deadly curved blades of ice. She swiped at the wolf, causing four long, bloody gashes on its head that quickly froze over. The beast only let a whimper before it fell.
"Furbear, iron slash!" The other summoner cried out.
"Rrraaah!" The man-size bear attacked wildly.
But Yaoyao was too strong and too fast. Her ice claws cut through the bear's claws and then its forelimbs, turning them into minced meat. She then kicked the bear into its summoner, sending both tumbling, while she focused on the third evildoer. She sent out another flurry of ice claws but the man was able to deftly block her first attack and dodge away from the rest.
Zachary noticed the summoning orb in his left hand and realized that the man was using some kind of ability summon to strengthen his combat prowess. He cursed under his breath and brought a summoning card to his forehead. A red light dimly illuminated the dark street as another feline appeared, this one sporting orange fur with black patterns.
"Flare, go all out, take care of these guys!"
"Meow!" The ember cat turned into a ball of flames and began harassing the three men.
"Yaoyao, come on! Follow Minah!" He shouted.
"Yao yao!" She replied and zoomed into the alley.
Zachary sprinted after Yaoyao as they charged through one alley and into another. Yaoyao emitted an aura of icy anger as she went, leaving a trail of frost behind her. Worry filled his heart. Why did they kidnap Minah? Did they want ransom from the Yoon-Cromwell Corporation? They eventually arrived in front of a garage door to a nondescript warehouse. They could hear Minah's screams from inside as well as the laughter of many voices.
Yaoyao's ice claws appeared again and tore the thin metal of the garage doors to shreds. She charged through the opening while Zachary kicked his way in.
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"Minah!" Zachary bellowed furiously when he saw her.
Minah was strung up to a ceiling joist by her hands with rough rope. She was naked from head to toe. A group of ten or so men and women along with their summons surrounded Minah. there were several red marks on her body already.
Yaoyao roared, feeling the hate and anguish in her summoner's soul. Her powerful voice reverberated through the small warehouse, drawing the attention of the kidnappers and their Ensouled. Before they could react, Zachary had already given the order.
"Kill them all!"
Yaoyao's eyes glowed blue, and then her whole body. The temperature in the building dropped rapidly as frost covered the walls, the windows, and the floors. A swirling cloud of snow and ice surrounded her and spread out until she was impossible to find for her enemies. She turned into a raging monster of death as wretched screams of humans and beasts alike erupted.
---
Zachary awoke to unbearable pain within his soul. It felt like his head was being torn apart over and over like his entire existence was nothing but endless agony. There was no Yaoyao, no Minah, only a damp stone floor in a pitch-black place.
"Gahhh!" He let out a ragged cry through gritted teeth. The pain left him almost paralyzed. "Yaoyao... Minah... where... ahhhh!"
His soul sea was a bloody mess. His sky path was empty, Yaoyao was no longer there. What was left was a river of blood and torn flesh as if he had been sent through a meat grinder. He yelled, he howled, not understanding what had happened. He had killed those people for hurting Minah. He had let Yaoyao loose, unleashed her full power on those evil people, and watched in satisfaction as they died. But he didn't remember anything after that.
Time passed slowly. Every second was torture. He threw up more than a few times from the unbearable pain of his mangled soul. Then came thirst and hunger. His body and mind suffered along with his soul. He almost wanted to die. But he couldn't die without knowing. He wouldn't give up without Yaoyao.
People eventually came. A guard told him he was now a prisoner of the city due to four counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder. Another person came, an attorney for the government, to inform him of his trial date. He didn't reply to any of them, only shouting and spitting at them like a lunatic. He wanted to know where Yaoyao was, what they had done to him, and what happened to Minah.
There were no answers until one day, a familiar face appeared in front of his cell. Her voice was soft, perhaps a little sad.
"Zach."
He sat up and his eyes widened. He crawled to the bars like a beast and stuck out his arm, trying to touch her to make sure she was real. She recoiled as if she had seen a ghost.
"Minah... you..." He spoke hoarsely, his voice shattered from too much screaming. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?"
She looked just like he remembered her. Long black hair framing a perfect oval face. Her features were flawless if a little cold and aloof.
"I'm fine. I wasn't hurt." She paused and studied him. Her gaze contained a hint of warmth but there was a deep feeling of unfamiliarity, like he didn't know her at all.
Her slim lips quivered slightly and then she spoke at length, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Zach. I never meant for this to happen. I came to see you because of our past and I want you to know that I cherished our time together. I appreciate everything you've done for me and I won't forget it."
"What..." He said weakly, not understanding at all.
Minah continued, "That night, those people were hired by my father. They did not hurt me. What you saw was an illusion cast by my father's summon. It is a very special summon with the supernatural abilities of illusion field and mind control. It used illusion field to trick you into killing those people. It later used mind control in your weakened state and made you forcibly break your soul bond with Yaoyao."
He was stunned momentarily by her words only to be stricken by pain once again. The full weight of the implications crashed down on his soul and he could no longer think straight.
"Why? Why did you do that? Why!"
Minah stared at his sorry figure, conflicting emotions flickering in her eyes, "I'm sorry. I had to do it, for my mother. You know the difficulties I had growing up; how poor my mother and I were. My father promised that if I did this, he would accept me as his legitimate child. My mother and I would be formally accepted into the Yoon Clan. I had to do it. I just didn't think it would happen this way. I'm sorry."
"You..."
"I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry."
"You..."
He was so angry. He was so hurt. There was never a girl named Minah Yoon in his life, only a lie. Now, there was no more Yaoyao and no future for him. A fresh wave of pain struck his soul. He coughed up a mouthful of blood. His vision turned hazy and he fell into darkness.