Chapter 16 : Chains of Control
Ray
People are puzzles. If you look long enough, you’ll find the cracks. And when you do, it’s not hard to pry them open. Most people would see that as cruel, but I’ve always seen it as the truth. From the time I was a child, I understood one thing better than anyone else: the world rewards control, and the only way to survive is to make sure you’re the one pulling the strings.
It started small. Little experiments at school. I was nine when I first realized how easy it was to shape people. I’d watch the other kids, looking for the ones with fragile egos, the ones desperate for approval. Then I’d nudge them—just enough to see what would happen.
There was a boy in my class, Jacob. He was the smartest after me, always trying to outdo my test scores, my projects. At first, I ignored him, but then I realized I could use him. I started dropping compliments here and there—praising his handwriting, his neat notes, his “unique” way of solving problems. Jacob ate it up, eager for my approval. It wasn’t long before he started coming to me for help.
“Ray, do you think the teacher likes my answers?” he asked one day, showing me his notebook.
“Not really,” I said, feigning hesitation. “She probably thinks you’re trying too hard. Maybe if your answers were simpler, more confident, she’d respect you more.”
I watched as he rewrote his assignments, paring them down until they were nearly incoherent. His grades plummeted, and his frustration grew. He started lashing out at the teacher, accusing her of bias. By the end of the term, Jacob wasn’t the second-smartest anymore. He was just another troublemaker.
But that wasn’t the moment that defined me. No, that came later, when I started playing a bigger game.
By the time I was eleven, I’d perfected the art. It wasn’t about direct sabotage. That was messy, obvious. My methods were subtler, cleaner. I’d pit people against each other, planting seeds of doubt and watching as they unraveled themselves.
Take Emily and Sarah, for example—best friends, inseparable since kindergarten. They always paired up for group projects, their synergy unmatched. I decided to see how far I could push them.
“Emily, can I tell you something?” I said one afternoon, my tone conspiratorial. “I overheard Sarah talking about your project. She said you’re dragging her down.”
Emily’s face fell, and I knew I had her. “She said that?”
“Yeah,” I lied, my voice laced with concern. “I thought you should know. You deserve better.”
The next day, I approached Sarah. “Hey, Sarah. Emily told me something weird. She said you’re just riding on her coattails for the project. Is that true?”
“What? No way!” Sarah bristled, her voice rising. “I’m the one doing most of the work!”
By the end of the week, they weren’t speaking. Their project fell apart, and they each begged the teacher to let them work alone. I smiled to myself, satisfied. I didn’t need to sabotage their grades—they did it for me. All it took was a few well-placed words.
At home, my parents pretended not to notice, but I saw the way they looked at me. Like I was something dangerous. My mother stopped hugging me when I came home from school. My father’s temper grew shorter, his voice louder.
“You can’t keep doing this,” he said one night after another parent called to complain about me. “Do you know how hard it is to keep the school from expelling you? You’re a freak, Ray. A monster.”
His words didn’t hurt me. If anything, they proved I was right. Fear is control, and I had plenty of both. Even they couldn’t stop me.
The benefactor came later, offering me a scholarship to an elite academy. At first, I thought it was a fresh start—a chance to use my abilities on a bigger stage. But when I found the files, I saw the truth. I wasn’t a student to him; I was an asset. A pawn in his schemes.
He smiled when I confronted him, his confidence infuriating. “You’re too smart for your own good,” he said. “But you’ll learn. Everyone has a master, Ray.”
Two weeks later, he was in handcuffs, his empire in ruins. I made sure of it. I didn’t just frame him—I destroyed him, piece by piece, until there was nothing left. Everyone has a master, he’d said. I decided then that I wouldn’t.
----------------------------------------
The Bastard Ravencrest’s laughter snapped me back to the present. The acrid scent of charred stone and the faint hum of lingering magic filled the air, the remnants of our chaotic clash pressing in from all sides. His smirk was infuriating, but it wasn’t new. I’d seen it before, on my father’s face, on my benefactor’s. It was the look of someone who thought they’d broken me.
But they never did. And neither would he.
I wiped the blood from my mouth and straightened, my body trembling from exhaustion but my mind sharp, focused. The pieces were all in place now. He thought he had me cornered, but he’d forgotten the golden rule of survival: control the board, and you control the game.
This wasn’t just a fight anymore. It was a lesson—a reminder of what happens when you underestimate the monster.
“Are you done, little man?” Ravencrest taunted, his voice echoing through the ruined hall.
I smirked, the same way I had at the benefactor, the same way I always did when I knew I was about to win. “Not even close.”
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
----------------------------------------
The Bastard Ravencrest turned his attention to Taki, who lay slumped against the pillar, struggling to stand. His mocking smile twisted into something darker as he raised a hand, golden runes spiraling around him.
“Such wasted potential,” he sneered. “Allow me to end your misery.”
As his spell began to form, I acted.
Ghost form activated. The world blurred as I surged forward, intangible and weightless. But the strain was immediate, a sharp tug at the edges of my mind, like threads unraveling each time I used it. The curse stirred, faint but persistent, whispering promises I didn’t want to hear. The Bastard Ravencrest’s spell was seconds from launching when I entered Taki’s body. Her trembling stilled, replaced by precise, controlled movements as I took over.
“Not today,” I growled through her lips, summoning her blessing with ease. A torrent of water erupted, slamming into the golden runes and dissolving them before they could complete. The Bastard staggered back, his smirk faltering.
“You dare use her?” he hissed, irritation flashing in his eyes.
I didn’t answer. Instead, I raised Taki’s hand, forming a barrier of swirling water as the Bastard unleashed another spell. The impact sent waves rippling through the shield, but it held firm. I left her body just as the Bastard lunged, his frustration evident. I darted into the next piece on the board.
----------------------------------------
The first guard I entered wielded a fiery lance. I hurled it with calculated precision, forcing the Bastard into a hasty teleport. The moment he reappeared, I was in another guard—a speed user—and closed the gap between us in an instant. His spell activated again, whisking him away, but I didn’t stop.
Each blessing I used pushed me closer to the edge. My mind sharpened, but something dark stirred within me, whispering things that weren’t my thoughts. Isn’t this fun, Ray? You’re just like them. I shook it off, focusing on the fight.
A guard with a gravity-based blessing became my next tool. I crushed the air around the Bastard, slowing his movements and draining his strength. His teleportation faltered. Keep going, the voice in my mind urged. Show him how powerless he really is.
I moved to another guard. A shieldbearer, their blessing forming an impenetrable barrier. Then a frost user, their shards of ice slicing through the air. The Bastard’s teleportation became slower, his movements more erratic. But with every new body I entered, the whispers grew louder.
Coward, the voice spat. You think you’re in control, but you’re just running. Why not let me handle this? My body trembled, my movements less steady. The curse was creeping in, a weight pressing down on my mind.
----------------------------------------
The Bastard landed clumsily on the floor, his chest heaving. His teleportation blessing had finally reached its limit. I stepped out of the last guard and returned to my body. My limbs felt heavy, my vision flickering between clarity and darkness. The whispers in my head turned into a roar.
“Enough,” I growled, forcing myself to stand straight. The Bastard looked up, his expression a mixture of fear and fury. “You’re out of tricks.”
But as I stepped forward, my voice changed. “Poor thing,” I heard myself say, though the tone was mocking, venomous. My lips curled into a smile I didn’t command. “Maybe you’re not the only coward here.”
I froze, my heart pounding. No. Not now.
My body moved without my command. I started laughing—loud, wild, and wrong. The Bastard’s eyes widened as he saw the shift. “What… what is this?” he muttered.
“Ray’s not here right now,” my voice purred, though it wasn’t mine. “But don’t worry. I’ll finish what he started.”
----------------------------------------
I lunged forward, faster than ever. My fist connected with the Bastard’s chest, slamming him into the wall. He crumpled to the ground, his blessing disabled, too weak to interfere.
“That should keep you quiet,” I muttered, turning away from him without a second glance. My attention shifted to Selia, who stood frozen in the corner of the room, her eyes wide with fear.
----------------------------------------
I moved toward her, my steps deliberate and menacing. “You,” I snarled, my voice low and dangerous. “I’ve had enough of your secrets.”
Selia backed away, her hands trembling. “Ray… what’s wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with me?” I repeated, laughing bitterly. “No, the real question is, what’s wrong with you, Selia? Always hiding, always lying. Tell me—what is your blessing?”
Selia’s eyes darted to the others. Lucky stepped forward, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “Ray, calm down. This isn’t like you.”
I turned to him, my expression twisted with rage. “Stay out of this, Lucky. You’re nothing to me.”
Lucky hesitated but didn’t back down. “You’re not Ray right now,” he said firmly. “Whatever’s happening, you need to stop.”
I smirked, the expression cold and cruel. “And what are you going to do about it, Lucky? Get lucky?” Before he could respond, I flicked my wrist, sending a wave of energy that knocked him to the ground. He groaned, clutching his ribs.
----------------------------------------
“Enough games,” I said, turning back to Selia. “You’re going to tell me what your blessing is. Now.”
Selia shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t have a blessing,” she whispered.
“Liar!” I roared, grabbing her by the collar and lifting her off the ground. “You think I don’t know? I’ve seen you, Selia. You’re not normal. So tell me the truth before I make you.”
Selia sobbed, her voice trembling. “Ray… please.”
The curse inside me growled in frustration. The words spilled from my lips unbidden, sharp and cutting, as if something else spoke through me. “Fine. If you won’t say it, I’ll make you show it.” My mind recoiled, trying to wrest back control, but the curse pushed harder. It wasn’t just a voice now—it was a storm, raging and relentless, clawing at my every thought. The line between me and it blurred with every passing second.”
I raised my hand, preparing to strike, but something stopped me. A faint flicker of light surrounded Selia, like a shield. My hand froze mid-air, and for the first time, the curse hesitated.
----------------------------------------
“What… is this?” I muttered, my voice momentarily faltering.
Selia’s trembling stopped, and she looked up at me, her eyes filled with something I couldn’t place. “Ray,” she said softly. “You need to fight it. Please.”
The curse roared in defiance, but that flicker of light grew stronger, wrapping around me like chains. I staggered back, clutching my head as the voices in my mind screamed.
I collapsed to my knees, my breathing ragged. The curse receded, its grip loosening as the light faded. For a moment, silence filled the room.
“Ray?” Selia’s voice was soft, hesitant.
I looked up, my vision clearing. My hands were shaking, and the weight of what I’d done hit me like a blow. “Selia… I…” My voice broke, and I couldn’t finish the sentence.
Selia knelt beside me, her expression a mixture of fear and sadness. “It wasn’t you,” she said, though her voice wavered. “But… we need to talk about this.”
Suddenly, Selia’s body was engulfed in light. The sight hit me like a blow, a mix of shock and dread twisting in my chest. What was happening? My mind raced, grasping for control, but it slipped away as the light grew brighter, swallowing her whole. Before I could react, she vanished, the light streaking upward and disappearing. Lucky and Taki followed moments later, their bodies consumed by the same radiant glow, leaving me alone with the Bastard Ravencrest.
“What…” I whispered, the weight of the silence pressing down.
Then, a child’s voice echoed in my mind, soft and clear. I will teleport you too, but first I need to break the spell holding you here.
A surge of energy rippled through the room, a sensation like static prickling against my skin as an unseen force cracked and splintered. The invisible chains binding me to the ground disintegrated with a resonant hum, leaving behind a strange, almost soothing warmth. The voice returned, this time with a faint giggle. You’re free now, Ray. Time to go.
In a flash of light, the world around me dissolved, leaving only darkness.