"I take it back," Elias growled, slashing the torch across her chest. She screamed as flames caught her dress. She had no choice but to run away.
But Caldria was already behind him to pull him back to the abyss with her.
"You cannot undo what is sealed," she gnashed his shoulders with her claws as she hissed with hatred. Her hands clawed into his shoulder and yanked him back, lifting him off his feet with inhuman strength. "You belong to us now."
Elias struggled and kicked her hard as he tried to swing the torch, but she slammed him into the wall. His breath left him in a gasp due to the impact. Before he could stand up, she leaned in and choked him, her skeletal face peeling back to reveal black ichor beneath.
But before her mouth could touch his skin, Elias shoved the flaming wood into her chest.
A howl erupted and echoed in the room stronger than any creature he had killed so far. It did not come just from her throat, but from everywhere in the villa. The house itself shuddered. Cracks ran through the walls as the shadows writhed violently. Caldria stumbled backward as her body split by fire. Her scream tore the air in two.
"I don't belong to you," Elias rasped. "I never did."
He turned and ran, dodging falling beams. He stepped over the bodies of half-melted creatures that once resembled people as he ran out for his life. Smoke made his vision blur, but he saw the tall doors and the grand hall's exit was still intact. Though it was writhing with tendrils of shadow, this was his last chance to survive.
He charged with full speed to get rid of this place.
They tried to stop him. Many hands came hissing and clawing, but he ignited another curtain on the way, throwing the burning fabric into their path. His body was caught in the flames too but he ignored the burn on his skin. The darkness recoiled just enough for him to push through.
With one final roar, he kicked the doors open and ran outside.
The blinding sun pierced through the haze as he tumbled out into the courtyard, gasping for breath, the clean air cutting into his lungs like knives.
Behind him, the manor burned. The flames rose higher, and the screeches from within turned into howls of anguish. Shadows tried to escape, but the sunlight caught them and turned them to ash.
Elias collapsed on the stone steps, coughing and shaking. His body was covered in fresh bruises but there was a smile on his face. He was finally free.
Elias coughed as the clean air filled his lungs. The sunlight warmed his skin, but inside, a storm raged. His body trembled with exhaustion. His body was covered in burns, laced his arms, and his legs barely held him upright. He wiped soot from his eyes and breathed raggedly.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he felt some moment. He stood up to fight again immediately, forgetting all the pain he was suffering through.
But there is no enemy anymore. A girl was casually seated on an ornate chair as if she had been watching a theater play.
"Seraphina!" he spat her name with venom in his voice.
She sat beneath the shade of a tall tree with a crystal glass in one hand. she sipped something dark and red and something told him it was blood. She was looking at him with amusement in her eyes.
"Welcome back!" she clapped when their eyes met. He gritted his teeth instantly.
His chest twisted and rage drowned out the pain and he went to her with the desire to kill.
"You…" Elias growled, glaring at her with his bloodshot eyes. "You were behind this, weren't you?"
Seraphina didn't flinch. She met his glare with a calm smile and nodded. "Of course, who else could it be?"
That was it. A cry tore from his throat as he lunged forward. His hands curled into fists, ready to strike, to end her games and to punish her.
But the moment he moved, his legs buckled. He crashed to the ground hard, knees scraping against stone, arms failing to break his fall. Blood smeared across his palm as he stared at her in disbelief.
Seraphina didn't move. She simply took another sip from her glass and said coldly, "You are still weak, Elias. But not as weak as you were."
He glared up at her, fury blazing through his bruised face. "Why? Why do you keep playing with my emotions? Why feed me lies? Why did you hurt me with Lina?" she raised a brow.
"So, it was only Lina that you cared about, not Cladria?" he frowned, not understanding her intentions at all.
"Why would I care about that bitch!"
She finally stood, her heels clicking softly against the stone path as she stepped closer, looking down at him like a teacher observing a stubborn student.
"I did not play with your emotions," she said, tilting her head. "I tested them to make sure you are prepared."
Elias clenched his fists. "Tested? Again!"
Seraphina knelt in front of him, her voice was soft but her eyes were like ice. "I wanted to make sure that you do not think from your heart anymore. You would not follow anyone who showed you warmth, even if they planned to devour you in the end. For the next step you must be prepared to differentiate between cruel truths and wicked lies."
He stared at her, finally understanding her intention but that did not mean he accepted them.
"You should have trusted me when I told you I hate them." he spat, making her pause only for a second and then she sighed.
"Many had promised me in the past too. I apologize if it comes harshly, but I only trust the result. And you had exceeded my expectations, Elias. Tell me. Were you doubtful of them from the start? Even when she said that she would marry you, were you not tempted at all?" her eyes glimmered with joy but all he felt was emptiness. Even his rage lost its meaning looking at her eyes.
He shook his head, still on the ground, still bleeding. "I do not want her love and affection anymore, it meant nothing to me. All I want is their demise. Not only theirs, but I want all the nobles to suffer and the commoners to rise stronger. Even if that was real, I would have still killed her."
A long silence stretched between them, filled only by his rugged breathing. Then Seraphina turned, walking toward the trees.
"I apologize for not accepting your words. rest now," she said over her shoulder. "Tomorrow, I will finally share my truths with you."