Chapter 23: | ???
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In an unknown realm, there lay a forest, damp and ominous, with a castle at its heart, cloaked in shadows.
The trees sang in unison as the wind howled.
Birds chirped, and the hidden lurkers of the forest watched in silence.
Inside the castle, screams echoed.
Chained beings, their auras radiating the might of Sovereigns and beyond, Stage 1 and higher, were bound and broken.
Unlucky souls, captured by the Scholar of Truth, Tathid, for his twisted experiments.
Footsteps echoed.
An elf lay strapped to a filthy metallic table stained red.
Her breath hitched.
Her heart thundered in her chest as she thrashed against the chains, eyes locked on the man approaching her.
"Damn it… work, damn you!"
But she was too weak.
The cuffs held tight.
The chains didn't budge.
Pain flared through her as warm fluid was injected into her bloodstream.
"You damned bastard! My father will hunt you to the ends of the earth!" she shouted.
Tathid smiled, amused, and leaned closer.
He brushed her hair back, gently sniffing its scent.
"My dear Lady Elia… please, be more composed."
"Damn you!" she screamed, eyes burning with rage. "Let me go!"
Tathid's gloved hand clamped around her throat, choking her mid-sentence.
Elia gasped for air, tears finally breaking free after days of torment.
Then, humiliation.
A sudden warmth flooded beneath her as she lost control.
Tathid grimaced and pinched his nose.
"Tch. I may be a Scholar of Truth, but I'm not so depraved as to enjoy that sort of mess, Your Highness."
Shame burned in Elia's chest as she turned her face away, trembling.
"Please… let me keep my dignity… as the daughter of Leftia Evergreen…"
She was beautiful, jade-like hair, soft curves, a noble air, and yet now reduced to this.
Still, Tathid nodded.
For all his madness, he did not indulge in what he considered dishonorable.
A towel floated to his hand, guided by mana.
He knelt and carefully cleaned the table, and her folds.
"My lady, perhaps… you could reward my noble efforts with a kiss?" he said, half-mocking.
Elia groaned faintly, her cheeks flushing.
Why?
Why was her body reacting?
Even after the torment, something strange bloomed inside her.
Was it submission?
Some twisted form of attachment?
Disgusting.
She bit back a moan as his hand brushed too close again.
More fluid spilled.
Tathid sighed.
"Back to square one. So, how about two kisses, then?"
Elia, burning in shame, nodded faintly.
"Uhm…"
Tathid blinked.
"Are you serious, my lady?"
Again, she nodded, her voice caught in her throat.
A grin curled his lips as he removed his gloves.
He cupped her face with surprising gentleness, then leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers.
Her body moved of its own will.
Her lips met his.
Her tongue followed his lead.
Her eyes fluttered shut.
Victory.
He had broken her.
Then, pain.
A psychic blast ripped through his mind.
Tathid staggered back as he saw visions not his own.
Vinley's last moments, devoured by a massive maw, and then the image of a radiant woman with golden hair and divine features.
Liora.
A smile crept across Tathid's face.
"So… you're the one, hmm?"
But first, he thought, casting a glance back at Elia, I should finish what I started with her.
---
Days passed like grains of rice.
It was peaceful.
The currents swayed gently, slipping through every nook and cranny of the cavern.
Then, a beautiful humming echoed, like the song of a divine bird.
"Eyes closed... the world has fallen into ruin... why did they... choose destruction over life? But I am pleased with their decisions..."
It was a creepy lullaby, yet Liora sang it with haunting grace, like a nightingale perched upon a broken world.
She sat upon a stone slab, unmoved by the cold of the undercurrent, her voice carrying through the stillness.
Liora raised her hands, twirling her fingers through her hair.
A subtle tension bloomed in her chest, an intuition, a feeling of impending doom. Was it merely her imagination?
Perhaps.
But even if something terrible were approaching, would she, Liora... be unable to overcome it?
Of course not.
She was the definition of perfection.
Her mastery over her mana and her body stood at the very zenith.
To fall here, in such a mundane place, was unthinkable.
"Even though I've fallen this low due to miscalculation, failing in such a world would be a disgrace."
Pride pulsed at her chest.
It wasn't arrogance, it was her truth.
Liora didn't just value perfection, she embodied it.
Her smile was soft, almost innocent, as her gaze dropped to her bust.
"Perhaps... I made these things a little too big?"
Despite her immense pride and massive ego, Liora was still, at heart, a lovely and slightly silly girl in her own way.
Her expression shifted.
A frown.
A tickle of awareness across her spine.
Someone was watching.
Through memory.
Her smile faded.
"Some bastard accessed Vinley's memories after his death. A magus, perhaps? Considering Vinley's composition, I'd bet on it."
She tapped her chin with one delicate finger, eyes glinting with amusement.
"Maybe an interesting toy will come to me soon."
Her gaze returned to her form.
Muscles shifted and reformed beneath her skin as she experimented with refining her physique.
"Tch,"
She clicked her tongue, annoyed.
"Without the help of mana, truly limit of what I can do without harming myself is... quite disappointing."
Then.
A groan echoed behind her.
Liora turned, her expression amused.
"It seems that my little sleeping beauty has finally woken up after a week."
I shook my head and laughed.
Of course she'd greet me with a joke the moment I opened my eyes.
That was just... Liora.
Then she leapt onto my back, her chest pressing against me as she lazily pointed toward a narrow tunnel at the edge of the cavern.
"You should go there, my mount,"
She said with a smirk.
Bwahahahahahah!
Me, a horse?
Hah!
No one had ever dared to call me that.
No one... but her.
I shook my head again, still chuckling, and glided into the currents, following the passage she had pointed to.
---
Hours passed as I assessed my gains.
I'd acquired quite the haul this time, but first, let's go over to the more interesting skills.
For example.
Verdant Abyss Core.
This skill gave me a new core, replacing the one that had been utterly obliterated during my fight with Vinley.
It boosts my regeneration, so it's a doable upgrade, nothing flashy but highly useful.
Then there's Avatar Synthesis.
This one allows me to do what Vinley did to that humanoid crab,essentially parasitize a creature and use it as a host.
But damn... I'm not a parasite.
Still, if I were, this skill would be quite intriguing.
Then there's Lashing Hive Tendrils and Tendril Assimilation.
These mutations, these allows a few portions of my flesh to transform into vine-like structures.
Perfect for extending my reach, lashing out at enemies, or assimilating their biomass directly into my own.
Neurotoxic Bloom lets me release toxins through my gills in the form of spores.
But realistically?
It's probably useless.
I doubt they're anywhere near as potent as Vinley's toxins.
Multi-Core Divergence, this one is interesting.
It lets me harness the cores of fallen classed monsters without needing to fully devour them.
Definitely convenient.
Then there's Cradle of Blooming Flesh.
This one covers my body in a cocoon of regenerative tissue, rapidly healing me at the cost of mobility.
A last-resort skill, but one I may grow to rely on.
Lastly, Regenerative Web, as the name suggests, it simply amplifies my natural regeneration.
I sighed.
The gains this time were massive.
Turning my attention to my back, I commanded the newly formed tendrils to break through the exoskeleton that encased them.
With a mental pulse, they extended, flexing, lashing outward, to test their strength and reach.
Hmm.
They're weak, at least for now.
But they should be more than enough to restrain enemies... or target their vital points like the eyes, or even the anus.
Then Liora, curious as always, touched one with a spark of interest in her eyes.
"So, after all, you really do have a bloodline that allows you to mimic the monsters you devour. Or perhaps... one that enables you to devour their skills?"
I nodded.
No point in hiding it now, since it was pretty obvious by now.
Liora perked up and chuckled, proudly.
"My mind truly is a wonder. I can figure out everything."
Her nose lifted, smugly pointed toward the ceiling as she awaited praise.
I clapped with my tendrils.
Liora demanded more, giggling.
"More! Praise me more, my mount!"
I chuckled and clapped harder.
Having Liora with me was... soothing.
Her presence alone helped anchor me.
Helped maintain what little sanity I had left.
She was fun to communicate with, even if I couldn't speak.
But a thought lingered.
A bitter one.
I just hope that when the time comes, when I lose all of my memories, Liora won't be there with me.
Perhaps... this is for the best.
I know it's cruel.
But maybe it's the only way to protect her.
So that I won't ever dare to hurt her...
So that, when we meet again in the not-so-distant future.
I'll be someone worthy of standing beside her.
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