“That was unbecoming of me,” Marianne says solemnly. “I lost myself due to the heat of the moment. Let’s look past it.”
“Yeah, sure.” I suppress a laugh while putting the T-shirt over my head.
Marianne is already dressed (she just clicked her fingers and the dress flew up, wrapping itself around her body), and I’m almost finished as well.
The reason why Marianne is looking extra dignified right now is because of her extremely short but explosive outburst earlier. She regrets it, but I admit that the blame lies with me.
I made her do a lot of embarrassing things while pretending to ‘learn’ from her slave-acting. In return, I even promised to reverse our roles at the end. But when it was time to fulfill that promise… well, I simply declined!
Hehe…
There is no way I was going to let her order me around. Especially when that would’ve been my fate for a lifetime if Marianne had succeeded in enslaving me.
I know it might be a bit petty (or not!), but it satisfies my thirst for payback all the same!
Of course, Marianne wasn’t happy about it. She stomped her feet and started hurling a few choicest of insults at me. But I didn’t tell her to shut up, simply because I wasn’t offended. In fact, it was quite amusing to watch a person of her status and importance being like that.
Marianne was quick to realize that as well when she noticed my playful smile, and the result of it is here, with her doing a complete one-eighty and behaving as courtly as she can.
“Okay, I am ready,” I say, putting on my shoes before getting up. “Let’s go.”
“Yes, but there’s just one final thing you need to know,” Marianne says in a very serious manner. “I would’ve mentioned it earlier if you’d let me…”
Her voice trails off and her nose flares.
“…but never mind. This is very crucial, so listen carefully. I know I said that Yrathea’s going test the effectiveness of Blood Bond on you, but I think simply using the word ‘test’ makes it sound very tame.”
“What do you mean by that?” I ask her with a frown.
“What I mean to say is that I know Yrathea very well,” she emphasizes. “While she is betting on the Blood Bond to keep you safe from the other side’s influence, she is going to make sure it is completely fail-proof. The lives of numerous people under her depend on it.
“To do that, she’s going to try her very best to break through the Blood Bond herself! And the methods she will use for that can be both conventional and unconventional. She won’t shy away from doing stuff that goes below the belt, stuff that might be greatly unpleasant for you.”
Marianne pauses to muster some power into her next words.
“But do NOT give in. No matter what she says or does to you, do NOT go against any of the orders given by me. Just remember two things— first, it is indeed just a test. Never forgot that. And second, I will help you in every way possible. Keep that in mind. You understand?”
…
Alright, now I am a little scared. But it cannot be that bad, right?
“Yeah, I guess,” I answer with an unsure nod.
“Then we shall get going.”
Marianne raises herself to full height, gesturing for me to grab her hand. And the moment I do so, a similar feeling of falling into the darkness engulfs my body.
I was prepared this time, so when the darkness fades, I save myself from stumbling down and swiftly regain my balance. Looking around, the first thing I notice is that we’ve traveled outside the elven tree-palace. It’s still nighttime, but the sky is beginning to lighten.
We seem to be standing in the middle of a lush garden, with bushes of different flowers and a variety of fruit-laden trees surrounding us. Illuminated under the white light of numerous magical lamps, the garden looks unworldly beautiful. I cannot even imagine how good it must look when the sun’s up.
“Finally. I almost thought something went wrong.”-Sitting on a small bench directly in front of us is the hooded figure of Yrathea. She is holding an ancient-looking book, which she was probably reading while waiting for us.
“Is it done, Mari?” She asks, setting aside the book (it vanishes into thin air) and standing up.
“Yes, we’ve formed the Blood Bond,” Marianne answers, her face unreadable.
Yrathea turns her head towards me. It’s impossible to tell because of the hood, but I feel like she’s studying me from head to toe.
“And did you not tell him about it? He looks quite composed for someone who’s just been made a… thrall.”
“I’ve told him,” Marianne answers quickly. “He got too distressed, so I ordered him to calm down before coming here.”
“I see…”
Yrathea gives out a long sigh before taking a step forward and finally addressing me.
“I won’t apologize to you, boy,” she states grimly.
…
Okay, well, fuck you.
“It shouldn’t have happened. We didn’t want to do it. Nobody did. But the situation is such that it was necessary,” she tells me, her voice becoming emotionless.
“If you want to hate me, go ahead. I won’t stop you. It is understandable for you to hate us all. Consoling you won’t help either, because from here on, I can only give you reasons that will fuel that hatred.”
Yrathea’s words are alarming, but I don’t say anything. It doesn’t seem like she wants a reply either. There’s a finality in her tone that is oddly chilling.
She turns to Marianne once again, and they both stare at each other for a second. I have a hunch that they’re communicating through telepathy, and that hunch proves to be correct. Without a word, Marianne suddenly leaves my side to stand behind Yrathea.
“Jacob, you are not allowed to tell anyone your name,” Marianne commands me in a firm tone.
Huh?
For a moment, I look at her in confusion… right before realizing the ‘test’ has begun.
“What is your name?” Yrathea asks at once.
…
Fuck me, is this it!?
After all the scary shit she told me, all I have to do is not say my name out loud!?
I scoff at them in my mind.
Time to act.
“There’s no way I am listening to you, bitch,” I snarl at Marianne. “My name is—”
I pretend to struggle to speak, looking confused.
“You don’t want me to keep repeating myself,” Yrathea warns tonelessly.
“What is your name?”
With a bewildered look, I clutch my throat as if wondering what’s wrong with it. At the same time, I sneak a glance at Marianne.
I am doing good, eh?
But she doesn’t look relaxed.
“What is your name?” Yrathea asks for the third time.
And before I can exaggerate my difficulty in answering her, something strange happens. My right arm shoots up at ninety degrees, stiff as a board, and my fingers now point straight at Yrathea and Marianne.
I try to put it down, but an invisible sort of force is keeping it in place.
“What is your name?”
Another bizarre thing happens. Five thin, long silver needles materialize right at the tip of my fingers.
What the fuck!?
“What is your name?”
I panic as the needle in front of my index finger gleams. And before I can even realize what’s happening, it shoots straight back— piercing right through my skin and embedding deep within my bone.
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