CHAPTER 263: 263.A MISTAKE

One of the cloaked men stepped forward, his movements kinda familiar to Onalenna. He stopped just a few feet away from her, the sound of his boots echoing with a ghostly rhythm.

Rex growled low behind her, his sharp canines already visible as he glared at the man whose face was hidden beneath a dark hoodie. His master’s presence in danger made his hackles rise, fur bristling like needles ready to shoot. He couldn’t wait to be given a command. His paws twitched. His eyes gleamed red. The thick, suffocating aura coming off the men before them was enough to rattle even his beast instincts. And that hollow-eyed cat-man standing in the back, silent, and unmoving, waiting to strike added a layer of dread that Rex could neither describe nor ignore.

He began to shift, his bones snapping as he fought to enter his full beast form. But then, the man before them let out a low, dark sinister chuckle like something corrupted long ago. He casually flipped a page in his black book, and the entire air around them changed in a heartbeat.

Instantly, a sinister aura erupted from the book, swirling like black fire, screaming like a thousand damned souls. The ground quaked, as the aura grew thick, colliding with itself and twisting in the air like a monstrous spiral of hate. A corrosive mist hissed out from the pages, slithering across the ground, devouring light. Within seconds, the world arpund them was swallowed whole, the vision turned to pitch black.

Onalenna gasped. Her lungs couldn’t draw air properly. She tried to move, but it was like gravity itself had turned against her. Her knees hit the ground. Her heart thundered.

Rex, mid-transformation, collapsed back with a heavy thud. He gritted his fangs, trying to link minds with his master Asher, but there was nothing. No telepathic bond. No mental link. Nothing. He closed his eyes, tried again to reach him, but the silence in his head was louder than thunder. His heartbeat pounded through his skull. Where were they? Were they even still in the same world?

A faint light blinked into existence on top of them. It was a sickly magic orb hovering above and in that moment, Max revealed his face, his hoodie falling back. He walked over to Onalenna with smugness carved into every step.

"Much appreciated, Number One," Max murmured to the hooded man beside him. "Couldn’t have bathed us in this lovely little pocket of hell without you."

Then, he turned to the two figures behind him, cloaked with their hoodies.

"Get the teleportation ready, will you? You know how draining it is to maintain this domain. Wouldn’t want dear Number One collapsing on us now, right?"

The men responded with humming, a creepy, unbothered humming and went to work flipping through their black books again. One began etching glowing symbols into the smoky floor with his fingers, the other chanting in a slow, venomous tone.

Max clutched his own black tome and walked over to Onalenna and Rex, who writhed under the crushing presence of the domain.

"W-What do you want... you damned bastard?" Onalenna choked out, her voice cracking beneath the weight of the air.

Max crouched down beside her, his smile more condescending than cruel. "You can still speak? Fascinating... Very few can breathe, let alone talk, inside a demonic domain. You really are special. Only those who’ve signed contracts with the devils move freely here. But hey—doesn’t mean you’ll live to brag about it."

Contracts? Devils?

Onalenna narrowed her eyes. "Don’t tell me you’re the re—"

"Bingo." Max stood, spreading his arms as if welcoming applause. "We’re the Revolutionaries. The ones who burned the royal libraries and pissed on the Kingdom’s sacred laws. The ones who are against the social hierarchy that states that women are superior to men. The ones who had tried sacrificing the Priestess to the demons, and our plans failed, thanks to our former reckless leader, Malak Rembrandt. You can tell by our bibles, can’t you? Oh wait—you’re too busy choking to read."

"You’re pathetic!" Onalenna spat, even as her limbs trembled. "The prince of Zephandria hiding behind devil’s coattails—weakling! A coward hiding behind shadows."

That smile dropped from Max’s face like a mask.

SMACK!

His palm collided with her cheek. The crack echoed in the void. Her head jerked from the impact as a line of blood bloomed from her lip. Her vision blinked white for a moment.

Rex let out a guttural growl and began to rise inch by inch, his muscles twitching and legs shaking.

He would not fall. He would not fail to do a simple job given to him by Asher: to protect his family.

He bared his fangs and took a heavy step forward, his claws digging into the corrupted stone floor. Another step. Saliva dripped from his snarling jaws. His rage burned hotter than the miasma suffocating him.

"Ncc...ncc...ncc..." Max clicked his tongue. "This beast’s loyalty is adorable. Maybe I’ll keep you as a pet."

He opened his book again, flipping to a page with ominous symbols.

"Ex tenebris venite..."

The shadows around them danced in response. The fog rippled as if waiting for a command.

"Catenae damnatae..."

From the blackened ground, slithering chains of ash and bone rose up, clinking with each movement.

"INFERNI VINCULA... NUNC OBEDITE!"

The chains wrapped around Rex, pulling his limbs apart and yanking him down, pulling him with inhuman force.The beast let out a strangled whimper as his body convulsed, crushed by the demonic bindings. His claws scratched at the floor in desperation, but it was no use. His legs gave out.

"REX!!" Onalenna screamed, thrashing against her own invisible restraints as the hound writhed and whimpered like a dying pup.

One of the cloaked men hummed from behind. Max glanced back, and saw a thumbs-up.

"Time to tuck you in, sweetheart," he said, and without warning, slammed his boot right into Onalenna’s face.

Her world went dark.

**

Zephandria – Unknown Dungeon

Onalenna stirred awake. Pain, cold, and a sickening smell were the first things to greet her. Her body ached. Her joints screamed. Her vision flickered like a dying lantern.

Water dripped somewhere. It smelled like piss and mold.

She blinked, trying to adjust to the dim light. A candle flickered weakly in the far corner of the room. She looked down—

She was naked. Arms and legs chained apart. Metal cuffs dug into her ankles and wrists. She was stretched across a cold slab, half-bench, half torture table. This bench, or whatever it was reeked of long use. Stains marked it, and claw-like etchings had been scratched into the wood. The walls around her were covered in mad drawings, crude symbols, and red streaks—some blood, some paint, some... something else.

Her breathing quickened.

Then she noticed the person in front of her. A woman—or what vaguely resembled one—stood from a toilet chamber at a cornor, pulling up her trousers. Her chest was flat, torso muscled like a war beast. Dreadlocks flowed over her scarred back. Her face? A grotesque thing with sagging donkey-like lips and tribal tattoos crossing every inch.

"Who the hell are you?" Onalenna rasped, fear creeping in.

The woman didn’t answer. Just scoffed, grabbed a rock, and began drawing something crude on the wall.

Onalenna’s pulse thundered. She struggled, the chains rattling.

"I’m sorry, but could you untie me? Where are my clothes!? HEY! Please!!"

"She’s deaf," came a calm male voice from behind her. "She can’t hear you."

Onalenna craned her neck.

"Who’s there?"

"Another prisoner," the voice replied. "Got on the prince’s nerves. Now I live here."

That voice... it sounded familiar.

"Samuel? Is that you?"

"Yup," came the tired reply

Samuel was Max’s buddy. Him and Willson had always been around Max, snatching women from Eldoria.

"What the actual hell?! Am I in Zephandria?"

"Unfortunately."

"How the hell are you a prisoner?!"

"It’s a long story. But let’s say I spoke too much... thought I was special."

Footsteps echoed. Samuel sighed. "Great. Here comes the peacock himself."

Max stepped into view, keys jangling in his hand. He opened Onalenna’s cell with a click and strolled in, holding a magic gadget.

"Now this... this is a view."

He whistled as he gazed at Onalenna. He raised the device in his hand, and clicked a button.

Click. Click.

"What the hell do you think you’re doing!?" Onalenna shouted, rattling her chains.

Max chuckled, flipping the screen toward her. "Sending a little gift to your son."

Her eyes widened.

"My... son?"

"Oh yes," Max whispered. "I need him to obey a few humiliating little tasks. If he doesn’t... well, you’ll rot here. Naked."

He clicked his tongue.

"Let’s see... maybe I’ll have him walk through the capital in nothing but shame. Naked, a sign on his back reading ’I’m an idiot.’ Then maybe I’ll get the other slaves to come and fuck you while l use my streaming magic to show the whole world!"

He paused. "But even that’s not cruel enough. I’ll think of something worse. I promise."

Onalenna gritted her teeth, veins bulging on her neck.

"You’ve made the biggest fucking mistake of your life."

Max leaned close. "I hope so. It makes it more fun."

TBC