CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40 - THE NIGHTMARE PART 5

Gabriel’s breath became sharp and quick.

The Commander’s footsteps echoed ahead of him, steady and unhurried, each one hitting Gabriel like a dagger to the heart. Each step taking him closer to her.

The torches lining the walls flickered weakly, as if even the fire feared the path they were taking.

His legs moved on instinct, not obedience.

The sigils carved across his torso pulsed beneath his skin, slow at first, then quicker.

She is waiting. I don’t want to go again.

I need to escape, but there’s no escape. My brother has abandoned me, and the church has abandoned me.

The Commander makes sure I’m clean, fed and trained. Maybe when they’ve finished, they won’t hurt me anymore.

No, once they finish, they will use me. I’ll never escape.

Gabriel lowered his head, looking at the floor as he continued behind the Commander.

The realisation he was never escaping the cult wrapped around his neck like a noose.

He continued following.

The temperature dropped. The corridor darkened.

Not her, please not her.

He turned the final corner and froze.

The Commander did not slow.

A soft humming seeped through the wooden door ahead, the same lullaby she always used before breaking him.

His bare feet rooted themselves to the cold stone, refusing to carry him even one step closer. His fingers twitched at his sides, useless, trembling, as though his body was begging him to run away from that humming.

"Gabriel," the Elf said without slowing his stride, "keep moving."

"I..." he tried to speak, but the words failed him.

The humming grew clearer.

His heartbeat hammered in his ears, drowning the sound of distant waves beyond the broken castle walls. The air grew thick, squeezing his lungs.

He forced quick breaths that did nothing to steady himself.

The Commander stopped at the door. His armour-covered hand rested on the iron handle.

He looked back once, his golden hair catching the torchlight.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked, in the same voice a brother might use to scold a frightened sibling.

"...Her" he whispered, barely audible.

The Commander’s expression did not change.

The door creaked open, and a warm glow spilled into the corridor.

"And when we are finished, everyone will fear you."

Gabriel didn’t move, he was paralysed to the spot, watching the silhouette of the Commander disappear.

"Inside." A deep voice came through the open door. "Don’t make me repeat myself."

His tone never rose, but something in it cut through Gabriel. Dragging him out of his paralysed state.

The pull of obedience dragged him across the threshold.

The warmth from the room brushed across his skin as he finally stepped fully into the chamber.

And there she was.

Ariya sat with perfect posture beside a low table, humming softly as she arranged silver instruments on a silk cloth. The light shimmered across them, casting thin reflections against the wall.

Her humming stopped.

She lifted her head.

And her whole expression softened into something that would have comforted anyone else in the world.

"Gabriel," she whispered, voice as warm as honey. "You’re shaking."

His chest tightened until he could barely breathe.

Ariya rose with slow grace, every movement gentle, deliberate, as though approaching a frightened animal she had no intention of letting live.

She reached him with almost no sound, standing only an arm’s length away.

A faint, sweet fragrance spread from her body.

"You poor thing," she murmured, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead. "You always tremble before we begin."

His vision blurred, whilst his knees began buckling.

Please, brother... help me.

The Commander’s hand pressed firmly against the back of his shoulder, steadying him.

"Stop toying with him."

"How are things progressing?"

Ariya’s smile never faded. She never answered

"Can you complete it?" the Commander snapped, impatience cutting through his usually controlled tone.

Ariya didn’t flinch.

"No," she said gently, almost apologetically. "I can prepare his body, but we don’t know how to activate the blood."

Her fingers drifted downward, tracing the fresh ritual sigils carved across Gabriel’s chest.

He recoiled at her touch, a reaction she noticed instantly.

Her smile warmed.

"His body accepts the markings well," she murmured, more to herself than to the Commander. "He endures pain better than the others. Much better."

Gabriel’s stomach twisted.

The Commander exhaled sharply through his nose. "If we cannot trigger it, then the ritual is useless. I expect results."

"Yes," Ariya replied softly, lifting one of the silver instruments from the silk cloth. "And you will have them. The texts say the blood awakens only when the body reaches the proper conditions."

The Elf’s brows furrowed. "Meaning?"

Ariya stepped closer to Gabriel, her breath brushing his cheek, her smile remaining gentle.

"Meaning," she whispered, "We need to remove his mana core."

Gabriel’s heart lurched.

You can’t

His knees nearly buckled again.

I won’t be able to be a Paladin again

The Commander tightened his grip on Gabriel’s shoulder, forcing him upright. "Do it."

Tears began collecting in the corner of Gabriel’s eyes.

Ariya raised a small, thin vial and tilted her head with a calm curiosity, as though examining him for the first time.

"He can’t be awake for this," a disappointed look spread across her face.

The Commander’s expression didn’t change. "Do it."

Ariya’s lips curled into a gentle pout before she stepped closer, the faint scent of lavender and metal drifting from her robes.

Gabriel’s breath held.

"No," he whispered, the words barely escaping ", Please—"

Ariya pressed a finger to his lips.

"Shhh," she whispered. "Once you awaken, you will be closer to him."

Her finger slipped away, replaced by the cool glass rim of the vial touching his lower lip.

"Open."

Gabriel kept his mouth clenched shut, shaking his head weakly.

The Commander’s hand moved instantly, gripping Gabriel’s jaw, forcing it open. Ariya poured the shimmering liquid down his throat before he could resist.

The taste was sweet at first. Then his tongue went numb.

His vision blurred as his knees began to buckle.

The Commander caught him by the back of the neck, lowering him to the floor effortlessly.

Ariya knelt beside him, brushing his hair back from his forehead.

"Don’t fight it," she whispered, almost tender.

Gabriel’s eyelids fluttered, heavy as stone.

"Righteousness begets cruelty" Ariya’s voice faded into a soft hum.

Then darkness swallowed the room.