Chapter 36: Shadows & Sadists

There were twelve gilded cages in this room. Now, just eleven. I deliberated briefly on freeing the rest and using them to my advantage, but I quickly dismissed the thought. I had no way of knowing how deep their “treatment” went or if Silver could even undo their conditioning. Silver was an exception... an anomaly that made her special. And special didn’t come from sheer numbers.

“Hey,” I asked, “how long do you think you can camouflage us from Royal?”

She hesitated, calculating. “I’d say fifteen minutes. Maybe twenty if I don’t strain myself too much.”

“Good enough. What else can you do? How far can you untangle telepathic control?”

She looked down, fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. “I don’t negate it exactly... I untangle it by rousing a person’s core personality and boosting their awareness. I can amplify emotions, but only to a limited extent. I can’t read surface thoughts or communicate telepathically, but I can read emotions. My range is about 500 meters. It’s not much, but I’d make an excellent scout.”

I nodded. “And in a fight? What happens if your other personality takes over?”

Her hands twitched slightly, her unease evident. “She can… do everything I can, but she uses it differently. She tweaks the chemicals in her body to achieve superhuman feats... strength, heightened perception, and just about everything. It’s not limitless, but it’s… impressive. Her range is smaller, though. Only thirteen meters.”

I mulled over her answer. “Call her only if you feel you’re in immediate danger. For now, I need you. Can you tell me where Royal is?”

Her eyes closed for a moment, her head tilting slightly. “Yes. His mind… It’s powerful. It’s like a burning sun in my mind’s eye.”

“Good,” I said, gripping one of my cards tightly. “Lead me to him. Prioritize avoiding people.”

She nodded and moved ahead, signaling me whenever someone was nearby. We took turns backtracking, slipping into hidden alcoves, and I immobilized anyone who crossed our path. I was restraining myself from killing just anyone, because that would only alert Royal that someone was attacking his people. The process was tedious, but we managed to remain undetected.

This portion of the Market... a twisted corner of this insipid Castle... was dedicated entirely to Royal. According to Silver, the servants here were brainwashed mundanes, carefully wired into what she described as a telepathic network. Their purpose wasn’t just to serve Royal but to amplify his powers.

“It’s like… a lock,” she explained in hushed tones as we ducked behind a column. “The telepath who set it knows the key and uses it to strengthen themselves. The key can also be shared with other telepaths, and Royal… he’s keyed into this network.”

“So if one servant sees us,” I muttered, “the entire system will alert him.”

She nodded grimly. “And we’ll lose the element of surprise.”

I clenched my jaw. “Sick bastard. Using people as drones and batteries.”

Silver didn’t respond. She didn’t need to. The disgust on her face mirrored my own.

We continued navigating the labyrinthine halls, each turn a delicate game of evasion. Silver’s abilities proved invaluable; her heightened awareness of emotional auras allowed her to detect servants long before they saw us. When necessary, I incapacitated them with precise strikes, ensuring no blood was spilled.

The closer we got to Royal, the more oppressive the air felt. It wasn’t just my nerves. Silver confirmed it, too.

“His presence… It’s overwhelming,” she whispered. “Like a weight pressing down on everything.”

Come to think of it, that was what I was feeling everytime I shared a room with Royal. I didn’t reply. My focus was razor-sharp now. There was no turning back.

Silver’s cheeks were flushed, her voice barely above a whisper. “Royal isn’t alone…”

I sighed, already piecing together the rest. “The other person is probably Loyal.”

We crawled silently through the narrow space in the ceiling. The wood creaked slightly under our weight, but it held. Below us was Royal’s room, and I knew we were directly above him now. Memories of another ceiling, another person... Sunstrider flashed through my mind. That had been messy, but I came out victorious from that in the end. This time, the stakes were higher.

“What are they doing now?” I asked.

Silver’s face went an even deeper shade of pink. “T-they are… having sex…”

I couldn’t help but snort. Of course, Royal would indulge himself even now. “Point me where they are, tell me the distance, and what position they’re in.”

Silver hesitated, her discomfort palpable, but she tapped a part of the ceiling with trembling fingers. “H-here. Right here.”

I shuffled closer to the spot, my cards ready in hand. The ceiling was cramped, forcing me to contort my body awkwardly to prepare for the strike. “What position are they in right now? Can you tell me that?”

Silver’s voice wavered. “I… I can’t… uuh… They’re on the bed. The woman is probably on her hands and knees, and Royal is… behind her.”

So they were doing it doggy style. Efficient for my purpose. Maybe. “Copy that,” I said, smirking despite myself. Silver’s ability to pinpoint their positions was unexpectedly accurate. And hopefully, she was as accurate as I thought her to be, because I only got one shot at this.

“Where am I standing right now?”

Silver glanced at me nervously. “On top of Royal.”

I shifted slightly to adjust my angle. The space was tight, making it difficult to maneuver my cards properly, but I could manage. I visualized Royal’s position below me, aligning my aim.

“Update me. What are they doing now?”

Silver squirmed. “T-the woman just… climaxed. R-Royal flipped her over, and now he’s… doing it face-to-face…”

Missionary, then. Great. Jokes aside, Silver looked mortified, her cheeks burning as if she were the one in the act. I doubted her mental resilience was weak... she’d resisted brainwashing for so long... but even she had her limits. Since she was an empath, was she feeling the same things her target was feeling when she was reading them?

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “Tell me when Royal is about to climax.”

Silver’s head snapped toward me, her eyes wide in disbelief. “H-huh?”

I shook my head, keeping my voice low. “Just do it.”

The logic was sound. If there was ever a moment when Royal’s guard would be at its lowest, it would be then. He’d be too consumed by his own pleasure to sense what was coming. I’d strike him with precision, ending this whole charade during his moment of vulnerability.

Killing Royal with cards and post-nut clarity. I almost laughed at the absurdity of it, but this was no time for humor. I braced myself, my cards poised for the perfect throw, and waited for Silver’s signal.

Silver’s voice was barely audible, her words strained. “N-now.”

Without hesitation, I hurled a volley of intangible cards, their edges slicing through the air with deadly precision. I’d set them up to materialize at varying intervals, ensuring a relentless barrage. The thwip of the cards echoed in the cramped ceiling space, one after another, a lethal rain aimed straight at Royal.

I didn’t stop. My hands worked mechanically, emptying an entire deck into the target below. Each card was a deliberate strike, leaving no room for error.

Silver’s voice trembled. “H-he’s dead.”

I exhaled slowly, a flicker of satisfaction coursing through me. “Good… Now, for the cleanup.”

The aftermath required finesse. The cards... my signature weapon... needed to disappear, and Royal’s death had to look plausible. There was no way I could leave it looking like an assassination, like the rest of my murders under my name.

Silver’s voice broke through my thoughts, laced with panic. “The woman… No… Loyal… she’s still alive.”

I barely had time to react before the ceiling gave way with a thunderous crash. Splinters flew as a pale, furious figure forced her way on me. Loyal was naked, enraged, and radiating murderous intent as she wrapped a hand around my throat with terrifying speed. Her face was contorted in fury, eyes blazing with raw hatred. The force of her grip wasn’t superhuman, but the momentum of her fall was enough to send us both plummeting.

The impact was brutal. My body slammed against the cold, blood-streaked floor, knocking the air out of my lungs. Pain shot through me, but it wasn’t enough to kill me. Not yet.

I coughed, my vision blurring for a moment as I tried to regain my bearings. To my left, Royal’s lifeless form lay slumped on the bed, his once-arrogant expression now frozen in death. The cards jutted from his body like a morbid pincushion.

Loyal’s grip tightened around my throat, her strength fueled by sheer rage. Her voice was a guttural snarl. “You… killed him! I... I LOVE HIM! AND NOW YOU TOOK HIM AWAY FROM ME!”

I gasped for air, my mind racing.

Loyal’s other arm cocked back, poised to strike in a fluid, deadly motion. I didn’t need to guess her intent. The silver machete she conjured... its gleaming surface sharp and unyielding... was already descending toward my neck. My mind flashed to Mathilda, to the gruesome memory of her beheading. Loyal had done it in one clean motion.

The blade came down, but I was ready. My hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of her dark hair cascading over her face. With a deliberate shift, I turned intangible... except for the hand gripping her hair. The machete passed harmlessly through my neck, a ghostly swipe that would’ve otherwise ended me.

I phased through the floor, yanking her down with me. Her face smashed against the hard ground with a sickening thud. Before she could recover, I shifted fully tangible again, using the leverage to slam her further into the floor.

I vaulted over her prone form and swung my leg in a roundhouse kick aimed at her temple. Loyal moved with terrifying speed, catching my ankle mid-air. She blurred, entering super-speed, and twisted with enough force to snap a normal person’s leg. But her grip found no purchase as my form slipped through her hand. I went intangible again, melting into the floor before reappearing behind her.

Without hesitation, I wrapped my arm around her neck, locking her in a rear chokehold. My leg hooked around hers, forcing her off balance and pinning her to the ground. Loyal thrashed wildly, her hard-light machete flashing dangerously close to my head. Each stab and slash came within millimeters, but I micromanaged my intangibility, phasing only the parts of my body in her weapon’s path.

She blurred again, her movements erratic and fueled by rage, but I tightened my hold. The key was to never let her regain footing. As long as she couldn’t plant her feet, she couldn’t build momentum to overpower me.

A sudden sound drew my attention to the gaping hole in the ceiling. Silver had jumped down, but something was different. Her hair, previously silver, had turned jet-black. Her expression shifted into something dark and twisted, showing a smirk that oozed malice and unrestrained glee.

“Silver?” I asked, confused but wary.

The woman standing before me tilted her head, her black hair catching the firelight. Her smirk widened into a full grin. “Silver? That’s what you call her? Heh~! So, she chose you as her Master. How quaint. Well, her luck did turn around for once. Oh, you are thinking I look psycho, huh?”

Her voice was laced with mockery, but it carried a strange allure.

I narrowed my eyes. “You… can read minds?” A curious part of me wondered if her mind-reading was as good as Royal's.

She chuckled, wagging a finger at me like I’d missed something obvious. “No, silly. But let’s get one thing straight... your naming convention sucks. Call me Onyx. More edge, more flair. Don’t you agree, my beloved Master~?”

I didn’t respond, keeping my focus on Loyal, who continued to thrash in my arms.

Onyx’s grin didn’t falter as she picked up a nearby fire poker, its metal tip gleaming wickedly. She moved to the bonfire, shoving the poker into the flames until it glowed red-hot. Her eyes sparkled with sadistic delight as she sucked her middle finger suggestively before flipping Loyal the bird.

Loyal’s struggles intensified as Onyx sauntered toward us, fire poker in hand. “I’m going to enjoy this,” Onyx purred.

I tightened my hold on Loyal, unsure if I should intervene. It wasn't exactly that I could do anything, but... Onyx’s presence was unnerving. In the end, she was still an ally, at least for now.

Onyx knelt before Loyal, her expression one of exaggerated mockery. “No shouting now, dear. You’re at my Master’s mercy. You are our little bitch. Or should I say… sow? Because I’m about to stuff you like a pig.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm… wrong wording. Meh, who cares?”

Before I could react, Onyx rammed her fist into Loyal’s mouth, shattering teeth and dislocating her jaw. Loyal let out a muffled grunt of pain, her body convulsing in my arms.

“Hold her steady,” Onyx said, her voice almost sing-song as she brandished the glowing fire poker.

“Wait—” I began, but Onyx didn’t listen.

She drove the poker into Loyal’s body with ruthless precision. I couldn’t see where the strikes landed, but Loyal’s muffled cries and violent struggles told me enough. Tears streamed down her face as Onyx’s sadistic laughter filled the room.

The scene was brutal, raw, and sickening. I tightened my grip on Loyal, not out of pity but to prevent her from breaking free. My mind raced, questioning whether I’d made a mistake unleashing this side of Silver... or Onyx.

“Enough,” I finally said, my voice firm.

Onyx paused, her grin faltering for a moment. She pulled the poker back, its tip still glowing faintly. “Aww, Master, you’re no fun.”

I released Loyal, letting her crumple to the ground. She was broken, bloodied, and barely conscious. Onyx stood over her, twirling the poker like a baton.

“What now, Master?” Onyx asked, her tone playful but with an edge of menace. "Wanna fuck her silly? I might get jealous though..."

I looked at Loyal’s battered form, then back at Onyx. This wasn’t over... not by a long shot.