Seraphina’s POV
Consciousness returned like a cruel awakening from hell itself. Every nerve in my body scread in agony, flas licking at my skin while sweat poured from every pore. I attempted to cry out, but my voice remained locked within my constricted throat.
My eyelids felt weighted with lead, refusing to cooperate as I struggled to see through the suffocating darkness. When they finally cracked open, the world appeared as nothing more than shadowy blurs. The air reeked of moisture and tallic decay, filling my nostrils with its nauseating stench.
The tornt radiated from my skin in waves of unbearable heat. Restraints held captive against the rough surface behind . Heavy, frigid tal encircled my wrists and throat, the familiar scent and searing sensation revealing their true nature imdiately. Ironridge. The cursed tal ate at my flesh like liquid fire, dissolving my skin wherever it made contact. A pathetic whimper escaped my lips, barely audible in the confined space.
This prison appeared to be so sort of underground chamber. Crude concrete surrounded on all sides, while the ground beneath felt ice-cold and filthy against my body. I forced my aching limbs to respond, attempting to straighten my posture despite the sensation of my flesh blistering beneath the burning chains.
That was when my eyes found him.
He occupied a simple wooden seat directly across from , motionless and patient. His posture suggested complete relaxation, almost tedium, as he observed my pitiful struggles with detached interest.
Dorian.
His presence struck with more devastating force than the silver bonds ever could. Tears erupted from my eyes without warning, turning the already dim cell into a watery maze of shadows. The fear of being trapped here was nothing compared to the horrific revelation that still haunted . He was my brother. My own flesh and blood. The shock of facing him while knowing this terrible truth created a hollow ache deep within my chest.
He noticed my tears and responded with a smile devoid of any warmth. He must have interpreted my emotional breakdown incorrectly.
"Look at yourself, Seraphina," he spoke in asured tones. "Already weeping. I attempted to treat you kindly. I genuinely did. But you refused to grant even the smallest opportunity. Instead, you selected Julian."
His words triggered a surge of pure revulsion that crashed through my entire being. My own brother. The reality that he was discussing romantic intentions toward , seeking a relationship with , while fully aware of our blood connection made bile rise in my throat.
"Why?" The question erged as barely a whisper, the silver collar making my voice sound harsh and broken. "What was your purpose in bringing to this place?"
Dorian lifted his shoulders in an indifferent gesture, his gaze drifting away montarily. "To be completely honest? Perhaps you would have shown more gratitude if I had simply ended your life, like all the others. That approach would have been far simpler."
My breathing stopped. Despite the burning tal against my skin, my entire body felt frozen. He delivered those words with such casual ease, as though discussing sothing as mundane as the daily weather. Innocent lives. The careless manner in which he referenced murder made my heart feel as though it were being crushed by an invisible weight.
"Why?" I demanded again, raising my voice despite the pain.
"Why what?" he responded, returning those hollow eyes to et mine.
"What drives you to commit these acts? Those people you murdered—"
"You understand the reason perfectly, Seraphina," he interrupted sharply. "You comprehend this situation completely. Every person I have eliminated was indeed innocent. This is true. However, sotis the blaless must suffer consequences for the cris of the guilty."
He shifted forward in his chair, his tone becoming quieter yet sohow more nacing and sorrowful simultaneously.
"Regarding your situation specifically, I made genuine efforts to overlook the fact that your father bore responsibility for my own tornt. I harbored real affection for you. Truly. But you simply could not release your attachnt to Julian. You made the conscious decision to align yourself with their side."
His reasoning was fractured, horrific, and agonizing, yet contained fragnts of truth. I had chosen their side because I desired his destruction as much as they did. But now, seeing the pain reflected in his eyes while experiencing this physical agony, I felt overwheld by conflicting emotions.
"Dorian, what have you allowed yourself to beco?" The question escaped with my voice breaking.
He released a laugh, brief and cutting. "This represents the inevitable outco, Seraphina. This is what happens when you mature without paternal guidance, when you lose your mother as well. You transform into this." His words caused sothing deep within my soul to shatter, because I should have been present in his life. Perhaps everything would have unfolded differently if I had been there as his sister.
"I feel trendous remorse," I whispered, my sympathy genuine despite my hatred for his actions. "I am deeply sorry for everything you endured."
He shook his head with violent emphasis. "Your apologies hold no value for . You were not the one who caused this destruction. But they will all face judgnt soon. Every single one of them. Because I now possess their most treasured asset. I have you."
My shock intensified exponentially. My body seized completely, montarily forgetting even the silver’s burning torture. "Do you intend to harm ?" The words barely ford a whisper.
His eyes beca emotionless stones. "Yes. You represent nothing more than bait to now."
That declaration tore through my very essence. He ant nothing to now, yet I remained his sister. The pain felt unbearable. I longed to scream the truth at him, to reveal our shared bloodline, but fear and shock paralyzed my ability to form the words.
At that mont, the door scraped open, admitting two massive n dressed in dark clothing with threatening appearances. I glanced toward Dorian questioningly, but his expression remained rigid and unreadable. His eyes appeared haunted, deep and shadowy, and for one fleeting instant, I glimpsed sothing resembling regret across his features.
He silently mouthed a single word: Sorry.
Before I could process that cruel apology, the n moved with swift efficiency. They seized the chains around my throat and wrists. I experienced one final, explosive burst of fiery agony as they tore the silver away from my ravaged skin.
Relief flooded through as cool air touched my wounded flesh. It felt like the most beautiful sensation imaginable, lasting perhaps two precious heartbeats.
Then new pain comnced, different and infinitely worse.
One man brought a heavy wooden club down brutally across my ribs. The sickening crack resonated throughout the small chamber, and I scread with every fiber of my being.
Another club struck my legs, then my spine. They beat relentlessly, rapidly and rcilessly, targeting every part of my body. I cried out desperately, writhing helplessly, unable to protect myself as tears stread down my face from pure tornt.
Above the nauseating sounds of wood connecting with flesh, Dorian’s voice rang out clearly and terribly.
"Scream with greater volu, Seraphina!" he shouted with dark enthusiasm. "I want your mate to hear every single sound! I want Julian to experience this pain alongside you!"
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