"So… how did it go?"
The chamber was drowned in silence, a silence so deep it pressed against the walls like a living thing. Only the faint flicker of a dying torch offered light, its fla sputtering as if afraid to exist in such a place. The shadows clung to the corners, thick and heavy, swallowing every edge of the room.
From one of those corners, the voice ruptured. The words were not loud, but they carried a weight that seed to crush the air. Deep, commanding, and cold.
lissa stiffened at once. She had been waiting for this, dreading it, but hearing the voice so near still sent a shiver down her spine. She turned slowly toward the darkness, though her eyes could not pierce it. A figure lingered there, indistinct, as though the shadows themselves had grown limbs and taken form.
Dropping her gaze, lissa lowered her head in a gesture of deep respect. Her throat felt dry, but she forced her voice out, smooth and obedient.
"Very well, my lord," she said, though the tremor in her tone betrayed her nerves. "We delivered the ssage. He will et us in the refectory tomorrow. There, we can discuss the deal. I will see to it that everything proceeds swiftly."
A pause followed, long enough to make her heart pound against her ribs. Then the figure responded.
"Good."
The word reverberated low, thick with sothing lissa could not define. It was not praise, nor approval. It was simply a statent one that made her knees feel weaker.
"I hope it works well," the figure continued, his voice dragging in.
lissa hesitated. She should have stopped there. She should have remained silent, bowed, and waited for dismissal.
But her thoughts clawed at her, whispering warnings, doubts that had festered since she learned of her master's interest in Zakar. The words pressed against her lips until, against her better judgnt, they escaped.
"My lord… if I may be permitted to speak."
The chamber answered with silence. A silence so sharp it cut through her bones.
lissa's breath caught. She had spoken, and in that mont she realized what a mistake it might have been. Still, the silence was not a refusal it was an invitation, though it felt more like a noose tightening around her neck.
Then ca the sound.
Step.
Step.
Slow, deliberate, each one heavy enough to echo through the floor. The figure advanced, though his outline remained swallowed in shadow. lissa could see only the faintest shift in the darkness, a ripple of sothing imnse drawing closer.
"What is it about?"
The question slid through the air, tedious and dangerous. Each syllable savored, as though the speaker enjoyed the tension it invoked.
lissa's resolve cracked. Her hands shook at her sides, and she lowered her head even further, her forehead nearly brushing the cold stone floor. The torch sputtered again, the fla shrinking as though retreating from the voice. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel{f}ire
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to speak. "It's… it's about Zakar."
The na itself seed to shift the air. The shadows thickened, pressing closer, and lissa felt her stomach twist. She wished she could pull the words back, but it was too late.
She went on, her voice trembling. "I… I wondered why you wanted him brought in. He is nothing but a D-rank. Horis himself confird it after his encounter. If you… if you take him under your wing, my lord, you risk—"
Her tongue betrayed her. She realized it too late. The mont the words left her mouth she could tell she was done for.
"I...I spoke too much," she stamred, horror dawning across her face. She fell instantly to her knees, gasping, both hands flying to cover her mouth. "Forgive , my lord!"
The silence that followed was suffocating. It was as though the world itself had stopped, waiting to see what punishnt would fall upon her for her boldness.
lissa's body shook, her knees grinding painfully against the stone floor. Her heart pounded so violently she thought it might burst through her chest.
The figure did not speak at once. Instead, the silence stretched on and on, each second an eternity. The torch fla flickered more than wished, until lissa feared the darkness would consu everything.
At last, his voice ca.
"That should be my concern, not yours."
The words slithered into her ears, cold and rciless. lissa's heart sank.
"I have plans for him," the figure continued, his tone sharper now, as though each word was a blade drawn across her skin. "Plans that you cannot begin to comprehend. Your role is not to question , lissa. Your role is to deliver my ssage. Do you understand that?"
Her entire body trembled. She pressed her forehead against the floor, forcing out a broken apology. "Forgive , my lord! I spoke beyond my limits. It was not my place. Please, have rcy."
Another silence followed, this one lighter, though it held no comfort. She could feel the figure's presence looming over her, as if he were deciding whether her life was worth sparing.
Finally, he spoke.
"Not to worry."
lissa's breath rushed out of her in a trembling gasp. Only then did she notice that she had been holding her breath throughout her ti with him.
"Now… be gone."
The word struck like a hamr, leaving no room for hesitation.
Before her eyes, the figure unraveled into shadow. His form dissolved into dust, scattering into the darkness like smoke pulled into unseen lungs. In an instant, he was gone, leaving only the whisper of his command behind.
The torch flickered violently, flaring brighter as though freed from an invisible grip. The chamber returned to silence, save for the panting sound of lissa's breath.
Her knees still pressed to the cold stone, her palms still clutching her mouth, lissa dared not move for several monts. The weight of his presence lingered, the mory of his voice coiling around her throat like a serpent.
"Gosh. He could have killed ."
At last, she forced herself to rise, though her legs trembled with every step. Her face was pale, her body cold with sweat. She turned toward the door with a heaviness in her chest that no relief could ease.
She had survived the eting. But the words she had spoken, the doubts she had dared to voice,
those would not be forgotten.
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