Freya barely had ti to raise her sword and deflect when Tama unleashed a rain of dark ice spears. They hurtled down with lethal precision so close the dark elves could already see their long, miserable lives flashing before their eyes.
Then, without warning, a soft gust of black-and-red mist swept in front of them, condensing into a massive shield. It looked as if it had been forged from blood and shadows themselves, solid, unyielding, and impenetrable. The spears shattered harmlessly against it and clattered to the ground.
The dark elves’ eyes widened. A man now stood before them.
"Master...!!" Freya breathed.
"You ca to save us!!" Lawson exclaid.
The man wore a black cloak that hid his face, its folds draping to his knees paired with dark trousers and boots that moved without a sound. His face was hidden, yet the weight of his gaze pressed against their chests.
"No, l didn’t co for you." he replied flatly. "I rely sensed the power of... an old friend."
Mrs. Lawson’s eyes misted.
The master is so caring... to co all the way here to save—
But his attention had already left them, and the truth was far colder. He lowered the barrier and walked toward Tama, hands tucked casually into his pockets.
"Finally decided to show yourself, Velsvog?" His tone was almost conversational, yet the air thickened with each word.
Tama frowned.
"Ah... not him." The man tilted his head. "A descendant, perhaps. No matter. At last... my long-awaited experint begins." His arms spread not in triumph, but in quiet inevitability. "I’ve been patient for a very, very long ti."
Tama began to shake, not from fear, but because the shadows around her had begun to scream. So whispered inaudible loud noises into her mind, others swirled violently around her, and the pressure was unbearable. Her skull throbbed, but even though she couldn’t quiet understand what the shadows were saying, she could realize that they were warning her to flee.
She stumbled backward until she reached where Rin was still frozen. Using the dark sword she took from Lawson, she scrapped the ice around Rin, and lted it, then clutched her tightly.
Then the ground beneath her split into a swirling shadow portal. It swallowed her and Rin whole, dragging the dark mist with them like a vacuum. In seconds, it was gone. The gloom lifted and the place beca a little brighter. Without the dark sword in the hands of Lawson or Tama to sustain the cursed ice cube, it began to crack and crumble.
The master’s lips curved faintly. "So, you’ve finally found a worthy descendant? Huh, Velsvog? I wonder.... did the little kitty run away... or perhaps that marvelous power spirited her away from to protect her."
A dry chuckle escaped his lips, growing into rich, delighted laughter. "How interesting. No matter. I’ll find her. And when I do... I’ll experint on her."
Chunks of ice thudded to the floor. Lawson was still frozen solid, locked in the eternal freezing curse. Freya crouched to lift her mother, cradling her like a fragile statue.
"Master... please, my mom. Can you help her?"
He turned his head, studying her with idle interest. "A dark curse? Difficult. Perhaps I should experint on her instead, turn her into a loyal puppet. One that knows to summon her master the instant a black-cat is spotted, instead of gallivanting around and getting herself cursed."
Both won froze.
"No..." Lawson whispered. "Not that. Please, master, anything but that! I don’t want to be a toy."
"But you’re already my puppet," he said lightly as if explaining to a kid. "The only difference is that, for now, you still have your will. If I remake you into one of my creations, you’ll obey only my commands. You’ve sworn your loyalty for decades. Let’s see how deep it runs."
"No!! Master, please have rcy on her." Freya pleaded.
"I’m still a principal!" Lawson blurted. "If I—"
"Oh, we can always replace a principal. You weren’t that good at it anyway." He stepped toward her, gripped her cold chin with a gloved hand, and smiled. "Yes... you’ll do nicely....a touch of goblin in your bones. Maybe so black-cat sinew. You’d be... fascinating." His smile was almost warm.
Lawson’s stomach knotted. When her master decided sothing, there was no undoing it. He lived for his experints... and souls, nothing more.
She begged, sobbed, pleaded, but he only grinned, those piercing blue eyes burning from beneath his hood.
"You promised to protect us," she rasped. "Why? Why betray us? You’re a monster!!"
"Oh? So that’s how you truly feel." His tone was calm, but his eyes sharpened. "People always bare their hearts when cornered."
His gaze shifted to Freya. "And you? Do you feel the sa?"
A massive shard of ice broke loose overhead, but with a flick of his fingers it dissolved into dark mist.
Freya knelt on one knee, her head bowed. "I harbor nothing but gratitude, master. I’ll keep serving you and watching the boy you ordered to."
He inclined his head. "Good. Now clean this up. I won’t have the citizens trembling over things they can’t comprehend."
Lawson, however, had had enough.
"You inhuman bastard!! You’re no master, you just enslave people with your damned curses and call it loyalty!"
She rattled the bangle frozen to her wrist. "You started the black-cat rumors, calling them evil while you’re the true evil! Afraid of them, are you? Afraid they’ll destroy you? You coward! You’re as pathetic as your tiny dick. A pathetic excuse for a—"
"Mom, stop!" Freya hissed, sensing the master’s patience thinning. His fists clenched under the cloak, but he exhaled slowly.
"You just had to keep running your mouth, didn’t you? Fine. A goblin’s too generous."
"I think a dog chira will suit you better. Let’s see how much you bark when I’m done."
Lawson didn’t care anymore. She was dood either way, so the insults kept coming. Fighting him was pointless, her ace, the void sword, was already in Tama’s hands.
All she had left was a single, burning wish in her heart:
Please, Tama. Avenge us. The dark elves, the black-cats... everyone who’s fallen to this man. May the gods guide you.
To be continued...
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