Chapter 73: The Flames Of Salvation
Evelyn’s eyes snapped open at the loud clatter of a rusty iron gate, jolting her out of her dream, back into the darkness of her cell.
Two hooded figures stepped inside, making her instinctively scoot back deeper into the cell.
"Wh-What do you want?!" she asked frantically.
"Your time has come, princess."
"Don’t worry," one of them rasped, his voice dripping with malice, "after this...you’ll get to sleep for a very long time..." letting her know their sinister intent.
"No! Don’t come any closer!" she yelled, her voice echoing against the cold stone walls.
The two hooded figures ignored her, grabbed each of her arms, and yanked her to her feet, despite the heavy chains clasped around her ankles. They seized her hands together in order to handcuff them with another set of metal cuffs. When Evelyn thrashed against their hold, one of them gripped her chin roughly and hissed, "Struggle more and you won’t be going there in one piece. We have only been ordered to keep you alive, not unharmed...."
Evelyn froze as a fresh wave of shiver ran down her spine at his threat. She swallowed hard, while her mind debated between fight or flight. She racked her brain for any possible way out. When her gaze dropped to them, tying her hands to her front, her eyes drifted to her locket.
Suddenly, it dawned on her that if she removed her locket, her powers would definitely work. She knew she was about to die anyway, so risking being exposed in front of those who would hunt her if she managed to survive today would be a heavy price to pay. Regardless of whether she revealed her powers or not, the fact remained that they were planning to kill her either way.
Just then, a third figure appeared in front of the cell and demanded, "What’s taking you two so long? The master is growing impatient."
When the two figures were momentarily distracted by the new arrival, Evelyn slammed her elbow into one of them and reached for her locket. Before she could pull it free, they caught her wrists and twisted them mercilessly behind her back, making her cry out in pain at their brute force.
"You wretch!" the one she had elbowed spat angrily, before striking her across her face with a vicious backhand. The blow hit her with such force that she thought that she might pass out; her vision blurred, and she tasted the metallic taste of her own blood pooling in her mouth because of a deep cut at the corner of her lip.
"One more stunt like that and it will be more painful for you!" he growled.
Evelyn’s eyes stung, as pain shot up her arms and her cheek throbbed, yet she still glared back at them, through stinging eyes, "You’ll pay for this!"she hissed fiercely.
They burst into sardonic laughter at her empty threats, "And who will make us pay? You?" one sneered.
Another one responded, "We’ve got a feisty one here. Good, I was getting bored of watching them cry and beg for their lives."
"Tie her hands behind her, you never know what this feisty little cat may do if we let her be too free,"
She continued to glare at them as they bound her hands behind her back, cutting off her only chance to reach her locket. Panic thundered in her chest, but she refused to show it on her face to give them the satisfaction.
They dragged her out of the cell, leading her through the dark spiral staircase. The deeper they climbed, the heavier the atmosphere grew. She noticed how there was barely any light around, making the whole dark castle even more ominous. Soon they reached a massive black door, guarded by more hooded figures, with their faces hidden behind hideous silver masks.
Evelyn’s breathing grew harsh, and she struggled against their iron grip, making one last desperate attempt to break free. The third man, who stood behind them, stepped forward and ruthlessly punched her stomach.
"Ugh.." she cried in pain as she spattered blood from her mouth.
"We warned you, didn’t we? Don’t struggle if you don’t want it to be more painful," he said in a chilling whisper.
Her body weakened, and she limped forward in their hold. The ones guarding the massive door swung it open for the hooded figures to drag her frail body inside the vast hall filled with the rest of them, ready for the ritual.
Even in the delirium, Evelyn felt the weight of their greedy eyes on her, as though watching a lamb led to slaughter. She was soon forced onto a cold stone platform, with her wrists and ankles locked into the heavy chains attached to the platform, rendering her completely immovable.
’Is this it? Is this how I die?’ she thought weakly as the chanting began to echo around her. Her eyes brimmed with tears as helplessness consumed her. Still, even in that fragile state, she refused to surrender. She closed her eyes and forced herself to call upon her powers for one last time, but to her distress, nothing happened.
As the chants grew louder, the pentagram drawn in blood began to glow ominous red and black. A suffocating darkness filled the entire space, pressing against her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. Soon, the candles lit around the circle flared violently, and Evelyn let out a blood-curdling scream in agony as she felt every inch of her body was speared by thousands of needles. Her eyes snapped open, and her body convulsed, making her complexion flushed with the veins bulging around her neck and forehead. Her face twisted in pain as she felt her heart being ripped open, slowly and mercilessly.
[Music Recommendation: Mos Elian - Gone]
As the red and black glow around the circle intensified, Evelyn unconsciously strained against the chains that were binding her wrists and ankles. She felt her very soul cry as the excruciating pain spread, making her body grow numb. Slowly, her vision started to darken, ’I guess, this is how it ends...’ she thought defeatedly, surrendering to the cruel fate.
As her eyes began to flutter shut, and the darkness started to swallow her vision, when suddenly the same ethereal voice echoed within her mind, "When you can’t endure anymore, call out to the one your heart yearns to see the most...."
Evelyn didn’t have to think twice, as one familiar face with molten red eyes filled her mind. Clinging to that one last fragile thread of hope, her vision cleared just enough for her to let out a raw, desperate scream,
"Ivannn!!!"
Her body glowed bright gold, leaving everyone stunned at what they were witnessing. Her amber locket shattered, and the chain that bound her broke, lifting her above the platform. At the same moment, the dark doors burst open and the elite soldiers surged in with blinding speed, clawing the hearts out of the ones in black who were chanting.
The ground started to shake violently as if breathed back to life. Then, in sudden silence, footsteps echoed from the entrance. With each step he took, the ground beneath his feet cracked with the tremendous powers radiating from his entire being. His molten-orange eyes blazed, heating up the entire hall, shattering the glass windows against the assault of his scorching aura.
As he entered, his molten orange eyes locked on a single figure, levitating in the air, glowing like a star, brightening the entire once dark, gloomy hall. Then he caught the scent of her blood, Evelyn’s blood, and the world went red.
Dozens of hooded figures tried to flee at the sight of Ivan entering the hall, but before anyone could, a raging wall of fire erupted, trapping them within.
One of them screamed in panic, "Get the prince!"
A dozen darkrots lunged at Ivan, but with a single motion, Ivan raised his hand and unleashed a powerful sphere of fire that exploded on impact, incinerating them to ashes. Their loud shrieks echoed through the entire hall.
Absolute mayhem broke loose. Ivan’s soldiers moved with years of deadly precision, cutting down darkrots and sorcerers who came at them from every direction. In utter chaos, some of the noble vampires’ masks slipped off; they were swiftly tackled, knocking them unconscious in order to let them face separate judgment later.
While Ivan mercilessly burned them alive without any care in the world whether they were darkrots or nobles, his rage knew no bounds. His eyes burning like twin suns locked onto a lone figure standing untouched by the chaos, cladded in red, watching everything unfold. Ivan leaped towards the figure, but before he could get him, the figure opened a shadowy portal through a pulsing dark stone and disappeared before Ivan could catch him.
In frustration, a sudden burst of flames erupted from his body, blasting apart several other enemies to dust who were trying to sneak attack on Ivan.
In the end, Ivan’s raging bloodlust, combined with his elite soldiers’ onslaught, wiped out every single enemy. Only a handful of heavily injured nobles remained, their broken bodies swiftly restrained by the soldiers for judgment on charges of betraying the kingdom.
Just as Ivan burnt the last of his foe, Alex rushed to his side and called urgently, "Your Highness! The victim is still levitating. None of us is able to get close to her!"
