The Shadows Within

I thought I knew what monsters were, but this man’s heart was darker than any demon's. Heck, he was worse than my stepfather or anyone who ignored me. Ageth was a terror to Finn and those around him. Of course, women were the ones who suffered the most, reminding me of some Viking tale I’d seen.

They were known for pillaging a village while raping whoever they wanted. I had to force myself to watch next to Finn as I tried to comfort the prince, even though my hands phased right through him.

Tears were rolling down my eyes when I saw Serah and his mother ravished by the knights, turning my stomach into knots. Brielle and Nyla were also victims of their unwanted affections. However, the knights quickly bored of them, turning back to the queen and princess.

The queen started strong, telling the knights to use her instead of her daughter, but her will was quickly broken after being passed around like a rag. However, what broke her the most was her having to watch them ravish her daughter, who wasn’t one to go down, even as they forced themselves on her.

At one point, she bit a man’s dick off, only to be cut by their sword. That was where the many gashes on her body had come from, and none of them were deep enough to kill her. All the while, Finn had to watch everything hands-tied.

He couldn’t say anything thanks to the rope on his mouth, forced to sit silently. None of the hostages could do anything as their magic was taken away thanks to a draining crystal, known as a giant’s eye, which one of the knights had in his hands.

They were activated by using the victims' blood on them, but it didn’t matter. Even if they could, they were outnumbered, and the only one alive to know combat was Brielle, who was in no condition to fight. After a few rounds, the poor girl was left unconscious while the knights used her as a rag doll for their desires.

The queen cried for mercy at one point, but it never came. She was raw from all the things the knights had done. There wasn’t a spot in her body where they didn’t touch. Instead of joining, Ageth watched everything unfold from their throne, holding the dragon's body in his hand.

Shivers ran down my spine, glaring at the man, who smirked, enjoying the show before him. All while Finn’s eyes slowly lost all life. Every cry his mother made dug more profound than any knife. In his mind, all of this was because he had bedded a girl before the wedding.

All for a marriage everyone was opposed to and one he fought his father for. It took him two entire years to convince both his parents to agree. They would’ve still had their magic if he hadn't pursued her.

“No! This isn’t your fault! You’re a victim! Please stop blaming yourself!” I pleaded while his mind became a storm total of resentment.

Rizak and Gael looked away from what was happening, unable to stomach what was happening to the women they loved. However, Finn was memorizing every little detail he saw.

I’ll kill you…. I’ll kill you all if I live through this! I swear it!

Everything changed when a knight kicked Astrid, who had fallen limp on the floor.

“Fuck, the bitch bit off her tongue.” He announced, triggering Serah to scream.

At that moment, Finn’s thoughts turned chaotic. Nothing made sense. However, the word kill constantly echoed in his mind. However, if he wanted to end his life or others were mixed. However, tears were visible on his face, streaking down his cheeks.

Seeing him like that broke me in ways I didn’t know I could feel. All the envy I felt from before washed away as my past was nothing like his.

“Well, why don’t you take the men, too? That should satisfy your hunger. I know some of you like it. Plus, the prince has a pretty face, don’t you all think?” Ageth smirked.

His red hair was thicker than blood, and his eyes were crazed with power. He was a worse monster than my rapist, murderous father. The only difference was that my father did the deed, while this man enjoyed watching others do it.

Ah… Lillia and I have similar… No! I’m not you! I’ll never be you!

“No! Leave him alone!” I screamed, standing in between him and them.

None deserved what would happen next when a knight went through me and grabbed Finn’s hair.

“Stop!” I shrieked, wanting nothing more than the pain to end.

The prince’s expression was one of pure rage.

Kill... Kill… His voice erupted in my head.

“Na, his swollen face is a turnoff,” he shoved the prince down, gazing at the other hostages.

All the living hostages left untouched were males, while the other females were passed around, much to their horror.

“This one right here might pass for a woman.” The knight smirked, grabbing onto Gael before dragging him into where the girls were ravished.

Unable to keep up with anything, Finn was utterly defeated by what was happening. He lost his father, mother, some of his friends, and familiar in less than a few hours. Then he had to watch them ravish everything he had left to care about, leaving his heart to grow dark with every moment that passed.

I couldn’t help but sob next to Finn, whose eyes were soulless before Ageth had his fun. All the warmth in them was extinguished. This kingdom was full of joy moments before, but it was in ruins, and the horror was far from over.

After a few hours of watching, Ageth had enough of standing on the sidelines, especially when a knight came in to announce victory from outside of the walls. The Fathal kingdom had fallen into Traedan’s hands.

“Enough, secure the hall for the ritual!” the dreaded king commanded, standing from his new throne before approaching the battered prince and grabbing his hair.

Again, he dragged him on the floor towards the middle of the room, dropping Felix right before the broken prince. Most knights stopped assaulting everyone and headed towards the door to join the others in their victory lap.

That alone probably entailed many more horrors I wished never to know about.

“Well, let’s end this. Bring the saint we summoned. It’s time for her to do her part.” The mad king ordered one of his knights.

All I could do was follow them until the door opened again. There walked a girl with a staff. The surrounding air differed from everyone else’s as she gazed around the room with her green eyes, shaking her head.

She took a deep breath and fixed her brown hair away from her face, uninterested in what was happening, although seeing it made her lips curl down as her nostrils flared. Partly, it was because she had to step into the room.

“How horrible…” she sighed, shifting he gaze to Ageth. “If I do this, you’ll send me back home, right?” she asked, not wanting to take another step closer to the horror in this room.

Behind them, Serah took a knife one knight had left behind after he took it off to fuck her. Even though her hands were tied, they were on the front rather than the back. It was something I caught from the corner of my eye.

“Of course, dear, we’ll be able to send you home,” The king smirked, pushing Finn onto the ground before him.

The sight of the prince caused the girl to wince, but she had a goal in mind—one she needed to achieve at all costs.

“Good… My mom needs me.” She sighed, getting closer to the prince.

What?! How can you doom all these people for one person?!

Then again, I wondered if that individual was as important as how these people have become to me. Perhaps that was worth dooming them. Yet I couldn’t stand it. I would’ve chosen death over helping a mad murderer hurt so many.

“Yes, just do as I taught you, and you’ll be home before you know it,” Ageth smirked.

A knight dragged Serah towards us, dropping her right next to Finn. She used some rags to hide the knife she picked up on the way there. Even though she had been ripped into, this girl had a fighting spirit I could never match.

Finn, on the other hand, was lost. His eyes lacked any life or fighting spirit. They crushed all his hope when he saw his mother and sister violated. It didn’t help all his friends suffer similar fates. However, the desire to kill all of them was echoing within him, getting louder with every second that passed.

Undoubtedly, if he had gotten his connection to his magic, there would’ve been a massacre. The poor prince’s sanity was waving. Tapping onto the ground, the saint began gathering energy around herself.

Soon enough, shadows emerged from her, surrounding everything.

“Finn…” Serah called, holding onto her scraps.

He gazed at her with barely any life, yet her voice reached him.

“You’ve always been so gentle. It’s okay. You don’t have to be strong. All I want is for you to be you. I love you.” She whispered, grabbing tighter to the weapon she hid from everyone.

Somehow, this girl found the will to comfort her brother, allowing some life to show in his eyes. However, he couldn’t say anything to her.

I love you, too. I’m sorry… so sorry, Serah. I should’ve listened to your worries. He wished from within.

The gag on him didn’t let him say anything to her. Yet…

“I know.” She smiled, shifting her gaze towards the saint who swung off her staff, creating even more circles to appear around the room.

Unlike me, this saint wasn’t unless.

Incantations were unstable before someone fully cast them, meaning any little thing could cause something to go wrong—sometimes even explode, as Rizak cautioned in one of his many lessons. In this case, there was the shock of electricity before the spell cracked in places.

“What the… Something’s hindering their power.” The saint announced, struggling to keep the spell up.

A soft sigh left Ageth’s lips. “Good thing I don’t need Lillia to remove the seal on you. Without your familiar, you're useless, and your sister’s even more so.”

“Fuck you!” Serah snapped as a soft growl left Finn

Grabbing her by her hair, Ageth dragged her up to meet with his face. Finn attempted to help her, only to be slammed by a knight onto the floor.

“You’ve had so many dicks in you, and you still fight? If only you didn’t have to die, I’d make you my fourth wife.” The king smirked, eyeing her down.

Spitting on his face, she huffed. “I’d rather choke on an old man’s dick than ever be yours!”

Her action was received with a slap on her face, sending her to the floor. A soft scream left Finn, who couldn’t do anything to help her.

“Little bitch,” Ageth scoffed, wiping the spit off his cheek before taking out the pendant Lillia had given him.

He crushed it a second later, triggering all the magic to return to the twins. Taking the moment, Ageth was facing away from them. Serah used all the strength she had to launch herself at the Saint.

Finn had called her spontaneously once before, as her magic was much like mine. Rather than coming out on command, it came out in bursts of emotions. So, the moment the knife found the saint’s heart, all mana broke loose in one surge.

The dreadful king had underestimated the princess of this kingdom. Her action shook the entire building, triggering the knight to back off Finn. At that moment, he also took the prince's binding, which hooked into his armor.

The saint’s body fell onto the floor as the shadows merged with Serah’s body. The energy was synergizing with hers instead of canceling. Taking off his gag, Finn couldn’t even stand upright when he felt a sword go through him.

It went right through his abdomen, piecing his stomach and any organ on the way there. There was no doubt in my mind that if anyone pulled it out, the prince would bleed out in minutes. The first thing he tasted was blood before falling onto his knees.

Seeing an opportunity that chaos was breaking loose, Rizak rushed towards the knight, knocking him away from the impaled prince. Within all the discord, no one was looking at Serah, whose magic was going out of control.

The saint’s incantation broke, turning into something else. Crystals erupted everywhere around her as that dark crimson aura pooled under her. Getting up from the floor, Finn held onto the sword on his abdomen.

However, he froze when he saw his sister. Behind her, shadows once again formed. The saint wasn’t dead.

“Finn!” she reached for her brother, only for the shadows behind her to transform into monsters.

Her heart was ripped out in a second, completing the saint’s last action before she left this world. At that moment, a crystal erupted, engulfing Serah before blowing everyone away. The black, smoky shadows turned into the purple miasma surrounding Fathal.

It swiftly spread from the throne room and into the halls. The boom had blown away the sword from Finn’s body. Each gasp of air filled his lungs with the haze surrounding him.

I’ll destroy them! I’ll fucking slaughter them all! No, I won’t die until I do! His words, filled with hatred, surged through my mind.

Running to him, I quickly stopped when his body erupted with a red aura that pooled under Serah in her final moments before everything faded to black.

Bewildered, I stared at Finn, whose eyes stopped glowing. I was back in my room with more emotions surging within me than I could comprehend. Though one thing was sure, that was nothing more than an utter nightmare.

One he lived through.

How can I ever save you from that?!