ALETHEIA [ON GOING]

18. Shackled Fire

As requested, I'll be doing a double update (you're so welcome 🫡)

I have bad news 😞 I've fallen in love with cliffhangers

so I would prepare yourselves if I were y'all

Hold on to your horses folks this is gonna get M-E-S-S-Y-! 🤠

Song: 'Guilded Lily' by Cults

enjoy!

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"Wake up, little thief."

That voice.

My eyes flutter awake as I'm drawn to the dangerous yet mysterious voice.

Suddenly, a sharp sting on my cheek brings me fully back to consciousness, pulling me out of the deep slumber.

My head jerks upwards as I open my eyes, and both confusion and fear runs through my mind as I take in my surroundings.

I was tied down to a wooden chair, the ropes burning against my wrists and ankles as I try to move against them.

"I tied them quite well, yes?" I look up towards the man standing in front of me.

He wore a black suit, gold jewellery adorning his fingers and wrists, and I curse as he steps forward.

"Lovely to see you again, Adrik." I sigh.

"Wish I could say the same, little thief. You really didn't think you could steal from me without repercussions, did you?" He asks with amusement, yet his voice was laced with poison.

"It would seem so. How is your hand, by the way? Hopefully I broke it enough for you to remember me."

My eyes fall to his hand, which was heavily covered with bandages, running from his fingers to his wrist. I smirk and tilt my head to the side, but flinch backwards when he raises a hand.

"My hand is well mended, no thanks to you. Although your attempt was disappointing, you should have killed me when you had the chance."

"Well that just wouldn't be as fun, would it?"

He chuckles as he walks around the chair, giving me a full view of the room I was in.

The room was somewhat small. The chair on which I sat on was directly in the middle, with iron bars just mere metres away.

The walls were made of concrete, and I'm going to guess they were about as thick as this man's skull.

Everything was all made of concrete, but that isn't what caught my attention.

Blood splatters covered every inch of concrete, leaving not a single blank space.

Some of the blood was brown and flaking, whereas others were the deepest shade of crimson, indicating that it had to have been within the past few days at least.

"I dreamed of what ways to torture you last night. Break your hand as you did mine? Capture one of your brothers, maybe?"

In a heartbeat my attention is solely on him, my upper lip curling as I snarl.

"If you even touch a hair on one of my brother's heads, god help me, I will rip you to shreds one by one. I'll make it so slow that you'll beg for mercy, and yet I will not abide.

I will break every individual finger, every individual bone, until there is nothing left to break but your mind.

I will drive you to the point of insanity, and even when death becomes remorseful and ends your pathetic life, you will not be safe.