~ Chapter 148: Facing the Devil from her Past ~

[Shanteya’s point of view] [Around the same time Illsy left Illsyorea]

My trip to the Mondravia Kingdom was rather short. Unlike before, this I did not bother with scaring away or hunting down the wild beasts which prowled in the dead of night or the annoying bandits who sought out to plunder the goods of passing caravans. When I encountered them, I moved past them faster than the wind and released a pressure that numbed their senses and weakened their will to fight.

Once I was gone, the bandits would not even think about attacking the caravans, while the monsters would retreat back to their dens. All of them were now aware that something was amiss, and there was a dangerous scent flowing in the air.

I was not doing this intentionally though, but it was a bit difficult for me to control all of these feelings within me that were spiraling and raging around like a mad beast. For now, I still held a firm grasp around them, but I did not know for how much longer this was going to be so.

Countless times I have thought of what I would do if I were to meet that accursed man again, the monster who was responsible for my indoctrination into the Phantom Rage Guild. Time and time again I prayed for his death only to give up on it as though it was just some bad flavored tea.

When I became full-fledged member of the guild, it became very difficult of me to find out anything about him. In order to keep the recruits from taking revenge on their seniors, they would usually be sent to either another hideout in another country or on another continent altogether. That was how I ended up on the Allasn Continent when I was an el’doraw noble girl born in the Mondravia Kingdom.

My training was of the type which I wouldn’t even wish upon my enemies. They mutilated me, they beat me up, they raped me, they enslaved my will and pushed me to the very bottom in the hope that I would never dare to revolt against them. As it happened though, Illsy found me and through his love and affection set me free from these chains they placed upon me.

Yet... they were rattling now. Like angry skeletons that were sick of sitting in their closet, they were rattling their bones and beating on the doors, demanding to be let out, demanding to be set loose upon the world.

Those skeletons were my memories from my broken childhood... and upon stepping on the lands of Mondravia, they were screaming louder than ever before.

I stopped at the edge of Shortel City, gazing upon it in the moonlight from atop a tree.

Far away from here, in a mansion I had never stepped in since I was ten years old, right now my parents and siblings were sleeping peacefully. The grandparents my children would probably never get to see were resting there, unaware that their daughter was not dead but in fact still alive and baring the scars of that dreadful night that took me from them.

No... I thought and shook my head.

This was the wrong way of looking at my past!

While it was true that I had fallen prey to fate’s merciless grasp, this did not mean that I was supposed to let it dictate my present as well. The ten-years-old girl from back then was now gone, and in her stead was a woman who was powerful enough to turn this whole country intro nothing more than a memory. It happened before, didn’t it? Countries, cities, towns, or villagers vanishing in the middle of the night was not such a big deal during these times.

Still, what was the point in killing thousands or millions of innocents just because of the pain I had suffered in the past. One thing was to take my revenge upon the one who inflicted it and another was to allow myself to kill the children and parents who never heard or met the one responsible for my suffering.

It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right... it wasn’t something I would have wanted my children to ask in me in the future when they would inevitably find out about this terrible past of mine.

With a sigh escaping my lips, I looked up at the moons above and then began to think back at my family on Illsyorea. My children were waiting for me to return. Bachus was definitely missing his mommy and even Anette, although she was a bit shyer when it came to showing her feelings. Those two were the pride and joy of my life, and Illsy was the one who gifted them to me.

Even if my childhood was taken away, even if the Phantom Rage Guild broke my body to pieces, shamed me, and did their best to break me, in the end, I still managed to get back up on my feet and put myself together, better and stronger than before.

There was nothing they could do or say now that would ever break me again. Nothing!

I must keep focus here... I thought and then looked towards the el’doraw city.

It had been a while since I last saw the architecture of my kind. Unlike the one Illsy used, the buildings here were decorated on the outside with curved lines dug within a layer of clay. They had to be made in such a way that let water flow from the top all the way to the ground, where it gathered in small pounds for a bed of flowers. Not every house had flowers around it, but the intricate lines were never missing. To some, they were mesmerizing, to others, they were peaceful and relaxing, to me, they reminded me of home, of my mother and father.

The streets of this city were for the most part empty. It was past midnight now and not many were still up and about. The patrolling guards were walking up and down the street, keeping an eye out for criminals or wannabe thieves, but regular folk were already in their beds, dreaming of better lives or running away from terrible nightmares.

The city was governed by a City Lord who lived in the biggest building in the city, the Shortel Fortress, or so I assumed it was called. Usually, the name of the city was the same as the name of the fortress or palace that was built to watch over the commoners here. Sometimes though, they took up the name of the family who lived within them.

I was not interested in the City Lord of this place, however, my aim and goal lied in finding the one called El’maru Rokan. Even up this very day, I could still remember his face and smile as he took away my purity and then tossed me to the hounds of the underworld.

“If I remember right, his group was called the Kraken’s Demise.” I said and then jumped off the tip of the tree.

With the help of an air spell, I pushed myself forward and landed on the rooftop of a building within the city. None of the guards on top of the walls saw me, and none of those on the ground noticed me. My steps were as light as a feather, and I slowly made my way deeper into the city, jumping off one rooftop to another.

I was looking for a bar or late-night tavern, any establishment that could be considered a good den for an informant. Little did I know that was going to find something better.

“The Kraken’s Dance.” I read out loud the name of the brothel.

A part of me told me that it couldn’t be it, but the other part reminded me of a famous thief’s quote: “If you wish to hide the gold of the gods, hide it right in their temples, on their altars. They’ll never find it.”

What better way to pretend that you were not part of an infamous assassin group other than by using their names for your establishment? If the Knights came to ask questions, you could just pretend to be getting trouble from strangers because of the same reason, while also complaining that the security was too lax and too many ruffians made their way there.

It was easy to lie when you already knew what you wished to hide, and most of all when it was something you could openly complain about to all those who were willing to lend you an ear to listen.

At this time of the night, the Kraken’s Dance was quite lively. There was the sound of music and also the cheers of those who frequented this place. Up on the second floor, the faint moans of the flower girls could be heard. From an outside perspective, it really did look like an honest legitimate business, but there was always something that gave away the assassins and thieves lurking in such a place, be it a glance, an unusual item they brought with them or even the smell of blood lingering off their chipped blades. In this case, their reaction to my sudden arrival was going to be it.

With an unwavering confidence, I opened the door and stepped inside. I tossed my gaze around the room once, and immediately the festivity died down. They were all looking at me, their eyes were matching me up to see whether I was a foe or an ally. Most of them were like me, el’doraws, but not even one was an albino. Still, while they were trying to guess my combat strength, I already knew that there was no one here who was a match for me. They were all weaklings that would die off if I so much as sneezed in their direction.

I walked over to the bar and tapped twice on the wooden counter.

“What are you doing here?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

This man was someone who recognized me. I could see it in his eyes.

Thus, I showed him a courteous smile and replied “I’m looking for your boss.”

“Beat it. A shikak like you has no place here, and what even makes you think that the HE would want to see a failure of a...” I did not let him finish his words.

Before anyone could act, I moved faster than their eyes could see and quite calmly grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up from the ground.

“I don’t think you understand. I am not here to bargain or listen to your insults. You either tell me or...” I then grabbed the dagger the barman had hidden behind his back and tossed it towards one of the assassins who was already moving to attack me from behind.

The blade was not enchanted, but against foes like these brute strength was enough. The man’s Magic Armor shattered upon impact and then the dagger went right through his head and out through the wall behind him. It would not have surprised me if I found it stabbed somewhere in the wall in the building on the other side of the road.

“That was just a taste of my power. If even one of you moves, I’ll kill you.” I told them with a calm smile.

One of them did move, and the next thing everyone knew was that he fell on his back and his head rolled on the floor. A simple no chant [Wind Scythe] spell was more than enough to finish off one of these bastards. There wasn’t even a single one of them who saw what just happened. These el’doraw were not the type who made a living hunting down powerful foes, they preyed on weak targets and bragged as though they were the toughest in all the known kingdoms. They were scum, the type that no one would mind if they ended up dead on the side of the road.

Still, I had to admit, this cruel and merciless side of me was something that I wished my children would never see. It was far too brutal and frightening for little ones like them. It wasn’t the image of a mother I wished for them to hold dear in their hearts.

“Anyone else who wishes to join him in the afterlife? Just raise your hand, I’ll cut off your useless head right now.” I told them.

The lot froze in their place and did not dare to move a muscle. Some of them were obviously scared stiff of the display of power I just showed them. This was a good sign, it meant that they were afraid of me. Frightened pawns like them tended to speak faster when they were certain of their own doom.

“Now then, where was I? Ah, yes~! You were telling me how I can find El’maru Rokan?”

“What makes you think I’ll speak?” he showed me a defiant smile.

“Hm, I don’t know?” I said and then placed my hand on his right thigh and dug my fingers into his calf.

The man started to scream like an animal from the pain, but I ignored it and continued my work as I pulled out one of his muscles. My Magic Armor made sure to not let even a single drop of blood touch me.

“Well, I wonder... How many muscles do you have in your body again? I tend to forget such things, so from time to time, I... rediscover the number... one muscle... at... a... time...” I said and then placed my hand on his biceps.

He struggled all this time to pull away, to hit me, to flee. He cursed me, he spat at me, he kicked me, but nothing worked. It was like he was fighting against an enchanted wall.

“You blasted shikak! You are crazy! A whore like you should just die! You disgusting little... AAAAH!” he screamed and cursed, but his agony was like a sweet melody to me.

“This is the biceps, oh~, how red and squishy it is. You won’t need it anymore, will you?” I asked as I ripped it out.

“I’ll kill you! I swear to the gods that I’ll kill you!” he cursed.

“The gods were the one who sent me here, little man. Now tell me, where is El’maru, or the next muscle I pull out will turn you into a woman.” I narrowed my eyes at him as I moved my hand over his crotch.

“B-Back! He’s in the back! The entrance is below the bags of rice!” he screamed as he trembled in fear.

I showed him a smile.

If kept pulling out muscles like that, I feared I would need to waste healing magic or potions on him. He was still just an ordinary el’doraw, after all, loss of blood was a fatal condition to him.

“Now then. Thank you very much.” I told him and then dropped him on the floor.

That was his one and only chance, but as soon as I reached for the handle of the door in the back, ten assassins, including him lashed out with magic and bladed weapons at me. I turned around and used a single wide [Wind Scythe], and in the next moment, there were ten bodies cut in half that fell on the floor, splattering their bloody insides all over the place.

It was such a disgusting sight, but I hoped this was enough to stop anyone else here who had the bright idea of trying to attack me. I was certain there were other idiots too, but I didn’t wait to see. With a composed and calm state of mind, I opened the door and stepped into the back room.

This place was just a simple old storeroom from the looks of it, but the now dead barman said something about some bags of rice, didn’t he?

There were four bags stacked neatly in the right corner of the room. After I moved them away, I found the trap door hidden under them. It was just one of their entrances, no doubt about it. After all, they weren’t that foolish so as to lock in their own comrades, right?

This being the case, I was now certain that some of the rats I left behind in the other saloon were going to run away and use one of the other entrances in order to reach El’maru before I did and help him escape.

As if I would let that happen. I thought and then jumped down the trap door.

The guard waiting there was startled by my sudden appearance and then died from having his neck twisted by me.

There was a corridor leading deep underground lit only by a few torches that made the air around a bit more difficult to breath for an ordinary el’doraw, but with my Magic Armor, I had no need to worry about such things or poisoned gasses. There were many instances in the past where we were forced to survive without a good supply of oxygen nearby. Using the crystals Illsy gifted us, we could store breathable air inside and slowly let it out within our Magic Armor. Thus, no matter where we were or what sort of poisonous gases or liquids we were submerged in, we would remain unaffected by them.

As I walked down these corridors, I was made to remember of the time when I was young. My earliest memories were of me playing outside together with my mother. The sun was bright and there were a lot of lovely flowers around me. It was such a beautiful and pleasant sight, and through the eyes of a child, it was no different than paradise itself. Mother, she was having tea together with a friend of hers. Father was up in his study, and I was holding a white ball in my hands.

I think I was two years old at that time, or maybe three? I was so young back then that I didn’t even know what magic or an el’doraw was. All I knew was that it was normal for some people in the house to make shiny and sparkly things appear out of thin air.

As I grew up, my life was filled with the innocence of a little girl. I dreamed of beautiful dresses and tried to mimic mother when we had tea. Father made funny faces when I pulled his mustache, and I had a maid who took care of my every need. It was a beautiful life.

My debut into society was supposed to take place when I reached the age of twelve. Mother was already preparing for that moment because she wanted that day to feel truly special to me. Unfortunately, I would never get the chance to experience it. Even now, I still wondered how it would have been like to participate at such an event if on that accursed night I would not have been taken away by that dreadful man.

I did ask my sister-wives if any of them knew, unfortunately, we all had our fair share of a troubled past, and from what I had gathered so far, it was no short of a miracle that we managed to survive until today. Nanya could have died so many times in her youth, and her most dangerous moment was after Dankyun betrayed her. Ayuseya would have ended up as that monster’s slave and died shortly after if she didn’t meet Illsy on that faithful night. Tamara’s fate was one of pain and suffering if we didn’t find her, and Zoreya had her own fair share of deadly encounters. Overall, it looked as though our very existence into this world was tied closely to that of Illsy.

It was a bit frightening to think that one single moment of hesitation from him was all it would take for all of us to have met our doom.

But even so, none of my sister-wives experienced the absolute horror and brutality that I was met with as a young girl. When I was ten, I was kidnapped from my parents’ home and then forced to sacrifice my virginity to a dark god. From then on, my life was nothing but misery and torture. There was no mercy for me and no desire to keep me away from being subjects to horrors no child should ever be... It was absolutely horrible, and even now, after so many years had passed, I could still feel that pain in my heart.

Beaten, raped, tortured, mutilated, subdued, and forced to experience all sort of inhuman treatments, that was my daily life. My mind fractured and broken apart little by little to the point where death did not seem like such a bad thing.

This was also the reason why I could be so merciless when killing the assassins from Phantom Rage. In my eyes, they were the same as the monsters who did all those horrible things to me back then. To them I was but one thing and one thing only, an item that was to be used until someone or something broke me. Then they could just dispose of me like I was nothing. As for why I was so sure of it, well... I wasn’t the only one who suffered from this cruel fate. Together with me there were at least ten others that I knew of who were brought to the guild by El’maru.

It appears as though he enjoyed this performance of his. The girls even had a name for him: The Collector.

What he collected though weren’t old books or rusty ancient coins. He collected our innocence, our purity, our minds, our hopes, and our dreams.

Out of all the girls in my group back then, I was one of the few lucky ones to have survived. Everyone else died along the way either from accidents during combat training or because they were abused too much by some drunk bastard.

“Sigh... such horrible things to remember.” I told myself as I stopped for a moment and closed my eyes.

How I wished I could just wipe away all those memories and start life anew, without that pain, without that fear and horror eating away at my heart, but in doing so, I would need to forget about Anette and Bachus, about Illsy and my sister-wives too... Such a thing was not something I wished to give up even if it meant to gain the chance of having a normal el’doraw life in the Mondravia Kingdom.

That was also why tonight I had to make sure to end this chapter of my life. El’maru was the rope that still tied me down to my past, to my horrors from my childhood.

“Hey! Who goes there?!” the guard at the end asked.

“[Wind Scythe]” I said and then the man’s head rolled down on the floor while his blood from his still beating heart was sprayed out like a fountain.

Walking past him, I entered the secret lair where El’maru Rokan was hiding.

Just one second after I stepped through the door, all the six individuals that could be found here died, cut down by my spells. I then slipped into the shadows and moved deeper into the this assassin’s lair. At each turn of the road, there was someone whose neck was twisted by me, whose heart was stabbed by me, whose words were muffled into the silence of the night as I crushed his windpipe.

There was no mercy to be given to these bastards, and it mattered not if my opponent was a woman or man. They all had stained their hands with the blood of innocents. Their deaths here were the justice the souls of their victims demanded. As for my own crimes, I had a life of sharing and giving to do through which I hoped the gods would forgive me.

Around fifteen minutes after I entered this lair, I was finally standing in front of the door behind which El’maru was hiding. Behind me were the corpses of his guards and the one messenger who was late by a second with bringing him the news of my arrival. This place was surprisingly huge, and thankfully there weren’t any slaves or captured victims I had to worry about after I was done with that bastard.

“It’s finally time... to confront my fears.” I told myself as I took a step closer to his door.

My hand, however, stopped just a moment before I could turn the knob. It was shaking.

I grabbed it with my other hand and then held it to my chest. I closed my eyes and tried to calm down, to relax. All of this rage and anger wouldn’t do me any good, but it was so hard to control myself. The man who ruined my life, who took away what was most precious to me, who turned me into a killer and tossed me at his men to have their way with me, that despicable bastard was right there, behind this door.

Even so... why am I afraid? I wondered.

It was so strange to feel fear towards someone you absolutely knew was far slower and weaker than yourself. But when I thought back at that moment from when I was ten years old, when he loomed over me with a smile that sent chills down my spine and then took away my innocence... I was filled with both fear and rage. I was afraid of him, but this fear was merely the figment of that horrible moment, a shadow of my past, nothing more and nothing less.

It was difficult... so difficult to get past this fear. It still hurt. My heart was screaming in agony just thinking that I was going to see that man. I did not want to do it, I just wanted to run away, but... if I did that, then he would win, and I couldn’t have that.

“Illsy faced his own darkness, so why shouldn’t I? I’m afraid? Then so what, I can get over it.” I told myself and then placed my hand on the doorknob.

With a slow turn, the door creaked and then I pushed it open.

The light from inside washed over me, and I took a step through. It was almost as if I was entering the biggest arena in this world, and there, I was going to fight against a veteran warrior against whom even Illsy would have trouble standing up. The battle in my mind was akin to that between gods, yet in it, for some reason, I found myself on the losing side, gazing up at the eyes of the monstrous El’maru, grinding my teeth in vexation for having failed to defeat him.

When I stepped inside the room, I closed my eyes for just a fraction of a moment, but when I opened them, I saw this el’doraw who robbed me of almost 30 years of life and replaced them with nothing but suffering and torture.

I gulped and stood firm at the door.

“You… You are… Broken Doll, right?” the el’doraw scoffed as he leaned against his desk and narrowed his eyes at me.

At first single glance, he looked no older than a human in his thirties, but we, el’doraw, aged slowly just like the elves. With a broad smirk on his face, he looked down at me as though he was spitting on a pathetic bandit who stumbled on his own legs when he tried to rob him. His clothes were made of the best leathers and fabrics money could buy. Even a prince would find it difficult to acquire them, but this was only the case for the Sorone Continent. My clothes and those made by Illsy, in general, were far better than his in any way imaginable. His weapon of choice was a short sword with a handle decorated in jewels and engraved lines of gold that formed a wave-like pattern.

The density of the Magic Armor around him was... weak, but his presence was monstrous. It was as if I was looking at the most terrible being in this entire existence, yet... I did not tremble.

Looking down at my hands I realized that I was touching my golden ring.

Illsy... even here and now, you are protecting me just like you promised. I thought and a soft smile formed on my lips.

“A shikak like you returned to me. Oh, my~! I am humbly honored!” El’maru made a bow before me, but there was no respect in his movements just blunt mockery.

I did not answer and continued to look at him while I also carefully studied this room from the corners of my eyes.

His desk was made out of a tree with red bark. There were two bookcases here, one to my left and the other to my right, both identical in terms of looks, position, and books placed upon their shelves. Obviously, one or both of them were fake. Above each of them was a chandelier. Two of them in one room was a bit too much and the lightning crystals on top did not seem to work. They had to be traps; it was the only explanation.

On the floor, between me and El’maru was a red carpet in the form of a square. If one took a step on it, they would find themselves plunging into a hole. What gave away this trap was the fact that if one looked carefully at the rug, they would see that it was bent downwards at the middle, almost as if there was nothing underneath it.

If one jumped over the rug, they would find themselves facing El’maru’s sword. Or at the very least, that was the first impression, but right past the bookcases, on both walls you could see a row of tiny holes. This was an arrow trap with the trigger being the floor slates between them. A simple mechanism fashioned in such a way that a weight heavier than that of a stone slab could easily trigger it. Once this happened, the victim would then be covered in arrows shot from the left and right wall.

A Master Rank Adventurer’s Magic Armor would end up shattered by any of these traps, while an Emperor Rank Adventurer would find his weakened and vulnerable to any following attacks. That was El’maru’s objective with these set of traps. There was no way for someone below Godlike Rank to reach him without actually going through these traps and risk their own Magic Armor crumbling before his sword at the end, and to top it off, there was also a barrier between him and his opponent. The thin straight line in the floor tiles was what gave it away.

The barrier was probably there just to mock those who were below Emperor Rank and still had the strength for one last move.

“What? Are you out of words? Ah, yes, were you one of those we cut out her vocal cords or did we burn it with a hot metal rod? I can’t remember.” El’maru said as he rubbed his chin and looked up at the chandeliers.

I turned my gaze to the bookcase behind him. There were several important documents there, but the scratch marks on the walls next to it was a dead giveaway of it being just an overly decorated sliding door.

When I finally turned my gaze to face El’maru, I looked straight into his dark-brown eyes. He disgusted me and the fear of my younger self was still there. I could feel it, that overwhelming emotion was like a little girl who hid behind me, trembling just by standing close to that monster. This fear was so real to me that it even made me forget about the fact that this el’doraw could not even harm me now no matter how hard he tried.

I knew this. I knew I was more powerful than him. I knew that I was not that little girl anymore, but... this fear... it was still there...

In this room, in front of this monster, I was still that helpless ten years old little girl who was hurt and tortured by him. The moment of that horror was still one of my darkest memories. It haunted me and hurt me every time I thought back to it, but... just like Illsy did with his own Darkness, I had to do the same with mine.

I just have to accept it... and not let it control me. I have the power to choose if I am to live in that fear or not. No one will take away this choice from me. It was mine from the beginning and it will be mine until the end. The only one who can block my sight from gazing upon it properly is me alone. I thought and then took a deep breath in.

Using the circulation of Magic Energy in my body, I did a quick meditation through which I calmed down my frightened heart. This el’doraw before me would not dare to move least he wished to divulge his traps to me. Of course, I was going to pretend as though I had never noticed his scheme, and simply appeared to him as lost in thought.

“Oi! Shikak! Say something!” he shouted at me in anger.

Maybe too much time has passed? Why am I so relaxed when it is finally time to take my revenge? I wondered and then Illsy’s image popped up in my mind followed by that of little Bachus and Anette.

I smiled.

Revenge? What use did revenge have over wounds that had long since closed?

I looked at El’maru and then said “You are mistaken. I am neither blind nor deaf. A shikak and a Broken Doll I am no more. My name is Shanteya Deus, the wife of the Godlike Dungeon Lord Illsyore Deus, an Over Supreme Rank Adventurer.” I then jumped past his silly traps and landed right in front of him.

There was supposed to be a barrier that protected him from a direct ranged attack, but in front of my advance, it was like a thin glass window trying to stop the attack from a cannon.

El’maru’s barrier shattered and found himself just a breath away from me.

“Wha... how?” he mumbled, but before he could continue, I slapped him.

The el’doraw’s armor shattered to bits and he was tossed into the right wall.

“I always wondered about something, El’maru, and you would do best to answer me honestly, least you wish for me to rip off a toe or finger.” I told him and then turned towards him as I picked up the book on his desk and then dropped it on the stone slab next to me. This triggered the arrow trap, but they all flew past me, harming no one in the room.

El’maru was not one to give up with just that light shove. He struggled to push himself off the floor. His arms were trembling and there was blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. The expression in his eyes was one of confusion and hate mixed with anger and fear. All those vastly different emotions were swirling inside him, tormenting him with the question of how I was able to achieve such terrifying strength.

“Tell me, oh~ foolish one, what orders did you receive from the Guild Master when you were sent after me?” I asked as Magic Energy gathered around my fingertips and then was slowly released in the air, with a low-humming crackle.

“You... the Broken Doll...” he smirked and then spat out some blood “Do you really think I remember something as useless as that?” he scoffed and then stood up, leaning against the wall “But if I were to guess, it was probably something along the lines of: bring me more pawns I can use. What? You thought you were special? Hah! You were just one brat among hundreds all across the continent!” he laughed.

To be honest, his words did not surprise me. I have talked with Illsy about this many times already, and he came up with even weirder theories than this one. My personal favorite was the one in which I was abducted by mistake because the assassin fell in love with the family’s maid only to find out that she was a demoness in disguise who was out to conquer the world by giving the king and queen unstoppable diarrhea caused by milk turned bad. I would still get a good chuckle from this one when I remembered it.

“Why did you rape me?” I asked the most painful thing a victim like myself could ask of the one who hurt her.

“Because I could... It was all part of the ritual, shikak. Each girl gets her virginity taken away to be sacrificed to some dark god. Meh, just business as usual.” he shrugged as though the horrible deed he committed was no big deal.

The lack of compassion or mercy in his words, his mockery towards all those who suffered at his hands made me feel so angry, so furious. I felt like I wanted to kill him right here right now, but I abstained, I still wanted to ask him something... and dead men told no tales.

“How many others were there... besides me?” I asked in a calm tone of voice, but the Magic Energy around me was crackling, giving away the anger boiling inside me.

“How many? Didn’t I say? Hundreds? Maybe thousands? Not all of ya runts would end up surviving until you reached maturity. That was your trial. That was the trial for all of us.” he then stopped and looked straight into my eyes “Did you really think that there’s even one of the assassins in the Phantom Rage Guild who wasn’t initiated like that? All of us were kidnapped from our parents since we were young, but we learned to survive without them. We lived to see the truth of this world. Phantom Rage was our heaven, our paradise... we gained everything we wanted.” a smile formed on the tips of his lips “You just had to prove you were strong enough to survive.”

“How... barbaric.” I said and then looked down at my hand. My anger was starting to take the shape of red lightning arcs. My Magic Energy shows my emotions better than I do with words or facial expressions... I thought and then turned my gaze back to him “What makes you think... the guild is paradise when you have never seen anything else but the horrors offered by them?”

El’maru just looked straight back at me, but he didn’t answer my question. There was no need to, I could read the answer in his eyes, in his grimace, and his clenched fists. It wasn’t as though there was nothing better out there, it was just that the guild trapped you inside its cage the moment you stepped in. There was no way out. There was never a way out, and the more one tried to struggle to get themselves free, the more the guild would try to wrap them up in its webs, strangling their freedom away until there was not even a single drop of it left.

This was partly because of the curse every member of the guild had on them, but also because of the way their own choice.

Most guild members chose the guild’s lifestyle because they became engrossed in it. There was another reason why so few of us survived until we reached the age of maturity. If we didn’t abide by the rules of the guild or its horrible ways of living, then we would have no chance of seeing the day of tomorrow. The Phantom Rage Guild was probably the worst environment where you could bring up a child. They brainwashed you from the very moment you stepped in their den and forced you to become and assassin or tool for assassination.

By the time one reached the age of maturity specific for their own species, they would then begin to learn magic and focus on becoming more specialized in their path.

“Broken Doll... do you really think you got rid of your past?” he asked.

“No.” I replied shaking my head “But it definitely isn’t something that can haunt me anymore.”

In the Phantom Rage Guild, the Fledglings were the children who were recently indoctrinated. They would grow up to become Ants, Dolls, or Trainers. The first were craftsmen and workers, the second were mostly female assassins who used seduction to reach their targets, and the last were the teachers of the new batch of Fledglings. From there, one could become an Elite, a Shadow, or even a Phantom in rank. Those who wished a more different lifestyle would become Moneybags or Asset Hunters. All of them were prestigious roles to which a lot of the Fledglings were taught to aspire to.

I too at one time wished to reach the title of an Elite, but once I was labeled as a Broken Doll, my chances were slim to none. After all, I could not even properly act as a Doll anymore.

“You are full of it.” El’maru scoffed.

I let out a sigh and then asked “Tell me, how do I reach Phantom Island?”

“You swim there.” he replied, and I immediately shot a [Wind Scythe] at his arm, slicing through it at the shoulder with an unbelievable ease.

“AAAH!” he screamed in pain and horror as thick red blood gushed out of his wound, staining the carpet, the walls, and the bookcase near him.

“It would be wise of you to answer me seriously. You still have three more limbs, but I can kill either with torture or swiftly, your choice.” I warned him after a moment has passed and his pitiful wails simmered down.

“So, in the end, I’ll still die, huh?” he asked as he grimaced in pain.

“Of course. Were you expecting to simply walk out of here alive?” I asked.

“Yes?”

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you then.”

El’maru narrowed his eyes at me and then asked “Will I really receive a swift death?”

“Maybe. That’s a risk you’ll have to take.” I replied with a smile.

“Hah! I die from torture on one hand and die faster on the other, hell of a choice, ain’t it?” he smirked.

“Still a choice.” I replied.

“Then go and suck a...” he started speaking but his words were cut off as I approached him faster than his eyes could follow and grabbed his other arm.

“One muscle down.” I said and then ripped off his bicep.

The man’s screams of pain and horror were loud enough to wake up even the dead, but who would dare rise from their grave when I was around? Even the departed ones were too afraid of angering me at this point, the only fool who would still dare was the el’doraw before me.

“As I said, it’s a choice of dying slow or fast.” I told him.

“Ugh... This bloody hurts... but fine... fast it is.” he groaned in pain.

“Then, tell me. How can I get to the Phantom Island?” I asked.

“Grab a boat in Gastruza Port. Not just any boat though, the one with the Ferryman. It shows up only at Midnight. The toll for uninvited guests is of 200000 goldiettes. Have fun getting that amount in such a short time. Once the other assassins catch wind of your deeds, they will march as an army towards your home.” he laughed.

“El’maru Rokan, you really don’t know, do you?” I asked and showed him a smile of pity.

“I don’t know what?” he asked furrowing his brow.

“Of the might of an Over Supreme like myself? You never heard of the battle on Illsyorea?” I asked.

“The what where?” he raised an eyebrow.

I let out a sigh and then walked over to his desk. There, I gently tapped my nails against the wooden surface as I walked up to the other end. Here, I stopped and looked back at him.

“Several years ago, the Great Paramanium Empire gathered its armies and went to siege a lone Dungeon Lord on Illsyorea, a small island in the middle of the three big continents. There, they were expecting an easy battle, a sure win.” I turned my gaze to the bookcase at the back of the room and walked up to it. “What they didn’t expect was that the ones they were going to face off against were going to be the Over Supreme wives of the said Dungeon Lord. I didn’t participate because at that time I was pregnant, but the battle ended with an overwhelming defeat for the Great Paramanium Empire.” I stopped in front of the bookcase.

“Pregnant? You? But I made sure myself the eggs of all you shikak could never be healed!” El’maru shouted and then spat out some blood.

“Oh, so it was you who performed that surgery back then?” I turned my head to look at him.

“You are lying...” he spat.

“You know, initially, I was afraid of you.” I looked down “I dreaded the moment when I would face you again... But now...” I gaze towards him, and it was only now when I could see his true shape, his true form “Now I feel as though I feared you for nothing. You are weak...” I took a step closer to him. “So weak that I can’t even see you defeating the old me... The one before I become Illsyore’s wife.”

I stopped and grabbed hold of the edge of the desk, then with absolute ease, I lifted it up in the air.

“I could squash you.” I said and then dropped the desk on the floor.

The loud noise startled the el’doraw, and I could see him feeling the dread of his mortal existence, the one which I was going to end soon.

“I could rip you apart... piece by piece.” I said and then looked at his injuries. “Then I would heal you and start it all over again.” I looked into his eyes.

He was trembling and sweating in fear. Every step I took closer to him, every word that rolled off my tongue, every gaze I cast upon him, they all sent signals of danger, warnings of fear. El’maru knew now better than anyone that there was nothing he could do to stop me. I was the most dangerous existence he had ever encountered in his entire life, and I could most certainly guarantee that there was nothing out there more frightening and powerful than my family.

“But you know?” I stopped when I was just a step away from him and then leaned closer to look right into his fearful eyes. “Initially, I thought about torturing you to death no matter if you cooperated or not, but now… now I don’t feel like torturing you...”

The surprise on his face was almost amusing.

Normally, one would think that when they would meet their captor, kidnapper, rapist, that one individual who hurt them the most, then they would definitely feel the desire or need to torture them before killing them in the most gruesome and painful way imaginable. That was my initial plan. I wanted to inflict upon him as much pain as possible, enough to make him weep, to make him beg to the gods for his death, but... it didn’t feel right.

I killed everyone so far so easily that it was almost hypocritical to think that I wasn’t able to harm this one scum who hurt me the most, however, for just a moment, I thought about who I was before and who I was now.

“Long ago, when I stepped upon the Fellyore Academy’s grounds, I was the Broken Doll of the Phantom Rage Guild. I was an item to be used as others pleased. Be it for sexual release or to fulfill a purpose in their schemes and plans, I would do as asked without fighting back, without complaining, without screaming or crying. I was the one and only el’doraw flower everyone could abuse however they pleased... the shikak of the Phantom Rage, but... do you know?” I straightened my back and looked up at the ceiling “It took the love of a most wonderful man to show me that I was anything but that. It took his strength and acceptance to make me see that I was so much more.” I lowered my head and there were tears in my eyes. “When he broke my curse and healed my body, that was the first step. He gave me a second chance and embraced me in a way I never thought it would be possible or that I would deserve. El’maru... what you stole from me, the future of that little girl decades ago, the innocence of that soul, the love of a family for a child... Illsyore, my husband, returned everything to me and then gifted me with so much more.” I smiled.

“Hah! What I took from you is mine alone and no one can ever give it back! I robbed you of your virginity, you shikak!” he laughed.

“No, he returned even that to me... All the taint that the Phantom Rage poured down on my soul was washed away with a single kiss and embrace from him. That’s why I can stay here and shed these tears.”

“Tears of pain, aren’t they?” he smirked.

I wiped off one and looked at it as it was sitting upon my finger.

“No, they are tears of joy because the monster you created, El’maru, is no longer here. I thought I was going to be afraid, yet fear did not strangle my heart. I thought I would desire revenge, but I did not feel it stabbing at my soul. I thought I was going to desire to torment you and torture you, but all of that seems so... boring now.” I said and then looked into his eyes. “Do you know what you are to me, El’maru?” I asked.

“Your worst nightmare.” he answered.

“No. You are just the pathetic loser who once tried to control me with fear and hate.” I said and then I pierced his heart with a simple sword I summoned from my Storage Crystal.

“Ugh!” he groaned one last time as he looked down, horrified, at the blood that stained his shirt.

“Killing you feels no different than killing all the others in this base, and your pathetic barks up until now proved just how insignificant your truly are. El’maru, you were just a mere tool of the Phantom Rage, the messenger who took the package, me, and then brought it home.” I leaned closer to him until my lips were close enough to let my whispers be heard by him “Just because you once had a chance to bed me doesn’t mean that you are special in any way or manner. You are... and had always been... just... a... bug.”

I pulled out the sword and then stepped away from him.

Under his dying gaze, I pushed aside the bookcase at the back and revealed his hidden treasury. With these many coins as well as those I had looted so far, I had more than enough to pay the Ferryman. Then, once I stepped on the Phantom Island, I planned on calling over Illsyore.

But now, after I killed the one who began my curse with the assassin’s guild, I felt... relieved in the true sense of this word. It was as if a heavy stone was lifted off my chest, and after so many years, I could finally take a deep breath and relax. It was funny how up until now, when I killed someone, I didn’t cry, but now... I felt like weeping. My tears though, they were tears of joy... of happiness... of a young maiden whose curse had finally been broken.

“This is why I didn’t want Illsy to come with me... I simply needed to experience this, to get through this moment by myself... to rip apart these final chains.”