"Get your hands off me," he said, the mask concealing any flicker of emotion.
Tenebrarum watched her closely. Something about her felt… off. Almost rehearsed.
"Yes, my lord," Aurelia replied, bowing and stepping back with her eyes lowered. "But I could teach you, if you would like."
"You?" Tenebrarum laughed, sharp and dismissive. He thought she was useless. He didn't realize that archery was Aurelia's greatest skill.
After another failed attempt, he exhaled sharply and shoved the bow into her hands, pressing an arrow into her palm.
"Slow and steady."
Aurelia lifted the bow. Her eyes locked onto the center of the wooden target. Her arms moved with quiet confidence—measured and controlled. She made sure to stand just close enough that her waist brushed against his side, a soft and deliberate touch.
Tenebrarum stilled.
Aurelia tossed one arrow into the air—light and effortless. Before it could fall, she drew the bowstring back and released.
Thrust— Her arrow sliced the first arrow clean in half, the pieces dropping uselessly to the dirt.
Gasps rippled through the courtyard.
She didn't stop. Aurelia drew again and shot again—
Thrust— The next arrow split the one already embedded in the center, driving its remains deeper into the target.
Even the guards froze, stunned into silence.
Aurelia simply lowered the bow… and waited.
"Bravo."
Tenebrarum clapped once—slow, deliberate, the sound echoing like a threat more than praise.
"Bring me the throne," he commanded.
Four guards rushed forward immediately, lifting a massive, carved chair—dark wood, heavy, almost a symbol of judgment. They set it behind him as if he were some god demanding worship.
Tenebrarum sat, one hand draped lazily over the armrest, his mask tilting as he studied her.
"You mock me, Flavia… you truly did."
His voice was calm, but the calm that comes before a storm.
Aurelia dropped into a bow so deep her fingers brushed the dirt.
"No, no, my lord—I would never dare."
"And now," Tenebrarum said, leaning back on his throne, "I'll give you your punishment. For you have broken four rules."
Aurelia froze.
"Four?" Her voice cracked before she could stop it. Her eyes flew wide, shock cutting through her practiced calm.
Four?
What was he talking about?
Her heartbeat slammed against her ribs.
This demon—this creature—he was truly sick. Four rules? How? When?
She clenched her jaw, forcing her face to remain lowered so he wouldn't see the fury burning in her eyes.
Four rules… this is madness.
He snapped his fingers—sharp, effortless.
A young woman hurried in, dropping straight to her knees, bowing so low her forehead nearly touched the marble floor. She didn't dare even breathe loudly.
"Start," Tenebrarum ordered.
Her voice trembled as she obeyed.
"These are the rules she have broken, my lord," she began, eyes glued to the ground.
"One: You will not speak to Lord Tenebrarum unless he speaks to you first.
"Two: You will not touch Lord Tenebrarum under any circumstance—unless he commands it.
"Three: You will remain within the lower quarters unless ordered otherwise.
"Four: You will keep your identity… your past… hidden. You now have no name. No origin. No history. Nothing."
Her voice fell to a whisper on the last word.
Then she bowed again—deeper than before—and scurried out of the courtyard like she feared even her shadow might be punished.
Aurelia stood frozen, her pulse slamming against her ribs.
Her fists curled slowly at her sides. She kept her head bowed so he wouldn't see the fire in her eyes.
Tenebrarum lounged back on the throne the guards held aloft, one elbow resting lazily on the armrest. The mask hid his face, but Aurelia could feel his smile—sharp, cruel, entertained.
"Surprised?" he asked, voice smooth as obsidian. "I warned you, little mortal. Everything here has a price."
She swallowed her anger.
Not now. Not here.
This was still the beginning of her plan.
"My lord," she said, steadying her voice, "I meant no offense."
"Oh, I know," he replied. "You're simply… foolish."
His fingers drummed on the throne. "And foolishness requires correction."
Aurelia's stomach tightened,she thought he was enjoying her company.
"Step forward."
She obeyed.
The guards tensed, hands on their sword hilts, watching her like she was an animal that might bite.
Tenebrarum lowered his head slightly, mask tilting. "Look at you," he murmured. "Breaking rules you haven't even learned yet."
Aurelia kept quiet. Silence was safer.
But inside her mind?
After I destroy you, Tenebrarum,
I will destroy Calvus.
I will destroy every single creature that made humans suffer.
Every last one.
Tenebrarum stood from the throne in a single fluid movement.
The courtyard seemed to shrink around them.
"This will be your punishment," he said. "And I want you to listen very carefully."
The air grew colder.
Even the guards seemed to shift uneasily.
Aurelia forced herself not to breathe too fast.
This was her first day of freedom from fear—
and already fate wanted to drag her back into chains.
From the far end of the courtyard, a presence shifted.
It was Calvus.
He stood beneath one of the stone archways, half-hidden by shadow, arms folded behind his back like a disciplined soldier. But his eyes—his eyes were not calm.
They were fixed on her.
Calvus's jaw tightened, a muscle jumping as Tenebrarum stepped closer to Aurelia.
He didn't know why the sight bothered him.
He didn't understand why her trembling breath and lowered eyes made something hot coil in his chest.
All he knew was that she looked—
Too much like her.
Too much like Aurelia.
His Aurelia.
The one he had loved.
The one he had lost.
The one whose absence still cracked him open from the inside.
And every time Tenebrarum's shadow fell over her, Calvus's fingers curled tighter behind his back.
Tenebrarum lifted her chin with a single gloved finger.
Calvus's breath hitched, barely audible.
He didn't like this.
He didn't like this at all.
Not because of the rules.
Not because of the punishment.
But because something inside him snarled at the sight of Tenebrarum touching her—as if he were touching Aurelia herself.
--------------------------------
To be continued...