Follower

In the dark basement of the residence, 5 figures, a woman on the lead, were facing a beautiful woman. Neither of them spoke a word.

"I know who you are Envoy and I know why you came and the answer is no." A voice finally broke the silence.

Demoness Leif has a calm expression on her face as she observed the young woman in front of her.

"Is that so?" replied the Envoy.

"My Subservient Vessel will comply to my will, he will not allow me to give him my blood and essence."

Hearing this, Athwart's body stiffen. His movement was akin to a soldier receiving a direct command from his commander.

The Envoy did not reply but instead moved closer to the metal bars of the prison.

"You have guts to outsmart me, Demoness Leif" The Envoy's voice echoed out. Hearing this, Leif, was startled but then she smiled.

"Since the Envoy know me, surely you would not push anything further right?" the Demoness relaxed and confidently said with a childish voice.

The Envoy sneered and replied in the same childish voice. "I would, but I have made a promised. You know me, Demoness, so you should also know that I don't break promises."

Before the Demoness could speak. The Envoy said something.

"I heard there was an incident in the Goshen Region."

The Demoness immediately frowned and her face darkened. "What do you want to happen exactly?" she asked with a questioning glare.

"You already know that. However, since you made a fuss about it, I want two" she raised he hand and made a peace sign "portions of blood and essence." she concluded.

The Demoness face turned grim and in a voice of warning and oof anger she said, "Don't push it further, Envoy. I could,at most, agree on making him a Master Vessel."

"Two portions." the Envoy flatly replied.

"Then, I'm afraid you'll have to leave empty handed. I do not have any intention to submit to anyone." the Demoness coldly replied.

"That is not for you to decide."

The Envoy reached a hand out and made a pulling motion. Almost instantly, an invisible force pulled the powerless Demoness against the cold metal of the prison. A loud resounding sound ensued as the Demoness hit the solid bars.

"You!" With her eyes opened wide, the Demoness ignored the pain she was in, and stared in disbelief towards the Envoy who stood calmly in front of her. "An Archaic!" a thought formed in her mind.

"Being misinformed comes with a price, Demoness. Your father should have told you that." her cold voice sounded out.

"You have two choices before you, Demoness Candidate. One, is to submit, and the other, is to die. Choose wisely."

The Demoness did not speak and gave a vengeful look towards the Envoy. Her perfect image gone, as blood trickles down her face from the wounds she got. She was thinking of threatening the Envoy with Athwart's life, but before she could even do that...

Suddenly, the Envoy shook her hand wildly and after a while, retracted it and massaged it. While she was doing this, a loud thrashing sound came inside the prison.

The Demoness was thrown everywhere inside the room and was pounded to the walls ruthlessly by the invisible force, big splotches of blood was left wherever she was pounded to.

"Sorry, my hand grew numb." she explained with an innocent face and made a pulling motion again.

The once beautiful Demoness, has her face filled with innumerable wounds and sratches. Her once delicate lips were now swollen and bleeding.

"So what will it be?" she, the Envoy, impatiently asked.

A menacing laugh came from the sole person inside the prison. Her disfigured face started to heal and adjust to the right places.

"The Reformation Tower is much more ruthless than that." a smile appeared on her face.

"Don't test my patience Demoness." the Emvoy's mood then sanked and an indescribable pressure assaulted the Demoness.

The pressure shocked her, and since she can't reinforce her body because of the prison, she could not properly defend herself.

The pressure slowly crept from her feet to her chest. She felt how her bones cracked under the pressure and the suffocating feeling when the pressure reached her chest and the amount of pain that accompanied it was equally excruciating.

To top it all, her body was repeatedly healing and damaged. Reformed and destroyed, a cycle of endless torture. She wanted to squirm out of it but the invisible force rooted her in her place. She wanted to scream, but her mouth won't open and her voice won't come out.

"Don't assume that I won't dare kill you. With your father missing and the Monarch placing a bounty on your head, to follow a Chosen would be your best choice." the Envoy slowly explained

"I....my father....promise...." the suffocated Demoness tried to make coherent words with all her might, some of it came out as a gurgling sound because of the blood that formed in her throat.

"Stop! You are killing her!" A young male voice interrupted. Athwart, who was keeping silent all this while, could not restrain himself and shouted.

The Envoy turned around and looked at the half fearful and half courageous kid.

A lightblue eyes were staring at Athwart and it seemed to be glowing amidst the darkness of the room. He felt how cold and calm these two orbs were.

"This is your last chance." the Envoy fixed her gaze, once again, to the Demoness, and said.

The pressure subsided and the invisible force vanished. The Demoness who was kept in place was, unceremoniously, dropped to the ground.

The Demoness took big gasp of air and her weak state only allowed her to move a little.

The regenerative ability of the Demoness kicked in and her injuries started to slowly heal. After some time, she could now barely move.

She crawled to a wall and supported herself against it. Her breathing are still unsteady and there were numerous wounds all around her body.

"My rights." she said.

"They are naturally yours to keep." The Envoy replied.

"I have...one request." Demoness Leif spoke.

"Speak."

"Let me have my will." she resolutely said.

The Envoy remained silent for a time.

"Very well, but you will be bounded." the Envoy said.

The Demoness sighed with unwillingness as she raised her hand and pointed towards the person at the end of the room.

"My Subservient Vessel," Athwart's body became stiff for a moment as he felt the indescribable power that flowed in his body. "come to me."

Unknowingly, Athwart moved towards the direction of the prison. When he was by the door of the prison, he stopped. An invisible force rooted him into place.

"He will not move any further, this distance should be enough." the Envoy's cold voice sounded.

"I need to administer...."

"I will administer it myself. Just bring out your essence."

The Demoness gritted her teeth and placed her hand on her chest. She muttered something strange and then Athwart saw a circle of light formed around the hand she placed on her chest.

Then, like a ripple, the light traveled throughout her body and then went back. This went on for a few more times. While doing this, Athwart noticed that the Demoness grew paler and her breathing went faster.

Her wounds started to bleed even more and he could see that her injuries seemed to stop healing.

After the last ripple of light traveled throughout her body and back to her chest, a glow formed on her hand.

She opened them and revealed a figure of a glowing blue human heart.

"You are too cautious." The Envoy laughed.

The Demoness did not reply and just sent a hateful stare on the Envoy.

The Envoy gestured out and the blue human heart flew to the Envoy's hand. The Demoness then shuddered and screamed out loud as a patch of black blood came out of her chest.

She lost consciousness after that.

Athwart felt his body able to move again.

"Athwart." He heard the friendly voice of the Envoy.

"This is a gift from me to you, but in exchange you'll have to do something for me." the Envoy moved near the stiff Athwart.

Athwart could now smell the fragrance that came from the Envoy in this distance. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and replied.

"That....I am not ready for it." He said.

The Envoy looked at him and at her breast that was the kid was staring at. She forced a laughed at the thought that she came up with.

"Not that. Silly." then she pushed her hand on Athwart's chest, albeit hardly.

Athwart flew towards the Demoness with that light push and landed with a thump. The smooth and soft body of the Demoness helped cushioned his fall, which he felt sorry about.

The Envoy released a light harrumph and felt satisfied.

"Athwart!" Nigh, seeing what happened to Athwart, hurriedly went to Athwart's side to assist him.

"Teach your Master well, Exemplar. As for you Kentis, escort him back to the Death Palace, once the Chosen is done with his test. Then return to me."

Nigh carried the unconscious Athwart to his arm and instructed a soldier to carry the Demoness. The soldier transformed and did what he was told.

"We will now be going. No need to escort us. Tell him that we will meet again when he is strong enough." the Envoy then turned around and went for the door of the basement.

"Its nice to see you, brother." The messenger said in a hushed manner and followed the departing Envoy.

Moments later, they heard a thundering sound, the same sound they heard when they came.

Nigh looked at the unconscious Athwart in his arms and noticed a hole in his robe. There was now another glowing symbol drawn in his chest.

Nigh sighed and brought Athwart above, to his room, with Kentis in tow.

The Envoy was tearing layer upon layer of this world, which was reforming again and again. Before she step to the last tear that would lead her back to the Central Abyss, she turned around towards the direction of the world she just left.

"May the gaze of the Abyss falls upon you, my chess piece" she smiled as she went towards the last tear.