CH - 23 [ Monster revealed ] 1

Halcen could feel himself waking up, but nothing in his body moved, just his consciousness coming to. Everything felt so sluggish. His existence felt heavy, like he was ready to fall, but he was physically stuck in one place and couldn't move from it. His eyes were slow to open. When they finally did, they were greeted by a dim light that was still too harsh. Everything was blurred. He tried to get an idea of his situation, but couldn't make out any details. Finally, his eyes adjusted and he started to assess his situation.

He was chained up to a metal crucifix of some sort. He could tell it was similar to the one he had seen Valentina tied to. He struggled to look around and began to recognize the area. There were torches all over the place, barley keeping the area lit, with a dark sky above. There were people walking about, the same armor-clad ones he had noticed when he had first arrived at the scene. They were wandering about an area with tents and supply crates scattered about. This must have been some kind of base for them. There were at least two dozen of these men.

In front of Halcen, there was a cave with a giant metal table-looking thing in front of it. Halcen couldn't find the metal piece he had seen Valentina on. Then he realized that it was the same one he was tied to. She was tied to the other side of it. Or rather, he was the one tied to the other side.

"Valentina?" he tried to ask, but only a muffled gagging sound. He realized he was still not in full control of his bodily functions. His mouth was not bound, but he must have been injected with something. That pain in my neck… he remembered. He tried to feel out with sensory Haki, to see if he could feel if Valentina was on the other side. He found that he could feel nothing but a hazy numbness. His mind and body were not under his control. He was prisoner now to a cult that worshipped an evil bear deity. Just my fucking luck.

Halcen squirmed, trying to unbind himself from the cold metal. That was a bad idea. It alerted the cultists that he was awake.

"Well, well, well. Look who's up," a voice from one of the cultists said. He sounded like a sniveling kiss ass. Halcen hated his voice. The man walked up to Halcen. He had short brown hair and a somewhat older face, about forty Halcen would say. He looked relatively built, but not like a hardened warrior. He was wearing the same outfit as the rest of the men who were wandering the area in preparation for god knows what.

"What… did you… do… to me?" Halcen was finally able to vocalize, but he still sounded like a drunk.

"My own little knockout poison… has some very… lasting effects. I'm honestly surprised you're even awake. It's only been a day. Should have lasted a few, like it has so far for your lady friend."

"Bastard."

"Hey, you gave me no choice. We were minding our own business. Then you come traipsing into our sacred ground? I had to take you down."

"You… stole her."

"Oh, come now. She was never really yours. The second she stepped foot on this island, she was His."

"His?"

"Our God, Kumajin. He gave me this power, and I use it to serve him. He asks for women, he gets them."

"Power?"

"Aren't you paying attention? The power I used to knock you out, the power I used to take the girl. I have been gifted with this power by my God."

"How?" As Halcen slowly gained control of his thoughts, he knew he needed information to survive. Whatever could help him. He couldn't believe that there was an actual demon god out there granting powers to scum like this.

"I earned it. I was His most devoted follower. So He blessed me with my own godliness. A power which seems to take unique forms in each individual. But He chose me." He seemed like a giddy schoolgirl obsessed with a hunky man crush.

"Now what?" Halcen asked, struggling to maintain focus.

"Now? I give you unto Him and He will decide what to do with you." The man walked around to the other side of the crucifix Halcen was chained to. He could hear the man speaking quietly, but still loud enough to make out what he was saying. "Now you, my dear, are coming with me." There was a slight untightening as the chain holding Valentina to the metal slab behind Halcen was undone.

Halcen watched as the man carried her in his arms to the metal table at the entrance of the cave. She was still unconscious. The man then began to chain her to that altar instead, ensuring her security for their god. "Time to wake up now, my sweet," he said in a hissing voice. Then Halcen witnessed a disgusting development. From the man's index finger came out a long metal needle, as if it were part of him.

This must be his power. The god-power he was given…

The man moved to pierce Valentina's neck with his needle finger and then pulled it back out. Shortly after, her eyes opened and she let out a gasp. She looked around, struggling to make sense of what was going on.

"Valentina," Halcen tried to say to get her attention, but he couldn't speak loud enough. She was right there, but she couldn't hear him. He wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay. But he couldn't be sure of that. He was alone and unable to move. How could he do anything to save her? Grey was right, I should have had a plan…

"What's going on?!" she cried out. Clearly whatever the man had injected her with was meant to counteract the effects of the serum he had used to knockout both her and Halcen.

Halcen had been given no such substance, unfortunately. Maybe if I can get him to give me a shot of that…

She was clearly terrified. "I… I can't move."

…Or maybe it was better that he didn't.

"This is for your own well-being," the snake man said to her. "So you don't hurt yourself."

"Then why am I bound?"

"Precaution. Sometimes the paralyzing agent doesn't do its part. This is just to ensure you remain in place."

"Where am I?" she cried. She tried to look around, but with only her eyes to move, she couldn't get a full view of the area. She had no idea Halcen was right there.

"You're in my care, don't worry. We're in the forest."

"What do you want with me?"

And there was the million beri question. The same question Halcen had asked multiple people in town that nobody seemed to know the answer to. Halcen was finally going to get that answer, but he couldn't do a thing about it.

"You're here to become the bride of the Bear God, Kumajin."

Bride?

"Bride?"