Chapter No.9 The Three Swords

"Can I take a look at your sword?" a soft, feminine voice echoed through the darkness, startling me.

The voice belonged to a young woman, but she was gaunt, her eyes sunken and hollow, her skin pale and marked with bruises. Her clothes were tattered, and she looked as though she hadn't seen the sun in months.

But that was the least horrifying because of the three swords...piercing her. One kept her hands above her head, pinning her to the wall. Another was driven through her midsection, and the third pierced her leg. Despite her ghastly appearance and obvious pain, her eyes were strangely calm.

There was a bowl right under the woman, collecting the steady drip of blood from her wounds. The sight was gruesome, but she remained composed, her gaze unwavering as she looked at me.

"Can I take a look at your sword?" she repeated, her voice surprisingly steady despite her condition.

I was momentarily frozen, both by her request and by the horrific scene before me. The Sword of the Dark Light was still camouflaged as a rusted relic, and I hesitated to reveal its true nature. But something in her eyes conveyed a sense of urgency and desperation that I couldn't ignore.

Cautiously, I stepped closer and unsheathed the sword, holding it out for her to see. Her eyes widened slightly, a flicker of recognition crossing her face.

"So, it is you," she murmured, her voice tinged with a mixture of relief and resignation.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice low. "Who are you?"

"My name is Liliana," she replied, her breath labored. "I am...a prisoner of the Rutherford family. They have kept me here for...experiments."

Her words sent a chill down my spine, and I glanced around the cell, suddenly aware of the gravity of our situation. The Rutherford family was known for their ruthless pursuit of power, and if they were conducting experiments on prisoners, there was no telling what they were capable of.

"Why are they doing this to you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Liliana winced as she shifted against the swords impaling her, but her gaze remained steady. "They seek...Immortality of a Vampire without any of the weaknesses," she explained, her voice strained with pain. "They believe...they can unlock the secrets of eternal life...by studying...the blood of creatures like me."

The information hit me like a hammer scattering my delusion of this world, this is not some novel in which he was living and others were NPC but a real world where people suffered unimaginable horrors at the hands of those in power.

Even the main heroine wasn't saved from this experience as he looked at Liliana, her eyes filled with sympathy and understanding. She had endured unspeakable suffering at the hands of the Rutherford family, yet she remained remarkably composed, her resilience a testament to her strength of spirit.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, my voice thick with emotion. "I had no idea."

Liliana offered me a faint smile, though it was tinged with sadness. "There's no need to apologize," she said softly. "You didn't know."

Silence fell between us, the weight of our predicament pressing down on me like a leaden cloak. We were prisoners in the heart of enemy territory, surrounded by darkness and uncertainty.

"Mmm...Why are you wearing a mask and hood?" Liliana's voice broke through my thoughts, her gaze flickering to the mask and hood I wore to conceal my identity.

I hesitated, unsure of how much I should reveal to her. But something in her eyes told me that she could be trusted, that she understood the dangers we faced.

"I wear them to conceal my identity," I explained quietly. "The Rutherford family is powerful, and I can't afford to let them know who I am."

Liliana nodded in understanding, her expression sympathetic. "I understand," she said softly. "Many here wear masks to hide their true selves, to protect themselves from the cruelty of their captors."

Her words struck a chord within me, reminding me of the sacrifices we all made to survive in this harsh and unforgiving world. We were all prisoners in one way or another, bound by the chains of fate and circumstance.

"I wish there was something I could do to help," I murmured, a sense of helplessness washing over me.

Liliana smiled faintly, her eyes filled with warmth. "You've already done more than you know," she said. "By showing me kindness and compassion in this dark place, you've given me hope."

"Are you giving up?" I asked as I searched for a way to help her, unable to bear the thought of leaving her to suffer alone.

Liliana's smile faltered slightly, her expression pained. "I have been here for so long, enduring unimaginable torment," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I refuse to lose hope, even in the face of such despair."

Her words struck a chord within me, igniting a flicker of determination in my heart. I couldn't stand by and do nothing while Liliana suffered, not when there was even a sliver of a chance to help her.

Unsheathing the Sword of the Dark Light, I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I was about to do. I gently touched the sword impaling her leg, channeling the latent magic within the blade. With a surge of power, the sword glowed brightly, its energy flowing into Liliana's wounds.

Liliana gasped in surprise as the sword that had pinned her to the wall disintegrated into dust, freeing her from their painful embrace. The wounds on her leg began to heal, the torn flesh knitting itself back together as if by magic.

"Thank you," she breathed, her voice filled with awe and gratitude. "I...I can't believe it."

"Stay still, Two more swords to go." I nodded, focusing my concentration on the two remaining swords that held Liliana captive. With a determined expression, I reached out with the Sword of the Dark Light, its energy pulsing with newfound strength.

The second sword, the one through Liliana's midsection, trembled as the magic of the Sword of the Dark Light washed over it. With a burst of light, it too disintegrated into dust, releasing Liliana from its cruel grasp.

Liliana gasped in relief as the weight of the swords was lifted from her body, her wounds healing before my eyes. But there was still one more obstacle to overcome—the sword that pinned her hands above her head, preventing her from moving.

As I turned my attention to the final sword, With each passing moment, my connection to the Sword of the Dark Light grew stronger, its power responding to my will with unwavering obedience.

I focused all of my concentration on the final sword, channeling the magic of the sword into a concentrated burst of energy. The sword trembled, its grip on Liliana weakening under the onslaught of power.

With a final, resolute push, I unleashed the full force of the Sword of the Dark Light, shattering the last remaining obstacle in a blinding explosion of light. The sword dissolved into nothingness, leaving Liliana free from its cruel imprisonment.

Liliana gasped as she stumbled forward, But my awaiting arms caught her, supporting her as she regained her balance. She looked up at me, her eyes wide with wonder and gratitude.

"You... you saved me," she whispered, her voice filled with disbelief.

I smiled gently, feeling a sense of relief and satisfaction wash over me. "We saved each other," I replied, my voice steady with conviction.

Together, we stood in the dimly lit cell, the weight of our shared ordeal pressing down on us. But despite the darkness that surrounded us, there was a glimmer of hope in Liliana's eyes, a flicker of light amidst the shadows.

"We need to get out of here," I said, my voice low but determined. "Can you walk?"

"I...I haven't been fed for years, I need...blood," I froze at her words, realizing the gravity of her situation. Liliana was weakened from years of captivity and torture, and she needed sustenance to regain her strength.

Without hesitation, I offered her neck without any reservation. Liliana hesitated, her eyes wide with surprise, and a...blush made its way on her face as she looked at me, her lips parted in astonishment. "Are you sure?" she asked, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

"In Vampiric culture only...husband and wife drink from neck directly to indicate the bond of trust and intimacy between them." She said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

I paused, struck by the gravity of her words. In Vampiric culture, the act of feeding directly from the neck was an intimate and sacred ritual, symbolizing a bond of trust and intimacy between individuals. It was a gesture of profound significance, one that carried with it a weight of responsibility and commitment.

But Liliana and I were not husband and wife, nor were we even acquainted before this moment. The thought of sharing such a deeply personal connection with someone I had just met was daunting, yet there was an undeniable sense of trust and understanding between us.

"I trust you," Just this sentence was enough as her eyes lightened up, and a soft smile graced her lips. With a sense of reverence, she leaned forward, her lips brushing against my neck as she pressed her fangs into my skin.

A sharp pang of pain shot through me as Liliana drank deeply, her hunger driving her to seek sustenance from my blood. But alongside the pain, there was a strange sense of warmth and connection, as if our souls were intertwining in that moment of shared vulnerability.

I closed my eyes, surrendering to the sensation, letting myself be consumed by the raw intensity of the experience. Liliana's presence enveloped me, her touch gentle yet powerful, her essence mingling with mine in a dance of life and death.

Her arms slowly but strongly wrapped around me, pulling me closer as she drank, her touch surprisingly gentle despite the urgency of her hunger. I could feel her strength returning with each passing moment, her body revitalized by the life-giving essence of my blood.

As Liliana fed, I felt a strange sense of euphoria wash over me, a transcendent feeling of connection and unity. It was as if we were no longer two separate beings but rather two halves of a whole, bound together by the sacred ritual of blood-sharing.

But as the moments passed, I could feel my strength waning, my vision growing dim as the last vestiges of my energy were drained away. With a final, shuddering breath, I collapsed against Liliana, my consciousness slipping into darkness.

The last thing I heard before succumbing to unconsciousness was-

[Ding...]

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[To Be Continued]

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Peace Out✌️