Chapter 17 : An encounter from the past

"Let me go!"

I froze in place when I recognized that person.

I said in a low voice "Elena! I can't believe it!"

I was silent for a moment and then said loudly "So you knew me all along!"

She was silent and looked away from me, which made me more angry. I tightened my grip on her neck.

"Come on! Tell me!"

"How did you feel when you left a person on the edge of death while he was begging you to save him?!"

"Come on! Answer!"

She said in a broken voice "I... can't... breathe"

She almost choked in my hand, so I let her go to the ground. She kept coughing and breathing with great difficulty.

She said in a faint voice "Believe me, I didn't know you when I saw you. I had doubts and thought I had seen you before."

I said sarcastically "And what's the use of knowing me now? This doesn't change the fact of what happened. I was shackled, broken, and about to die, but at the same time clinging to a faint glimmer of hope that I would be freed someday from this torment."

She got up and said emotionally "I'm really sorry, but..."

I said loudly "But what?!"

I was silent for a while and then continued mockingly "That's right, you couldn't look at my eyes. You had seen them before, is that why?"

She said with great confusion "I... I was scared"

I smiled and said "So that's it"

"You freed all the prisoners that day except me. You stole that hope that made me endure all that pain."

After I said that, I started to hear that voice whispering to me again.

"Come on, kill her!"

"Take revenge for what happened to you!"

"Make her taste the despair that you suffered!"

I shouted "You're right! Elena! I'll make you look at the abyss that you were afraid to approach!"

"I'll make you see a part of what I see!"

She had clear signs of fear and confusion on her face as I approached her slowly and before my hand reached her

"Sir, what happened?"

When I heard that voice, I realized that the girl he was carrying was Luna and then I regained my full consciousness.

(What am I doing?) I said that to myself as I moved away from Elena slowly after I almost killed her too.

I felt very confused (This eye is dangerous. The more I use it, the more it binds to me and affects my mind and heart.)

My whole body hurt from the side effects and I couldn't stand, so I sat on the ground leaning on a wall behind me.

Luna approached me and said "Are you okay?"

"Yes, don't worry. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

She smiled and said "I'm fine now. This lady saved me."

Elena was sitting on the ground, bowing her head and not saying anything. And at that moment I heard noises from afar.

"Stop them!"

I said anxiously "It seems they knew we escaped."

I pulled Luna by her hand and said "Let's go!"

"But what about her? Will we leave her here?"

I said "We have nothing to do with her."

She had signs of sadness on her face "But if it weren't for her, I would have returned to be sold to one of the slave traders."

I said frustrated "You, are you going to stay sitting like this? We have to get out of here."

She was completely resigned and muttered some words in a low voice:

"I didn't mean it"

"All I did was to find my brother."

I said to myself (I don't know if she felt guilty or scared, but I don't care what she did then and I don't know how these words came out of me.)

Luna approached her and urged her to get up "Miss, let's go."

She said with great concern "Sir, what are we going to do?"

The bandits were getting closer and there was not enough time to escape.

"There is no choice then."

I pulled them by their arms and ran.

Elena said loudly "Let me go! You have nothing to do with me."

"I'm doing this only to pay you back for what you did to Luna."

"I can escape by myself. I don't need your help!"

I said sarcastically "They are surrounding us. You won't be able to escape their grip."

I was silent for a while and then said "If we want to get out of here, do what I tell you."

She didn't say a word and it seemed that she agreed to what I said.

"Close your eyes and hold your breath and hold on to me well."

When they did that, I jumped into one of the shadows and came out of a different place a little far from those who were chasing us.

"Now you can open your eyes."

They were surprised by what happened. "How did we get here?"

Elena said "So this is the power you used earlier against me, but why do we have to close our eyes and hold our breath?"

I said seriously "Because if you didn't, the darkness would steal the light from your eyes and there is also no air there."

Elena said with sadness on her face "Why didn't you leave me there as I did with you?"

"Forget everything I said. I realized a long time ago that the reason was my weakness. This world does not accept the weak, so I blame only myself."

Elena shouted "That's not true. Those who have power should help the weak."

I said mockingly "This is all illusion and false slogans from the nobles of this corrupt country."

I walked away and said "Come on, Luna. It's time to leave."

Elena said with interest "Where are you going now? And why did you leave Isabella?"

"I think this is none of your business."

She grabbed my cloak and said "I know I have no right to say this, but please, I need your help."

I said in surprise "My help!"

"Yes, in fact, the reason I sneaked into the places of the bandits and slave traders is that I'm looking for my little brother who was kidnapped by them three years ago."

(So that's why I saw her that day. She was looking for her brother.)

"Why don't you ask Leon for help?"

She showed great tension on her face "I can't tell anyone about this because the other nobles might exploit this matter to blackmail me."

"Don't you trust even Leon?!"

She said sarcastically "What do you think my relationship with him is?"

"Well, he's your knight, which means he's the most person you can trust with your life."

She looked at me and said "You don't know anything. Leon is my cousin. Our relationship is just a mutual benefit. I help him in something in exchange for him helping me in another in a specific framework. He's not the type to reveal secrets, but I don't trust him in a personal matter like this."

I asked her "And what makes you trust me and tell me this?"

She said emotionally "You helped me despite the pain I caused you. You are the first person to help me without having any benefit in it."

She was silent for a while and then clasped her fingers as if begging me "Please, you are the only person I can ask for this. Help me find my brother."

I turned my back to her and moved away a little "Sorry, but I have nothing to do with this."

Tears started to fall from her eyes "Please, I'll do anything you ask, even if I have to give up everything."

(This is the first time I see this weak side of her. I don't think she's lying about this, but nothing pushes me to help her and I don't want to get involved in something like this.)

She continued "My brother sacrificed himself and saved me from them and I have been looking for him everywhere since then. He may have happened to him like what happened to you and more."

I said "He may have died a long time ago."

She showed sadness on her face "You may be right, but I don't want to lose hope."

"Even if I wanted to help you, I can't go around the kingdom looking everywhere."

She said emotionally "There is no need for that. I knew for a while that there is a person named King who is holding a large number of kidnapped people."

When I heard that name, I remembered that painful period of the past when I was held and tortured and deprived of food and drink. At that moment, I wandered in my mind and I think Elena noticed the change in my facial expressions.

She said "Yes, he was the person in charge of the place where you were held."