Anokhian: Invasion

31

My eyes fluttered open, the room too dark to make out my surroundings immediately. I blinked a few times to clear away my blurry vision and tried to sit up. My body felt like it was weighed down by concrete bricks, my limbs felt leaden and stiff as if they were bound together. Slowly, my consciousness returned and I realized that the heavy, oppressive feeling had been caused by the man sitting in the chair across the room.

"You may hold Royal power, Viviana, but make no mistake, you will never overpower me." Phaèryon sneered at me in an arrogant way, crossing his legs over each other and leaning back into the chair.

He looked more like a child than a twenty something old man in his casual clothes. His hair looked unkempt and unbrushed, like he hadn’t bothered to touch it. I could feel the sweat rolling down the side of my face and neck, making my shirt stick uncomfortably against my skin. I couldn’t help but wonder how long I had been asleep.

“What do you want?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady despite the fear that was coursing through my veins. I couldn’t let him know just how scared I truly was of him, I needed to keep my Radiant under control.

“I want you. That’s all I ever wanted.” He smirked at me like he knew he had won the battle already. “So tell me, Viviana, what’s your answer?”

"My answer?" my brows pulled together in disgust. "No.” I said simply.

His smile faltered slightly at that, but he maintained his composure quickly. “That is a very disappointing response.”

Fear and anger began to mix inside my blood. My heart pounded wildly against my chest and adrenaline started pumping through my veins. This time it wasn’t fear that had kept me pinned to the mattress, however; it was anger that pushed me off the bed, pushing me towards Phaèryon. As soon as I got close enough to hit him, I did. My fist collided hard with his cheekbone, my knuckles burning and stinging as I connected with him.

"Radeon taught you well. I'm eager for you to win the claiming."  I heard him chuckle, sounding almost bored as he watched me struggle to contain my anger. The blow I delivered seemingly useless. "I was worried before." he added smugly.

There was still a sickening smirk plastered to his face that infuriated me even further. But now I didn't have the strength or will to hit him anymore and I stood there shaking in frustration, panting heavily and glaring. My entire body glowing in a red hue from the intricate lines that were formed on my body because of him. He laughed quietly and I hated him for it.

"You're so easy, Viviana. You're pathetic." He chuckled again. “Do you really think you stand any chance against me?”

“Maybe not.” I muttered, glaring harder. “But I’ll try anyway.”

“Oh I know you will," He said softly, standing up and straightening his jacket. "Just like the rest of them."

"I will never choose you."  I spat bitterly. "Not after everything you've done."

"Oh, don't worry about choosing someone, it's already decided for you." His smile grew larger. "You'll choose him first, I know that. You'll love him and you'll be filled with hope. Hope of a future with him." My stomach sank and my breath caught in my throat, "but he will never love you." My mind raced with horrible possibilities.

Was Phaèryon telling me the truth, or was his twisted fantasy finally starting to take over and twist reality around itself? Did Radeon really love me? Or was he just using me to get what he wanted?

"I'm sure you'll find someone else." I said, trying to sound confident. "Someone better."

"Oh, I doubt that." He shook his head. "You're special, Viviana."  He leaned forward until our faces were only inches apart, staring right into my wide, blue eyes with his pale grey ones. It was impossible to look at him directly in those eyes without feeling like you'd swallowed molten steel.

"And once you see the truth, I'll take you. And then we'll both go somewhere far away... and we'll start over." He pulled back and stepped closer to me. "Together."

He placed his fingers on both sides of my chin and forced my head upwards, directing my stare into his.

His cold, gray eyes held nothing in them except pure hatred, which was mirrored perfectly by my own.

"I'll be the best choice, Viviana," His finger slid across the length of my jawline and landed on my neck. I tensed under his touch, feeling like I was being slowly eaten alive. His thumb traced along my jawline, tracing the shape of my chin. "I win this either way. When I win the claiming, he’ll die. If I lose… you will, too.” He smiled, teeth bared and eyes narrowed into slits.

He let go of my chin and took a step backwards. His hands went behind his back and he rocked back on his heels with one hand still tucked behind his back, looking relaxed and content.

He turned towards the door and left the room without saying another word, leaving me alone to ponder what he told me while thinking how I would get out of this fucked up situation.