The Life As The Devil's Son

Chapter Eleven: Break Hold

As the room descended into a heavy silence, the pressure of Travis's demand weighed on my shoulders like an unbearable burden. The conflicting emotions within me churned violently. I stood there, torn between the horrific choice my father had presented me and the humanity that still lingered within me. This was not the path I had ever imagined for myself, not even in exchange for the freedom my father was dangling before me like a poisoned apple.

"I won't do it," I said firmly, my voice trembling with both fear and defiance.

Travis's eyes darkened, and he took a step closer. "You will if you want your freedom," he growled in a low voice.

My thoughts raced. I couldn't kill innocent people, especially not Valia and Emericus. But defying my father meant facing his wrath, and I had seen firsthand what he was capable of.

Valia's eyes locked onto mine, wide with a desperate plea for help. Her lips quivered slightly, and her pupils darted between me and the menacing figure of my father.

Emericus, on the other hand, seemed to have surrendered to his fate, and his eyes lowered in defeat. It was as if he had resigned himself to whatever cruel destiny awaited him at the hands of my father.

Jack approached Emericus and Valia with a sinister grin, and both of their eyebrows shot up in shock. "Michael, you're alive," Emericus muttered in disbelief.

Valia's eyes widened, mirroring the same astonishment. I shook my head in bewilderment, my thoughts racing. Michael? Who is that? I wondered, unable to place the name in my fragmented memories.

Emericus took a tentative step forward and said," Michael, it's been so long. We thought you were gone."

Jack's grin widened, revealing the dark nature of his intentions. "Oh, I was gone, but not in the way you think."

"Yeah, you were dead," Valia murmured as her eyes met the floor.

Jack chuckled darkly. "Death has a funny way of changing a person."

Jack's eerie laughter filled the room as Emericus locked eyes with my sinister half-brother.

"You're not Michael," Emericus declared, his voice quivering with a mix of anger and fear.

Jack's amusement only grew, and his chilling laughter continued. "Ding Ding Ding... You're right, I'm not."

"What have you done with my son?" Emericus questioned, his voice rising as he took a determined step closer to Jack, his eyes never leaving him.

Jack, however, seemed unfazed by Emericus' fury. He simply smirked and continued to toy with their emotions. "Your son," he said, emphasizing each word with a cruel relish, "is long gone."

My eyebrows narrowed in confusion, and my heart ached for Emericus and Valia and the torment they were enduring. Whatever had happened to Michael, it was clear that Jack was now the puppeteer in this macabre show.

Jack then took a step behind me and whispered in my ear, "This is your chance, kid, to get your freedom to come and go from this place as you please."

I gazed back and asked with a shaky voice, "What do you mean?" I was caught between my desire for freedom and my growing fear of the darkness consuming me.

He leaned closer, his breath chilling against my ear. "Kill them, and you're free to leave whenever you want. No more chains, no more dungeons. Just you, on your own terms."

Lilith smiled wickedly as she added, "That's right, Austin. This is your chance to prove your loyalty and worthiness for freedom." Her words echoed in my ears.