Artemis Unveiled:The Descent

Untitled Part 6: King Magnus

The attendants quietly withdrew from the hall, leaving only the two of them.

"My time is limited. Since you have no appetite, I can only proceed to the next step ahead of schedule." He pushed back his chair, his scarred face flashing with contemptuous anger as he walked slowly towards Aria, who was behind her. He bent down, his voice carrying a hint of indifference as he whispered in her ear, "I have never shown such hospitality to anyone before. Your performance tonight disappoints me. Like your father, you are arrogant and conceited."

Aria hung her head low, her entire body tense, the atmosphere thick with tension.

"You don't seem to fear me like my attendants do," he pretended to say gently. "As a descendant of royalty, you should understand better than anyone the fate that awaits defeated monarchs and their families."

"I... I don't know," Aria replied softly.

"Well, let me tell you. I will kill them, then drag their bodies behind my horse, parading them in front of those who refuse to submit to me," he chuckled lightly, a cold glint passing through his eyes. "I'm sure you wouldn't want to witness your own tragic ending, Aria? Actually, you don't have to follow your people to their deaths. As long as you..."

He took Aria's hand, placing it on the table. The scales on her hand shimmered with a cold light under the candlelight.

"What are you going to do?" Aria asked anxiously. She tried to break free, but his hand pressed down on hers even harder.

"It is said that King Magnus had a princess with scales on her hands. I didn't expect it to be true. These scales are truly unique, making me take notice of you," Thanatos said lazily. "When I saw you at the Echo Tower that day, I guessed you were the daughter he wanted to hide. It surprised me. Initially, I planned to kill all of his family. But now, your scales make me feel like I can't end your life immediately."

As the sharp dagger approached her body, Aria's fear reached its peak. Her body began to tremble, her breathing becoming rapid and irregular.

"Let go of me!" Aria suddenly shouted.

"Quiet, or I'll make a mistake."

Under the flickering candlelight, a dagger, entirely black, gleamed with a dark light, carved with a dragon's head and embedded with a translucent ruby.

Aria sat trembling, her hand resting on the table. She believed Thanatos could feel her fear and guessed his intentions. The agony began as the dagger pierced her scales, an indescribable pain flooding over her like a tide.

"Stop...," Aria muttered in pain after a scale was gouged out.

"Your scales are beautiful," he quipped after prying off a scale. "I understand you're in pain, so why don't you... beg me to stop..."

The silence disappointed Thanatos. He touched Aria's cheek and said, "You're so stubborn. But you must understand, survival comes at a cost, and sometimes admitting defeat isn't a bad thing."

With each painful extraction, Aria's hand bled profusely. Half-conscious, she leaned back in the chair, on the brink of fainting. With a thud, he tossed the dagger onto the table. Aria slowly opened her tear-filled eyes, her body weakly sinking into the chair. Her hand rested in the pool of blood, revealing a patch of pale red flesh.

Thanatos handed her a spoon, which Aria struggled to hold with her other hand. Tasteless, the food only carried the bitter taste of tears that slipped down her cheeks.

"I ordered a search of Echo Tower today," he said, putting away the dagger and returning to his seat.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Aria asked weakly.