❝𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙥𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙙𝙤𝙢, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩.❞
｡˚ ✦ ┊ Corrupt, evil, and fatal. That is how people define Shadow Wielders in the kingdom of Lucinda.
Huang Suyin is a peasant who lives a simple life...
Suyuin screamed as thick black vines encased her entire body. While inside the cocoon of undefined vines, Suyin heard a crash outside. She gasped when the vines split open, pouring out her body on the ground. Suyin collapsed on the ground and flung her head up. She seemed to be back inside the library. Where's the cultist, Lucius?
Suyin needed to find him, but her hands were suddenly constricted by the black wooded vines. She grunted when attempting to use her powers and free herself but no amount of self-strength could rip her from the vines' compression. The more she struggled, the tighter they clasped.
"D-Don't move!" A man stammered. His shoes tapped the wooden floors.
Suyin stared at a random man, whose hands trembled while targeting her. The vines reeked of the scent Suyin had been picking up gradually until now: the sharp dark leather and haunting soil smell. "Who are you?" Suyin questioned.
"I am...Otis Grimsby," Otis introduced.
Suyin tilted her head slightly, finding the man's name familiar. She mentally noted how his dull face carried no glow as if he hadn't touched the sun in days. His under-eyes have sunken into darkness, hanging loosely. As Suyin led her eyes back to the floor, she saw vines following the direction of his feet.
"So, you're the one behind the disappearances of–" Suyin's breath hitched as a memory gushed inside her mind. "Wait, you're the castle steward who went missing." Suyin's jaw unhooked. Her level of confusion heightened. "I don't understand... We've been trying to find clues for your disappearance."
"Find me? I don't even know you."
Suyin blinked at his vines. "Then, why would you threaten me?" She asked blankly.
"I don't know!" Otis shouted. Suyin flinched at his tumultuous voice. Chills sprung on her back as Otis slapped his hands onto his head. "The voices...they tell me to. And when I do...I feel so good– so full."
Suyin fell into a distracted ponder when focusing on the black vines again. Nature manipulation usually consisted of controlling greenery and florals–like Sunoo's power. Otis, however, carried the power of dark wooded vines that scratched the air with an unnatural smoking aura.
"I have worked as a castle steward for years, and for what? To be undervalued? To be treated as nothing?" Otis ranted, shaking his head. "The Cult of Umbra are the only ones who truly see my worth!"
A frown rose in Suyin's face. "I'm sure–"
A laugh dripped into Otis' hand. "I hated my life," Otis sneered. "I was pathetic. But the cult...and worshiping the Dyskro made me realize what I'm capable of."
Suyin gulped nervously as the vines tightened around her wrists. "Otis, I know you're having a rough time, but–"
As Otis lifted his fist, vines snaked up Suyin's arms and slowly clung to her neck. It wasn't quick, but it was a sign of gradual torture. Suyin's breath bailed her lungs, and her eyes leaped around the room troublingly.
