Dance of the Damned

One-Hundred and Twenty-Four

                        Zeddicus's POV:

I lay in the dungeons of my own castle, cradling my wife in my arms. At least they had thrown us into the same cell, but I knew it wouldn't be long before they separated us. It was too late. We had lost.

"I'm sorry that I dragged you into this mess," I muttered into Venya's golden hair.

"If it weren't for you, I would have died a long time ago, in the Benevol dungeons. You saved me. This would have happened no matter what we did," she replied, gazing up at me with her violet eyes as she placed her palm against my cheek. We had almost achieved a normal and happy life together. "Come on, don't tell me you've given up. He can't kill either of us here; the sword is gone."

She was right. We had buried the sword about fifty feet beneath the castle in one of the secret tunnels, and only Venya and I knew its location. I was grateful we never shared it with Octavia or Kinion. "They can still kill us in another kingdom," I pointed out. "You know we can't fight our way out of here."

"No, we can't," she said with a smile that made me momentarily wonder if she had hit her head too hard. "But we can take out as many of them as possible before we die. We won't go down without a fight."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked her, though I shouldn't have been surprised. Venya had never been one to give up easily.

Her grin widened. "I already have a plan. You're going to hide behind the door, and when they enter the room, we'll attack together. They made the mistake of not chaining us up in here."

"But we can't shift," I sighed heavily. "It feels like they've bound our Grim side. We would have gotten so much farther if we could."

"Fuck Kage and all his damn spellwork," she said in disgust as I helped her to her feet. I positioned myself behind the door while she stood in front of it.

When the door swung open, Venya made her move. I slammed the door shut on Kage, and we began throwing solid kicks and punches together. For a moment, I thought we stood a chance of getting past him, until unbearable pain surged through my body. Venya and I fell to the ground, screaming as the reality of our situation crashed down on us.

Kage stepped into the room, a sinister smile spreading across his face as he watched us struggle on the floor. "Ah, how delightful to see you both so spirited," he taunted, his voice dripping with malice. "I must admit, I didn't expect you to put up any resistance. But it's rather cute."

I tried to push myself up, but the pain coursing through my body was overwhelming. Venya was beside me, her eyes filled with determination, but I could see the fear lurking behind them. "Get away from us!" she shouted, her voice fierce despite her obvious distress.

Kage simply chuckled, stepping closer, the shadows in the room seeming to bend around him. "You're in no position to make demands, dear." He raised his hand, and I felt a surge of energy pinning me down, rendering me helpless.

"Zeddicus!" Venya cried, reaching out toward me, but Kage swiftly moved between us, blocking her path. "You really thought you could challenge me? How naive." He crouched down, his eyes narrowing as he studied me. "But I do admire your spirit. It makes the torture all the more entertaining."

"Leave her out of this," I managed to growl, my voice strained. "Whatever you think you'll gain from this won't work."

Kage smirked, clearly enjoying my defiance. "Oh, but that's where you're wrong. This isn't about gaining anything; it's about making a point. You see, your struggle has consequences. I will enjoy breaking you before I end your life."

With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a wave of dark energy that surged through me like fire. I gasped, every nerve in my body igniting with pain. I could hear Venya screaming my name, her voice filled with desperation and rage, but I was powerless to respond. I wanted to tell her that I would be okay, that I would find her again in the next life but no sound came out of my lips. We both knew I would be in Forsaken Hallow with my father and brother, not reincarnating during Amina Iter.

Kage continued his torment, each wave of pain more excruciating than the last. I could feel my strength waning as he reveled in my suffering, his laughter echoing in the stone chamber. "You see, this is what happens when you try to fight me. I will make sure you understand the depth of your failure."

"Stop it!" Venya shouted, her voice breaking as she struggled against the energy that bound her. "You're a fucking monster!"

"Monsters are merely misunderstood," Kage replied, glancing back at her with a cruel smile. "But I assure you, I won't forget your part in this. You'll watch as your husband meets his end, and then I'll keep you in this cell, forever, completely alone. One day, you will break or go mad and join my army of Grims."

"No, leave her alone!" I managed to shout through the pain, my heart racing as I realized the horror of his words. "You won't get away with this!"

Kage leaned in closer, his face inches from mine, his eyes glinting with malice. "Oh, but I already have, Zeddicus. You're all but finished."

With that, he raised his hand again, and I felt a final surge of energy envelop me, squeezing the last remnants of strength from my body. I could see Venya's face, filled with anguish as she fought against her restraints, tears streaming down her cheeks. I wanted more than anything to comfort her, to tell her everything would be okay.

As the darkness began to close in around me, I whispered, "I love you, Venya. No matter what happens... I will find you again. In death, we trust."

Then, with one final, devastating burst of power, Kage struck. Pain exploded through my chest as the darkness enveloped me completely, and I gasped for breath, choking on the air that turned to ash in my lungs.

I felt my body growing cold, the light fading from my vision. In those last moments, I saw Venya's desperate expression as she screamed, and then everything went dark.