Ashes

Arch III. The Longest Road. Entry 16. October Sunset

The door creaked open and Ahriman entered the room where Abby and Eclip were quietly dozing. Hearing this, the young man raised his head and met the gaze of the Darkness. It was not clear what exactly Ahriman wanted from them, but Eclip hugged the girl tighter, trying to protect her.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were awake. Didn't mean to disturb you," the man whispered. "I'll come by a little later then."

"It's okay," Abby's voice came immediately. She opened her eyes and realized that she was still here, under his protection. "Is something wrong?"

"Whatever happens, you shouldn't go with him," Eclip looked at the girl.

"Actually, Ritsu wants to see you," Ahriman sighed. "And preferably now. You understand..."

The girl nodded and, kissing Eclip on the cheek, followed Ahriman. Her soul was uneasy. She knew what awaited her now, and she was prepared for the pain. But it was unlikely that Ritsu would do anything while He was here.

-----

Ritsu sat on his throne. His face was still pale, but he wanted to return to power with all his heart. He had already spent too much time lying in bed. But now he was here, alive. Abby entered the throne room and, reaching the center, knelt down, not daring to look at the young Lord. Ritsu no longer cared whether she remembered her past or not. He was furious.

"Look at me, little girl," his voice pierced the silence. Abby obediently raised her head. "Tell me, what were you supposed to do if some disease tried to destroy us?"

"I..." she tried to remember at least something, although he had not given any orders on this matter. He simply did not have time to do it. "I don't know, your grace"

"How interesting." He rose from the throne and came down to her. A whip had already appeared in his hand. Abby trembled with fear when she saw it. Was he really going to hurt her again, knowing that Ahriman was here and would hardly allow him to do so? "You should have continued to do your job silently! You should not have asked for help! And most importantly" he lowered to her face. "You should have kept quiet. You understand perfectly well the consequences of disobedience."

"Yes, My Lord..." she whispered, lowering her head. Tears began to fall on the floor. Despite the fact that she remembered everything and could resist him, she was deathly afraid of this man. In all the time she was here, he managed to break her.

The sound of the blow rang out in the silence of the throne room like a loud gunshot, at that moment a sharp pain ran down the girl's back. The blow left a deep wound, which immediately began to bleed, leaving a red mark on her clothes. Abby screamed, instantly falling to the floor. No one understood exactly why this enraged the young Lord so much, but he continued to hit her. Some blows were not strong, some - left more and more wounds on the girl's body. Abby screamed in pain, begging him to stop. But her screams only made it worse for herself. "Know your place, insignificant girl!" as if gathering all his strength, he sharply kicked the girl in the stomach. Abby was not prepared for this, and the air was torn from her lungs. She felt waves of excruciating pain pierce her. Ritsu kicked her again. "You are a slave. Your role is to serve me and me alone."

When the young Lord swung, dealing the girl another, but very strong blow, Abby realized that something was wrong. She opened her eyes slightly and saw Eclip, who blocked her with himself. He took this blow on himself. Did he really hear her scream and rush to help? Or... Did he feel her pain? The young man dropped to one knee in front of her, smiling. He was in pain, but he tried his best not to show it, so that Abby would not worry.

"You!" Ritsu growled. "How dare you interfere with the punishment process!"

"Punishment? For what?" Ahriman's voice was heard somewhere nearby. It seemed he had seen everything... Or heard it. He came out of the shadows and walked towards them. His expression betrayed his displeasure. "I can't believe that this is all true. Everything that she" he pointed at Abby, whom Eclip had already hugged, trying to protect from any danger. "told me about you, Ritsu."