The Game Before the Fall

Chapter 52: The enemies beneath our feet. (Part 2)

The two men smiled and nodded but their eyes were hollow, as if their very souls had long since gone. They entered the cell as the woman turned and left, reaching for Stella. Stella fought them off like a regular girl would and of course failed. They weren't just strong but had traces of Aura within them. Eventually she stopped resisting as they stripped and cleaned her skin, scrubbing it furiously with hot water and soap. The soap smelt sickeningly sweet and caused Stella to gag but they continued unperturbed. Then came the paint. A thick red paint that smelt of iron. The two men held her down and painted across her skin, detailing strange patterns that Stella couldn't understand. At the very least they didn't originate from the Violet Oath.

Once finished the two men dressed her in a robe and led her out of the cell, a collar and leash tied to her neck. If Stella were honest, the entire ordeal had shaken her. At first it was what she expected but as the men took their brushes to the paint and began to draw on top of her, an immense feeling of foreboding struck her chest. She contemplated biting down on the marker in her mouth. The moment she did, her companions would rush in to help but Stella held back, wanting to know where this would lead. The more information she could gather the more she could help Zen.

They reached the elevator and instead of ascending continued further into the earth. Stella could no longer tell how deep they had traversed and with a suspiciously pleasant ding the elevator came to a halt and the door opened. An opulent room of hanging curtains and cushioned floors spread out in front of her, obscured slightly by a haze of scented smoke. Stella's instincts were alerting of danger, but it wasn't till she saw the 'man' slouched across a set of cushions did her teeth bite down on the marker.

Her reaction was instant as the man sent a chill down her spine. He had a muscular physique and a rugged handsome face but his smile, his smile was chaos, and his eyes held the will to enact it.

"Oh?" the man perked up as he also saw Stella.

He knows, the thought shot through her head and immediately she snapped the collar binding her neck apart, dashing back for the elevator or another exit. Stella was fast, she knew that. Out of the Violet Oath only those who had reached the expertise of a Master could compete with her. The man however was suddenly in front of her, blocking the exit.

"Little mouse, why so scared?" he eyed her with a terrifying care. "Don't be alarmed."

Stella wanted to get out, to push him away but his smile drew her in and as a flush of heat passed her body, her legs gave way.

"There you go, now you're calm," the man's smile grew wider as he tapped her nose.

The sound of rushed steps came from behind Stella, but she could do nothing to turn around as the woman's voice rang out, "What happened?

"The little mouse tried to escape. You picked an interesting one for today's ceremony," the man replied coquettishly. "Quite the strong one and a little trickster."

"What do you mean," the woman asked confused.

The man again placed a hand on Stella's shoulder and in an instant her body changed back to normal. The spell Aria had cast on her faded to nothing and Stella remained collapsed on the floor. Though the size of her body was similar to Charlotte Fraser, Stella was trained to the extreme and her body reflected that. Then there was her face, which had now become several years older and angular compared to the baby-faced actor.

"Who the hell is this?" the woman screamed in alarm. "How did she-?"

"Relax," the man whispered. "This does not change the ceremony. In fact, this one will make a much greater sacrifice than any before her. She did try to send for help, but no signal shall escape these rooms so long as I am here."