Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 16 - Promise

Some people have been telling me that including images and pronunciation guidelines mid-chapter breaks the immersion and is too distracting. Would you prefer it if I included them at the end of the chapters in a note? Please let me know about your preference!

For now, here is this chapter's "foreign" word : Nalen Talath [nah-len tah-lah-th]

Previously on Aethernea:

Kiel and Elaru have a quarrel while eating dinner, but they make up in the end. They go to sleep in the same bed, but Kiel puts a sheathed sword between them as a fence.

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◈ Meanwhile in the Purge Headquarters ◈

Nelaira sat on her futon and looked at the lone elibu in front of her. Other people in his position would be on guard, afraid that the Ink would spread and infect them. That the Tainted in front of them would suddenly lose their mind and attack. But not him. He stood in a leisurely posture with his sickly pale hands behind his back, showing neither fear nor revulsion towards her.

He had neither bodyguards nor weapons that could protect him from Nelaira if she chose to attack. Yet Nelaira didn't believe, not even for a second, that she could pose a threat to him.

The man with the grayish green hair framing his face looked no older than 30. He wore a wide smile that didn't reach his eyes. One couldn't pinpoint what was wrong with his smile, it neither looked insincere nor polite, it wasn't sly nor evil, yet it made Nelaira's hair stand on end. There was just something about the man that gave her the creeps.

Those thin slits that were his eyes looked at her without emotion. They were so narrow that Nelaira couldn't tell what color his eyes were.

Nalen Talath, the manager of the quarantine section of the Purge Headquarters. Exactly the calculating and cold-blooded man she had asked to see.

"You wanted to see me?" The man started the conversation with a sickly pleasant tone that reminded Nelaira of the hissing sound of a snake.

She suppressed her revulsion and steeled her resolve. "Has my fiancé been bothering you?"

That disturbing smile never left the man's face as he replied. "Deliberately wasting my time is not going to help either of us."

Nelaira chuckled wryly. "He is not going to give up until you let him see me."

The man responded in a pleasant, friendly tone, but Nelaira could feel the sarcasm dripping from his words. "Oh my, you are right! We better let him see you then!"

Nelaira tried her best to keep her emotions off her face. "He won't be playing nice forever. Do you really want the world to know that you are holding me prisoner? Is this a prison or a quarantine?"

Nalen Talath grinned wider, a tinge of malice finally dripping into his smile, and retorted in a teasing tone. "It's a quarantine of course! Why would you compare it to a prison?"

Nelaira's heart skipped a beat. She could feel cold sweat forming on her back. It felt like it took the man hours to continue, yet only a few seconds had elapsed.

"Aren't you sweet? Worrying about our matters. You have too much time on your hands."

He was probing her and waiting for her to mention "the deal" he had been informed about. That was the only reason why he was still here. Nelaira decided to finally get to business. She couldn't delay any longer in fear of losing his interest. She had to put on a flawless performance, for he was her only hope.