The Promised Blade ✧ Min Yoongi

𝐅 𝐎 𝐑 𝐓 𝐘

CHAPTER 40 | POWER LUST

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AXEL LAZAURUS

A cold shiver traced the length of my spine as her voice slithered into my ear—like a serpent weaving through shadows, every syllable wrapped in war's cruel delight. "Kill them," she hissed, each word slicing through the air with razor sharpness, dripping with a dark promise that settled deep within my bones. Her voice swelled, growing louder in my mind's hollow halls, reverberating like thunder in a storm long brewing.

"They must die so you may rise. Prove yourself, Axel Lazaurus. Reject the life you know, for you never wanted it. You crave more—more than this frail mortal coil could ever grant."

Her words ignited a fierce wildfire inside me, sparks crackling and spreading through my veins, setting my heart ablaze. I ached for power—raw, unyielding power that could be clenched and wielded like a sword forged from stars in the palm of my hand. Not a fleeting shadow of strength, but the dominion of gods. I longed to shatter the brittle chains of my mortal past, to watch the fragile, soft boy I once was dissolve into ash and smoke. I would rise anew—conqueror, avenger, heir to Gaea's throne.

But even as that fire consumed me, memories clawed at the edges of my resolve—fragile, delicate fragments of a simpler time. A time when laughter came easy, and sunlight bathed endless meadows in gold. When I was just a child, untouched by the crushing weight of war and wrath, free to dream beneath open skies. Those moments slipped like grains of sand through trembling fingers, never enough to still the gnawing hunger in my chest.

Her voice still danced within me, sensing the raging tempest of defiance and desire. Reaching into the shadowed corners of my mind, she offered a gentle touch—a fleeting warmth amid the storm. Suddenly, a pair of arms curled around my shoulders, firm yet comforting, grounding me. Her hands moved with deliberate slowness, covering my eyes, shielding me from the harsh glare of truth and doubt.

Her breath brushed against my ear, soft as silk but heavy with unspoken meaning. "Oh, dear Axel, what is it you desire most?" she whispered, her accent a tender caress that stirred something deep within.

The air around me thickened, heavy with the scent of damp earth and the lingering echoes of forgotten battles. The ground beneath my boots was uneven, the path worn by countless footsteps, yet it felt as if I were the first to tread here in ages.The trees loomed overhead, their twisted branches intertwining to form a canopy that barely allowed the moonlight to pierce through. A distant howl cut through the silence, sending a shiver down my spine.

I stood at the precipice of my own descent, the weight of my thoughts pressing down upon me like a physical force. The voice—her voice—whispered in the recesses of my mind, a constant presence that both terrified and compelled me."Power," I had said, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. But it was more than that, wasn't it? It was vengeance, it was control, it was the desperate need to prove that I was more than the sum of my failures.

I clenched my fists, the rough texture of the stone beneath my fingers grounding me in the present. The memories of my past—the laughter of siblings long gone, the stern gaze of a father who saw me as nothing more than a tool—flashed before my eyes. Each recollection was a dagger, each one a reminder of what had been taken from me.

Turning, I faced her—Y/N. Her presence was both comforting and unsettling, a paradox that mirrored the turmoil within me. She had been the catalyst, the one who had awakened something dark and powerful within me. But at what cost?

"You took everything from me," I whispered, the words laced with a venom that surprised even me. "And now, you ask what I desire most?"

Her gaze softened, and she stepped closer, her touch gentle as she cupped my face. "I did not take from you, Axel," she murmured. "I merely showed you the path to reclaim what is rightfully yours."