The Emperor's Concubine

Chapter Thirty

(Trigger warning: Read at your own discretion.)

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I do my best to stay awake, kicking, and attempting to push Micheal off. Closing my eyes from how weak I've become, I notice how wet my cheeks are from tears.

Unable to breathe, my arms and legs drop to the ground as if made of lead. My vision blurring, my heart racing in a steady heavy beat, my body grows cold.

"Ack!" A sound escapes Micheal's mouth.

His grip on my throat loosens, allowing air to enter my lungs.

I open my eyes to look up at him—his blood splattered onto me as a giant spike is pierced through his shoulder.

"Luna!" A warm familiar voice shouts out.

The room door is quickly smashed into pieces as Cabel runs in.
In an instant, he lunges his sword at Micheal's head. Watching as my brother avoids the attack, he jumps back—releasing me from his grip.

Holding his shoulder from where he was stabbed, Micheal only laughs manically.

Coughing and gasping as my throat aches painfully, I turn onto my stomach attempting to catch my breath.

The emperor lunges across the room at Micheal, spikes erupting from the ground as they slice through the air towards him—Micheal instantly disappears into a neon green fog.

Cabel stops, looking around the room at his disappearance.

"That bastard!" Cabel yells enraged, his eyes glowing bright red.

My body beginning to shake as the adrenaline wears off, I can only sob as I realize the pain throughout my body is real—no longer a memory of my nightmares.
Quickly running to my side, Cabel looks at me with concerned eyes.

Lost in my panic, my mind strays to replay sounds of Micheal's voice—the sounds of rattling metal as the feeling of shackles around my wrists begin to appear. Cabel calls out to me, yet his voice is drowned out by Micheal's as he repeats the same sentence through my mind.

"It'll only hurt more if you fight it."
"It'll only hurt more if you fight it."
"It'll only hurt more."

Losing my consciousness as I listen to those words play through my mind—I question if I'm losing my sanity.

Opening my eyes, a gentle light hits my face. Looking around, I realize I'm on the floor with a bundled up coat beneath my head.

The marble statue pieces scattered around me, I turn to see Cabel who sits calmly beside me on the floor. A pained expression on his face as he realizes I've woken up.

"You passed out... I didn't want to touch you in case it would make you more uncomfortable." Cabel gently speaks.
"H-He was still alive?" I whisper, my voice cracking as I recall the grip of his hand on my throat.

His expression turning frustrated, he softly nods.

"When we got to your castle, we found your mother and father—but your brother and sister were seen running into the woods... We couldn't locate them anywhere." He sorrowfully explains.