"I doubt that," Mom mumbled, almost too low to hear.
"Haah." I dragged my hand down my face, irritation leaking through my voice. "Like hell, I'm the strongest, Mom. Come on, if I have a bloodline, then they can also have one, right?"
The idea irritated me more than it should. Part of me wanted to believe I was one of a kind, untouchable-but reality wasn't so simple. I wasn't so arrogant as to think fate gave me everything. And if I could be born into this world carrying memories of another life, then so could others.
Mom only shook her head slowly, that infuriatingly calm gesture that made me feel like a child stomping her feet.
Apricot suddenly muttered, half under her breath, "I have joined in with the weirdest person ever. She is half crazy, ruthless, kind, smart, and dumb."
I turned my gaze on her, narrowing my eyes. "Are you regretting your decision, Apricot?" My tone was sharper than I intended, but her careless words stung more than I wanted to admit.
Her head snapped up, eyes wide. "Huh? Oh no! I was just thinking about how much will happen in the future, being at your side."
But then her shoulders stiffened, and her eyes flicked sideways. Kayda was glaring at her, a cold flash of killing intent rolling off her like a blade pressed to the throat. Apricot paled, fumbling for an add-on. "As a follower, of course!"
I let out a low sigh. Jealousy. Kayda's jealousy was like a storm cloud-dark, dangerous, and impossible to ignore. Still, I couldn't afford that spiral right now. I forced myself back on track.
"Okay? Mom," I said firmly, looking at her again, "before we go back to the square-what are we going to do about the information we've received?"
Mom crossed her arms, considering. "We'll have to tell the king about it, but I don't think we should make it public to everyone. Maybe only the main houses."
"We can't tell the duke's house, though."
Her eyes narrowed at me. "I understand you don't like Hugo, but they will need to know about it."
I clicked my tongue. "I don't care about my grudge. What I mean is that they accept any soldier without question. That means they should have the most spies buried in them. If we tell them now, the information will spread before we've even finished the sentence." I paused, breathing out slowly. "I think we should only tell the current heads of the houses. Then we will compel them to conduct a thorough cleanout of their forces before they are given any of the information. That includes us as well."
Mom frowned but didn't argue. "I understand that, but it will take time."
"Yes," I admitted, leaning back against the cold wall. "And I'm not the best at tactics, but... They actually succeeded in their mission to destroy the mansion, even though I was the one who truly finished it. That means the other plans are already in motion. We know about some of the places they'll attack, but those could easily be diversions. I'd say we recall everyone from the Dead Forest exploration for now."
"But the forest is used to level up our soldiers," Kayda interjected, her voice sharp with disbelief.
"I know that." My tone softened, almost weary. "But we need to do a proper cleanout, and the best way is to have everyone together. No shadows to hide in."
Kayda folded her arms, her lips a rigid line. "What about the border patrol?"
"Hmm," Mom hummed, tapping her chin. "I think we'll be fine for a couple of months. They won't try anything just yet. I'll have to talk to Dean about it."
"Okay. So, are we still going to make the torture public with our forces or not?"
Mom shook her head. "No. That would make it harder to find the traitors if we're planning a cleanout. I would say just teach them the art and get it over with."
A small grin tugged at my lips. "I see. At least I can still torture people."
Mom gave me a dry look before turning serious again. "I will be going then. You go with Trinity and Apricot and teach them your specialty. Rebecca, you and Lily come with me. As for you, Kayda-go to bed. You'll need to start training Amari tomorrow."
Just like that, she left, the sound of her boots fading down the hall with Rebecca and Lily following.
I stared at her retreating back. "Humm," I hummed under my breath, a vague dissatisfaction curling in my chest. Mom always did that-made decisions and left me to follow through without much warning.
Kayda stretched, stifling a yawn. "I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow," she said before also heading out.
The cell grew quieter. My gaze shifted to Trinity and Apricot. "Sigh," I muttered. "I have a question about your class, Puppeteer. Can you use this person as a puppet?" I pointed at the unconscious commander slumped nearby. "And if you can, does the strength of the puppet depend on how strong they were when they were alive?"
Trinity straightened. "We can, but not for long. The corpse doesn't last. It makes them useless after a while. We mostly use them in wartime. And yes, class and level matter."
"So it's only limited by how long the bodies last," I mused. A small thrill of excitement sparked in my chest. "That's fine. I'll teach you how to preserve a corpse."
Before either of them could reply, I drove my blade into the commander's chest, silencing his weak groans. The body jerked once before going limp. Without hesitation, I stored him away.
Trinity blinked. "Wait, aren't you going to use him in your torture class?"
I tilted my head, genuinely confused. "Huh? Oh, hell no. You just said the strength of the puppet depends on their class and level. His corpse will be very useful for Apricot." I smirked.
Apricot flinched, a complex expression flickering across her face. "Wait, you want me to use him as a puppet?"
"If you don't want to use him because of his past, I can give him to Trinity," I said bluntly.
Apricot shook her head quickly. "No. It's because he'd be wasted on me. I'm still low-level. Trinity's way higher than me."
I nodded once. "I see. We can talk about it later. For now, let's return to the square."
[back in the square]
The square was already filled with voices-anger, betrayal, and curses echoing from the Federation soldiers. They spat vile words at the three traitors bound nearby.
I coughed deliberately, drawing attention.
One of the Federation soldiers froze, his eyes widening. "It's you!?"
"Ooh, you recognize me, Gerry," I said with mock delight.
"Of course I recognize you! You fucking threw me!?" He was trembling, anger and fear blending into one.
I tilted my head. "Wait. You're the person I threw with my tail? How the hell did you survive that?" The memory was faint, blurred by battle frenzy, but I remembered launching someone with all my strength.
"I-"
Another soldier interrupted, pointing at Apricot. "What is that whore doing with you!? She betrayed us!"
The words hit sharper than I expected. Rage surged hot in my chest, and I had to actively stop myself from killing him instantly. Instead, I turned to Apricot. She was staring at the ground, her fists clenched, her face pale.
"Hey, Apricot," I said softly enough for only her to hear, "do you want me to start with him?"
She gave a tiny nod. That was all I needed.
I smirked and walked over to the loudmouth. Grabbing his head, I lifted him like he weighed nothing. "It seems the doggie has chosen my first prey."
"Fuck you. I won't tell you anything, you damn demon! I hope you burn in hell!" He spat.
"You know," I said, smirking wider, "that doesn't sound so bad."
I forced him prone, my claws digging into his back. With slow, deliberate movements, I began severing his ribs from his spine.
His screams tore through the square. "AAAAH! Stop! It hurts!"
I grinned, baring my teeth. "You're just like your commander. Talk big but no backbone."
That stung the others. "Do you really believe our commander would ever betray the Federation?" Gerry shouted.
"You think so?" I lifted my head, meeting his gaze. "He only lasted five minutes against me before spilling everything." The truth was different, but lies had their own power.
One of the others barked, "Like I'd believe a demon like you!"
"I don't care," I muttered. My hand plunged deeper, pulling one of his lungs free. I froze a corner of it, then held out my hand. "Trinity, wire."
Without hesitation, she tossed me a box.
"Thanks," I said. I tied the wire through the frozen lung, then did the same with the other. Stringing the wires up to the roof poles, I lifted him slowly, his weight dragging against his mangled insides.
"AAAAHHHHH!" His voice cracked into a final, dying scream before silence took him.
"And there you have it," I said, admiring my work. "This is what you call a blood eagle."
The others blanched, but I was already moving on. My gaze settled on the sergeant. My smirk deepened.
Before I could reach him, though, a healer stepped forward. Her hands trembled slightly, but her voice was steady. "Sorry, ma'am. Can you please hear my selfish request?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, okay."
She bowed slightly. "I understand you have been tasked to kill the traitors, but... may I please have the honor of killing the high sergeant?"
"HUH?" I blinked. That was the last thing I expected.
"You see," she continued, her eyes sharp, "that dumbass is my sister's boyfriend. He betrayed her and the black ops. I wanted to kill him when I saw him, but the torture squad stopped me."
A slow smile crept onto my lips. "Haha, now that was a surprise. What's your name? And your sister's?"
"My name is Sirona. My sister is Brenda."
"Healer and Sword, then," I said, connecting the dots. "She's in black ops too, isn't she?"
"Yes. She's a major."
I looked at the sergeant with disgust. "Your sister's taste is... questionable."
"I know," Sirona admitted, her lip curling.
"Well, Sirona," I said after a moment, "I can let you kill him. But you'll have to join my personal guard."
Her answer was immediate. "I will happily join your squad, ma'am."
"Cool. Here, use this." I held out an ice dagger.
She shook her head. "No need." She turned and walked to the sergeant.
His face paled. "Think about this, Sirona! Your sister will hate you if you kill me!"
Sirona's smile was dark, her eyes gleaming. "Have you not figured it out already? She's a siscon. There's no way she'll hate me. She'll be mine again."
Her words were quiet, but I heard them. A chill crawled down my spine. 'It seems both of you are insane,' I thought grimly.
A scream followed, high and broken, as Sirona's ability reversed healing into horror. The sergeant's body twisted into a blackened lump.
I grimaced. "Holy fucking shit. She can reverse heal?"
When she returned, wiping her hands, I forced myself to smile. "I have to say, that's quite a gruesome ability."
"Yes," she said calmly, "but I think with your teachings, I can improve it."
I shivered at the thought. "Okay. Go stand next to Apricot. She'll be one of your partners now."
Apricot blinked in confusion but looked at Sirona's back once-and understood.
I turned to the corporals, strapping them to chairs. A small ball of lightning danced in my hand. "Now, for you two-"
The square was filled with screams, and the air was heavy with blood and smoke.
By the end, I sat on a pile of corpses, five blood eagles strung up behind me. My clothes were spattered, my breathing even. To the torture squad watching, I must have looked like a demon queen on a throne of ash.
"Now," I said calmly, "I'll be writing multiple books for you on human biology. This will assist you in developing more effective torture methods. I know the ones I showed you today are a bit too gruesome and not always useful for extracting information. But you'll learn. I'll also write books for the healers. In other words-you'll have plenty of studying to do in the following months."
"Yes, ma'am!" they chorused.
"Can you not call me ma'am?" I muttered. Looking around, I frowned. "By the way, how do you clean this place? There are no drains here."
Trinity shifted awkwardly. "Well... we never do things this gruesome, so it wasn't needed."
"I see." I stood, fire gathering in my palm. "Okay. Everyone, leave the square. I'll make it easier for you."
They didn't question it. Once they left, I sealed the square with a barrier and let fire magic engulf everything. The screams, the gore, and the blood were all reduced to ash.
And for a fleeting moment, I wondered if I had burned a part of myself away with it.
I decided to give a 2000 word chap for you guys hope you enjoyed it because I drew this out so much.
TheRealSkolliecreators' thoughts
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Chapter 53: The Dragoness has arrived.
Waking up beneath the shelter of my ice tree, I blinked against the soft morning light filtering through its translucent branches. The air smelled faintly of frost and earth, clean and sharp. My body still carried the residual hum of power from last night, but my mind-my mind was a restless storm.
I thought back to the executions.
The memory came to me too easily, raw and vivid. The thrill I'd felt still clung to my skin, and that unsettled me. Excitement. Anticipation. And then... disappointment. Because it hadn't been fun-not in the way I'd imagined. I had been forced to restrain myself. I couldn't just tear them apart, not completely. They needed to talk, needed to scream intelligibly. That made it clinical, a job. My favorite things to break, the little pieces I always went for first, I had to leave untouched.
It made me restless. Dissatisfied.
I rolled onto my side, staring up through the crystalline branches. My voice broke the silence, half-whisper, half-growl. "Have you ever heard a man whose vocal cords are shredded trying to beg for help?"
The sound haunted me and even amused me. It was pathetic, grotesque-like a dying infant gasping through broken lungs. Horrifying and hilarious. And I knew how that sounded. Please, don't ask me how I know that. Some things are better left in the dark.
The only one I truly enjoyed was the commander. He was all bluster, all noise-like so many men I'd seen before. He reminded me of that bodybuilder I'd put down in my past life, the one who thought forcing himself on a girl was a show of power. I'd broken him muscle by muscle, acupuncture needles sliding in until his body became a map of agony. His screams then had been music. The commanders were nearly the same. A grotesque echo across two lives.
But then my stomach dropped.
"Wait." I sat up beneath the tree, tail flicking with irritation. "I didn't heal him after."
My claws flexed against my palm. That meant his muscles were still destroyed-completely useless for puppeteering. That was stupid of me. Wasting potential like that. I'd been too caught up in the moment.
