Chapter 119 Night of revelations part 1 – Arianna

  Arianna sat in the same chair she had been in during breakfast. Keith was in the same place as well, but aside from them, no one else was present for this dinner. The light was low, candles casting everything in a dim, murky glow, and the food in front of her looked delicious, at least, she thought it would have been, if she could taste anything right now. Every bite was hard to swallow. Everything felt disgusting.

  The slimy feeling of the original slave collar she had been examining all afternoon was still clinging to her. Add to that the fact that she was having a “romantic” dinner with Keith, and she had to fight not to vomit right there.

  Keith made small talk, not minding that Arianna barely responded.

  Another bite, just to make this dinner end sooner.

  “Dr. Tanner was very happy with your enthusiasm.”

  Another bite.

  “He wants you to write down your impressions of the original as soon as possible.”

  A nod, another bite.

  “After that you’ll need to read his research. It’s fascinating.”

  One more.

  “Of course, we’ve also been studying Faith and that man. I’m afraid we’ll have to study you as well, your reactions to the collar.”

  One… one more bite.

  “But I firmly believe that one day you’ll realise this was all for the best. Then we won’t need the collar anymore.”

  He looked at her adoringly.

  Another bite.

  “When our son is born, I’ll take it off.”

  Arianna nearly gagged. This man was sickening. Still, she forced down one last bite. Her plate was finally empty.

  With trembling hands she reached for a napkin, but Keith was faster. In a deliberate gesture, he dabbed her mouth himself. She let him. The pain of her nails digging into the thin fabric of the red cocktail dress he had made her wear did nothing to distract from the wave of disgust rolling through her at his touch. But she let him.

  Cassis had said they were already looking for her. They would find her. Until then, she would play along.

  And once she was free…

  The violent images filling her mind should have scared her, but they didn’t. She wanted them. She wanted Keith to die the most violent death she could imagine. But she would curse him to be silent for it. She never wanted to hear his filthy voice again. Yes, make him scream, but let no one hear it. Just like her. Just like Faith. Just like Bryce. They were all screaming inside, and no one was allowed to make a sound.

  “You’re finished. Let me take you back to your room.”

  Keith stood and offered his hand. She took it and rose as well. He draped her arm through his, like a gentleman escorting a lady, not a monstrous psychopath leading his victim to her doom.

  In front of her door, he let go, but her skin was still crawling. She would need to shower. Maybe even then the feeling wouldn’t go away.

  She opened the door, but Keith touched her shoulder lightly. She froze.

  “Turn around,” he murmured in what he probably thought was a seductive tone. Arianna could hear the sick pleasure beneath it.

  Slowly, she turned. He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, staring at her over her knuckles.

  “Sweet dreams, my dear.”

  Then he let go and walked away.

  Arianna stood there, breathing hard. She hurried into her room and rubbed her hand against her dress as if she could wipe the touch away.

  Disgusting. Utterly disgusting.

  A shower and a good cry later, Arianna sat in bed in her pajamas. She had turned off the light, pulled her knees to her chest, and wrapped her arms around herself. With her eyes closed, she imagined Cassis sitting behind her, his arms around her, his strong chest warm against her back. She missed him so much. He would hold her until she stopped shaking. He would talk to her, or just sit with her. He would distract her, or let her cry. Whatever she needed, he would give it.

  She wanted to contact him again. But she didn’t have many CP left, and she couldn’t afford to let her emotions rule her. She needed a clear head to survive this.

  Still… she just wanted someone to tell her she would be okay.

  When a hand gently patted her head, she nearly screamed. Frozen, afraid to move in case it was Keith, she slowly opened her eyes.

  Relief flooded her when she saw the red-skinned giant standing in front of her.

  Despite everything that had happened, Arianna was actually glad to see Zaman, the genie of the wishing lamp. He was looking down at her with something like pity, patting her head… like a puppy.

  If he said there, there, she might start laughing just because the situation was so absurd.

  She realised she could move again, but she didn’t want to. Somehow, without knowing why he was here, Zaman was giving her comfort, and she desperately needed it.

  After a while, he stopped and sat down on the floor in front of her bed. They still hadn’t spoken. Then he bowed his head.

  “I’m sorry.”

  That threw her completely off balance.

  “What…?” she managed.

  At the sound of her voice, Zaman straightened. Even sitting, he was tall enough that their eyes were level. He gave her a sad smile.

  “I didn’t know this would happen.”

  “Neither did I,” Arianna blurted out.

  Zaman nodded, and some of his usual arrogance crept back in. “You’re tough. Still, I want to formally apologise for this situation. Please believe me, I didn’t know it would turn out like this.”

  A chill ran through her.

  Despite her confusion, something clicked. “Time element,” she whispered.

  Zaman nodded. “I am a deity of time, punished by the system to grant one hundred heart’s wishes.” He looked at her with something like respect. “I can see the future.”

  Then he amended it. “Well… I can see the results of certain choices. I can’t see the entire path, only where it leads.”

  Understanding dawned. “So one of your actions caused this?” she asked, gesturing to herself.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Zaman nodded solemnly. “My decision to tell you about Cassis’s wish, at that time, in that place, led to this outcome.”

  Arianna should have been furious, but somehow she believed him. “What result were you aiming for?”

  “Freedom,” he said quietly. “I saw that those choices would eventually lead to my release. I have already granted ninety-nine wishes. I’ve been trapped for millennia. The wishing lamp only becomes a dungeon reward in an S-rank dungeon. Do you know how rare it is for even a world that survives the seventh wave to clear one?”

  His voice rose before he forced it back down.

  “I won’t make excuses. I saw a path to freedom… and it meant hurting you. But I didn’t know—” He looked away, shame flickering across his face. “I didn’t know how much it would hurt you.”

  Then, very quietly, he muttered. “Belare would beat me to death if she were still alive.”

  Belare? Arianna thought. Who was she? She had heard that name before.

  Zaman’s confession chilled her, but for better or worse, she could understand. She herself had only been imprisoned for two days and already felt ready to commit violent murder. If it meant hurting someone just a little, she would probably do it too. And the fact that he had come here now, telling her what he had done… wasn’t that proof that he was truly sorry?

  Instead of blaming him, because there was no real point in doing so, she asked quietly, “Who is Belare? And how are you here?”

  Zaman sighed. “You heard that, didn’t you?” A short pause. “I don’t know how much I’m allowed to tell you. There are… rules.” He spoke slowly, as if testing each word. “But you deserve to know how you ended up here.”

  He closed his eyes and began to speak, but Arianna suddenly interrupted. She had just realised something.

  “Stop. There are cameras and bugs in the room.”

  Some of Zaman’s arrogance returned as he raised an eyebrow. “Who do you think I am? Of course, I put a time-lock on the cameras and bugs.”

  Then he took a deep breath and continued.

  “As I said, I am a deity of time. I started as a mortal and then transcended the system, becoming a deity. That was a very long time ago. Afterwards, I, along with my friend, who was my old patron, helped awakeners in new worlds. Until… until I fell in love with Belare, my own avatar. She died through betrayal, and I did things that were… against the rules. The system punished me by turning me into a genie bound to a wishing lamp, until I granted one hundred heart’s wishes.”

  The story sounded painfully familiar.

  Timeless Waterfall.

  The same thing had happened to their friend. And Timeless Waterfall also had the time element. They had helped Arianna because one day she and Cassis would free their friend.

  She groaned. She had already been on this road back then.

  Zaman looked at her in surprise. “What’s wrong?”

  “Timeless Waterfall’s friend…” she said hesitantly.

  His eyes went comically wide, then suspicion flickered through them. “How do you know? Did they contact you?”

  Arianna shook her head. “My patron knows them. She told me about Timeless Waterfall.”

  Zaman studied her, then shrugged. “They can see parts of the future too,” he said fondly. “So they’ve been waiting for me.”

  Then he straightened. “Alright. Don’t interrupt me again. I need to finish this.” He mock-glared at her.

  Arianna laughed softly. What a ridiculous… genie.

  “Well,” he continued, “as compensation for all this suffering, I’ll give you some nice information.” He smiled. “I’ll tell you Cassis’s real wish.”

  “Real wish?” Arianna blinked. “Didn’t you already tell me?”

  Zaman grinned. “I like bending the rules. The system only counts true heart’s wishes, but if the spoken wish and the real wish have the same outcome, I can get away with it.” He even made a dramatic drumroll with his hands. “And Cassis… is an idiot. A good idiot. He really believed what he said was his true wish. But in his heart, there was only one.”

  Arianna forgot to breathe.

  Zaman’s grin widened. “I want Arianna back by my side, safe and sound. That was his true wish.”

  His smile softened when he saw her face. He reached out and patted her head again. “Don’t cry. I thought this would make you happy.”

  Only then did Arianna realise tears were streaming down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away, but they kept coming. Zaman awkwardly patted her head until they slowed.

  “I am happy,” she said.

  He looked at her like he wasn’t sure she was sane.

  But she was. Those were happy tears. Even though she had never truly been angry about Cassis’s wish, it had still hurt. And hearing that, in his heart, he had always wanted her back, and safe… it gently soothed the small ache that had been left behind.

  When her tears finally stopped, Zaman rasped softly and took his hand back. Then he continued.

  “After the dungeon, I hid in your inventory. And now that you can access your mana again, here I am. I can interact with you differently because, as the beneficiary of a wish, you have a connection to me.” He smiled. “And soon, I’ll be free.”

  His eyes grew distant, and then he added quietly, “And so will you.”

  Arianna’s breath hitched.

  There. That was confirmation she would survive this. Hadn’t she wanted that? But… she didn’t know what would happen to her between now and that future. Zaman’s ability was a curse and a blessing all at once.

  He nodded toward her in understanding, then turned his gaze toward the window.

  Just then, a knock sounded.

  What was that?

  This was the second floor. Why was someone knocking on her window?

  Could it be… Cassis?

  Excited, she ran to the window. A black silhouette stood outside. She manoeuvred the window open to let the shadow inside, only to realise it was Bryce.

  Trying to hide her disappointment, she stared at the floor. What was he doing here?

  She was so distracted she didn’t notice Bryce had frozen.

  Only his sharp “What is that?” snapped her back to the moment.

  He was already rushing Zaman, who still sat there, utterly unalarmed. When Bryce reached him, he tried to chop him in the neck.

  A sickening crunch echoed.

  Bryce’s hand shattered against Zaman’s neck.

  He jumped back, not letting the injury slow him down. Instinctively, he moved in front of Arianna, giving her his back, never letting Zaman out of his line of sight.

  Zaman regarded him calmly. “Boy. Stop this futile struggle.”

  His voice boomed.

  Bryce collapsed to his knees.

  Arianna stared at him, startled. She was fine, so why wasn’t he?

  Zaman glanced at her, equally surprised. “Well. You are quite an interesting mortal, aren’t you?”

  Arianna shrugged. She had no idea. She had long ago stopped wondering what was wrong with her. Too many things didn’t add up, and she had no answers.

  Bryce groaned. Arianna sighed and healed him. When he tried to rush Zaman again, she snapped, “Stop it! He’s no danger to us.”

  Right now, she swallowed the rest of the sentence, not wanting to alarm Bryce further.

  Even so, Bryce looked at her like she was insane. That was the second time in minutes that two different people had done that. She was just a normal person. The others were the strange ones.

  After a moment, Bryce gave a short nod and turned back to Zaman, not letting him out of sight.

  Zaman grinned predatorily.

  But he had wanted Bryce here. Otherwise, he would have vanished back into the lamp.

  Oh.

  Arianna understood.

  Had Zaman’s apology been real… or had he simply waited for Bryce?

  She watched him sharply. Zaman caught her gaze and gave her a winsome smile, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. Then he even winked at her.

  She couldn’t take this genie seriously.

  Then he straightened and said to Bryce, “I’m Zaman, a genie of a wishing lamp.” He gestured to the lamp sitting on Arianna’s nightstand. “Do you have a wish?”

  Bryce froze.

  Arianna knew it, how could he not? In his situation?

  At least Zaman had apologised before getting what he wanted.

  Bryce still didn’t answer. Zaman’s arrogant mask didn’t slip, but Arianna could somehow tell he was getting nervous.

  She sighed. She was already imprisoned. There was no reason for him to remain so, too.

  She glared at Zaman, then told Bryce, “It’s true. He can make a wish come true. No strings. No bad consequences.”

  Bryce turned sharply to her. “How do you know?”

  Arianna decided to tell a truth. He couldn’t really use it against her anyway.

  “Because I died, and he turned back time for me. That was Cassis’s wish.”

  In its simplest form, that was true.

  Bryce stared at her, eyes wide. His hand, stretching toward the wishing lamp as if pulled by a force of its own, trembled.

  “Can it be true…”

  Then he snapped back into his composed persona. “How interesting. And I can make a wish?”

  Zaman nodded.

  “Just like that?”

  “There are some requirements,” Zaman said with a grin. “That’s why Arianna can’t make one.”

  Bryce glanced at her. She shrugged.

  She only knew two things: she was part of someone else’s wish, and a true heart’s wish was required.

  “What are those requirements?” Bryce asked.

  Zaman tilted his head. “I can’t tell you all of them. But some. You need a true heart’s wish. You need to have survived the attacks of a monster for over ten years. The wish must be achievable with my abilities. It must be spoken aloud. And it can be granted immediately… or not. Those are the ones that concern you.”

  Arianna wondered if Keith was the “monster” Bryce had survived. Anything else made no sense. But that was Zaman, bending the rules again. After all, she was fairly certain the system had intended for the ’monster’ to be taken literally, not metaphorically.

  Bryce nodded. “I hope those things are true. Then… here is my wish.”

  His gaze softened, growing wistful.

  “I wish for Faith to live freely.”

  Arianna stared at him, stunned.

  He… what?

  Why would he wish for her? Even if Faith was a victim too, she had done terrible things. One of them was putting a slave collar on him.

  How could he wish for her freedom instead of his own?

  Zaman grinned. “Wish granted. It will be fulfilled in a few days.”

  A wave of mana burst outward, and then it was gone.

  Zaman stood and walked over to Arianna, completely ignoring Bryce. He patted her head.

  “Little mortal. Don’t be mad at me. I acknowledge that I owe you a favour for your help. You will get out of here. And one day, you can cash that in.”

  Then he turned to Bryce and, before he could react, cupped his face with both hands.

  “You will forget this little conversation.”

  Bryce collapsed.

  Zaman smiled at Arianna. “A small bonus. Now that he made a wish, I can interact with him better. He’ll forget me and the wish until it is fulfilled. Take care.”

  And then he vanished.

  Arianna stood there, dumbfounded.

  Had she been played…?

  She hoped he hadn’t lied. Somehow, she felt Zaman considered it beneath him to lie to mortals. They were simply too weak.

  Bryce stirred.

  Arianna grabbed for the wishing lamp, but it flew from her hands and shot into Bryce, vanishing into him.

  Was it in his inventory now?

  Bryce groaned.

  “Wha…?”