The caravan came to a creaking halt. Lumen stared at the haunting moonlight, shining on them from afar. Lumen felt the tension rise. Ysella had climbed out and spoken to an armed group of riders—not simple men. Professional killers, trained hunters, mercenaries with a dead and horrible sense of morality.

  Even Ysella, composed as she pretended to be, was cautious around them. He'd go as far as to say she feared them. But thankfully for her, coin was their god. And they obeyedher for now.

  The leader, a man with a jagged scar running along his eyes, had peered at Lumen like he was a piece of freshly plucked fruit. Like he was something to be bargained with and toyed with. The negotiations she had with him were brief. He was supposed to escort them through the Shadow Valley, a place where monsters loomed and humans were scarce.

  The man had made one thing clear, that she was not in control, that their lives depended on him, that he wanted a bonus for the sudden job and for his time. Ysella had agreed, and the caravan had set forth. Much to Lumen's dismay.

  He stared at her as she hugged him. She was desperate, which was why she resorted to these efforts. But why go so far for an elven slave? Why did she not abduct another one if the law prevented her? Why was she so obsessed with treating him like a dress-up doll and a fuck toy?

  It was obvious, wasn't it? It was because of his appearance—he had the drive of a man and the vigor and grace of a young beauty. She wanted that all to herself. Everyone wanted a piece of him. How foolish he was to think, she different from the other humans.

  She whispered again. "Soon, Lumen, you'll be free, and you'll have whatever you want."

  What he wanted was to be far away from her. "You couldn't give me what I want, Ysella. You're a poison ivy."

  She appeared puzzled. "Women of every kind, a loving wife such as myself, your own personal villa, food, anything you desire—servants, entertainment of all kinds. You need only love me as your mistress."

  He started shaking. "Loving wife, No, I want my memories back!"

  She looked away, hiding her face from him. She refused to look him in the eye. "I can't let that happen. The man you were before was so much more barbaric and cruel. You're better this way, meek, forgetful. Medicine, once a day. Will keep you this way."

  "No! I refuse."

  "You don't have a choice, we're going to have so much fun tomorrow."

  He wanted to be whole. To go back home, wherever it was.

  Lumen closed his eyes. He was beginning to tire. Perhaps he would be a slave all his life—consigned to serve others, consigned to serve the whims of this malignant woman. Ysella loomed over him, a knife clutched in her hand, just in case something did go down.

  Sleep started taking him, and he drifted—then the wind started running on legs. Lumen could hear it in his ears, vibrations. People were coming. Multiple footsteps. His eyes went wide. Ysella noticed this.

  "What's wrong?!" She started shaking him. "What's wrong? Tell me."

  She stuck her head out of the covered caravan, then shouted to the riding mercs. "Something's wrong! Be aware—"

  The merc who rode just behind the caravan blinked in surprise. He stopped silently as an arrow impaled his stomach. He tried pulling it out, his mana flaring, but another hit him, an arrow that glowed like a nightlight.

  The mercenary cavalry started shouting and panicking. The caravan stopped. And he could hear the driver scream. Lumen shuddered. Blood started spurting everywhere, and screams followed. Dark figures descended upon them.

  The shadows cleaved through flesh, and the horses of the riders started running off. Blood splattered inside the carriage walls, painting Ysella red. A man with an elongated glaive landed out of thin air and slammed into the ground.

  "Evander!"

  Three more figures emerged. They moved unnaturally. It was them—the ones who came looking for warriors for servitude. The one at the center, Amaris, the blonde girl with bronze skin, and the elf that looked like him.

  Every one of them, besides Evander, did not fight like a human. They were predators, killers. The mercenaries didn't stand a chance. They were torn apart like nothing. Their weapons and whatever power they had were not sufficient. The mercenary leader had charged in, insubordinate amounts of mana flaring around him, and shouted a few spells.

  "Body enhancement stage 4: Metal Skin! Burden of the Juggernaut!"

  His skin turned silver like metal, and then he brought his blade around, charging at the four.

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  Amaris, the strange mystic, said a single word. "[Doom.]"

  The mercenary continued his advance, then stopped, then wobbled, then fell to the ground, incapacitated—possibly dead.

  Ysella started panicking. She started to tear her hair out and scream. She dove to Lumen, clamoring to tighten her hold around him while his ribs still ached in pain. She clutched him like he was her last hope as her hired consorts were massacred. The caravan remained quiet. The world outside was bathed red in blood.

  The strange women walked closer, observing the pair. Evander kept his distance, sitting on the ground and looking up at the sky. They did not speak to Lumen—only to each other.

  He could hear faint whispers.

  "Is it really him?"

  "What if it isn't?"

  "What about her?"

  Then their judgment lingered on the red-haired patrician. The one with the bronze skin stepped inside, a giant mallet in her hands. She slammed it against the caravan, causing it to collapse. The rear wheels broke apart, and the pair slid down.

  Lumen struggled. He wanted to be free of his constraints. The lilac-haired woman tried grabbing Ysella, but she kept clinging to Lumen.

  "Noooo! Let me go! I do not know you people. I've done nothing to warrant this attack! Do you know who I am?"

  Amaris answered, "I do know who you are, Ysella Claudius. And you're right—you committed no crime in Rhoamia. Perhaps you skirted the legal lines with slave trades, but the crime here is what you did to my lord Lumen."

  Lord Lumen. What the fuck?

  "I—I was protecting him! Those gladiators, the overseers—even the people mistreated him. I took care of him, cuddled him when he was saddened. We don't deserve this! Leave us in peace!" she begged.

  "I would not call poison, caring for someone. But your head is already twisted and fucked up. I will make it quick."

  "Kimmi? Hold her down for me, will you? She needs to pay for her crimes," Amaris asked the brown-skinned girl, who started complaining.

  "Do we have to? I hate blood," Kimmi moaned.

  "She desecrated our lord. Death would be a mercy."

  Our lord. What the fuck was this about? And did why Evander look like he didn't care?

  Kimmi pulled the woman away from Lumen, who started crying tears. Amaris brought the blade down, aiming for her neck.

  Lumen didn't understand why he did what he did. But something spurred inside of him. He concentrated what was left of his mana into propelling him in front of the blade.

  [Mana Jump.]

  The blade briefly pierced his ribs, and Amaris gasped. She pulled away before the sharp edge could impale him.

  "What?!" Everyone stared at the spectacle..

  The elf girl shook her head. "Lumen, you Idiot, what are you doing?"

  The elf addressed him like she knew him.

  He didn't know why he did that. But perhaps part of him still loved her, clung to her warmth. While everything she had done was bad, even the illusion of safety—he didn't want her to die. He had shared brief, intimate moments with her.

  Ysella said nothing. She fell down, her eyes went hollow. She didn't beg anymore, she didn't plead.

  "Please, let her live, whatever your reason may be." Lumen begged in her stead.

  "That's ill-advised, Lord Lumen. She poisoned you for months, possibly longer. Your mana core is all broken up—you're a few weeks away from dying in your sleep."

  Lumen shuddered. But the woman nodded. "But you are powerful and wise. I will cede your request."

  Seriously,what the hell was up with their attitude.

  Ysella buried her face into the bloody ground, quiet and broken.

  Everyone turned on him. The bronze-skinned warrior, Kimmi, took and tore away his restraints, freeing his body. Lumen half considered bolting—he didn't want to trade one crazy for another. These people kept calling him lord.

  They settled their gaze on him. "Lie still, Lumen. We will fix you."

  He sat still. He didn't understand what exactly was happening, but he bore it.

  Ysella started screaming like a banshee—a sound he had never heard from her. It was raw and desperate, like something was being ripped from her body.

  Kimmi walked over to her and slapped her across the face. She shut up.

  The elf girl stopped next to him, pressing her hands to his body. Soft warmth spread through him. He recognized the sensation from all the sessions with Evander, healing magic—but this was like nothing he had felt before.

  Evander watched from the side. Not directly at him, but at the elf girl's work.

  "Pay close attention, Evander," Amaris announced.

  Amaris also put her hands on him, pressing down. They had ripped his upper clothing off, leaving him bare. Her nails dug into his chest, and he gritted his teeth. He felt a fire burn inside his mana core. It twisted and seared and reshaped. His vision darkened—the pain was unbearable, and he staggered.

  Then memories started floating through him. They were still fragmented, but he had small glimpses into his past, about who he was.

  A short scene flashed in his head. He had fought with a dragon, got badly injured, and fell out of the sky. The humans had chased him down and chained him at the border. He wasn't alone—there were others with him. Elves. Whether the girl next to him was one of them, he could not tell.

  Lumen's eyes closed and then reopened.

  He looked inside himself. Then words flashed inside his head.

  [Weakened Mana Core] > [Flickering Core]

  Lumen felt a surge of mana rushing through his body. Energy returned to his frail, weak arms, and he felt strong enough to stand on his own again.

  [Core Refinement: Basic] [Stage 1+ Achieved]

  Core refinement. Was he cultivating again? Was he so weak He used to be so much stronger, and yet he couldn't remember.

  Lumen stood up, scrambling as his head hurt. Everything wasn't there yet. He had too much—too much pain. His body writhed, and he started sweating. He heard them speaking. They were all kneeling except Evander.

  "Lord Lumen," Amaris addressed him. "I wasn't sure before, but now I am. I have been looking for you."

  He watched her approach, and she loomed over him. "You are beginning to wake up. It will take a while, but I'm sure in time you will remember who you are, my dark king, my dark lord."

  She went up to his hands and started kissing them. He couldn't believe her behavior.

  Evander shrugged when Lumen stared at him. "What can I say? I knew you were never normal, not even for an elf."

  The girl called Kimmi grimaced, like she was disgusted, but then she started kissing his hands as well—reluctantly.

  The elf girl turned away, stoic and conflicted. She walked away, standing alone. Her head bowed in the opposite direction. She didn't appear to "worship him" like Kimmi and Amaris did.

  "What the fuck is this?"

  His breath caught.

  The lilac-haired woman watched him closely, her gaze knowing. "You are waking up."

  And as the last of his shattered core knit itself back together, he began to remember, just somethings, but mostly weird feelings, some of them evil in thought.

  Chapter 10