Zakar reached the refectory. His mind raced for a moment trying to remember where the letter had instructed him to sit. Then he quickly remembered.
Meet us at the third block of the refectory.
"Good enough." He stared around realising that he was alone in the refectory. His eyes scanned the entire zone for a sign of human but he didn't see any.
"Fuck. I guess I just have to sit and wait." He said and walked to the seat only the particular where was asked to stay.
But then he felt something go off. He looked around and noticed that he was bounded by a light rune that wrapped around his legs.
[ System Detected Dark Magic...]
[Host has been bounded with the Invisible Dark Cloak of Magic. Host can't cast powerful spells.]
"What the fuck is this!!" Zakar exclaimed in anger. But that didn't give an answer. He slammed his fists against the table cracking it lightly.
"Ha ha ha!! What a wonderful boy we have here. You came as ordered." Zakar heard the voice echo in his head. He looked around in shock trying to see if he could detect who was speaking bit that was a failed effort as he could not see anyone.
"Who the fuck are you!?" Zakar exclaimed.
"Don't be scared kid. My name is Melissa." She said and her laughter echoed in his head.
Zakar's eyes widened as the name echoed in his head.
"Melissa…?" he muttered, his voice uncertain but sharp with suspicion. His muscles tensed, the rune still glowing faintly around his legs.
He could feel its cold grip leeching the energy from his body, tethering him like a chained animal.
The laugh rang again, sweet and cruel, he wondered what amused her that way.
"Yes. Melissa. Though I doubt you've heard of me, Zakar. My name doesn't matter. What matters is that you're here. As expected."
Zakar grit his teeth. As expected? His blood boiled at the calm arrogance behind those words.
"You think I came here because you ordered me? Don't flatter yourself. I came because I wanted to know who the bastard was, playing games with me."
There was silence for a beat. Then the voice chuckled, low and dangerous.
"Ah, bold. You sound like him already."
"Him…?" Zakar growled. "Stop playing games with me! Who the hell are you working for!?"
The voice didn't answer immediately. Instead, a shimmer distorted the air before him. Shadows pulled apart like curtains, and out of the emptiness stepped a woman.
She looked young, perhaps in her twenties, draped in a orange dress that clung to her frame tightly. Her hair cascaded down, and her lips curled into a sly smile.
Her eyes, however, froze Zakar. They glowed faintly violet cold, calculating, and brimming with something not human.
She sauntered closer, her bare feet making no sound on the stone floor of the refectory. Each step seemed to echo directly in his mind rather than his ears.
"I must say," she said, her real voice now soft, teasing, "you're much calmer than I expected. Most boys your age would be crying for me by now."
"I'm not most boys." Zakar spat, slamming his fists against the table again. The cracks widened on the stone beneath him, but the magic held fast.
"If you think you can break me with cheap parlor tricks, you're dead wrong."
Melissa tilted her head, studying him like a cat might study a cornered mouse.
"Oh, I don't want to break you. Not yet. I want to test you."
Zakar narrowed his eyes. "Test me?"
"Yes." Her smile widened. "You interest us. Your blood. Your spirit. Even your rage. You're dangerous, Zakar but dangerous things can be sharpened into weapons… or destroyed before they grow too wild."
Zakar's heartbeat thundered in his ears. His System buzzed faintly, as though straining against the restriction.
[Warning: Host's energy reserves restricted. Attempting to analyze magic rune.]
He clenched his jaw. Not fast enough. I need time.
"What do you want from me?" he asked, voice low.
Melissa leaned forward, her violet eyes glimmering . "I want to see what you'll do when stripped of your power. Will you beg? Will you curse? Or will you claw your way through the dark, even if it tears you apart?"
Zakar growled, jerking against the rune, his veins bulging with fury.
"You'll regret this, Melissa."
Her laughter rang out again, rich and mocking. She raised her hand, and the energy around her began to writhe like living serpents. They slithered across the walls, hissing, forming grotesque faces that sneered and whispered his name.
"Show me, boy," she whispered, her voice now edged with hunger. "Show me what makes you worthy of the attention you've been given. Everyone wants you. Master wants you. Show me what are you made of or I will erase you from this world before you ever understand your place in it."
Melissa's shadows coiled tighter, pressing in around him, the violet glow in her eyes intensifying. But then, she stopped. Her smile softened not with kindness, but with the ease of someone about to deliver a secret.
"Perhaps," she said, "you deserve to know who I serve. My name is Melissa, yes. But my true identity… is far greater."
Zakar tilted his head, his face expressionless.
Melissa's lips curled into a wicked grin. "I am an agent of the Negative Entity."
The words dripped lightly. The shadows around her flared, black flames dancing across the walls. The air grew heavy, suffocating.
She waited for his reaction—fear, disbelief, perhaps shock. But Zakar just stared at her, his amber eyes burning with the same quiet fire. Not a flinch. Not a flicker.
"…Is that all?" he asked flatly.
Melissa blinked, then let out a laugh, high and ringing, though this time touched with genuine surprise.
"You're colder than I imagined, kid. Most who hear that name tremble at the thought. Yet you… nothing. How interesting?"
Zakar's fists tightened against the rune-bound floor.
"Names don't scare me. Power doesn't scare me."
Her smile widened even further. "Good. That's exactly what makes you useful."
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper that slithered into his ears.
"Join us, Zakar. Do this, and you can have your friends back. Yes… the ones you lost. I can lead you to them." Zakar's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He said nothing.
Melissa studied his silence carefully, then pressed on, her words sharper now.
"All it takes is one task. Kill Justin. He's weak, pathetic, and has already betrayed you once. End him… and the path will open. Your friends are waiting for you, crying out for you. You'll need to see them again."
The rune's glow hummed faintly beneath him. Zakar's breathing slowed, deepened. The system flickered in the corner of his mind.
[Warning: Offer contains high corruption levels.]
[System analysis suggests refusal.]
[Progress on rune breakdown: 61%...]
But Zakar still didn't speak. He just stared at her, his silence heavier than any words. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel⸺fire.net
Melissa tilted her head, as if peering through his skull. "What's the matter? Haven't you thought about it? The betrayal? The lies? That boy doesn't deserve to breathe in the same world as you. Kill him, and you'll finally have what you want."
The tension grew unbearable. The silence in the refectory pressed like a weight on the air.
Finally, Melissa straightened, her smile never faltering. "No answer, hm? That's fine. Silence is still an answer. We'll see which path you choose, sooner or later."
She waved her hand, and the rune dissolved instantly. The oppressive magic faded, the shadows pulling back into nothingness.
Zakar stood slowly, brushing the dust from his palms. His eyes lingered on Melissa one last time.
No words. Only a cold, burning glare.
Then he turned on his heel and walked out of the refectory.
Melissa's laugh followed him out, echoing through the halls like a curse.
But Zakar's silence was not emptiness. It was concern. Heavy, quiet, unshakable. Concern for his friends. Concern for the storm that was already closing in on him. He had to get to the Tailors. Fast as possible but how?