Shadow Slave | School Days

Cold, solid, impenetrable walls surrounded Noctis as he made his appearance known before his king. Each inch of the impregnable fortress he was located in exuded the presence of a man with supreme, unattainable strength, pressing down against his body without offering a moment of respite.

Noctis knelt in front of his king, his back hunched and his head close to the floor, never meeting the eyes of the man he had sworn servitude to. No command, no matter how harrowing would be resisted. He was the king's sharpest sword after all.

At his side, stood Sevirax and Solvane. Two individuals who Noctis had made enemies out of on more occasions than he was willing to admit, and yet all three of them had united to act as weapons for the sake of the king.

And finally, Asterion spoke. His voice oppressive and clear, leaving no room for doubt or questioning his commands. And yet his next words created a pit so deep in Noctis's stomach throwing up wasn't even an option. Clear, concise, succinct, yet so deeply harrowing.

"I have spoken with Valor, in two weeks, you three are to kill Lightslayer Revel. Broadcast her death live, we will make an example out of her."

--

As Nephis and the rest approached the colosseum, the overwhelming pressure Orion exuded already began to weigh upon them before they even entered the main building. It felt like they were being watched, constantly inspected by a supreme predator studying their weaknesses.

Each wall of the colosseum appeared to close around them, barring their exit as though they were trapped in Orion's web, each individual who could be strong enough to act as a predator in their own right, now had been converted into prey.

And then, they saw him. Orion had his back faced to them, standing in the midst of an empty colosseum as the four of them came to a stop. Silence rang out through the field for a moment, the sand laced cement beneath them resembling quicksand with the way their feet remained glued in place.

Orion's voice rang out like thunder, sounding deeply contemplative and yet the hint of barely restrained malice that lingered within his tone could not be ignored no matter how much he laced it with deeply philosophical topics.

"Are we born only to wait for death to arrive, or is death merely a punishment for those who are too weak willed to live forever? Weakness is fundamentally the primary source of death for every living being in this world. Those who associate with the weak, die like the weak."

Turning around, Orion began stretching slightly as Nephis moved to speak. Before she could, she saw Orion's glare fix itself on her as he pressed his finger to his lips. It was clear she was not allowed to speak or rather... he had not given her his permission.

"Sunless had almost died like the weak, soon enough he would have fallen at the hands of a foe he could easily kill because he had chosen to protect you. He may call it a noble sacrifice, but stupidity is all sacrificing yourself for people as pathetic as yourselves can be."

Raising a hand, Orion's finger landed on Nephis, in a moment, Orion was standing in front of her. Their gazes locked against each other in a deadly stand off as Orion grabbed her by the shoulder, his grip strength undeniable and in another blur the two stood in the middle of the colosseum.

"You. If Sunless died for your sake, would you be able to fulfill the gap he's left? Where is the honour in dying and making the world a worse place than before you died?" A large frown arrived on his face, Nephis took her stance and prepared for whatever Orion was about to do as he finally exclaimed.

"This is your punishment, for making Sunless your sacrifice!"

Nephis moved first. Her foot barely touched the ground before she exploded forward, closing the distance with brutal efficiency. A sharp jab shot toward Orion's face, her knuckles cutting through the air like a honed blade.

Orion didn't block. Tilting his head just enough for her punch to graze his cheek, his expression continued to shift from indifference to anger as his hand snapped forward. Before Nephis could block, a flicker of pressure hit against her extended arm.

Unimaginable pain seared through her body.

It wasn't sharp like a blade, nor was it dull like a blunt force weapon, it wasn't even a mixture of both like whatever Sunny managed to do with his fists. Instead, it was deep, spreading like fire beneath her skin, radiating from that point of contact.

Nephis ignored it, biting back a scream as she stepped in, driving a knee toward his ribs. Orion's weight shifted, his elbow slamming against her thigh at a perfect angle. There were no bones broken, no muscles ruptured, only another flicker of pressure.

And then pain.

"I will not hurt you; I will not injure you. Instead, I will make you suffer. This shall be repeated every day until you are able to fight me without getting hit a single time for three minutes. Prepare yourself peon."

Nephis barely had time to process his words before Orion struck. A palm against her shoulder, not enough force to knock her down, not enough force to send her flying but instead sharp enough to send another wave of pain rippling through her nerves.

A scream escaped her lips, as it did, a jab slammed itself against her jaw. Like before, it wasn't enough to even draw blood, instead it was meant to annoy her, dishevel her, let her know she could be hit at any moment he wished. 'This... isn't possible. It's like a whip is hitting me!'

Predicting his movements didn't work, she knew perfectly when the next attack would come, she knew from what angle and how hard it would hit her. Yet simply predicting the rain didn't offer you safety from it. Blows rained upon her body like droplets of rain as red marks arrived all over her pale skin.

This pain wasn't normal. It was precise, calculated and surgical. Like she was getting stabbed with a hot needle. Despite this, she forced herself forward. It was just pain after all, she knew a man who had been through far worse.

A feint, then a hook aimed at Orion's jaw. Orion's head moved like a whisper, his fingers touching the side of her wrist as more searing pain shot its way throughout her body. Then, Orion's fingertips gently placed themselves against Nephis's stomach, a one-inch punch collided with her body.

Nephis fell to her knees, clawing at the floor in an attempt to rise to her feet as Orion knelt to meet her. "Where are those flaming eyes that promised me defeat in battle? Tell me, honestly, you thought Sunless was pathetic when you first saw him, right?"

Offering no response, Orion grabbed her roughly by the hair and pulled it so the two were at eye level. "Yes or no. Did you or did you not." Nephis's soul fought hard against her answer, she knew exactly what she thought of Sunny when she first met him. That he was pathetic.

Despite her inhibitions, honestly spilled from her soul like a fountain as a slight nod arrived. Orion's face turned into a malicious frown as he let go of her head. The look he gave her made it seem like he cursed the ground she walked on as he whispered, low enough for Nephis to hear him clearly.

"And you took interest in him because you were interested in how pathetic he was, then, when you realised there was more that meets the eyes rather than a poor bastard you took it upon yourself to be his protector and provider. Only for you to realise you were 'protecting' him with money fuelled by his own suffering."

Nephis's gaze refused to meet his own, shame bubbling through her body, a retort dying in her lips as searing pain crippled her every movement. Yet Orion's tirade refused to end there, continuing to exert it's pressure upon her body like a crushing tide.

"If I remember correctly, you also called him... what was it? Ah, yes, 'broken' when he took his well-deserved revenge against your parents. Revenge you intended to give... because of what? Who do you think you are? To deprive those who suffered of their retribution, so you felt better about yourself."

Samara landed from an unknown location at Nephis's side, lifting her off the floor as Orion turned his back to her. "Take her away, if I see her for any longer, I might spit in her face. Fucking scum." In the next moment, Nephis was taken all the way back to her home as Samara pushed open the door and roughly dropped Nephis on the couch.

Instantly making herself at home, she sat next to where Sunny was, throwing her arm around his shoulder as Nephis tried to shoot to her feet, only for her body to deny her. So instead, she remained glaring at Samara. If looks could kill, one woman would be dead in the room.

"His hair is so soft, and more importantly how are his muscles showing through his shirt! It's black for god's sake!" Samara joked, poking Sunny in the chest for her own amusement as she studied Nephis's reaction. A slight twitch in his arms made it clear Sunny was dreaming, but about what remained elusive.

"See, Changing Star. Don't get cocky because you beat me, fighting hand to hand has never been my thing in the first place, guns have always been my preferred form of combat. But who am I to complain, I lost after all."

Gritting her teeth, Nephis powered through the searing pain in her body as she sat up in her chair, still unable to move any further, her lips decided to take action from there as she spoke with a tone laced with malice. "Why are you here? Don't you think I've had enough berating for today? Is my suffering amusing to you, wench?"

A light laugh escaped Samara's tone, a cocky reply moving to escape as Sunny stiffened next to her. His lips moved, low sound coming from them as the two fell into silence. "Mom... don't die. How will I take care of Rain? You can't die, just a little longer... please... don't leave me."

Low groans escaped from his lips as his muscles tensed, tears streaming down his eyes as Nephis shot to his side, ignoring the pain as she sat opposite from Samara entirely. Pulling him from her grip, she ran her hands through his hair as she wiped the tears from his face, her presence alone enough to stem his tears as a small smile arrived on his face.

"You know, for someone so loving and caring of dearest boyfriend, I'd expect you to be far stronger than you are." Samara called, lifting herself from her seat as she moved towards the door. "Time waits for nobody; I won't have a rival at this rate if you keep dragging your feet. It's just pain, get up and start moving, training."

Soon enough, Samara exited the room, and as she left a new man arrived to take her place. He was fairly tall, standing a head higher than Orion as he carried Effie in his arms, placing her gently onto the couch Nephis had once been in as he let out a yawn.

His hair was a golden blonde, far paler than Cassie's as his eyes shone the same colour too. In fact, he vaguely resembled Gilead if Nephis's memory served her correctly. Effie's body too was laced with red marks, indicating the pain she had went through as Effie swore like a sailor in her couch.

"How the fuck, can someone do that with their fists! Is he a fucking slave owner!? Why do his hands feel like whips!?" She swore, and soon enough Samara returned with Kai, placing his body on a free chair as she stared at him curiously. "You're cute." Is all she said, quickly spinning on her heel as she turned to the blonde man.

"Luster, get off your ass and stop trying to lick the icing off the plate!" The newly identified Luster looked at her lazily, turning around and disappearing from the room with a blur as Samara followed suit.

Closing her eyes tiredly, Nephis allowed herself a moment of rest. After all, they had two weeks.

Two weeks till the hunt for Lost from light began.