A scene from the past

The first time the King raped my mother, he made me watch. He dragged me into the room and shoved me into the corner like a dog. She screamed, kicked, and scratched at his face.

That was the first time.

After that, the screams got quieter. The fight left her body. Eventually, she stopped pretending it bothered her at all. She let him use her—loudly, shamelessly—right in front of me.

When he was finished, he always turned toward me, half-dressed and smirking.

"She understands her place. So why don't you?"

It's been months since he stopped dragging me into the room to watch, but I still wake up choking on the memory. My mother won't even look me in the eyes. She sees me as something pitiful, something broken. Vetro? He sees me as a threat. An undisciplined dog that needs to learn how to heel.

If it were up to me, I'd rather feel nothing at all.

The training hall was the same as always—cold stone walls, dim light, stale air. Raijian sat on my right, Cera on my left. Ms. Tana stood at the front, a walking horror show with stitched-up skin and dead eyes that always seemed too wide.

"Hey," Cera whispered. "I figured out a game we can play."

Raijian didn't look at him. "What?"

"I'll tell you after class. Zai, you should join this time."

I didn't say a word.

"What are you whispering about?" Tana asked, suddenly crouched in front of us like some animal ready to strike. Her twisted face leaned in close. My brothers flinched, but I didn't move. Stitch marks lined one side of her face, the other a jarring patchwork of unfamiliar features.

"Nothing!" Cera lied impulsively. It was pointless—Tana didn't push. She just smiled like she knew the truth anyway and walked away, her hips swaying as she started her lesson.

"Training builds strength slowly. It's reliable... but dull," she said. "If you want power fast, you'll need to sacrifice. Your right to see, to hear, to love—take your pick. Once you choose, there's no turning back. If you break it, you will die in agony, far beyond imagining."

If I could sacrifice anything, it would be my hate. Every time I'm alone, I think about the king. I think about my mother. I imagine killing them both. The thoughts torment me; I just want to be free from them.

Tana painted symbols on our faces with something that smelled like rotting flesh. She lit candles and began dancing to music only she could hear. Then she froze—one leg lifted, back arched—and said, voice trembling,"The time is now. Make your decision."

I wanted clarity. I was tired of hating Vetro every second of every day.

"You're running out of time," she warned, louder now. "All of you are running out of time."

I didn't want to hate anymore.

Suddenly, her head snapped toward me."I see… You're the first to step forward. You always amaze me, Zaikel!!"Why is she yelling? Pain exploded in my chest. I doubled over and vomited blood—it felt like acid replaced my veins.

This must be the covenant.

Tana knelt beside me and whispered,"Control yourself."

And just like that, something inside me shifted. The hatred was gone. It left behind only emptiness.

Netalai and Insinz didn't choose in time. As punishment, Tana made them stay behind as we all left. I assume she tortured them to speed up the process.

Later that night, once the maids were gone, we slipped into the halls. The time has finally arrived! Cera appeared and dumped hundreds of ice spheres onto the floor.

"This is your brilliant plan?" Raijian asked flatly, staring at the marbles.

"Watch." Cera kicked one—when it touched others, they fused and doubled in size.

"Oooh," Netalai whispered, impressed.

"The rules are simple. You flick them with your fingers. Fuse as many as you can. Biggest orb wins."

"Sounds dumb," Raijian muttered—but he played anyway. The sound of clicking ice echoed through the dark.

I joined in. It was stupid. Childish. But it made my brain stop screaming. Every time my orb grew, something loosened in my chest.

"I guess you're not completely useless," I said to Cera.

"Gee, thanks." He rolled his eyes but smiled.

We kept playing. I built a huge orb, nearly the size of a melon. I aimed at the last marble, charged my fingers with lightning, and flicked.

Too hard.

It rocketed across the hall and smashed into the barrier door.

"...Shit," Cera whispered.

The orb spun, my lightning swirling around it like a storm. Then—

Boom.

The door blasted open. Light poured in. Sunlight.

None of us had seen it in years.

Sunlight poured in. We hadn't seen daylight in years.

Raijian walked outside first. I followed. One by one, the others stepped into the light—including Rytem, who hadn't even played.

"We're free?" Valin asked. We stood on the sand, the sea nearby. "Wow, Zai! You broke the barrier! Where were you hiding all that power?!"

That day, Raijian wandered off and met a woman named Aluma. The rest of us were rounded up by guards and returned. The King interrogated us personally.

The King came in person.

"Who broke the barrier?! WHICH ONE OF YOU?!"

We all knelt. Heads down. Silent.

"There was ice found," a maid offered. "It points to Shelia's son."

Vetro turned to Cera. The kid was shaking. Eyes glassy.

He was about to cry.

"It was me!" I stood. "I broke it. I told Raijian to run. I told him never to come back to this shithole."

I spat on the ground. Vetro turned from Cera and focused on me. Rage twisted his face.

"So eager to take the blame? Fine. You'll take all of it. Whip him until he passes out. Then bring him to Tana. Tell her to break him. By any means necessary."

"Go to hell," I snarled. "Choke on your spit and die."

They chained me, ripped my shirt, and lashed my back in front of everyone. Every wound healed in seconds, just in time to open again. I lost count of the lashes.

Eventually, I collapsed into a puddle of my own blood.

When I woke, I was in Tana's cot. She was beside me, humming and mixing something in a bowl.

"Oh, you're awake!" she said cheerfully. Then she climbed on top of me. Still bound, I squirmed.

"Yeah… can you please get off me?"

She didn't move. Instead, she traced circles on my chest with her fingertips and whispered,

"I'm on your side. I can give you the power to overthrow the king. I just need one thing from you."

"...What?"

"I need... your virginity."

I wasn't shocked. I'd read about her rituals. I knew she wasn't lying.

It was real—one of the oldest rites of power among the Afarions. A sacred exchange between a Chosen and their bonded partner. It wasn't meant for people like us, not like this. The original rite required trust, deep emotional connection… love. It was meant to protect the Chosen from losing themselves in their own power. A grounding tether.

Now she was the only one permitted to perform the ritual... because

it was Vetro who ordered that only Tana could perform the ritual now. That way, he could monitor every power fluctuation, every rise in potential, every dangerous new bond. No more love, no more choice. Just control. We weren't allowed to give ourselves to anyone—not even the people we trusted—without him watching through her eyes.

And now she wanted mine.

"I can give you power," she whispered, crawling on top of me. "Enough to overthrow him. You just have to give me one thing."

I already knew. I'd seen the way she looked at me; felt her obsession thick in the air whenever she stood too close.

"I need your virginity."

I should have felt disgust. Instead, I felt nothing.

"I'm not doing it while I'm tied up."

Her eyes lit up. That same disturbing glee, like she'd just unwrapped her favorite toy. She fumbled with the suppressors eagerly, unlocking them with shaking fingers. As each band hit the floor, I felt my strength crawl back into my bones like smoke sliding into a bottle.

"How's that?" she asked sweetly.

"Better."

She twirled her hair and giggled like a young schoolgirl. "I'm not just offering power, you know. I've… always admired you, Zaikel. Since the day you arrived, soaked in gore, trembling… You've only gotten more impressive. You're not like the others. You're meant to rule. I truly believe that."

Her words were sugar-coated poison.Admiration wasn't what I saw in her eyes. It was possession. Devotion twisted into hunger.

I let my head fall forward. "I'm too tired to pretend to care."

She blinked, confused. I continued, voice like iron dragging across gravel."It's hard to believe you love me when the ones who whipped me yesterday are still breathing."

She began to mutter under her breath, twitching slightly like a thread was unraveling in her mind. Then, like a snapped rubber band, she lunged forward and hugged me tightly.

"Don't worry," she whispered, eyes wide and shimmering with a promise she fully intended to keep. "I'll make them pay. Just… give me a chance."

Then she kissed me—desperate, breathy, hopeful.

I didn't move. Didn't kiss her back.Even when she squealed afterward, dancing like a girl promised a crown, I stayed silent.

The next morning, the servants who had whipped me were found decapitated.Their heads never turned up.

When I heard, something inside me clicked.Not fear.Bliss.

A win.

For once, I wasn't the one bleeding.For once, someone had answered my pain.

Even if it meant playing her game…Even if it meant giving her what she wanted, again and again...

This was the closest thing I'd ever felt to freedom.

And I wasn't about to give it up.