Dark Conspiracy (I)

Far away from the castle of Darkshire….

In a dimly lit room, a series of thud could be heard, accompanied by painful groans resonating in the room.

The little source of light, which was present in the room, revealed four figures. While three of the men in dark clothing stood, the last man was on his knees, it seemed like he had been forced to do so.

However, that wasn't all. 

With a closer look, the man who knelt on the ground, with the three other men behind him, released a series of harsh and exhausted breaths. 

His face had turned bloody and battered, and he was almost unrecognizable, yet his cruel punishment didn't seem to end.

A certain blonde man in the middle, grabbed hold of the man's hair once more, harshly banging his head to the wooden bloodstained table, again and again. This time, it was accompanied by a loud yell,

"For the last time, where is it, you bastard?!!" 

He possessed a shiny glowing golden shade of blonde. His black eyes were filled rage, as he slammed the kneeling man's head to the table once more.

The bloodied man spoke amidst the excruciating pain he felt, "I've told you, I have no idea of what you're talking about." he groaned as streams of blood flowed down his face.

"Well, seems your Cartel has been teaching you a lot to resist pain. But I wonder how long your resolve will last before it breaks." Said the blonde man, his eyes intensely narrowing. "A little birdie told me you know about its whereabouts….and my birdies never lie."

James Lockwood, the twenty-eight-year-old had been unexpectedly captured and brought to this unknown place on his way from work. However, it turned out his captors asked for more than he expected. They wanted Belium, the deadliest poison in the land that could become terror in the hands of evil people.

He didn't need and angel to tell him that these people were evil and that they had connections with the black market…..and even with the witches residing in Darkshire.

Everyone knew about its existence, but only a few people knew about its whereabouts, and he turned out to be one of them.

James had been blindfolded, his hands were chained to the wall in a way that he couldn't even struggle, and he could only watch his head being banged.

"You can kill me if you wish to, but I have no information to give to you." the man gritted his teeth in pain.

"Kill you?" The blonde man chuckled menacingly, "That is the last thing I have in mind….but maybe we can start somewhere,"

"I wonder it would feel, watching your family being slaughtered in front of you. Must be a wonderful sight." Continued the man, for James's eyes to widen in horror.

"N-no, please….not my family. Don't hurt them, please." his voice turned desperate, as he stuttered.

He had never even thought about his family being dragged into this situation. He would need to protect them at all cost.

A devilish smile formed on his face "Oh, I certainly won't, if you be a good boy and comply with me. Where is the Belium?"

The man turned tense at the mention of his family's name, swallowing hard, "W-what do y-you need it for?"

Hearing his question, one of the men on angrily smacked his face, "How dare you question our boss?!!!"

"No, let him be, Thaddeus. Let him ask questions, it is good to be curious after all, isn't it?" He turned back to the man.

"Well, let's just say I have a really, really annoying adversary who I have been trying to eliminate for a long time, but he seems too stubborn to die after all my attempts. Fortunately, I received a report that you know about a little special ingredient that will be the death of him. So would you help me in getting rid of my enemy?" A grin appeared on his face, staring at the helpless man who turned frozen.

Sweat formed on James' face "I-I can't–"

"You can't?" the blonde man's brow raised, a sliver of annoyance on his face, "You should, unless your family are the most unloved people in your life, and you wish for them to receive the most unimaginable painful death."

Further threatened, James quickly shut up his mouth, "The Belium is..." he drawled hesitantly.

"Speak," ordered the man, "Else, I'll make you regret mostly in life for not telling me."

He then continued, "The Belium is in…mmm–"

The man suddenly slumped to the ground before he could say another word, making the anger in the blonde man's eyes resurface once more.

"Pick him up!!" He commanded his men with a crazy yell. The men immediately grabbed hold of the man on the floor, lifting him up just to see him unconscious. Blood flood out of the man's mouth, and when they opened it up, they realized he had badly bitten his tongue.

"How dare you? You bastard!!" The blonde man yelled. His fists clenched so hard, revealing his raging veins. "I'll make you pay dearly for messing with me."

"Boss the man has fainted and can't speak, what shall we do to him?" the man named, Lionel asked.

"Chain him and lock him up in the underground room. We have unfinished business." he said sternly.

The two men immediately got hold of the man, dragging him by the hand on the floor and out of the room, as a trial of blood followed behind them.

Seeing them leave, his anger turned more uncontrollable. The man had jeopardized his chances to get rid of his enemy tonight.

Once he was awake, he would make sure that his men would get hold of the man's family, and he would make him watch as he ripped his family members apart.

He violently smashed bottles and glasses in anger, unable to wait for that time. Calming down his anger, the man breathed harshly, walking to the seat at the middle of the room which he sat down on.

However, no one would have ever imagined that the person who had indulged himself into this was none other than the Duke of Hastings, Duke Alancaster Darkwood, and his enemy was Maximilian Blackthorn, the king of Darkshire.