X · The Curse of the Artifact Researchers

🎧 Heartless by Diplo ft. Morgan Wallen

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"I only managed to get out of here last time because I came with my master, and I nearly lost myself in here. I'm nearly losing my shit again, because it's hard to fucking resist this fucking siren magic, even with the amulet, and now I'm screwed. I can't call for the support of the Tower headmaster, because that little shit stole my goddamn diamond. He stole it even after I donated my precious 🎴100,000,000.00 to this fucked up cult of theirs, like the headmaster told me to do."

"Which I didn't wanna do because I was storing it to buy the house I have been eyeing for a long time, out of that damned tower. I can't teleport myself out of here because that cunt also stole my relic. All because my master stole a relic from them ages ago, when we first came here, to use in one of his experiments, and they want to take it on me now that he's gone. Even then, I can't even kill those pieces of shit, because that would start a fucking war," he yelled, his skin reddening in anger at each word he spit.

"Why did you even come back here?" I gasped.

"A clue in my current research pointed me to this hellhole, there is something I have to find it, however, my notebook was stole little before I got teleported here, and the headmaster had noted what I needed in there," he hissed, angrier with my questions.

I couldn't help laughing, "Aren't we two unlucky bastards?"

He passed his hands over his hair, grabbing it sensually, "Just give me your damn communicator."

Why would I do that when they could be passing everyone the dam message that there's a void dweller out here, who murdered that higher up copycat, and who's part of the research tower? Hell to the no. I don't know his field, he could try to fucking murder me for that. "Nuh-uh," I scoffed. "Sera, can you consume the stone like you did with the book and the knife?" I stared at her.

"Who are you talking to? Who's Sera?" He frowned.

But I ignored him, focusing on her.

[I can, yes!]

[But be careful, Ria, he's dangerous and stronger than you by a lot.]

"I can tell," I chuckled anxiously. "Take the stone away, Sera!"

Just like that, the stone was brought out of my backpack and went to Sera, disappearing just like with Cora and Pollux.

[It's now on my spatial pouch. Whenever you need it, I'll give it back to you.]

"Thank you, Sera, you're the best," I caressed the watch.

"What did you do?" He yelled at me.

"I did what I had to," I tilted my head, grinning mockingly.

"I needed that," he yelled.

"Why are you still yelling? I'm not yelling at you," I hissed.

"Do you have any idea of what you just did?" He yelled again.

"Yes, for once, yes, I fucking do," I yelled back. "Damn it."

"I, needed, that," he hissed. "I need to leave this fucking hell."

"And I'll help you," I hissed, putting my backpack on the chair left to the bed, then taking my shoes and sitting on the edge of the bed, tired. "I have a way to teleport out of here, but it's a one time thing to leave and get in, so, we'll leave together. I won't leave yet."

"You have a spatial tool?" He finally spoke normally, still angry.

"Not a tool, better than that. But don't even try stealing from me, it won't work," I mocked when I saw the look on his eyes, and my words got him angrier. "It's a one time thing, isn't it, Sera?" I looked at her.

[For now, yes. As your strength affects mine, since we're bonded, I'll only be able to take you as many times as you want to the same time, without resting for days, when you get past level 150.]

I clicked my tongue, "Tsk, it really is a one time thing per place. It will be annoying. Now I'll have to overthink even more before I leave from one to another place, and that will be bothersome. Time doesn't seem to be very friendly with me."

"You have an artifact," he accused me. "A spatial artifact. They are the rarest of all artifact, how do you have that?" He hissed. "That bracelet. It's the bracelet you're with, isn't it? That's the artifact you have."

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the scrunchie that was in my pocket and tied my long hair in a bun. "I have three artifacts, if we are being honest in here, now that you told me your sad story about how you ain't going to be able to by your house and some shit, I couldn't care less. And yes, it's my bracelet. I got it, comically or not, by accident. I snooped around a place I shouldn't have been snooping, accidentally activated it, and it claimed me as its owner."

When he stayed weirdly silent, I raised my gaze to watch him, only to find his already burning in me, back to crystalline ruby-ish. "Your field of research is Artifact Creation, ain't it?"

"Oh, no, oh my God, what gave me up?" I mocked.

His eyes darkened, "You should change fields."

"So everyone has been telling me," I scoffed. "I see no reason to do that, not when I'm already in advantage. I barely started and I already got my hands in three artifacts. Accidentally, sure, but still. So far that's been the only thing I've been lucky at, which's why I ain't changing."

"It's the most dangerous field of research, you know that, right?"

"Why do you care?" I frowned.

"I used to be in that field," he tilted his head.

Okay, that got me curious. "Why did you change?"

"My master succumbed," he sat down on the chair at the opposite side of my new room, to the one I was, his eyes looking haunted. "I saw it all happening, but I thought he would be stronger to resist. Artifacts may be amazing in the beginning, may sound like a blessing, but they are a curse, and it gets you addicted. Power goes over your head, until you began to hold that power for selfish reasons, you began to crave to make them, to become an entity owner of such great power, you will desire to become a God your-self. To fold reality and time at your will, to reach a destructive goal."

I stared at him, suddenly feeling really weird, more than I've been ever since he popped up in the middle of the hallway. "You master crafted an artifact?" We can't be talking about my dad, right? That's absurd.

But he kept his eyes on his hands, haunted, "Not just any artifact," he swallowed, tensed up, "but one of the three most powerful catastrophic weapons in all the nine realms, something that in the wrong hands, could cause a calamity never seen before."

My eyes went to Sera, who had just said:

[Oh, you really screwed up, Ria. Majestically. You should have let him go.]

"What the hell do you mean by that?" I groaned to her.

But he thought it was for him, "I mean a primordial weapon. So fucking powerful and dangerous, it could only be wielded to its full power by two kinds, if all of our studies serve of something. A primordial and a void dweller, both kinds we know barely nothing about, but that are easily the deadliest beings existent. Even Gods fear void dwellers, imagine us."

[I knew his voice was familiar, now I get it.

He is Dorian Kairos.

Your father's one and only apprentice, Ria.]

"Shit," I cursed, genuinely frightened, both by what he said and by what she told me, and when I looked at him over Sera, his eyes that were on me, went to Sera so tight in my wrist it was almost a part of me, and as his eyes came up to me, his eyes darkened.

"Tell me that ain't what I think it is," he said slowly, predatorily.

And fuck if my heart didn't went up on speed drive, "What?"

Dorian stood up, "Tell me the truth," his nails turning into claws.

I scrambled to get up of the bed, trying to put distance between us, really feeling how much of a threat he is now. "I don't know what you are talking about, you crazy bastard."

"Oh, but you do," before I could even run to the balcony to scream or do something like jumping out of it, he was on me, pressing me against the wall near the bed, my feet nearly half a meter off the ground, his right hand grabbing me by my neck tightly, while the left was pining my right forearm above my head, claws close to cutting my skin, tilting Sera to him.

"Get off me," I yelled, but my body wanted anything but that. "Get off, you fucking bastard," I grabbed his wrist that was on my neck, lacing my legs around his waist to firm myself. "What the hell is… wrong with… you?" I gasped when he tightened his hand on my neck even more.

But when he pressed his body against mine, with the intention of getting me cornered and frightened, my body only felt more turned on, only craved for more, for something more. "How did you get this?" When he asked me that, it didn't came out like a question but an order, an order out of a primal beast that was looking very, very appetizing.

"It doesn't… concern you… bastard," I hissed.

He tightened his grip on my neck, "How, did, you, get, this?"

I swallowed with a struggle, "I don't… know what… you mean… by that… you sick… motherfucking… bitch."

A cruel panty-dropping grin curled his lips, "Don't think I wouldn't cut your oxygen right now, little thief, because I would, and I will. So, if you don't want me to kill you asphyxiated in this hellhole where you will never be found again, you better start talking. As I'm feeling nice, I'll ask you once again before I start acting on my threats to you insignificant life. Where, did you, get, this?"

"I told you… already…" I struggled to speak, struggled to breath.

"You expect me to believe that you, a nobody, found 0009694, my master's most treasured possession, that he never not carried with him, by bloody accident when snooping in this so called place you shouldn't be onto snooping, then you activated it, and it claimed you as it's owner?" Every word was poisonous, showing that he clearly doesn't believe me.

I wouldn't either. In fact, I'm almost not believing myself here.

"Where, did you, get, this?" This time he was beyond pissed.

"I… got it… from… my… dad…" I struggled, feeling really close from fainting, my eyes closing. "He… hid it… in… a… black stone… vault in… the… base..ment… of… our… house… It was… locked… by count-less… locks… that he… built… But… they… came… undone… when… he… died… five… months… ago… and… they… came… af…" I fainted.