Sole Prisoner

"Reward? Pardon, Archduke?"

"The end of the Seventh Season is coming, and so is your sixteenth ceremony."

Seven tilted his head. 

"Call it a gift."

Eden said, who finally stood and stretched her back.

There was still a lot of time before Seven's birthday, and for this to happen was just way too early.

"But Archduke, there's still two weeks—"

"I'm heading to the Kingdom. Our name, Hart, was one of the suspects regarding your fiancee's kidnapping case. I'll go and prove our innocence." 

Seven smirked, unsure whether to laugh or get frustrated by the absurd situation.

His gut was right.

Something was definitely wrong. It was as if the kidnapping case was planned all along. 

"But Archduke—"

"Oh, and also… Call me 'Father.'"

"But Father, it might be a lie to… bring us down."

He wasn't worried about the Archduke, but because of what would happen if the Archduke were to be defeated. 

In the novel, the Harts' destruction happened when the Archduke found out the mastermind behind Seven's assassination. 

The nobles of the Kingdom, led by the Havins.

The Archduke then declared a coup'd'tat towards the Kingdom. Of course, his other children opposed the idea, including Eden.

In the end, the Archduke did it alone. 

Having Seven, his favorite child for some reason, assassinated inside his own territory, he lost his rationality. 

The battle lasted for seven days. Though he lost, the Kingdom's forces were almost halved. 

And in the middle of chaos, that was the start of the 'First Act,' where the protagonist made his first appearance. 

Since the system keeps telling him that the act had already begun, the sudden summon for the Archduke was just a bad sign.

"Bring us down?!"

The Archduke exclaimed, and his tone was a complete opposite of earlier. Now, he was no longer talking as a lord, but as a father to his favorite child.

"I, Elias Hart, the only Six-Gate user of the Seventh Continent, would go down beneath those bastards?"

"Impossible…"

Eden murmured. 

Seven stared at both of them, smiling. But his smile turned into a smirk, and his smirk turned into a laugh. 

'I guess I can't rewrite the major events…'

Eden at the Archduke stared at him, unsure what to say for his sudden laughter.

"Father, I want to tame the prisoner from the basement."

Then, Seven laughed again.

And again.

***

Step. 

The basement prison was damp, cold, and a complete opposite of the grandeur above. 

Crumbling bricks acted as a wall, and broken stones littering above the uneven floor. 

A total of seven cells. 

Seven covered his nose as the air smelled like rot. 

'Not here either.'

Every cell he passed had the same thing.

Bones.

Skulls.

The skeletal remains. 

Except in the far end center, where a silhouette of a prisoner was illuminated by a dim light. 

'Found him.'

Gripping the rusted iron bars, Seven peeked inside.

"Oh. Son. Ji… Found you!"

The only prisoner. 

The prisoner didn't reply. No. He couldn't reply. A filthy gag was tied around his mouth. Tied against a chair with "Cuffs of Heaven'.

"Cruel…"

Seven whispered as he looked at the unrecognizable body.

Oh Son-Ji. 

No. 

Lythian Ace.

His body looked like the embodiment of suffering. 

Blood pooled beneath the chair as they flowed out from Lythian's eyes. His black pupils now carried a hint of red, and the black hair he once had was now crimson.

Fingernails scattered on the floor like garbage. 

Bruises painted his skin yellow. 

Burn marks marked his torso. 

Unhealed scars tattooed his back. 

"Whpppmm."

Lythian squirmed, trying to speak. But Seven ignored him. 

Instead, he smiled.

"Immortality, huh…? Guess you weren't lying."

Ding!

[Name: Lythian Ace (Oh Son-Ji)]

[Main Talent: Assassination]

[Characteristics: Fourth Reader]

[Gift: Immortality]

His gaze shifted to Lythian's fingers, where blood continued to drip on the floor.

"Do you want freedom?"

Seven smiled as he tilted his head. Of course, it wasn't a kind smile.

"Unfair, right? Even in your second life, you have to suffer all over again?"

Running a hand through his hair, he frowned. This time, the words weren't meant to Lythian, but to himself.

"Do you want to live not as a reader, but a character?"

He gripped the iron bars with both hands.

"Wmpppp…"

Lythian tried to respond, but couldn't because of a filthy gag in his mouth. 

Creak.

Seven pulled the iron bars apart.

It was only possible because they were rusty. And though he had keys in his pocket, he refused to use them.

That entrance wouldn't be as cool as this one.

Stopping right before the chair, he grabbed a handful of Lythian's hair and yanked his head back, forcing him to look up.

Their gazes met. 

"Do you want to live?"

"Wmmpppp…"

The gag muffled Lythian's words. With his free hand, Seven tugged the filthy gag down from his cracked and bleeding lips. 

"There."

"Just kill me, you fuc—"

The words barely left Lythian's mouth before Seven drove his head forward and slammed it against his knee.

"I didn't hear you."

"Just kill—"

Seven slammed it again. 

This time, the chair creaked from the force and blood splattered onto the uneven stone floor.

Seven smiled.

"You want to live, right?"

But even before Lythian could reply, Seven drove his knee upward.

Again.

And again.

Blood streamed down Lythian's nose. 

With a grim smile, he tightened his grip on Lythian's hair and pulled his head back again, forcing him to look up.

"Let me make this simple. If you want to die, then stay here. Let them break you over and over, until there is nothing but an unkillable body."

Leaning down, their faces were now inches apart.

"Or you can live because I might need you. Make your choice."

Lythian's breathing came ragged and spat a mouthful of blood onto Seven's face.

"...Fuck… you…"

"I see. That's the spirit. Now we're getting somewhere."

He slammed Lythian's head one more time. Blood sprayed, and his body slacked in the chair, slowly losing consciousness.

Letting go of Lythian's hair, his head loll forward. 

"Think about it."

Wiping the blood in his face, Seven turned and walked towards the stairs leading upwards. 

"You've got all the time in the world."

After ascending the narrow staircase, Seven walked directly towards the throne hall.

Step. 

Eden was still there, discussing something with the Archduke. They only stopped when they noticed Seven's presence. 

"Father."

Slightly, he bowed.

"I want the torture for the sole prisoner to be intensified before I take him."

Seven looked at Eden with her sword out, before turning his gaze back towards the Archduke.

"Break him. Shatter his will. Make him fear our name. Help him understand that there is no escape."

Taking a slow, deep breath, Seven smiled.

"Not even death."