CHAPTER 44: TORTURE

Wallace opened his eyes and the first thing he felt is weakness and the pain coursing through his every veins.

"I'm still alive" He groaned as he tried to stand up but he could not because he felt as if his everybody had been immobilized. Athena who was sitting wearing a casual armless gown smiled when she saw him move.

"You're awake baby" She said with a smile. His body shuddered when he heard her voice allowing pain to course through every of his veins.

"You should not try to stand up, by tomorrow you will be as good as new" She said.

"Where am I" He asked.

"My mansion" She answered with a smile.

"What do you want from me" he asked. "I just want to marry you" She said. he was speechless as he could not help but sputter.

"Marriage is not something to be forces, i..." He tried to talk but the temperature in the room dipped again sending shivers down his everybody,

"Are you rejecting me" she said.

"No" He answered.

"Ok, you need a lot of rest this night because of the expedition tomorrow" She said.

"Ahh" he sighed as he saw the skulls only he could see and the eerie cries sounding in his ear.

"A night of pain and misery" He thought.

"Should I put you to sleep" Athena asked him and before he could answer, she jumped on the bed grabbing his hand.

"Screech" The skulls all retreated in fear and

"Boom" they all disappeared and for the first time since he came back from hell at night, Wallace did not hear those eerie cries and did not see those skulls. He felt a warm energy course through his body and very soon, he felt sleepy and drifted into sleep.

"Ahh" Athena sighed as she caressed that perfect face with a smile.

"Don't worry, you will conquer those mental demons. We will become each other light" She said as she placed her head on the headrest and her thoughts drifted far away. Her eyes turned blank and a tear dropped from her eyes before she also drifted into a nice sleep. A dark energy coursed through the room and an old woman arrived.

"She's sleeping this night" The old woman could not help but mutter as her body shook and she looked at Wallace.

"Is he…" She said as she looked at the two with warm gaze and smiled.

The following morning, Wallace woke up. He felt light, this is the first time he is sleeping ever since he came back from hell. Though he usually sleep during the day but it's with a lot of stress on his mind allowing him to be half asleep and half awake. This is the first time his body felt so light that he felt as if he could fly.

"You're awake" he saw that beautiful face in his sight and jumped up to sit.

"Pu" blood dripped from his nose as he saw a beautiful sight. He saw her cleavage, though it was not much, blood still dripped from his nose.

"What are you doing" he asked.

"What?" She asked with a clueless face. His eyes could not help but drift to that sight again,

"Ohh" She exclaimed.

"Do you like it" She asked as her two hands rested on the headboard sandwiching his face in between.

"Do you want to see more" She lightly shook her body and one of the tiny sleeve came off revealing a patch of her skin.

"Please don't do this" He begged as blood sputtered out from his nose.

"Ok We will take it slowly. Get dressed, were going somewhere" With a smile, she swaggered out of the room.

"What have I gotten myself into" he thought as he shook his head helplessly. This is the first time he had ever felt in between, indecisive ever since he came back. If it was the other day and he was given a chance, he would have left without hesitation but he is wavering now. It's not that he felt affection but his mental demons was suppressed the previous night because of her. He knows that despite her hooligan attitude, she did not want to kill him or else, he would have died a thousand time over. Anyways, he can't escape, he will just follow according to the flow then. He took out his phone, he saw a lot of missed calls from different people. Bruce, Diana, Laura, Lucia and Antonio. He dialed Laura's number and she picked immediately.

"Boss, where are you" She asked worried.

"Don't worry, I'm not in danger but I don't know when I will come back so just tell everyone to continue as usual. Tell everyone I'm safe" he said.

"Ok" The latter said and cut the call

Downstairs, in the living room. Athena wore a casual dark jeans with white top and her hair were tied into a ponytail. They were waiting for quite sometimes before Wallace walked down wearing a dark suit.

"Wow, you're handsome" her eyes shone when she saw him. He felt goose-bumps immediately.

"When can I go back or what do you want?" He asked resigned.

"What? Do you not like this place" She asked with a frown.

"Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere, just tell me" She said.

"I just want to go back" He said.

"Don't worry, you will go back but for now, let's go somewhere" She said as she dragged him to the dining. He saw the dishes on the table that are unlike anything he had seen before but from the smell, he could tell that they are ravishing.

"Will you eat" She asked.

"No I just want to go back" He said.

"Ok I will feed you" She pressed her and without a choice, he was forced to sit down.

"I will eat by myself" He said.

"Oh okay then" She said with a deflated voice and sat down across him while she sandwiched her face with her hands while she looked at him eat with shining eyes. Wallace himself felt her gaze but there's nothing he can do other than eat. He is wary of her, she is too strong. What happened the other day traumatized him. After an hour, a jeep left their mansion. Wallace and Athena sat at the back while the lady was driving them.

"You can just call her Eve, she is my friend and my bodyguard" She said.

"Hmm" he nodded.

"Where are we going" he asked.

"Surprise" She said with a smile.

"Ahh" He sighed. If she wants to kill him, he has no choice but to die. He can only follow her and hope that he won't die. The car drove for thirty minutes before they arrived at a gate.

"Where's this" He asked.

"This is the ghost town of Craco" she said. His eyes widened when he heard that, this is the second place he was still planning to come to.

"What is in there" He asked.

"Well, there are countless trapped ghosts in them and I guess you need them then" She said.

"Isn't that too cruel" He asked.

"You know what they are called" She asked.

"They are called evil spirit" She answered.

"They committed a lot of bad deeds when they were alive and they did not want to go to hell so they just decided to use some unclean methods to make their souls remain on Earth. As it is, they continue to feed on the soul of the innocent" She said.

"Today is a day required for all of them in this area to be here, or else you won't be able to normally see them" She said.

"What is the guarantee that I can believe you?" he asked.

"You have no choice but to believe me" She answered.

"Though they are ghosts, they are not spiritual life-forms as they have occupied the body of someone evil just like them. They are divided into four ranks, the first rank means those that has just occupied a body, the second rank is those that has killed a person and have partially melded with the body. The third rank is those that has fully melded with the body and the fourth rank are perfect creature with immortality" She said.

"They're just like me" He said.

"You escaped from hell while these are downright evil that forcefully absorbs the soul of others to strengthen themselves. You require soul essence to make you perfect and your final evolution phase will be far perfect than theirs because you have the treasure of creation inside you" She answered.

"Why did you bring me here in the first place" She asked.

"For you to absorb the power in your body so that you won't die before you become my groom" She said.

"I wont be your groom" he answered.

"You are so you should enter. Anyways you cant die as there are only two rank four evil spirit that can pose a threat to you, I will create a barrier that will not allow them to escape" she said. Before he could say anything, he felt a gust of wind transfer him into the city.

"This is one of the trials he require to become strong. I won't be always with him" She thought.