The corridor on the first level of the dungeon was quiet.

Dust from the recent explosion still hung in the air. It drifted like a thin, grey mist.

Elowen walked through the haze. Her steps were uneven.

Click. Drag. Click. Drag.

She favored her left leg.

Her silk dress was shredded. Blood matted the left side of her hair and dripped onto her shoulder.

She looked like a broken doll. But she was smiling.

She stopped in front of the little girl bound in the red, glowing chains.

The girl was on her knees. The magical bindings pulsed with a dark, sickly light. They wrapped around her small chest and arms.

Elowen looked down at her captive. Her chest heaved with ragged breaths.

"It seems like it actually works," Elowen whispered. Her voice was wet with blood. "They were telling the truth about this artifact."

She stared at the chains. She had paid a fortune for the suppression trap.

It was designed to bind high-level mages. It fed on their mana to strengthen itself.

The little girl looked up. Her black eyes were flat and unimpressed.

Elowen let out a short, sharp laugh.

She raised her hand. The air shimmered slightly.

A small glass vial appeared in her palm from her spatial storage.

The liquid inside was a deep, viscous crimson. It glowed faintly in the dim torchlight.

Elowen uncorked the vial with her teeth and spat the cork onto the stone floor.

She tilted her head back and drank.

She swallowed the thick liquid in one gulp.

The glass vial shattered as she dropped it.

Her skin rippled. The bruises on her arms faded from purple to pale white in seconds.

The blood dried and flaked away like old rust.

Snap.

Her left leg twisted. The bone reset itself with a loud, wet crunch.

Elowen rolled her shoulders. She flexed her fingers.

The limp was gone. The pain was gone.

She stood straight and she looked pristine again. Only the torn dress remained as proof of the battle.

Crack.

She cracked her neck.

"Much better," she sighed. The sound was one of pure satisfaction.

She looked at the little girl again. The hunger in her eyes was back. And it was sharper than before.

Elowen took a step forward. Her heels clicked rhythmically on the stone.

She reached down. Her movements were fast and violent.

She grabbed a handful of the little girl's black hair and pulled it hard

She yanked the girl's head back and forced her to look up.

The little girl did not scream. She did not cry.

She simply winced.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. Her lips thinned.

It was not a look of pain. It was the look of someone who had found a fly in their soup.

Displeasure. Annoyance.

Elowen saw the expression. Her smile twitched.

She hated that look. She wanted fear. She wanted tears.

She brought her face close. She was inches away from the girl.

"You annoyed me a lot," Elowen whispered.

"You broke my wall. You ruined my dress. You hurt me. ME."

She tightened her grip on the hair.

"I promise you," Elowen hissed. "I will play with you so much that you will think even death is a better choice."

The little girl stared into Elowen's madness without blinking.

Elowen laughed softly. She traced a finger down the girl's cheek.

"You have a really big mana reserve," Elowen noted. Her tone was almost admiring. "And a lot of talent for your age."

She leaned in even closer. Her lips brushed the girl's ear.

"That is good," Elowen murmured. "It means you won't break easily."

She pulled back to look into those black eyes.

Elowen gave an evil smile.

"I hope you can last that long while playing," she said. "It would be a shame if you died too quickly."

Elowen shoved the girl's head away and released her hair with a dismissive throw.

Elowen stood up to her full height.

"But that has to wait," Elowen said. Her voice was light and cheerful again.

She turned toward the spiral staircase.

"After all," she said. She gave an even more evil smile. "I have two more pets to hunt."

She glanced back at the bound girl over her shoulder.

"You should pray that they haven't escaped," Elowen warned.

Her eyes gleamed.

"Do you know how hard it was to get a dragon hatchling?" she asked rhetorically.

"It is the pet that lasted the longest by far. Her healing and endurance factor is exquisite."

Elowen's expression darkened. The cheerfulness vanished.

"If she escapes," Elowen snarled. "Be prepared to go through hell."

She turned away.

She began to walk. She picked up her pace.

Her heels clicked on the stone. Fast and determined.

✧✧✧

The night air outside the cave was cool.

The moon hung high in the sky. It cast long, sharp shadows across the clearing.

Marcus stood near the entrance of the tunnel.

He was staring into the darkness of the cave. His body was rigid.

Beside him sat the small, grey teddy bear.

The dragon girl clung to Marcus's leg. She was hiding behind him.

The silence was heavy.

Moments ago, the ground had shaken. A massive explosion had rocked the earth.

Now, there was nothing. Just the wind in the trees and the sound of their own breathing.

Marcus strained his eyes. He tried to see through the gloom.

"What is happening?" Marcus whispered.

He gripped the hilt of a rusty dagger he had taken from one of the dead guards. It felt heavy and useless in his hand.

The dragon girl whimpered.

She felt the change in the air. The pressure was building again.

She looked at Marcus. Then she looked at the bear.

Her blue eyes darted back and forth. She sensed the fear radiating off them.

It made her afraid as well.

Marcus narrowed his eyes.

He saw movement.

Deep inside the tunnel, at the end of the long corridor, something shifted.

A figure was climbing the stairs.

It was a shadow at first. Just a silhouette against the dim torchlight from below.

But as it rose, the light caught it.

A torn silk dress. Messy hair. A long, braided whip dragging on the floor.

Marcus felt his heart stop.

It was not the little girl in the white dress.

It was Elowen and she looked perfectly fine.

Marcus felt a chill run down his spine. It was colder than the dungeon air.

He took a step back. His boot crunched on the gravel.

His face turned the color of ash.

The bear noticed the movement. He looked up at Marcus and saw the terror on Marcus's face. He saw the way Marcus's hand shook.

"Who is that?" the bear asked. His voice was small and squeaky. "What is wrong?"

Marcus couldn't look away from the tunnel.

"It is Elowen," Marcus choked out.

The bear tilted his fuzzy head. The button eye glinted.

"Elo-what?" the bear asked. "Who is that?"

Marcus swallowed hard. His throat felt dry.

"Elowen," Marcus repeated. "The one who brought us here. The one who was fighting the little girl till now."

The implication hung in the air.

If Elowen was here, walking and smiling...

Where was the little girl?

Elowen emerged from the shadows of the staircase.

She stepped into the main tunnel leading to the exit.

She saw them.

Her face lit up. It was a look of pure, twisted delight.

A wide, evil grin spread across her face.

She held the whip in her right hand. The leather tip crawled through the dust behind her like a snake.

She did not rush. She walked slowly. She savored the moment.

Marcus's mind raced.

What happened down there?

He thought about the little girl.

Was she captured?

Was she injured?

Was she... dead?

The thought made Marcus sick. He had left her. He had run away while she fought.

And now the monster was coming for them.

'Stop it,' Marcus told himself. 'Focus.'

He shook off the dark thoughts. He forced himself to breathe.

Panic would kill them. He needed a plan.

He looked around.

The forest was behind them. They could run.

But the dragon girl was weak. And Elowen was fast.

He looked at the dead guards. Their swords were too heavy for him to use effectively.

He looked at the rusty dagger in his hand. It was a joke against Elowen.

He needed magic or... power

His gaze shifted to the bear.

The bear was sitting in the dirt. He looked small and harmless.

But Marcus had seen him before. He had seen the titan.

"Hey," Marcus said. His voice was urgent.

He nudged the bear with his foot.

"Can't you do something?" Marcus asked. "Deal with her."

The bear looked at Elowen.

"I can't," the bear said simply.

Marcus stared at him. Desperation flared in his chest.

"What do you mean you can't do anything?" Marcus shouted.

His voice cracked.

"You were a giant five minutes ago! You squashed two men like bugs!"

The bear looked up at him. The button eye looked sad.

"Look at me now!" the bear shouted back.

He waved his tiny arms.

"Do I look like I can do something?"

He pointed a paw toward the dungeon.

"My mana comes from her," the bear explained. "From the girl."

He slumped his shoulders. The stuffing seemed to sag.

"Without her mana connection, I am just a stuffed toy who can move and talk,"the bear said.

Marcus felt the hope drain out of him.

He was alone.

He had a traumatized child and a powerless toy.

And a sadistic, strong bitch was walking toward them.

Elowen stepped closer to the gate. She was inside the tunnel, just a few yards away.

The torchlight flickered on her face. It made her grin look demonic.

"Did you guys think you can escape?" Elowen called out.

Her voice echoed off the stone walls. It was loud and confident.

"Did you think you could just walk away from me?"

She laughed.

"You are my pets," Elowen said. "You belong in the cage."

She licked her lips.

"Don't worry," Elowen promised. "I won't kill you yet."

She took another step.

"The suffering has only just begun."

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