Bride To His Darkness-Chapter 304: Under Marius’s Bondage

He felt controlled, both in mind and body, and there was no stopping it. Maybe, if he hadn’t ignored the signs from the beginning, he wouldn’t be torn between his loyalty to Ivan and his desire for freedom. Unfortunately, it was too late to regret his actions, cause the deed has already been done, but, if Ivan ever comes to hate him for what he did, he would still stay, and make sure his cousin was unharmed– it was his duty to ensure he returned back safely to the kingdom, and he was going to fulfill it.

"I’m sorry Samantha." He whispered softly with deep regrets, still recalling the things he had said, and how she pleaded for him to take her away from there. He had told her that he was the one who helped Marius bring her there, when in truth, he knew absolutely nothing about it. He was forcibly compelled against his will to say those things to her, he never wanted to say it but he couldn’t stop himself either, as he was bound to the artifact embodied inside his chest. She was right in front of him, helpless and disoriented, but he was powerless to save her from there... rather, he was sent to break her.

"What have I done?" Running his fingers into his hair, his crimson eyes were almost teary with everything he had committed. The blast that took place would have been his salvation– a way for him to disappear from the world but... Ivan just had to push him out of the way. He had confronted Ivan about it cause he couldn’t restrain himself, he found it stupid for him to act that way cause it only made his burden heavier than the chains he bore around him.

"I’m no family," he shook his head, "I’m a monster."

"You’ve committed enough treachery to start feeling regretful." Came the malicious voice of Marius, and from his peripheral vision, he could see the inflamed cloak brush past one of the trees. He didn’t need to look in order to decipher the one who had decided to torment him in broad daylight, and his teeth clenched in fury, struck by his audacity to show his face even at a time like this.

"What do you want?" Alistair was presently sitting on the leaf-covered floor, his back leaning against the bark of the tree. He lifted his crimson gaze to meet the obsidian ones of Marius, whilst the Demon flashed him an innocent smile that was hardly noticeable. However, behind his harmless facade was a malevolent intention that Alistair could warily perceive.

"Do not treat my crystal with hate," Marius coolly began, another vibrant crystal materializing in his palm. "It chose you for a significant reason, and that reason is the desire you secretly sought. There’s no use fighting it when it has already bonded with your soul, unless... you’re prepared to lose your life in my capable hands." He tilted his head slightly, reminding Alistair of what he gained to lose either way.

"I know what you did," Alistair scoffed in pure disdain before averting his gaze, "is this the reason you secretly toyed with my Mother’s emotion? To get a chance to control me and turn me into some freakish minion of yours? I don’t know exactly what it is you have done to me, but instead of depending on your so-called crystal, why don’t you face me one-on-one you manipulative bastard!!"

With all his rage flashing before his eyes, Alistair had stood up from the ground with full speed. His dangerous scythe immediately materialized in his grip, and he wasted no time attacking Marius who stood still, unflinching. Before his scythe could come in contact with Marius’s neck, the Demon suddenly vanished into thin air, and Alistair’s blade cut through the dark mist that had been left behind.

His pupils dilated slightly when his calculated attack was missed in mere seconds. He was left in a momentary daze because this would be the first time his killer strike had failed him.

"What makes you think you have a chance of winning against me?" Came the voice of Marius, and when Alistair turned around to look at the Demon who had materialized into a spectral form behind him, tiny daggers, which hovered above Marius’s head, immediately morphed into the shape of an arrow, and there was no time to react cause they came at him with full force.

Thanks to his skills when it came to defense, he was able to counter block Marius’s dangerous arrows, but he subconsciously missed three. Those three arrows deliberately targeted his thigh, arm and shoulder– as if they had been specifically assigned to pierce him in those three vital spots.

Alistair gritted his teeth as the arrow pierced through his flesh, the pain pulsated agonizingly through his system that he found himself on all fours. He struggled to rise back to his feet, to fight, but he could not; he felt paralyzed, unable to recover his strength. In his moment of struggle, he spat out blood, and that’s when he heard Marius’s voice drop with a sinister satisfaction.

"You should have known better than to raise your silly scythe at me. Don’t bother standing up, it’ll make the poison spread quicker." He subtly hinted, and Alistair froze upon getting the message. He clenched his fist at his inability to fight against Marius’s resistance, and he was forced to stay put, already aware that what had been shot at him contained poison. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

"Your Mother had her wishes," Marius hummed as he stepped closer to Alistair, whilst he bent and picked up the scythe from the floor. "She was a helpless woman, desperate to avenge her past, and I was kind enough to offer her that satisfaction. I granted her wishes, I got rid of them, but everything came with a cost which she was willing to pay for. It is saddening that she met her downfall, but from the moment she agreed to give your soul to me, your will became mine to command– your every thought, your every action, belongs to me now."

He placed the blade of the scythe on Alistair’s chin, "your destiny is no longer yours to shape. Whatever I ask of you, that is what you must do." As Marius spoke, Alistair felt the otherworldly force coercing him, trying to infiltrate his mind. He closed his eyes, trying to resist the insidious control, and when he opened them up, he seethed.

"Go to hell!"

"Such futile bravery, although I expected more from you." Marius grinned, retreating the scythe from Alistair’s neck, "I enjoy breaking spirits like yours. Resistance is pointless at this stage, cause with my crystal embedded into your soul, you can’t escape my command. It’s either you surrender, and I may spare you a fraction of your free will. If you listen to me, these chains you’ve been forced to wear like a laborer in punishment, will be gone the moment I say so. Haven’t you sacrificed enough for your loved ones? Think about yourself for a change, cause no one will do it for you."

And he turned around, as if to take his leave, "I spared your life today, but I won’t be so forgiving if you dare to repeat this same action with me, else, I’ll behead you with your very own scythe. Utter a word to anyone, and you will be the reason why they have to lose their loved ones... I mean, they will lose them either way but it’s best to paint yourself clean."

And then he laughed, a wicked laugh that resonated through the air. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

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