Shadow of the Abyss

They rode within the hour, fording the western gate towards the Golden Fork. Nearly twenty men attended him; his Pale Knights led the way on horseback. Nia could only stare, her palms gripping her sleeve as they rode without her. No one looked back.

The pain that lanced through her chest brought her to tears. She was his strongest knight. Even Therion, with his infernal lineage, could not stand against her eyes. And yet…

'He tossed me away,' she thought, as a knot formed in the back of her throat. She shook her head. Even if she had made a mistake, he wouldn't throw her away, right? The thought scared her more than death.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid, Nia!" Nearly yanking out her hair, she sighed, pitifully looking down at her feet. "I'm sorry, Master… I… I won't do it again. So… so don't hate me." she closed her eyes and stood there awhile before she was on her way towards the eastern gate.

Through the western gates, Altair rode his Shadow steed hard, whisking through the skies; its feet flew across the dirt. The winds lashed across his face and threw his cloak into a flutter. Thunder cracked as lightning split the skies, drowning the shouts of men to slow at his pace in the hopes of keeping up.

He ignored them, kicking the shadow beast. It neighed loudly, exploding with enough mana to split the earth beneath his feet. His ashen hair kicked up, streaming through the rain, untouched by the elements.

For a long while, he rode, fording the distance that would take some nearly half a day, losing his party along the way. He stopped near the end of the fork in the road that led towards Markros while the other led towards Dragonsbreath.

The road had been empty except for the abnormal amount of creatures that roamed. The Golden Fork had been one of the busiest roads in all the North. Most monsters instinctively knew how to avoid human habitats. It was rare to see them ignore their instincts and begin attacking merchants.

By midday, the rain had stopped reflecting the sunny skies and bright clouds. Altair was short of taking a nap waiting for Elena, assuming that her father's men had captured her when he heard a fierce voice thunder across the air.

"A little further, Cloud!" The voice had traveled a little over a mile, but he heard it all the same. His gaze landed on the maiden in red galloping through the dirt.

"Finally," he said, opening his palm to conjure a Vale Sword that slowly turned into a spear. He looked up into the skies, calling upon Shadowheart to mask his intent. Slowly, he reached into himself, gathering as much strength as he could before hurling the spear of Vale Qi through the skies before she saw him through the tall tree's

Elena never saw who threw the spear. She only saw the red mist that bore a hole through her steed's neck from on high, taking off its head in the process as she was violently thrown off her steed. She landed on her feet, nearly tumbling into a roll, as her eyes lashed onto Altair. Her eyes turned wide when she saw him wave at her.

"Bastard!" she snarled.

"If you like, you can name my stallion Cloud,' Altair taunted, his voice stretching across the distance like it didn't exist. "I quite like the name."

It took only a few breaths for her to cross the miles, her sword lashing out of its scabbard. A look that could swallow Altair alive flared across her eyes, and her sword swept forward in a thrust, but Sarrin was even faster, shrieking across the air like a bolt of plasma, spewing a fountain of embers into the skies, pushing the two back ten meters.

Altair stared expressionless at Sarrin. "I heard you're trying to break the marriage agreement."

"H-H-how is that possible? You're only a Fourth Circle!" Elena exclaimed, her large dark blue eyes marred by disbelief. She'd never heard of a Fourth Circle stopping a Ninth Circle. Even if she hadn't used her full strength, it shouldn't have been possible.

"Must be the sweetness. What can I say? I'm quite the specimen." He grinned wolfishly when he saw her irritated expression. He might have made another joke if he wasn't already so mentally exhausted after a single clash. "I didn't come here to fight you, Elena."

"Shameless bastard!" Remembering the sight of Cloud with his head torn from his body, she bit her lip, pointing the tip of her sword at him. "You killed my steed! You killed him in cold blood!"

"The price of your folly. Are you not here to break the marriage agreement?" Altair calmly asked, sending his steed that he was determined to name Cloud back into his shadow when he saw Elena glance at it. She grimaced when it vanished.

"So what if I am? I'm not my fathers—"

Altair couldn't have rolled his eyes harder. "I don't care for your reasons, but I can't allow you to do as you please. And neither can your father."

Elena's palm tightened so much around her sword that blood ran hot. No one seemed to care what she wanted. Not her father. Not even her fiance. She bit her lips, opening her mouth to speak, but Altair cut her off.

"But I can see your struggle. Truly, I do. But you have zero authority to do anything about it. As we speak, several transcendent have been sent to retrieve you. You might be Lord Rivia's only child, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. They've been tasked to bring you back, and they can do so willingly or by breaking all your legs. I'm sure anything is fine short of death."

"Father would never—"

"Save it. I'm sure you don't even believe your bullshit." Altair interrupted. "But lucky for you, I don't want to marry you." He almost said he would rather marry a devil instead, but Tasha was surely listening. And he didn't want to give her any ideas. "So I'm going to give you an out. Two years, and you can break the agreement.

Run to your lover or whomever, and live your life as you see fit. But until those two years are up. You'll play the role of my fiancé."

The deal sounded almost too good to be true. Almost.

"We can even form a contract if that'll make you feel better," Altair said when he saw her expression. For a noble, she wore her emotions like a piece of clothing, he thought, resisting the urge to laugh. "So unless you're pregnant…"

"I'm not pregnant!" Elena snapped. More embarrassed than angry.

"Then there is no reason why you can't accept this deal."

Elena bit her lip in thought. "What if… What if I found someone else? What then."

Altair felt for Nox. Aside from his father, who might have paid the ultimate price, everyone had abandoned him.

"So long as your Lover doesn't interfere in my work. He's free to do as he pleases. Tasha. Can you make the contract? Add the necessary few stipulations and sign it. I'm about to faint." he needed to rest.

From the way he stared at her, Elena thought he was seeing right through her. She nearly thought him crazy until she saw her. It was like a knife through the heart.

Tasha was unlike anyone she'd ever seen. Hers was a beauty that fell kingdoms. Tempting the hearts of mortal minds. It held hers in its grip.

"W-W-Who!"

" How far are the rest?" Altair asked, summoning Cloud from between his legs to hoist him up without needing to jump. He hadn't had the strength to, even if he wanted to.

"An hour or two," Tasha said. "Unlike your steed. Fatigue exists in other animals. You should rest. I'll handle the…"

He fell asleep before Tasha could finish. "He's so cute acting all hard. What a softie."

"Can't you hear me?" Elena demanded. "Who are you?"

Tasha's warm expression froze to ice like a switch had been flipped. Elena seemed to notice since the hairs on her neck stood on end. Fear lanced up her spine as she took a step back. She felt like a rabbit before a wolf.

"How fortunate of you," Tasha said, conjuring a Five-hundred-page contract stipulating the various rules that Elena must follow as Nox De Neir's fiance, alongside what was forbidden and allowed in regards to any lovers she might take in the future or the ones she had now.

Elena tried to read through it all, but after the Twenty-First page, which covered one stipulation in over thirty different variations, she began skipping paragraphs, ensuring that the two-year time stipulation was clearly written before signing her name.

"You're not smart, are you?" Tasha asked as the contract vanished.
Enjoy more content from empire

"Elena scuffed. "Two years. Two years, and I'll be free of my family's control and that wretched man. I'll be free to—"

"I always heard humans were the most selfish creatures alive. Well, it's none of my business." She turned her back to Elena, taking Cloud by the reins before leading him away. "Follow me. Master needs rest, and there are bound to be assassins closing in."