Seraphina Duskbane stood upright, the lifeless body of the man lying in a pool of blood. Her gaze betrayed no compassion, only coldness coupled with cruelty. This sensation and the slight shiver that had run through her body persisted but slowly faded away. She had rendered him harmless before he could fully use his mysterious power.
"Such good blood... what a waste..."
A feeling of discomfort invaded her. The man was indeed dead, yet her instinct told her not to move away from him, as if something far more dangerous was about to emerge. Seraphina turned back, observing the wounded body carefully, and there she saw why her instinct was alarming. The lifeless body convulsed and disappeared, only to reappear a few minutes later.
She had to do something. If he was not dead, then leaving him to wake up in the hall was not the best idea. She had to move him and prevent him from escaping to harm her. Her hand moved, and the blood spread on the ground fell under her control. She manipulated it and formed a cocoon in which the body was sealed. After exploring the lower floors, Seraphina discovered the prison, placed the cocoon inside, and reinforced the bars with blood.
Even if he woke up, there was no longer any way for him or the thing to escape. She would be in a position of strength to obtain what she wanted—if, of course, the theory of resurrection held true. Leaving the body behind, she went on to explore the mysterious place where she found herself.
Her exploration began on the first floor of the manor; she found nothing conclusive there, only a long corridor richly decorated with chandeliers and carpets of singular patterns. There were two fairly large bedrooms, worthy of the greatest aristocrats of her world. The thought of taking one for herself even crossed her mind, but that was not her goal.
She had to find a way out to take revenge on those who had murdered her. After searching the first floor from top to bottom, she decided to move on to the second. At first, she was at the end of the corridor, but with a simple blink of her eyes, she found herself back at the foot of the staircase in the hall.
Huh?
It was surreal. She had indeed climbed the stairs and accessed the rooms, so how was it that she was here again? Something had surely moved her, or she had been the victim of an illusion. A blade of blood, similar to the one she had used earlier, appeared in her hand. Along with this action, two small eyes adorned with bat wings emerged from her palm.
Seraphina was ready for any attack and thus began her march up the stairs. Unfortunately, she could not ascend. An invisible barrier prevented her from taking the step and kept her in the hall before the staircase. First, she tried to use her strength to force her way through. The result was inconclusive. The second attempt was with her blade, which struck the empty space in an effort to break what was stopping her, but that did not work either.
It seemed that something was preventing her from going up. Seraphina thought about using one of her most powerful spells; however, that would be too reckless, still ignorant of the dangers she might face. A minute later, she found herself before a door under the staircase.
She recognized it well—it was the place she had passed through to reach the prison. Little by little, she understood that the one responsible was guiding her in a desired direction. Before crossing the threshold of the door, the young woman also tried the other accesses that led to the different parts of the manor.
As soon as she confirmed that they were blocked, the light in that part of the room went out, and a mysterious play of light redirected her toward the prison door. She had no choice but to head toward the place where she had locked up the man.
---
Aelion, seated cross-legged in his cell, heard the footsteps approaching him. His plan had worked. Blocking access to certain parts of the castle and delimiting a single exclusive path that led to him had forced her to come meet him.
As soon as Seraphina reached his cell, he raised his eyes, observing the one who had mutilated him without a trace of animosity, yet a subtle expression of mockery, arrogance, and power emanated from him. This conversation was going to determine the future of his relationship with her.
Seraphina, for her part, wasted no time. She plunged her blade between the bars of the cell, stopping only a few centimeters from his neck. Her neutral and unmatched voice expressed what she wanted to know.
"Who are you? What is this place? Do you belong to the group of heroes?" asked the young woman, waiting for an answer.
Aelion smiled slightly before answering with confidence.
"My name is Aelion Draveth, this place is my manor... As for the group of heroes, I have no idea who they are..."
"If this castle belongs to you, then you must know how to get out of here. Tell me!" replied Seraphina with a hint of violence.
She did not believe him regarding the heroes. Nevertheless, the fact that he had not recognized her—the famous Blood Empress—left her with the benefit of the doubt.
"Why should I reveal it to you?" he stated confidently, crossing his arms.
"If you have no connection with the heroes, then in what way is my presence here beneficial to you?" continued the young woman.
"Who could do without the presence of such a beautiful woman when living here all alone?"
"Charming... However, even if I cannot kill you, I could still make you suffer the worst of tortures to make you tell me," she said with a slight tone of irony.
"That would lead to nothing. You have already witnessed the vast influence I have over this place. I could condemn you to live in a room or trap you in a corridor for eternity."
Of course, Aelion had been bluffing from the beginning. He was right in saying she would gain nothing from torturing him, because in truth he knew nothing. Seraphina acted as though she were in a position of strength, so he had to reverse the pace. He had to act with confidence and arrogance. He was not entirely sure he could do what he claimed, but once he had shown his authority over the castle, she was forced to believe him if she wanted to escape.
She clenched her teeth, her grip tightening on her blade with which she thought she had some power over him. Alas, it was in vain. The man before her was far stronger; he did not even emit the slightest hint of magic or mana. Could it be a kind of power so deep and vast that even she, one of the most powerful sorceresses, could not detect it? For the first time, she felt lost and powerless. Seraphina Duskbane was at an impasse.
Aelion, noticing her hesitation and a slight tremor in her stance, replied:
"In these kinds of situations, I tend to use a very particular concept called an exchange of good deeds—or an equivalent exchange, in other words—" he did not finish his sentence before the young woman cut him off.
"Giving something equal to what I want," she muttered, frustrated.
"Brilliant!!" exclaimed Aelion, excited.
A glimmer of hope revealed itself to her. Seraphina thought she might be mistaken about the overwhelming nature of her host. For if he was truly so powerful and had such vast influence, why had he not freed himself on his own and only guided her here? Could he be lying to her? Then she would play along.
"Your freedom in exchange for a way out of the castle."
"Because you think I cannot free myself from this cell?"
"If you could, why all this talk and why guide me here?" Seraphina replied confidently.
"I have always thought it a matter of courtesy to let someone undo what they have done themselves...."
After a small sigh, he added in a brutal and authoritative tone, his voice echoing through the prison:
"...and always leave an opportunity to demonstrate good faith...."