Selene’s fingers tightened.

“What does he do to them?” she asked.

The woman shook her head slowly.

“I do not know.”

Her eyes were hollow.

“I was never chosen. Maybe it was luck. Maybe it was a curse. I cannot tell.”

She swallowed.

“If I had been chosen back then, I would have ended up like them.”

Her voice dropped.

“They were taken. None ever returned.”

Silence swallowed the room.

“I am certain of one thing,” she continued. “If they are still alive… they are no longer human.”

“They will be broken beyond repair.”

The woman’s voice was steady, but there was something cracked beneath it.

“At that time, I was a little happy I survived that cruel fate. I told myself I was lucky. I lived.”

She gave a dry laugh.

“But as time passed, survival stopped feeling like a blessing.”

Her fingers tightened against her lap.

“I live in constant fear. Waiting. Wondering when I will be chosen. Nightmares plague my sleep. I wake up sweating, shaking, wishing I could just kill myself and end it.”

Her voice lowered.

“But I cannot. If I try… they will know.”

Her head tilted slightly toward the edges of the chamber.

Selene followed her gaze.

Several masked figures stood in the shadows.

Silent.

Still.

Their faces hidden.

Even looking straight at them felt wrong. As if they were not truly there. As if the mind refused to acknowledge their existence and replaced them with illusions instead.

That alone sent a chill crawling down Selene’s spine.

They had to hear everything.

Yet none of them reacted.

Either they believed the women’s fate was already sealed.

Or they simply did not care.

The woman’s hollow eyes returned to Selene.

“Understand this, young one. We are all doomed. There is no escape.”

Her lips trembled faintly.

“The only thing you should pray for… is that your turn comes sooner. The sooner the better. At least then you die quickly. Not like me. Not rotting in fear and agony every single day.”

Silence lingered between them.

Selene looked at her for a long moment.

Then she forced a smile.

“I am different from the rest. You have seen that.”

Her voice did not shake.

“But I am not like you either.”

She stood up slowly.

“I will not live in fear. I will not rot waiting for death.”

Her eyes hardened.

“I am leaving this place alive. In one piece.”

She turned and walked toward her bed, as lavish as the others in the massive chamber. Silk sheets. Gold trimmings. Luxury masking horror.

The woman watched her go, pity flickering in her hollow gaze.

She had once spoken like that too.

She had once believed she was different.

Then this place broke her.

It will break her too, the woman thought. No sane human can see what I saw and remain whole.

She collapsed onto her bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Please,” she whispered. “Let it end soon.”

Selene was not joking.

She meant every word.

She would leave this place in one piece.

She would find Callck.

They would return to the forest.

They would find Rayden’s body.

Even now, she could not fully accept her son’s death. The thought stabbed her heart every time it surfaced. It was the most painful thing she had ever endured.

On the outside, she wore steel.

On the inside, she was bleeding.

She had already made her plan.

Her target was simple.

The leader of the scavengers.

Kill him.

Everything else would collapse after that.

She would leave alive. She would find Callck. They would bury their son together.

But the scavengers?

They would not remain in one piece.

They would burn.

They would scream.

And she would make sure they were shredded from the inside out.

Lying on her bed, Selene’s mind moved rapidly, calculating, adjusting. The security around her was heavy. Too heavy. Masked watchers in every corner. Invisible pressure in the air.

Still.

If she could just reach the Lord’s chamber.

If she could get close.

One strike would be enough.

After that, chaos.

She smiled faintly.

Everything would end soon.

Hours passed in a blur.

Then the massive chamber doors creaked open.

Two figures entered.

One of them, Selene knew too well.

Ricu.

That same amused smile playing on his lips.

Beside him stood a woman who looked almost identical to him. Same features. Same aura.

But her face was deadpan.

Cold.

Unfeeling.

The woman stepped forward.

Her finger lifted.

She began pointing at the women.

One by one.

She pointed at a few of the women one by one.

Those chosen would leave the large chamber and join the Lord in his quarters for the night.

The sun was already sinking.

The moon would soon rise.

One by one they were selected.

Faces turned pale.

Some trembled.

Some tried to look calm.

Soon, eight had been chosen.

The deadpan woman turned, ready to lead the eight toward the Lord’s quarters.

“Actually,” Ricu said lightly, “the Lord requested nine tonight.”

The woman who clearly resembled him, likely his twin, shot him a flat look.

“The Lord only uses eight at once,” she replied. “What are you playing at?”

Ricu’s smile widened just slightly.

He lifted a finger.

Pointed.

At Selene.

“That woman over there seems eager to meet the Lord,” he said pleasantly. “I thought I would grant her wish. But if the Lord only accepts eight, I suppose it is fine.”

A woman among the chosen eight let out a soft breath of relief.

She thought she had been spared.

Ricu walked toward her.

She almost smiled.

Then—

A flash.

A sharp sting.

A wet sound.

Pain exploded across her throat.

Hot liquid gushed down her chest as Ricu’s blade sliced cleanly through her neck.

She gasped, hands flying to her throat. Blood poured between her fingers. She tried to speak. Tried to scream.

Nothing came out but choking air.

Her eyes dimmed.

Her body collapsed at Ricu’s feet.

Dead.

The chamber fell into suffocating silence.

Ricu calmly wiped the blood from his blade and slid it back to his side. His smile never left his face.

“I think that settles it,” he said cheerfully. “Now there are only seven.”

His gaze slowly shifted.

Locked onto Selene.

“So,” he continued softly, “this is your chance to join.”

The masked figures in the shadows did not move.

The women froze.

Selene stood still.

Her heart pounded once.

Twice.

Then it steadied.

Her eyes did not show fear.

Only something colder.

Much colder.

To be continued …..

Author’s Note:

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep