Married To The Villain
Chapter 38: Kidnapped: The Chains Of Power

Chapter 38: Kidnapped: The Chains Of Power

Chapter 38: Kidnapped: The Chains of Power

Lirian’s head throbbed as consciousness seeped back in.

She opened her eyes to a low lit room, there was a heavy scent of damp stone and something metallic—blood, perhaps.

The walls were lined with dark runes that pulsed faintly with crimson light, "where am I?"

She tried to move but found herself bound.

Chains of silver, etched with glowing symbols, wrapped around her wrists and ankles, anchoring her to a massive stone pillar in the center of the room.

The chains thrummed faintly, vibrating with an energy that made her skin crawl.

"You’re awake," a voice said, so smooth and deep, destroying the silence like a blade.

Lirian’s head snapped up, her eyes narrowed as a person stepped out from the shadows.

He wore the same dark cloak and mask as the others, but his energy was different....

The mask concealed his face entirely, save for his piercing eyes, which started to shine with an unnatural golden light.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

The masked man tilted his head, studying her like a predator might study its prey.

"Names are irrelevant. What matters is why you’re here."

"And why am I here?" she spat, tugging against the chains.

They didn’t budge, but the symbols flared briefly, sending a jolt of energy up her arms.

She winced, biting back a cry of pain.

The man’s lips curved beneath the mask, though she couldn’t see it, she could feel his amusement.

"You don’t know, do you?"

"Let me guess," she snapped.

There was something about this place, something familiar...like she had been here before.

"You’re another power-hungry lunatic who thinks he can use me. You’re not the first."

He chuckled, then shook his head.

"Gabriel’s ambitions were small. Petty. He didn’t understand the true scope of your power."

"What power?" she demanded, her blood boiling over.

"Everyone keeps talking about this supposed power, but no one tells me what it is!" She lied.

The man stepped closer, his boots went against the stone floor.

He reached out, his gloved hand brushed her cheek.

Lirian flinched, her body shivered from the touch, but the chains kept her in place.

"You feel it, don’t you?" he murmured softer now, almost intimate.

"The way the mana hums beneath your skin. The way it reacts to your emotions—your rage, your fear."

Lirian turned her face away, refusing to meet his eyes.

" I have this so-called power, why don’t I feel it? Why can’t I control it?"

"That’s because it isn’t fully yours yet," he said, his fingers trailed down to her jaw, tilting her face back toward him.

"It’s raw, untamed. But with the right... guidance, it could become unstoppable."

She glared at him, and couldn’t quite understand him...Lirian had no powers...no mana...no magic...then what is this man talking about?

"And I suppose you think you’re the one to guide me?"

He chuckled again, the sound sent made Lirian’s hair stand out.

"Oh, I’ll do more than guide you. I’ll unlock you."

With a flick of his wrist, the runes on the chains flared brighter, and a wave of energy coursed through Lirian’s body.

She gasped, her back arched as the sensation burned through her veins.

It wasn’t pain, exactly—it was a raw, electrifying force that left her trembling.

"What are you doing to me?" she demanded again while shaking.

"Helping you understand," he replied in a calm tone.

He placed a hand over her heart, the heat of his palm seeped through her thin tunic.

"Your mana is tied to your emotions, your very essence. Right now, it’s dormant, like a slumbering beast. But I can wake it."

His fingers grazed her skin.

A warmth blossomed within her, her breath hitched more sharper, more focused.

It felt like fire and ice colliding within her, threatening to tear her apart.

"Let me go..." She cried out, her vision blurred as the room seemed to tilt around her.

"Stop!" she begged, starting to break.

"Not yet," he murmured, his hand slid up to rest against her throat. "You need to feel it. To know it."

Lirian’s breathing grew ragged as the energy within her flowed, her veins glowed faintly beneath her skin.

She could feel it now—the mana he spoke of.

It was wild and chaotic...like a storm trapped inside her, fighting to break free.

"Do you feel it now?" he whispered, his thumb brushed against her pulse.

"Yes..."

"That’s the power they all feared. The power Gabriel wanted to control. But it doesn’t belong to him. It belongs to you."

She met his eyes, her teeth clenched against the overwhelming sensation.

"Then why do I feel like it’s killing me?"

"Because you’re resisting," he said simply. "Stop fighting it. Let it in."

His words went to her mind as the energy continued to build, threatening to swallow her.

She wanted to fight, to push it away, but a part of her—the part that had always yearned for control, for freedom—whispered that he was right.

Slowly, hesitantly, she stopped struggling.

She let the mana flow through her, its chaotic rhythm settled into something more manageable.

The glow beneath her skin intensified, lighting the dark chamber.

"There it is," the masked man said, feeling satisfied. "Do you see now? This is who you are. What you are."

Lirian’s chest heaved as she adjusted to the new sensation, her body trembled with the effort.

"What do you want from me?"

"For now?" he said, stepping back and folding his arms. "I want you to learn. To understand what you’re capable of."

"And then?"

He lifted his head, his golden eyes started shining. "And then you’ll help us reshape the world."

"Hah..."She laughed bitterly. "You’re insane if you think I’d help you."

"You’ll change your mind, Lirian. They always do."

The door to the chamber opened, and another person entered cautiously.

"Master," he said, bowing slightly. "It’s time."

The masked man nodded, turning back to Lirian.

"Rest now, my queen. We have much to discuss when you’re stronger."

He reached out one last time, his fingers brushed her cheek again.

This time, the touch stayed longer, as if he were memorizing the feel of her skin.

Lirian glared at him, "you will regret this..."

The masked man chuckled, stepping away. "We’ll see."

As he and the other person left the room, the chains around Lirian’s wrists pulsed once more, their energy kept her bound and drained.

She sagged against the pillar, thinking of this exhaustion that was ready to pull her under.

For the first time in a long while, she felt truly afraid—not just of what they might do to her, but of what they might awaken within her.