Chapter 20

The lightning disappeared with the bell echoing through the whole cave. A new morning, a new working day. The slaves got up from their beds, continuously yawning, and went to get washed. Some of them were surprised to see Kyon standing still with his hair standing on end, but they were half-awake and not interested in the strange boy, so they just passed him by.

As soon as Kyon came to his senses, everything changed: all the sounds had disappeared, he couldn’t hear his heartbeat, the only thing he always hear in complete silence. People froze as if someone had pressed the pause button. Their consciousness was in the state of oblivion.

Kyon struggled to move as if his body was caught in an invisible vise. His mind was in a state of total confusion. He was shocked, bewildered, and couldn’t think straight. With effort, he looked back and saw a dark figure. She was wearing a floor-length black cape. Magic smoke was floating in front of her face like a veil, but the cape failed to hide her graceful hourglass figure. It was obviously a woman in front of Kyon.

«Ahem… Madame, would you ease on the pressure a bit, please?» – Kyon asked in the most polite tone.

The mysterious lady must have misunderstood him. The pressure increased tenfold, sending Kyon to the floor. He could taste blood in his mouth. Apparently, the recent lightning wasn’t his imagination. It was to protect his mind from the invasion of the uninvited guest. {So, she wanted to read my mind, and when it didn’t work, she decided to affect my physical body. How nice!}

Kyon decided not to anger the powerful stranger. Still lying on the floor, he murmured plaintively to break the ice:

«Are you after my money?»

The lady had long identified a bundle of banknotes in his pocket, but his question caught her by surprise. She raised her eyebrows and said with a growing irritation:

«I need information, and the currency is your life.» – The ether element altered her voice, but it still was pleasant to hear.

«You see, my life belongs to the Stones family. Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact them.» – Kyon chuckled.

The lady snapped her fingers nervously and touched his forehead with her ivory hand, dissolving Martin’s still smoldering formation. However, the mark with the name “Kyon” stayed. The typical tingling announced that she had applied her own formation.

«I am your lady now, and my first order is to tell me how you came to this world.» – She waved her hand, releasing Kyon from the pressure. Her stern demanding eyes bore into him

{Does she know that it’s not my body?} – Kyon slowly got up. He could tell that her formation was of subjugating type. It didn’t feel so good to know that some bimbo in a cape was trying to mess with his brain.

The next moment Kyon experienced all the discomfort of the controlling formation: the idea of telling his “lady” everything had filled his mind. He couldn’t stand the strain. The mere thought that he would tell her everything right here and now, filled his body with ecstasy as if he was making love with the belle of the ball. It was like he was a drug addict who hadn’t been using for a long time and finally got the chance to get what he wanted. Her formation must be affecting his hormones. It was pretty efficient, but the trick didn’t work on Kyon. He had self-enforced a taboo on any undeserved brain stimulation (not without the help of his teachers), and he wasn’t going to cross that line to please the dame.

Time went on. The lady was looking expectantly at Kyon, who stood silent, his head down, looking at the floor. However, his shaking shoulders revealed his uncontrollable fit of laughter.

Showing enough strength of his will, Kyon tossed his hair back and scoffed:

«No, ma’am, it won’t do. If you want to know the truth, be my teacher!» – Why not take advantage of the situation?

However, the stranger only shook her head:

«You’re playing with death kiddo. You’d better answer my question while I’m still nice.» – The tone of her voice was so powerful that anyone else would immediately obey her. As for Kyon, he found her intonation rather annoying. The meaning of her words didn’t bring him any joy, either. Kiddo? No one had ever called him like that!

Kyon snorted:

«Well, it’s been amusing. However, I’m not used to giving something without getting anything in return. How about a compromise? I’ll tell you everything I know, and you will get me out of the mine.»

Before he could finish the sentence, everything around him disappeared. Instead of the stone room, Kyon found himself in the middle of the boundless sea. He was standing on the water that was surprisingly smooth under his feet as if covered with a thin film, which kept him from plunging into the deep blue sea.

Kyon raised his eyebrows questioningly: {She could easily let me go! Why is she so stubborn!}

The lady in black was looking into space behind Kyon. Finally, she said:

«I always get what I want without giving anything in return. Let me remind you, the currency is your life.»

Following her gaze, Kyon turned around and froze: a huge wave, a few kilometers high, was rushing at them with insane speed!

{Oh gods! Is it an illusion!? It can’t be true, can it?}

For a brief moment, fear flashed through Kyon’s eyes. He hastily hid the inappropriate emotion: it wasn’t in his nature to show weakness. The homegrown goddess would see how to manipulate him at once.

Alas, the lady seemed to see through him. She smiled at his awkward attempt to hide the fear, but her grin was shrouded in the dark haze.

When Kyon mastered his emotions, he said impassively:

«Why go to all of this trouble? You could have taken me out, and I would have already told you everything…» – It can’t be anything but an illusion, such waves don’t really exist, after all! The drops, the salty breeze… It was all nothing but an illusion, some optical illusion.

She replied in a cold, distant voice:

«You still have some time.» – She enjoyed watching his reaction. However, she could drown him with the same pleasure.

Kyon smiled and continued, trying to keep it together:

«Don’t waste your time on such bluff… Could we talk over a cup of tea, instead?» – It never hurts to have an omnipotent (or rather almost omnipotent) friend. Except, his attempts to establish good relations had been one-sided so far.

As there was no response, Kyon sighed and turned back to the horizon. The wind hit his face, tousled his hair, the salt spray in his face made him squint. He was frightened and, at the same time, fascinated by nature’s fury. {What an incredible sight.}

Anyone, who saw the impending wave, would shake with fear, but Kyon showed no signs of weakness right until the film under his feet suddenly disappeared, and he plunged into the cold ocean. He came up for air, spitting angrily, but the lady in the black cape was gone.

{Holy crap.} – The icy water and the increasing wind made him doubt his conclusions regarding the illusory nature of what was happening. {Is it worth the risk? She wouldn’t lift a finger to help me… But… Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?}

The stranger had taken him to the real ocean, where real waves-murderers happened once in 15 minutes. One of them was moving right at Kyon, with its terrifying mouth open, the crest of the wave with its white fangs on stand-by. Its speed was just below the speed of sound. 5 seconds… 4… 3… 2…

Kyon trusted the voice of his intuition and reason and took a desperate decision to risk his life. His mind told him that he had something to trade, and his intuition whispered that the lady only wanted to intimidate him. If he impressed her, his life might radically change for the better, but if he bent a little once, she would push him around as she pleased.

The wave was looming over Kyon’s head. A crazy idea flashed across his mind, {What if I have gone wrong…} when the waters magically opened up into two walls and flew on his sides with incredible speed. The splashes hurt his face, proving that it was no illusion.

Before Kyon could catch his breath, he felt a gentle embrace from his back, and everything had disappeared. The next moment, bright light made Kyon close his eyes already accustomed to the dark, stormy ocean. The clear blue sky stretched over his head. His legs were bouncing on a strange substance resembling a cloud. Bone-chilling cold cut through his wet clothes.

{I’ve taken an un-unnecessary risk…} – Even in his mind, his teeth were chattering from cold. His wet clothes, instantly covered with hoarfrost, clung unpleasantly to his body. Only one thing made him happy: he had won this small battle and kept his honor unstained. He didn’t bow down.

The lady was impressed by the reckless boy. She had met enough crazy people in her lifetime, but no one like him… His calculated move proved he was well aware of her needs to get certain information. If he had shown the weakness once, she would always take advantage of him… However, he was much too cheeky for her liking. It was time to change the strategy.

«Alright, I will give you freedom, but first, you have to answer my question.»

Kyon said nothing, waiting for his teeth to stop clattering (he didn’t want to bite off his tongue like this!), and considering opportunities at the same time. Finally, he said:

«I want freedom as well as a brilliant, godlike master like you.»

The clouds turned some shades darker. His insolence was beyond all limits! The lady closed her eyes, trying hard not to turn him to dust. When she spoke, there was an edge in her voice that made it was impossible not to take her seriously:

«I will turn you into a heap of ashes unless you give me a truthful answer after which you may get your freedom.»

Kyon awkwardly cleared his throat. Her threat was almost palpable, it made him feel sick to his stomach. At least, he tried… «Well, then… Can I believe anything you say? What if you will kill me as soon as I am free?»

«My word is worth more than kingdoms and empires. Rest assured I won’t kill you.» – The stranger answered calmly, although she was running out of patience.

Kyon stared into the darkness that hid the goddess’s face, trying to read her intentions. He had no choice, anyway. Whatever she offered him now, she could easily take away later. He answered:

«The thing is… A few days ago, I woke up with an awful headache… Everything was in a blur… So, I don’t have any clear answer.»

The lady clenched her teeth in anger and balled her hand into a fist. She got what she wanted: the boy gave her an exhaustive answer, but the reality did not please her at all.

At that very moment, an overwhelming pressure sent Kyon to his knees. He knocked his head against the cloud that turned out to be pretty hard for some reason. He had difficulty breathing and moving, his blood turned to jelly… An all-consuming fear of imminent death filled his mind, but he blocked it with Synergy.

The sky was filled with dense black clouds, a moment later, it split open with a huge flash of lightning. The sun vanished as if it had never existed.

Kyon could feel the lady’s fury. It was annoying to be a scapegoat. He had answered her question, and she was about to kill him instead of granting him freedom.

When the pressure eased a bit, and he could breathe in air without having his lungs torn, Kyon growled:

«I have answered your question! Now, keep your word if it’s worth anything, damn it!»

How could he know that she wasn’t mad at him? He just happened to be there, plus she wanted to punish him for being too cheeky.

«Who do you think you are, kiddo? Do you really believe I would move a finger for you? I’d sooner make you lose balls. I mean, literally lose them.» – The stranger snorted and shook her hands. She had to calm down and concentrate. Her hope was illusory anyway. There was no need to get worked up because of unfulfilled expectations.

«You’d make me lose balls?! That’s coming from the woman who bathed me in the arctic waters, froze me in the icy clouds, broke her promise, and now is going to finish me off?!» – Ice sparkled in Kyon’s eyes. It matched the white frost in his hair. He knew she would never let him have it his way, but he had no better choice.

The stranger didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. The cheeky boy drove her nuts… Everyone who had the nerve to talk to her like this usually quickly found their death. No man’s hand had ever touched her. No one had ever dared to call her a woman. It was disrespectful enough to be turned into ashes.

However, his abnormal behavior piqued her interest, drew her attention to his person, and saved his life. She had another personal reason, but it hardly played any role in her decision-making.

The lady quietly approached Kyon and raised her ivory hand. She sent a powerful black ray into his forehead where it disappeared at once.

«Don’t be a disappointment, kiddo.»

Her last words echoed in his head when he woke up in his bed. He was soaking wet and shivering with cold and anger.

Kyon was seething with anger. She could have taken him anywhere outside the mine, but she stubbornly returned him to this rotten hole as if was mocking him. He mumbled something under his breath, angrily brushing off the drops from his hair.

«What the… How!?» – He heard a surprised hoarse voice nearby.

A stunned unintentional witness to Kyon’s little walk to nowhere was standing near his bed, his eyes wide open. The boy had disappeared in front of him and reappeared in three minutes!

Kyon got out of bed where the cold water had left annoying puddles, and with a smile patted the man on the shoulder:

«What you don’t know will never hurt you.» – He went to the bathroom to wring the water out of his clothes that had entered into an unequal struggle against the ocean and heaven.

The common hall was bustling with excitement: Byron went up to the mini-stage to make an announcement. It was a day off, but almost everyone was in the common hall, waiting for the news and “blessing” for the weekend washing to take a shower and wash their things.

«Attention, everyone! I remind you that next week the family envoy is coming to hold an auction! The one who wins will be promoted to the estate for further service. The mobile market stall arrives in the afternoon. Now quickly do your fucking washing!» – Byron’s loud voice echoed off the stone walls.

{So, there’s another way to get out of the mine?} – Kyon said to himself.

Everyone in the cave was hollering and yelling, excited by the news of the auction:

«They say people working over there send their families ten times more money.»

«That’s true. It’s family number one, after all! And the conditions are way better… I mean, the food is good…»

A discussion of eating habits was interrupted by the dreamy, horny voices:

«And I heard there are girl-slaves and totally gorgeous maids! Geez!»

«Maids? Haha, you’re a low-flying bird! I heard the patriarch’s granddaughter is a real beauty! It is worth to get there just to take a glance at her!»

«Boy, aren’t you naive! Who will let you ogle her? You aren’t going to have this pleasure even in a hundred years!»

«You are all idiots! Stop dreaming, start doing!»

«Go to hell!» – Someone said with a sad sigh.

«Who, me? That’s it!» – The angry shout was followed by a punch and a cry of pain… As a result, there were three victims of loud arguments and discussions.

«Silence! Everyone goes to their wardens!» – Byron barked imperatively, making everyone fall silent at once.

Kyon didn’t take part in the general discussion. He was rubbing his chin, lost in thought. {The patriarch’s granddaughter? A beautiful girl? It’s the best way to gain power… Why not?! It is family number one, after all. Seducing a young girl is easy as one, two, three! It’s just easy pickings.}

His masters had always tried to save the boy from two evils: his recklessness and a soft spot for everything beautiful, especially girls.