Sophia leaned back on her makeshift throne, an aura of legend emanating from her that she no longer bothered to hide.
A short distance away, the hall that should have held the banquet was now filled with slowly defrosting soldiers, still immobilized by terror. Their eyes scanned the hall, trying to understand what had happened.
Some, whose faces had already thawed, asked, "What happened, Captain?"
A man at the front remained silent as if thinking before answering, "I... I don't know... All I remember is entering the hall after feeling the aura, and then I woke up here, thawing."
They didn't know precisely what had happened, but they were certain an overwhelming force was behind it, and the only culprit could be the mage who had arrived at the castle a short time ago. They knew she was strong, but knowing and witnessing were different things. Now, they felt like ants.
Their bodies trembled, the shock of being turned into statues without even noticing the attack still stamped on their faces.
It was in this silence that the sound of footsteps silenced everyone, and they turned their necks in that direction. From there emerged a black woman of incomparable beauty, wearing a blue robe that highlighted every curve, serving as a second skin that merely covered her nudity.
Kielen, everyone recognized, one of the marquis's favorites. She walked to the center of the group. Her face showed a certain fear not much different from the soldiers'. Only she knew the weight of her mission, and she was sure that if it wasn't completed quickly, the consequences would be devastating.
"The mage who froze you," she began, her voice echoing in the silent hall, "is currently in control of this castle. She wishes to use the transport matrix to leave. She needs the matrix to be charged... now."
A murmur of panic and confusion ran through the ranks. Those of higher rank quickly understood what this meant.
Kielen raised her voice, the final message delivered with fear, "She warned me to tell you... anyone who refuses to help... will be frozen again. But this time, it will be to the death."
The silence that followed was absolute. The threat was not abstract. They had felt it on their skin, literally. They hadn't even noticed when they were frozen the first time. Annihilation could be just as swift and silent.
"BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MARQUIS? HE HAS TO DEFEND US!" shouted a soldier, refusing to listen to Kielen's strange orders.
Kielen bit her lip; she couldn't say that the marquis was incapacitated and that she was one of the reasons why. She feared the fate of being called a traitor. Everyone now looked at her with hopeful eyes. The marquis was the strongest among them, and only he could defend them.
Turning to the soldier who had shouted, she replied, "The Marquis... he was easily overpowered by the mage... And now he is nothing more than an ice statue in the main chambers."
Panic set in instantly. No one doubted her words. Deep down, they knew; the power demonstrated by Sophia was so great that not even the marquis could compare.
Slowly but brutally, they accepted reality. If they wanted to survive, they would have to please this mage.
What followed was a desperate race to the matrix room. Kielen led them. The scene was a bizarre procession of terror and obedience. Warriors began to rip off their golden armor; servants tore off the jewels and luxurious clothes that adorned their bodies. The wealth that defined Avaland's identity was now just fuel to hasten the mage's departure.
In the matrix room, the pile of treasures grew at a frantic pace. The clash of gold treasures and gems was the only sound, besides the footsteps and heavy breathing of the men and women who worked naked, as all their precious clothing, once a symbol of their pride, now served only as fuel.
Sophia watched it all with apathy. The sight of naked bodies, giant black cocks, huge asses, and full breasts caused no reaction in her. It was just a task being executed.
'They don't compare to her, and neither do they... to him,' Sophia thought. The first part was about Kielen, but the second, only she knew its true meaning.
As the matrix began to glow, the whispers started. The "truth" about what happened in the Marquis's room spread like poison.
The other women who had been in the room at that moment, upon seeing Kielen acting as if she were the new person in "command," felt enormous envy and deep hatred. They had all been servants before, slaves to the marquis. Why now was Kielen, who had been the favorite, continuing to stand out? They felt it was unjust.
The whispers were about how the Marquis was negotiating calmly with the mage until Kielen intervened and revealed secrets. Some said she had poisoned the marquis and given the secrets to the mage. Some said she was a traitor from a different nation. Little by little, it all became so distorted it seemed like a joke.
But for the humiliated soldiers, stripped of their wealth, it didn't matter.
And their gazes, once filled with panic, now filled with a bloodlust directed at a single person.
Kielen.
Not at Sophia, who was like an impossible mountain to defeat, not at the marquis who was too weak to defend himself, but at the one person they felt they could dominate and take revenge on.
She felt the stares on her back like daggers. The traitor. An instinctive, cold, and primal fear made her stomach churn. She knew she was a marked woman.
She knew that after the mage left, the fate awaiting her would make her feel that death would be a release.
She touched her own rapidly beating heart and, feeling the light ice robe, her gaze shifted to Sophia, who now had her eyes closed, seemingly asleep. But even a layperson like her could feel the growing power.
Kielen made a quick decision. Silently, in the midst of the crowd, she began to move away, aware that several eyes followed her every step.
But no one dared to stray from the mission imposed by the mage in the center.
She returned to the Marquis's hall. He was still a two-toned ice statue. Still alive. She trembled slightly upon seeing the man who had abused her so many times.
Kielen picked up a heavy golden goblet. Without hesitation, without ceremony, without words, she began to strike the frozen body with all the strength her body possessed.
The sound of ice against metal filled the room. There was no blood, only shards of ice breaking off slowly. With each blow, small pieces of the marquis came loose; he was being dismantled bit by bit, as if made of parts.
This made the situation easier for Kielen; the lack of blood made her feel it wasn't a brutal murder, and she continued to strike with increasing ferocity until, at a certain moment, with a powerful blow using the full weight of her body, the marquis's upper part fragmented completely into pieces on the floor.
Kielen fell to her knees, breathing heavily, her hand and arms numb.
At that moment, three elite guards, the most loyal to the Marquis, entered. "Kielen! You are under arrest for trea-----"
The captain's voice died. Kielen stood over the mortal remains of her former master, the golden goblet in her hand.
They drew swords less luxurious when compared to their main ones, but still deadly for a woman like Kielen.
"YOU DAMNED VERMIN, THE MARQUIS FED YOU AND TREATED YOU WELL AND YOU DARE BETRAY HIM?"
The first one shouted and walked towards her, rage visible on his face.
The other two at his side joined him, and they quickly struck towards Kielen's chest. She just closed her eyes, awaiting death.
When the blow landed on her chest, she flew backward and hit the wall behind her hard.
The soldiers also felt a repulsion, staggering back.
Kielen felt an enormous pain in her chest; she thought she was dead.
But running a hand over it, she felt no blood, and looking down, there was only a small scratch on her robe.
She had flown back only from the impact but had suffered no direct wound.
The soldiers' hands trembled.
Not even the most powerful armor would be as strong as that robe they had initially judged to be as weak as paper.
An instinctive fear appeared on their faces. Driven by fury, they had forgotten who must have been the creator of that ice garment.
Seeing their fear, Kielen bit her lip and decided to make a bold move.
"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME? I WAS HERE AT THE MAGE'S REQUEST. DO YOU WANT TO BE FROZEN TO DEATH?"
The soldiers felt there was something strange in Kielen's sentence. Still, they asked, "Why would someone as distant and powerful as her give a servant like you this mission?"
They refused to accept it and now looked at the only uncovered spot, Kielen's neck.
She felt their gaze and a cold, not of ice, but of pure fear, filled her neck. She felt that if she didn't have a good answer, her life would end here.
With her mind working at an inexplicable speed, she gave the only answer her mind could find.
"I don't know. How could I understand the mind of someone so powerful?"
The soldiers stopped.
They had been expecting the reason might be to prove loyalty, as a test of her devotion to the mage. If that were the case, they would be willing to sacrifice themselves to take this traitor with them.
But what if there was no reason?
Would the marquis's death change anything? The entire castle was already working to fill the matrix, and soon this mage would be able to leave. What was the benefit of the Marquis's death?
They didn't know the answer, and they, who considered themselves smarter and more capable than Kielen, felt that if they didn't know, she shouldn't know either.
And they were sure that she, a mere servant, would not have the courage to act on her own, so indeed, she must have been acting on the mage's orders.
In the end, they no longer wanted to gamble. Dying for loyalty was something they were willing to do. But to die in a possible sadistic game, that was too much for them.
Noticing their retreat, Kielen breathed a sigh of relief. She had survived.
Seizing the chance, she continued. "AND HOW DARE YOU STILL CARRY TREASURES? WASN'T IT ORDERED TO USE EVERYTHING TO FILL THE MATRIX?"
The soldiers felt ashamed. They had given up all their wealth, resorting to the castle's training armor. But even that armor was treasure.
Ashamed, they gave the first excuse that came to mind. "Calm down, Lady Kielen, we were just carrying this armor to feed the matrix and passed by here on the way. We will deliver these treasures right now."
Slowly, they returned to the matrix hall, where men and women remained naked. Lined up.
They had already taken a good part of the castle's resources, and there was nothing left to take.
But they also didn't dare to relax or say anything, so they stood in silence, awaiting orders.
The scene was a pit of ambiguity. Naked men and women, some men couldn't control themselves and displayed huge erections at the sight of the naked women in front of them, and some women felt aroused by the situation. It was their escape valve from the fear of death.
Slowly, the room began to take on a slightly erotic scent.
Something that reached Sophia's nose, causing her to awaken and open her eyes.
Upon seeing men with hard cocks and women with dripping wet cunts, disgust arose in her heart. 'Even in the face of death, all they think about is lust.'
Closing her eyes again, she said, "Leave."
Her voice was low, but in that hall, it was like a shout. Many breathed a sigh of relief and ran off, afraid that if they delayed a single second longer, she might change her mind.
At the entrance, opposing footsteps sounded. Kielen and the soldiers returned and found the naked crowd leaving.
They entered and placed the last pieces. The entire matrix began to glow, illuminating stone by stone and dissolving the treasures.
It had been fully charged at the cost of almost the entire castle's wealth.
At this moment, Kielen felt an instinctive fear. She knew the time had come for the mage to leave, and if she were left here, her fate would be cruel.
"Lady Sophia, please, take me with you," Kielen said in a way that tried to be calm, not desperate, trying not to be a bother.
Sophia remained silent, she was feeling and studying the matrix's reaction to try to understand how it worked. 'Indeed, this is not my area, I have no idea how it works. The master truly is the best.'
Then she opened her eyes and faced Kielen, who was kneeling before her with her forehead touching the ground.
"No." Was what she said without a second thought.
The soldiers showed smirks on their faces. They had feared the mage would accept, but now, it seemed they would get their revenge on the traitor.
Kielen fell into despair, and as she banged her forehead on the floor, she cried out.
"PLEASE LADY, I PROMISE TO BE USEFUL AS YOUR MOST LOYAL SERVANT."
Sophia looked at the act, but without being moved. "Tell me, you killed your former master without hesitation. When the time comes, who can guarantee me that you won't betray me with the same ease?"
Kielen felt her world crumble, and tears streamed from her eyes. She had killed the Marquis as proof of loyalty, trying to gain some credit with Sophia for having killed someone who had disrespected her. But it seemed the act had had the opposite effect.
"PLEASE MADAM, ALLOW ME TO SERVE YOU. I WILL HANDLE ANY INCONVENIENCE AND BE YOUR MESSENGER SO THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO WASTE TIME WITH UNNECESSARY CONVERSATIONS. IF AT ANY MOMENT I SHOW DISSATISFACTION, PLEASE TAKE MY LIFE WITHOUT HESITATION. I WOULD NEVER HAVE THE COURAGE TO BETRAY YOU."
She screamed desperately, as a last attempt.
"STOP IT KIELEN, YOU DISGUSTING TRAITOR, DO NOT BOTHER THE ESTEEMED GUEST OF OUR NATION."
The soldier interrupted, fearing that her words might somehow convince Sophia.
But what he received was a cold glare. He knew he had spoken without permission, and he quickly knelt, not even daring to apologize.
Sophia stared at the kneeling Kielen, whose face was a mess, a mixture of blood from her forehead and tears.
"Okay, I will allow you to follow me. Your kind is treacherous, but you could never harm me. But I am open to your attempts."
"LAD------" Before Kielen could say anything, the soldiers were the first to protest, but before they could speak, they were frozen.
Sophia then stood up and began to walk towards the portal.
"Thank you, my lady, thank you," Kielen felt saved, a survivor. She knew everything depended on this woman's decision, and luckily, she had managed to prove herself useful.
Yes, useful. Kielen understood she had to be the best tool for Sophia, or else she would be discarded.
Without hesitation, she stood up and positioned herself behind Sophia.
Sophia threw a handkerchief on the ground.
"Clean your blood, I don't want to smell that stench."
Kielen then knelt to pick it up. "Thank you, madam."
The light of the matrix flared, and then, they disappeared.