"Now then," Ryker said, his voice calm and cold. "Where were we?"
San cowered in the corner, his face white with terror. He had never seen anything like this. The kid wasn't human. He was a monster.
"Please, I'll give you anything you want, please just stop. Spare me!" Stella begged as her body shook uncontrollably. The way Ryker had tortured her earlier had carved a deep scar into her heart. If she took any more pain, she would completely break.
Her voice was hoarse from screaming. Blood stained her torn clothes. Every part of her body ached with a dull, throbbing pain that reminded her of what he could do to her.
Ryker stared at her with cold, empty eyes. He didn't care about her words or her tears. He had been keeping a deep hatred for her since she came to his room this morning. Yet she had the nerve to try and sell him like some piece of meat.
If he let her go without punishment, it would be the same as saying he didn't value his own life. That anyone could treat him however they wanted. That was something he would never allow.
"I've thought of things I could do with you, but you're just so useless that I can't think of anything except killing you." Ryker's voice was flat and emotionless, which made it even more terrifying.
Stella's shivering got worse. She knew he wasn't joking. She had seen what he could do. He could kill her as easily as stepping on an ant.
"I can do anything you want! I can be your servant, your plaything, even a pet, anything!" Stella begged desperately. She would say anything, promise anything, just to live another day.
Ryker looked at her with disgust. Any normal person would have already figured out that he wasn't interested in those things. But she kept talking, kept offering herself like some cheap commodity. It only made him hate her more.
"You'll do anything for me to spare you?" Ryker raised an eyebrow, his voice carrying a dangerous edge.
When Stella saw that there might be a chance to survive, she nodded her head so hard it looked like it might fall off. Her eyes were wide with desperate hope.
"I'll do anything you want me to do!" Her voice cracked with desperation. She didn't know it yet, but this decision would destroy her life completely.
"Even if it means doing anything I tell you, you'd do them without failure?" Ryker asked again, a particular smile growing on his face. It wasn't a kind smile. It was the smile of a predator who had just caught his prey.
Stella didn't even let him finish speaking before she started nodding frantically. "I won't disrespect you or go against you! I'll follow all your commands!"
The smile on Ryker's face grew wider as he stepped closer to her trembling form. He drew his blade across his wrist, opening a shallow cut. Dark red blood began to flow.
"Open your mouth," he commanded.
Stella immediately opened her mouth without hesitation. A few drops of his blood fell onto her tongue. It tasted metallic and bitter, but she swallowed it without complaint.
What Ryker had just done was create a [Blood Pact] between him and Stella. More specifically, a [Blood Oath] since she was swearing complete loyalty to him. He could have made a cut on her hand and his hand and pressed them together, but he preferred this method. It reminded her of her place beneath him.
The [Blood Oath] worked in a very specific way. First, one party had to swear complete loyalty to the Bloodbound holder. It couldn't be forced - it had to come from deep within their heart. In Stella's case, she had truly accepted it. As long as he spared her life, she was genuinely ready to do anything to please him.
When this condition was met, the Bloodbound holder had to put their blood in contact with the other party's system. The blood would travel directly to the other person's heart and form a web of sharp edges around it. When the other party went against the Bloodbound holder or disrespected them, it would stab them in the heart, causing immense pain as punishment. In serious cases, it could even kill them.
Stella's eyes suddenly glowed with a red light, then returned to normal. The pact was complete.
Ryker smirked and nodded, satisfied. He moved back and turned his attention to San, who was still cowering in the corner.
"You, come here," Ryker pointed at San with a finger stained with blood.
San hurried forward on shaking legs. He was ready to go through what Stella had gone through, even if it meant pretending to be completely loyal. As long as he could escape with his life, he would do anything.
He knelt down and opened his mouth, just as he had seen Stella do. He closed his eyes tight, hoping Ryker would be done with it quickly. But he heard nothing but silence. No drops of blood fell on his tongue.
'Oh, that's right. I have to pledge some sort of loyalty first,' he thought to himself. When he was just about to start making false promises, he suddenly felt the weight of his limbs disappear.
Shocked, he opened his eyes to see both of his hands lying on the floor beside him. For a moment, he couldn't understand what he was seeing. Then the reality hit him.
He didn't feel pain for the first few seconds. His mind couldn't process what had happened. But when he saw the ruthless expression on Ryker's face, the immense pain of losing both hands surged through his body like lightning.
"Arghhh!" He screamed in agony as blood poured endlessly from the stumps where his arms used to be. The pain was beyond anything he had ever experienced. It felt like his entire body was on fire.
"Here, this is your first task. Kill him." Ryker threw his sword on the floor with a clatter. His smile was devilish, making him look like the greatest maniac to ever exist.
Stella felt her heart hammer against her ribs so hard she thought it might burst. She stared at the sword on the floor, then at San, who was writhing in pain and bleeding everywhere.
She knew this was wrong. She knew it was inhumane. San used to be a close friend of hers. They had done business together many times. He had helped her when she was in trouble before.
She knew it was wrong to take another human life just to survive. But at that moment, all she wanted was to live. Even if it meant she had to murder someone with her own hands. Ryker had given her a command, and the blood oath meant she had to fulfill it.
Her hands shook as she picked up the sword. It was heavier than she expected. The metal was cold against her palms.
San looked up at her with wide, terrified eyes. "Stella, please... we're friends... don't do this..."
But Stella couldn't stop herself. The blood oath was already working, pushing her to obey. With a new, terrible resolve, she gripped the weapon tightly and raised it above her head.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears streaming down her face.
She brought the sword down and stabbed it through San's heart. The blade went through his chest with a wet, horrible sound. Blood immediately began pouring from his mouth.
San's eyes went wide with shock and disbelief. He tried to speak, but only blood came out. His face showed regret and terror. If only he had known this boy was someone he couldn't mess with, maybe this wouldn't have happened. But now he could only pray that he would never meet such a person in his next life.
His body went limp, and his eyes became empty and lifeless.
Stella pulled the sword out with shaking hands. San's blood was all over her now, mixed with her own. She looked at what she had done and felt sick to her stomach.
"Good," Ryker said with satisfaction. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Stella couldn't answer. She was staring at San's dead body, realizing that her old life was completely over. She was no longer Stella the street girl who sold stolen goods. She was now Ryker's property, bound by blood to do whatever he commanded.
And this was only the beginning.
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This update was delayed due to the issues webnovel is having, at the moment I can't even access my account at all except from inkstone which is very difficult for me.
Enjoy.