Arrgh!
The man in tattered clothes groaned heavily as the cold shackles binding his four limbs tightened, lifting his body off he ground and pulling him onto different directions.
"Say, how does it feel to be the first lucky tester of my new invention? Feeling honored, aren't you?" A short lady wearing a blood-stained coat and big goggles questioned in pure excitement.
The sight of horror from tormenting others greatly entertains her. It was a hobby she couldn't stop from doing. A mad inventor with a hobby of torturing others surely belongs to the dungeon. It was the best place they could possibly wander without harming fragile and innocent people.
"When's your master coming?" The lady asked with a bored expression while controlling the shackles.
Thud!
The man fell hard on the ground after the lady loosened his shackles. His body was covered in wounds and bruises after a long period of torment. Feeling all numb and sore, he started to lose hope of getting out alive from the hell he has been going through.
On the other hand, the lady was starting to get impatient as she stride towards the man, grabbing him by the chin aggressively.
"Where is your master?!" She asked with a glare, her nails scraping the skin of the man.
Then, for the first time, the man opened his mouth to answer her question.
"C-captain is dead."
Rumble!
Azrael's eyes shot open from a dreadful nightmare, her heart pounding, and her thin nightgown soaked in sweat.
huff...
Azrael clutched her chest as she catches her breath with great difficulty.
"Damn this nightmares."
Azrael threw her blanket aside and looked out the window. There was a heavy downpour, making it extremely dark and gloomy outside.
Azrael noticed a maidservant sleeping on the couch. Without waking her up, Azrael walked briskly towards the door and left her room.
Unlike earlier, Azrael now felt more energetic.
Azrael continued to walk around the castle as if she had been living there her entire life. She was so familiar with the structures of the castle that one wouldn't be able to realize that she was no longer the Lady Fleur that originally lived in the castle.
There was only one thing on Azrael's mind that could explain her situation.
Soul switching, a bizarre yet precedented phenomenon in the world of mysteries.
There was a time when spirit sorcerers ruled the human realm of Askar. It was a dark time filled with chaos and madness. Their reign ended 20 years ago after the death of the late King Meredes Astre who was inclined with dark sorcery.
Azrael recalled the large painting she saw earlier. It was a family portrait of the king and his seven foster children whom he calls the 'Golden Fates.'
King Bertrandt Astre was known for its generosity and benevolence, treated with reverence and great respect everywhere he went. With his generosity, he decided to foster seven children who had no relation with him with the agenda of fostering talent and giving shelter to those in need. With the help of Sage Elandros Vaelric of the silver tower, they picked children whom the constellations gazed upon, favored with fate of immense power and success.
The king called these children the 'Golden Fates' and Fleur wass one of the king's foster children. Among these children were Fleur and Azrael herself. The king gave them names but never the surname of the royal family. The children had promising future with their great talent but Fleur was different. After King Bertrandt found out Fleur's origin, being born with a sorcerer's blood and with a golden fate that was destined to thrive in the future, the king felt threatened and blocked her spiritual gate, leaving her unable to possess special abilities.
Knowing Fleur's origin of being apart sorcerer, it left no wonder on Azrael's mind to be in this kind of a situation with her. She believed that sooner or later, no matter how hard the king suppresses Fleur's power, she will start to grasp the depths of her ability.
Azrael didn't have any recollection of Fleur's memories. However she could clearly remember her time in the castle as one of the kings' foster children who went missing a long time ago.
Whoosh!
With a snap of her fingers, the flames burning from the lanterns surrounding the hallway all went out simultaneously. Azrael gazed at the lustrous crescent moon that illuminated the night sky.
A blink of her eyes allowed her to see what was hidden from others. An illusory crimson trail flow from one place to another. It was like a faint light guiding her through the dark.
Azrael used scent vision. It was a mystique spell from the moon domain that allows her to see different scents of living beings and objects with spirituality. With Azrael's mastery of this spell, she was able to focus on a certain scent by familiarizing herself with the scent that she wishes to find.
She was tracking Fleur's scent to look for the places that she frequented before the soul switching.
Azrael carefully took a step towards the source of the scent. With every step, the faint glow of the crimson shimmer grew more and more lustrous. Azrael stopped in front of a large door with intricate patterns. It was the library.
As she opened the door, the crimson light spread onto different directions, pointing onto different spots and different books that Fleur have read. She took her time to check every book that the crimson light points to, hoping to discover something.
'Year 357: The Sorcerers' Reign'
'A Guide to The Spiritual Body'
'Lunar Mysteries: Unveiling the Science and Myth of the Crimson Moon'
'The Bloodline of the Crimson Family'
'Subjects of the Crimson Moon'
After confirming the books that Fleur previously read, her spiritual energy began to drain.
"As expected, she had planned this," Azrael concluded.
Azrael stayed in the library for a while to check if she had missed out on anything. Her steps were cautious and quiet to not alarm anyone.
"Sir, I've completed your order."
Azrael's ears perked as she heard a faint voice of a woman coming from outside the library. She hurriedly stepped in front of a large window and hid behind the curtain to eavesdrop on the conversation.
The library was on the second floor of the castle so it was hard to hear the voice clearly. If it hadn't been for her energy being drained, she wouldn't have had a hard time hearing what they were talking about.
"He..."
"What?...dead..."
"Ready.....transfer..."
Azrael clicked her tongue in annoyance and swiftly moved forward to the balcony without making any noise, cautious of being caught by the two suspicious hooded men.
"Clear out the dungeon immediately."
Upon hearing that, a shrilling cry reverberated through the hallway. Hurried and panicked footsteps could be heard outside the library. Lights were flickering through the sill of the door as they march towards the same direction.
Azrael stood frozen as her pupils dilated, cold sweats trickling down her forehead. Her scent vision activated involuntarily and her sense of smell enhanced uncontrollably. A strange and pungent smell entered her nose as her surroundings became veiled in dark crimson.
Her feet begun to walk on its own. It was as if there were strings attached on her as she stiffly walked to the door, unaware and unconscious. Azrael could not think straight, suffocated by the strong smell that was slowly turning sweet.
As she grabbed the knob, her mind completely succumbed to the sweet smell. Her steps became heavy and uncontrolled, leaving a faint thud as she moved forward. Eventually, she reached a crowd clamoring in disbelief and horror.
In the middle of the bed chamber where the door was left ajar. A fair lady in her silk nightgown lays on her bed, eyes open and her throat slit open. Bathed in blood, her slim fingers remained gripping on a dagger.
Trembling, everyone spoke in horror.
"The princess is still young. How could she leave us so early?"
"This is so tragic."
"The princess do not deserve this."
However, Azrael knew the truth. Azrael knew what they truly have in mind...
'The lady chose a horrifying death.'
'If only she could leave quietly without troubling us.'
'How bothersome.'
Unbeknownst to them, Azrael can smell the lies on their lips.