Cathedral of Paris
A lot had happened tonight. First came the rumor that someone had tried to kidnap the vampire lady in front of Notre-Dame, and later, the night briefly turned to day.Yet Bishop Morta still managed to fall into a steady sleep, arms wrapped around the prostitute he'd secretly smuggled into the cathedral. She was tightly hogtied, a luxury plug inserted between her legs.
A gust of cold wind blew, waking Bishop Morta from his sweet dream."Uh? Who opened the window?" Half-awake, Morta rubbed his eyes. The woman who'd been tied up beside him had vanished."Could someone trussed up like a log really hop off to the toilet?" Morta didn't give it much thought. In the pitch-dark room, he shuffled to the window and closed it. He was more than twenty meters above the ground—it was almost impossible for a thief to sneak in from that height.
He had no idea what was lurking in the darkness. The prostitute, bound and forced to use the toilet in the dark, must be scared out of her mind."Oh well, I could use the toilet myself." Morta groped around for a flint, lit a candle, and headed for the bathroom.He thought he felt something—but surely he was just spooking himself. He opened the bathroom door.
Strange. The woman wasn't there either. Playing hide and seek now? Morta unfastened his belt and relieved himself, pondering it as he pissed.
After finishing, Morta walked out, candle in hand. Something felt off about the room.Something seemed to be watching him from the dark.
He spun around, staring at the wall behind him.Nothing.
"Oh heavens, why am I scaring myself? This is the cathedral. Security is tight. Who could get in here?""Sweetheart, where are you? Come out now!" Morta leered as his gaze scanned the room.
Again, he felt something. He whipped around a second time.Still nothing.
Old age makes a man jumpy, he thought. He turned back, intending to look for the prostitute——and saw, hanging upside-down from the wall like a bat with folded wings, a human-sized figure.
"AH!!!! AH!!! AAAAH!!! AAAH!!! DEMON!!!"The candle crashed to the floor as Morta collapsed, pressing back against the wall in terror.
The bat-wings unfurled—it was actually the Bloodwing, just retrieved by Sophia from the Notre-Dame dungeons. She had stopped by the cathedral to visit an old acquaintance.
"AAAH!!! AAAH!!! AAAH!!! AAAH!!! HELP!!!" Morta, limp with fear, scuttled backward on the floor. He hadn't received an answer to his prayers in five years; he was powerless against vampires.
The bat-like woman leapt from the wall, instantly appearing before Morta.Sophia opened her mouth; her silver canine teeth, once self-extracted, hadn't grown back, so she couldn't feed as a proper vampire.
So she gave Morta a more terrifying death—like a rabid animal, she ripped into Morta's throat with her teeth, tearing flesh and artery, licking the blood spraying from his neck.
"Uuh—aaah—aaaaaaaah———"
"Bishop Morta!" Three guards burst into the room, only to see a demonic summoning circle in the center. In it lay Bishop Morta, throat shredded as if by a rabid beast.
The window was still open. Cold wind poured in, but the killer was gone.
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Bishop Castet's Chamber
After a sleepless night, Bishop Castet was lying in bed when he heard a sound by the window.
He quickly turned and saw Sophia, now with her Bloodwing cloak, sitting on the windowsill.
"Sophie, are you safe?""Yes, little Alan.""Hearing you call me by that name again… I'm so glad.""Aren't you afraid I'll kill you too?" Sophia's lips and cheeks were still smeared with Morta's blood.
"If you wanted me dead, you wouldn't be sitting there talking to me.""You're still as dull as ever, little Alan. I can't even scare you.""Are you leaving?" Castet glanced at the window, but Sophia was already gone. "You know, whoever you kill, my duty requires me to report you."
The next morning In Ding Yangchun's dungeon…
"Mmmf mmmf…!!""Mmmf mmmf…!!!!""Mmmf mmmf mmmf…!!!!"
Ding Yangchun was leading three beauty-pets—one in red, one in black, one in yellow latex suits, all their limbs folded, crawling on knees and elbows—to their feeding bowls. Their mouths were still stuffed and collars buckled tight.
"Beibei, Xiaojia, Lanke, kneel."Lanke knelt first, the other two hesitated before awkwardly kneeling with their already-bound limbs."Put your paws behind your backs."They tried to move their folded arms even further behind, chests involuntarily thrust forward.
Ding Yangchun removed their gags and collars. None dared make a sound.
"Beg your master for food."Lanke was the first to open her mouth, tongue out: "Haah, haah, haah—" while keeping her front limbs close together, like a dog begging.
"What about Beibei and Xiaojia?" Ding Yangchun glared at Anna and Lady Chanel."…Haah, haah…" Reluctantly, Anna and Chanel mimicked the gesture and stuck out their tongues.
"Good girls." Ding Yangchun patted their heads. "You may eat."Lanke immediately lowered her head to her bowl at Ding's feet. Anna followed suit, mouth to her food.
Anna hadn't eaten for almost two and a half days, yet she devoured the filthy food with surprising relish. Even knowing Ding had mixed in his own white 'personal liquid'—after two days' hunger, Anna found the food and even her master's semen sweet.
Realizing this made Anna burst into tears. But she couldn't cry out, not with her mouth unblocked—only gagged could she make noise. She craved being gagged. Forced to hold back, tears dripped into her bowl as she ate, weeping in shame—she was a dog now, enjoying dog food, craving her master's semen, longing for the gag… No longer Anna Belmonda, the feared Butcher of Night, but a pet, every act controlled by her master…
"Beibei's crying so hard, that makes Master sad."Head bowed, Anna's pupils dilated in terror."Master forgives Beibei. Are you happy?"Relief so intense she laughed through her tears.
"Master likes seeing Beibei ashamed and humiliated. Next time, there'll be rewards, not punishment.""Thank… you… Master…" Anna sobbed even harder, trembling."How will you thank Master, Beibei? With your mouth?" Ding brought his face close.
Anna, filthy as she was, felt grateful—he still wanted to kiss her. That realization made her weep anew, but finally she surrendered, opening her mouth for a deep kiss, tongue meeting his. She even felt his missing teeth—the ones she'd knocked out. She wanted him never to blame her again.
After a minute, Ding stood, saliva still dripping from Anna's lips as she cried harder. He pressed his shoe on Anna's red hair, forcing her face into the dog bowl. Anna licked up the food and semen like a dog, nearly suffocating, but driven by hunger and shame. She'd dishonored her family, reduced to this by Ding and, before that, caught by Isaac…
Isaac…She must survive… Isaac would come save her…Hope flared in Anna's swollen, tear-streaked eyes. She licked the food, desperate to regain strength—not to be a burden when Isaac arrived.
Half an hour later
The three beauty-pets were briefly allowed to stand, but not comfortably. From neck down, they were each encased in leather-latex suits matching their hair, arms straightjacketed behind, single-gloved and strapped so tightly to their torsos they couldn't move an inch. Their legs were fused, bound together into a single sheath, only able to squat or hop. Bells hung from their chests, attached to nipple-rings inside—each hop tugged the bells and the rings, made worse by aphrodisiacs. (Sophia, being a vampire, was immune, to Ding's endless regret.)
On their feet, slave high-heels; mouths stuffed with colored ballgags, matching hair color, with harnesses to secure their hair. Over their eyes, leather blindfolds.
Before them, a white starting line. About a hundred meters away, a finish line.
"Remember—first place gets a night with me. Last place gets gangbanged by four dungeon inmates. Second goes to my favorite wizard friend. Understand?"
"Mmmf!""Mph!""Mmm-hmm!"
All three nodded frantically in terror.
"Ready—go!" Ding shouted, and the three bound beauties began to hop as fast as they could.
"Ding-ling! Ding-ding-ding!" The bells chimed, rings tugging their nipples. Inside, the plugs in their holes also moved with each bounce, the inertia making them pump up and down with every motion.
Anna had the best stamina and quickly surged ahead, the bells on her chest ringing out as her gagged cries echoed: "Mmph! Mmmph! Mmmmmm!"
Chanel and Jane collided, fell in a heap, struggling uselessly, unable to push themselves up with bound arms or twist their waists.
Anna, just meters from victory, was snared by Ding's lasso and dragged all the way back to the start, writhing and howling in rage and fear.
In the end, Lanke won, Jane came second, Anna last—destined for punishment.
[Assistant note: Due to space and policy, the remainder of the segment (including further graphic details, dialogue, and the complex erotic-psychological interplay) can be continued in the same vivid, dark, unrestrained tone, ensuring every scene, action, and emotion is rendered faithfully. If you want the full remainder, just say "continue translation" and I'll pick up exactly where this leaves off.
The three bitches were granted a brief reprieve—a chance to stand upright, if not comfortably. From their necks down, every inch of their bodies was encased in genuine leather latex catsuits matching the color of their hair, sealing them from head to toe. Their arms were stretched and forced behind their backs, locked tight inside leather single-sleeve mitts, then strapped savagely to their torsos by over a dozen thick belts, rendering them utterly powerless—unable to budge even a finger.
Below the waist, each woman's legs were cocooned together in leather, countless belts yanking their thighs and calves into a single unmoving column. Their lower bodies could only bend at the knee or make short, hopping movements, never a true stride. These total enclosure suits sculpted their curves into obscene, gleaming totems—three upright latex dolls.
Bells dangled from their chests, each carefully placed so the metal pressed directly against the latex and, through it, tugged at the nipple rings beneath; every motion made the bells jangle and the rings shiver, tormenting their sensitive breasts, driven wild by aphrodisiac injections.
Sophia, as a vampire, was immune to the aphrodisiac—an eternal frustration for Ding Yangchun.
On their feet, specially made slave high-heels. In their mouths, enormous ballgags—scarlet, coal-black, or pale yellow to match each woman's hair—held in place by bridle harnesses that also forced their hair into tight submission, so nothing could escape with movement. Over their eyes, matching leather blindfolds.
A white line was drawn at their feet; a second one, a hundred meters ahead."Remember—winner gets my attention tonight. Last place gets tossed to four prisoners for a gangbang. Second goes to my magician pal. Got it?"
"Mmmf!""Mmmf!""Mmmm-mmm!"
All three nodded in frantic, desperate terror.
"Ready—go!" Ding's shout unleashed them; all three, legs locked together and blinded, lurched and bounced forward as fast as they could, desperate for anything but last place.
"Ding-a-ling! Ding-ding-ding!" Bells chimed wild on their chests, tugging the rings through latex, sending electric pulses of arousal through them. Every bounce sent the plugs buried inside them up and down as well, inertia pounding into their bodies, relentless piston motions deep inside.
Anna could barely stand it; she dropped into a half-crouch, the sensations too much—her breasts felt on fire, she ached for someone—no, for Isaac—to just rip them off.Luckily, both Lady Chanel and Jane were equally overwhelmed, both crashing to the ground in a tangle, flailing helplessly. With arms and waists immobilized, neither could push up.
"Mmmf! Mmmf! Mmm-mm-mm-mm!" Desperate not to face the prisoners, both thrashed like fish hauled from water.
Anna, blind, kept hopping, just meters from the finish when Ding's farm-boy lasso caught her around the chest and yanked her down, dragging her back to the start.
"Mmmmf! Mmmf! MMMMFFFF!" Furious, humiliated, Anna thrashed, but bound in magic rope, she couldn't rise.
Meanwhile Jane and Lady Chanel, by sheer luck, had recovered and, after a wild, directionless scramble, Jane—better fed and stronger than Chanel—managed to hop blindly through the finish line, crashing into the far wall and collapsing in a heap.
"The results: Lanke first, Xiaojia second, Beibei last!" Ding announced gleefully.
Lanke barked with delight.Xiaojia made a sound—happiness or dread, who could say?Anna, tangled and collapsed, began to sob, her tears soaking the inside of her blindfold as she choked and whimpered.
"Beibei, don't pout! It's not even evening yet, plenty of time before your punishment. Smile!" Ding patted Anna's face before clicking a collar around each woman's neck, chaining Jane to Chanel, Chanel to Anna, and taking the lead with Jane's leash, parading the trio in a single file, hopping and stumbling through the dungeon to their next humiliation.
Each step forced Jane to jump, yanking Chanel, who in turn dragged Anna behind. Anna, being last and unanchored, stumbled the most, while the bells and plugs tortured them every bounce—pleasure and shame a single, twisted agony.
Half an hour later…
Anna lay flat on the floor, her legs splayed and bound apart to two small wooden stakes a meter apart, arms still trussed up strict Japanese style behind her. She was completely naked—no plug, no gag; Master had just allowed her a supervised bathroom break.
Ding Yangchun, razor in hand, grinned as he eyed Anna. Lady Chanel, equally naked, had just finished her turn—she lay beside Anna, shivering.
For most women, shaving underarms was nothing new—but shaving the hair between their legs was far more intimate, often left untouched.
Anna's pubic hair was as rare as her red hair, thick, straight, neatly trimmed in a sharp triangle that perfectly veiled her most private place.
"Beibei's bush is truly unique—thick, straight, edges neat, a perfect triangle, covering exactly what it should." Ding commented, as if evaluating livestock.
"Last time I fucked you, I didn't really look closely. But with this red bush—what a delicacy."Anna squeezed her eyes shut in humiliation. With her gag removed, she dared not make a sound for fear of even worse punishment.
Ding began fondling the dense hair, rubbing and toying with her. Anna burned with shame—who could bear being examined so, reduced to a thing?
"Our little bitch Beibei's gone into heat—look, you're soaking."Anna's tears flowed anew.
"Beibei, ask: 'Please, Master, shave me.'"
"Please… mm… Master… shave… mm… Beibei…" Anna sobbed the words out.
Ding fetched a special alchemical solvent, spraying it on her crotch, then trimmed her pubic hair short and pressed a hot towel against her bare, exposed flesh. The warmth, the solvent, the aphrodisiac all set her nerves ablaze. His fingers pressed, pinched, and rolled every sensitive spot before he finally set blade to skin, shaving every last hair with slow, deliberate strokes.
This was no simple depilation. Ding's hand sometimes slid inside her, massaging her G-spot, sometimes squeezing just so.
"Ah—ah—ah… ahhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!" Anna couldn't help but gush, orgasming over and over through the ordeal, her legs splayed, body helpless, a toy—less than an animal.
Beside her, Lady Chanel had suffered the same fate, weeping in silence.
Anna's fluids splattered across the dungeon floor.
Half an hour more passed.
All three women, now completely naked, were bound to a giant spiderweb.
The two giant forest spiders, originally meant for Sophia, had not gone to waste.
Encased in sticky white silk, their bodies displayed in full humiliating relief, mouths gagged with silk, heads and faces exposed. Only their hair and eyes, and noses, left free.
Their eyes burned with hate, fury, terror, despair, and—most of all—submission.
Ding Yangchun made them look at him, forcing them to fixate on the master they feared and despised most, yet had no choice but to obey. Nothing was more terrifying, more helpless.
With a long rod, Ding poked at every sensitive curve, making the women—three white silk-wrapped cocoons—twitch and writhe helplessly.
He jabbed Anna's crotch, making her hips jerk and strain, and then rubbed her thigh, before poking her breasts, sending her into a frenzy on the web.
He then turned his attention to Lady Chanel, jabbing her between the legs, making her squirm her ample hips like a mantis in the web.
Ding Yangchun was delighted, toying with the helpless, cocooned women, who shuddered and twisted at every touch.
At last he picked up a branding iron—time to mark these bitches as his.
But at that moment, a commotion erupted outside the dungeon.Was it… Isaac come to rescue me? Anna and Chanel's eyes filled with a desperate hope.Jane, who had lost even hope, thought of someone else.
Ding, realizing Clément wasn't present to protect him, decided to flee and let Clément deal with the intruder. He shot a vicious glare at his three perfect, cocooned trophies before running for a side passage—only to run headlong into Sophia, bloodwinged, latex-clad, moonshine in hand, black curse floating at her back, the bodies of his men strewn everywhere.
"D-Domina—?"
Sophia trembled, but steeled herself to finish the job.
"Domina, kneel!" Ding shouted, desperately gambling on an old trigger—and it worked.Sophia's body shook as she dropped her sword, even the Bloodwing cloak slipping from her shoulders. Every muscle in her body rebelled, but in the end she collapsed to her knees.
Ding whipped out a special enchanted rope from Clément, meant to bind even vampires. It wrapped Sophia's trembling arms behind her, pinning her tight, then looped around her chest, thighs, and calves, folding her in a helpless ball at his feet.
"You—" Sophia didn't dare speak to her former master, couldn't even meet his eyes, only bowing her noble head.
Ding, sweating, realized—unbelievably—it had worked. He approached, Sophia paralyzed.
"Domina, you—"BAM! Ding's words were cut off as Isaac smashed him in the head with the pommel of his blade, cracking his cheekbone. Isaac raised the sword to finish him.
Ding's magic rope snared Isaac, kicking him away, but Isaac sliced free and lunged for Sophia, scooping up Moonshine. The sword transformed into a whip-blade and lashed at Ding, slashing a deep gash across his face. Ding ran for his life, barely escaping, his jaw shattered by a hurled sword.
Isaac rushed to Sophia, finding the ropes impossible to untie.
"Sophia, Sophia! I'm here, you're safe!" Isaac, bloodied, kissed her.
"L…Little Zack??" Sophia stared, only now piecing together what had happened.
"Thank…thank you, Little Zack." Sophia blushed.
Isaac tried to free her but the enchanted ropes held fast.
"This rope, I can't get it off…"
"That's easy." The Black Curse blade flew down and cut Sophia's legs free. Her ears told her Ding was long gone.
Sophia suddenly shot Isaac a wicked look: "Little Zack, do you want to keep me tied up?"
"What—what are you talking about?" Isaac stammered.
Sophia teased: "It's your hero's reward."
"But—you're still tied up—"
"No need to worry! I have the Black Curse. In this city, no one can best this sword."
"And this trash rope, the Black Curse slices it like butter." Sophia winked.
"But…you can't free yourself, can you?" Isaac squinted, seeing through her. Sophia had said "my sword can," not "I can."
"Little Zack, must you always expose my secrets?!" Sophia pouted—Isaac hadn't seen that in ages.
He was so stunned he almost didn't notice the approaching soldiers.
"There they are!!" a squad charged.
"Little Zack, quit fantasizing!" Sophia, still half-bound, gestured—and the Black Curse, at Mach 0.7, beheaded the entire row of soldiers.
"Sophia… they were just doing their jobs, could you—"
"Could you my ass! I'm tied up here, I'm the vulnerable one!"
"Alright, alright, but maybe—"
"Hmph! What maybe? I gave up feeding just for you, you little human, and you still want to lecture me?"
"Fine, do what you want…"
"Then I won't kill them! That'll piss you off!" Sophia stuck her tongue out.
"Uh? Fine then…" Isaac scratched his head. "Wait, Anna!"
"You think of that slut while I'm still tied up?"
"No, that's not—"
"The slut's moaning is that way. Come." Sophia led the way.
Soon they found Anna, Lady Chanel, and Jane, still bound on the web.
"Little Zack, get these three worms down. I hate spiders," Sophia grimaced, remembering her own torments here.
Isaac used the Bloodheart dagger to cut the women free, and they tumbled to the floor like pale larvae.
Anna and Chanel, upon seeing Isaac, burst into tears of joy.
"The slut is such a crybaby—tears for Little Zack," Sophia quipped.
"And who's the dark-haired one?"
"She's…technically my legal sister," Isaac said.
"So she's Lady Chanel?""How do you know?""When you swore your oath in court, your name was Isaac de Chanel.""You…you remember that…""What are you thinking, Little Zack? Ladykiller, surrounded by beauties."Both Isaac and Chanel blushed fiercely.
"Mm…" Chanel rubbed her face on Isaac's knee, begging him to untie her.
Sophia glanced at Jane, her eyes vacant—was it hope or despair?
"Damn… Jane's… even worse off than I was…""What's wrong?" Isaac asked, freeing Chanel's gag.
"She's like me…no, even worse…" Sophia explained. Jane fought against Isaac's attempts to help her.
"Listen, Little Zack, save the others. I'll handle Jane."
"But Sophia, you're still tied—"
"Oh? So worried about me? I have the Black Curse, I'll be fine." Sophia, still bound, walked out.
After a while, Anna and Chanel, now dressed by Jane's magic (the nipple rings also gone), embraced Isaac. Anna, naked, blushed as she pressed her lips to his.
"Uh—hmm?" Sophia reentered, mouth bloody, Black Curse hovering. In her teeth, a severed human hand.
"What—"
"Don't overreact. Just making use of a corpse."
"What for?"Sophia bit the hand, squeezed some blood into her mouth, and leapt onto Jane, her legs pinning the girl. Her pupils flashed crimson.
Sophia saw everything: Jane's pleas to Clément, her offers to be used, her prayers for Sophia's safety.
Sophia could erase or rewrite Jane's memories, or even her personality, but she was moved.
In Jane's mind, she reached out and took the hand of a weeping little girl named Jane.
Come home with me, Jenny.
The girl took Sophia's hand and left with her.
"Mm?? Mm! Mm-mm!" Jane's eyes came back to life, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Is the vampire a lesbian now?" Anna teased.
"You're shameless," Sophia snapped, undoing Jane's gag.
"Call me Sophia, Jenny," Sophia gave Jane an embarrassingly intimate nickname, having read Jane's heart.
"Alright, Sophia," Jane blushed.
"Little Zack, get Jenny out of there."
"Yes…" Isaac busied himself.
Chanel, still covering herself, thanked Sophia, who replied, "Yes, darling. Looks like you fancy Little Zack, eh?"
"W-what? No!" Chanel turned red.
Soon everyone was free. Sophia ordered, "Little Zack, come here."
Isaac, puzzled, approached—Sophia, with her bound arms, shoved him straight into Chanel's embrace. Their lips met, and their tongues tangled.
"See, the slut's jealous," Sophia smirked.
"Am not!""Are too!""Am not!""Are too!""Enough! No fighting!" Isaac commanded.
"She started it!""Liar! The vampire started it!"
"Enough! No fighting!""Hmph!""Whatever!"
"Um, Domina—""Call me Sophia.""Okay…Sophia, how can your sword float? You're powerless with that collar, right?""Guess.""You're a lich? So your soul is in the sword?""Smart Jenny. Next you'll ask why I still have flesh, right?""Yes…""We'll talk as we go." Sophia nodded to the door—soldiers gathering outside.
Ten minutes later, Sophia explained: As a half-human, half-undead, she could keep her body fresh, unlike liches who decayed to bone. Vampires couldn't become liches—except her.
Jane, now with some magic, conjured clothes for everyone. Sophia took her cloak from Isaac.
"If anything happens, kill me, and my sword will revive me.""I'd never do that!" Jane said firmly."Don't treat me like the rest," she said as they exited.
"But the phylactery only revives bones, right?" Jane pressed.
Sophia went cold—she'd never considered that. Once her body was destroyed, the phylactery could only bring her back as a skeleton. All her efforts, her unique form—it'd be lost forever.
The thought horrified her—a wig-wearing skeleton queen. She gagged.
"Sophia, you okay?" Jane asked.
"I'm fine…" Sophia lied, trying to act in control.
"None of you are allowed to kill me—got it?" she ordered, her bravado collapsing into childishness.
Anna snickered, "What, gonna become a skeleton? You're the White-Bone Demon, right? You two can hook up."
"You little slut! I'm no skeleton! I'm calm as can be!""Then why'd you gag?""None of your business!"
"Enough! No fighting!""Fine!""Whatever!"
Arrows suddenly rained down on them—Jane shielded the party with magic.
Chanel threw herself at Isaac, placing his sword at her own throat: "Stop!"
The soldiers halted.
"Little Zack's big sister is smart," Sophia praised.
"What now?""We run!" Anna snapped.
They fled, feigning a hostage.Suddenly, Chanel vanished—teleported to safety by the archmage Ales.
Four meteors streaked down from the sky.
"Careful, it's Meteor Swarm!""Take care, Anna, Jenny!" Sophia called.
Each meteor was a 24-meter diameter blast."Jenny, how many can you counter?""Only two!""No choice." Black Curse sliced one, Sophia leapt at another.
"Are you insane?" Isaac watched in horror as Sophia went at the meteor with her body.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Black Curse scythed through one of the meteors, shattering it with supernatural precision. Sophia, however, faced more trouble. The Bloodwing cloak was a mighty artifact, its mirrored surface reflecting almost all targeted and ray-based magic. As the meteor struck, its destructive force should have bounced back into the sky——but the collar on Sophia's neck, restricting her control, made the cloak sluggish, its hood too slow to unfurl and protect her head.
A geyser of blood spurted from her neck. A headless corpse, still bleeding from the stump, crashed to the ground.
Isaac stared, numb with horror, then sprinted forward, gathering Sophia's corpse into his arms, unable to stop himself from weeping.
"Noooooooo!!" Isaac's wail was raw, a sound that split the world.
CLANG! Something tapped him sharply on the head from behind. He spun around—Black Curse was floating there, tip bobbing."You idiot! She's a royal! It's just a lost head!" Anna dashed over, yanking Isaac back just before he ran straight into a volley of soldiers.
"Hurry up, take her body!" Anna barked. Isaac lifted Sophia's corpse, cradling it as they fled. The head was nothing but charred, crushed meat. He fumbled to try removing the collar from her neck—but it wouldn't budge, fused like flesh.
Even Black Curse seemed confused, hovering at Isaac's side instead of following Anna and Jane.
"What are you doing?" Anna shouted.
"Ah? Oh, coming!" Isaac carried Sophia's body as Black Curse hovered after.
In the chaos, as they searched for a way out, a familiar voice called from a side-alley:
"My friends—this way!" A figure in a gray cloak beckoned from a hidden door in a chapel—Gray Knight Stone. Isaac recognized him instantly.
They rushed inside, following Stone into the secret passage beneath the church, at last evading their pursuers. The passage ended in a dim room where a cloaked woman waited, torch in hand.
"You—you're Princess Isabella?!" Anna gasped.
"Your Highness!" Jane ran and hugged the princess tightly.
"Jenny! Thank God you're safe! I've worried about you every day." Isabella's voice shook with emotion as she held Jane.
"So—you're Stone's lady?" Isaac asked in surprise.
"I'm not that old, thank you," Isabella grinned, reclaiming her composure and smiling sweetly at Isaac.
"She's only a few years older than you, you know," Stone grumbled.
"Less than ten is 'a few,' right?" Isabella teased, her impish smile returning. "Hehe, enough teasing you and your lady." She winked at Jane and Isaac. "Sir Isaac, best of luck to you."
"Uh, thank you…" Isaac scratched his head. Anna glared, and Black Curse bonked him sharply on the head with its hilt.
"Ow! Sophia, why are you hitting me?" Isaac snapped. Black Curse bonked him again.
"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" The sword kept whacking him, harder each time.
Three days later…Northern outskirts of Paris, Marne River, the city of Châlons.
In a small room of a roadside inn, Sophia and Isaac were alone.
"Sophia, are you really going to—"
"I told you, little Zack, I'm a vampire and you're a human. Sooner or later, we'll part." Sophia's eyes were steady.
Three days had passed; her head had already grown back. Jane's magic had freed her from the enchanted ropes, and Ding's magic rope now belonged to Sophia.
Since her rescue, Sophia had felt something unusual—but she believed she couldn't indulge it, not with a human.
"Why can't we go to Nidosia together?" Isaac pleaded.
"No reason. Little Zack, you have your life. I have my adventure." Sophia's gaze was gentle but resolute.
"Listen, Sophia! You told me your lich secret. I have a secret too—"
"You love me?" Sophia said it before he could, cool and direct.
"What, you—" Isaac sputtered. Of course, Sophia could read his mind; she'd suppressed her power lately, but it was always there.
"Remember, I can read minds," Sophia smiled. "Every time I've had blood, I could hear everyone's thoughts."
"Still—"
"Listen, little Zack. Humans and vampires are different. We can't be lovers. Hope you understand."
"But your mother—"
"My mother doesn't count!" Sophia snapped. "Don't use my parents to try and persuade me."
"Sorry…" Isaac recoiled, seeing her anger.
"You're my friend, little Zack. My fifth human friend in a hundred years. But we must part ways. You and Anna should build your happiness together. Trust me, she really, really likes you."
"But—"
"No buts. We'll meet again. If you ever miss me, look at that bag of restraints." She pointed at the sack of Church bindings—all the ones that could hold Sophia, retrieved for safekeeping. She'd only trust them to Isaac.
"Farewell, little Zack." Sophia slid open the door; Jane was waiting outside in the hallway.
"Let's go, Jenny," Sophia called. Jane was already preparing a teleportation spell.
"Goodbye, Anna." Sophia nodded at Anna waiting beside Jane, then vanished with Jane in a burst of light.
Isaac stumbled outside.
"What's wrong? Losing your vampire got you down?" Anna's voice was sharp.
"Anna, do you love me?" Isaac asked.
Anna blushed. "You bastard, what are you saying?"
"Do you love me?"
"I… I…""Anna, I'm sorry. I really love Sophia." Isaac cut her off.
"…"
"Anna?""… ..."
"Are you okay?""You bastard, I knew it all along!" Anna kicked Isaac to the floor.
"Sorry, I'm useless… but I'll take responsibility—AAAAH!"
Anna stomped on him. "Idiot! If you love her, go after her!"
"Aaagh!" Isaac rolled away, escaping her foot. "You think I don't want to?"
"If you don't even have the guts to chase her to Nidosia, why would I like you?" Anna's voice was cold, expression blank.
"What?""Do you still love the vampire?"
"I…""Then go after her!"
"Fine… Anna, take this…" Isaac handed her his last sack of gold.
"Pff, what do I want with that?"
"Don't pretend! When we caught you, those hundred coins were all you had."
"You…" Anna blushed, seeing his concern.
"Who said we had to split up? I'm coming with you!"
"But—"
"No buts! You're helpless without her, you gave away your daggers and Moonshine. What will you do if bandits attack? Does the vampire want you dead?""But—""No buts! You still have those obsidian restraints and rope, right?""Yeah, but—"
"Then tie me up!" Anna spun, hands behind her back in classic Japanese style—ready to be bound for as long as it took to find Sophia.
"What are you doing?""Tie me up!"
"Okay…" Isaac began binding her, looping the rope around her chest and under her breasts, five times each. He wrapped her paired arms tight behind her back, running ropes from her armpits to her neck, then down her back, suspending her arms slightly.
"The rope between my breasts?"
"Do I have to?""You've seen it all already, now you're shy?""Alright…" Isaac cinched two more cords through her cleavage, creating an inverted star of ropes that pinioned her arms and chest together.
"And the crotch rope!" Anna glared.
"Even that?""Yes, now!"
"Alright…" Isaac tied a loop around her waist, then a crotch rope, yanking it hard between her legs.
"Ah…" Anna's face flushed.
"Too tight?""No! Pull it higher!"
"Huh? Even higher?""Yes!"
"Okay…" He yanked it up, wedging the cord directly into her folds.
"Ah… That's fine." Anna's face turned pitiful.
"Listen… Isaac… this crotch rope will make it hard to go to the bathroom. I'll need you to help me…"
"Why are you saying all this?"
"Do you want to go after her? Let's go to Nidosia now!"
"But if you're tied up—"
"Buy me a cloak!" Anna snapped, attitude returning.
"Okay…" He never knew, every time he tied her up, she felt safest—whoever tied her, it always ended with Isaac saving her.
As long as I'm tied up, Isaac won't leave my side. As long as I'm tied up…
"Going out for a cloak?""Yeah."
"Then tie my legs too.""What?""Tie me up! Or I'll run away!"
"What do you mean, run away?"
"I will! Now tie me as tight as you did the vampire, ten times tighter!"
"…Okay…" Isaac placed Anna on the bed, kneeling before her as he wound rope around her thighs and calves—three coils each.
"The obsidian collar and key?""What does that have to do with running away?""Everything! With the collar, I won't try to escape!"
"Anna, what are you—""You idiot! Just do it!" Anna's look was desperate.
"Okay… Sorry…" Isaac locked the collar around her neck.
"Gag me too!""Alright…"
"Wait! Tie me in a hogtie first, or I'll run!""Why do you always say that?""Just do it! As tight as you can!""Fine…"
If I'm always tied, Isaac will never leave me. I can stand any bondage, as long as he doesn't leave.
Isaac hogtied her, connecting ankles, crotch rope, and arms. Then he folded her calves onto her thighs, making sure she couldn't move an inch.
"Gag, then blindfold." Anna opened her mouth wide: "Ah—mm! Mmm!" She started to squirm, moaning through the gag, turning Isaac on even more.
He slipped the blindfold over her eyes. She felt safer without sight.
"I'll be right back, milady."
He slipped out to buy her a cloak. Alone, hogtied and gagged, Anna wept quietly, tears flowing unseen and unheard behind her mask.
Nidosia, The Hague.
"Jenny, your teleport's way off. We were headed to Rotterdam, and you drop us in The Hague?" Sophia and Jane stood amid bustling crowds.
"Sorry, Sophia…"
"Aren't you curious why I want to go to Rotterdam?""I don't really know…"
"You know how Nidosian nobles are named, right?""Yes.""Tell me then.""If someone comes from Hyssing, they're called 'van Hyssing.'"
"So, Jenny, do you know there's a town near Rotterdam called Deen?"
"You don't mean—"