Blood dripped from my lips as I struggled to breathe, my ribs throbbing with every shallow gasp. My knees dug into the dirt, my arms bound behind me by rusted chains that bit into my wrists. The air reeked of sweat and blood, laced with the metallic tang of ichor, the divine essence the ruling families flaunted like a crown.
"You're pathetic, Kael," Eryk Vore sneered, his golden hair glinting in the sunlight like a halo he didn't deserve. His wolfish grin and piercing blue eyes radiated contempt. As scion of the House of Zeus, he wielded lightning with ease, heir to a throne forged in storms, a self-styled god of the modern age.
Me? I was their punching bag, a slave, a dog.
"Can you even feel that mark of yours?" Eryk taunted, grabbing my chin and forcing my gaze up. His fingers sparked with static, sending sharp jolts through my skin that made my teeth grind.
The mark on my chest burned faintly, mocking me.
The mark of Hestia.
A mark that brought nothing but pain.
"Give it a rest, Eryk," Cai Drakos said, leaning against the training ring's fence, his muscled arms crossed. His sharp grin held a trace of weariness, like he was tired of this routine. As heir to the House of Ares, his family's strength was unmatched, but Cai wasn't as vicious as Eryk. He seemed more bored than cruel, like he wished I'd put up a better fight.
I staggered to my feet, legs trembling, but kept my mouth shut. Words only made things worse, a lesson carved into me years ago. I was born to the fallen House of Hestia, once among the Twelve, now the disgraced Thirteenth. A house that chose peace over war, only to be exiled for its weakness.
My blood was tainted. My mark, a curse.
Eryk smirked, circling me like a vulture. "What's wrong, Kael? No fire in you today? Or ever?" His voice dripped with mockery, drawing chuckles from the other heirs watching from the sidelines.
I clenched my fists behind my back, the chains rattling. I'd run before, begged before, broken before. But today, a spark of defiance flickered inside me. I wouldn't give Eryk the satisfaction of seeing me crumble so easily.
He raised his hand, and lightning crackled in his palm, bright and hot. It was effortless for him, a game. My body tensed, memories of past burns flashing through my mind. "Run," he said, his grin widening. "It's all you're good for."
I didn't run. I stood my ground, staring him down. "I'm not your toy," I muttered, barely audible, but the words fueled me. Eryk's eyes narrowed, catching the defiance in my stare. His grin turned feral.
"Oh, the Hestia dog has a spine today," he said, his voice low and dangerous. He flicked his wrist, and a thin bolt of lightning lashed my shoulder. The pain seared, my muscles seizing as smoke curled from my skin. I gritted my teeth, swallowing a scream.
Cai shifted, his voice carrying a hint of unease. "Eryk, he's already beat from yesterday. Maybe dial it back." It wasn't compassion, not really, just a warrior's respect for limits. Cai valued strength, even if he saw none in me. But Eryk lived for this, for breaking people like me.
"Dial it back?" Eryk laughed, a cruel bark that echoed through the ring. "This is training, Cai. He needs to learn his place." Another bolt struck my knee, dropping me back to the dirt. Pain exploded up my leg, but I pushed myself up, trembling, refusing to stay down.
The other heirs watched, their reactions varied. Lena Thalor, from the House of Poseidon, toyed with a water orb, her dark hair tied back, her eyes cool and detached. She wasn't cruel like Eryk, just indifferent, like this was a chore. "Just get it over with," she said softly, her tone flat.
Jax Korvin, from the House of Hades, stood in the shadows, his pale face unreadable. He rarely spoke, but his presence carried a quiet intensity that unsettled even Eryk at times. He wasn't here for sport, more like duty forced him to watch.
Eryk didn't care what they thought. He grabbed my hair, yanking my head back. "Think you can resist? Let's see how long that lasts." His palm pressed against my chest, over the mark of Hestia, and a surge of electricity tore through me. It was like liquid fire in my veins, every nerve screaming. My vision blurred, my body convulsed, but I bit my tongue, tasting blood, refusing to cry out.
Resist, I told myself. Don't break. Memories flooded in of my mother, Callia Emberly, beaten until her last breath, whispering for me to stay strong. Elias Thorn, my tutor, dying to shield me, his lessons about Hestia's legacy still burning in my mind. They'd resisted. I wouldn't shame them.
But the pain grew, relentless. Eryk varied it, sharp zaps followed by prolonged burns that locked my muscles. Sweat and tears mixed on my face, my breaths ragged. My resolve cracked. "Stop... please," I whispered, hating the weakness in my voice.
Eryk's laugh was triumphant. "There it is. The break. You're nothing, Kael, just a relic of a dead house." He shoved me down, my chains clanking as I slumped forward. Cai looked away, Lena sighed, Jax's eyes narrowed slightly.
But deep inside, something stirred. The mark on my chest warmed, not with pain, but with a faint heat spreading through me. Rage. For my mother, for Elias, for every day I'd been less than human.
Eryk turned away, dismissing me. "Chain him tighter tonight. Maybe he'll learn."
That was it. The spark ignited. With a raw shout, I surged up, the chains straining. I charged, slamming my shoulder into Eryk's back. He stumbled, shocked. "You bastard!" I roared, my voice tearing free.
He spun, eyes wide with fury. "You dare?" Lightning flared, brighter than before, striking my chest. I staggered but kept coming, landing a fist on his jaw. His lip split, golden ichor trickling down.
Cai stepped forward, hesitant. "Eryk, he's fighting back. Enough."
"Enough?" Eryk snarled, his face twisted. Lightning bolts rained down, one charring my arm, another cracking my ribs. I hit the ground, rolled, and swung again, my fist connecting with his gut. He doubled over, gasping.
"Stop this!" Lena called, her water orb splashing uselessly as she tried to intervene.
Jax's voice cut through, low and sharp. "Eryk, you're going too far."
But Eryk was beyond reason. He grabbed my throat, lifting me off the ground. "I'll slaughter you for this." A final bolt pierced my chest, a lance of agony that whited out the world. My heart stuttered, my body went limp.
Lord Vore appeared, his presence heavy. "Enough, son," he said calmly, his raised hand sparking with lightning.
I collapsed, vision fading, but forced out words. "You think you're gods, but you're just bullies. One day... I'll take it all from you."
The mark flared as darkness swallowed me.
Silence followed.