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Chapter 2 - The Deal They Made

Silence stretched between them, thick as chains.

The Immortal's breath rattled in his chest, every word burning to escape. "Set me free?" His laugh was low, bitter. "Do you even know what I am, girl? Do you understand what happens if these chains break?"

The woman's white robes glowed faintly in the dark, as if she carried her own light. She did not step back. Instead, she knelt before him, her hand hovering just above the blood seeping from his shoulder.

"I know," she said. "I know more than you think. And I also know the truth: this kingdom that claims peace was built on your suffering. Every life they live is stolen from your own. And every moment you remain here, chained, they will keep feeding on you until nothing remains."

The Immortal's eyes narrowed. "So you want to play savior. Free the monster, and what then? Watch the world burn?"

Her lips curved into the faintest smile.

"No. I want to see the world reborn."

Something in her tone made him pause. Her voice did not tremble. Her eyes, steady and sharp, did not hold the fear mortals usually carried when they looked at him.

"And why?" he asked at last. "Why risk your life for mine? What do you gain?"

The woman leaned closer, until her breath mingled with his.

"What do I gain? Power. What do you gain? Revenge."

The words slid into the darkness like a knife.

The Immortal tilted his head, studying her. Centuries of betrayal had hardened him, but still, something in this woman's presence unsettled him. She was no ordinary priestess or sorcerer. Her aura carried weight—like someone touched by fate itself.

"And what," he murmured, "is the price of this deal?"

Her smile widened, though it did not reach her eyes.

"The price is simple. When I set you free… you belong to me."

The Beast's laughter shook the void, deep and jagged. For the first time in an age, his chains trembled.

"Careful, little one," he said, his grin edged with fire. "When you bargain with a monster, you may not live to regret it."

Her reply was steady, unshaken.

"Then let's make sure the monster regrets it instead."

The Immortal's chains rattled as he shifted, his voice echoing through the void.

"You speak of freedom. But tell me—why should I trust you? For all I know, you're another liar sent by the king to mock me."

The woman's pale face remained calm, though her fingers trembled slightly at her sides.

"I am not the king's pawn," she said firmly. "I came here of my own will."

His eyes narrowed, glowing faintly like embers. "Then prove it. If you want me free, then show me your price. What do you stand to gain from unleashing me upon this wretched kingdom?"

Her gaze did not falter. Slowly, she lowered herself to her knees, bowing until her forehead touched the cold stone floor.

The Immortal froze. No mortal had ever dared kneel before him—not like this. Not in submission.

"I seek no bargain," she whispered. "No gold. No throne. No favor." She raised her head, and in her eyes burned a strange, fierce devotion.

"I came to serve. From this moment on, you are my master."

The Immortal laughed—low and cruel, but not without curiosity. "You? Serve me? Do you even understand what that means?"

Her voice was steady, sharp as steel.

"It means my life is yours. My strength, yours. My blood, yours. Whatever you command, I obey."

For a long moment, the Immortal only stared, the fire in his chest pulsing with ancient hunger. He had been betrayed, chained, drained for centuries—and now this woman knelt before him willingly.

He leaned forward, his eyes boring into hers. "Do not think this is mercy. If you call me master, then you will suffer as I have suffered. You will bleed as I have bled. And when the world curses my name, they will curse yours alongside it."

Her lips curved faintly, almost like a smile.

"Then so be it. Let the world curse me. My fate is already sealed."

The Immortal's laughter rumbled through the void, shaking dust from unseen walls. For the first time in ages, he felt something stir within him—not hope, not peace… but anticipation.

"Very well, little servant," he said at last, his chains rattling like thunder. "If you would be mine, then I accept. From this moment, you belong to me."

And with those words, the first crack split through the silence of eternity.

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