Omen could feel his heart beating faster. Lilith hadn't moved an inch, but her eyes had already turned a deep red, the same shade she had when she fought that blackened beast.
The man's gaze shifted between the two of them. Then it stopped on Lilith's eyes, and his expression twisted with pure…adultred, lust.
Omen frowned, worried that this would trigger the girl, but what he saw next scared even her as she looked at Omen with an eerie smile.
"You remember what I told you? Let's do it now."
That was all the time it took for two huge nets to launch over their figures, holding them in its grasp.
The force knocked Omen down as the ropes tightened, digging into his skin.
"Lilith!" The boy shouted, but before he could move again, something hard struck the back of his head.
His vision blurred instantly, as Omen let out a painful groan, falling to the ground as his eyes stayed fixed at the Lilith's calm eyes staring at him, even while trapped.
Then, darkness took over.
***
When Omen opened his eyes again, the first thing he felt was the rough texture of some kind of rope biting into his arms.
His body was bound tightly, his knees pressed to the ground, neck heavy and stiff. The scent of damp wood and smoke filled the boy's nose.
He was inside a tent with a dim lantern light flickeing across the walls.
A single guard sat in front of him on a wooden chair, sharpening his blade slowly, his face hidden behind a wooden mask.
Omen's eyes darted around the room, nothing but a few barrels, a table, and the man.
Yup, he was on point…they had taken Lilith away.
His breathing picked up a faint pukish scent as he feared vomiting again.
After the last time, he was really afraid of vomiting, totally trying to ignore how he had pissed his pants looked at Lilith fight that giant creature.
The guard noticed the boy's unease and started laughing dryly. "Looking for that girl?" he asked, leaning forward. "You two really picked the wrong place to wander into."
Omen stayed silent, staring at the burly figure.
"Don't give me that look," the man continued, the knife scraping softly against its sheath. "Our young master's here and we were just about to head through the portal when you two appeared."
He chuckled under his breath. "When the master saw that ravishing piece of an item with you, he couldn't help but tell us to stop."
The guard's tone turned sick. "He said that he was hungry, kekkekeke.
Our young master needed a juicy meal to fill the pit in his stomach~"
"Hahahaha" Laughter echoed in the tent as the perverted guard bent over and looked straight into Omen's eyes,"You know what that means, don't you?"
Omen's expression didn't move, but deep inside, something broke.
His heart sank as a faint twitch ran through his finger, and then, nothing.
There was no fear or rage inside his eyes.
After all, he had seen the strength of Lilith, not only that but after he had read the Thousand Eyes Sutra, his belief in the girl only further strengthened.
If there was one regret inside his heart, then it was the fact that he couldn't help her.
That he was too weak to even defend himself.
But all that was going to change soon.
Lilith's voice echoed in Omen's mind, the same words she'd told him before they were caught.
The boy lowered his head. He remembered the hours they spent reading that strange book she'd given him, the one bound in that leather hide with words that pulsed faintly when opened.
She had explained that each Sutra was like a ritual, and once one started learning one, they could never practice another until they gave up all the foundations and powers received by it.
He didn't understand it at first, but now, it all made sense.
The power she spoke of…was soon about to be born.
The guard was still laughing when Omen finally looked up. His blue eyes met the man's directly, glowing faintly under the dim light as he spoke calmly.
"…any time now,"
***