The Price of Power

“Well, Saranya?” Kaelan’s voice was light and playful, deliberately drawing out the end of her words. “Will you accept Lenix’s apology…?”

Saranya stood in a position of dominance, yet her gaze upon Lenix remained strangely blank. Under Kaelan’s oppressive influence, Lenix was no longer an autonomous being. Kaelan had used extreme intimidation and brutal torture to strip her of her rights and personhood. Now, Lenix lay prostrate at their feet, trembling violently with fear, her eyes fixed on Saranya in a desperate plea.

Just as she had done with Paresha before, Kaelan had transformed Lenix into a mere ‘thing,’ a soiled rag to be shared by their two ‘masters.’ If Saranya desired, she could wantonly abuse these two unfortunate females at any moment, burdening them with the most degrading and arduous tasks. But was such a thing truly right? She felt herself cleaved in two, one half a screaming conscience, the other… something far darker, far more chaotic.

The truth was, Saranya had observed Lenix’s torment from beginning to end, offering no word of protest, allowing Kaelan’s brutal acts to unfold until Lenix’s spirit was utterly shattered, forcing her to submit in desperation and become their base subordinate. Realizing her actions bordered on pure evil, Saranya’s body grew feverish, her limbs trembling with a strange exhilaration. She met the gaze of Lenix, who lay beneath her, and in the dull, animalistic depths of the dryad’s eyes, Saranya saw her own reflection, startled to find a faint, unsettling curve already playing on her lips.

“H-huh… H-huh…!” Startled by her own twisted expression, Saranya clapped a hand over her mouth, whispering denials again and again. “No, this isn’t me… this isn’t me…”

Though she refused to admit it, neither could she bring herself to self-deceive. There was only one explanation: Kaelan’s twisted pleasure mechanism seemed to reside within her as well. Had Kaelan influenced her, or was it, as Kaelan often claimed, that a corrupt, depraved nature inherently coursed through the veins of humanity? She didn’t know; she truly didn’t know, and the very thought of these questions filled her with terror.

“I… I accept your apology, Lenix…” Saranya’s voice was uncertain, wavering. She extended an arm, gently brushing the top of Lenix’s head. The damp, clammy feel of Lenix’s hair made her muscles instantly tense, and her arm recoiled sharply as if from an electric shock.

She took a deep breath, forcing her hand to descend once more, patting the beast-ears atop Lenix’s head.

“M-my Master…” The fox-girl let out a suppressed whimper beneath her palm, her body trembling. In her eyes, there was not a trace of resentment, only a near-numb submission.

‘Get up, I don’t need you to kneel to me.’ She had intended to say these words, but her throat felt as if it were being squeezed, preventing any sound from escaping. She choked, a morbid warmth surging through her heart at the sight of her former enemy’s complete submission.

“Oh…” She understood now. She was beginning to grasp her Master’s perspective. She had never imagined that deep within her own heart, she harbored the same desires as Kaelan. ‘So… this is it… This is what it feels like… to dominate others…’

Saranya’s fingers, stroking Lenix’s hair, gradually pressed harder, imbued with the scrutinizing touch one might give an object. Unconsciously, she twirled strands of the fox-girl’s hair around her fingertips, batting Lenix’s head back and forth as if it were a mere ball.

“This is revenge,” she muttered, “This is *my* revenge. How dare you… treat Master and me like that before… Heh heh…” She attempted to brainwash herself, rationalizing her aberrant behavior towards Lenix, and she succeeded. Mimicking Kaelan, she adopted a commanding tone that even she found unfamiliar, barking orders at Lenix as one might scold a wild dog. “Stop trembling! Kneel properly!”

Beneath her, Lenix devoutly kowtowed, then, with tears in her eyes, lifted the slipper from Saranya’s foot and lightly pressed her lips to its rough surface.

“Look up,” Kaelan commanded, stepping closer and linking her arm through Saranya’s, “Let Lady Saranya see your face again!” Together, they gazed down at the humble fox-girl. Yet, Kaelan’s address, “Lady Saranya,” struck Saranya with far greater force than anything Lenix had done. Saranya’s face instantly flushed crimson, and she cast a look brimming with affection at the young witch.

Lenix obediently lifted her head, her eyes dull, her expression a shattered mask of despair. She vigorously wagged her large tail at her two masters.

“Reach out, Saranya,” Kaelan instructed, “Firmly grasp her face, and receive the power you deserve from this little livestock.” Saranya did not hesitate. Under Kaelan’s guidance, she thrust out her hand, seizing Lenix’s entire face, kneading her features into a distorted mess. Simultaneously, Kaelan silently chanted, and an emerald green orb of light flashed from the pendant at her chest, shooting directly towards Saranya’s forehead.

“Mmmph… Mmmph-huru…” Lenix did not struggle, remaining as still as a corpse. Only due to her obstructed breathing did the beast-eared girl’s cheeks puff out in silent agony.

“Saranya,” Kaelan explained, “What I’m having you absorb is her magic source. By simply devouring this, you’ll gain excellent control over magic, just like hers, without any need for practice. Rest assured, dryads are very ‘clean’ creatures; consuming her magic source won’t affect your constitution or place any additional burden on your body.”

“What will happen to Lenix?” Saranya asked.

“I’ll leave her a fraction of her power,” Kaelan replied, “Enough for her abilities to dwindle to the level of a magic beginner…”

As if to placate Saranya, Kaelan leaned in, whispering in a voice laced with subtle inducement. “This is also to protect Vero, isn’t it? We need power, we need other spellcasters as allies, right? My righteous great knight…”

“Yes… yes…” Saranya stammered, “This is to protect everyone… at least I haven’t… forgotten my original intention…”

It had to be said, Kaelan always managed to pinpoint Saranya’s subtle misgivings, then swayed her with words that sounded perfectly logical. In terms of overarching plans, Kaelan was always meticulously thorough, leaving Saranya no need for any superfluous thought… right?

The young witch directed the orb of light to bore into Saranya’s forehead. Saranya felt a thrill of plundering another’s power spread through her entire being, causing her to hum softly in blissful comfort. “Give it to me, give it all to me…” she murmured. “Lenix, you don’t need this magic energy at all. I am not like you… I need it, I need more power…”

Under the ritual’s influence, Lenix, pinned beneath her, suddenly erupted in a shrill, agonizing scream. A vast quantity of emerald green magic energy surged from her body, while Saranya’s hand, pressed against her face, acted like a greedy maw, voraciously drawing that magic energy into her own being.

“Stop now.” After absorbing the largest and brightest spherical surge of magic light, Kaelan called a halt to Saranya, thus completing the ritual of power-plundering.

“Master… I feel…!” Saranya exclaimed. A perfectly circular, ice-blue magic light erupted from her, and centered on her, the temperature in the area swept by the light plummeted sharply to freezing. The wall-mounted torches sputtered, smoked, and extinguished, while glistening layers of ice instantly crawled across the dungeon’s ceiling and walls.

Even Kaelan, powerful as she was, found herself compelled to erect a dark magical barrier to shield herself from the frigid temperatures Saranya had conjured.

“This is the ‘Frost Domain’ Mejga once cast in the Sanctuary,” Kaelan said, her voice full of pride. “Saranya, you’re truly amazing; you’ve already caught up to your brother!” The barrier dissipated, and the frost flowers that had clung to it drifted gently to the floor, revealing Kaelan’s sweet, smiling face. “Such remarkable progress, wouldn’t you say?”

“It’s… it’s Master’s excellent guidance…” Saranya stammered.

“You, my dear, are truly gifted,” Kaelan purred, “You might even surpass me one day…”

“Really?!” Saranya’s eyes widened. ‘Hehe… to be called “talented” by the infamous Black Witch—anyone would be absolutely thrilled!’

Saranya’s face was alight with excitement, while Kaelan’s cheeks were faintly flushed, her words seemingly laden with a deeper meaning. “I hope you acquire the Crown of Domination as soon as possible… master its power… and then…”

“Kaelan, mm…” In the wicked dungeon, now entirely encased in solid ice, the two girls completed their blasphemous ritual. They left their victim discarded on the frigid floor, their attention solely on each other, their eyes silently exchanging declarations of love.

Saranya, once again defying her Master’s unspoken prohibition, leaned down as the initiator, lightly brushing the young witch’s pale, cold lips.

“Mmmph…” Kaelan’s body instantly softened, her small face brimming with a hazy, blissful expression. She rose gently onto her tiptoes, passionately embracing Saranya and returning her kiss.