Bound to the heavy chains, August seemed more helpless than he ever was. His body was covered with wounds but he was no stranger to physical pain at all.
He had endured worse. But the betrayal from whom he regarded as dear, devastated him beyond recovery.
"Is that all?" He asked, staring at the majestically beautiful woman. His voice hoarse, "you destroyed the home of many just because of your hatred for two humans? Is that really all?"
He said with gritted teeth,
"You stand there complaining about something that happened in the past and seek my present and future as payment? After everything we've been through together?"
"I shared everything with you and you repay me like this. By betrayal? Even if you are going to kill me don't you think I deserve to hear the truth?"
"Is there any point Augustus?" the woman with pearl white hair said, "your home is burning. Armies are coming for you. Your life hangs at my mercy and yet you want to know the truth in the moments that may very well be your last? How much of a fool are you?"
He pleaded, drops of tears falling down from his eyes,
"Please …Don't you think I deserve to know?"
The woman let out a frustrated sigh. She honestly couldn't believe the words of this young man.
"Haven't I told you enough already? What benefit is now there,. anyway? Why would you think I'll ever lie to you? I couldn't have even if I wanted to. You can trust me." She snapped.
He spat on the ground, "Yeah, right. Last time I did that you sold me off to an ancient entity."
The woman spoke, with a hint of regret—
"I didn't know their identity at that time. I was just trying to do my job. What your father had asked me to do. And if Valerius hadn't asked me …I would've never come anywhere near you."
August shot a glare towards her,
"Father asked you to protect me, didn't he? But he never asked you to protect me from one entity by introducing me to another, did he? Ah, I see now you're not a goddess but a pitiful creature scared for your life. Father and Aurelion were stronger than you hence you feared them."
The woman's expression changed —immediately annoyed,
"You know what they were strong but fear is an exaggeration. And what I did was brilliant, I acted enough for Valerius to spare my life. Aurelion would have killed me there and then, but your father, he was a fool just like all humans are. Blinded by unnecessary emotions. But he was a sentient being, someone far above my class. So I used his weakness against him."
"Shed some false tears and that moron let me live."
August smiled faintly, his tone calm, "I see, all you care about is your life. I guess my approach was wrong after all."
"Huh? What do you mean—"
Before the woman could finish her sentence he called upon his weapon, a dark blade which looked like an ornamental piece appeared in his hand.
It passed through the chains binding him without much effort and freed him in an instant.
The woman let out a confident smirk,
"Well, that was a neat trick. It's a shame sneak attacks like that aren't nearly enough for you to defeat me."
"Is that so?" He asked, raising his dominant hand towards the sky above, The air suddenly grew colder. Moonlight seemed to have dimmed, replaced by some faint otherworldly light.
His eyes burned with a red glee,
"Then how about this?"
Stars burned more in the moonlit night, and white light descended upon the lands below precisely on the woman. Luminous light washed over the entire forest for an instant followed by a loud thunderclap. Night was turned into day for a moment.
Then, the light retreated like it was never even there to begin with.
"Wha…? H.. how?" The woman, now fallen on the crater unable to move herself due to the impact let out a huge groan,
"Impossible, you are ambivalent, then how could you use that? Ahh—"
Right at that instant she felt a sharp blade pressed against her throat knowing even the slightest movement now could take her life.
The mist parted, and then she saw him. August was holding his dark blade. Standing like an omen of death.
His cold calculating eyes spoke enough for her to realize that the kid she knew about wasn't that kid anymore.
A cold chill ran down through her spine, a familiar fear took over her body. She had seen the same sight before. How could she have forgotten— August was the child of the same person who had terrified her beyond control after all.
Her breath seem ragged, eyes open wide and murmured the only name that came to her mind,
"V .. Valerius?"
She spoke, trying her best to remain alive, "you wouldn't kill me right? You are just mad at me, we can figure that out. Let's not be rash here."
At the other side of the sword, August's eyes were glowing with a dark red glow hinting that he was dead serious.
He spoke without a hint of emotion in his voice,
"Spread out your illusion, make sure they did not reach my home before dawn. And tell me every possible thing that could lead me to dad. I swear if you lie to me again . There won't be a second time."
He retracted the black blade. The woman heaved a sigh of relief. As a creature who has always fought for survival, she understood that there was no escape from him. She doesn't stand a chance.
Looking at his emotionless face she decided to tell him everything from the very start …but before that she had to ask him,
"Tell me August, what did you see? What changed you this much? What had they done to you? The storyteller."
At the mention of their title a cold light flashed in his eyes, several painful memories flooded his mind altogether.
"That's none of your business." He replied.
— — — — —