"Oh really? What is this deal then?" Gunlaug said, his tone dry, unimpressed — his eyes half-lidded like a man used to hearing lies.
"Simple," I replied, smiling from ear to ear. "Either you free me and give me total freedom — oh, and also never go after me again — or I'll kill everyone here."
A ripple of unease moved through the guards. The chains clanked softly as I moved, the faint smell of rust and blood heavy in the air. Gunlaug's expression didn't change, but I could see his jaw tighten ever so slightly.
"So how exactly do you plan on doing that?" he asked, his voice cutting through the room like a dull blade. "I see you have unlocked your chains, but do you think you can kill me and all my men?"
"In a fair fight, probably not," I said, rolling my shoulders with a grin.
"So you admit you are lying," he said, stepping closer.
"No, no, no," I chuckled. "I'm not lying. You see… I can't win in a fair fight. Fortunately—" I tilted my head, letting my grin widen into something feral, "—I'm incredibly good at making a fight unfair."
Gunlaug's brow furrowed. "How exactly?"
I didn't answer. I just smiled, raised my hand — and snapped my fingers.
The sound was sharp, almost innocent. Then one of the guards — the one standing closest to Gunlaug — went rigid. His eyes went wide, blood bubbling from his mouth before his chest burst outward in a wet explosion. The man dropped like a sack of meat. The room went dead silent.
"I can explode every single one of your men's hearts in an instant," I said quietly, almost tenderly, as if I was explaining a secret recipe. "Including all your high-ranking officials."
"Ho–how… how did you do that, bastard?" Gunlaug's voice shook for the first time. He looked around, searching for something to make sense of it — but there was nothing. Just me.
I paused, tilted my head, and then burst out laughing — a sharp, manic sound that filled the chamber.
"Oh gods, no way—" I said between gasps of laughter. "You actually thought I'd monologue? Reveal my plan? Like some villain in a shitty anime?" I leaned forward "All you need to know is everyone's lives are in my hands. And here's the kicker—" my grin sharpened, "—I'm very trigger happy."
Gunlaug's nostrils flared. "Just how many lives are you willing to sacrifice?"
"How many lives you got?" I asked, tilting my head, voice dropping to a whisper. "That's how many."
There was a long silence. The tension in the room was so thick I could taste it — fear, sweat, iron. Gunlaug finally exhaled, shoulders slumping just slightly. He knew he had no choice.
He raised one hand, summoning a glowing memory. "If you want your freedom, I need you to put your blood here," he said, gesturing to a hovering orb etched with runes. "And make a promise — to never harm me or my men again. If you break it, your heart will stop."
"Oh?" I arched an eyebrow. "So does it go both ways? Because you need to hold up your end too."
"Yes," he replied through gritted teeth.
I walked forward slowly, savoring every step. The orb hummed like it was alive — a heartbeat of glowing light. As I looked at the runes, I felt something… strange. A pull, a recognition I couldn't explain. But whatever it was, it didn't matter right now.
I smirked. "Alright then."
I placed my bleeding hand over the orb. "I promise that I will never personally kill you, Gunlaug, or any of your guards again."
It was perfect. The phrasing, the loopholes — deliciously layered. Only Gunlaug and his guards. Only killing, not torture. Only personally. Meaning Beast could do whatever the hell he wanted.
Gunlaug followed suit, pricking his palm. "I promise to allow you complete freedom and never go after you with the intent of harming you within the dark city's walls."
I almost laughed. Within the walls? Meaning outside, he could come after me all he wanted. What an idiot. He thought he was clever.
Both our blood dripped onto the orb. The runes pulsed brighter — red light winding around us like veins. I watched as the patterns twisted and formed words I shouldn't have been able to read, yet somehow I did.
> In sacrifice, the hearts of the participants.
It had many meanings. But the most important one was clear:
if either of us broke the deal, both our hearts would stop.
A fair trade — though I already had ways around that.
When the light faded, I stepped out of the cage. The metal door screeched open as I walked past Gunlaug, grinning like a man reborn.
The corridor outside smelled like oil and candle smoke. I could finally breathe again. Every step I took felt lighter. For the first time in weeks, I wasn't a prisoner.
I strolled through the halls, humming faintly, until I found myself at Seishan's door. Might as well pay my lovely little chef a visit.
I knocked once and walked in without waiting. She was sitting by her desk, flipping through a book, and looked up at me with mild amusement.
"So I guess you're a free man now?" she said, eyebrow raised.
I nodded. "Yup."
She smirked. "So, how did you do it anyway?"
"Well, for starters," I said, walking around her room, running my hand along the furniture like I owned the place, "I asked Kai and Aiko to bring me the key to my chains. Pretty simple plan. Kai lures the guard who had it to Aiko's gambling den, makes him piss drunk, gets him to bet the key… and loses. Then Kai delivers it to me."
"Makes sense," she said, crossing her legs. "But what about the rest? I don't think Gunlaug would've just let you go without leverage. Or did it have something to do with me putting your blood in the food, just like you asked?"
"Bingo," I said, snapping my fingers. "You see, once they ingested my blood, I could explode their hearts from the inside."
Seishan blinked. "Wait… does that mean a part of you is inside me and all my handmaidens?"
"Not yet."
"…Huh?"
"Huh?"
She gave me a flat look. "What did you just say, Alucard?"
"I said no," I replied innocently.
"No, the other part."
"I just said no."
She sighed and lay back on her bed, muttering something about regretting every life choice that led her here.
"Well," I said, stretching, "I'm gonna check out a few things now that I'm a free man."
"Like what?" she asked.
"Catch up with Kai and Effie. Now that I know they apparently thought I died."
She sat up a little. "Wait, you didn't know that?"
"Yeah, I didn't. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I tried, but you refused to listen!"
I blinked. My brain replayed a vague memory —
Flashback:
I was devouring a corpse, Seishan standing behind me, watching me like someone trying to reason with a wild animal.
"So, uh… I guess you're alive? Effie said you died."
"Of course she did," I said through a mouthful of blood and bone. "But I'm here now, aren't I?"
"Should I tell them you're alive?"
"No. They know I'm alive. They're just pretending I'm dead because they abandoned me."
Flash forward.
I blinked again. "Huh. Yeah, that sounds like me."
I turned toward the door, feeling the faint hum of the contract still somewhere in my chest. "Anyway, I'm off."
"Try not to explode anyone before lunch," Seishan muttered.
"No promises," I said over my shoulder, grinning.
The halls felt different now — quieter, but in a way that buzzed with potential. I was free. Free to move, free to act, free to hunt.
And before I'd meet Effie, Kai, or Aiko again — first things first.
I'd find my grave.