Starting out as a Dragon Slave-Chapter 74: History

Mordred froze, his eyes plunged into Akane’s serious, intense gaze. He felt his heart beating furiously against his chest, torn between relief and absolute astonishment at finding her in such a situation.

- Akane..." he murmured, his voice trembling with a deep emotion he was desperately trying to control. What are you doing here? Why are you here...? And Belgaroth?

She quickly put a finger to her lips, cutting him off immediately. Her gaze was hard and determined, but also shone with a hint of vulnerability that immediately pierced Mordred:

- ’Not here, Mordred,’ she murmured hastily, glancing around nervously. We mustn’t be seen. Follow me.

Without giving him time to react further, Akane grabbed his hand with surprising strength, leading him swiftly through the palace corridors. Mordred, initially hesitant, quickly allowed himself to be led, intrigued as much by her strange behavior as by her silent determination.

They quickly left the party, passing through side corridors, taking obscure passages and hidden staircases that Mordred hadn’t even noticed before. The sounds of the party gradually faded behind them, giving way to the deep, eerie silence of the dark, deserted palace. Akane advanced confidently, obviously accustomed to the palace’s secret intricacies.

Finally, after some ten minutes of silent, anxiety-inducing wandering, they came to a halt before a massive dark wooden door, engraved with runes and decorated with fine carvings of dragons and ancient books. Akane carefully opened the door, pushing it open to avoid any noise.

Mordred immediately felt a slightly dusty but pleasant whiff of air, laden with the scent of old paper and leather. Inside, he discovered an immense library, imposing and majestic, filled with hundreds of thousands of books with antique covers, perfectly aligned on huge shelves rising to the vaulted ceiling.

- What is this place, Akane?" he finally asked, incredulous, scrutinizing every nook and cranny with growing curiosity.

- Hush, wait," she murmured dryly, her intense gaze staring intently at the shelves as she mumbled under her breath, clearly concentrating. I’ve got to find that book...

She rummaged around for a few minutes, her hands skimming over the ancient books with infinite gentleness and care. Finally, her face suddenly lit up, a triumphant gleam shining in her eyes as she grasped a book slightly different from the others, more worn, almost damaged by time.

She gently pulled the book towards her. A muffled click sounded, and to Mordred’s utter amazement, the entire shelf slowly rotated, revealing a secret passageway leading to a room hidden behind the walls of books.

- By all the gods... Mordred murmured, completely stunned. Akane, what is this place? What exactly are you doing here?

- Quiet, Mordred," she said impatiently, almost abruptly this time. We haven’t got much time. Come in, quickly.

He obeyed immediately, following Akane into the secret room. She carefully closed the shelf behind them, plunging the room into almost total darkness. Akane fumbled for a few seconds before lighting an old candle, whose faint glow slowly revealed a narrow, dusty room filled with ancient, fragile manuscripts.

Without waiting, she delicately picked up a very old book, its covers worn and battered by the ages, and placed it gingerly in front of Mordred, her fingers trembling slightly with excitement or nervousness.

- Are you ready to discover the truth, Mordred?" she asked gravely, her gaze literally piercing him.

- What truth?" replied Mordred anxiously. What exactly do you mean, Akane?

- The truth about this world, about us... and about dragons," she murmured darkly, slowly opening the book before his eyes.

The pages, yellowed by time but perfectly legible, slowly revealed a story different from the one Mordred had known until now. Ancient illustrations and handwritten texts told of a hidden past, a forbidden history.

- Once upon a time, Mordred, humans were powerful. Our people, in this world, possessed incredible strength, a flourishing civilization that rivaled the dragons themselves. The story as it is known today, as told by the dragons, is a complete lie.

Mordred remained silent, his eyes avidly absorbing every word, every image.

- But then, how...? he breathed slowly.

- The dragons knew they could never defeat humans directly," Akane explained gravely. So they devised a treacherous plan. They created portals to other worlds, sending terrifying monsters into the human world. Each portal weakened the humans, forcing them to fight these constant threats. The dragons would then assassinate the best human fighters, the greatest heroes, ambushing them in these same portals, slowly breaking our people from within, weakening our civilization little by little.

Mordred turned pale, a terrible cold suddenly gripping him as he made the obvious connection with his own life, with his world when he was Isaac. The portals, the monsters... it was all horribly similar to his native world.

- Akane," he murmured slowly, his voice almost broken. Do you know if the dragons are planning to invade another world right now?

She slowly looked up at him, intrigued by his question:

- Why do you ask, Mordred? What difference would it make to you to know?

- Just answer me, please..." he said firmly, his serious gaze anchored in hers.

She sighed softly, obviously hesitant, but finally replied:

- I don’t know yet. Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. I’m not sure. But dragons are power-hungry, Mordred. If they’ve done it once, they might do it again.

Mordred suddenly felt oppressed by an unbearable weight, immediately understanding the terrifying implications of these revelations:

- Akane, if they do it again, then...

- Then no world is really safe," she finished coldly, slowly closing the book with silent gravity.

They remained silent for a few seconds, the atmosphere heavy with palpable tension, Mordred suddenly realizing the extent of the hidden secrets, the monstrous manipulations orchestrated by these beings claiming to be superior.

Akane leaned slightly towards him, her eyes shining with fierce determination:

- Mordred, we must prevent this. Together, we may have a chance. But we must be careful... the dragons must not discover that we know this truth.

He nodded slowly, his mind already focused on how he could use these revelations to change his fate, Akane’s fate... and perhaps that of his own world.

- I’m ready for anything, Akane," he murmured gravely, gently clasping her hand in his. Whatever it takes.

The silence of the small room had become almost oppressive, disturbed only by the flickering candle flame casting dancing shadows on the walls. Mordred, still shaken by Akane’s revelations, felt a new anxiety seize him as he watched the young woman’s closed face. He hesitated for a few seconds before finally breaking the silence:

- Akane... he said softly, almost shyly, half avoiding her gaze. I... I need to know what happened with Belgaroth. I saw you, and...

He paused, searching for words, his heart clenched with apprehension and suppressed anger. Akane remained silent for a few seconds, her gaze fixed on the ground, a deep, silent pain obscuring her features, previously so proud and assured.

- Akane... are you all right?" he finally whispered, his voice trembling with restrained emotion, but also burning with a cold anger that was slowly rising in his heart.

She slowly raised her eyes to his, her dark pupils shining with a pain she could no longer completely conceal. Without replying directly, she turned slowly, averting her gaze slightly.

- I don’t know if words are enough to describe what I’ve been through," she finally murmured with difficulty, her voice trembling with restrained emotion.

Without further warning, she slowly removed her top, the fabric sliding down her bare shoulders, gradually revealing her back. Mordred gasped violently, his face suddenly bright red as he stammered, confused and embarrassed by this unexpected gesture:

- Akane, what are you doing? I... it’s not necessary...

But his protests immediately died in his throat when he clearly saw Akane’s back. His breath caught in his chest. All embarrassment was immediately swept away by a terrible anger that bubbled up inside him like an uncontrollable torrent.

Akane’s once smooth and perfect skin was now a field of ruins. Deep, brutal scars, sometimes barely healed, covered her back almost entirely, marking her flesh with a terrible, cruel violence. Some marks were recent, red and irritated, while others, older, were whitish and long, testifying to prolonged suffering over time.

Mordred felt his fists clench instinctively, an uncontrollable rage bubbling up inside him, so violent that it made him tremble slightly:

- Damn it, Akane..." he breathed in a strangled voice, unable to look away from the inflicted wounds. How could he...

Akane slowly put her top back on, turning back to him with a resigned, sad expression in her eyes. She smiled faintly, but it was a smile tinged with infinite pain:

- What you see, Mordred," she murmured softly, her voice filled with painful sadness, "isn’t even 1% of what I’ve been through. Belgaroth likes to break his toys slowly. He revels in their suffering, their humiliation.

She breathed in deeply, trying to control her wavering emotions, and resumed slowly, louder this time: ƒreewebɳovel.com

- But I’m still here. I’m holding on. Because if I crack, he definitely wins, and I refuse to give him that pleasure.

Mordred felt a lump of emotion tighten painfully in his throat, a cold, determined rage taking root in him, reinforced by every mark on Akane’s skin:

- I promise you, Akane," he breathed with gravity and determination, his eyes burning with cold anger. He’ll pay for every wound, every tear he forced you to shed.

She smiled softly, sincerely touched by his promise, before adding gravely:

- Mordred... Belgaroth isn’t stupid. He saw our interaction at the party. He knows I care about you, even if I’ve never said anything. I’m pretty sure he’s going to ask Princess Elystria for you. I hope she likes you enough to refuse. If she doesn’t, believe me, all this will only be a pale outline of what awaits you...

He remained silent, aware of the gravity of his words, but his gaze remained determined:

- I’m ready to face it, Akane. I’ll do anything to set you free, to set us free, whatever the cost.

Akane then slowly approached him, their faces only inches apart. Mordred felt his heart beat faster, aware of this sudden closeness but unable to look away from her. Akane murmured softly:

- I believe in you, Mordred. More than you know. But promise me you won’t take any unnecessary risks... I couldn’t bear it if he did to you what he did to me...

He gently reached out his hand, touching Akane’s cheek with his fingertips, caressing with infinite delicacy her face, wounded but still so beautiful in his eyes:

- I promise, Akane. I’ll be careful. But you be careful too. I can’t lose you.

For a few seconds, time seemed to stand still between them, their gazes mingling with a painfully palpable intensity. Mordred felt his heart clench painfully in his chest, a sudden urge to bring their lips together becoming almost irresistible, but he didn’t dare go any further. Akane noticed, blushed slightly but smiled softly, fully understanding his restraint:

- One day," she murmured softly, placing her delicate hand on his cheek, "I promise we’ll have time for each other. For now, we must get back to the party. Our absence will soon go unnoticed.

He nodded gently, with a subtle but understanding sadness:

- Yes, we’re in hell, but we’re looking at the paradise of the future.

- We’re in hell, but we’re looking at the paradise that will be the future. she repeated softly.

She smiled faintly, grateful, before slowly opening the secret passage back to the library. Together, they returned to the party, their hearts linked by a silent, hopeful oath.