Surrendered To The Lord Of Sin-Chapter 71: “It’s time…”

It was dark and abandoned, and the air carried the weight of a forest she vividly remember. Lucrezia walked barefooted, dressed in a white frock, staring at the distance between her and the bridge. Beyond the ancient path laid a castle.

She was here again. Not again...

Lucrezia never believed she would be here so soon. Her pulse skittered when a swirling mass of violet and iron lightening struck the bruised clouds, and she took a step forward. Wind tugged at the hem of her dress, threading through her hair as though trying to pull her back.

For a while, she walked towards the pulse that was drawn to her just like the dream always anchored her presence, until an unsettling caw halted her steps. Those ocean blue eyes glistened in fear and surprise when they found the eyes of a raven, circling over her like some kind of ritual.

Her steps faltered and she took a step back. Run, she told herself, like she did when instinct where sharper than any rationality. But just then, a faint tremble of the earth wrenched her focus, and her eyes darted toward the horizon sharply, searching for the cause of the upheaval.

A low thunder rolled across the valley where beyond the tree line, a wall of dust surged upward, swallowing the distant hills in a churning haze. The air thickened, and beneath the heavy, rhythmic thumps, it was a massive unrelenting footsteps.

The bridge quaked with every advancing stride, and the earth below convulsed violently, disturbed by the tremor of whatever marched unseen behind the bruised clouds.

Just right then, the sound grew louder and closer carrying the unmistaken cadence of beasts moving as one, coming straight for her. An army of something vast and undeniably hungry.

Run. Run. Run.

The command pounded through her mind as she lunged off the bridge and into the forest, branches clawing at her sleeves while she forced her legs to move faster. Roots jutted from the earth like traps, and she swerved around them. Her breath tore from her lungs in ragged pulls as she turned; left, right, twist, turn.

But no matter which way she fled, the forest bent her back toward them. Panic surged hotter in her chest. The last thing she remembered was the trial, where in the midst of the crowd’s murmur, the sharp crack of a voice rising above the rest, voices curled into her ears like smoke.

There were too loud and too many that she remembered darkness swallowing her whole. And now she was here... not just dreaming, but somewhere inside her nightmare. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

A place that didn’t fail to look real. How worse could it seem?

This time, they didn’t capture her. Lucrezia found herself drawn to the presence from the jagged cliff. His long ink-dark hair moved in accord with the wind, carrying the hem of his cloak as one hand held his staff with someone beside him.

It seemed like a... woman, but from that distance, she couldn’t make up the figure, but a strong sense of familiarity that felt wrong yet... there.

Before her mind could fully process his presence, he appeared before her, hand hovering around her chest.

Just when she thought he would reach her heart, he leaned in and whispered, "I’ve waited for so long," His voice was cold and totally beyond any mortal’s comprehension, carrying the undeniable weight of evil and peril. She could feel the night’s air carrying the scent of iron and ash into her lungs, and her chest tightened. "It’s time, Lucrezia."

Lucrezia came back to herself with a sharp breath. Her lungs burned as though she had been held underwater for too long, and her chest rose in a panicked gasp, the sensation of fabric pressing tight against her ribs pulling her fully awake.

Her eyes flew open to the familiar canopy of her chamber ceiling, carved with delicate arches she had seen before. For a moment, she could not move as the weight of the dream clung to her like cold sweat.

Silk sheets tangled around her legs and the scent of old stone and lavender oil replaced the forest’s metallic air. Her body felt heavy and anchored, but her skin still tingled as though lightning had passed through it. The faint glow of dying embers flickered in the hearth across the room, casting restless shadows against the walls.

Safe. She was safe, she thought, and her fingers flew to her chest feeling the frantic hammering of her own heart.

’It’s time, Lucrezia."

The whisper lingered inside her mind, and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing the echo away. It had felt so real. From the forest, to the army of Shadowers. The red-eyed man.

Gods... the man.

Lucrezia could swear this wasn’t just any typical nightmare. This was was... different.

A shaky breath escaped her lips and slowly, Lucrezia pushed herself upright. Her nightdress clung damply to her back, and loose strands of hair stuck to her temples.

Out of reflex, her eyes darted across the room. It was just as she had left it with heavy drapes drawn against the night, a low fire crackling in the hearth, and the strong scent of incense lingering in the air.

Someone had loosened her corset, and thankfully she could breathe now, though each inhale still trembled. The chamber was still without tremor, thunder or marching army beyond her windows, yet her pulse refused to steady.

Lucrezia had thought the dreams might’ve ceased since she started consuming her tonic but it was rather becoming a routine.

Every time she closed her eyes, it resumed as though no time had passed, as though it merely waited for her. The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and pressed her bare feet against the cold marble floor, grounding herself in the chill that was real and solid.

For a while, she remained in that position until a heavy sound drifted through the silence in the still room. At first, it was so faint she almost dismissed it the dull shift somewhere beyond her chamber walls, and she frowned slightly.

The castle was always alive in small ways with servants moving and fabric brushing against stone but this was clearer. Like footsteps, several of them approaching, and her breath caught.

The sound sharpened, separating itself from the stillness in her room. Lucrezia could hear the weight in each step and the faint jingle of something metallic. Something that told her they were right outside her corridor.

O-Oh gods...

She had nearly forgotten about that strange awareness and the way sounds seemed closer than they should be. The doors were thick, a hallway long and still, she could almost count them.

One. Two. Three... maybe four.

Lucrezia swallowed, as a strange awareness prickled beneath her skin until a sharp sound sliced through the faint sound.

It was too clear and sudden that it struck her senses wrongly, like glass snapping somewhere inside her head. Lucrezia flinched, her hand flying to her temple, attempting to fight the sound from proceeding.

But it was only worse when the world shifted and the faint crackle of the hearth grew louder. The whisper of fabric against her own skin sounded intrusive that even her breathing seemed exaggerated, as if it belonged to someone else.

Everything felt distorted. It became too close and too layered that she could hear the subtle scrape of a shoe against stone outside, minute rustle of someone adjusting their sleeve, and the quiet exhale of breath beyond the door.

Make it stop... She thought. Please, make this stop.

It was overwhelming and painfully disorienting. Her chest tightened. She hadn’t realized she’d started shaking until her hands betrayed her, and a soft knock came at the door, breaking that haze of distortion into a grounding stillness.

Lucrezia startled so hard her shoulder brushed the headboard. "Milady?" The voice from beyond the door was careful and hesitant. "May I come in?"

She stared at the wood as if she could see through it, and suddenly, her throat felt dry. Carefully dropping her hands always from her temples, checking if the noises would return, a cold relief spread her chest for a fleeting moment, until her fingers began to tremble again.

She wondered how long she’d been asleep, and her eyes widened when a thought overlapped with that question. H-Her tonic... she thought. If she’s been asleep, then that meant - judging from the night - her time was already due for another pill.

"I’m coming in, Milady,"

Instinct took over before thought could catch up and she slipped back beneath the covers quickly, turning onto her side and squeezing her eyes shut.

Lucrezia forced her breathing to steady, willing her racing pulse to quiet. If she stayed still enough, perhaps whoever stood outside would simply check and leave.

The latch clicked softly and the door opened with careful restraint, just enough to allow a slender figure to pass through. The maid stepped inside on quiet feet, closing the door behind her.

For a moment, the woman simply stood there without further movement, and Lucrezia resisted the urge to tense.

Finally, fabric rustled, and a warm blanket was lifted from the armchair near the hearth — one kept there for colder nights — and carried to the bed. The maid draped it carefully over Lucrezia’s shoulders, tucking it lightly around her as though she were tending to something fragile, and the added warmth settled over her like a shield.

The maid moved about the chamber after that. She trimmed the candle wicks so the flames burned lower and steadier, adjusted the curtains just enough to keep the draft and cold wind from slipping through and kept a glass of fresh water set on the bedside table. The discarded shawl near the mirror was folded neatly and placed where it belonged.

Seconds, turned into minutes, and satisfied, the maid cast one last glance toward the bed. Lucrezia could feel her gaze on her, yet she made no attempt to move.