Chapter 230: A King’s Obsession

The sun had already sunk beyond the crimson mountains of Gorgath.

The sky was painted in shades of orange and red, while the enormous floating rocks above the kingdom cast long shadows across the land.

Silas had spent the entire afternoon among his people.

He had eaten with orcs, watched goblin children train, and inspected an ogre forge. He had even been dragged into a drinking contest by a group of elderly orcs who apparently thought challenging their King was a perfectly reasonable way to spend an afternoon.

He had lost- technically, mostly because Gromda had interfered.

Now, however, the mood had changed.

Silas stood outside the royal residence, looking toward the setting sun, when Gorda approached from behind.

The large male orc was one of the King’s trusted attendants, and unlike most of the orcs Silas had met that day, he carried himself with an almost military discipline. He stopped several steps away and bowed.

"My King."

Silas turned. "Gorda."

"My King, the prisoners are ready."

Silas’s expression changed, and the warmth disappeared from his face.

"Take me to them."

"Of course."

Gromda immediately stepped forward.

"I’m coming."

Silas looked at her. "I expected you to."

Chloe raised her hand.

"I’m coming too."

Silas nodded.

Anna sighed. "Do I have a choice?"

"No. They attacked you. Don’t you wanna see the faces of those who did that, well?"

"Seems I have no choice, huh."

Alpha silently followed. Echidna was already walking toward them.

"I want to see."

Silas looked at her.

"Why?"

"I am curious."

"That’s usually a bad sign when you say it."

Echidna smiled.

"It is."

Anna sighed again.

"Why do I feel like I’m the only normal person here?"

Chloe looked at her.

"You’re coming with us."

"I know."

"Then you’re already not normal."

Anna stared at her. "Fair."

Gorda turned.

"Follow me."

The prison was located far from the main settlement. Unlike the bustling heart of Gorgath, this area was quiet.

The architecture became harsher, the roads became narrower, and the buildings were constructed from enormous slabs of black stone.

Orcs stood guard at every entrance. The moment Silas approached, every guard straightened.

"My King."

Silas nodded.

They continued. Gorda eventually stopped before a massive iron door, which two guards opened immediately. The moment the door moved, a horrible smell escaped.

"What is that?" Anna covered her nose.

"Fear," Gorda answered calmly.

"That doesn’t explain anything..." Anna stared at him in apprehension. Despite all her experience and strength, this was something... beyond her.

"It doesn’t need to."

Silas walked inside, and the others followed. The corridor was dimly lit by red crystals embedded within the walls. Their footsteps echoed as they walked.

Then they heard something- crying. Someone was sobbing, while another was whispering.

"Please..."

Silas stopped. Gorda looked at him.

"They’ve been like this for hours, as if they knew you would be coming."

Silas continued walking. Eventually, they reached the final chamber, and Gorda opened the door. Silas entered, and there they were, all nine, alive, but barely recognizable.

Their bodies were bruised, their clothes were filthy, and their eyes were sunken. They had been given food and water, and treated enough to keep them alive, but Gorgath’s prison had taken something from them.

It had taken their confidence, arrogance, and that certainty that someone would save them.

Leon looked up, and his entire body began shaking.

"No..."

"Hello again." Silas smiled.

Leon immediately crawled backward.

"No, no, no..."

The others followed. Some began crying. One of them pressed himself against the wall. ℯℯ𝑙.

"Please..."

Silas casually walked toward them, his slippers slapping against the stone floor. Leon suddenly dropped to his knees.

"Please kill me."

Silas stopped and watched as he bowed until his forehead touched the floor.

"Please."

Another prisoner joined him.

"Kill me too."

"Please!"

"I can’t do this anymore!"

"Just kill us!"

Anna’s expression changed, and she looked at Silas, but he didn’t respond. He just stared at them with no emotion on his face. The men were genuinely begging. They wanted death, and somehow, that made Silas smile.

"Interesting."

Leon looked up.

"Please..."

"You want me to kill you?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Silas crouched.

Leon trembled.

"Because..." His voice broke. "Because we can’t take it anymore."

Silas tilted his head.

"What can’t you take?"

Leon couldn’t answer, causing Silas to smile.

"Fear?"

Silence.

"Pain?"

Silence.

"The uncertainty?"

Leon began crying.

"Please..."

Silas’s expression became strangely gentle.

"Then I have good news."

Hope appeared in Leon’s eyes. Silas leaned closer.

"You don’t have to worry about dying." Leon froze. "Because I won’t kill you."

The hope vanished.

"No..."

"No?" Silas smiled.

Leon began shaking violently. "Please!"

Silas turned toward the others.

"Didn’t you hear me?" His voice remained calm. "I’m not going to kill you."

The room became silent. Then... something changed. A faint pink glow appeared within Silas’s eyes. Gorda immediately noticed, and so did Gromda.

Chloe’s expression became serious, while Anna’s eyes widened. Silas’s smile slowly stretched.

[CUPID TRAIT ACTIVATED!]

[POSSESSION & OBSESSION.]

[Emotional attachment: ANNA MILES.]

[Threat remains classified as EXTREME.]

[Protective instinct: ACTIVE.]

Silas’s fingers twitched, and pink threads emerged- hundreds of them. They spread throughout the chamber, causing the prisoners to freeze.

They couldn’t see where the threads began, and they couldn’t see where they ended. They only felt them around their wrists, ankles, necks, and chests.

Their minds screamed.

Puppets.- that was what they felt like. Puppets whose strings belonged to someone else. Silas’s smile became wider. Then another system notification appeared.

[CUPID TRAIT DETECTED!]

[BATTLE.]

[Emotional trigger confirmed.]

[Combat instincts synchronizing with Possession & Obsession.]

Silas’s presence suddenly became heavier, causing the red crystals in the room to flicker. Gorda’s eyes widened, and even Gromda instinctively shifted her stance. Chloe’s fingers tightened.

Alpha stared at Silas, and once again, he felt that strange certainty he experienced during the Outing.

’I am incredibly lucky that this guy considers me an ally.’

Silas looked at Leon.

"You know what I realized?"

Leon shook his head.

"I don’t want you dead."

Silas’s smile widened.

"I want you alive."

Leon looked horrified.

"Why? Because death is an ending."

Silas slowly raised one hand, and a thread wrapped around his finger.

"And you haven’t finished paying for what you tried to do."

Anna suddenly spoke. "Silas."

He stopped while she walked closer.

"Don’t lose yourself."

Silas looked at her. For several seconds, nobody spoke. Then his expression softened, while the pink glow in his eyes diminished slightly.

Anna smiled. "That’s better."

Silas looked back at the prisoners.

"You’re lucky."

Silas pointed toward Anna.

"She’s here."

Leon swallowed.

"If she wasn’t..."

Silas didn’t finish. He didn’t need to. The prisoners understood.

Gorda stepped forward.

"My King."

Silas looked at him.

"Yes?"

"What should we do with them?"

Silas glanced at the nine men.

"Keep them alive."

Leon immediately began crying again.

"Please..." Silas ignored him. "Feed them. Heal them. Keep them comfortable enough to survive."

Gorda nodded.

"Understood."

Silas turned around. Then stopped.

"Oh."

Everyone looked at him. He glanced over his shoulder.

"Make sure they know something."

Gorda waited.

Silas smiled.

"Every time they think about Anna..." His eyes glowed pink again. "...they should remember who they tried to take her from."

The prisoners trembled while Silas and the others walked away. Echidna smiled as she passed the prisoners. She paused beside Leon.

"You should be grateful."

Leon looked at her fearfully.

Echidna smiled. "He is much kinder than I am."

Then she walked away.

Anna remained for a moment. She looked at the prisoners. There was no hatred in her eyes, only disappointment.

"You made a terrible mistake."

Then she followed Silas, the door closing behind her.

***

Inside the chamber, Leon collapsed. For several seconds, nobody spoke. Then one of the prisoners whispered.

"I wish he’d killed us."

Gorda, still standing by the door, heard him. He smiled faintly.

"My King heard you."

The prisoner looked up, while Gorda’s smile widened.

"And he doesn’t care."

The door slammed shut.

Outside, Silas walked beneath the crimson evening sky. Anna caught up to him and reached for his hand. He looked down as she intertwined her fingers with his.

"You really were angry."

Silas looked ahead.

"Very."

"Are you still?"

He thought about it. Then shook his head.

"No."

Anna smiled.

"Good."

Silas squeezed her hand.

"But if anyone tries it again..."

Anna sighed.

"I know."

Silas smiled. Behind them, Gromda shook her head, while Chloe giggled. Alpha remained silent, reminiscing about how he acted towards Silas.

And Echidna? She was grinning because she had just learned something very important about Silas. His power wasn’t merely terrifying because he was an SSS-Rank.

It was terrifying because of what he was willing to become when someone touched the people he loved. And tonight, Gorgath had witnessed another side of its King.

It had witnessed Cupid, the Entity that represented Love, and the frightening truth was that, in Silas’s hands, love could become far more dangerous than hatred. It could be a weapon of mass destruction, and it could make even him lose himself in possession and obsession.