The Tyrant's Pet

Confusion and fear crawled under Aries's skin and made their way into her heart. Her knees trembled, and she knew she wouldn't be able to stand up from the floor she was slumped on. She was too terrified, witnessing another side of Abel unfold right in front of her.

The chains were still tied around his wrist, clanging on the floor and against each other at his every movement. She could see the red mist formed like needles, hovering in the air.

'Abel…' she whispered, eyes fixed on Abel's figure. '… don't do this.'

For reasons Aries couldn't understand, the dread dominating her heart was forcing her to stop Abel. But before she could even ponder about anything, a hand suddenly grabbed her biceps.

"We have to go," urged Leon, tugging Aries's arm.

Aries shook her head, unable to look away from Abel. "No," she whispered. "He can't do this."

"You've seen it. He'll be fine."

"No." She shook her head once more. "It's not that…" — it was definitely not that, was what she wanted to shout. She didn't know exactly for sure why she was speaking such things, but deep in her heart, even though Abel seemed to get the upper hand, there was something inside her telling her to stop Abel from doing this massacre.

"He can't… do this. He'll regret it."

Leon frowned, gripping her shoulder even tighter, but not tight enough to hurt her. "I don't know what you are talking about but —"

<strong>"Hell's Gate."  </strong>

Leon froze as he gazed up, noticing how the red mist thickened. His heart thudded, looking down at the floor and it dyed red.

"This is bad," he mumbled, pulling Aries by force this time until she was back on her feet. "Let's go before we get caught up in this."

"No, no, he can't do this. This is what they want from him." But no matter how Aries stubbornly argued something she didn't understand herself, Leon dragged her by the arm. Aries could only clutch his wrist, shaking her head desperately, eyes seeking help.

"You have to help him," she whispered and yelled, tugging Leon's arms. The mist continued to thicken, blurring her vision at the person dragging her away. "Abel cannot do this."

But alas, Leon didn't listen to her. He dragged her away from the private exit where the two of them came from. Just as he reached for the door handle, Leon's eyes glinted as he stopped. Aries, who was in panic mode, slowly veered her eyes to the person standing behind Leon.

Despite the thick mist fogging the great hall, Aries caught the bright glint of metal against the side of Leon's neck. Her breath hitched, clutching Leon's arms tightly.

"Where do you think you will take her?" came out a voice of a woman. Her voice was low but clear.

Leon's eyes sharpened, keeping his eyes at the shut door. He didn't know how this witch managed to see them, but when his eyes fell on Aries's clutch, he understood the reason. She dropped the handkerchief.

"The coven is just starting and… we've been waiting for her." The hood of her cloak still covered the woman's upper face, but Aries knew she was looking at her. "You… Vampire, from the mainland, had nothing to do with us. Therefore, I'll let you go if you want to leave this place. However, I cannot allow you to take her with you."

"She has nothing to do with you as well," Leon breathed out, tightening his grip around Aries's arm.

"She had everything to do with us… witches."

Leon slowly set his eyes on Aries, seeing the latter's eyes shake as she darted her eyes between him and the person behind them. He secretly tugged Aries's hand to snap her to the current lapse, so she was prepared if he shoved her outside of here.

"Let her go," said the woman. "Let the holder of the abyss go."

The lines between Aries's forehead deepened, confused and scared at the same time. She had already too many questions in mind and this just added to the mystery she had yet uncovered.

"Don't underestimate the vampires from the mainland," Leon breathed out, closing his eyes. When he reopened them, a murderous glint flickered across his eyes. "I had met more powerful witches you might never meet in your lifetime…" his eyes then settled on Aries. "I will not allow you all… to take advantage of her just to take down a Grimsbanne."

As soon as those remarks slipped past his lips, Leon grabbed the door and shoved Aries outside with all his might. Aries winced as she landed against the wall outside, but before the real pain set in, the door shut closed with a bang.

"No," she whispered, her adrenaline giving her enough energy to crawl back to her feet. "Hey!"

Aries pushed the door open, but to no avail. Her heart thudded, adding more power to force it open. She slammed and kicked the door, not knowing Leon had chanted under his breath before retrieving his hand from it. His other hand dripped with blood as he was grabbing the blade to stop it from slicing his neck.

"Open the door!" Aries slammed the door hurriedly, screaming her lungs out. "Leon! Open the door!"

Aries tried to push the handle once more, but it only rattled as if someone was blocking it from the other side. Her eyes heat up and her breathing was suspended. She didn't know the reason she wanted to stop Abel and everyone from killing each other. It was definitely not because she didn't want blood from shedding; bloodshed was something she was already used to.

But somehow, she knew she would regret this from happening if she didn't stop them.

"Stop…! Abel…! You mustn't —" Aries ground her teeth as her voice pitched, helplessness dominating her heart. Despite that, she kept pounding on the door until her fist bled. "Please… stop this now. We can't… do this."