Bound and Broken: An Isekai Adventure Dark Fantasy (Melas Book 1) by V.A. Lewis (autobiographies to read .TXT) 📕

"Ah, Melas. You’re here. At the perfect time as well. We were just about to have someone bring you over," he said.

"Is something the matter?" I raised an eyebrow, as I took a seat.

"You’re not in trouble, or anything," he chuckled, then put on a more serious face. "We just spoke with someone at the Infernalis— you know what that is, right?"

"Yes. It’s the Dark Crusaders headquarters; the same place you were sent from," I replied. I paused to think for a short moment, before continuing. "Also, it moves around a lot, so Inquisitors or the Church can’t find it or attack it easily."

A grunt of satisfaction came from Gerritt standing behind me, and Victor accepted it too.

"Ah, good. I just had to make sure that you remembered what I told you."

"Yes. I’ve heard that Human children are extremely dull, but you’ve only proven me otherwise since I’ve met you," the Orc opined.

"Thanks…?" I couldn’t tell whether that was a compliment or not.

I mean, it obviously was meant to be one; but did that mean other species’ kids were smarter than Humans? I did know that due to their short lifespan, Goblins reached adolescence at around 6 years old, and were considered adults anywhere between 10 and 12. But surely their kids are as dumb as our kids… right?

I shook my head and focused on what was in front of me. "Is this a test? What did the Infernalis say to you guys?" I asked.

Victor was the one to answer. "We were in correspondence with them just earlier. And although they were saddened to hear of your mother’s passing, they expressed relief in hearing that you were safe with us. Your indecision in regards to joining us was wholly understood too… by some… but we’ve got some— ah, good news and bad news, if you will."

The Orc nodded his head in agreement, as I waited expectantly for what the young man had to say. Victor continued.

"The Infernalis offered to send a Dark Acolyte capable of removing the brand upon your face to help restore you your freedom, and even escort you out of the Free Lands. Naturally, they’d only be happy to do so for the daughter of the Fiend— Lady Valeria— which is the good news."

He paused and cleared his throat. He eyed me uneasily, and began to speak again.

"And the bad news is—"

"They can’t send one now," I finished his sentence for him.

I sighed as Victor’s facial expressions confirmed what I had said. He blinked in surprise.

"Ah— yes. Unfortunately, not. But not because of a lack of trying. In fact, one of the more prominent members of the Dark Crusaders themselves said they would come here in person to aid you. Apparently they were acquainted with your mother, and wanted to meet you in person; but they’re busy right now, so the soonest they could possibly arrive is in... three, maybe four, months." He hesitated as he said the last part.

"I see." I felt my face fall. But just a little bit. I expected this even before Victor told me there were both good and bad news.

From the moment last night when they told me that they’d try and get a Dark Acolyte to heal me, I knew no one was coming anytime soon; it was not that I didn’t trust the Dark Crusaders— I did believe (even though I barely knew them) that they tried their hardest. But at the end of the day, they were zealots.

They sowed discord, and saw opportunity in chaos. And that’s exactly what happened in Bys— when the Abominations took one of the most powerful cities in all the Free Lands, and even the continent, causing chaos. There was no better time than to act now for the Dark Crusaders various cells spread throughout the world. And even though neither Victor nor Gerritt mentioned anything about it, I had a strong feeling that that was exactly why the young man was sent here in the first place.

I straightened my back, and kept a straight face as I looked up at the young man. He was apologizing.

"I’m sorry, Melas. I know it’s a long time for a child, however there are a substantial amount of complications that—" he began to explain.

I held up my hands. "It’s fine, Victor. I understand. Truly," I replied honestly. Then I raised an arm to my chest. "But is there really nothing we can do until then? Anything I can do? I’m good at magic— I really am. If you teach me, maybe I can learn whatever spell is needed to heal myself."

The young man pursed his lips, and inhaled slowly. "I… can not teach you anything like that. To physically alter one’s body permanently requires an advanced understanding in ceremonial magic— ritualistic spells that take a lot of preparation to cast. Although I am quite magically gifted— as I have what is considered an intermediate understanding in most fields of magic— not only am I still limited by my area of expertise, but I am also still a student of magic, myself."

"...and only my mom’s friend knows this type of magic?"

"Well, no. There are others who may be less qualified than her, and still as capable as her at removing the slave mark. But—" he said and raised a finger. "She’s the one who can arrive here the soonest."

"We’re sorry, Melas. We really are." Gerritt added in, speaking up for the first time in awhile. "We’ll try to procure a high grade healing potion. In fact, I sent some scouts last night asked by Karna— the Goblin from earlier— to investigate the surrounding towns for any alchemists."

The young man shook his head. "That is our only possible course of action as of this moment, however it is unlikely to be fruitful as such an item can only be found