"What the hell was going on...?"


    Adrian''s mind raced with questions, each one more tumultuous than thest.


    Had he truly lost Elena just like that?


    Why?


    How?


    Had he be toocent, too arrogant in his abilities?


    Did he allow this catastrophe to unfold before his very eyes? And what of Elena?


    Should he not be racing to her rescue?


    The weight of his failure bore down upon him, a suffocating burden that threatened to consume him whole.


    Anger, fear, dread, and sorrow swirled within him, a tempest of negative emotions that threatened to overwhelm his senses.


    The suddenness of the situation was surreal, yet Adrian understood it all too well. He had failed, utterly andpletely, and now he was paying the price.


    The n had been simple: manipte the forces of the demon princess, use the people to their advantage, and leverage the power of the goddess to secure victory.


    But somewhere along the way, everything had gone horribly wrong. The adversaries he faced were not the demons he had anticipated, but beings of divine origin, their attacks leaving him crippled and powerless.


    His body wracked with pain, Adrian found himself unable to move, his soul quivering with the sheer magnitude of the damage inflicted upon him.


    Every fiber of his being screamed for action, for retribution, but his body refused to obey, shackled by the constraints of his injuries.


    In that moment of despair, Adrian could onlyment his own folly, his mind awash with regrets and recriminations.


    But as the darkness closed in around him, swallowing him whole, he knew that everything wasn''t over yet.


    ….


    In the snowy and mountainousnds of the north lighting as dark as the night sky crackled…


    Dancing in the air as they surrounded a singr entity.


    A hollowugh escaped my lips, devoid of any trace of emotion, as the darkness within me swirled and coiled, seeping into the deepest recesses of my being.


    What was this sensation?


    Though I had experienced pain before, this was different, unsettling in a way I couldn''tprehend.


    With each crack ofughter, the world around me grew darker, the shadows closing in as if eager to swallow me whole.


    System warnings shed before my eyes, but I paid them no heed, my focus consumed by the overwhelming turmoil within.


    [Warning: User under unconditional stress]


    [Warning: Unknown foreign signatures detected]


    [Warning: User''s soul is shaking]


    [WARNING!!!!: System error—]


    The messages red incessantly, but I pushed them aside, my mind fixated on one singr desire.


    Looking up at the sky, there was only one thing I craved in that moment—the head of the goddess herself.


    "You''ve made your move. Well yed... Hahaha."


    Theughter echoed through the skies above, a bitter symphony to apany the turmoil within. Amidst the chaos of conflicting emotions, a sense of resignation settled over me.


    I knew the goddess despised my very existence, and this cmity was of my own making.


    I had grown toocent, too assured that she would not dare to make a move in our stalemate.


    But in the end, our goals aligned.


    The goddess desired one thing above all else: my ''DEATH''


    And now, she had seized the opportunity to fulfill her sinister agenda.


    Why now, though?


    Why make her move at this moment of vulnerability?


    She was backed into a corner, and yet she still chose to strike. It was a foolish decision, driven by pride or desperation.


    But regardless of her motivations, the truth remained—we were still enemies, locked in a deadly dance of power and vengeance.


    "You know whates after this, right?" I murmured quietly to the empty air, the weight of the impending conflict settling heavily upon my shoulders.


    Reaching down to the ground, I brushed my fingertips against my shadow, and the darkness responded, swirling and coalescing around me. Crows emerged from the depths of the abyss, their crimson eyes gleaming in the dim light, a testament to the chaos thaty ahead.


    As the voices of my worried family echoed in my mind, I knew I had to calm their fears, to reassure them that everything would be alright.


    But my own mental state was at its lowest ebb, consumed by rage and despair.


    If the goddess wanted all-out war, then so be it.


    "######....!"


    …..


    Opening her eyes, Elena found herself greeted by an unfamiliar sight. Her vision was clouded with grogginess, making it difficult toprehend her surroundings. Weakness coursed through her body, leaving her devoid of energy as she struggled to make sense of her predicament. Through the haze, a blurry figure stood before her.


    A man?


    "Ian...?" she mumbled softly, her voice barely audible. But as her vision cleared, she stifled a gasp of surprise.


    The figure before her was not her beloved fiancé but rather an odd-looking individual, his expression unnaturally nk. His white hair glowed under the bright sky, a stark contrast to the confusion swirling within Elena.


    Wait, why was it so bright?


    Frantically scanning her surroundings, Elena''s heart pounded in her chest as realization dawned upon her. She was unable to move her body, bound by chains that wrapped tightly around her, securing her to a metallic chair.


    The nking sounds echoed in her ears as she struggled against her restraints, her panic rising with each passing moment.


    Before her, a white table stood ominously, and the emotionless man sat opposite her, calmly peeling the skin off an apple with chilling detachment.


    The verdant scenery surrounding Elena was a stark contrast to the snowy, coldndscapes of the north. Lush greenery stretched out as far as the eye could see, punctuated by vibrant flowers in full bloom.


    A polished floor beneath her feet revealed a waterway, teeming with fish of various shapes and sizes, their movements graceful against the current.


    Yet, amidst this natural beauty, Elena''s gaze was drawn to the metallic chain-like structure encircling the perimeter, forming a barrier that seemed to imprison everything within this garden-like enclosure.


    From sky to ground, it resembled a gilded cage, trapping all within its confines.


    Desperation wed at Elena''s heart as she attempted to squirm free from her restraints, only to find herself devoid of strength. Even her divine powers eluded her, leaving her utterly helpless in her current predicament.


    "Who are you?" Elena''s voice trembled with uncertainty as she addressed the enigmatic man before her, her reluctance evident in her tone.


    The man nced up briefly from his task of cutting apples, his expression unreadable.


    "Ah, sorry about that!"


    Suddenly, the tranquility of the scene was shattered by the arrival of another man.


    With braided blonde hair and dark skin, he possessed elven-like features that marked him as distinct.


    ''A dark elf?''


    Apanying him was another dark elf, nked by two others wielding spears crafted from shadows.


    Without preamble, the elf took a seat beside them.


    "Did you sleep well, saintess? We were actually getting worried you wouldn''t wake up. I''m d you''re awake now. And also, please do forgive this unsociable friend of mine. He''s just very nervous, you see."


    The man''s words flowed with an air of nonchnce, his gaze softening as he addressed Elena. With a gentle pat on the back of the emotionless man cutting the apples, he conveyed a sense of kindness and understanding.


    Taking one of the neatly sliced apples, he offered it to Elena on a te. "Are you hungry? We''ve got some other food around as well if you don''t like apples."


    Elena could only stare at them, her confusion mounting with each passing moment.


    Who were these individuals?


    What was happening?


    Where was Ian, and where the hell was, she?


    "I know you''re confused right now, as you''re in a strange ce and tied up and all. But do please calm down, saintess. It is all for yours and our sake," the man exined, sensing Elena''s bewilderment.


    With a slight bow, he grasped the back of the other man''s head, forcing him to bow down in tandem. "My name is Marvey, and this one here is Luther."


    As Elena listened, a foreboding sense of danger settled over her like a suffocating shroud. With a wary gaze, she scrutinized each of them in turn, her instincts screaming at her to flee this ce immediately.


    "What are you?" Her voice emerged as a cracked whisper, the tension boiling within her finally finding a voice.


    The man regarded her with a pause, his lips twisting into a mocking smile that sent a chill down Elena''s spine. "We are the very beings you failed to achieve, tainted bitch," he sneered before roughly grabbing onto Elena''s face.


    Panic surged within Elena as she tried to scream in protest, but her voice was drowned out by the searing pain of her flesh being torn asunder.


    "Why does the goddess still favor your tainted existence?" the man muttered, his wordsced with disdain as he rose from his chair, Elena still held captive in his grasp.


    Bound by chains and robbed of her strength, Elena was helpless to resist, her mind reeling with the realization that she was at the mercy of these malevolent beings.


    As the man named Marvey dragged Elena into a secluded corner of the garden, a sense of dread washed over her like a tidal wave.


    "Marvey, you can''t kill her..." Harvey''s reminder fell on deaf ears as Marvey''s wicked smile widened.


    "I know, but I can have my fun, right?" Marvey''s words dripped with malice as he nodded in agreement with himself.


    Elena''s mind raced with desperation as she scanned her surroundings for any means of escape, but she found herself paralyzed with fear.


    Before she could react, a brutal kick sent her crashing to the unforgiving ground, the impact stealing the breath from her lungs.


    Coughing and gasping for air, Elena struggled to ovee the searing pain radiating from her shattered backbone.


    Each movement sent waves of agony coursing through her body, leaving her immobilized and vulnerable.


    "Haha, for a tainted bitch, you sure have a tough body..." Marvey''s taunts cut through the air like a knife, his sadistic amusement fueling his violent assault. As he drew closer, he continued his relentless barrage, raining down blows upon Elena''s defenseless form.


    "Even now, I can feel his essence inside your stomach... truly disgusting." Marvey''s words twisted with contempt as he delivered each merciless blow, reveling in Elena''s anguish.


    With each strike, Elena could do nothing but cry out in silent agony, her pleas for help drowned out by the darkness that enveloped her.


    In this moment of despair, she clung to the hope that someone, anyone, woulde to her aid and rescue her from this nightmare.