Chapter 292 - Lady Sindra, the Demon of Pink Eyes
Sebastian Blake:
I entered the meeting room. The space was dominated by a long table, lavishly set with a feast. At the far end of the room sat a figure—though whether it was a man was questionable. He wore black armor, his face obscured by a metal mask. He was massive, towering, his green-tinged skin betraying his non-human nature. Even with his mouth closed, I could see the large canine teeth protruding from his jaw.
He was a kind of demon known as an orc.
In both hands, he held a large black stone—a conduit through which beings from the other side could observe our gathering. Staring into that stone was like gazing into an abyss, an unfathomable darkness that not even the room's lights could penetrate.
The moment my eyes locked onto that void, a primal terror surged through me. My body trembled violently, and I collapsed to the floor.
"Don't look, idiot," Sindra scoffed, striding past me without a glance.
I forced myself to my feet, trying to steady my nerves.
"Glory to the Great Lord," she declared.
At once, every person in the room rose from their seats in unison.
"Glory to the Great Lord!" they echoed.
Sindra turned her gaze to me, expectant.
"Glory to the Great Lord!" I hastily repeated before moving toward a chair. As I approached, the chair slid back on its own, inviting me to sit.
Sindra walked toward the abyss. That darkness—the very thing that sent me into fits of fear just thinking about it. The sheer horror it evoked had plagued my nightmares. The sounds it emitted were unnatural, discordant.
Yet as Sindra stepped closer, the darkness recoiled ever so slightly, as if it were alive. It withdrew just enough to reveal the far end of the table, where she gracefully took her seat.
"Lady Sindra," my father spoke, his voice careful, deliberate, as if choosing his words with the utmost caution. "Why was Sebastian required to attend? I thought… certain matters… would be discussed only among us, especially regarding what is about to happen."
She remained silent, her gaze fixed on him. My father, realizing his mistake, immediately lowered his head in apology.
Everyone at the table wore black cloaks, and some of the men concealed their faces with wooden masks to maintain anonymity. Only my father knew who they truly were.
"Are you happy, Thomas?" she asked my father.
"Of course. I owe everything to you," he answered promptly. "We have risen from being mere knights to a family of great significance since the last war. It was thanks to you that my son secured his engagement and now stands on the threshold of the royal family."
She listened, seemingly uninterested, as she studied her long, claw-like black nails. Then, rising from her seat, she walked around the table, her gaze sweeping over each person present. Without exception, every head bowed as she passed.
"Well, I am not happy," she finally said, her tone carrying a dangerous edge. "And when I am unhappy… I get angry. Does anyone here wish to see me angry?"
Silence filled the room. I swallowed hard.
"Bring them in," she ordered.
The door creaked open.
Two men entered, dragging with them two hooded figures. Their heads were covered with black sacks, their muffled cries barely escaping through their gags. They struggled, their bodies resisting instinctively, but the hands gripping them were firm, unyielding.
Sindra lifted a hand, gracefully brushing aside strands of her hair. Then, something stirred within the locks—something alive.
A black serpent, adorned with crimson markings that shimmered under the dim light, slithered forth, emerging sinuously from her hair.
It moved across the table with eerie elegance, its unblinking eyes locking onto each of us, as if peering beyond flesh, beyond the soul.
The tension in the room became unbearable.
The dry sound of its scales scraping against the wood reverberated in the heavy silence.
It was impossible to look away from the serpent, whose mere presence carried an unspoken warning.
"My daughter is hungry," Sindra murmured.
The snake was small, but even looking at it sent waves of primal fear through me.
Then, suddenly—Sindra was behind me.
Her hand landed on my shoulder.
"What do you say, Sebastian?" Sindra asked, her voice dripping with amusement. "Will you have the honor of choosing who will be the next meal for my daughter?"
"Me?" I asked, looking up—only to immediately recoil.
Those piercing pink eyes bore into my soul, making me instinctively shrink back.
"Choose, Sebastian… one of the people tied up there or your father?" she said casually.
My father's eyes widened in shock, turning to me at once.
"Lady Sindra," he tried to speak, but she simply raised a finger, silencing him.
"I'm just having a bit of fun," she said with a smile. "Uncover the first one."
One of the men ripped the sack off the first prisoner's head. The moment she saw me, she tried to scream, but the gag muffled her cries.
I froze.
"Claire!" I gasped, trying to rise from my chair, but Sindra pressed her hand down, forcing me to remain seated.
"How beautiful, such young love," Sindra mused, stepping closer to Claire as the black serpent continued to fix its gaze on me.
"Sebastian… the girl or your father?" she asked again, her tone casual, as if we were discussing something as trivial as the weather.
I felt my entire body go cold. My heart clenched painfully in my chest.
Claire was crying as she looked at me, her entire body trembling.
Panic surged through me. Just moments ago, I had left her soaking in the bath, safe.
"Sebastian…" Sindra murmured, moving closer, gripping my head with her cold fingers. "The girl or your father?"
I couldn't answer. My mind was in chaos. I tried to analyze the situation, but the sheer panic paralyzed me.
Silence hung thick in the air.
No one spoke.
Everyone in the room was tense, sweating.
"Let's make this more interesting, Sebastian," she said, her voice carrying an unsettling amusement. "Your father is a valuable piece… but the second person, on the other hand, is not. Let's raise the stakes."
She snapped her fingers.
The second hood was removed.
And when I saw who it was, my body went ice-cold.
"Mother…" I whispered before I could stop myself.
The second prisoner was the maid—Liana. My mother.
Sindra's macabre smile stretched wider as she watched my reaction with twisted delight.
"I do enjoy young love, so I'll encourage you to demonstrate your devotion," she said, savoring every word. "The girl's life… or your 'mother's'?"
"L-Lady Sindra," I stammered.
"Ssssss…" the black serpent slithered closer to me.
"Answer my question, Sebastian," Sindra ordered. "But before you do, I have a little gift for you."
With a flick of her wrist, her black dagger sliced through Claire's gag.
"Sebastian!" Claire sobbed. "What's happening? Who are these people?"
Sindra's expression darkened in irritation.
"Silence!" she snapped.
A suffocating killing intent filled the air, and my entire body screamed in fear, instinctively wanting to cower.
With slow, deliberate steps, Lady Sindra walked toward my mother and cut the gag from her mouth.
Tears streamed down her face as she tried to speak, but before she could, Sindra shoved the blade inside her mouth, silencing her.
"What is your name?" Sindra asked, her voice sickeningly sweet.
"L-Liana…" my mother stammered.
"Oh, what a lovely name. Do you know who this boy in front of you is?" Sindra continued, her tone laced with dark amusement.
My mother's eyes darted away from mine, avoiding my gaze.
"M-my son…" she whispered.
"That's all I wanted to hear," Sindra said with a pleased smile before turning her gaze back to me.
"Answer me, Sebastian. Are you with us? Are you loyal to our cause?"
"I am with you!" I forced the words out, summoning every ounce of courage I had. "But please, they have nothing to do with this!"
Sindra shook her head as if I had disappointed her.
She stepped toward Claire.
"They have everything to do with this, Sebastian," Sindra said, her voice carrying a sinister amusement. "Choose! Your 'little girlfriend' or your mother. Who do you value more?"
Claire looked at me, swallowing hard.
"Sebastian, please…" she tried to say.
I remained silent, completely lost in my own confusion.
Sindra stepped closer, pressing the tip of her dagger against my throat.
"You have one second to decide, or I'll kill you," she hissed, her voice filled with irritation.
"Sebastian!" my father shouted, but Sindra silenced him with a mere gesture, pointing her finger at him.
"I choose my mother…" I muttered, lowering my head.
"Sebastian…" Claire whispered, her voice breaking.
Sindra walked behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders.
"Good choice, boy," she said, her voice dripping with amusement.
"Go, my daughter. Your meal is ready," she commanded.
The small serpent coiled on the table flashed a malicious grin before slithering forward.
A sudden chill ran through my entire body as I watched the tiny snake begin to grow.
It expanded, twisting and contorting, swelling in size until it became as massive as the long dining table itself.
And then it kept growing.
The monstrous serpent's body stretched toward the ceiling, its massive form looming over us all.
"This is my basilisk daughter," Sindra said, turning toward me with a grin. "Now, look at the girl."
She grabbed my head, forcing me to watch.
"Please!" Claire screamed as the snake let out a deep, guttural hiss, its massive fangs dripping saliva.
The basilisk lunged, snatching Claire in its massive jaws and shaking her violently.
Her shrill screams filled the chamber.
I watched in horror as her skin began to melt away.
"No!" Claire shrieked, thrashing desperately, but it was futile.
The snake tossed her into the air, catching her again—this time, holding her up right in front of me.
It smiled.
And then it began to chew.
Claire's screams turned into gurgled cries, muffled by the sickening crunch of bones being crushed.
The sounds of tearing flesh and snapping bones filled the room.
Blood splattered across my face.
The room fell into a deafening silence, save for the grotesque sounds of the basilisk enjoying its meal.
I heard a faint thud.
My mother had collapsed, unconscious from the sheer horror of what she had just witnessed.
"Sebastian…" Sindra whispered into my ear. "When the Great Lord moved his pieces, when he meticulously planned every detail to ensure your engagement to that girl… it took considerable effort. He is not someone who tolerates failure."
She grabbed the back of my head, forcing me to stare at the snake.
The monstrous basilisk lowered its head and spat something onto the ground.
Claire's head.
Half-melted, her face twisted in an expression of agony, her features unrecognizable.
My stomach churned, bile rising to my throat.
"This is your fault, Sebastian," Sindra whispered coldly. "You have one job to do. One mission. You are betrothed to Alice Asalon!"
Her fingers dug into my scalp, her nails sharp as claws.
"The Great Lord ensured that you and your pathetic family climbed out of the gutter where you belonged and gave you a place of honor," she spat.
She lifted Claire's head from the floor and dropped it onto my lap.
"You wanted her just to fuck, didn't you? Then enjoy what's left."
With that, she turned toward the door.
"Thomas," she called to my father. "Continue the meeting. Theodore will deliver your mission."
The massive basilisk began to shrink, its enormous form coiling in on itself until it became no larger than a small serpent once more. It slithered up Sindra's body, vanishing into the folds of her long, black hair.
The monstrous orc beside her let out a deep, rumbling laugh as he walked past me, following Sindra toward the exit.
He turned back to glance at me before stepping out of the chamber.
I sat there, frozen in shock, fighting the urge to vomit.
Claire's severed head rested in my lap, her lifeless, mangled eyes staring into nothingness.