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it had only been about a week (perhaps, there was no way to tell) since he closed the portal to the shadow abyss. vylad was now suffering the consequences of his actions. he sat in his cell replaying the events of what happened
he closed the portal
he had to kill so many knights to get there
he ran
he was caught
he closed the portal
Vylad shut his eyes and leaned his head against the nether brick wall. His back hurts from sitting there for Irene knows how long. his mind couldn’t stop thinking about the man who got trapped in the shadow abyss. What was his name again? laurence? That's right. laurence is the only one who comes to talk to him without using various torture methods to get vylad to respond. Laurence was nice, Vylad thought. That was the only reason he regretted closing the portal. He should have regretted losing his freedom, but he didn’t care anymore. Unfortunately, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone approaching his cell. He knew what was coming next.
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Vylad had been out of the shadow abyss for a few days now. he stayed to watch the portal to make sure no one else came out. he was still recovering from the torture he received. His wounds were healing a lot slower than they should. Vylad debated going into the town nearby to find supplies he couldn’t get in the remains of the old werewolf tribe village. He hadn’t wandered far, in fear of being caught by a bright port guard, but he needed to know how long it’s been and what had happened during his time in the shadow abyss. Was Phoenix Drop still thriving? Was Aphmau ok? Was Garroth ok? Did everyone he knew and loved die already? vylad shook his head. “It couldn't have been too long if bright port still stands.” he said to no one but himself. he went to the cave where the portal was active. as he studied it, images of his cell flashed through his mind. blood on the floor. scratches on the red brick walls. the same question. tell me if there is another way to get out of this damned place. gene gene gene gene gene ge-
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“im going to ask you again vylad. is there another way to leave this hell?” gene asked the weak figure in front of him. vylad didn’t respond. he didn’t want to respond. his body screamed in pain as the sound of a whip cracking filled the chamber. vylad lost count of how many times he’s been hit. it doesn’t matter. the cycle will continue later. “irene…. DAMMIT VYLAD! THE LONGER YOU STAY SILENT, THE LONGER WE ARE ALL STUCK HERE!” gene brought down the whip harder and faster than before, finally letting his anger out on vylad. vylad wanted to scream. to cry. to fight back. to do anything to make it stop, yet he couldn’t. he lay there helplessly as gene cleaned that damned whip. once he was finished, he dragged vylad back to his small cell. vylad couldn’t hold it any longer, so as soon as gene was far away from him, he scrambled to the corner and threw up. this will be over soon… vylad knew he was lying to himself, but he clung to that lie like he clung to his scarf. more footsteps approached his cell.
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It had been a few weeks - Vylad couldn’t tell though, his sense of time being ruined - since the portal was reopened. no one had come through yet. Itsurprised Vylad , to be honest. He thought that more Shadow Knights would have ran to reach their freedom. He was wrong. They must be scared of what’s on the other side. Vylad was getting bored of watching the shadow abyss portal. Everytime he closed his eyes, he was met with images of his cell. Memories of his torture. He needed to go somewhere far from this cursed portal. However, he didn’t know where he would be welcomed. Hyria would be his best bet. He would need new clothes before he went anywhere, of course. He looked down at his current attire. There were still stains on it, despite all his efforts to clean them. Holes were scattered throughout the fabric of his cloak and his scarf. He sighed. Vylad wasn’t going to risk anything just to get clean clothes. He looked out at the ocean from his spot on a hill he found. The starry night sky lit up the water. vylad tried to recall constellations, but he couldn’t remember. He never realized how much he enjoyed the little things in life until they were taken from him. He sat for a little longer before getting up and heading back to the cave he’s been calling home. He began to prepare himself dinner. The sudden sound of a branch snapping outside made him freeze.
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“You’re Vylad, right?” The knight with flaming hair asked Vylad . He didn't respond. “I'll take that as a yes. My name is Laurence. You closed the portal, didn’t you? I understand why… as it was to protect Aphmau… but there has to be another way out, right?” Vylad wouldn’t answer his questions, as he knew Gene and Sasha were always listening, always watching. Vylad did know of another way. One that would harm the person using it. A trick of teleportation an old friend taught him. He couldn’t tell Laurence, though. Vylad couldn’t bear to see the only person being somewhat nice to him hurt even more than what has already happened. It was obvious Laurence was a premature Shadow Knight. Vylad knew the kind of torture they were put through after being turned. He felt guilty for trapping him in this hell. Laurence would visit Vylad frequently, often promising that they would get out together. That was a lie, of course. Vylad watched from his eternal prison as Laurence escaped on his wyvern. Vylad was back to spending the rest of his life alone.
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It’s been a few weeks, though it felt like months for Vylad. He doesn’t really understand the concept of time anymore, but it doesn’t bother him too much. It had been a nice few days and that's all that mattered to Vylad. His wounds have healed, but he still felt the pain and the sting that was left.
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“This goddamn forest!” Vylad kicked the nearest tree. It’s been four days and he has run out of food and water. Vylad was getting frustrated. No matter how many maps he created, the forest would change the next. He sighed. I’d rather be here than doing work for the Shadow Lord. The forest was peaceful, calm in nature compared the grueling heat and rage that fueled the Shadow Abyss. He sat down and closed his eyes. Why can’t I navigate this forest? He looked around. There was something off about the path in front of him. It wasn’t there before. Vylad got up and hesitantly, he began to wander down the path. After hours of walking, a warm feeling filled Vylad. As he reached the end of the trail, he found a little cottage with the doors wide open. Vylad hid behind a tree to watched for any movement inside. After about an hour of watching, Vylad gave up and approached the cottage cautiously. As soon as he reached the doors, he was greeted by an old woman. “I was wondering how long it was going to take you to come in.” She laughed. Vylad couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by this.”Come in, come in. You’re going to starve out there. Here, I made soup.” The woman brought Vylad to a table where she placed a warm bowl of soup in his hands. He decided he didn’t regret wandering the Sacred Forest for days. “My name is Hyria, I am the watcher of these woods, well some also call me the witch of the woods.” Vylad could already tell she was a witch, a very powerful one, based on the pure energy that came from her. He was sure she could tell what he was, but she didn’t care, and for that Vylad was grateful.
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The air was ungodly hot, unbearable for most, yet Vylad had been stuck breathing this air for what felt like centuries. He could no longer tell the time. Being imprisoned and in pain did not help. His breath was ragged, as he just barely began to heal from his previous time in the chamber. He couldn’t remember how many he had danced the sameroutine. Too many times, he thought. Vylad gave up on praying to Irene for help. He knew she wasn’t listening anyway. All Vylad wanted was a taste of sunshine, a sliver of cold air. Anything. He was tired, too. So, so tired. He wondered if Laurence would stay true to his promise. He wouldn’t. After all, who would ever want to come back to this place? He closed his eyes and laid on his back, trying to ignore the unwelcome thought. Everything hurt. Just as Vylad was beginning to drift off, he was interrupted by banging on his cell bars. “Get up! The Shadow Lord needs you to fight!” Vylad heard his cell door open with a slam. Was this finally a chance to run free? I doubt it. Weakly, he got up and was yanked out of his cell. He was given no other instruction, just “ The Shadow Lord needs you!” and “Transform or I will make you transform.” before the knight ran off to fight whatever had caused trouble. Bullshit. The Shadow Lord needed nothing but information from Vylad. Vylad stumbled through the Abyssal Fortress until he saw the chaos that had been unleashed. Zenix was consuming other Shadow Knights at a terrifying rate. If Zenix is here then… Vylad began to run towards the portal. It felt like miles. Perhaps it was miles, he didn’t know. Soon, he saw the purple glimmer of the portal. He reached for it and all he saw was white.