Page 63 of Sundered By Fate

Aric watched helplessly through Malekith's eyes as the torture scenes faded, leaving him back in the throne room. Malekith curled up on the floor, his body broken and bloody. Zaxos paced in frustration, while Sylthris watched with an expression of bored amusement.

"Perhaps we've been approaching this wrong," Sylthris suggested. She stepped forward, her eyes locked on Zaxos's. "Maybe Malekith really was just a pawn of 'that wicked human' all along."

Zaxos stopped pacing and turned to face Sylthris, his expression torn between anger and uncertainty. "Do you truly believe that?"

Sylthris nodded, a calculating gleam in her eyes. "It's possible, isn't it? We know so little about this human mage. He could be far more cunning than we realize."

Aric shivered as he watched the exchange between Zaxos and Sylthris. He knew all too well the danger that they posed to Malekith’s plans, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the thought of Zaxos and Sylthris underestimating him.

As Zaxos considered Sylthris's words, Aric felt a spark of hope ignite within him. Perhaps there was still a chance to turn the tide, to stop Zaxos and save Malekith. But he knew that time was running out, and every moment they spent debating was another moment that Malekith suffered.

Zaxos initially scoffed at Sylthris's suggestion, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "Malekith is no fool," he growled, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the crumpled form on the floor. "He would never allow himself to be manipulated by a mere human."

But as Sylthris continued to speak, her voice smooth and persuasive, Zaxos's expression began to change. She painted a vivid picture of Malekith as a pawn in Aric's cunning game, emphasizing how this could be turned to their advantage.

So Sylthris was manipulating Zaxos. Hardly a surprise there, but Aric felt no closer to grasping her true intentions just yet.

As Zaxos listened to Sylthris, his brow furrowed in thought. He paced back and forth across the throne room, his hands clasped behind his back. "Perhaps you're right," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. "Perhaps we have underestimated this human mage."

Sylthris smiled, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "I can help you uncover the truth, my lord." She took a step closer to Zaxos. "Together, we can expose Aric's deception and crush him beneath our heels."

Aric watched, his heart pounding, as Zaxos turned to Sylthris, his eyes narrowed in thought. "What do you propose we do with Malekith if he was indeed just a pawn?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"Oh, I know just how to make use of him." She didn't elaborate further, but the chilling expression on her face filled Aric with terror that settled in the pit of his stomach.

As Aric continued to observe the scene unfolding before him, despair rose up in his throat. But as he searched for a way to break free from the vision and return to his own body, he found himself trapped, unable to move or speak. He could only watch in horror as the events unfolded before him, his hands trembling and his breath coming in ragged gasps.

The silence in the throne room was palpable as Zaxos considered Sylthris's words. The tension was so thick that Aric could practically taste it, and he found himself holding his breath, waiting for Zaxos's response.

Finally, Zaxos nodded, his expression grim. "Very well," he said, his voice cold and calculating. "We will proceed as you suggest."

The vision began to fade, the oppressive atmosphere of the throne room dissolving like mist. Zaxos and Sylthris turned away, their voices dropping to hushed whispers as they left the chamber. Aric strained to hear their words, but they slipped away like smoke, leaving him with nothing but a sense of dread and helplessness.

As the darkness encroached, Aric's gaze fell upon Malekith's broken form. The demon prince lay crumpled on the cold stone floor, his once-proud body weak and shattered. In that moment, Aric saw not the powerful, enigmatic figure he had come to know, but a vulnerable being, stripped of all pretense and power.

Malekith's lips moved, a silent whisper in the encroaching gloom. Though no sound escaped him, Aric read the word as clearly as if it had been shouted: "Aric."

The raw emotion in that single, silent utterance tore through Aric's heart. He wanted to reach out, to offer comfort, to promise that he would rescue Malekith. But before he could act, the vision shattered.

Aric's consciousness hurtled back into his own body with brutal force. He gasped, his eyes flying open as he jolted upright. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat a painful reminder of what he had witnessed. Sweat beaded on his brow, and his hands trembled as he tried to orient himself in the familiar surroundings of his room in Astaria.

The lingering echoes of Malekith's pain clung to him like a shroud, and Aric found himself struggling to separate the vision from reality. He drew in ragged breaths, his mind reeling from the horrors he had witnessed and the task that now lay before him.

As the disorientation slowly ebbed, one thought crystallized in Aric's mind with painful clarity: he had to save Malekith from their plans, no matter the cost.

Sixteen

Aric's breath was still ragged as he stumbled back into the dimly lit corridor of the palace, his heart pounding in his ears. The visions Sylthris had forced upon him replayed in his mind, each brutal image etching itself into his memory. Malekith, broken and bloodied, calling for him—Aric clenched his fists, a surge of anger and desperation coursing through him.

"Sylthris," he growled, rounding on her where she stood in the shadows. "You vile creature—what game are you playing?"

Sylthris's eyes gleamed, their depths as inscrutable as the night sky. "A necessary one, Aric." Her voice was a low purr, infuriatingly calm. "For all of our sakes."

Aric closed the space between them with a furious grace. "Spare me your riddles," he snapped. "You toy with me—have always toyed with both of us—and now I have to know: are you responsible for this? This—is this yet more of your twisted plots?"

Sylthris sighed, the sound barely a breath. "I'm doing what I must to protect our realms, Aric. The Sovereign grows restless, and Malekith's actions have left us all vulnerable." She held up a hand as Aric started to interrupt. "But I've found a way—found a way to help."

"To help?" Aric's laugh was bitter and harsh in the dim hallway. "By making him suffer? By making him another tool in your hands? If you knew—you ever cared?—"

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