Bound and Broken: An Isekai Adventure Dark Fantasy (Melas Book 1) V.A. Lewis (feel good books to read .TXT) 📖

"Everything I’ve worked for— everything I’ve built! You took it all from me! You… you... you filthy animals!"

No! the thought crossed my mind; I did not know why it did. It was a natural reflex. A response to something.

I watched as he finally reached his quarry. The old man picked Rin off the ground, as she struggled in the bindings that he caught her with.

"You’ve taken it all, so you can keep it!" Julian spat acidically.

No! No, no, no—

Venom rolled off of the old slaver’s tongue as he continued.

"But I’ll just take her instead."

I felt my heart stop moving. The world around me froze; darkness encroached on me, and I felt the entire world looming over me. At that moment, everything seemed so fragile.

But he was not finished.

Julian continued to back away with Rin in tow. He held a gun to her head, as he spoke his final words.

"After all, I need something to restart my life with. And she’s sure to fetch a good price—"

"NO!"

The words came out of my mouth as a shout. I had had enough of this; enough of feeling so useless; enough of seeing others suffer. I reached out with my hand—

And then, everything shattered.

Chapter 22: Deus Ex Machina

The world was vast. It always had been. But now, it loomed over me; so much more… full.

I stared at it all. Uncomprehending. I saw a lake lying before me. I saw my reflection on it; I stared at the me stuck inside the water. My mouth was moving, a word being uttered from my mouth.

"NO!"

I put a hand out, and reached. It was so calm. The water surface so... fragile. I had been afraid to reach out and touch it for so long, out of fear of being persecuted. But I had no other choice now.

A finger touched the image, and it broke.

The still water rippled; the lake finally distorted. The picture smashed into pieces. And nothing was ever the same. It just… shattered.

This illusion. The immersion. I broke out of it with the sounds of cracking. The echo of metal snapping. I was pointing. I didn’t even realize that I was pointing at something— that I was pointing at Rin.

The chains around the Cat Beastkin flickered. The red energy that kept it together was disrupted, then damaged.

There was a flash of light. Magic flowing through me, before the chains dispelled. The energy dispersed, sending a shockwave to everyone nearby. I only stumbled a little; I was standing a short distance away after all.

But Julian Mancis was not so fortunate. The owner of the Mancis Company was knocked off his feet; unharmed, but lying prone on the ground. The old man was dazed. He fumbled for his gun, but paused as he picked himself up. He was looking at me.

Julian’s eyes widened. His mouth held agape. He only managed to get a hold of himself for a second, and only managed to utter a single word, "You—"

Before a clawed hand smashed into his face. Rin bounded on top of the owner of the Mancis Company and began ripping the man apart. Julian screamed and yelled as the Cat Beastkin clawed her way into him. She tore at his face, his chest, his groin— every part of the man— as she ravaged the slaver.

Shouts of pure agony slowly dwindled into the occasional cry for help, before being reduced into the even more quiet, more subdued whimperings of a broken man— both mentally and physically.

Finally, when Rin was finished she grinned triumphantly to herself and turned around, standing over the dead Julian Mancis. She looked around confused for a second, when her eyes settled on me. Then she stopped moving.

That was when I realized nobody else was moving either; everybody had ignored the bloody murder of Julian. And they were all looking at me.

An explosion tumbled in the background, then the realization sunk in, and I felt my hands begin to tremble; my gaze caught on my outstretched hand, and my throat tightened.

"N-no."

A magic circle, about ten inches in length, dimly shone red on the tip of my hand. Well, it was less of a circle and more of a triangle, but it still had the complex patterns glowing within it. And everyone could see it.

The magic slowly faded, but the silence did not. A bead of sweat rolled off my head, and I slowly met everyone’s gazes.

They all just had a blank look on their faces. My eyes glazed over the other slaves, and I found my friends. Shang’s eyes were wide in shock, Feri confused, and Rin blinking. But then I saw Theodore.

I saw… fear.

The look of mortal terror— as if he were face to face with some sort of Monster. My heart was racing now. My breathing was short and rapid. My chest hurt, and my stomach ached. I was overwhelmed.

It was all too much for me.

The illusion had been shattered. They knew the truth now. That I was not just some random child. That I was actually a—

"Heretic."

The words came from somewhere. From someone. I did not know where. But like some sort of trigger, it spurred me to move.

No.

I… ran.

I did not know why I ran. My mind was a mess, and everything just screamed at me to go. I felt a sense of mortal peril and dread just from being there. But...

Would they have killed me there and then? Or would they have been understanding and kind?

I remembered Rin’s face. The Cat Beastkin was always so nice. So sweet. She never took anything seriously— even when she tried to be serious, she was always relaxed.

But I remember a