4 Book 2 - Chapter 1 Contains Spoilers

"No, I don't know what you-PUH," blood dripped from Dunkel's lips as he was swiftly interrupted by a punch to the stomach. His hair was unkempt and the usual sparkle found in his eyes was all but gone. His face was beaten down and he struggled to look at his assailant with his two black eyes which were now swollen to the size of apples.

"Rejoice, for this is only the beginning of your torture! You will tell me exactly what I want to know, or else…" the man pointed at a strange apparatus which looked like a coffin, but inside it were countless metal spikes, waiting to pierce into warm flesh. "I will make sure to take good care of you. Don't worry, you won't be dying anytime soon," he manically laughed as he said this.

Dunkel glared at his torturer, doing his best not to crack under the constant pain and torture he was being put through. 'The academy must be coming for me any moment,' he thought. This thought kept his resolve from being broken in the 2 days since he'd been kidnapped by Raziel. He'd been brought to the Followers of Eris' base, which was hidden deep in a forest, and enchanted to make sure that nobody knew of its location. What Dunkel didn't know, was that help wouldn't and could not come. He was truly stuck behind enemy lines, with a 0% chance of being saved.

Over the next few weeks, Dunkel was put through what can only be described as hell on hell. He was tortured in so many different ways that he'd lost count. He would always get to the brink of what he thought was his death, but then miraculously be healed back up to full vitality. He wasn't even allowed to pass out under the constant pain, as there were special concoctions that he was fed to keep him awake at all times. He hadn't slept properly in days. The moment he fell asleep, his sadistic captors would employ another torture session for him. The only time he was free from his agony was when he forced himself to stay awake, but this never lasted long. Only 10 to 15 minutes later and he'd fall asleep; the torture would commence again.

His living conditions were similarly horrible. He was imprisoned behind rusted metal bars, and there was no such thing as a shower or toilet for him. He basically lived in his own blood, sweat, and excretion. Despite this, sleep would always take over. The torture chamber which he lived in was huge, but most of the space was taken up by all the different devices that were used to put him through an endless torment. By now, his hair had lost its luster, having been turned into a blood-stained crimson red by the blood splatters from his own body. His eyes had similarly lost their usual sparkle, and he was no longer that energetic, flamboyant youth who had all the energy in the world. Dunkel wasn't trying to survive anymore, he just wanted death to embrace him already, to tell him that it's all finally over.

"A-Are you okay?" a childish female voice asked.

Dunkel looked around slowly, confused as hell. 'I'm hearing things again aren't I,' he thought. He decided to completely ignore the existence of the voice, instead trying his best to keep his eyes wide open. His hair was currently full of blood fresh blood, as he'd just recently been put through another sickening torture device. His fingernails were each peeled off, and then his fingers chopped, after which everything was healed back to normal, and repeated.

"You look hurt, do you need any help?" the voice asked softly.

"Who is it? Where are you?" Dunkel spun his head towards the voice, but couldn't make out any person. He could sense that there was something nearby, but couldn't pinpoint the exact location. 'My mind is playing tricks on me!'

"Close your eyes, I'm right here!" she replied.

Dunkel thought hard for a moment. He absolutely didn't want to close his eyes. He knew that he'd fall asleep the moment he forcefully closed them. But, the voice soothed him, and gave off a calming aura, as if it wanted to help him. Slowly, he closed his eyes, not caring if he was just hallucinating. Even if he fell asleep now, he didn't care. He'd been tortured enough to be able to resist some of the pain.

After closing his eyes, Dunkel was left utterly surprised. He was somehow transported to a grassy field, filled with berries and fruits. Bees buzzed away cheerfully, scooping up the sweet nectar of their labor before flying away. The sun rays warmed him, with this being the first time he'd seen the sun and sky in what felt like centuries. A calming wind brushed against his face, a feeling he never thought he'd be able to welcome again.

"That's better. I'll take care of you," the childish voice said. Dunkel could now make out who this mysterious girl was that kept talking to him. Flying above him was a small fairy, her tiny wings flapping quickly to keep her in the air. The fairy was only the size of a fist, and was the cutest thing Dunkel believed he'd ever seen in his life.

"I'm Sire, nice to meet you! Let's be friends," she said. Her voice was high-pitched, but soothing to the ear. It was almost angelic in the way that she sounded like she was singing a lullaby whenever she spoke.

Dunkel was astonished at Sire's appearance. She came to him at the time when he needed somebody the most, after he'd already convinced himself that help wasn't going to come. Not from the Dusk Academy, not from Favian or Licht, and not even from his mother the Drow Queen. The despair that had been weighing him down was slowly being eased by this child-like creature.

"Who are you?" Dunkel said. He was suspicious about the exact perfect timing that the fairy had used to contact him. Why now? Why couldn't she have helped him earlier? These thoughts were running through his mind, pessimism taking hold of him. 'I should trust her, and everything about her is telling me to trust her. But that's exactly why I can't trust her, this is all a bit too convenient,' he thought.

The fairy looked at Dunkel with interest. Her curiosity had now been peaked. A devilish grin appeared on her face, but it went away so quickly that Dunkel wasn't able to notice it.

"I'm here to save you, that's all you need to know for now. I just happened to stumble onto you because of the dense aura of pain and agony you were emitting. Let's just say that I've been brought here to save you from the what you've been put through," Sire replied. She twirled her blond hair as she said this. "Just follow me, I'll get you to somewhere safe."

Dunkel wasn't sure whether to follow her. His only other option was to stay put, which would mean he'd be sent back to his dungeon, the torture chamber. The thought of that immediately made him follow this stranger, who was flying off at a fast pace despite her tiny size. Dunkel was brought along the field, which extended for a couple of kilometers. He decided to pick up various fruits and berries along the way to quench his hunger; Dunkel hadn't been given food ever since his torture began, and nearly died of starvation multiple times. But every time he almost died, he would be healed up again, but the hunger would always be there.

After following Sire for 10 difficult minutes, he reached a small cottage, right before he felt his exhaustion would kill him for good. The cottage was in the middle of nowhere, with shrubbery having grown completely around it, and vines slithering across the building. The sun was slowly starting to set at this point, and it would take less than an hour for darkness to take over the area.

"Come in, this little abode of mine should keep us safe for the night," Sire said. She opened the door with a wave of her hand, the doorknob being the same size as her whole body. A gust of wind turned the doorknob, and what greeted Dunkel from the inside was a warm living room, heated by a fireplace. There was no chimney to be seen anywhere, and the smoke from the fireplace dissipated into thin air once it escaped to the ceiling. A platter of food was placed in front of Dunkel, an assortment of different meats and cheeses, and he ravaged it like the wild beast he was, not caring about etiquette at all.

"Why are you helping me?" Dunkel asked, his mouth stuffed to the brim with food. His hands were now greasy, which he wiped off on his tattered shirt without care. He no longer cared about his fate. If he were to die right now, he wouldn't care. If this fairy was to backstab him, he also wouldn't care. Right now, he was completely psychologically worn down. Whatever was in store for him next, he'd accept it with open arms.

"You'll find out soon. All I ask is that you help me out in return. Do we have a deal?" Sire asked, smiling at him with her chubby cheeks.

Dunkel didn't care about the outcome, so he simply replied, "Sure."