Chained Hearts: From Slavery to Sovereignty
Chapter 97: All shall dance into their grave.

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: All shall dance into their grave.

Cassian felt a chill on his back. He did not know whether the feeling was right or it was only his mere imagination. But the feeling of being watched became more profound, as if someone was constantly tracking them, like a predator waiting for its prey to fall into its trap.

Then, slowly, it would tear them apart limb by limb. It was literally toying with them.

At first, he thought it was just his hallucination, but the chilling feeling intensified as he felt the presence behind him.

Cassian gripped his sword, and sweat formed on his brow. He took a deep breath and instantly drew his sword, pointing it behind him with a swish.

The blade cut the leaf in half in a fluid motion. The pieces of the leaf swayed slowly and fell gently to the ground.

There was nothing behind him other than this falling leaf, and aside from the strong wind that was constantly buzzing around their ears.

Cassian felt his breathing become labored, his sword still pointed at the air. He could not move his limbs, not even an inch, as if something terrifying was gripping his mind and soul.

But it only made it worse for him that he could not see anything at all.

Keren was the first one to notice the strangeness in Cassian, and he placed a hand on his shoulder and said gently, "Cassian, what happened?"

Everyone also stopped and looked behind after hearing Keren’s question. They did not know anything that had transpired with Cassian, because Cassian was walking at the back of the group.

Almost all of them instantly drew their swords after seeing Cassian’s sword pointed at something. Even if they could not see the threat, they were a hundred percent sure that something was wrong, or Cassian would not have drawn his sword at all.

"I am all right," Cassian snapped out of his daze and looked at Keren, his forehead sweating profusely. He immediately regained control of his body when Keren placed his hand on him.

The feeling instantly disappeared, like it was never there, and it was just his mind playing games with him.

"Did you feel something?" Cassian asked them and lowered his sword before continuing, "like someone’s presence." While he roamed his eyes over the surroundings, the presence he had felt earlier was nowhere to be found. He could not even sense it, let alone see it.

Everyone’s expression turned serious after hearing Cassian’s question. Their eyes turned sharp, and they also looked at their surroundings with their guards up.

They did not doubt that it could be Cassian’s hallucination, or that it was because they were all dead tired, and that was why he might be seeing strange things.

But after some time passed and everyone was on high alert, they still did not find anything. Cassian could tell the presence had disappeared, or it had completely hidden itself.

The thought alone was enough to make him worry. Just who was it? No monster was capable of doing this. Even if they had a little bit of intelligence, they could never hide their presence. It’s not because they could not; it’s because they simply don’t think of it.

After seeing their prey, the first thought that came to their minds was to attack the threat or their prey. And aside from monsters, he could not think of anything else. Humans? Nah! Even if humans can hide their presence, they cannot control anyone.

"Then what is it? A different race?" But he could not think of any possible race that could appear here. They did not have any rivalry at all. But he could feel the intense malice toward him and his group.

The group stood silently, their breaths shallow as they listened for any sound. Cassian kept his sword in hand, ready to fight if the presence showed itself from any direction.

Oronik glanced at him and said calmly, "If you say something’s out there, Cassian, we believe you. What do you want us to do?"

Cassian’s eyes scanned the dark forest before locking onto Oronik’s steady gaze. "Stay alert and spread out a little. We need to cover more ground. If it’s out there, we’ll find it—or make it show itself."

The group spread out, moving slowly as they searched. Every step was careful, their eyes watching every shadow and every rustling leaf. But the heavy presence Cassian had felt earlier seemed to have disappeared. Even the wind had stopped, leaving the forest eerily quiet.

After a long while, Keren finally spoke, breaking the silence. "Nothing. It’s either gone or hiding so well we won’t find it unless it wants to be found."

Alistair glanced at Cassian, looking uncertain. "What do you think? Is it still here?"

Cassian took a deep breath and let his senses reach out. The heavy feeling of danger from before was gone. Now, only the quiet forest sounds remained. "No," he said after a moment, his voice calm. "It’s gone. But it could come back."

Morren stepped closer, his sword still in hand but lowered. "If you think it’s safe enough to move, we’ll follow your lead."

Cassian hesitated, gripping his sword tightly for a moment. Then he gave a firm nod and motioned for the group to regroup. "We’re moving forward. Stay sharp. Whatever it was, it might be waiting for a better chance."

Hidden from their view, atop a tall tree, sat the same figure that everyone was searching for. An evil grin spread across his face as he watched their disheveled composure and fearful expressions while they continued to search for him.

his clawed, fingered tapping on the branch beside him and slowly humming a tune as he basked in their disheveled state. Enjoying the pleasure it gave him.

Hm-mmm, mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm,

Whispers cry, the darkness hums.

Broken hearts, the silence drums.

Ha-ah, ha-ah, ha-ah, ha-ah,

Shadows twist, their laughter screams.

Suffering fuels my wicked dreams.

Da-dum, da-dum, da-dum, da-dum,

Chains that bind, their pain I crave.

All shall dance into their grave.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.