Realm Lord
Chapter 102: In the Dark (3)

Chapter 102: In the Dark (3)

A boy sat huddled in a basement, no older than 7, his small frame pressed against the cold concrete wall. The dim yellow light from a single bulb swinging overhead cast dancing shadows across his terrified face. Cuts and bruises painted his pale skin in sickening hues of purple and yellow—a canvas of cruelty that no child should bear. His thin arms wrapped around his knees as he cowered, pulling his trembling body as far away as physically possible from what lay before him. His throat was raw from screaming, each cry tearing at his vocal cords like sandpaper.

"Stop crying, Aziel," the stern man holding the leash commanded. His voice carried no emotion, no sympathy—just cold expectation that hung in the musty air between them.

The rabid dog at the end of that leash strained forward, its powerful muscles rippling beneath matted fur as it lunged repeatedly against its restraint. It was pulling at the leash with such savage force that white foam bubbled from its jaws, dripping onto the stained concrete floor. The animal choked against its collar, eyes bulging and bloodshot, but it never ceased its desperate attempts to reach the child. Each bark reverberated off the bare walls, amplifying the terror that filled the confined space.

"DAD, PLEASE!" the boy screamed desperately, his voice cracking with fear. He averted his tear-filled eyes from the rabid animal, now only a foot away from his face. The stench of the dog’s hot, fetid breath washed over him in nauseating waves.

"What? Are you scared, boy?" the stern man asked in a monotone voice that betrayed nothing of what might lie behind those cold, calculating eyes. He maintained his grip on the leash with practiced steadiness, neither advancing nor retreating—simply observing his son’s terror with clinical detachment.

"DAD!" the boy cried louder, tears streaming down his dirt-smudged cheeks, leaving clean trails that revealed the pale skin beneath.

The man’s expression tightened, the first hint of emotion—anger—flickering across his otherwise impassive features. "I said, are you scared, boy!?"

No response came from Aziel, just heaving sobs and broken screams that seemed to bounce off his father’s hardened exterior. His small chest heaved with each ragged breath, his fingers digging painfully into his own arms as he tried to make himself smaller, to disappear into the unyielding wall at his back.

The man’s voice raised higher, sharp with anger, cutting through the basement air like a knife. "ANSWER ME!"

Aziel flinched har, he pressed himself deeper against the wall, shoulders hunching as he whimpered a barely audible response: "Y-yes."

The man’s face contorted with disdain, his features hardening as he took a small, deliberate step closer. The action allowed the dog to move forward—now mere inches away from the boy, its snapping jaws and yellowed teeth so close that its hot drool spattered across Aziel’s terrified face with each bark.

"YES WHAT!?" The demand echoed off the basement walls.

Aziel tucked his head between his knees, as if the simple action could shield him from the nightmare unfolding before him. "I’m scared!" he said, slightly louder than before, his voice fracturing under the weight of his terror.

"YOU’RE WHAT?" The man’s eyes narrowed, fixed on his son with predatory intensity.

Aziel flicked his trembling head up to meet his father’s gaze, a momentary act of courage in a sea of fear. "I’m scared!" he repeated, the words tumbling out between sobs.

His father gave the dog an inch more leeway on the leash, the animal lurching forward with renewed vigor, almost close enough now to bite. "LOUDER!" he commanded, his voice a thunderclap in the confined space.

Fresh tears filled Aziel’s eyes as he cleared his broken voice, summoning what little strength remained to yell: "I’M SCARED!"

"Good!" his father responded, a terrible satisfaction creeping into his tone. "Now grab that feeling, that feeling of utter terror and despair. Grab it as tight as you can and learn to love it. That feeling of your hair standing on end, your heart rate exploding, your teeth’s jitter, the goosebumps on your arm—LOVE ALL OF IT. If you love it, it can never be used against you..."

The dog inched closer still, its sharp maw now only a hair’s breadth from Aziel’s face, teeth bared and glistening with saliva. The boy could count every jagged tooth, could see the rage burning in the animal’s eyes, could feel death hovering between them like a physical presence.

"NOW LOOK AT IT, LOOK AT YOUR FEAR!" his father commanded, his knuckles white around the straining leash.

...

Aziel stood frozen in the void of darkness, the memory washing over him with such vivid clarity that for a moment, he was that terrified child again. His teeth chattered forcefully against one another as he muttered pitifully under his breath, the words barely audible even to himself.

"I’m not scared."

He heard the voices overlapping in his mind—his father screaming, that dog barking, memories of how pitiful he had been then, how pitiful he appeared now. The shame of his fear burned hotter than the fear itself, igniting something deep within his core.

"I-I’m not scared!" he said slightly louder, his voice broken with fear but gaining strength with each syllable. As he spoke, something changed—light began to crackle lightly around his hands, tiny arcs of electricity dancing between his fingertips like miniature lightning strikes.

His face contorted with growing determination, jaw set and eyes narrowing as he raised his voice to a shout that challenged the void itself: "I’M NOT SCARED!"

The lightning responded to his declaration, running up his arms like living tendrils of blue-white energy. It grew brighter with each passing second, stronger, feeding off his resolve as it spread across his torso and illuminated the darkness around him.

"I AM AZIEL BORASTEN!" he roared into the abyss, his voice no longer that of a frightened child but of a man reclaiming his power. "I DO NOT FEEL FEAR, I FEEL EXCITEMENT TO BE ABLE TO TAUNT DEATH BY HOLDING MY LIFE OVER ITS MIGHTY MAW! I FEEL PRIDE!"

The lightning grew faster and more powerful, covering his entire body in a crackling web of electric blue light that pushed back against the surrounding darkness.

Aziel took a deep breath, his body still shaking—but the nature of that trembling had changed. Every moment, he shook less from fear and more from something else: anger... excitement... power. The electricity coursed through him, amplifying his emotions and lending him strength he’d momentarily forgotten he possessed.

"I AM NOT SCARED OF YOU!" The declaration echoed through the emptiness, challenging whatever horrors might lurk within.

A manic smile grew on his face, spreading until it matched the wildness in his eyes. The lightning seemed to be consuming him from within, transforming him into a being of pure electric energy and defiance. And then, in that moment of transformation, he felt it—the monster was behind him, moving forward to finish what it had started.

But instead of cowering, instead of surrendering to terror, Aziel’s smile widened further, teeth bared in a feral grin as his fists clenched at his sides, sparks flying from his knuckles. In his mind, a simple thought formed with crystal clarity:

’Let’s do it.’

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