Chapter 2 What Have You Done !

Lyra’s POV:

Where am I? The last thing I recall was me on the verge of dying, and then… that searing pain upon my lips.

My head spun as I struggled to stand up. Looking around me, I realized I was entrapped within a vast expanse of nothingness. It was as if I was within a black hole, where not a single ray of light could penetrate the space.

“Hello? Is anyone out here?!” I called out.

Yet, I was met with nothing but the echo of my voice.

Shrouded by the thick blanket of darkness, I got on all fours, desperately searching for a way out. A trap door, a secret passage, a window… ANYTHING!

My heart started to pound against my chest with each passing minute.

“Come on! Come on!” I cried out as I fumbled around the ground. It was then, my hands felt something warm and sticky. Raising my hands in front of me, I gave it a sniff, trying to determine the nature of this substance. Instantly, the familiar metallic smell assaulted my nostrils.

“Arghh!!!!”

Screaming, I tried desperately to wipe that filthy substance off my hands. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, it just wouldn’t come off.

“No! Oh god! Please no!”

All around me I could hear the whisperings of a strange, foreign language which grew in crescendo as the curtain of darkness started to close in around me. Although I could only see perpetual darkness around me, I could literally feel the air rushing out of my lungs, and my windpipes constricting as the fear of getting crushed within that enclosed space threatened to overwhelm me.

Servus tenebrarum vinculum aeternum…

Servus tenebrarum vinculum aeternum…

The whisperings repeated those words over and over again as my head started to pound with each breath.

“NO!!”

I woke up, drenched in a pool of sweat.

Was it just a dream? A nightmare?

“Rise and shine my little nightingale.”

That voice!

My eyes widened in shock as I whipped my head around, only to be met with the sight of a man with a sickly grin on his face.

“YOU! What have you done?!” Memories from last night flooded back. That bite, that burning sensation… Subconsciously, I raised my hand to touch my lips. The place where he bit me last night still throbbed painfully, as if warning me of the dangerous encounter I had last night.

“I see that you are fondly reminiscing about the kiss we had together…”

SMACK!

I slapped him right across his face.

Stunned for a brief moment, his eyes widened with shock. However, it was instantly replaced with a predatory look as he slowly turned toward me with a smirk on his face.

“You’re indeed a work of art!” he announced. Without warning, he suddenly launched himself toward me and pinned me against the wall.

“Ugh!” I grimaced in pain as his vice-like grip tightened itself around my wrists. His face was merely inches away from me, so close that I could see that swirling cloud of rage beneath those midnight blue eyes of his.

“If you want to stay alive, I would suggest you not to cross your MASTER like that ever again,” he whispered in a menacing tone next to my ear.

“M-Master?” Despite crumbling slightly under his powerful aura, I couldn’t help but blurt out my question.

With that, a grin of satisfaction crossed his face as he rested a finger against my lips and purred, “Yes, my little nightingale. You’re bound to me as my servant as long as the contract lasts.”

“C-Contract? What contract? I don’t recall ever signing one with you!” Never in my wildest dreams would I think of signing a contract with a crazy guy like him! In addition to that, he gave off this otherworldly vibes which alerted me to the fact that he wasn’t a creature of this world.

“Tsk! Tsk! Be patient my little one,” he cooed. “Contracts are forged through a multitude of ways, and yours happened to be that of blood. Remember the mark I made yesterday?” Pointing toward his lips, he smirked.

My eyes grew wide in shock and horror. Realizing what I was up against, I knew I couldn’t use brute force against him. As such, I decided to play it smart and try my best to learn as much as I could, in the hopes that I could find a way to break this ‘contract’.

“What do you want from me?” I gritted my teeth and spat out.

Realizing I had given up on my retaliation, a slight look of disappointment crossed his face as he withdrew himself and leaned casually against the side of the carriage.

“Simple, entertain me… and perhaps you might get to live another day.”

“I—“

I was about to question him further when the carriage came to a sudden halt.

“We’ve arrived, Your Lordship!” yelled the carriage man.

“Well, there’s your first assignment,” said the man opposite me with a knowing smile before he alighted from the carriage.

“Wait! How should I address you?” I called after him as I scrambled to get off the carriage.

Turning his head, he replied, “Lord Cassius.”