Part 46

Darkness is Astoria's friend. A cramped, dark, stuffy, and damp room is her shelter from now on. There is no more mercy for Her. Not even to sit down and rest to recover from the wound.

Astoria is chained in a standing position. After being whipped and beaten Astoria was left in a rusty cell with dirt as the floor. The stench of her blood could still be smelled several meters from her cell. A very sad and despicable situation for any people who see it.

Her closed eyes suddenly opened. Etna roared. With the last of her strength, the she-wolf was trying to unshackle the silver chains on her body. However, the sound of the clattering chains provoked several guards who immediately whipped and beat her unconscious so that the prison would be quiet again. Stupidity is true for a pair of souls in one growing up.

Outside the prison, in a window not far from the door leading to the dungeon, a black crow was perched sweetly while occasionally turning its head here and there. Its soot-dark fur glistened in the reflected sunlight. Etna's screams of pain rang through the dungeon entrance. And when the scream ended so sadly, the crow flew out the window and ruled the air with wings as dark as night that flapped fast.

***

"I don't understand why the Queen flatters you so much compared to me who has hundreds of troops ready to fight with just a finger signal." Paul sneered when the presence of the black crow that he had been waiting for arrived for quite a long time.

The crow flew swooping towards the ground. But before her feet hit the ground, the crow had already transformed into a scantily clad woman like an assassin with a black robe that matched her shoes and clothes. Her long hair was left loose with a bright red color resembling blood. A devilish smile appeared on her pretty face as she looked down at Paul condescendingly, like looking at a fly that would vanish with a single clap.

"You think with your posture I will be attracted to you?" Paul quipped openly.

"Dogs are still dogs." replied the girl calmly while flicking her cloak.

"Sombras!" Paul growls.

The girl chuckled then took out a bottle filled with potion which she then threw at Paul. Paul caught the bottle easily and stared in horror at Sombra.

"I'm not going to turn you into a worm again, dumb." Sombra grinned slyly which made Paul groan again in annoyance.

"Damn, do all your potions always smell like wet socks!" complained Paul nauseous which made Sombra roll her eyes in embarrassment.You complain too much, for this ridiculous mission alone you can't do it without me. So stop complaining!" Her emerald green irises flashed sharply making Paul had no choice but to drink the potion in the bottle until he was empty.

A fishy taste mixed with bitter and sour that was so strangely united in Paul's throat that now turned into a black cobra. Sombra smiled crookedly then changed his form back into a black crow. With its claws, the crow incarnated by the black magician grabbed Paul's snake form and then took him to the Pack House Eclipse Pack, more precisely to the dungeon to meet a prisoner who had a lot of important information they needed.

When they arrived at the entrance waiting for the dungeon, Sombra's incarnate crow threw Paul who was still in the form of a snake so violently that almost the entire body of the black snake hit the floor hard enough. Paul thinned his neck while staring at Sombra like a cobra being threatened as a form of protest against Sombra's actions.

"You complain too much." sneered Sombra for the second time after returning to her former form.

"Do your job with your venom and fangs, be careful the poison is a little too strong to kill weak werewolves like your kind." Sombra said casually while sitting on the window sill.

Paul hisses. However it starts creeping away to do its job. If he didn't need the help of the queen's right-hand man he would have killed the damn witch already.

Sombra is a teenage genius who is obsessed with power. When those around her hurt her, the once cheerful and lively Sombra turns ruthless and cruel. In order to take revenge on her family who are pure wizards, Sombra is willing to sell her soul and become a Black Witch as her heart grows darker. Now Sombra stands beside the Queen of Darkness as her right hand, being her loyal follower as well as mastering various sciences related to darkness and concocting poisons.

At least that's what Paul understands about Sombra. Sombra's suffering is nothing to Paul's. The cruelty of the world had been felt by little Paul since he was young. The one who created his suffering must feel the same way. Losing a precious person is just the beginning. Paul wants more revenge. The source of his suffering was caused by an Alpha King, more specifically the previous Alpha King. Paul grinned inwardly. The goal will be achieved, soon.Sombra was getting tired of waiting for Paul. Just taking care of a few guards took some time until finally the snake appeared with a few wounds on its body.

"Pathetic."

Sombra approached Paul's incarnated snake before finally pouring a potion that made the snake's body regenerate quickly until the wounds on his body healed without a trace.

"Clean up the guards around here, I'll meet our prisoner first." said Sombra commanding then sauntered off down the stairs to the dungeon.

Paul hissed again, but did his job anyway. It's very dangerous if Sombra doesn't change his form again.

Sombra's black heels tapped lightly on the cold dungeon floor. The stench of blood and damp air immediately greeted him, apart from the guards who were scattered due to poisoning. Sombra glanced sinisterly before walking towards the cell where she had come to that terrible place.

At the very end and in the prison there is a prisoner who is now unconscious in a rusty cell with dirt as the floor. Sombra looked at the prisoner flat and then snapped his fingers until the chains that bound the tied prisoners hung loose and the cell door opened by itself.

Sombra uncorked one of the potion bottles and then poured it over the head of the prisoner who was now lying on the floor.

Astoria blinked slowly before sitting up with pain shooting through her body. When she looked up, Astoria was surprised to find a red-haired girl staring at her coldly.

"Now is the time for you to pay dearly for the liver control potion you asked for. As per our agreement." Sobra started.

"Black Witches?" muttered Astoria softly.

"Sad." reproached Sombra, folding his arms across his chest with a condescending look.

"What do you want?" asked Astoria.

"Then what can you give?" Sombra crouched to the same height as the pitiful-looking Astoria.

"With your condition like this what can you do?"

Sombra lifted a tuft of Astoria's light brown hair with the tips of two fingers and gave her an appraising look.

Paul's incarnate snake suddenly hissed. With another potion Sombra restores Paul's original form.

"They are coming." Paul exclaimed.

"I don't have much choice for you but you have two choices, come with me or die rotting here."

Sombra got up and scratched his palms to drip blood which was then used to form symbols that only sorcerers could understand.

"Take your pick." offered Sombra one last time.

"I choose to come along." answered Astoria firmly with determination and suppressed hatred.

Sombra grinned before casting a magic spell. The blood that formed the glowing symbols gave off a purple-black light that slowly surrounded the three of them.

When the guards came to the dungeon all they found was a sprawl of guards and an open cell with escaped prisoners.

***

bruh...

Astoria was slammed under the dark throne that sat on someone who was so mysterious because her face was hidden in the darkness. Meanwhile, Paul and Sombra landed smoothly without injury.

"What do you guys bring?" asked someone sitting on the throne. His deep and sinister voice made Astoria's hairs start to prickle.

"She is the girl who made a pact with me. Other than information I don't know what else she can do to fulfill the pact." answered Sombra, yawning without interest while Paul was busy blowing a handful of hair that fell on his forehead.

"So?" The Queen rose from her throne and stood before Astoria.It can be seen from the appearance of the Queen of Darkness that she has jet black irises with long flowing back hair and black polished fingernails that are tapered. Her lips are black in color with her hair and nails. Judging from the outer appearance of the queen looks like a woman in her thirties but actually the queen's age exceeds hundreds of years. Dark magic that keeps her young and long lived.