Chapter 26: Bound for Judgment
AVIN’S POV
This dream was different.
It felt less like a dream and more like a story being poured straight into my skull. A film in super-realistic 4D, complete with a narrator whose voice rang in my head like a bell of thunder. The tale of the Primordial and Him, the war that shook all of creation — I hadn’t dreamed it, I had been shown it.
"So this is the story of the Primordial," I thought to myself, even as the last echoes of cheering stars faded away.
My eyes dragged open, heavy, and when the blur cleared, I was greeted with the last face I wanted to see.
Leo.
His green eyes glinted down at me, narrowed into crescents, his lips stretched into that ominous, too-wide smile that never seemed to falter.
Before I could open my mouth to ask him anything — a thud shook the floor beneath me. The carriage lurched, throwing my head sideways until it bounced against the wooden boards with a dull crack.
Pain flared up my temple.
That was when I realized where I was.
I blinked hard, forcing my vision to steady. The enclosure around me was narrow, built from polished brown wood, the interior draped with red garments embroidered in curling patterns. Benches lined the walls, carved straight into the wood. A carriage — a large one, moving fast.
But what caught me most wasn’t the decor. It was my body.
My arms were twisted behind me, tied cruelly tight with rope, the coarse fibers digging into my skin until it burned. My legs were bound together at the ankles, then bent backward at the knees, forcing me into an unnatural, compact crouch. Every bump in the road made the rope bite harder.
I tried to shift, tried to test my restraints, but the ropes only cut deeper. The ache pulsed from my wrists to my shoulders.
A groan slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. "Ow..."
I looked down at myself, then up at Leo again. My voice cracked as I forced the words out. "Why... why the hell am I tied up?"
Leo’s grin widened. He leaned forward ever so slightly, his tone bright, mocking, dripping with venom.
"Well," he said smoothly, "you were acting like an animal earlier. So we had to treat you like one, young master."
Tsk.
I ground my teeth together, twisting my wrists again, trying to pull free, but the carriage jolted suddenly. My body slammed against the wall. My head rattled from the impact.
"Dammit!" I hissed. "Can you untie me now?"
"I can," Leo answered immediately.
For a second, relief sparked in me. I shifted my body as best I could, forcing my bound wrists upward, trying to make them easier for him to reach. It was clumsy — I had to drag my shoulders up, twisting my elbows behind me until my muscles screamed.
But Leo just sat there.
Silent.
Smiling.
I looked up, breath heaving, sweat dampening my forehead. His grin hadn’t changed.
"Untie me then!" I shouted, my voice cracking with anger.
Leo leaned back in his seat, smugness dripping from every gesture. His tone was slow, lazy, mocking.
"You’re still acting like an animal."
A sigh escaped me, long and sharp. My chest heaved as frustration knotted in my gut.
God, I fucking hate this guy.
Silence again.
Then Leo raised his hand and waved it in a casual little circle, as if summoning a servant to bring him wine.
I flinched when I felt it — a hand touching my bound wrists. I jolted forward in surprise, heart lurching. "Oh fuck—!"
I craned my head around. Behind me knelt a guard, armored in the same silver plates I’d seen in the mansion. His face was blank, indifferent, as if untying me was no more personal than chopping wood.
The ropes loosened. First my wrists, then my ankles. My legs tingled with the sudden return of circulation.
I sat there stunned for a moment, rubbing the deep red welts carved into my skin. Then I pushed myself upward. My knees cracked as I forced them straight. Awkwardly, stiffly, I slid onto the nearest bench beside the guard. My body ached from the cramped position, and my head still rang from the earlier blow.
I inhaled deeply, rubbing at my wrists, the skin raw beneath my fingertips. Then my eyes locked on Leo.
"So," I said through gritted teeth, "where the hell are we going?"
Leo’s grin didn’t falter. "The Holy Chrono Temple. In the Central Holy State."
The words made my chest tighten. "Holy Chrono Temple?"
The phrase rattled in my head, but no memory came. Nothing stirred inside me. Normally, if Avin had known something, I’d feel it — some emotion, some echo, some trace of familiarity. But at the mention of this temple, I felt nothing. Empty.
So I asked. "Chrono Temple?"
Leo’s eyes narrowed. His smile dimmed just enough to show the gleam of sharp suspicion.
For a moment, pain shot through my chest — like a spike of panic. Shit. What if he knows...
Then, slowly, he leaned back, chuckling. "Ah. You have not been there yet. You were supposed to go before your Academy entrance exam."
Still on about this Academy, I thought bitterly.
Leo continued without pause. "You are being taken in as a witness."
The word snagged my attention. My body straightened involuntarily. "Witness?"
"Yes. Do you not remember?"
His words blurred. My head filled instead with the image of Miranda, thrashing in the grip of armored guards. Her cries, her legs kicking wildly.
My eyes narrowed. I spat the words through clenched teeth. "Where is she?"
Leo lifted his hands in mock surrender, his smile twisting into something wider, crueler. "Slow down your roll there, hero."
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his tone lower now.
"The maid girl," he said smoothly, "is in the carriage in front of us."
Silence sat between us for a heartbeat. My chest heaved.
"She is being taken into the temple to be judged."
"Judged?" My voice cracked with disbelief.
"Yes," Leo said, drawing the word out like a teacher explaining to a slow student. "She is being taken before the council for attempted harm upon a noble family."
The phrasing was soft, deliberate, smug — but the meaning struck like iron.
"What?" I whispered, fury bubbling in my throat.