The Blind Witch
Chapter 30

You have hidden yourself so much that you have forgotten who you are. Let me free you. Let me help you.

Clarissa's vision flickered as Erebus transported them. When she felt the floor beneath her feet again, she pulled herself away from him. She could see a smile creep onto his clouded face. She had not realized how much she could see of him. She eyed him, taking in every facet of his being. He was tall, taller than any man she knew. She could see one of his hands reach out for her. She slapped his hand away as she began to glare at him.

"Rather bold of you to hit a god," Erebus smiled as he looked at her. He could not see her as clearly. He wanted to touch her, to surround her in his clouds. Only then could he see her.

"You are the sixth god that I have met. You are nothing special," she spat angrily as she stepped away from him.

"Sixth?" He questioned as he thought to himself. "I know you have seen Inti, Bil, Frigg, and Nyx. Who is the fifth?"

"Labraid, the God of Death," she replied without hesitation.

"Oh. So you were there when the old man died," Erebus nodded his head. He placed his hands behind his back. He was enjoying hearing her voice, but he knew she would stop talking if he moved for her.

"He was not old," she hissed. "He died rather young."

"Did he say anything to you? Labraid?"

"No," Clarissa answered as she looked at Erebus curiously. He had stayed away from her, giving her space. But she was not naive. She knew he could turn against her, and yet, she wanted to keep talking. There were things she wanted to know. "He bowed to me twice."

"As he should," Erebus replied with a wave of his hand. "He is a lesser being to you."

"Why?"

"The Gods of Death that are scattered around the known universes all originate from the same man: the ancient God Uddum—the original God of Darkness and Chaos, the bearer of souls. Labraid was one of his later creations. But his best creation was Nyx, the child of the eternal darkness."

"But that does not explain why Labraid bowed to me or why he should. I am not Nyx."

"That is where you are wrong, little one." Erebus chuckled as he took a step towards her. "You are an oracle to Nyx. She created you to be her vessel. A vessel that, should you willingly sacrifice yourself, would bring her back to me."

"Why would I agree to do that?!" She snapped.

"Because you are Nyx, Goddess of the night, eternal darkness, and shadows. You are the mother of chaos and gloom."

"You are mistaken," she replied, taking another step from him. "I am Clarissa, Queen of Queens. I am a witch of the Coven of the Lode Star."

"I know who you are in this mortal body," Erebus hissed as he closed the space between them. "But that is not who you truly are. This is all a facade to the power that you hold. The power that you hold back."

Clarissa tried to step to the side, but she bumped into something. She winced as she stumbled back against the wall. She looked at Erebus, but she could not hold back her fear. He was close, too close. But she did not know where they were. She needed to see.

"Tasaeyoule," She said as she stomped her foot on the ground.

As her fire wave rippled from her foot, Erebus stepped back. He did not know what she was doing. He flinched as the fire touched him, but then he relaxed when he felt no pain. He watched the fire encapsulate the room, providing an image in his eyes. It made him curious. He had a cloud of darkness that helped to illuminate his surroundings. But she did not. Her darkness was hidden deep within her, hidden behind Inti's magic.

"What an interesting trick," he smiled as he watched her run to the other side of the room. He could hear her trying to open a door, but it was locked from the other side. "Why do you run, little one? I shall not hurt you. I merely want to make you whole."

"Why?!" She yelled at him. "Why do you want me? Why do you want Nyx?"

"Because I am Erebus, the Lesser God of Darkness and Lightning. I was once the consort to Nyx, or have you forgotten that? But it does not matter now. I am the stronger deity, not you. I shall make you my consort, and I shall become the Greater God of Darkness."

"I am the fated mate to Aiden, the King of Kings. I shall never be your consort!"

"He is just a flickering candle," Erebus scoffed. "The boy cannot keep up with you. You are powerful beyond his imagination. You have a destructive nature that would only kill him in time."

"Stop talking!" She commanded him.

Erebus grinned as he walked to her. He pinned her back against a wall. His eyes first went to the glowing circlet that was on her wrist. He touched it, gripping it tightly between his fingers. Within seconds, the circlet was broken. It fell to the floor, shattering upon impact. Clarissa froze as she felt his hand touch her marked shoulder. She could feel his darkness reach inside her, pulling something from her. She winced when he stepped back.

"There, no more circlet, no more mark," he chuckled. "I have freed you from the mortal boy."

"How dare you!" Clarissa yelled as she created a fireball in her hand.

She shot it at him, but then she heard it hit metal. She froze. He created his sword quickly. Almost too quickly. As Erebus walked up to her, she made a wall of fire around herself. She didn't want him to touch her. But then she saw the tip of his blade come through the fire. He had cut a hole, allowing him to step in.

"That is enough!" He bellowed as he grabbed her wrist.

He yanked her from the fire and dragged her across the room. He tossed her to the floor, her back slamming into a wall. Clarissa could hear metal jingling as he placed something over her wrists. He had handcuffed her. She stood, trying to pull away from him, but there was a chain on the cuffs. She was unable to pull away. She then tried to use her powers to burn the chains, but nothing happened.

"I have had enough of your insolence!" Erebus declared as he took hold of the chain. He yanked her to him, forcing her to her knees in front of him. "I will tolerate it no more! You shall remain chained here until you can be a good girl. And don't bother wasting your energy trying to use your magic. There is a spell on the chains. There is no escaping for you, and the sooner you realize that and accept it, the easier it can be for us."

Erebus let go of the chain, gently took her chin, and lifted her face to his. He took his thumb and grazed it against her lips. Clarissa opened her mouth, biting down hard against his finger. Erebus yelled as he pulled back from her.

"Impudent girl!" He scowled before turning to smoke, slipping underneath the door's crack.

Once she was sure that he was gone, Clarissa stood to her feet. She tried to use her fire energy, but nothing happened. She could not use her fire. So, she reached out with her hands, fumbling around the darkness. She followed the chain to a stone wall. Then she ran her hand upwards and felt a window. She tried to push open the panes, but the window was sealed. She looked out, but she could not see anything. She stepped away from the window, walking until the chain stopped her. It wasn't but four steps that she could take, and there was nothing within her reach.

She sighed as she sat on the stone floor. She could not use her magic; there was nothing she could do. At least not yet. She needed to conserve her energy. If she continued to struggle against her chains, she would not have the strength to fight him when he returned. She closed her eyes. She was still exhausted from the previous day. Just a few minutes; she just needed to rest for a few minutes.

Clarissa awoke, startled because she could feel Erebus returning. She opened her eyes and hurried to her feet. He had been standing over her, watching her.

"I am surprised you could find comfort on the cold floor," he remarked as he crossed his arms.

"I was tired," she shrugged as she raised her chained wrists. "Plus, it is not like I have a choice. I am stuck in this spot."

"It can be your choice if you choose to behave," Erebus growled as he sat in a nearby chair. Clarissa could hear him drinking something. "Care for some water?"

"No," she replied with a scowl. "I am fine."

"You mortals need water, or so I am told."

"I don't intend to stay here long. They will come for me."

"Who?" Erebus questioned with a smile. "Who shall come for you? That mortal boy king? The witches from the Lode Star? Or perhaps your father? Don't get your hopes up, girl. They won't be able to reach you here."

"Why? Where am I?" She questioned as she stepped forward, pulling slightly against the chain.

"You are in my chambers," he answered as he watched her. "At the Requiem. But even if your people guess that you are here, they cannot get in. Dray has a witch constantly creating a barrier to keep everyone out."

"Why am I not surprised," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

"You have a healthy distrust of Dray and Teresa," Erebus remarked. "Tell me, what made you distrust them?"

"Would it matter what I think?"

"Entirely. You are to be my consort for the rest of our eternal lives. If you distrust someone, perhaps I should be distrusting of them too. But I need a good reason. For now, you are still mortal, and you are prone to whims and emotions."

"He has spies watching me, and he tried to have the Gathering of the Wicca kill me."

"Both things he did at my request," Erebus explained as he stood. "From the first moment that I felt Nyx's essence come to life, I had Dray place people to watch you. And they were never going to pass the proscription. You were still a child then. They would not have killed you. But it was a chance for Dray to learn information about you, which he did."

"I don't understand. Why travel across hundreds of universes for her? Why do all of this for Nyx?" Clarissa questioned.

"Because she makes me stronger!" He shouted as he gripped her face roughly in his hands. "I am destructive alone, but her powers, your powers, make me cataclysmic. Your darkness shall feed me, nourish me. Together, you and I shall level universes and bring about the age of darkness. I will rule over everything, and you shall be by my side, always."

"I will never be by your side," she snapped as she clenched her fists, striking them against his chest. He may be a god, but he was in a mortal's body. Erebus gasped as he pulled away from her. "I will never be willing! I will fight you until my last breath! You won't have me, you won't have Nyx!"

Erebus growled as he reached out, grabbing her face and her hair. He slammed her to the floor. He pushed down on her back as he squatted beside her.

"I will make you submit," he said through gritted teeth. "When that pride of yours is on the floor, I'll have you begging me for more."

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