Chapitre 22: A Battle of Wits and Will

"Elder Dimitri, Bella is an esteemed guest of our illustrious clan leader, and I have been entrusted with the solemn duty of ensuring her safety and well-being. Do you dare defy the hallowed orders of our revered clan leader?" Clarisse challenged Dimitri, her voice carrying the weight of a thousand ancestral spirits.

Dimitri's face twisted into a curious blend of suspicion and intrigue. "Is this mere trickery? Why on earth would that innocent-looking girl be under Damien's wing? Given my less-than-amicable history with them, I can't simply let her wander freely. Who knows what vendettas she might nurse against me in the future? So, even if she enjoys Damien's protection, as long as I reclaim her and perhaps, shall we say, 'even mess with her a little,' what could Damien possibly do to me? After all, my dear old father is no pushover either," he reasoned, determination setting fire to his eyes.

"Clarisse, forgive me if I question the authenticity of your claims. Why in the realm of reason would a little girl be the esteemed guest of Damien? It sounds like a mere fabrication to me. I shall escort her to my abode for a little... disciplinary action," Dimitri declared with a confident grin, fully aware that even if he dabbled in some 're-education' for young Bella, Damien's retaliation would likely be nothing more than a slap on the wrist. After all, when weighing the scales of consequences, he was confident that his father's might would tip them in his favour.

Dimitri's words hung in the air like a thunderstorm on the horizon. As he surged forward with palpable power, a collective gasp of shock echoed through the crowd. No one had seen this audacious move coming, except for the ever-watchful Zac, who had been keeping a hawk-like eye on Dimitri.

But Zac wasn't about to follow the predictable path. With the precision of a master strategist, he executed a swift and nimble maneuver that seemed unrelated to Dimitri's sinister intentions. It was as if he had a plan of his own, a secret scheme that danced in the shadows.

Meanwhile, Bella, a prodigious talent in her own right, felt the crushing weight of Dimitri's oppressive aura bearing down upon her. Her spirit, typically vibrant and ready to do battle, now struggled under the weight of an unimaginable force. It was as if a mountain had descended upon her, pinning her energy and resolve beneath its colossal mass.

Dimitri, basking in his newfound advantage, let out a sinister chuckle. "Oh, my dear little girl, do you truly believe that because you've defeated Gavin, you can take on the likes of me? Allow me to enlighten you. The chasm that separates the Ascendant stage from the lofty Savant stage is vaster than the abyss itself." His voice dripped with cruel amusement, and an evil smirk adorned his face, confident that Bella was utterly helpless before his might.

Dimitri's audacity sent shockwaves through the assembly, but Clarisse, with desperation in her voice, tried to rein in the impending disaster. "Elder Dimitri, I implore you to reconsider! Do you truly wish to defy our leader? If any harm befalls her, you'll find yourself facing the unrelenting wrath of our formidable uncle!"

A sly grin crept across Dimitri's face, and he held Bella aloft by her neck, his fingers tightening like a vice. "Niece, if you think Damien's name alone is enough to bend me to your will, you're sorely mistaken. I am not one to cower in the shadow of his influence," he declared with defiance.

Clarisse and Elise exchanged helpless glances, realizing that the situation was spiralling beyond their control. Carmen, the quick-witted one, had already slipped away, her footsteps echoing faintly as she raced to seek help from the clan leader.

Dimitri, however, was unfazed. His confidence was unwavering as he thought, "And as for Damien, let him come! I'll have returned Bella to my domain long before he arrives. I dare say, I'd relish the opportunity to witness his grand plan to liberate her from my grasp, especially with my father guarding the fort!" The smugness on his face was palpable, and it seemed that he was playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse, fully expecting to outwit his clan leader.

Dimitri's smugness was abruptly shattered by an unexpected voice that reverberated through the room, freezing the tension in its tracks. "You'd be wise to release her, or I'll have your dear nephew delivered to you in separate, rather gruesome pieces," the voice declared, a chilling threat that hung heavy in the air.

All heads turned, and there, in a spine-tingling tableau, stood Gavin, immobilized but far from helpless, with menacing skeletal figures in armour brandishing lethal weapons, their cold, empty sockets trained on his vulnerable points. Next to this eerie assembly was Zac, shrouded in dark, ominous energy swirling around his outstretched hands.

Dimitri's fury boiled over as he realized the grave mistake he'd made. "How dare you, a mere peasant, lay your hands on a member of the esteemed Crimson Family?" he raged, his arrogance giving way to desperate frustration. His contempt for Zac had clouded his judgment, leading him into this perilous situation.

Clarisse and Elise were struck dumb by the sudden turn of events. Dimitri's rapid advance had caught them off-guard, and their frantic attempts to hold him at bay seemed to have been in vain. However, Zac's ruthless actions, reminiscent of his battle with the ghoul, sent a shiver down their spines. They gazed into his eyes and saw a cold, unyielding determination that hinted at his unwavering resolve to protect Bella at all costs. The room had become a battlefield of power, ego, and intrigue, with the fate of all those involved hanging by the thinnest of threads.

Zac's voice, once measured and calculating, had transformed into a guttural growl, something that seemed to emanate from the darkest corners of the netherworld. His gaze remained fixed, his eyes like twin pools of abyssal resolve.

"Yelling won't sway me, nor will your family's status," Zac sneered, the menace in his tone matching his chilling stare. "Do you see a hint of sympathy on my face? I won't say it again." His words were a death knell, a sinister threat whispered from the abyss.

With a final ultimatum delivered, Zac's skeletal enforcers didn't waste a moment. The weapons they wielded pressed cruelly into Gavin's flesh, blood oozing out from the fresh wounds.

"Uncle!" Gavin's agonized cry rent the air. He was no stranger to bullying, always the one meting out pain, never the one receiving it. This unexpected reversal had taken him completely off-guard. With his uncle at his side, he had been lulled into a false sense of security, an arrogance that now left him vulnerable.

Dimitri, his rage boiling over, unleashed a tidal wave of pressure, attempting to immobilize Zac. But the elder member of the Crimson Family had miscalculated this time. While Zac was affected by the overwhelming force, the skeletons he commanded responded with ruthless determination, driving their weapons deeper into Gavin's body as soon as the pressure relented. It was a macabre dance of power, where every move came with a lethal cost.

The revelation of Dimitri's failed plan sent shockwaves through the room. The immobilization of Zac had seemingly paved the way for Gavin's rescue, but what the Elder had underestimated was that the strings controlling the skeletal executioners were firmly in Bella's grasp, residing within Zac's Soulsea.

In a gruesome twist of fate, one of the skeletal warriors thrust his sword into Gavin's leg with brutal force, causing an agonizing scream to tear through the room. The young Crimson Family member fell to his knees, wracked with pain, his proud facade shattered.

Dimitri's horror was palpable. He retracted his oppressive pressure and bellowed in despair, releasing his grip on Bella, who landed firmly on the ground. However, he made sure to keep her within his grasp, unwilling to relinquish his grip entirely.

But Zac, ever the puppet master of this dark drama, issued a chilling warning. "If you're in the mood for games, be warned, for I'm more than willing to play. Just be prepared to face the consequences," he threatened, the tone of his voice sending shivers down everyone's spine.

Dimitri's frustration was written across his face, an unsightly grimace of humiliation as he grappled with the realization that an apparent eight-year-old boy was deftly manipulating him like a marionette in this twisted, high-stakes theater of power and deception.

Dimitri, his anger now tempered by the reality of the situation, cautiously inquired, "What is it that you desire, then?"

Zac's response was unsettlingly calm, his eyes glinting with a sense of power. "What do I want? That's a pertinent question, indeed. Initially, my sole aim was to rescue my maid from your clutches. However, considering how dearly this 'brat' appears to matter to you, I find myself entertaining other possibilities."

He advanced towards Gavin, his fingers descending upon the wounded flesh with a deliberateness that sent a fresh wave of agony coursing through the young Crimson Family member. Gavin's screams reverberated through the room, painting a haunting backdrop to the impending exchange.

"Stop this madness!" Dimitri pleaded, impatience creeping into his tone. "I'll offer you a trade—my nephew for your maid. Just cease this brutality."

Clarisse and Elise, caught in the whirlwind of events, shared a bewildered glance. Bella had been known to them as Zac's friend, so the revelation of her being his maid was perplexing. They couldn't help but wonder why Zac didn't seem overly concerned about her safety, leaving them with more questions than answers in this ever-deepening web of intrigue.

Zac's response danced on the edge of playful and menacing, echoing through the room like a dark riddle. "An exchange, you say? Well, why on earth would I consider such a mundane proposition?" His words dripped with a sinister charm that sent shivers down everyone's spine.

Dimitri, bewildered, couldn't fathom Zac's motives. "But do you not care about her well-being?" he implored in a voice filled with confusion.

Zac's smirk hinted at the complexities of his character. "Oh, my dear Dimitri, you misunderstand me. I care deeply for her, for her talents are truly exceptional. In fact, I had originally intended to secure her release in exchange for her nephew's freedom. But then you made the grave error of testing my patience."

A dangerous pause lingered in the air, Zac's voice dripping with killing intent. "Did you just refer to me as a 'lowly peasant,' a 'filthy mutt'?"

"Dimitri," he continued with a touch of cruelty, "you have wounded my pride. While she is immensely valuable, appeasing my ego comes at a steeper cost. Bella, my dear, is but a small price to pay."

Elise, her anger mounting, was on the verge of lashing out at Zac, betrayed by the darker facets of his nature. She couldn't believe she had been so blind to his true self. Just as she was about to speak up, Clarisse's hand restrained her, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

Clarisse, too, grappled with the enigma of Zac's intentions. Despite her limited time knowing him, she had sensed the deep bond between him and Bella. She had faith that Zac wouldn't willingly endanger Bella's life. However, she couldn't quite grasp the full scope of the intricate game he was playing.

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