The Phantom’s Gambit

Octavius took swift strides forward, driven by a desperate urge to rescue his sister. But the man holding Lynn merely tightened his grip on her hair, a sadistic glint in his eye.

"Ah-ah, don't even think about it,"

Octavius' feet rooted to the spot, his momentum halted by the man's ominous warning. His eyes locked onto Lynn's terrified face, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze as he registered the gruesome wounds that marred his sister's fragile body.

The jagged cuts and swelling that distorted her delicate features made tears brimmed in his eyes. 

"Please," Octavius begged. "Let her go. Whatever the problem is, take it out on me. Just don't get her involved… She's innocent to all of this."

"Guys, this was not what we talked about," the man who had brought Octavius there protested, but Octavius was too engrossed in staring at his sister to pay him much attention.

"Shut up!" the other group snarled, turning on the man. "You don't have any right to object or say anything when you're powerless. So just do as you're told, now tie him up."

Octavius turned sharply to face the man who was supposed to tie him up, but before he could make a move, a menacing voice halted him.

"Make that move and she gets it," one of the men thundered, his hand rising to reveal a yellowish flame dancing on his palm – the same eerie fire that had struck Octavius before.

Octavius stood down immediately, his eyes fixed on the yellowish flame dancing on the man's palm.

"Why are you doing this?" he demanded, trying to keep his voice steady. "Thorne will realize we're gone. Everyone—"

"Wants you dead," the man holding Lynn hostage completed.

"Everyone wants you dead," he repeated, his eyes glinting with hatred. "It's no secret that your family's rise to power brought darkness to our kingdom. Monsters and demons that had long left us in peace began to plague our lands once more. We all know the truth."

"What truth? You're killing innocent people because you're afraid of something you don't understand? You don't have to do this. Please... let her go..."

But before he could continue, a liquid substance splashed across his face. Octavius instinctively tried to wipe it off, but his body suddenly went rigid, as if paralyzed.

"Guess who gave us this little concoction once we discovered our essences?"

Octavius' eyes darted frantically, his mind racing with horror. He refused to believe that Thorne or anyone in his family could be involved in this sinister plot. The thought sent a chill down his spine, and he struggled against the paralyzing effects of the liquid, but his body remained frozen in place.

"We were supposed to end this quickly after the paralysis took hold, acknowledging your combat prowess still surpasses ours. But that would be too anticlimactic. Your family's actions, particularly your father's, have earned you a slower fate. A swift end would be too merciful. Instead, you'll be forced to watch as we make your sister suffer."

Octavius' heart pounded in his chest, threatening to burst at any moment. Despite his desperation, he remained paralyzed, unable to move or intervene.

He was forced to watch in horror as they brutalized his sister, their relentless assault eventually rendering her unconscious. But even that didn't stop them. They tried to rouse her, while delivering blows and stepping on her, but she lay still, and it soon became clear that she was dead.

One of the attackers, fueled by a twisted desire for destruction, decided to desecrate her lifeless body with his magic. He went behind Octavius, and grabbed a handful of his hair and made him watch intently as her body burned.

Still trapped in his helpless state, Octavius felt a warm liquid flowing from his nose as his eyes darted wildly around the scene. The sound of his own heartbeat grew louder, more intense, until it was almost deafening. 

"You're next" he heard someone whisper from behind him and then, everything went black.

___________

Octavius' eyes snapped open, and he jolted forward with a desperate urgency, as if grasping for something just out of reach. But there was nothing. He was surrounded by an oppressive darkness, the only illumination coming from the white garment that draped his body.

His mind reeled as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. Memories of the horrific events that had unfolded before his paralysis-induced blackout came flooding back.

"Lynn!" he shouted into the darkness, hoping against hope that the atrocities he had witnessed were just a twisted nightmare. "Lyn!" he yelled again, his voice cracking with desperation.

"Hello, Octavius," echoed a chorus of voices, their ethereal tone sending a shiver down his spine. Octavius' gaze darted wildly, his alarm and anger spiking as he instinctively assumed the voices belonged to the ones responsible for the brutal torture and murder of his sister.

"Show yourselves, cowards!" he bellowed into the darkness, his voice rebounding off the unseen walls. "Face me!"

"You no longer need to worry about your past life, Octavius." Their words only deepened Octavius' frown and confusion.

'Past life? What are they talking about? Is this some kind of twisted joke?' he wondered.

As if the entities could hear his thoughts, a screen materialized in front of him, displaying a haunting replay of his final moments. Octavius watched in horror as his sister's brutal assault unfolded again, and he relived the searing pain in his chest before his world went black.

He struggled to comprehend the scene before him. "I'm still here, breathing... So how can that be my past—"

The words caught in his throat as a chilling realization dawned on him. "You're telling me I'm... I'm dead," he stammered.

The voices responded, their tone devoid of emotion. "Yes, you're dead."

"No, you must be mistaking."Octavius shook his head vehemently, his index finger jabbing at his chest. "They didn't kill me; I should still be alive."

The disembodied voices responded, "They didn't kill you, Octavius. You died from a heart attack."

Octavius' confusion deepened. "I... don't understand. If I'm dead, how am I standing here? What is all this?" He demanded answers from the mysterious voices. "Who are you people?"

As if in response, a bolt of lightning illuminated the darkness behind him. Octavius spun around, catching a fleeting glimpse of three thrones, each occupied by an identical figure dressed in distinct attire.

The one on the left wore an elegant, outfit adorned with designs that were reserved exclusively for royalty. But he was Bald.

The second figure was dressed in armor, his long hair cascading down to his waist. The third, dressed in an unfamiliar style to Octavius. He wore a black leather jacket, faded jeans, and scuffed combat boots, exuding an aura of rugged mystique.

"We are the Past, Present, and Future," the voices announced in unison, "preferably known as The Fates."

As soon as the words faded away, the darkness closed in once more, plunging Octavius into an inky blackness that seemed to swallow everything.

"This has been... enlightening, but—" Octavius began, only to be interrupted.

"Octavius," the voice interjected, "you've been granted a great opportunity. A chance to start anew, to escape the catastrophic fate that befell you in your past life. To embark on a fresh journey, one that promises a happy ending."

"You will be reborn into any family of your choice," the voices continued. "Born into royalty, you could become a crown prince, destined for greatness. Alternatively, you might choose to be born into a family of great wealth and influence, with every luxury at your fingertips. Or perhaps you'd prefer a simpler life, born into a family of humble means, but filled with love and warmth."

Octavius cut in. "I say this with respect," he began, his tone unwavering despite the ominous lightning strike that illuminated the darkness. "I don't care about any of that."

"You have a chance to live a far more fulfilling life than the one you left behind," the voices reasoned, attempting to sway Octavius.

"And what about my family?"

"They've reincarnated, given a chance to live better lives," the voices explained. "You can too. You'll start anew with a different family, one that will love you just as deeply. You won't have to endure the pain of watching them die prematurely."

"What's the point of a new life if I'm just running from my problems? I'll start anew, and what? Forget about my old family? Let everyone who wronged us get away? No!"

His voice grew more determined. "Since I have a choice here, I'm going to opt for going back to my previous life. You don't get to decide what makes life fulfilling to me or what kind of happy ending I want. I want to go back to my previous life."

The entities were taken aback by Octavius' unwavering determination, having never encountered a spirit who refused to escape their troubled past.

The entities, still attempting to dissuade Octavius, issued a grave warning. "Be cautioned, Octavius, for a great evil now lurks within your body. A darkness that threatens to consume you whole."

Octavius' resolve remained unshaken. "I'm willing to take that risk,"

The entities pressed on, presenting a daunting prospect. "What if this entity possesses the very dark magic you've grown to loathe? The same malevolent force that destroyed your family and shattered your life."

Octavius' determination never wavered. He believed in the adage that to defeat a monster, one must be twice as monstrous. And he wasn't going back to defeat A monster, so he'd need all the help he could get.

A profound silence followed, stretching out like an eternity. Finally, the entities broke the stillness.

"Farewell, Octavius. May you find the fulfillment you seek."