"He's up... again," another voice remarked, filled with disdain.

  Isaac blinked against the brightness, squinting up at the masked figures looming over him. His body ached, and his mind raced with fear and defiance. Yet amid the chaos, a flicker of determination burned within him.

  "Come on, wake up sunshine. Let's do this one more time." one of the masked men said.

  "Who do you work for?" The demand came like thunder, shaking Isaac from his daze. He met the masked man's gaze, fire flickering in his eyes despite the pain.

  "There they are, those beautiful amber eyes. Now, try to keep them open for me," the man sneered, his voice dripping with mockery.

  He grabbed Isaac’s face roughly, his thumb tracing over Isaac's features before forcing his eyelids open as wide as they could go. "Let's try this one more time, pretty boy. Who the hell do you work for?" he shouted, his words echoing in the dimly lit room.

  The man's fist connected with Isaac's stomach, a brutal blow that knocked the breath out of him and sent both him and the chair he was chained to crashing to the ground.

  "Calm down," one of the masked men called out, his voice sharp with irritation. "If you knock the wind out of him, he won't be able to breathe, let alone talk!"

  The interrogator took a knee in front of Isaac, roughly lifting his head by his hair. "Now, make this easy for both of us. Just tell us who sent you, and we'll be done with this. Nice and easy."

  Isaac looked up, the sound of his own blood rushing in his ears. Everything had gone wrong. The world was crumbling around him, and he could feel his strength of will draining away. He'd been too weak, too slow, too gullible. Despair clawed at his heart, and he looked away, unable to face the man.

  "I'm speaking to you!" the interrogator bellowed, slamming Isaac's head against the ground. He peeled Isaac's bloody face from the floor, forcing him to meet his gaze. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

  Despite the overwhelming pain and hopelessness, Isaac found a flicker of strength deep within. Memories of his life, taking order after order, surged through his mind, fueling his hateful resolve. He bared his teeth in a wide, bloody grin.

  "Oh, you think this is a game?" the man shouted, his grip tightening in anger.

  Isaac, unable to contain himself, couldn't help but let out a small, dismissive laugh. "Kinda," he said, his voice weak but filled with an unyielding spirit. Then, with a final act of defiance, he spat on the mask covering the man's face.

  The man recoiled slightly, his expression hidden but his rage palpable. He stood up, shaking his head, and reached into his suit to pull out a handgun. He pointed it directly at Isaac's head.

  "You know what… just go to sleep. We'll do this without you," the man sneered.

  Isaac's eyes widened with fear as he stared into the barrel of the gun. His heart raced, and his mind screamed for a way out, but there was none. Just as he braced himself for the inevitable, the small light above them began to flicker, dimming and relighting in a rhythmic pattern.

  Shadows around the room started to shift and writhe, morphing into dark, sinuous shapes. Isaac's fear was momentarily replaced by confusion as he watched the shadows transform into tentacles, reaching out toward the man with the gun.

  "What the hell?" the masked man exclaimed, his voice trembling as the tentacles wrapped around his limbs, yanking him backward. He struggled, the gun falling from his grip and clattering to the floor.

  The other guards in the room froze, their eyes widening in disbelief. One of them backed away, his face pale with terror, whispering, "What is this?"

  Another guard fumbled for his weapon, his hands shaking uncontrollably. "Stay back!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "Stay away from us!"

  From within the shadows, a figure emerged. The tentacles retracted, revealing a tall woman with an air of authority. Her presence commanded the room as she stepped forward, the dim light casting an eerie glow on her features.

  Isaac's eyes widened as he recognized her: Lysandra Rain, the firstborn of the Kraken household.

  "Enough of this nonsense," Lasandra’s voice was cold and commanding. She looked down at the masked man, now subdued and restrained by the shadowy tentacles. "You have no idea of the scope of what you're dealing with."

  With a casual flick of her wrist, the tentacles tightened their grip, dragging the masked man into the shadows from which she had emerged. His screams of terror echoed briefly before being swallowed by the darkness.

  The remaining guards in the room were frozen in place; their guns still trained on Lysandra. She turned her gaze towards them, her eyes blazing with fury.

  "And you," she hissed, her voice dripping with contempt. "You're still pointing your guns at me?"

  The guards hesitated, their fear palpable. One of them lowered his weapon slightly, but it was too late. With a swift motion, Lysandra summoned more shadowy tentacles, which erupted from the darkness and lashed out at the guards.

  The first guard was yanked off his feet, his gun clattering to the floor as the tentacles dragged him into the shadows. His screams were cut short, leaving only an eerie silence in their wake. The second guard tried to fire, but the tentacles were faster. They wrapped around his arms and legs, pulling him back into the darkness as he struggled in vain.

  The third guard, seeing his comrades disappear into the void, dropped his weapon and backed against the wall, trembling. "Please, don't—"

  But the shadows showed no mercy. They engulfed him, silencing his pleas as they pulled him into their depths.

  Lysandra turned her attention back to Isaac, her expression shifting from fury to a composed yet menacing calm. She stepped closer, her eyes locking onto his.

  "I apologize for wasting your time, Isaac," she said, her voice deceptively calm. "But the real interrogation begins now."

  Isaac's brow furrowed in surprise. "You know my name?"

  "Oh yes," Lysandra replied, "I know everything that transpires within my guild. Each and every member, even if they are amongst the weakest we've ever accepted. Isaac Hue."

  She paused, a hint of amusement flickering across her face as she continued, "Though this also helped."

  With a deliberate motion, Lysandra pulled out a familiar aged and worn folded piece of paper. The sight of it ignited a flash of rage in Isaac's heart.

  "Give it back!" Isaac shouted, reaching out desperately.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  Lysandra smirked, her voice taking on a chilling edge. "Oh, no, it's quite sweet. I enjoy the senseless optimism, I truly do."

  Isaac's anger flared. "You—" he began, but before he could finish, a shadowy appendage wrapped around his head, silencing him abruptly.

  Clearing her throat dramatically, Lysandra unfolded the letter Isaac had never dared to open, and began reading aloud from it, her voice steady and deliberate.

  "There's so many things I could write to you, Isaac," Lysandra read, her tone cutting through the tense air, "but there's no telling how many things you've been told throughout your life, so I won't add to the advice or curses. All I have to say to you is that these two worlds are Aetheria. Everything you've experienced and everything you haven't is the world we have to call home. So save whatever you like and change whatever you don't, and to do that you'll have to become strong, so enjoy this gift, from me to you. P.s The bird’s personality is pretty overwhelming, don’t let him consume you. - Magnus Hue."

  Isaac struggled against his bindings, his rage boiling over as she callously tossed the note aside before speaking.

  “It’s so comical to tell you the truth, well to those of us who know the truth.” Speaking in a hushed whisper as if even she as the first born of the Kraken house was forbidden from the knowledge. “You’re so far removed from what your father was that even with the shared last name it’s no wonder you slipped past us… though I guess in the end you’ll die as your father did, at the hands of the house of Kraken!”

  With a swift gesture of her hand, Lysandra summoned shadows to envelop Isaac, drowning him in a suffocating darkness.

  Isaac's world swam back into focus, but the scene had changed dramatically. He was hanging upside down, bound by cruelly tight ropes. The cold air stung his skin, amplifying the pain from the horrific wounds that covered his body. The wounds were deliberate, designed to inflict excruciating pain without causing death.

  Lysandra stood before him, her eyes cold and unyielding. The room was dimly lit, casting long, ominous shadows that seemed to move with a life of their own. Isaac's heart pounded as he struggled to breathe, the blood rushing to his head.

  "Welcome back," Lysandra said, her tone devoid of the earlier reassurance. "I hope you're ready to talk now."

  Isaac tried to speak, but his voice came out as a ragged whisper. "What do you want?"

  Lysandra stepped closer, her expression unreadable. "I want the truth, Isaac. Who sent you? What were you doing here?"

  Isaac winced, the pain making it difficult to think clearly. "I told you... no one sent me," he managed to say, his voice strained.

  Lysandra's eyes narrowed, and she raised her hand. The shadows responded, slithering around Isaac's body, tightening their grip. The pain intensified, and Isaac couldn't suppress a scream.

  "You're lying," she said, her voice a deadly whisper. "And I don't have time for lies. Truthfully I don’t care for your employers; just tell me the whereabouts of the camera."

  Isaac's vision blurred again, the agony threatening to overwhelm him. He struggled to maintain consciousness, knowing that giving in to the darkness would only make things worse.

  Lysandra's gaze softened, just for a moment. "Tell me the truth, Isaac. I can make this stop."

  Summoning every ounce of strength he had left, Isaac met her gaze, a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

  “Oh, if that’s the case, then you're out of luck, that photo is making its rounds across the whole of both realms right now.”

  Lysandra's eyes widened for a moment, a flicker of genuine surprise breaking through her cold demeanor. But it was fleeting. Her expression quickly hardened again, and a dangerous glint appeared in her eyes.

  "You're lying," she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "There’s no chance you would have already found a bidder to pay what that photo is worth!"

  Isaac's grin turned into laughter; the pain momentarily subsided as his wet cackling disrupted the serious atmosphere. "You misunderstand," he said, his voice barely a whisper. “Money wasn’t the aim, it was just to piss you off. Or so I was told."

  Lysandra's fury was palpable. The shadows around her seemed to pulse and writhe in response to her anger. She took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure, but it was clear that her patience had run out.

  "You know," she said slowly, her voice dangerously calm, "maybe that guard was right. Maybe you're better off dead."

  Before Isaac could react, the shadows beneath him began to shift and churn. Dark tendrils emerged from the floor, curling around his limbs and pulling him upwards. Isaac struggled, but he was too weak to break free.

  Lysandra watched with cold detachment as the tentacles lifted Isaac into the air, his body suspended like a marionette. The shadows twisted and coiled, forming a grotesque, blooming flower of darkness around him.

  "You had your chance, Isaac," Lysandra said, her voice devoid of emotion. "You could have made this easier on yourself."

  Isaac's eyes widened in terror as the tendrils tightened their grip, constricting around his body. He tried to scream, but the shadows stifled his voice, the darkness swallowing his cries.

  The tentacles pulled him further into their depths, the shadows consuming him inch by inch. The last thing Isaac saw was Lysandra's cold, unyielding gaze, her expression one of grim finality.

  The shadows closed in completely, and with a final, agonizing pull, they swallowed Isaac whole. The darkness consumed his body, leaving nothing behind but a puddle of liquid shadow.

  ***Pov Shift***

  Lysandra stood still for a moment, her eyes fixed on the spot where Isaac had been. She took a deep breath, the tension in the room dissipating as the shadows receded.

  "Clean this up," she commanded, her voice returning to its usual cold, authoritative tone. The slain guards reemerged as broken, drowned zombies who quickly moved to obey.

  As Lysandra turned to leave, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. Isaac's defiance had been infuriating, but there was something admirable about his tenacity. But in the end, it hadn't been enough.

  She walked away, her mind already turning to the next task at hand. The camera and the photo it contained were still out there; she felt that it was true, and she would not rest until they were found. Isaac's death was just another step in the relentless pursuit of her goals, and nothing would stand in her way.

  However, a sudden surge of energy made her stop in her tracks. The darkness where Isaac had disappeared began to glow with an eerie light, growing brighter and brighter.

  Lysandra's eyes widened in shock. "What is this?"

  Before she could react, the darkness erupted in a brilliant, fiery explosion. The force of the explosion knocked Lysandra back, and she instinctively summoned her shadow tentacles, wrapping them around herself in a protective barrier.

  The flame washed over the room, its searing heat incinerating everything in its path. The zombie-like guards were instantly consumed by the fire, their bodies turning to ash in mere moments.

  The flames continued to spread, devouring the walls, the floor, and the ceiling, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake.

  Lysandra gritted her teeth, the shadows around her straining against the intense heat. The tentacles quivered and writhed, barely holding up under the immense pressure. The air was filled with the roar of the flames and the crackling of burning wood.

  As the firestorm raged, Lysandra fought to maintain her protective barrier. She could feel the heat seeping through, singeing her skin despite the shadows' best efforts. Her eyes darted around, searching for any sign of the source of the flames.

  Soon, the fire began to coalesce, forming a shape amidst the inferno. Slowly, the flames took the image of a majestic phoenix, its wings spread wide and its eyes glowing with an intense, otherworldly light. The fiery bird hovered above the wreckage, its gaze fixed on Lysandra.

  Lysandra's heart pounded in her chest as the phoenix's eyes locked onto hers. The sheer power and majesty of the creature paralyzed her with fear. She tried to move, but her body refused to obey. The phoenix's stare was unyielding, its presence overwhelming.

  For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Then, with a powerful flap of its wings, the phoenix let out a deafening screech, its body bursting into a final, blinding display of flames. The light was so intense that Lysandra had to shield her eyes. When she dared to look again, the phoenix was gone, leaving behind only smoldering embers.

  As the last of the flames flickered out, Lysandra stood in the wreckage, her mind racing. She had witnessed something beyond comprehension, something that defied all her understanding of power and magic.

  "No... it can't be," she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief. "The Immortal Phoenix Soul... he’s contained it all along."

  Realization dawned on her like a cold, harsh light. Isaac, the man she had thought to break and interrogate, was the bearer of the legendary Immortal Phoenix Soul. The implications were staggering, and the danger he posed was far greater than she had ever imagined.

  The summons she’d just crafted were reduced to ashes, and the room was now a desolate ruin. Lysandra stood alone amidst the devastation, her mind reeling. The power of the Phoenix, one of the original twenty mythical beast souls thought to have been lost, had been unleashed, and she knew it would change everything.

  As Lysandra tried to comprehend what had just happened, one thing was clear: Isaac was far more than she had anticipated, and the stakes of their conflict had just been elevated to an unimaginable level.