“I won’t let you die,” Thorn continued, almost kind, almost like he didn’t want to condemn her. “Not yet, anyway.” Nevermind.
She was unable to look away from his calm, clinical expression. He was looking down at her as if she were merely a tool, an object to be used in his experiments. Like she was already halfway to the fate of the boy they’d just carried out.
She felt the urge to scream, to fight, to beg, but the terror paralyzed her. Thorn moved closer, pushing up her sleeve. His hands were alien on her skin. Thorn didn’t seem to notice her fear, orperhaps he did, but ignored it. His gaze was focused as he lifted a long, thin needle from the table beside him, the sharp tip glinting in the bright light. She had no clue what he intended, but her mind raced with possibilities, each more terrifying than the last.
He positioned her arm with the precision of a taxidermist preparing his finest specimen. The touch held no warmth, only the routine efficiency of someone arranging an object rather than handling a living being. When she attempted to pull away—that small, futile rebellion—the straps held her with unyielding loyalty to their master.
“Struggle all you want. You’re not getting out of this.” He stabbed the needle into her arm.
Elora gasped, her body jerking involuntarily at the sharp pain. A long tube connected the needle to a large glass flask marked with numbers, though in her panic, she couldn’t understand them. A dark, thick ribbon of blood began to snake its way into the flask. The numbers marked the volume rising steadily, 100… 200… 300…
Blood is an important ingredient,she thought frantically, her mind latching onto her teachings.It attunes potions to a specific person.
Thorn wasn’t just taking her blood. He was collecting it for something, something dark. A potion designed specifically for her, maybe. He was capable of making anything, a control serum, something to strip her of her will, her thoughts, her very self. She understood the terrifying potential of blood-based alchemy. How it bound the subject to the potion in permanent ways.
Thorn glanced down to her face, his hand moving with unsettling placidness as he wiped away a stray tear with his thumb. This calculated tenderness was somehow more violating than outrightcruelty would have been. It was a perversion of comfort that contaminated the very concept of gentleness itself.
“You’re providing an important service to the Empire,” he assured her. “Few have the privilege of contributing in such a meaningful way.”
What?! What is he talking about?
The flask continued to fill, the dark crimson liquid climbing closer to the top. Her sight grew hazy, dark spots flickering around the outside of her vision. Her limbs were heavy, her mind foggy, and her heart, once racing with terror, slowed, each beat growing sluggish.
“Thorn,” she gasped, attempting to reach him, yet the restraints held her firm. “Please… don’t…”
He clicked his tongue, silencing her pleas. The dizziness left her floating. She tried to focus on Thorn’s movements, but her brain had trouble keeping up.
When it finally reached the marked 800-milliliter line, he slid the needle from her arm with a quick, practiced motion like he’d done it a hundred times before. Elora winced at the sting, but found herself too drained to resist anymore.
His fingers traveled across her wounded flesh, winding a pale cloth around her arm. It surprised her that he even bothered bandaging her up. But then again, he couldn’t let her bleed out. As he said, she’s hisspecialtest subject.
“Wh-what… what do you plan to do with my blood?” she mumbled, her voice faint but steady enough to catch his attention.
He seemed almost pleased by the question, as if this were finally the moment he had been waiting for. His fingers continued securing the bandage on her arm as if wrapping a delicate gift.
“I’m glad you asked,” he said, with an undertone of pride. He turned back to the flask, now containing her blood, and held it up to the light, the dark liquid shimmering faintly. “This is the key to a breakthrough I’ve been working toward for years. Something that will change alchemy and the Empire forever.”
He placed the flask down carefully among his other equipment, then turned to her fully, as if preparing for a lecture. “A process I’ve developed to harness the life force–yourlife force in this case–and make it usable for alchemical purposes. Potions, enchantments… most of these things require MahoKi Sap to power them.”
Elora blinked slowly, trying to grasp what he was saying. “Life force…?”
Thorn nodded, his eyes gleaming. “Yes. Your blood, infused with life, contains an essence, something that can be extracted and used in place of Mahoamorah’s sap. You see, the human life force is a renewable energy source. A person’s blood can be replenished far more quickly. We don’t need to rely on external sources when we havepeople.”
“You… you’re using people’s life force for alchemy?” The words sounded hollow in her own ears, the implications sinking into her slowly.
“Exactly.” He sounded so excited to talk about this, like it was the greatest discovery in the world since MahoKi Sap. He was acting like a schoolboy presenting his final alchemy project he had been working on all year. Hands gesturing to each piece of equipment, her blood, his meticulously organized notes. The sheer ridiculousness of it almost made her grin.
“It’s not just raw blood, of course. It must be carefully extracted and processed, but once refined, it becomes what I call Vitalis Essence. Not as potent as MahoKi Sap, but itserves its purpose, useful for lesser potions and enchantments, leaving the sap preserved for far more important work.”
Elora gulped, trying to push past the murkiness clouding her thoughts. “But… what happens to the people you take it from?”
“It depends on how much I extract. The more essence I take, the weaker the subject becomes, but with careful management, they can recover.” His eyes shifted back to the flask, admiring the glow of her blood. “In your case, I’ll take only what’s needed. You’re far too valuable to waste.”
Thorn motioned for the guards to unstrap her.Finally. The bindings were causing a tingling sensation in her fingertips. As she rose from the gurney, black spots consumed her vision. She nearly collapsed to the ground, if not for the guards easily keeping her upright.
“Eat something.” Thorn said, as he began the next step of his process, distributing her blood into multiple smaller vials. “You’ll need your strength. I’ll only give you three days to resupply your veins before I take more.”
Chapter 21
