Chapter Forty: A Maiden’s Enchanted Dream

Dim candlelight illuminated the room, casting restless shadows that seemed to leap and dance with the flickering flames. Elise sat on a chair, wholly absorbed in the book before her. Her hands moved ceaselessly, weaving intricate shapes in the air. Swiftly, a distinct magical rune shimmered into existence, echoing the motions of the young girl.

Success!

Elise beamed with delight at the glowing rune before her. But just as she was about to savor her accomplishment, the once-stable rune began to tremble, distort, and swell out of control. The arcane halo flickered erratically, and even the candlelight in the room dimmed as if drawn into the chaos.

"Wah—Wah, wah wah wah…!"

Elise’s expression changed in an instant. Frantically, she waved her hands in an attempt to halt the spell’s unruly expansion. But it was too late. With a sharp "bang," the warped rune erupted in a burst of wild wind and swirling mist, sweeping through the room and engulfing everything within.

"Cough… cough, cough…!"

Fanning away the smoke with her hands, Elise gritted her teeth and glared furiously at the spellbook before her. At that moment, a voice sounded from behind.

"Did you fail again?"

"Te—Teacher?!"

Startled, Elise turned around to see Zane, draped in his black robe, stepping out of the darkness and coming to stand before her. His cold, reflective glasses fixed on her unwaveringly, making Elise shrink back in discomfort. She lowered her head, staring at the floor, and muttered in a trembling voice, "I’m sorry…"

"How many times have I told you, Elise? You’ve only just begun your magical studies. Everything must be approached step by step. Don’t yearn to soar before you’ve learned to walk. Why do you always forget my words?"

"Umm…"

Biting her lip, Elise bowed her head even lower in shame.

As the beloved little princess of Onyxstone City, Elise was adored by all. Her immense latent power marked her as destined to become a formidable spellcaster, and she had strived diligently for that end. Unfortunately, her understanding of magic was still quite elementary.

Thinking this, Elise stole a glance at Zane, her revered teacher. In her eyes, Zane was not only wise and learned, but also gentle in his guidance. She respected and admired him deeply. But now, caught secretly attempting advanced magic, she was filled with anxious dread.

"Disobedient children must be punished, you know what to do, don’t you, Elise?"

"Yes…"

Resigned, Elise dropped her head and replied softly. She stood, turned her back to Zane, bent over, and bit her lip.

"It’s all my fault. Please punish me, Teacher…"

"Well said."

Zane nodded, then raised the leather whip in his hand and struck down hard upon the girl.

Crack!

A searing sensation burst across her hips, making Elise’s body tremble. She bit her lip, suppressing the cry that threatened to escape. But Zane showed no intention of stopping; instead, he raised the whip again and again, each strike echoing through the study.

Crack—crack—crack!

The sharp snapping of the whip reverberated, and Elise’s legs began to tremble. The stinging pain in her flesh gradually dulled, replaced by a tingling numbness and a strange, mingled sensation.

Crack!

"Ah—!"

The whip’s stroke sent a jolt like lightning through her, making her knees buckle. She collapsed forward, supporting herself with her elbows against the wall. Still, she refused to relax.

"I’m sorry, Teacher…"

What a bad girl I am, she thought. I shouldn’t do this, shouldn’t make Teacher angry on purpose. And yet, after the first time she was punished for failing, she found herself longing for that feeling again. As the cherished princess of Onyxstone City, she had never known a harsh word, let alone a beating. But now she realized she was drawn to this forbidden sensation. That was why she deliberately disregarded her teacher’s warnings, why she secretly tried spells beyond her level—just to be punished by him…

Elise, you really are a bad child… You shouldn’t do this… but this feeling…

Crack!!

"Ah—!!"

The whip lashed down once more, a surge of electricity racing up her spine, causing her to lift her head involuntarily.

No, Teacher will find out, Teacher will know I’m a bad girl, he’ll know—no, no, no…!

Elise’s eyes flew open.

Above her was the dark ceiling of her cell, the cold stone slabs, the table and chairs, and the black iron bars—unchanged from before.

"What…?"

She sat up, confused, and shook her head. The dream was still vivid in her mind, but… what was happening? Elise frowned, unable to piece it together. She had, indeed, once been punished for secretly studying advanced magic, but that was when she was five or six years old, and the disciplinarian had been a nun from the Crimson Abbey, not a man. Besides, she had never been beaten—her worst punishment had been solitary confinement. As the princess of Onyxstone City, she had always understood the limits of her mischief; though she was playful at times, she never caused serious trouble.

But then—what was with this dream?

What startled Elise was how lifelike it had felt, more memory than dream. She could recall every detail: the room’s arrangement, the spellbook on the desk, even the incantation she’d been practicing. It was as if she’d truly lived it. What’s more, the girl in the dream was her current age, making it seem as if it had only just happened.

But that couldn’t be. She had grown up at her father’s side, and at the Crimson Abbey—where only women were permitted, not even her father was allowed entry. It was impossible for a man to have been present, much less that lord. If she had ever met him, she would surely remember.

Elise turned the matter over in her mind again and again, but could not make sense of it. If it were just a dream, it wouldn’t trouble her so. Yet it felt like something more—and…

Her cheeks flushed as she reached back to touch herself. There was still a faint tingling, as if she had truly been "disciplined" only moments before. No, impossible! She shook her head forcefully. How could she have such thoughts? A spanking couldn’t possibly feel good—it had to hurt! What nonsense, what madness to imagine such things!

Determined, Elise stood up and forced herself to banish the dream from her mind. Closing her eyes, she began to meditate. Yes, it must have been a nightmare, nothing more. She’d simply been confined here too long, making her mind restless. If she could just calm herself, she would not dream such strange things again.

At that thought, another notion crept into her mind.

I wonder what Father is doing right now…

Elaite was furious.

The Onyxstone City patrol had been gone a long time with no word, and that made him uneasy. The patrol, though small, was composed of the city’s elite. Elaite was confident that even if they encountered drow warriors, they could hold their own—and Elise carried a teleportation scroll. Even in dire straits, she should have been able to open a portal and escape. For there to be absolutely no sign of them was deeply troubling.

Afterward, several more search parties were dispatched, but all they discovered was that the patrol had indeed tracked the missing caravan, pursued their trail, and then vanished—no one knew what happened next.

While they could send more, Onyxstone’s leadership had suffered enough loss already. The first mission had cost them dearly; to send more and risk another disaster would be utter folly.

"However, I have received some rather intriguing intelligence," said Devo, who had been silent until now. At this, Elaite and Ras immediately turned to the tiefling.

"My agent in Brandonstone reports that Governor Kardec recently obtained a pair of magical longswords from the surface—"

"You mean…?"

Ras’s slitted eyes narrowed. He had personally appointed the patrol’s serpentfolk captain and knew exactly what weapons were in their possession. If those swords in Kardec’s hands truly belonged to his men, then Brandonstone was somehow involved in the patrol’s disappearance. However…

"Brandonstone is a duergar city, isn’t it? Do they have the strength to take on our patrol?" Elaite frowned, voicing his skepticism. The duergar were indeed resistant to magic, but he knew all too well that Elise’s magical fire was not so easily countered.

"In fact, my agent brought one more piece of news—Kardec recently hired a necromancer."

"A necromancer?!"

Everyone present started in shock, and Elaite stood up abruptly.

"Is this information reliable? How powerful is this necromancer?"

"Kardec has already permitted him to construct his own wizard’s tower outside Brandonstone, so it’s no mere rumor. As for his strength… he apparently helped the duergar resolve a particularly troublesome problem, so he must be formidable."

Elaite’s face shifted with uncertainty as he mulled over Devo’s report.

"In other words… it’s very likely that Brandonstone is behind this, isn’t it?"