Shadow Slave: Immortal Ice

Thud

Eirwen thrashed against the strange red bandages coiled tightly around his body as he fell onto the floor, their grip was unnaturally strong. His muscles bulged against the restraint, but it was no use, the more he fought against them the harder they became.

He tried to shout, but the gag forced into his mouth muffled his voice into incoherent grunts and growls. Anger burned in his glowing golden eyes as he looked at Puppeteer with a murderous glare.

"What is this…?" Merlin asked -his voice sharp and confused- as he looked down at Eirwen sprawled across the floor of his villa. The very same villa he and Andromeda had left just hours ago to explore the Undercity.

"Your guy," Puppeteer answered with a smile.

Gale immediately shot up from his seat, rushing toward Eirwen. He dropped to his knees, his hands tugging at the bandages wrapped tightly around Eirwen's body. But no matter how hard he tried, they wouldn't budge. Even his strength wasn't enough. "Remove the Memory, you imbecile!" he roared.

From below, Gale's anger burned bright in his eyes as he looked up at his Master friend. "And where the hell is Andromeda?!" he growled.

"Androwho?" Puppeteer asked, his tone dripping with mockery as he rolled his eyes and lazily flicked his weird puppet like fingers, dismissing the Memory that bound Eirwen.

The bandages unraveled and vanished into sparks and then into thin air, leaving Eirwen sprawled motionless on the floor.

Gale groaned, dragging a hand down his face in irritation. His nerves were visibly popping on his temple. Eirwen wasn't just a friend, he was also his employer. And losing this job wasn't an option. It wasn't just the money; it was the connections, the perks, the leverage that came with working for someone as influential as Eirwen's father.

"The goddamn gag too!" Gale roared louder after a second. On the floor, Eirwen thrashed in frustration, his golden hair damp with sweat and his sharp eyes glaring up at Puppeteer. Drool trailed down his chin, making him truly look like a wild animal of sorts.

The short Master sighed dramatically, his head tilting as if the whole situation was getting rather boring for him. With another lazy flick of his fingers, the gag vanished. "Happy now?" he said with a roll of his eyes.

"So... who's Andromeda? Did I forget someone? I meet a lot of people you know," He continued with a dismissive wave. "Maybe I forgot. Or maybe she just wasn't that memorable." He flashed an insincere smile, his tone practically daring Gale to keep arguing.

Eirwen shot up immediately, his golden hair cascading around his pale, furious face. Wiping his chin with the back of his hand, he took a step forward, golden eyes gleaming with anger. "You will pay for this," he growled. He towered over Puppeteer, making the shorter man look like a mischievous child instead of a terrifying Master.

Merlin also stood from his seat as Gale pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing deeply. His voice clearly showed his irritation as he muttered, "Andromeda is our friend, Puppeteer."

Puppeteer blinked innocently, as if still confused by the name, though the faint smirk tugging at his lips suggested otherwise.

"Go find her. Immediately!" Gale spat at him

He wasn't asking, this was clearly an order, but who was he to follow that order. Puppeteer's sly smile only widened in response. "She isn't really my issue now, is she?" he said, his tone laced with fake innocence. "I saw our boy out there in the pits, doing God knows what, so I decided to bring him back. When I saw some weirdo reattach his head to his body I immediately knew it was him," he snickered, "I just had to make a show of really killing him so he doesn't get into trouble, so you could actually thank me. But hey whatever-"

As he kept on talking nonsense, Puppeteer didn't even spare Eirwen a glance, his nonchalance practically screaming arrogance.

"And who said you had to do all that!?" Eirwen growled as his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. His golden eyes locked onto Puppeteer with a piercing intensity.

He knew he should act calm, keep his composure, but after the humiliation he'd endured, calm was the last thing on his mind

When Puppeteer had jumped into the pit, there wasn't a moment's hesitation. He didn't even attempt to hear Eirwen out. No, he had immediately shot into action, his Marionettes descended onto Eirwen like chaos incarnate. He had been completely overpowered without any chance to resist.

The humiliation was unbearable for him. Puppeteer hadn't just defeated him, he'd made a show of it, turning the so-called 'fight' into a stupid spectacle for all to see.

After a mockery of a 'killing,' Puppeteer had dragged Eirwen out of the pit by his hair and then tied him up just to bring back to the villa like some runaway slave.

The short man glanced at Eirwen, then turned to Gale with fake innocence in his expression. "Can you tell your boy to calm down?" he asked, "Or do I have to tie him up again?" The subtle mock in his voice was unmistakable, and he didn't even bother hiding it.

Eirwen's brow twitched, the storm of his rising anger barely contained and nearly leaking out of him. He could feel the familiar heat of his emotions starting to boil over, but before he could do anything, Merlin stepped between them. "Enough," he said firmly. Then, his gaze hardened as he turned to Puppeteer. "Where is the girl?"

"What girl? I still don't understand who you guys are talking about?" Puppeteer asked nonchalantly, shrugging and crossing his delicate arms.

Merlin let out a frustrated sigh and glanced back at Gale, silently asking for help with their stubborn friend.

Gale rubbed his temples, clearly irritated. "We have to go and find her immediately," Eirwen's teacher said.

Puppeteer shrugged again before walking over to the couch and collapsing onto it, clearly uninterested now. "I did enough today. You guys can handle that, I'm sure," he said dismissively, his voice full with boredom.

Eirwen could hardly believe what was unfolding in front of him. His anger was replaced by pure confusion for a good second. "Who do you even think you are?" he asked, his voice full of disbelief. His whole face twitched, and as if reacting to his rising frustration, dark liquid began to pour from his hands, quickly solidifying into sharp claws at his fingertips.

"You better put that away, kitty," Puppeteer chuckled, lazily pointing at Eirwen's sharp and mirroring nails. His amusement was clear as he remained seated, not even bothering to stand up.

"Where is Anora when you need her," Merlin mumbled stressfully.

'This is a circus,' Eirwen cursed, still not dismissing the sharp metallic nails and ready to throw himself at the man that humiliated him so much.

Even Leviathan agreed with him in his mind, the countless voices speaking up all together, 'If I was you, I would have killed this annoying brat by now'

He could only ignore the voices and shake his head, 'There is no point in fighting this moron'

Eirwen dismissed the claws and sank into the nearest chair, taking a deep breath to calm his emotions.

As the nails faded and the metallic liquid went back into his skin, he heard a soft chuckle from the direction of Puppeteer. His gaze shot up in an instant, ready to snap back, but before he could speak, a knock echoed from the door.

"You waiting for someone?" Gale asked Merlin who was already holding his phone to make some calls and search for Andromeda.

Eirwen -meanwhile- was too busy trying to calm down to care that much for his servant and friend.

Merlin's brows went up in confusion. He shook his head and motioned Gale to go and open the door.

Gale rolled his eyes in response before walking up to the door. As his hand grasped the handle, he paused, sensing Andromeda's presence just beyond it. 'Did she find her way back on her own after all?' he wondered.

When Gale opened the door, his eyes widened slightly.

Standing before him were Andromeda and a boy he hadn't expected to see.

Eirwen, noticing the newcomer beside Andromeda, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Seraphiel?" he said.

"Seraphiel?" Gale and Merlin repeated confusedly, "What is Masker's nephew doing here?" Merlin asked.

Now it was Eirwen who was confused, "You guys know that grandpa?"

Puppeteer chuckled from his corner, clearly amused - a sound that irritated Eirwen so much that his whole face twitched again. "Where is your brother, little angel?" the Master asked, still not bothering to even move from the couch.

Seraphiel shot Puppeteer a sharp glare before stepping into the villa. "Uncle sent me here to ask you guys the same question," he replied, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion.

"We haven't seen Raijin for quite some time, and uncle can't sense him anywhere," the beautiful boy explained, his tone calm but edged with slight concern that was hard to hide. As he spoke, Andromeda walked over to Eirwen, standing next to him.

Eirwen threw a quick glance at Andromeda, silently ensuring she wasn't hurt, before turning his focus back to Seraphiel, who was still waiting for Merlin's response.

"I can have my guys look around if you want," Merlin continued, his tone a little calmer now. "But we haven't heard anything lately. Gale and I have been here, discussing some things, and Puppeteer was busy handling a rampaging Nightmare Creature in the slums." He explained, slowly starting to settle down after everything that had happened in the last ten minutes.

First, it was Puppeteer humiliating Eirwen, someone important to him and his business. Then there was the whole issue with the girl, and now another problem with Masker's nephews.

Merlin couldn't help but feel frustrated. He hadn't expected dealing with some kids to be more stressful than actually conquering this place. But here he was, stuck in the middle of all this bullshit.

He sighed and leaned his head onto one hand, watching Seraphiel closely.

The young boy only nodded, then walked over to sit next to Eirwen, leaving Merlin, his teacher, and Eirwen himself momentarily speechless.

Only Puppeteer chuckled, lounging on the soft beige couch leisurely. "You staying here, little angel?" he asked, though he knew Seraphiel wouldn't respond. At this point, Seraphiel had mastered the art of ignoring the annoying Master.

Merlin excused himself and went to another room to make some calls, instructing people to start searching for Raijin.

"Gale, how long are we staying in this shithole?" Eirwen asked suddenly, his frustration getting too high for him to bear. He didn't care about his image in front of the Masters anymore.

His teacher couldn't help but chuckle, returning to his usual self now that the initial confusion had passed. "I already got the Memories for you and a rough sketch for your fighting style. We'll leave soon, don't worry," he explained, throwing occasional glances at Seraphiel, who was silently sitting next to Eirwen and Andromeda.

Eirwen glanced at the boy to his left as well. Not that he particularly cared about him or his brother, but he figured it was better than focusing on Puppeteer's infuriating smile.

"You guys seem well known," Eirwen said, turning his body slightly to face Seraphiel.

The white-haired boy turned his gaze to meet Eirwen's. His expression was still mostly unreadable. "Because of our uncle," he answered simply.

'Not a man of many words, huh?' Eirwen thought, briefly analyzing the Dreamer.

"Yeah, their uncle is also a Saint. One that we honestly have no clue where he came from. There's no data on him in any of the databases we searched through," Gale explained, his tone casual, not seeming to care that he was gossiping about the man right in front of his nephew.

'Is that why the old man seemed so weird?' Eirwen asked himself, remembering the strange feeling that he experienced at his boutique.

"And also, one who is stupidly strong," Puppeteer added lazily, yawning from his spot on the couch. Eirwen shot his hand up without a second thought, "Stop talking. Your voice is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard and probably ever will."

Gale chuckled, raising a hand to Puppeteer, signaling for him to really zip it even though his voice was anything but disgusting.

"Our genius here once picked a fight with him for some reason and got his ass handed to him," Gale continued, his chuckle growing into full-blown laughter. "He practically crawled back on his knees; all his Marionettes were also shattered."

'Serves him right,' Eirwen thought.

The pink haired man didn't seem to mind the taunts though and simply kept laying with his smile, irritating Eirwen only further.

"Anyway, what's the plan once we get back to the mansion? Just train until the winter solstice hits?" Eirwen asked, shifting his attention away from Puppeteer completely.

Gale nodded, leaning casually against the circular table in the center of the room. "Train and study. There's not much else for you to do right now."

Before Eirwen could say anything, the door Merlin had gone through moments ago burst open.

"Puppeteer, up! Immediately get Anora here. Sorry Gale, but you'll have to stay a bit longer," he said urgently, his tone sharp and commanding, leaving everyone in the room stunned.

Sparks danced around him, materializing into an elegant brown-yellow attire that resembled the garments of a medieval lord more than any kind of armor.

Gale stepped forward, watching as Puppeteer rose with a sigh, clearly not thrilled about whatever was happening.

"What exactly is happening?" Eirwen's teacher asked, his armor also manifesting with a soft shimmer of light around him. Puppeteer meanwhile didn't bother to summon anything.

Merlin stormed toward the door, clearly agitated, his face tight with annoyance. "The goddamn Fissure opened again, and apparently, a fucking Great crawled out of it! I've already called every available Saint and the Masker for backup."

"A Great?" Puppeteer whistled, stepping up to stand next to Gale, his tone still filled with amusement even as they talked about a Great Nightmare Creature..

Merlin, brown hair falling messily over his glasses, nodded grimly, spitting on the floor. "It's the fucking guilt, I know it."

Eirwen couldn't help but feel a bit taken aback by Merlin's sudden change in demeanor. The calm, collected figure he saw hours ago was now gone, replaced by someone visibly angry and tense. He also noticed that Seraphiel's normally emotionless expression changed for a brief moment when "Guilt" was mentioned.

Gale cursed under his breath, and in a blur, the three Masters rushed out of the villa, leaving Eirwen, Seraphiel, and Andromeda sitting on the chairs.

"Do we just stay here or what…?" Seraphiel asked after a few moments of tense silence, his tone as flat as ever.

Eirwen smirked as he rose to his feet. "As if," he replied, his golden eyes glowing mischievously. He turned his gaze toward the white-haired boy, a sharp grin stretching across his face, sharp canines on full display. "I assume you know where this Fissure thing is right?"

Seraphiel gave him an unamused look, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes, something that Eirwen might have ignited in him.

"Yes," he replied.