I closed my eyes, waiting for the ice-cold touch of the water to fill my lungs, waiting for that final, searing breath to end it all. I was ready for the cold peace of death. But the dark silence I expected didn't come. Instead of the massive weight of the water crushing my chest, I felt it swirling around me, deflected by an invisible barrier.
A transparent, protective wall enveloped my body, shielding my vital organs from the pressure of the radioactive filth. I was drenched, I was helpless, but I was still breathing.
At that moment, an echo rose in the deepest, most untouched corner of my mind. It wasn't a system message. It was a voice I was hearing for the first time in my life—soft as velvet, yet just as poisonous. Dante had breached the fortresses of my consciousness; he had slipped directly into my soul.
"I'm sorry." Dante said. His deep voice cracked in my mind like a whip. "You didn't die today, either."
As I shivered inside that protective bubble within the water, his presence clouded my mind like a fog. His voice, mocking, dark, and filled with that unsettling desire, continued.
"The place you should drown isn't those radioactive waters, Dorian. You should drown in my bed, breathless, with a large piece of meat in your mouth. Even your death must belong to me, not to the bottom of a nuclear tunnel."
I recoiled in horror as I pulled my leg free from between the rails. This "life" I had gained was nothing more than the golden leash around my neck being tightened a little more. My dream of an honorable death had been replaced by a leading role in Dante's dark fantasies.
Lying on the damp floor of the tunnel with that red-eyed collar around my neck, every breath I took was trembling. "What do you want?" I roared into the darkness. My voice echoed off the rusted rails.
"You haven't eaten for days," Dante said, his voice wrapped in that disgusting, fake tenderness. "This makes me sad."
I let out a bitter laugh. "You don't even have a f-cking heart!"
The moment my sentence ended, an imaginary but jarring slap exploded on my buttock. As my skin burned, the mechanical, soulless voice of the system echoed in my mind.
[SYSTEM WARNING: Warning Slap by the Master. Zone Selection: Buttocks.]
"Is it a lie?" I said, spitting bloody saliva onto the ground. "You're a man whose heart hasn't beaten for centuries."
The second slap came harder, more searing.
[SYSTEM WARNING: x2 Warning. Sentenced to Punishment by the Master.]
When I stripped off my wet shirt as ordered, the freezing air cut through my bare skin like a knife. With my nipples sharp from the cold and my shoulders trembling, I was completely vulnerable. But the system didn't stop.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Main Theme: Winter. Freezing Wind Active.]
My flesh was turning blue, my joints locking up. Dante's deep voice sounded like a whisper of pleasure amidst this torture. "To warm up... aren't you going to rub your hands over yourself a little?"
"I'm fine like this!" I hissed through my teeth. My answer was met with a wave of cold air that gnawed at my bones. I couldn't take it anymore. I sank to my knees and groaned. "Enough..."
Dante's voice was as sweet as a melody this time. "I've sent you a beautiful cashmere shirt. A warm stew and cognac... It will help you warm up."
"How many of me are there?" I whispered reproachfully. "Don't spend all your money on me, Dante you wouldn't want a human who actually bites you."
"Me biting you would be a routine, Dorian. The possibility of you biting me is what makes you unique and special. Now, take a bath. Your foul-smelling blood is ruining my appetite."
I pouted. "I don't want to. Let your appetite be ruined."
Dante's dark laughter filled my mind.
"Ah, Dorian... Have you ever read Dorian Gray? The boy who traded his beauty for portraits? Why don't you trade your beauty for my non-beating, dead heart?"
My eyes flashed with spite. I had to hit him where it hurt—his pride. I whispered in a provocative voice.
"I desire other masters, Dante. Richer, more elite, more handsome... Real masters I would feed every night. You've fallen far below my expectations."
Silence... followed by the endless confirmation sounds of the system crawling through my brain.
[INFO: All Privileges Purchased. Location Info Closed.]
[UPDATE: Purchase Contract Extended from 70 Years to 700 Years.]
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF ELITE AND ELITE HUMANS.]
[ACTIVE FEATURES: Hormonal Balances, Blood Values... Erection Updates in Males are Instantly Under the Control of your MASTER.]
I was bound to him now, not just by my soul, but by the very speed of the blood flowing through my veins. As I wrapped myself in the cashmere shirt he sent, I understood,every reaction my body would give was now at Dante's fingertips.
I was his living, breathing, "Premium" toy.