Alchemised

by SenLinYu

“Something has been done to your mind,”

“This is elaborate, beautiful, professional work. A vivimancer manually rewiring the human consciousness.”

All she knew was that as long as those manacles remained locked in place, she wasn’t an alchemist at all.

The High Reeve kills everyone.

Unlike the necrothralls in Central, the butler was freshly deceased and immaculately dressed. She thought for a moment he was alive, or that he was a lich.

Kaine Ferron.

“The war is over. What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours?”

Just live, Helena, a voice in her mind begged.

“You know, this is new for me. I don’t generally keep prisoners.”

“I—” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed. “I’d forgotten what wind feels like.”

It was a breeding program being passed off as an economic solution.

“I have no desire to touch you,” he said, sneering. “Your presence here is offensive enough.”

“How many years of your life did you spend in that hospital? And for what? Saving people who would have been better off if you’d let them die. But no, you put them back together and sent them right back out to suffer a bit more.”

This would be the perfect state to be in to finally kill herself without any sense of self-preservation holding her back.

“I was commanded to marry her, so I married her. I was never commanded to care.”

“I want the High Reeve. Here. In person. Now.”

She shook her head. “I was a healer,” she said. “I wasn’t—they didn’t let me fight.”

“The Undying. You’re his source of power, and the Resistance—we figured that out, didn’t we? How to kill him. How to kill all of you.”

Since Ferron couldn’t stay dead, Morrough got the pleasure of killing him over and over.

Then a loud crash. She turned, eyes dazed, and found Lancaster crumpled against the wall as Ferron stood over him, kicking so violently that bones cracked each time.

“I accepted it.” Her voice shook with resentment. “Until you came along, and suddenly he moved in, and he turned every inch of this estate upside down for you; took you out for walks and gave you a tour of the house.”

“You’re having me raped, and you expect me to be grateful about it?” Helena’s voice was dead, coming from far away. Stroud’s expression soured. “I’m giving you an opportunity for your life to mean something.”

The violent sound of retching emerged from the bathroom.

He wasn’t kind; he simply wasn’t cruel. He wasn’t as monstrous as he could be.

It was beautiful, Helena couldn’t deny it, but every detail felt tainted and poisonous.

“I have warned you, if something happens to you, I will personally raze the Eternal Flame. That isn’t a threat. It is a promise. Consider your survival as much a necessity to the Resistance as Holdfast’s. If you die, I will kill every single one of them.”

“You stand before us and propose a desecration of the natural cycle. This is the reason why vivimancers can never be trusted, not even for a moment.

“Marino, your voice is no longer recognised by this body,” Ilva said after a moment, her voice cool and deliberate. “However, it is plain to see that you are—hysterical.

“Do you remember Kaine Ferron?”

“Kaine Ferron has offered to spy for the Resistance,”

“Ferron was quite specific that you have to be willing.”

“As long as the Eternal Flame is faithful to ridding the world of necromancers, I will be faithful to it.”

“It’s an odd request, don’t you think? Why would Kaine Ferron, the iron guild heir, want Helena Marino?”

Kaine Ferron stood framed in the doorway.

Ferron might own her in body, but her mind and feelings were her own. If he wanted them, he’d have to work harder than that.

“I swear,” he said, exaggeratedly reverent, his breath ghosting across her neck, “on the gods and my soul”—he laughed as he said it—“I won’t interfere.”

Ferron was not human.

It was a tarnished silver ring;

“You don’t ever summon me. You burn me, ever, and this deal is off. I’m not a fucking dog. If you want me, you can come here and wait or leave a note, and I’ll get around to it when I have time.”

He could read her mind.

“What did you do to my ring? Where is it?” She swallowed, forcing herself to speak steadily. “It’s an elixir that’s bonded to the surface. The coating bends light to make things hard to notice unless you know to look for them.”

I’m Elain Boyle.”

“When I specified willing, that meant you were allowed to say no. Although, perhaps try saying it next time, instead of provoking me.”

“He takes the phylacteries out sometimes and either grows a new bone or takes a spare from some necrothrall. That’s what he did when travelling, so he could leave some of us behind during his trip. He doesn’t like to do it often, but if he travelled without leaving the phylacteries, the connection would sever, and we’d—die.”

Well, that explained why Ferron needed the Eternal Flame; he was dependent on them defeating Morrough for him.

She used to dream about Luc visiting her lab, seeing her work, and realising everything she was doing for him, but instead of elation, all she felt was worry.

What kind of person was Kaine Ferron without inhibition?

“You’re like a rose in a graveyard,”

Everything had become blurred and dreamlike, except him.

I’m lonely, and kissing you, and you don’t even like me.”