Emerald's POV

Even if I lose, there is nothing which I will really lose. I have already lost the right to the lights and there is no possibility he will let me see it again.

I still looked between the chess and him, his faint smirk and mischievous eyes. He was waiting for me to play because he knew I didn't dare to say no to him.

I lifted my weak hand and made the first move, and his smirk deepened as he made his move. He has something in mind; he has already locked me up, so why would he make me lose in the game I have already lost? This is definitely his sick game.

I was sitting there tiredly, my eyes were hardly open due to weakness. My wet dress clung to my body, and the strap fell from my shoulder again. I am too thin for this dress now, I didn't even bother to fix it. It doesn't matter anymore.

I looked at him timidly after making a move and he made his, without taking his predatory eyes off me. He always looks at me like I am faking this fear and pain, he thinks I am vicious. He is right, I am vicious but right now I am truly scared of him.

He didn't say anything like my nakedness doesn't affect him, of course it doesn't. After all, he is a master of his emotions.

I made my move, and suddenly it was checkmate; he lost. I won!

But it wasn't something to be happy about, he let me win, which means he has a hidden motive behind it.

No! Maybe I really won. I used to win, I am also an expert in this game. Why has my confidence gone down so much? Maybe I really won against him.

I looked at him like a deer caught in headlights, not knowing what to do with this win.

He smirked at me, making my stomach churn with anxiety.

"Congratulations!"

He got up and started walking out.

I looked at him as he disappeared in the dark. I took a deep breath and some good time to come to the conclusion that I should stand and follow him. Maybe I am really going out of this place.

I took the support of the wall and got up, and dizziness hit me like an ocean wave. Egon has damaged me beyond repair and the interesting thing is he has never hit me to make this damage. It's like he is showing me that he can destroy me without using my body.

I took the support of the wall and took my baby steps. My heart started blooming with each step. I am going to see light again. I want to see how the world has changed in my absence. The feeling of freedom is really motivating.

My legs never felt so strong in this basement.

Egon was standing at the staircase which leads up and out of the basement. He was watching me take baby steps. My trembling legs climbed each step at a time.

He must be laughing at me, enjoying my state. These legs made people turn heads wherever they touched the floor and look at them now, they can hardly walk. Clicking my heels made people tremble in fear once upon a time, and now my steps don't even have a life.

This is what he wanted, and he is watching it now.

I was about to take the last step and stopped, scared that he was just mocking me. He will kick me inside again, he will lock me up again but no, he waited for me to take my last step. I nervously stepped out and the cold wind hit my body like a bucket of cold water.

Fresh air felt like heaven after breathing in rotten air. I want to cry my heart out, I want to scream in the air with happiness and run errands until no one finds me, but I can't, I can't show him that I am happy with the freedom.

If he learns that I am happy then he will cage me again. He doesn't care about rules anymore; there are no ethics in this dark world of ours.

I took one more step and stumbled. He was standing in front of me, and I fell on his rock-hard chest. He was still looking at me amused, just like people who cage a tiger and admire its pain.

His strong arms stopped me from kissing the ground. How is he even standing near me? I smell like a rotten thing.

"How does freedom feel?"

He mocked, and I looked down in shame. There are countless times when I have asked this question to people. I am a bitch but karma is the real one.

"Feeling happy?"

His hold on me tightened as he turned me around in his hold. His hold was strong, like he knew I was going to fall once he let me go.

His touch burned the skin and soul together.

"But how can I see you happy?"

He handed me the gun and supported it with his hands so I wouldn't drop it.

I felt lost for a minute. Why am I holding a gun? What is he doing?

And why does he think that killing anyone will make me sad?

"What___"

My voice stuck in my throat when I saw my elder sister getting dragged out by Egon's right-hand man, Spider. He made her stand a few feet away from us.

My hand felt numb when I saw my sister in front of me, her eyes were blank. She knows what's coming ahead and she doesn't look scared at all. She must be tired after trying to hide from him. Death is easy, I can understand.

But she is my sister, I can't watch her die in front of me. Egon knows it, he is so cruel to bring her in front of me.

"Queen, don't give up..."

She looked at my state and tears escaped her eyes.

"Like me!"

Egon tightened his hold on my numb hands.

"Pull the trigger, Emerald... Kill your sister."

He ordered calmly.

I stood there frozen, not addressing his heartless order.

"You want me to use my way to kill her?"

He wasn't messing around. His hard body pressed against mine firmly as he made me stand.

"Spider!"

He ordered and I snapped out of my daze.

If he kills her the way he does then she will go through hell.

"Shoot me, please!"

Angelina begged, horror covering her eyes as Spider grabbed her hand again.

"Please, Queen. Please..."

"Stop!"

I mumbled and he heard it. Angelina closed her eyes as I closed mine and shot her. I didn't see, but I heard a skull-cracking sound and felt numb.

Egon let me fall on the ground, on my knees and knelt in front of me. I was frozen, staring at the ground for nothing. He made me kill my sister. How brutal is he going to become next time?

How do I escape from this?

He kept looking at me, waiting for me to shed tears, but I didn't. I don't want to give him that satisfaction. How cruelly he gave me freedom from the basement, and the next minute caged me in guilt of shooting my sister.

He grabbed my jaw and made me look at the pile of skeletons, which were nothing but my family members; his fingers dug into my cheeks.

"A few more are remaining; they will join us soon."

He showed me how Spider threw Angelina's body on the pile and finally tears escaped my eyes.

He felt satisfied after looking at my tears and let go of my face with a jerk. I fell back on the ground as he walked away. The sky started pouring but I refused to blink my eyes. Tears started flowing with the rain.

He is going to destroy everything, and no one is going to survive this. All my people will be dead.

This saga is not ending here, he won't stop because I didn't stop.

And do I deserve this? Yes, I deserve every single second of his torture.