SNARE

Hands tightly bound behind her, a carriage was steadily moving towards its destination. A young woman with platinum blonde hair, soaking wet - her clothes worn and torn in places. The men who were on the carriage with her, didn't even care about the woman who was now shivering from the cold.

Lumi. This is your fate. You'll never be able to escape the blood running through your veins. You can't change your fate.

A prey.

Her current condition was a clear evidence of her defeat.

Black eyes filled with rage were merely met with scorn. They looked at her weak and bound body, laughing. Taunts and demeaning words were constantly thrown at her whenever she tried to break free from her predicament. Though she knew it was futile, Lumi persisted in trying to escape the thick bindings that held her immobile, keeping her trapped in place.

"Where do you think the boss will sell this elf?"

"She doesn't even look pretty. Is she a woman? I don't see any breasts, haha."

"Maybe she'll be sold as a slave?"

"As long as there is a hole, physique is not something so important for a sex slave."

The sound of men's conversational laughter boomed in the carriage, treating the woman who was currently sitting weakly like a mere object.

After struggling for too long, Lumi decided to stay quiet, feeling her energy drain from her futile attempts to loosen the bindings. She closed her eyes and leaned back.

I've never cried before I don't even remember when was the last time, but this is so frustrating that I feel like crying.

Moments later— Haha, Lumi chuckled to herself, knowing that crying wouldn't solve anything. It's not some magic cure that can change my fate overnight. But she didn't want to resign herself to her fate in silence either.

As the carriage slowed and came to a stop, someone opened the door, and in that moment, Lumi seized the opportunity to rise quickly, roughly bumping into someone in front of the door who failed to hold her back. With her mouth gagged by a cloth, Lumi could only ran and ran like a madman — unable to shout for help.

Even if she did cry out for help, would anyone come to her aid? What if that person discovered her true identity? Would they take her back to the kidnappers or, even worse, end up doing the same thing like those men?

I can't, I can't use my magic. They did something to this rope, preventing me from fully casting my magic.

As her body weakened, her pointed ears emerged, the characteristic ears of the elven race, a species rumored to be extinct. Lumi had long lived in hiding, concealing her true identity.

She could feel her legs cramping, growing weaker, her breaths were ragged, and her chest felt tight. The forest was pitch dark, making it hard for her to see her surroundings.

But then, after running for a long time, she saw the moonlight getting brighter. Lumi followed the light, relentlessly pursuing it until tall trees were no longer in sight.

Ahead of her, there was a cliff. It was a dead end, and as she peered down, she saw a fast-flowing river below.

Lumi immediately realized her situation now. She only had two choices— die or be captured by those kidnappers.

I don't know what they'll do to me, who they'll sell me to, and I don't know if they'll kill me to sell my blood or make me a slave.

The night wind blew cold, her torn clothes revealed much of her skin, her shoulders barely covered, and her slender feet were stained in blood. She must have stepped on something sharp while running. Ah, shit, my feet hurt. An adrenaline-fueled haze had kept her going, but now the pain was seeping through.

Lumi lifted her face, gazing dazedly at the full moon surrounded by a canopy of shimmering stars, its light illuminating the dark night. It was beautiful. The beauty of the night sky contrasted with her dire situation, and she couldn't help but wonder if this would be her final sight.

After thinking deeply, she took a step forward, her eyes shifting downward, to the sound of the rushing water from the river below.

Dying like this.

She thought. Perhaps dying like this was more fitting than living in humiliation. But that didn't mean she wasn't scared—if she jumped down, she would either die from hitting the rocks or die from the cold water—she didn't like pain, so she hoped she would die quickly.

Closing her eyes, slowly step by step, she shivered, and the cold night wind did little to ease her fear.

-Grab

"What are you doing, woman!"

"Argh!"

Someone suddenly yanked her hair, roughly, causing her scalp to ache. Lumi squirmed, refusing to stay still, trying to break free from the man's grip. She looked at the terrifying man who smiled at her, a smile that seemed to mock her efforts as if he knew she was doing something useless.

"Your legs are something else, tsk tsk, what is this? I promised the boss not to hurt you, not even a single inch, but you ended up hurting yourself. Ah-ah."

The man's hand was still gripping her hair, dragging her to the ground, Lumi could not do anything, her hands were still tightly bound behind her back. He then squatted down, "Did you just try to end your life? Haha, you're quite clever, choosing death over becoming a slave."

Lumi wanted to scream, maybe spit on the man and curse him, but her mouth was gagged, tightly covered with a thick cloth, so she could only give him a deadly glare, to which the man only shrugged and laughed.

With ease, he lifted Lumi's body, carrying her on his shoulder, and walked back to their stopping point

She didn't know what to do anymore, her body tired, everything ached, perhaps this was indeed her fate.

Upon arriving back, a group of masked men assembled and entered the grand house, carrying her inside. As they entered, the bright light from the lamps inside made Lumi squint.

Startled as her body was placed down on the carpet, trying to survey her surroundings. Approximately ten men wearing masks were keeping an eye on her. She didn't know their intentions, but she could already guess what they had in mind.

Born an elf.

A species with sacred blood, anyone who consumed elf blood was blessed with health, longevity, and an abundance of magical power. That's why elves were relentlessly hunted, leading to a decline in their population, and ultimately, their extinction.

At least that's what the rumors said.

Due to their absence from civilization for the past two hundred years, people believed they were extinct. And because of that belief, Lumi, an elf, hid her true identity and always used magic to conceal her pointed ears.

This all because of that priest!

I trusted him, foolishly trusted him! I thought he was a good person, but in reality ...

Ha, it's no use crying over spilled milk.

But really, did I do something wrong while living there? I always helped him, I assisted in taking care of the children at the orphanage, I helped maintain the church, but is this what I get in return for all the good things I've done?

It's fucking infuriating.

"Can you ask her to stop glaring?"

One of the men said, and another masked man tilted his eyes down to look at her. "Can you put on a sweet face? The boss will be here soon."

Who the hell is your boss?!

Lumi didn't care. If she could, she would fight back, do anything to annoy the man, and maybe then the boss would kill her.

I really don't give a damn about my life anymore. It's better to die than to exist as an elf, treated like some object to be bought and sold.

Soon after, the creaking door swung open, revealing a man with half of his face concealed by a dark cloth. As he entered, all the men in the room fell silent, returning to their positions and standing at attention, showing respect to the man.

Judging by their reactions, this man had to be the boss they were talking about.

Even with half of his face covered, Lumi could tell he was a middle-aged man. Tall and muscular, he exuded an air of nobility. Her gut feeling telling her that this man was definitely not a regular human. He must be related to the elites.

Lumi's eyes met the man's cold blue eyes.

He stared at her intently, like someone inspecting a valuable commodity. And when his gaze fell on Lumi's injured foot, he furrowed his brow.

"Didn't I tell you not to hurt her?"

"Sorry, boss, but she injured herself while trying to escape...."

Slash—

In a split second, the man accompanying the boss unsheathed his sword and swiftly struck down the man who spoke up. He was the one who had kidnapped her and brought her here. The man now lay on the floor, flailing before finally losing consciousness, his body covered in blood. Without intervention, he'd bleed to death.

However Lumi didn't care about his condition. To hell with him. She felt a bit satisfied seeing the man who brought her here get instant karma.

Silence descended upon the room, so quiet that only the echoes of footsteps could be heard on the floor.

"Can you stand?"

The cloaked man, who was apparently their boss, bent slightly to speak to Lumi. She glared back at him, unable to conceal her fear and anger. His aura could make anyone in the room shiver, and it seemed like he held immense power, capable of killing without a second thought.

"I actually wanted you to remain unharmed, how am I supposed to auction you off like this?"

What did he just say?

"Well, you are an elf, no matter your condition, there will be plenty who would want to buy you."

He turned away, taking a seat with two individuals flanking him on either side, likely his guards. The boss unwavering gaze remained fixed on Lumi.