Hollow. His heart had felt hollow, empty, and ruthless, as he stared into the lifeless eyes of the Fae laying before him. The boy had been young and afraid, unaware of what awaited him when he approached the experimental chamber.

Fleetingly, the man searched for a shred of empathy for the death that he had caused- he did not find any. A darkness swirled inside of him, caressing him- applauding at the progress he was making. Appraising the dominance.

Through trial and error, he had successfully managed to pinpoint the exact method he would use to execute his experiments. They had not delivered the results he had hoped for- not yet, however the progress he made gave him a sense of accomplishment.

The actual challenge had been finding a Fae from Uisce, the water continent, who had seen the reasoning in his experiments. A fae who had agreed with his methods and commended him for his efforts. He had needed a Fae with a water affinity, as no other affinity would be able to bend liquids the way he needed them to.

The Fae was silent as she watched him and the lifeless body before her. Her eyes flitting between them, vigilant and wary. Her face was as pale as the dull blue that lined her hair, and her lips were cracked from the amount of effort she had used. The experiment had drained her thoroughly. Effort wasted, but also not.

"You did good." He rasped, startling her. She had not expected him to speak.

"He's dead." She whispered, her voice straining.

"Yes, he served his purpose." Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch. Unnoticeable in most cases, however, noticeable to him. Her distaste towards him was evident.

"Elha, there is no room for regret or second guessing. If you doubt, you must leave." He snapped, despising the emotion that poured from her very essence. He had no tolerance for her weakness.

"I am fine." She raised her chin in defiance, "I am simply adjusting. When will we do the next experiment?" Her face had fallen back into casual neutrality.

Delight filled him at her request, a slow smile spreading on his face.

"Soon."

***

Several days had passed since Avelon had been first chained. The chains had not been removed, not even when she had to relieve herself. Balor did not trust that she wouldn't try and run and she couldn't quite place the importance of her presence in the first place.

The entirety of the trek had consisted of uptight behaviour, unprovoked slaps from Balor or his men, or beatings and then silence. Avelon had since refused to move unless completely necessary and she had hated every moment of it. She was a busy, fidgety person. Sitting utterly still was not her forte. However, no matter how hard she had tried, somehow anything she did had upset Balor, and she did not want to feed his sick fantasies of harming her.

Ever since she had taken too long to do her business he had completely snapped, it had been as though someone entirely different had taken over his body. Not that Avelon knew him, of course, though he was not the same person that left her home with sly smugness. Sometimes he would lose his temper for seemingly nothing at all. If her gaze lingered too long, or if she was too silent, or if she made a noise that irritated someone- Balor lashed out. He had been using his affinity to manipulate her. He would choke her, steal the air right from her lungs until she felt like passing out, and sometimes she would. Most of the time she did not have to try to keep herself contained as Balor had insisted on doing it for her, wrapping his wind around her so tightly that she could not even breathe too deeply. She preferred that though, over trying to constrain herself and not rile up anybody unnecessarily.

They had seldomly stopped, and when they did, Balor would ensure that she was contained on the mare. Her bladder was no excuse to him. The first time he had ignored her pursuits had been the worst, now she had grown used to it. The mare had been gentle and understanding through it all- or, so Avelon had hoped. She would not think of an alternative.

Balor absolutely hated her, without a doubt. The feeling was completely mutual. Avelon had no idea how she would make it through another fortnight with him, let alone the rest of her life.

Her body had ached, and her spirit felt weighed down.

He will not break me.

Avelon had whispered to herself multiple times. Especially on days where Balor felt like playing- the days that the long walk would bore him. She had found herself visualising on multiple occasions that her and Fallon's idea of the man that would take her, would materialize. That her buyer would be someone handsome and charming. Or that someone would see them and save her. What a joke that had been, she had not laughed.

Balor was old enough to be her father. No handsome young Lord to save the day, just a stubborn, sorry-assed Fae grandpa who liked to kick her ass.

Was he even a grandfather? She sure hoped not, for the sake of the poor fae youngling that would have to endure his temper and his general presence.

Balor did not seem like the family guy to her. Avelon had trouble even wrapping her head around the fact that he had an Anara, whatever that meant. She had decided it was a fancy term he used for his wife, and she only bore sympathy as she thought of the woman that had married him. He had been nothing but a walking nightmare. Did they have children? She shivered at the thought of Balor ensnaring someone enough that she would carry his spawn.

"What is it, girl?" Balor's voice felt like needles prickling on her skin. The control he had over the shifts in wind patterns was utterly terrifying.

Bravely, she forced herself to look at him. Knowing full well that ignoring him would only make him lash out at her anyway. He studied her intently, slightly cocking his head to the side with a mocking smile. She wanted to spit right in his face.

"Why are you shivering if we have been trekking in the glorious sun for miles?" He asked condescendingly. She knew that no matter what answer she would give him, he would find a way to make her wish she could turn into a rock.

"It was involuntarily." Her voice had sounded hollow, all the lightness in it had completely disappeared. A snapping sound had her flinching sideways- her eyes crunching in pain.

Balor had liked using his wind affinity to form thin wind strips that would nick at her, almost like whips. The wind strips were invisible to her so that she could not dodge them and the damage they inflicted had been painful, more painful than the bite of actual whips. She understood the difference.

Balor had liked harming her in a way that did not split open her skin but felt as though he did. Harsh burning travelled up from her arm and into her shoulder. She did not dare glance at the mark. She knew how they looked and what she would find. During the time spent with him so far, she had almost grown used to the feeling- Almost.

"Apologies Avelon, that was involuntarily." His smile carried a deadly threat, that crept right into her soul, "Now, sit still. We are almost home."

Home.

The word had her spiralling. She had missed home dearly. Not the actual place, no. Her home had been two eyes and a soul. Fallon.

Her lip trembled as Fallon's face flashed in front of her eyes. She wished, for brief seconds, that she could turn back time. Avelon wished with all her soul that she had made a different decision and that she thought less about the entire ordeal of the ritual.

She hated herself for caring so much. Her eyes burned in anger and grief.

Fortunately for her own sake, Balor had missed the emotion- or chose to. He had never missed anything when it came to her. Avelon's eyes stung, unshed tears brimming on the edges, threatening to fall.

A sudden warm breeze ran through her hair, almost as if assuring her that everything would be alright. Thankfully the breeze had not been tainted by Balor. Avelon savoured the feeling, despite the fact that the heat had not been comforting in any sense. The warmth radiating from the sun above her was only intensified by the heat emanating from the wind. It was smothering.

Everything seemed warmer than it should be- except for Balor. Balor was as cold as anything could get- possibly colder than ice.

Avelon had continuously wondered how Balor had come to live in Teine and not his home continent Goath. The knowledge had Avelon perplexed for days. The only conclusion she could come to, was that Balor's wife was most likely a fire fae and that he had married into the continent.

Balor had made no inclination that he had any ounce of fire running through his veins- although Avelon could have easily missed it. Even though she had seen, and felt, much of Balor's capabilities these past few days, it was possible that he hadn't revealed all of his skills yet. Balor could easily have been one of the lucky Fae who had been blessed with more than one affinity. The idea of Balor wielding that type of power had Avelon's blood running cold.

Another soft breeze had Avelon's thoughts emptying, she savoured the feeling. Avelon wondered whether the wind Goddess did not enjoy the fact that Balor could manipulate her affinity. A sudden gust had her hair rustling and her eyes slightly widening.

Had the wind just agreed to her thoughts? Was she going mad?

Avelon wanted to shake her head in an attempt to gain some clarity, however she refrained. Her widened gaze settled on Balor as she tried to pick up any inkling that he was about to lash out at her. In that moment she wished she had some type of affinity flooding her veins so that she could kick Balor's butt. Even wind would do. Fighting wind with wind. She snickered silently at the oddity – clearly losing it. She had definitely been spiralling into a unhealthy mental state.

"We should be at the palace in a few hours, sir." A guard to her left announced, snapping Avelon right out of her stupor.

A few hours? Avelon's body tensed. With a pained expression, she wondered whether Balor's wife enjoyed handing out the same type of punishments as he had. Surely, she would not be the only slave. Maybe she could try to blend in and avoid being singled out. She could not handle the targeted attention much longer. She could only pray to whoever was listening that she would be placed as a handmaid or a stable cleaner. FAR away from Balor.

"You should be grateful." A murmur from beside her caused her to jump slightly. Without uttering a word, Avelon gazed sideways at the source of the murmur. Her body frigid and stonelike.

"Balor has great plans. I'm sure you'll agree once you form part of them." He continued. Avelon snorted, successfully hiding the fact that his words had her mind reeling with possibilities. Avelon turned slowly to face the guard. Too tired to take note of any of his features except for the self-satisfied smirk he wore as he analysed her.

"I doubt it." Avelon rasped with a sarcastic smile.

Dismissively, the guard trotted ahead of her mare. Not paying heed to her sarcasm or her remark. She rolled her eyes and reverted her attention to the landscape around her. The area was covered in pale brown sand, with small patches of ground poking out in some areas. By the looks and feel of Teine, she knew she would come to miss the crisp mornings and thunderous storms.

Avelon had not doubted that the only storms she would witness brewing were the ones in Balor's mind. The sand surrounding them was beautiful, in a sense, and she had yet to witness the volcanos that were known to be scattered around Teine.

So far, she had only seen the sand, some patches of grass and unending sunny skies. Teine was a desert as far as she could see, and for her own sanity she hoped that the so called 'palace' had a bit of shade. Call her pompous, but Avelon knew she was definitely not built for the heat she was enduring. Hell, she wasn't even built for the life of a slave. Whether she liked to admit it or not, she knew she had been spoiled from birth. Avelon had allowed her gaze to turn hazy as she stared at nothing.

She was still clothed in her nightgown which had been soiled by endless nights of sleeping where Balor had deemed fit- and then some. By the fourth day Avelon had blocked out the stench forcefully. Not only that emanating from herself, but also from those around her.

Chattering and whispers had pulled Avelon from her daydreaming. She had been so consumed by her own thoughts she had not realized that they had entered a small town. All too quickly Avelon realized that the chatter was solely directed at them, at her. She noticed various eyes following her movement, tracking her. Eyes full of curiosity and disapproval as the Fae studied her. They had to be curious about Balor's new pet, however the disapproval that shone was clearly due to her current state. Did they know what type of man Balor was?

She could feel heat rising to her cheeks in embarrassment, however she held her head high and refused to feel as weak as she looked. Avelon averted her eyes to Balor and proceeded to stare daggers straight into it.

By the way Balor was pleasantly greeting the Fae around him, fake smile and all, she instantly knew the answer to her lingering question. They had certainly not known the monster that rested beneath the surface- the monster she had witnessed. They had been entirely unaware that the man they most likely worshipped, was sent directly from hell.

She was accustomed to punishment. Punishments she received from her father and sometimes her mother, however the way Balor had punished her was on a different level than what she had been used to. Balor had no shred of soul in him.

Her father had never, not once, used his affinity against her in the way Balor had. Avelon hissed as her arms stinged in protest, as if her thoughts had reignited the thin red welts on Avelon's arms. Swallowing a snarl at the man before her, she remained focused on his back. She could and would make it through whatever he had planned for her. She would not allow him to break her. She would not forget the person he is and hopefully one day, she could make sense of why he enjoyed being so ill hearted towards her.

A few heartbeats passed as they continued a while out of town. The chatter had quieted as quickly as it started. Avelon found herself glancing back toward the town, a few people gathering on the pathway to study their departure. Her eyes remained locked on the figures as they grew smaller, before they vanished completely out of her sight. Mares neighed to the front which had Avelon reverting her gaze.

Her breathing hitched as she took in the sudden towering palace in front of her. Balor's home had been situated quite close to the town- convenient.

The walls of the palace were noticeably the same colour of a sunset, accentuated with bright red and maroon trimmings. An odd combination and not something Avelon had been used to, but beautiful.

Greenery- to her surprise and relief- had covered the expanse of the front courtyard. Neatly trimmed bushes lined the entry as they strode past toward the front of the palace. The entire courtyard seemed alive- it was breathtakingly beautiful. Far more beautiful than she had expected.

They reached a brown oak door, which she noted was the entrance to the palace. Upon closer inspection Avelon could make out fine intricate carvings of fire symbols, suns, and swirls lining the wood. The beauty of it had her throat and eyes burning. How could something so beautiful house such a Fae male.

"Well girl, we're home." Balor's voice boomed as he raised his hands before him, a sinister smile spread on his face as his dark eyes rested on her face.