Time lost all meaning in the pitch-black Dungeon.
Only Ishayate’s periodic “visits” marked the passage of time, slicing through Luo Ling’s chaotic consciousness like the ticking of a clock.
At first, there was only resistance and silence.
No matter how gently Ishayate coaxed him, or what kind of psychological pressure she applied, Luo Ling clenched his teeth, using his remaining willpower to fight against the whispers clinging to him like maggots.
He tried to grasp the name “Eve” in his mind, to hold onto that faint light—the only proof that “Hero” Luo Ling had ever existed.
But Ishayate’s patience was beyond imagination.
She no longer rushed for results, but instead infiltrated and eroded him little by little, like water wearing down stone.
She would bring delicate but tasteless food, telling twisted yet logically coherent “stories.”
—About the truth of the world, about his “real” mission, about how the phantom named “Eve” deceived and used him.
“You see, Luo Ling,”
She would gently stroke his cold cheek, her fingertips carrying a warmth filled with magic.
“Only I am truly sincere to you. Those so-called companions, that so-called light, are nothing but executioners pushing you into the abyss. All they needed was a strong ‘Hero’ symbol, not the living you.”
At first, Luo Ling’s eyes were filled with anger and struggle, but gradually they grew numb and hollow.
Physical weakness, mental exhaustion, and Ishayate’s daily manipulation wore down the light within him, until it flickered like a candle in the wind.
Finally, during one of Ishayate’s feedings, when she asked again:
“Who is your only light, your only master?”
Luo Ling’s lips moved for a long time, his voice hoarse as an old bellows, but he clearly uttered four words:
“…Ishayate.”
A satisfied smile flickered in Ishayate’s eyes, as if she had received the most precious gift.
She leaned down and pressed a cold kiss to his forehead.
“Good boy, my little dog. That’s right.”
From that day on, Luo Ling became “obedient.”
He would open his mouth to eat as told, move his body slowly on Ishayate’s command, and even relax a little when she drew near.
He no longer spoke of “Eve,” nor tried to resist, moving like a delicate but soulless puppet.
Ishayate was very satisfied with this.
She even began to unfasten some of his chains, allowing him limited movement within the cell.
She relished this sense of control, watching the once lofty Hero now rely on her like a pet.
She would take him for walks down the Dungeon corridors, showing him prisoners she had captured from the “Light Faction” and describing their “crimes.”
Luo Ling always watched with a blank face and empty eyes, as if everything before him had nothing to do with him.
Until that day.
To further consolidate her “achievement,” Ishayate decided to take Luo Ling to a place—the Vault where she kept her trophies.
Here lay the weapons, armor, and various treasures taken from powerful foes she had defeated.
She wanted Luo Ling to see with his own eyes how fragile the so-called “light” truly was.
The Vault was vast and dark, filled with the scent of dust and faint magical currents.
Ishayate walked ahead, excitedly introducing each “trophy” to Luo Ling.
“Look at this,”
She pointed to a broken Holy Sword.
“This used to be a Light Holy Sword. Its wielder tried to resist me. This was the result.”
Luo Ling stared numbly, unmoved.
Ishayate didn’t mind.
She walked forward to a corner where damaged equipment and miscellaneous items were piled carelessly, as if they were worthless.
She kicked aside an old leather bracer, sending it rolling to the ground and revealing a small, faded wooden figurine underneath.
It was a crude Dog Figurine, poorly carved and a bit lopsided, yet its simple, clumsy form radiated a gentle warmth.
The moment Luo Ling’s eyes fell on the wooden dog, his empty gaze shrank sharply!
It was like a bolt of lightning tearing through his muddled mind!
That figurine… he remembered!
It was from many years ago, on a sunny afternoon, back when he was a clueless boy in a quiet village.
A girl with twin ponytails and a smile brighter than the sun had used her small, clumsy hands to carve it out, bit by bit.
“Luo Ling, look! I carved this little dog. Does it look like you? If you ever become a great Hero and face danger, seeing it will be like having me beside you!”
The girl’s voice!
Clear, lively, filled with carefree joy!
That girl… her name was…
“Eve…”
The name exploded in his heart like a sleeping volcano erupting!
In an instant, countless memories—sealed and suppressed—surged forth like a tide!
The smoke rising from the village at sunset, the sweat on the training ground, the smiles of comrades fighting side by side, and… the moment Eve stood before him, her bloodied figure shielding him, her teary yet gentle smile…
“Luo Ling, you must… live…”
“No—!!!”
A howl of agony burst from Luo Ling’s lips!
It was a cry filled with pain, regret, anger, and… a hint of regained clarity!
He broke free from Ishayate’s yet-unreinforced grip, his crimson eyes glaring at her—not hollow or numb, but blazing with hate!
“It was you! You lied to me!!”
Luo Ling’s voice was hoarse and twisted with emotion, and he lunged at Ishayate like a wounded beast.
The smile vanished from Ishayate’s face, replaced by cold fury and the irritation of a “game” interrupted.
She hadn’t expected a simple wooden figurine to trigger such a violent reaction, or to awaken repressed memories!
“It seems my ‘education’ was still incomplete.”
She sneered, her gaze turning sinister.
She didn’t give Luo Ling a chance to pounce.
With a wave of her hand, a surge of powerful Black Magic blasted him away, slamming him into the wall with a heavy thud.
“If gentle methods don’t work,”
Ishayate advanced step by step toward Luo Ling, her presence suffocating.
“I’ll have to use more ‘direct’ means.”
She extended her hand, black magic coalescing at her fingertips, and pressed them to Luo Ling’s forehead!
“Ah—!!!”
Agonizing pain stabbed through Luo Ling’s mind like countless steel needles, fiercer than any previous manipulation!
He felt his consciousness gripped by an invisible hand, torn, crushed, and reshaped!
Eve’s smile, village memories, his comrades’ faces… Those just-awakened, precious memories were being forcefully erased and twisted!
“No… don’t… Eve…”
Luo Ling struggled in agony, tears and blood mingling as they slid from his eyes, yet his mind was sinking fast.
“Forget her! Luo Ling!”
Ishayate’s voice boomed in his mind like a curse.
“She was just a lie! A phantom that should never have existed! It was me, always me by your side! I am your everything!”
“She is false! Pain is real! Only by obeying me can you be freed!”
“Look at me! Luo Ling! Remember my face! I am your light! Your master!”
Darkness surged like a tide, more ferocious and total than ever before! Not only did it drown out the light, it crushed and dissolved every fragment of “Eve” rising to the surface, then filled the void with new “memories” belonging to Ishayate!
She wanted to erase the name “Eve” from Luo Ling’s very soul!
She wanted to create a new “Luo Ling” that belonged solely to her!
A “pet” whose body and soul both obeyed her absolutely!
Luo Ling’s struggles grew weaker, his crimson eyes hollowing once more. His body collapsed limply to the ground, his consciousness fading completely.
Ishayate panted, sweat beading on her brow.
Forcibly altering the memories of one with strong willpower drained her as well.
But looking at Luo Ling, returned to a “pure” and muddled state, excitement flared anew in her eyes.
“So interesting… so very interesting…”
She licked her lips, a cruel smile on her face.
“It seems my ‘feast’ needs an upgrade. This time, I’ll shatter you completely, then piece you back together, bit by bit, in my own way.”
She crouched down, gently patted Luo Ling’s cheek, her voice soft but carrying undeniable command.
“Sleep, my little dog. When you wake, you’ll forget all those unpleasant ‘nightmares.’ You’ll remember only me—your master, Ishayate—as the one who stayed by your side, gave you warmth, and guided you from the beginning to the end.”
The Dungeon fell silent once more, broken only by the sound of Ishayate’s departing footsteps and Luo Ling’s faint, even breathing.
And this time, Ishayate’s brainwashing and memory tampering would be more thorough and merciless than ever before.
She would make sure that the “accident” called “Eve” would never happen again.
Her “little dog” had to be absolutely pure, absolutely loyal.
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