Son of a Warg!

by CA Productions

Sauron is destroyed. However, one of the Nazgul manages to flee from the destruction. He is found by one of the istari, the Orange Wizard, Hyano. After taking him in, she doesn't yet realize that she set a series of happenings in motion, which will change both of their lives.

16. Darkened Light in the Shadowed Day

We would like to thank our readers for the wonderful reviews once more! Well, there was a good question... What about Gandalf? Where is he? What is he doing? Don't worry, you will get some Gandalf soon enough :D

Until then, enjoy, folks!

CA Productions

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Disclaimer: See first chapter.

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Chapter 16 – Darkened Light in the Shadowed Day

-The next day-

Hyano woke up and at first she didn't even notice that something might be missing. She went about her daily routine as usual. Wake up, get cleaned, wash out the taste of dirt from her mouth. She swore it was in the bloody air. She noticed first that the only things left black were her torso and arms but that would go away within a few hours more than likely. She started getting dressed than blinked as she finally noted the lack of a flute.

She looked all over the room before realizing what had happened and gritting her teeth.

"Ren, you son of a warg!" she screamed then kicked the door open and ran out. She was going to at least try to find Ren and get her flute back. Asking the guard to get her wood over and over again wasn't much of an option, considering it was so scarce and he would eventually get annoyed with it.

Unlucky for her, the wraith was already outside among the workers, inspecting the works carefully and giving orders here and there. He did think of going back to her room and check, maybe she already started on a new flute and he didn't want to miss it... but he wished to stay unscratched. He didn't want to lose his cloak by being lit on fire, or walking in to a prepared trap in her room. He opted to just... wait for her until she found him or until she decided to go outside.

He was content to just walk about for a little while...

Hyano became beyond annoyed when she couldn't find him. Eventually, her running was enough to tire out her anger and she just started walking. She still wanted to find him and... 'ask' for the flute back... Alright, she knew better than to ask. She was going to tackle him if she got the chance and explain... maybe... that she needed the flute back.

She looked about too concentrated on what she was doing to notice she was being followed. Out of nowhere an orc grabbed her by her arm and pulled her from the path she was following, pushing her against the wall hard, then pinned her.

"Well hello there, pretty thing. Why so much clothing this time?" he said with a grin, showing off his yellow-black bad smelling rotting teeth. His slit yellow eyes bore into her soul as he stared at her, having a… so far to her unseen look.

Her eyes went huge too shocked to do anything. What in Middle-Earth was this orc thinking?!

No one noticed her sudden disappearance as they were all too busy working and following the tight schedule laid out to them. The demand was too great and they were forced to work more. Of course this didn't mean that a specific few didn't notice, they just chose not to say anything...

After all...

After this orc was done, they will be able to get a 'taste' of her too. It was all arranged. Except the guards who still patrolled the area. They were too set into their role to participate in such things. Same went to the generals who also occupied every corner of the mines. One in particular was only a few corners away from Hyano.

There is something about being forced that many people don't understand. No matter how much power you have, no matter who it is, the fact of the matter is in that situation you feel shocked. Paralyzed. Helpless. Hyano has no idea what was going on until a scream was pulled out of her she had never made before. Not one of pain like she did when she first felt her hands being turned black. No.

It was of fear.

For the first time in her life she was actually scared of something that wasn't herself. It was the most paralyzing thing she had ever felt before.

The orc put a hand over her mouth to muffle the sounds. He did not want anyone to get in his way.

Her scream went unnoticed by most; the few who heard it simply didn't make a move to help her. Oh no. They wanted to get a piece too.

One of the guards did stop and looked around, having heard something among the sounds of working and mining. Frowning, he turned again but eventually shrugged and went on his way, much to the delight of the few involved goblins.

They were so engulfed in their little triumph that they weren't aware of a new possible threat approaching.

Tuhul was making his way just now down the hall. However his steps were slow, closely watching the hands of all workers. But unusually he didn't yet say a word, which helped with his silent approach.

The orc did not notice the approach of the general nor did the other workers. He was normally always signaled by his rather loud mouth. Something they had all gotten used to even before he became a general.

Hyano's mind was reeling.

With all the power and knowledge she had her mind picked now to go blank! Why?! She tried to struggle and get his hand off her face, even made a go at trying to bite him and if he had been a human it might have worked. However he was far from human. He was much bigger! She did draw some blood and for it she was slammed rather hard into the wall making her gasp. Lucky for her most of her body was still blackened but that currently wasn't saving her head from feeling the full blow.

He growled in her ear.

"Be good... wouldn't want to kill you before the others got a turn." he told her then started getting ready to have his fun with her.

The workers only noticed the general as he passed or pushed someone to work again if they stood and didn't do anything. As he came closer to the 'scene', more and more workers were aware of his presence, widening their yellow eyes and meeting each other's gaze. Well, they can't go and warn their brethren about the oncoming danger or they would give themselves away and their hand in this. All they could do was hope that the bulky orc will pass them and not take notice of the happenings. After all, all sound is drowned out by the smashing of pickaxes and grunting of their efforts. However they didn't think about sight.

While the orc general didn't hear anything, his yellow eyes were attracted to the location because of the movement that was made and of course... the rather strong stench of the other orc as it got excited. The general stopped and narrowed his eyes, the closer he came the more he could make out of the situation. While it was common for orcs and goblins to... use their weaker brethren for pleasure, he didn't want to see this being done while they needed to work. His eyes narrowed even more as he recognized it as not an orc or goblin... Tuhul bared his teeth and reached back, drawing his warhammer and neared the rat of an orc, drawing his weapon to the side, he let its massive head crash against the skull of the offending orc from behind.

The girl's eyes widened when she saw the skull of her attacker was smashed in. Had Hyano tried the same thing, she would need magic to do half the damage Tuhul did. She felt his body go limp before she was dropped, blood from her head and back was covering the wall as she fell to the ground.

The offending -now dead- orc then fell to his knees and if it wasn't for the wall she was leaning against he might have fell on her but instead he ended up leaning against it.

Hyano let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding panting lightly. Had that really just happened? Did Tuhul of all people... save her?

The orc however wasn't as pleased with what happened and turned around with a roar, swinging his hammer once to gain the attention of the workers and guards.

"The Lord's pet is not to be touched! Let him be an example. If we catch any of you lay a finger on her you will be smashed like this rat here..." He pointed towards the dead orc and stepped back to kick him away from the wall and onto the ground where everyone could see it. "I am not stupid. I know there was more than this worm. So, let this be a warning!" he kicked the corpse again and simply turned around and put the warhammer back into its place on his back before grabbing the girl by the arm, making her yelp and hauled her away, murmuring and grumbling, holding her in a firm, iron grip, going towards her room. Of course, he wasn't afraid for her life… more of the punishment the Nazgul would grant in return of his precious servant suddenly becoming useless to him.

It might have hurt, had her arms not been numb to all feeling. That didn't make it pleasant to be dragged. When they were out of everyone's sights she tugged back to get his attention.

"Why did you save me?... I thought you wanted something like that to happen?" she said her eyes down confused. Don't get her wrong, it wasn't like she wasn't grateful but she was very confused. The person who not long ago actually yelled at her saying something like this would happen had saved her right before it was too late. She didn't understand and that bothered her.

This did not stop him from continuing to haul her towards her room. Tuhul snorted at her question and only briefly moved his gaze to look at her before returning to watch where they are going.

"The point was that you learned from it and quit behaving like that. And I am a general. I make sure everything runs smoothly. I take care of brawls or fights. Including your case. And make sure that everyone is working when they should, and that orc wasn't." He told her angrily, still mad and felt his senses being overcome by the aggression he felt. Each time he did something like this made him behave more aggressive than he should, which also made him to a good guard and warrior. "And you are the pet of our Lord. Not only them but I would have been punished if they dare do something to you." he spat, tugging on her as they came closer to their destination.

For some reason, hearing his words didn't bring comfort... They made the young girl feel a little... disappointed. She wasn't sure why either. She gripped her free fist. When she knew they were close she pulled her arm trying to get out of his grip.

"I can walk, Tuhul. Thank you for doing your job. I will be sure to tell Ren for you." she said probably with a little more bite than she meant for. It was only his job. What did it matter? Nothing had changed and that was the end of it... Then why did it bother her so bloody much?

"Are you kidding me?" The orc chuckled and simply pulled on her hand, pushing her to come with him, forcing her to her door. "You will stay here while I get Lord Ren. You two can think of a solution together." With that, Tuhul opened the door and forced her to go inside, standing at the door to prevent her escape. "I will let a few more guards watch the door. If you escape, then you are on your own and you ask for it yourself. We won't help you." He threatened and slammed the door shut, ordering four guards to stand there and stand on alert while he gets the Nazgul and tells him the news.

Hyano gripped her fists. She felt so much anger right now she couldn't see straight. She lit her hand on fire then started shooting at an empty space in the wall.

"Damn it, Tuhul! You are so... GAH!" she yelled. She wasn't even sure what to call the orc. She jumped onto the bed and rubbed her temples. He had saved her... but only because it was his job. He was acting like a prick but only because it was his job. Did he ever do a damn thing because it wasn't his bloody job?! Hopefully somewhere in his job description it said he could go to the bloody bathroom because she was sure if it said he couldn't he would bloody well try to hold it until his gut exploded! This thought made her laugh a little as she finally started to calm down.

It took a little while, but eventually the steps of the Nazgul could be heard along the halls as he walked towards Hyano's room. Tuhul told him what he saw and what he knew. Apparently her little stunt back then had the effect the orc warned her about and some orcs thought they can damage his servant as they wanted.

Which wasn't the case.

He wanted to find out who else was involved and had half the mind to just ignore who was in it and who wasn't... just castrate each of them, except the guards. He sighed and shook his head, eventually reaching her door. He opened it and stepped inside, searching the room with his gaze for the wizard as he closed the door. While he did so, he noticed the burn marks on the walls... He wondered what in all Nine she was doing... him couldn't find a reason why... But maybe she can answer him this question.

The wizard looked up. She had long ago started working on checking her head and back. While she was a little cut up and had a slight headache, it was nothing she couldn't handle. She was back to sitting on the bed when he came in. Hyano noticed he saw the burn marks on the wall and smiled a little sheepishly.

"Needed to let off some steam so I shot a few fire balls." she explained to him then sighed. She had a feeling she was going to end up grounded because of this. It wasn't technically a grounding. It's just the closest thing she could compare him doubling her guard and forcing her to stay in her room more often than not. She really hoped not, though. She liked going out and about despite the annoyances. It was at least an improvement from being stuck in her room all day.

The Nazgul looked around once more as he walked closer to her, stopping there and staring at her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So... What happened exactly?" he asked her, tilting his head to the side. While Tuhul told him what he saw, it doesn't mean that this was truly everything. There was surely more. Like, a reason why she didn't fight back. It was a simple orc, a worker not even a guard, so should have made any problems for her. He was baffled to hear that she didn't at all do anything to get free and it made him and Tuhul question if she was truly against it or not... She was not trashing about and the reason why the orc was killed is because it was doing something he shouldn't have in his working hours and not with the direct servant of their Lord.

The orange istar raised a brow at the question having figured he would have been told already. She shook her head and thought before sighing.

"I went out looking for you when I woke up and found my flute gone. At some point I started just walking because I couldn't find you. Out of nowhere the orc grabbed me and slammed me into a wall. I was... shocked at first. I honestly wasn't sure what was going on. When it hit me..." she gritted her teeth. This was not something she wanted to admit to. "I...screamed." she had never been scared before and admitting it was not something she was fond of. "No one heard me. He covered my mouth. I thrashed and bit him. He slammed me again and told me if... if I wasn't good he would kill me before anyone else got a try. That is about when Tuhul got there... I don't know why... My mind just... It froze. I..." she shook her head trying her best not to relive the feeling or memories too much.

"You let your emotions control you." The Nazgul said, tilting his head to the other side, basically explaining to her why she behaved the way she did. No matter if she was a wizard or not, she was still like a normal mortal. She still lets her emotions control the basics of her life, which to him was considered weak. "Emotions are useless. Try getting rid of them." he wasn't sure how she will achieve that but maybe hardening her against such assaults and attacks on her mind can strengthen her to actually act on her instincts and do as she has to do.

Hyano wanted to scream. 'I know!' kept ringing through her head. She rubbed her temples. She knew she couldn't do that though, if anything, that would just prove his point all the more. She nodded however.

"... I won't be leaving to socialize with the others anymore... I will do my work and that is all..." she was talking to herself more than anyone. She was figuring what she needed to do to be able to finish the task of getting rid of her emotions. Or rather make them weaker.

"No." Was the firm answer of the Nazgul as he walked closer, now standing in front of her. "You will walk among them. You need to be exposed to excess emotions in order to harden against them. This is how we trained our mages back then. You will get used to the situations and will think nothing of them. Your emotions will play an insignificant role with time." He continued, looking directly at her, his hooded head never leaving her position. "You will kill... you will torture... you will feel true fear and horror... All these will be nothing once your training is complete."

"Yes, sir..." he young girl said, not even trying to argue it. If he felt it would work she would do it. She would do whatever it took to make sure THAT wouldn't happen again. She never felt that... weak before. She would not let herself feel weak ever again if she could help it. "... When do I start?" she asked calmly trying to take the emotion out of her voice. Torture... she was sure that wouldn't be easy. Killing, she had done that once or twice. She didn't like it, never did and knew she never will... but she could become good at it if she tried.

"Now." He said and turned his back to her, slowly walking towards the door. "You will torture and kill an orc. First, one that knew about... what happened before and was involved. Then we will go to one that didn't know and never did anything against you or me. We shall see how long it will take you to kill without thinking twice about it. This should harden you enough. Then we will move to fear and terror." He has his own methods how to train this. It should be even easier with her. Since this training of fear is done in sleep and dreams, where he will use his own dark aura and infect her with black breath intentionally, then pull back and suckle out the darkness from her, curing her when he thought she had enough.

He opened the door and waited for her to follow him. He already had everything prepared.

Hyano bit her lip then nodded and jumped up to follow him. This was going to become a very long day. She was curious how he would move to fear and terror. She had never been afraid of Ren before so she wasn't sure what he could do exactly to train her in that area. She walked with him keeping her eyes down.

"... Why do I have to torture and kill someone who did nothing?" she asked not sure why that was needed. If they did nothing wrong why would she be asked to torture and kill them?

"You have to be able to kill anyone who you stand against." The Nazgul started as he kept walking along the halls of the mines, going towards their destination. "Not all of your opponents in the future will do anything against you. They will sometimes cover from you, flee and not fight. You have to kill them too. In battle not everyone will attack you but you have to kill them equally." he informed her, turning another corner. Slowly but surely, they are arriving. "You have to learn to kill when told to." He said firmly as they entered a room not far from the spawning pits.

There were two orcs chained to the wall.

Both of them were equally afraid and equally pleading for their release and for mercy. They both were told they will die and were now doing everything in their power to get away from it all.

The wizard walked in and looked at the orcs in the room.

"Which one is which?" she asked without thinking about it then shook her head. "You know what... forget it... I will find out on my own I guess..." she said gripping her fists tightly. She then walked up so she was standing in front of the two. She gritted her teeth. This was hard.

How did Ren make this look so easy all the time?!

He could kill without a second thought. It was like it was nothing to him. Now that she thought about it Tuhul was the same way. He killed as needed without thinking twice about it... How? She gritted her teeth even more then lit both her hands on fire. This was going to be a very long day.

The Nazgul simply stood back, not saying a word, standing at the entrance, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest, wanting to see how this will go. By nature, he loved watching torture or doing it himself. He loved it when blood flows, be it guilty or innocent. The sound of crushing bones and screams... the pleading for mercy... The scent of burning flesh... It all was a thrill and maybe she doesn't understand it now, she will with time when she gets used to it.

The orcs both looked at her as she stood in front of them.

One of them instantly pleaded for his life, trashing against his restrains, shouting at her, while the other stopped for a few seconds before copying the other one. It was quite easy to determine that this orc knew her and was surprised to see her here, instantly fearing the worst. He knew they knew about his involvement and automatically presumed they told her and she will be extra hard on him.

Hyano caught it and her eyes instantly hardened against him. Part of her wanted to make excuses for him. She shouldn't have walked around the way she had basically asking for it. Maybe none of this would have happened but her mind quickly crushed that when she started to think about the orc who had almost gotten away with the act and how this orc had been in on it. She glared up at him then the fire in the hand closest to him turned blue. "You... will die slowly..." she told him then moved to shoot, but froze for a second.

It was easy to get angry… It was even easier to think of killing if one is affected by anger… But… It was another to actually act on it. She was an istar of nature, of life. One that opted to give and not take… So, despite having spent so much time with Ren still did not change her core, her very nature of a caring wizard. No matter if this orc had done something against her or if he did not. Killing is… unnatural for her. It was cruel… Against the law of nature… But then again… her current life is shredding every law that there is…

She gulped loudly, and eventually pressed her eyes shut as tight as she could, not even wanting to watch it, then shot the fire at his feet. It wasn't a burning fire... It was cold fire. Fire that froze the body until it broke off on its own. It started at his feet feeding on his heat and working its way up his body like any normal fire would only far slower.

"Wha-...?" The orc wasn't able to finish it as the fire slowly made its way up his feet. He could feel its biting from the first second and started screaming. For help, or the Dark Lord, for anyone to get it away from him. He trashed around, hoping it will go away if he disrupted it, but it only made his situation worse. Why didn't his brethren succeed? If she would be now lying on her bed, bleeding and in pain... she wouldn't be able to do this to him! He wanted to voice it but the pain was messing with his thoughts and unable to speak he just screamed and shouted for his life.

The other orc wasn't so far behind.

Seeing what is happening to his kin, he tried to lean away from her, pressing his body closer to the wall as if wanting to meld with it, asking for mercy and promising her even to be her slave if she let him go and will do everything for her, whatever she wished he will do it without hesitation.

One can avoid to see if one closes their eyes, but cannot drown the sound of a dying soul… Hyano gritted her teeth as she attempted to not concentrate on it… Everything in her being screamed at her. Her morale, her very nature scolded her for what she had done… She couldn't help but heave a sigh once the sound of screams died down, and the pleading of the other orc filled the air. She opened her eyes, letting her green gaze fall on him.

. "... You will not feel a thing... Just close your eyes... and it will be over." she told him then raised her hand the fire disappearing. She was honestly having a mental struggling and stayed still for a moment trying to get a grip of what she had to do.

She had to. It was the only way.

She closed her eyes and gripped her fist before opening them and saying the spell she needed. A bolt of purple energy shot out and hit the other orc. The life soon drained from him as his body started to deform becoming what it had been originally. Mud. She watched as his armor and clothes were all that was left of him. She felt so sorry for the orc and it showed in her face. She felt at least this way his body could be reused in the pit. At least then maybe his death wouldn't be a total waste.

The Nazgul wasn't pleased with this. He made sure to show this with a rather unpleasant hiss and a shake of his head.

"This is not how you torture. You make your victim scream for very long. Not just a few moments. You don't give them quick deaths. You make them suffer for as long as you can keep them alive." he instructed her then shrieked once, turning his head towards the entrance, watching as two strong orcs brought in two goblins this time. Both of them were chained into the place of the other two. "Both of them are slightly new creations. They didn't do anything wrong. Let's see how well you will do this time." he said as the two others walked out, making sure to snatch two more from the mines.

The two goblins didn't know what was going on and just stared at her and the Nazgul, feeling deep down that something was horribly wrong. This was when one of them looked to the side and saw the... frozen body of the orc that was killed before him. He let out a sharp gasp and turned his pleading eyes at the wizard, beginning to panic.

The young wizard heard his words but... she didn't want to torture them... Why should she torture someone who did nothing wrong? She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. She knew he would make her do this over and over again until she got this right. Her green eye started to tear but she wouldn't let it. What made it even harder was the fact that these were something she had created. They were in a way a part of her. Though if she could learn to kill these she could probably kill anything without thinking. She looked up at the fear in their eyes then took in a breath and put up her hands.

"Yes, sir..." she said then whispered under her breath. "I'm sorry." before she started again.

Maybe... if she complied just once…. he would let her stop…

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The Nazgul didn't say anything through the whole process. He wasn't exactly pleased with her methods but he certainly is pleased with the fact that she is starting to get better in it. In torturing and in tolerating violence. He kept asking for goblin after goblin, not wanting to waste more orcs, each of them as shocked to find what will happen to them as the last, pleading and some even crying for mercy, promising eternal serving and only one did promise revenge after he died in going to her when she was asleep and taking her with him one day. Of course this was impossible as far as the wraith was concerned. Seeing these creatures don't have souls.

They are held together by magic…

…and magic was how they were destroyed.

Hyano was on another set having killed one and working on the last. He was screaming and begging. She was using a spell meant to move water to move his blood quite literally making his body kill itself. With one final the beast exploded, blood flying. It got on her covering her face. She shook for a moment then fell to her knees finally cracking and crying.

"No more! I'm done! I don't want to kill anyone anymore!" she screamed clutching her head. She had been doing this for hours and it hadn't gotten any better. At one point she had felt like she was becoming numb but this had made everything she had done hit her like a ton of rocks.

The Nazgul watched her struggles, deep down enjoying the sight. Every suffering, including that of his own servants' has this effect. And he yearned for more... He knew he will see more. Only needed some more time.

"You will. But your magic is exhausted. Let us go back to your room." He said firmly, turning away from the scene and walking towards the door. He wanted to shock her with more and more, hardening her against them. He did not say anything to the guards about cleaning the bodies. He wanted them to stay there, so she can see them the next time they come back.

Hyano did not follow him immediately. Her body was shaking and before she knew what had happened she threw up what little was in her stomach. Her mind and body were both in a battle and it was enough to overstress her.

When she finally got up she coughed a bit and wiped off her mouth. She then followed the Nazgul slowly, with her head down. Her mind felt hazed... like she had eaten a poison berry of some kind. She had done it once or twice and the effects were never pleasant but in small doses they were not deadly. When they got to her room instead she went to the bath first. She wanted to get rid of all the blood on her clothes and body before she put her head down.

Ren waited for her patiently, sitting in her room in that dark corner he always occupied, already forming his next plan. Night is approaching rapidly, and in this case she will fall asleep/fall unconscious soon. Which also means that he can do as he wished. And she won't be able to wake up from her dreams, no matter how she tried, making the effects of the nightmares so much greater. He wondered if she had nightmares before this... He didn't know and it wasn't a significant knowledge.

He huddled closer to the wall, folding his arms in his sleeves, waiting with anticipation.

Hyano came back cleaned with her clothes in her arms. She put them up to hang having cleaned them off the blood, then saw the Nazgul and gave him a little smile before going to her bed. Even without nightfall coming she still wanted to sleep. To feel the relaxation of slumber. To be honest, during night she hardly dreamed let alone had nightmares. She was not expecting the chaos that Ren was getting ready to unleash on her poor young mind as she slept. With all the years she had been alive she had not gone through anything like this before.

Ren did not make a move until night fell. He knew otherwise she will be able to wake up and get rid of the nightmares before they really started. He kept sitting where he was, letting her slumber comfortably.

As soon as he felt his powers grow with the sun setting and moon rising, the dark creature finally rose from his position and made his way to her bed. He watched her for a few seconds, just staring, before sitting down on the edge and leaning towards her face. Infecting someone with the black breath wasn't easy if they aren't attacking with a weapon. The black breath is as it is. The breath of a Nazgul, which is poisonous to other creatures. If anyone saw them now, they would think he was giving her a kiss, but actually what he was doing is breathing at her, letting her breath it in, transferring the poison which should have immediate effect. It turned her skin a sick shade of grey, with her veins becoming visible colored deep blue.

The best thing for him was that he could from here on control her nightmares, letting his aura spread and do its work. Finally, once he was deep enough and the sickness engulfed her mind, he let her nightmares approach.

Letting her first get a taste of what would have happened... if Tuhul wasn't fast enough...

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Just the feeling of dreaming was strange to her. Hyano's mind didn't even process that she was in a dream, that what was happening to her wasn't real. While her mortal body wasn't moving due to her unnatural slumber that didn't mean her mind hadn't started screaming. Even when she tried to use magic it didn't work.

"Wh-what's going on? Wh-why can't I... no don't! Aaaaaaaah!" her mind felt pain she had never experienced before in her life. Something no one should have to experience but if she was supposed to do her job well she had no choice. When the act was finished and the job was done she was dropped like she was nothing, with blood covering her body... Her blood. She shivered and shook with fear and pain tears streaming down from her green eye. This did translate to the outside world tears going down the side of her face for Ren to see.

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He was sitting cross-legged next to her head, watching her and concentrating, making sure to cause terror, not just fear, making sure the orcs talked to her like she was nothing more than an item for use and then to throw away. He also made sure to not stop there, seeing his tactic worked as it was supposed to, seeing the tears coming from her eyes, which means something bad he noticed through the months he lived with her. He let more orcs do the same thing, then making sure that she doesn't develop hatred towards them, he switched them to humans and elves, feeding her mind with the realization that they are no better and will do the same thing to her if given the chance.

And he didn't stop it until he felt dawn approaching.

He directed the dreams towards death, where she would be thrown aside like a used rag and left to die. While this lasted, he put an armored hand close to her face and started suckling out the aura he implanted into her, cleaning her soul from the darkness. While he cannot heal an infection that is caused by an aura that is not his, doesn't mean he cannot reverse his own intentional curse upon his victims. He was the core, the source. And held the very control over the darkness she was trapped in.

Once done, he stood and walked back to his little corner, not even letting her realize it was his work. Well, she might suspect, but he wasn't willing to share how he is doing this.

When the light finally allowed her to wake up the young girl awoke with a scream, sitting upright and panting heavily. She was covered in a cold sweat and tears still continued to run down her cheek like a waterfall.

Why had that happened?

She just sat there, not able to do much else yet her mind needing time to catch up. A nightmare... A very vivid nightmare... Everything felt so real. Every detail. Every word. Every pain she felt. She put a hand on her head shakily and she cursed under her breath. She didn't like this feeling. She didn't like how it made her feel and act. She gritted her teeth.

"Grah!" she screamed so loud it could be heard through the whole mines. It was a frustrated, hateful scream. She slammed her fist into the nearest blunt object she could find which ended up being the wall not caring as she felt her knuckles start to bleed.

The Nazgul did expect this reaction and enjoyed each moment of it. She is reacting like the mages back then who they trained and infected with the black breath while they slept then cured them to function like they were supposed to when they were awake. He did not say a word, nor made noise to watch her. Watch her desperation to get away from these memories, her struggling to accept what happened and to realize it wasn't real. The defiance... The refusal to believe.

It all was so sweet...

He almost forgot how it felt like to watch it. And he will have enough chance to do it again. Each time she falls asleep, her nightmares will return until she becomes numb and indifferent towards fear.

When she had finally calmed down from her venting, Hyano sat on her bed for a few minutes before jumping up to her feet.

"... After I start my fist spawning... I will make a round with the orcs... then meet you in the other room." she said not even giving the room where she tortured and killed the orcs a name. She figured he would know what she was talking about. She gripped her fists then got dressed and cleaned off her face before walking out of the room.

So, she did notice him. Ren only nodded, not saying a word and let her pass and go outside. Try as she might, she can't hide her emotions from him. They are still there as strong as they were, she is just trying to shield it from him, do as he asked... He wanted to chuckle, but knew this would only ruin their so tight bond.

Despite the training, he wanted to be that person with whom she can be herself and share her honest thoughts with. He still wished to stay close... Deciding to do his rounds and patrol, the Nazgul stood after she left and went outside himself, walking the halls and spending a few hours in his private room before making his way to the torture room. He already instructed the guards to bring him two goblins and snatch a few more.

Today they will continue.

Hyano did her spawning. For a moment, the creation of life helped ease her discomfort but that only lasted so long. She started to walk around for a while not really looking or talking to anyone. Though it seemed everyone was avoiding her anyway. Seemed word of her new 'training' had gotten out. She cringed as she thought on it. That bloody massacre she created in that room... She wouldn't blame them all for being afraid of her. She would be too.

And she was.

The orange istar lifted her head as she heard a familiar voice and followed it until she saw Tuhul. She watched as he killed someone, likely for a good reason but he still could do it so easily. She stepped up behind him.

"... How... how do you do that?" she asked without even thinking.

The orc general didn't even notice that she approached but pulled out his sword from the dead body of a goblin which started a fight among workers and simply refused to calm down, attacking even him. He snorted and kicked the body. This was when she spoke up. He narrowed his eyes and turned, surprised by the sudden approach. He glared at her a little, but confusion was still clear in his features.

"How do I do what?" He asked, not quite sure what she meant as he cleaned his sword, wiping the blood off with the cloth covering the dead orc and sheathed it.

"How do you kill without thinking twice about it?" she restated more clearly, her eyes on the dead body of the orc. "... I spent so long yesterday... then last night..." she held her head remembering the nightmare. "Ren can't feel these things so it's no use asking him! You can! How can you kill and protect the same people like its nothing?!" she yelled feeling a new stream of tears start falling down her cheek. "Damn it! Not again!" she yelled when she realized it.

He did not truly understand her question, and only growled as she started crying. There she goes again... crying. But still decided to answer her question.

"I don't know anything else. I simply kill and don't think about what my victim feels. I know this is what needs to be done and don't question my duty." He said firmly and kicked the body again. "And this rat here deserved what came to him. If you don't live by the rules or simply kill people, you will be killed and no one will give a damn about it. If I die, no one will notice or mourn but eat my body and forget." He said, before turning and started walking, continuing his patrol, thinking it was all she wanted to know.

It was what she wanted to know but his final words... they bothered her. She looked down then up at Tuhul.

"I would." she admitted not even thinking about it. She stepped back then started walking. Killing wasn't all she knew. Not like Tuhul. Before this, she had a whole other existence based around life. Not death. Did she have to forget all that in order to do what she needed to do? She gripped her fists then started running for the torture room.

The orc frowned and turned around to look at her and question if he heard right but she was already gone... He blinked and stared at the ground, now not sure if he was just hearing things... It must be. Shaking his head a little, the orc general turned back and shouted orders again, roaring at goblins who seemed to be too lazy for his taste.

---

The Nazgul was waiting for her in the room, the same way leaning against the wall as he did yesterday, waiting for the torture to begin and train her mind.

The two goblins were chained to the wall and looked rather frightened; the news about what she was doing reached quickly the workers and guards alike. The only ones safe for now were all the orcs and trolls... the goblins were free game... Except the generals.

Hyano walked in and looked at the goblins, then closed her eyes trying to cloud her mind of any thought, trying to make her mind see them not as creatures but more as target practice. She knew it wouldn't work yet but... maybe with time. She nodded at Ren, letting him know she knew he was there before walking up to the two goblins.

"... I want to go until nightfall... If I cry... make me keep going." she said, knowing Ren would hear her and that he would probably be more than glad to do it. She then raised up a hand to the first goblin. "Goodbye." she said then started the torture session.

For both her and the goblins.

He was pleased with her eagerness to try and do as he said, train until she can't anymore. And he did as she asked. He let the guards bring in one goblin after the other, each time she cried he commanded her to continue, not even asking but barking commands and hissing if she cried too much, scolding her for it. She needed an overload of emotions in order to harden against them.

Feeling too much of a kind of emotions will make it dull, like eating always the same food as the orcs tended to complain about it.

He didn't let her finish until he felt the sun go down through his own aura and commanded for the last victim to be killed before letting her leave the room.

The wizard finished the last one with a swipe of her hand, hitting it with a blade of energy that cut it straight in half. She panted heavily. Her body felt numb from it all not to mention the cry from her mind. Tears had long ago stopped but her eyes were red from how much she had cried. She closed her eyes and stepped back from the body before turning and walking back to Ren.

"I need a bath... then sleep..." she said as she walked out her mind seeming to be on autopilot. She walked down the halls straight to the bath. She had a feeling this would become the way it went for a while. Spawn. Walk around. Kill. Bath... She thought on sleeping as she touched the water. Part of her hoped she wouldn't face the nightmares again but the other part... knew and wanted it. Wanted what the nightmares had to offer by breaking her of such emotions.

The Nazgul knew to let her go and take course to her room, sitting down again the same way, waiting for her to come, lay down, sleep, let night fall and infect her again, cure her and let her go on her day tomorrow. He wondered if he should let her take a break sometimes...

---

This went on for about two months.

The first month had been troubling for the young wizard, her mind being warped and molded like it was nothing but she would not back down from it. Every day was torture and every night was more. She would have lost sleep if that wasn't impossible.

The next month was when she started actually improving. Her eyes became harder towards the ones she tortured and the nightmares no longer made her wake up screaming. At one point she even started to feel as if nothing had changed. As if the killing she was doing every day... was nothing more than another chore added to her list. Another thing that had changed is she actually started to avoid Tuhul. When she saw or heard him in the caves she would go the other way like she hadn't planned on going in that direction in the first place.

The months would have been monotonous for the wraith if it wasn't for the suffering and torture he saw every day. No matter how many times he saw the same thing, it was always as enjoyable. The screams, the begging, the tearing of flesh and bones... The smell of blood. And she was doing good now. He noticed the improvement and was pleased by it. While it lasted too long to get this far, and with other mages normally at this time they were already out in the battlefield, however he also needed to work harder with her.

He also made sure to become her only sanctuary in emotions, with whom she can share her worries and fears, staying close and working to keep her trust and tight bond with her. The more she was able to torture and kill without a second thought, the more the creatures started to fear her.

And he liked it.

The last phase of preparation for the claiming of the surface was almost finished. The additional thousand orcs are almost created and the creatures are ready. Now he just needed to bind her to him more. Making her to his second in command...

His 'mate' as his brethren would call it.

An honorable rank, which can be given to only one person while they live. It represented the undying loyalty and trust they shared already, now it only needed to be announced officially. She has to willingly accept the rank and then it needs to be announced. This should also solve the problem of getting attacked. No one will have the right to even lay a finger on her after this...

Not like she cannot just… cut it off if that happened.

Hyano had no idea of his plans.

She knew he had kept her quite close as of late but nothing passed that. She again was making her rounds in the mines. She was sure Ren was off doing who knows what. One of these days she needed to follow him and see where exactly he goes sometimes. She walked quietly, not talking to anyone or making eye contact of any kind. She used to want to talk to all the orcs or get interested in every little thing they were doing but now she lacked that.

Again, she had aged, looking more mature, looking about 18 physically, though, her short stature sometimes could fool the eye into believing otherwise. She let her eyes wander as she turned a corner but quickly her attention came to where she was going as she walked into someone.

"Watch where you are going!" Tuhul roared and warned the person angrily, turning and towering over them.

The orc general was as silent as well, in the past months learning that silence is his ally; it lets him sneak up on trouble makers and spot laziness from miles away, catching rulebreakers red-handed. Of course this didn't mean he didn't scream and roar at them or told them suddenly to keep working out of nowhere, or that he didn't kick them hard if they did something that didn't match his taste. He was just standing at a corner, facing the workers and was just about to turn when someone walked into him.

He raised an eyebrow when he saw the wizard, realizing that he completely forgot about her in the past month. He didn't meet her anywhere. It was unusual, but he won't go and act all worried. Instead he crossed his arms and waited for her apology or an explanation why she did not watch where she was going.

Hyano raised a brow at him, kind of annoyed that with all the work she put into trying to stay away from this big mouth, one wrong turn made her walk into him. She heard him say watch where she was going but who exactly stands at a bloody corner? She debated on pointing this out but thought better of it.

"Watch where you stand." she said instead before trying to walk around him. Did he really think she was about to say sorry or explain herself over a little bump? He must have lost his mind in the past few months.

Her remark was not expected and made Tuhul raise an eyebrow, going quiet as she passed and stared after her. But she didn't go far before his thundering voice echoed through the halls.

"What was that? How dare you talk to me like that?!" He said as he stepped after her, intending to put her back into her place where she belonged. He didn't know what happened to her in the past month that made her behave this... disrespectful. He did hear about her torturing and all that, but did not think this was what caused it. Why would it anyway?

The istar tried to keep walking but his voice told her she was not going to just ditch him that easily. This was why she had avoided him. She knew he would try to 'put her in her place' and with all the training she had gone through if she didn't put him in his place for it she would be in trouble. However she didn't want to do that... She didn't want to end up hurting him. She stopped walking and looked back at him.

"Tuhul... drop it." she told him hoping those words would be enough of a warning for him to back off and leave her alone.

"I don't care that you are the Lord's pet or that you are the creator of some orcs here. I am a general and it means I am very much above you. My words mean more than yours. And your disrespect is highly frowned upon." The orc didn't let this drop. Not with his reputation being at risk. So far no one went against him and the only one he bowed to was their Lord. This insolent wizard will not disrespect him and handle him like this. Not in front of everyone.

Damn it, Tuhul. Why can't you ever listen? She thought to herself. Of all the times this orc's pride had to get in the way, it had to be now. The young woman sighed and spun around so she was facing him.

"We will not discuss this here... Follow me to a less public area of the mines." she said then started walking again. She was not going to go through this with him. Not here anyway. She knew Tuhul had a lot of pride and that was part of what made him a good general. She didn't want to break that if she didn't have to.

He wanted to tell her that she can go wherever she wanted, he will not do as she wished but next time he won't tolerate such behavior but hit instead of asking. However he could feel all the stares on him. If he declined, it would look like he was scared of her and of what she might plan for him. So, growling once, he decided to follow her, his steps determined and talked of his power on their own. Deep down he wondered what the little mortal had to say, but part of him wanted to be surprised.

Hyano waited until she was sure they were alone before turning around and hitting him with an energy pulse, the equivalent of another orc punching him in the gut.

"You big idiot!" she snapped at him. "Do you know that if that had gotten any worse I would be expected to kill you?!" she yelled at him. "And what exactly were you expecting me to say for a stupid bump?! I'm not a bloody child, Tuhul! I'm not going to say sorry over stupid crap! You can either get over it or die because that was what you were looking at only moments ago!"

The orc grunted as he was hit with her magic and staggered backwards until he hit a wall and clutched his stomach with a pained gasp, his eyes going wide and suddenly feeling himself sweating. He growled and forced himself to stand tall again, narrowing his eyes at her and stepping up to her angrily.

"How dare you! I don't care about your power or how strong you are with your petty magic! I am at a higher rank and you dare hitting me one more time, I will have every right to put you back into place where you belong!" He threatened, roaring, drawing his sword, the blade glinting as they reflected the light of the torches.

"Do you ever listen?!" she yelled at him. "Ugh! This is exactly why I have avoided you. You don't know how to shut up and realize when you are pushing your luck. I bloody knew this would happen!" she said then flicked her hand setting the sword on fire. "I don't want to hurt you. What do you not understand about that? Is there some part of your brain that wants me to kill you because last I checked orcs are not fond of suicide." she scolded him her other hand on her hip glaring back up at him.

The orc watched as his sword suddenly caught on fire and shook it around to put it out, grunting and gritting his teeth.

"I give you one last warning, child!" He roared, stepping closer, not at all taking her threat serious. He was a general and he was second to their Lord with his kin who are at the same rank as him. He will not let a simple servant tell him what to do.

"I'm not a child anymore and you can't tell me what to do!" she yelled back at him. She had a feeling this wasn't going to end well but for some reason she didn't care anymore. She hit him with another pulse again, then set both her hands on fire. "Enough warnings, then. Let's see if you can actually back up that big mouth of yours." she said then shot fire right for him. He wanted to prove he was better than her. Fine. Let's see him prove it.

And he was right up for the challenge.

While the blast hit him again with full force, knocking him back and making him gasp, he still managed to dodge the fire, jumping to the side quickly, pulling his sword to the side and charging at her with a loud roar. He wasn't a fool, though, and did not run at her in a straight line but in a wide arch, making shots more difficult.

The wizard smirked. Well, at least he isn't a total fool. She thought as she continued to fire a mix of pulses and fire blasts at him while also making sure she was ready to shield herself if she needed to. There was no way he had that sword out just for show. He was a blow hard but he wasn't much of a show off as far as she knew.

He wasn't one to just stand there, becoming a sitting duck for her blasts. While some of the fire did catch him and burn him, his anger and fury was enough to forget and ignore most of the pain. He felt his blood burn and pump through his body as his heart worked, fueling his limbs and muscles with blood. He swung his sword to cut her but each time he did so he was met with her shield.

"Coward! I see you don't dare fighting without hiding from hits! Show me how great you truly are and don't cheat!" He roared, going at her again, making sure to keep moving to not make himself an easy target.

"I'm a wizard you idiot! This is how we fight! If you can't take it then give up!" she yelled back at him. What did he expect? Her to pick up a sword like him? Please… Even before all this that was hardly her way of fighting.

"Raising a magical shield to defend yourself from the blade of your opponent is called cowardice. It does not speak of your strength." While he knew she was a wizard and fights with magic, thinking of so easily being blocked by a shield which didn't need her coordination or her strength to keep up, was simply all too offending. If it was a simple wooden or metal shield, then alright, she defended herself. But a magical shield? He will never accept this as an honorable defense against him.

She shot another pulse at him before smirking then bending down and slamming her hands on the ground.

"Let's see if your balance has gotten any better." she said as ice shot out freezing the ground around her.

He was about to continue the debate but all of a sudden he felt the ground wasn't as... supporting anymore. The moment the ground was engulfed in ice, he lost his balance and started to slide away from her, trying to move quickly. But sadly the ice was too slippery and prevented anymore dodging.

Unlike him, Hyano had a better grip over ice. She wouldn't use it so often if she didn't. She smirked then ran and slid at him before jumping and kicking him square in the chest sending them both down with her on top of him. She sat on his chest then slammed her fist down the ground beside his head. His hands were cuffed down by the ground itself much like the way the goblins were chained in the torture room. She looked down at him.

The orc roared as he felt his arms tied and struggled trying to trash about but it was useless. He bared his yellow teeth at the wizard now sitting on him, almost acting like she defeated him. But he was far from defeated. As long as he fought back and didn't accept her dominance over him.

"Why do you keep doing this, Tuhul? What is it about me that you hate so damn much?" she asked without really thinking about it. It had been a question that bothered her. He hated her. She knew that and she figured it was because she was useless but she had long ago proven she wasn't so anymore. Why did he still treat her this way?

The orc narrowed his eyes and growled.

"You still don't get it! We don't respect those who use magic! Cowardice! We measure ranks by courage and sheer power. We fight face to face without petty magic." He snorted. "And you are no dark creature. You weren't made by Lord Sauron himself! Which makes you to an outsider among us!"

The wizard glared at this answer. Was that really it? Because she used magic and wasn't like him? Was he serious?! She rolled her eyes.

"Get over yourself, Tuhul. The only one who sees me that way is you. You are the only one who has ever given me this much trouble so stop with this nonsense. This isn't about the rest of your kin. You're the one who is pissed off, not them so stop using them all as an excuse!" she snapped. She was tired of hearing him compare her to his people. She knew she wasn't one of them and never planned to be, so why was he comparing her to an orc like she was ever going to somehow turn grey and get yellow eyes. "I am not an orc, Tuhul, so it isn't even fair to compare me to your kin. I am an istar, even Ren understands this." she pointed out.

The orc roared back at her.

"The goblins are only afraid of you because of what you did to their kin. But no orc or troll will do as you say or accept your dominance! I seem to be the only one not accepting you because the others are too afraid of our Lord to open their mouths!" He snorted and laid back down, giving her a smirk. "Maybe if you did grow grey and had yellow eyes we might think differently. So go ahead and do so if you want to be seen as equal!" He shouted, leaning a little forward as if wanting to snap at her, but eventually relaxed and laid down again. "And you don't just go and order around a general. You are nothing more than a simple servant. Me and the other generals are above you. If you don't give respect then you cannot be accepted by us but will always be a thorn in our side!"

Hyano watched him and rolled her eyes.

"Idiot..." she grumbled. "I don't order you around. You yelled at me first, I only returned the remark. You make a point of making this harder than it needs to be. I don't want to order you around. I just don't want to be told what to do either. You have no say over me. Only Ren does. I follow his orders and his only. If anything, you are just as much a thorn in my side." she said then snickered realizing what part of their problem was. Tuhul felt he was of a higher rank than her while she felt she was on equal terms and neither could stand taking orders from the other. It was a lot like an old married couple when you thought about it. She grinned at this thought then smirked down at him. "You know... I could have killed you a long time ago right?" she asked seeing if he at least understood that much. While she spoke she started brushing her finger tips over his jaw line. Huh. Always expected him to feel rough like a dragon. She thought a little surprised.

"That you are receiving order from our Lord as well doesn't make you equal rank. You aren't one to keep order or work hard to maintain peace in these mines! Me and my other general brethren are the second in ranks. You are but a servant, one at the same rank as a simple orc smith." He huffed, feeling offended to be compared to her in ranks. "And you never accepted your subordinate rank! This is why everyone is frowning at you!" While he wasn't always a general he was a guard from the start, which still put him higher in ranks than her. But only did he once tell her what to do, she instantly refused to follow his command. Which put her on his bad list from the start.

He wanted to add this too but stopped as he suddenly felt her finger at his jawline. He bared his teeth and jerked his head away from her offending hand.

"You make one bad move and I will break your neck." He threatened, fully well aware of his bound situation. But who is to say that he can't break free? He had all the muscle to back this up.

The orange wizard blinked at the threat then smirked. If only he knew. He continued to try and threaten her and make her scared of him. She couldn't give him what he wanted though even if she wanted to. Thanks to Ren, her mind had long found fear useless. She giggled lightly before leaning down so she was eye to eye with him.

"Fine, then. Let's see it." she said then without warning she slammed her hand down beside his head before kissing him. She had released his hands altogether meaning if he wanted to he could try to break her neck. She was curious to see what he would do.

The orc's eyes widened as she kissed him, not even noticing that the restrains are gone from his hands. He never felt this before and no one kissed him either, which caused him to frown and after the initial shock was gone, he pulled up his hands the rolled to his side, at the same time pushing her away, causing her to yelp. He found it disgusting and could not place it why she did it. As an orc he didn't know what a kiss meant or for what it was used. This was an action he couldn't place and couldn't connect to anything he knew. He kneeled then stood up, shaking his head, wiping his mouth as if he ate something fouler than rotten meat.

"What in the Void are you doing?! That was... disgusting!" he said as he shook his head again.

Hyano snickered as she sat on the ground then started laughing.

"I can't believe I actually did it. Haha, I have wanted to do that for so long." she said more to herself. She couldn't believe it… Her very first consensual kiss was with an orc… How many girls can say the same thing? She giggled lightly then stood up. "That was called a 'kiss' just so you know. Heh... only figures you wouldn't know. Who besides me would want to kiss someone like you." she said as she stood up dusting herself off.

"I don't care what it was! Never do it again or I will rip your spine right out!" He roared before bending down and retrieving the sword he dropped when he fell because of the ice. Luckily she seemed to have melted it a while ago, so he was able to move about more freely. He didn't know what he wanted to do just now, seeing her current behavior. Should he just attack again, seeing she disrespected him and she still didn't know her place, or leave her right now seeing she has lost her mind.

It was a very hard decision...

The young woman giggled as she relaxed. She hadn't lost it. With how many times she had kisses forced on her in her sleep she honestly figured the orcs knew more about it. Guess she was wrong. Obviously, the act was only for pleasure so things like kisses and touches were not needed.

"I will never understand it. How creatures can live without good emotions or feelings. Oh well." she said then looked up to him. "So, if I do it again you will rip out my spine, huh? You know I might just do it anyway just to tick you off now. It's kind of funny to be honest." she said with a smirk.

He bared his teeth once more and pointed the tip of his sword towards her, wanting to keep her away from him.

"How can you even do that is beyond me." he murmured, still feeling disgusted and spat once, trying to get rid of anything that might have remained and even the thought irritated him. "We do have good emotions, but how we gain it is something you don't like." The orc pointed out. Yes, they did tell each other jokes as well, for example, to make one another laugh, but the jokes wouldn't work on any other creature, seeing they have a very dark twisted sense of humor. They would feel disgusted by it. They also were happy many times and felt content, but the reason for this is mostly when someone else is suffering. They do feel joy and the feeling of achievement when they kill an opponent or conquer a land.

"Heh... but you can't feel love. You can't feel or understand when someone cares about you or returns the feeling or at least you haven't had the chance to." she pointed out putting the tip of her finger on the tip of his blade. "I could curse you. Force you into feeling such emotions but then it would make you useless as a general. I can't curse you with such a thing without it completely warping your mind and while it might be fun for a moment, I rather like you as a general and I'm sure it would be a huge loss to Ren's army, so it wouldn't be worth it." she said her green and red eyes meeting his. "Besides, I don't want to mourn your death if I don't have to." she said, again stating that she would mourn his death.

The orc didn't understand and didn't care about what this... 'love' was. But if it makes one so weak, then it must be very bad. He doesn't know why she would even want to feel such a thing. Good thing they don't have it. As she touched his sword, he jerked it away, maybe even cutting her finger with it and pulled the weapon back, holding it at his side at the ready, just in case. He raised an eyebrow when she said she would mourn. So, she did say it back then and he wasn't imagining things.

"Why would you even mourn for something? Death is natural and necessary. It is the way it is." He said, completely having no problem with death as a part of life, but that didn't mean he wasn't a little afraid of it. That was again natural. This is why most don't commit suicide but go on despite the bad happenings in life. Death is powerful. More powerful than their Dark Lord... And it needs the proper respect.

Hyano raised a brow at him, her finger was bleeding but she didn't seem bothered by it as the red liquid flowed from her finger to the ground. She then giggled lightly.

"You don't understand mourning at all. You don't just mourn because someone has died. You mourn when they are taken from your life. When you have someone you respect and care about you mourn them to show that. It shows that you respect them and their memory. It shows that you will miss the contribution they made to your life." she explained to him speaking factually in hopes he will understand better. "Despite that fact you drive me crazy you also pushed me to do things I am sure I couldn't have otherwise... When I came and spoke with you last... I needed someone to tell me what I was doing wrong but you also motivated me to push past my limit and because of that I am able to do things I never thought I could. Thank you." she said adding the 'thank you' because she felt it was needed.

Respect? Contribution? Part of her life? He never considered her close, let alone wanted to help her. She was simply too annoying and irritating and disrespectful. Her gratefulness and thanking him caught him off guard, though. He did not say anything for a few seconds, just watched her in case it was some kind of joke. But she was still misunderstanding his motives.

"I never wanted to help you, let alone be your friend. And I never will. Understand that. I don't need anyone close and trust me... you either. Death will be a more frequent guest once the war starts." He informed her as he sheathed his weapon and turned around to walk back to his rounds. "I will never mourn your death." He told her before starting to walk out.

The wizard smiled.

"I don't plan on dying anytime soon so I'm not worried about it." she replied then turned to leave in the other direction.

That was it.

She would avoid him and hopefully he would avoid her. That is all that was needed to make this work. She wondered briefly what would happen if she indeed became of higher rank than him. She would probably wonder what his reaction would be. He hated her quite a bit. How would he feel about the fact she was actually above him? Could give him orders… Oh, the look on his face would be beyond priceless.

---

With his mind rested and with his decision made, the Nazgul decided to return to her room and wait for her there. He sat in his usual corner, relaxing and lurking, not saying a word or moving. He had patience beyond anything, so could wait for the wizard for hours without complaining or angering himself. He knew she will come, but when was the question. And this can be only answered by waiting. The wraith sighed and huddled closer to the walls, tucking his hands into his sleeves as he folded his arms, lowering his head a little.

Hyano eventually did return as expected. She raised a brow when she saw him in his usual corner. She would wonder if she was late if there was any real way to tell time down here. She smiled then walked up to him and sat beside him in his dark corner resting her head on his shoulder.

"Hello there. Sorry if I'm late. My time with the orcs took a little longer than usual today." she told him calmly. That had been thanks to her run in with Tuhul but she didn't feel it needed to tell him about that. If anything, that would just cause more trouble than was really needed.

"We did not schedule anything for today, and my visit wasn't exactly planned. So no. You aren't late." The wraith started, turning his head a little, tolerating her closeness as usual, letting her do as she wished and what made her happy around him, making her relax. Especially after what he decided in the past few days. He had been making preparations and carefully planning her new duties. And of course guessing her reaction and coming up with a plan if she declined his offer. But he was sure she won't.

There is no refusing such an honor.

"I have been making an important decision." He finally started, turning his hooded head back to stare at the opposite wall. "And came to a conclusion today. I ask you if you are ready to double your rights and duties within my army." He asked, wanting to know her willingness.

The orange wizard perked up when he said he had come to a decision, although she had no idea what the subject was. She tilted her head to look up into his hood then raised a brow at his question. Well, it would be a nice change from training and spawning all the time. She still wasn't quite thinking what he had in mind.

"Hmm sure. Of course I would want to help you. What exactly did you have in mind?" she questioned him curiously. She was eager to do anything to help the wraith at this point. While she was no servant of Sauron, she was very much a servant to Ren.

The Nazgul was pleased by her eagerness and made sure to voice it with a satisfied hiss.

"The time has come to start our preparations. It is almost time to break our boundaries and reach the surface. But for this, everyone will need to know their place. I will need help leading the troops and protecting them." He said, shifting a little in his position to get more comfortable, leaning back against the wall more. "But they won't listen to just anyone. And I trust you enough to raise you to a higher rank than any of them. A title which can be held by one person in an army. You will become my mate." It wasn't really a question, it was a statement and an expression of his opinion. However what distinguished servants from a mate was their willingness, so she had to agree in order to announce it.

Hyano blinked.

"Wh-what?" she said caught off guard. It wasn't that the idea scared her, it just surprised her. What she thought 'mate' meant and what he saw as a 'mate' were two very different things. "Alright, first let me make sure I have this right." she said putting her hands up. "You want me as your mate?.. Meaning we will um..." she blushed at the idea. It wasn't that she didn't like Ren. She saw him as her brother for quite some time now, a little over a year if she guessed right. Maybe longer. "Um... can you even do that?" she asked her blush only getting worse. As far as she knew his body was little more than a ghost in cloth so she could not see how he could 'mate' with anyone. She understood that part of it made her his second in command but currently that was not what was sticking out in her mind. She would get to that part next.

Her question caused the wraith to look at her and stare, tilting his head to the side, indicating his curiosity and confusion. He did not know what she meant and that she meant 'mating' didn't even cross his mind as a 'mate' did not exactly mean what she thought it did for him.

"Do what?" He asked finally, voicing his question out loud. He did notice the sudden heat at her cheeks and knew she was uncomfortable with something. He wondered what.

The young woman facepalmed and sighed. Alright, how does one explain this without their head exploding in flames of heated blushing? She sighed.

"Sex... Mates normally do that..." she said, somehow going an even darker shade of red. Even though she had nightmares almost every night that did not make her comfortable with talking about the subject. If anything, it made it worse because it made it to something she never wanted to keep in her head. Messing with Tuhul was one thing. She had kissed him. Kissing could actually be rather harmless; especially when one was not receptive but talking about and doing the whole sex thing was another.

Alright... Another strange word he can't remember hearing in the past. Well, this didn't help him at all with this subject and simply kept staring at her, not moving and not uttering a sound. He noted the extreme increase of heat at her whole face, which made him tilt his head to the other side and wonder if she suddenly got sick or something happened. Or she was extremely uncomfortable with this? Well, if she used words he understood would help their situation greatly.

She groaned and twitched. He was not making this easy. Fine, time do this the very old way. She got up and went to the bed and swept some dirt out from under there, then sat in front of him and put a spell over the dirt having long forgotten where her sand was.

The wraith watched her as she moved and curiously looked on what she was doing. He couldn't quite grasp why she was doing this but eventually noticed she was trying to collect dirt to use this instead of the sand she lacked. Well, having been a wraith for thousands of years without emotions or such needs rendered his memories of this 'act' nonexistent.

Within moments the dirt to the form of a small male and female. Hyano continued to blush as she looked away allowing the figures to explain for her what she meant. "... mating." she said pointing to them not wanting to look.

Not even the figures helped him with the subject but the moment she said the word his hooded head moved in her direction.

"Oh. Mating." He repeated, looking up at her, saying this like it was nothing. "Living and their petty needs..." he sighed, scolding the fact that she was one of those creatures, thinking she was inquiring if they could do this because she wants to. "If you wish, we can. Otherwise I don't have a need for that." He said, briefly wondering if he ever had the need for this... He couldn't even recognize what the goal of this was or what use it has what these... dirt figures are doing. "The mate of a Nazgul is a title and bond that can only be severed by death. 'Second in command' if this term puts you more at ease, but it doesn't describe the trust and bond we share. We will share living quarters from now on and others will recognize you as higher rank and do as you say without question." He explained, trying to think of anything else he might need to add. "And yes, if you ever have the need to mate, I am the only one you can turn to as part of your loyalty."

The wizard sighed and quickly dismissed the spell over the dirt before turning back to look at him, glad she didn't have to do that any longer. She thought on everything he said. So, she would be mated to him and only him. His second. She thought on how she had felt about Tuhul.

While she did have a crush on him, she had also realized how foolish she had been for it. Such feelings would never be returned. Ren could not feel. He could fake it rather well but he could not feel. However he did value her unlike Tuhul or anyone else she really knew. He had trained and taught her what he knew, making her into a great wizard. She thought for a while then came up with a reply.

"On one condition. You can't pull a Hoarmurath on me. I remember what you told me about your brother and I swear if I ever find you collecting girls I will kill them without a second thought." she told him rather bluntly, remembering the time when they had the conversation about that mage of the Nine. Apparently, each of them had a hoarding habit, only their targeted collection was different. While Ren collected everything interesting, shiny, colorful, others collected weapons of a kind,…. the mage actually collected females, women which he then used as slaves for his entertainment…. and well…. also relished in the title of mass-rapist. Now she understood why Ren said he would talk to her if he still existed, but for a different reason than she would want to. She shook her head then smirked. "But I'm sure I have nothing to worry about on that front. I just figured it should be said now." she said. As the idea of what Tuhul's face would look like when he heard about this popped into her head she couldn't help but smile. This would be golden.

"My interests don't match that of my brother's. I collect other things." He told her matter-of-factly, tilting his head to the other side, thinking it was obvious. "And do not forget that being mates does not only tie you to me but me to you. Hoarmurath could collect females because he never had a mate." He told her, deciding to here and there end this topic for a little while and turn their attention to her duties instead. "Your duties will depend on the happenings. You have to patrol, inspect the army, and inform the generals about the schedules of the troops. In a war situation you will be leading troops alongside me and settling disputes and misunderstandings." He explained before adding. "However, no matter the rank and your connection to me, I will stay at the highest rank and you will always answer to me."

Hyano thought about how she only answered to him anyway but decided not to point that out. She was glad she wouldn't have to worry about other females. For some reason the idea of having others around bothered her. It had always been her and Ren, so having some other girl in her way would just get on her nerves rather quickly. She thought on her duties then nodded.

"Agreed. Most of that can be done easily enough and with us working our way up into the mountain we will likely attract some kind of attention soon so I will get to see how well I do in leading then." she said knowing things would be getting rough soon. How rough she had yet to see. She looked into his hood. "So how exactly does this work anyway?" she inquired curiously. Was there something special she had to do or was it just on his word?

"Leading a troop?" He asked, tilting his head to the side, watching her. "Mostly you already will have the orders from me what to do. Defend or attack. Everything else is up to you. You will hold absolute responsibility and control over the troops. You also will have the generals to give you suggestions." He wondered if this could be a problem at a later time when the fights start. "We can practice situations if you want and see how well you can make decisions and how well you can judge situations." He offered, shrugging. To him, this idea sounded good and could prove to be quite useful when it comes to controlled leading at the surface.

Hyano thought then nodded.

"Easy enough. I suggest we train them to withstand light. Most of the orcs here haven't even seen the sun yet. They will be very weak when we get to the top if we don't train them to handle at least some light." she suggested.

"Or you could learn to shield the sun partially." He had the faint memory of seeing a spell of calling for clouds in the book, but it was too faint to be sure of that. While he agreed that the orcs and goblins, along with trolls will need to get used to some light, but too excessive light can turn them to stone or dust due to their natural lack of toleration for the sun.

The istar knew what he was thinking of and she had a good idea of how to do it.

"I can try. It may take me a little bit though since I couldn't exactly learn that spell down here but it can be done." she said, then tilted her head realizing he misunderstood her question from the start. "I meant how do I become your mate? Is there something I have to do or is it just something you say and it's done?" she inquired again. She guessed her question had lacked some detail so could be easily confused in conversation.

Ren tilted his head just a little and spoke up.

"You have to agree and the choice should be willing. Then all I need to do is announce it to the army. That is it." They never liked big ceremonies like mortals tended to hold. A fancy celebration will not strengthen nor weaken their bond. He never understood their importance.

Hyano smiled. She could live with this. She wasn't one for crowds or parties herself so no need for such a thing. The only thing she really wanted to see was the reaction. She knew not everyone would be happy about this. Tuhul the most. Like he said, he was the only one willing to voice it, meaning there were others that did not like her much and would not like her outranking them. However, she could easily live with that. But she did want to do something... or rather give something to Ren. Considering he was a collector of things giving him a thing like humans did should not be seen as a problem.

"Alright... When are we doing this exactly?" she inquired wondering how long she had.

"Whenever we want. I do not wish to delay it too much though." The wraith said, and prepared to stand, wanting to get this done, make sure to silence those who oppose his decision, also announce their oncoming new plans and the advance in getting their original land back. "Do you wish to come with me or let me do this on my own?" For him it was good either way, it was just her preference that he wanted to know.

"I will meet you there. I need to go get something." she replied standing up as well. She thought a moment then smirked before leaning up and kissing the side of his hood. She was his 'mate' now, so was allowed to do that in her opinion. "Give half an hour. I will meet you there, I promise." she said with a grin then bolted before he could say anything. She had the perfect idea for something to give to Ren. She hoped he liked it though. He could get picky sometimes.

If he could, he would have frowned but instead he tilted his head a little to the side and followed her vanishing form with his invisible gaze, wondering why she did that. Probably another mortal and living stuff he will never understand.

But no matter, time to assemble the generals and the guards. They will tell the workers the news and make them follow it.

It didn't take long, probably ten minutes to have all the required creatures in one place, with the generals in front and the guards standing behind them according to their own sub-leaders. Tuhul was one of the generals who were there, standing at alert, curious why they were pulled away from their posts.

Hyano came back in a half hour like she had promised. She didn't say anything to anyone as she walked past and up to Ren. She didn't even take notice of Tuhul yet but was rather excited. For both the fact she had made something and what was about to happen. It is…. almost like marriage. What girl wouldn't be excited?

She stepped beside her friend then held out her hand and put the object she had made into his own.

It was a ring.

She knew about the ring he had before and how it had melded into his hand after he became a Nazgul. This one was nothing compared to that but it was of a similar design. It even had an inscription in it.

'Darkened light in the shadowed day.'

It also had a small chipmunk etched into it. She smiled up at him.

"Would have done better on it but I was rushing." she said simply. If he needed an explanation she would give it to him later. For now she wanted to get started.

The Nazgul looked down at his hand once she put something in it and raised it to get a closer look. It was a ring. A simple ring. With no enchantment, just looking nice and shiny. While most of his brothers would have just tilted their head and given it back to her, saying it was useless for them, he in the other hand knew this will land in his collection. It sparkled in the dim light of the torches just like everything he liked to claim as his own. He recognized the design of a shipmunk and tilted his head to the side, remembering the little creature. Now, was this some kind of custom at her kind? To give things when the title of 'mate' is given? He didn't know and honestly, she can't blame him for not knowing. He certainly didn't know what to give. Letting the ring rest in his hand, the wraith turned towards the generals and guards, deciding to go on with this now. They stood here for a while now and should be back at their post soon.

"You all know that the time to break the surface is nearing. Only a few last preparations have to be done. However the duty and task of leading our enormous army would be very difficult on my own. So, I decided to share it." he paused as he heard some murmurs here and there, very few already guessing right. "I have chosen Hyano as my mate. From now on you answer to her as much as to me. Does anyone dare to question my choice?" Ren asked, looking around, wanting to cut it as short as possible. He wasn't one for great speeches in front of crowds. Normally it was someone else doing it among his brothers.

There were words flying around in the room now, gazes were met, confusion and even some visible anger. A few of them weren't happy with the choice, just like Tuhul as he narrowed his eyes, but no one dared question his choice.

They know what happens to those who do...

Hyano smiled, glad to see no one was crazy enough to let their anger burst. That would cause more problems than needed and as she had guessed the look on Tuhul's face was beyond priceless. Too bad they hadn't invented cameras yet. She looked at Ren.

"Seems like everything is fine. Should we talk to them about training now or save that for later?" she inquired. She could do either. While battle training was important she could see why it could wait. She might as well get used to making rounds and see how the orcs reacted to her before she dared tried to tell them what to do.

The Nazgul didn't yet answer her but he already waved the generals and guards away, letting them go back to their posts and give the new information to the workers. He slowly turned and faced her, shaking his head a little.

"Let them digest what I said. They will need a few days to get used to this and surely will need a few reminders about this. Once everything is back to normal we will have another meeting with the generals." And he really didn't want to mess about with this now. He had forsaken resting for quite a while now and really needed the meditation. "I will retreat to our chamber. My mind is yearning for a rest." he announced, turning around and walking in the way they came from, now calling her room theirs, seeing they will share it from now on. Of course that didn't mean he will bring all his items here from his private room. Those are his and his alone. She surely would want to take some things of the pile.

Maybe her flute for one.

The young wizard nodded and decided to let him go on his own for now. She would make a round in the mines then go to bed herself. She wanted to see the change in the way she was looked at and treated. She was no longer the pet but mate. She was curious how many would not take to this new information very well. She didn't have to go far to feel this. There was a change in the very air as she walked about the mines her hands behind her back strolling calmly. She made a point of watching where she was going this time. No need for a repeat of the same problem in one day.

The workers mainly didn't notice her as they mined, the guards mostly nodded in greeting when they saw her, a few however didn't acknowledge her. They did not scowl, nor did they fake the respect they didn't have for her. They simply opted to just ignore until they can gulp down their pride and nod their head to the mate of their Lord.

Tuhul wasn't too keen to meet her at all. He was intentionally at the lower mines and doing his rounds there because he knew if he met her now, he would say things that would cause his head to roll. He simply refused to take orders from her and will do so until the day he died. He won't voice it though, he wasn't a fool, but best was to ignore and avoid the one you have problem with... who you can't put in their place that is... because they are at a higher rank.

Lucky for Tuhul Hyano didn't go looking for him either.

Once she felt she understood where all this was going to go the orange istar turned back towards her... well their room. Hmmm this would be unusual. It's not that it really changed much anyway. For the most part it had always been their room. He just called it hers but spent a lot of his time in there with her. It was just a change of name that would take some getting used to really. She decided to get cleaned up first before going to their room. Should she try to smell pleasing to the wraith? Is that what mates do? She honestly didn't know and was feeling it was better not to care. Once she was cleaned off she went back to the bedroom and looked around. Night would be coming soon. That was easy to see. Most of the room was dimming because of it. She expected to see him in his corner as always but wondered since this was their room now shouldn't he 'rest' on the bed?

As usual, Ren was still in his corner, mainly because the thought of using her... ehm... their bed didn't even cross his mind. He only sat there if he was working on trying to solve the maze, but otherwise he did not meditate there. He looked up only briefly once entered, then shifted in his position and huddled closer to the wall, getting comfortable, lowering his head again to continue resting. It shouldn't take long for him. Just three to four hours if not five. Just to make sure he was truly awake for days or even a week without needing to rest. He wondered if he will be met with any unpleasantries once he awoke.

A new rebellion perhaps?

But this time he wouldn't be on his own to solve it. His mate will be right at his side.

Hyano looked at the bed then to him for a moment before walking up to him.

"Ren. Did you want to rest on the bed with me?" she asked him knelt down so she was eye to hood with him. Well kneeling, she was a little shorter than him but you get the point. She figured she might as well put the offer on the table. It was better than having him rest in the corner all the time without ever trying. That would just cause the thought to nag at the back of her mind and she did not like that idea.

She did wonder if they were in for a rebellion as well. Would she wake up and Tuhul would be calling out war? Naw. Despite his hatred for her he would never do such a thing. His pride wouldn't let him, neither would the Goblin general. However he did not mind the little girl so that would explain why he didn't care.

"Why?" Was his question as answer as he forced himself awake at her question, meeting her gaze with his invisible one, but otherwise did not move. He didn't know why she asked it all of a sudden. He never rested there, save for the few times she fell asleep in his lap or across it when she was smaller and he simply didn't want to wake her up. Those occasions also served as opportunities to tighten their bond. He also wasn't too keen to rest there because of the light that touched it. Despite the sun was going down, he still could feel the light of it touch the bed as it reflected from the moon. He liked his dark corner.

It was... well... dark.

Hyano shrugged.

"Well, it is your bed as well." she pointed out to him. "Also, it is normal for mates to sleep together. At least that is what I have gathered." she said then stood up again. "It was only a suggestion. I understand if you would rather not." she said not bothered either way. She still wasn't sure how the whole mating thing was going to go down. While Ren did say he was willing to do so if she asked... Asking was rather... strange. Not to mention that he himself had no need for the act so it would all be one-sided in the end. She shook her head to rid herself of the thought. She would worry about that some other time. She decided then walked back to the bed.

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We would like to thank for reading our story so far, everyone!

Next week... might... mean next chapter. We ran into some problems along the way so it might take us an extra week to have it presentable for you guys. But do not worry! We are not abandoning you! If an extra week must be waited, then you will get two chapters!

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