What It Means to be a Possession
"You… Are now… Mine."
Ardyn's words echoed through Seraphis' being, and he felt the binding of his soul—as a tiny clicking sound rang in his ears. He shuddered, and then his body bowed of its own accord, fresh horror moving through him like an ancient stream.
He truly was now hers.
His mind went blank for a long minute as regret filled his core and his body went cold. Ardyn felt all of his pain and confusion and was fazed by none of it.
"You will go back to the Stronghoods and tell them that I will be coming for them—I have questions that I now want answered." Her amethyst eyes pulsed as if they were instruments of hypnosis. Seraphis did not think of looking away—and would not have been able to do so if he tried.
"If they try to escape, allow them. Just follow them. When I am ready, I want to know exactly where they are."
She grasped her talisman tightly in her hand and began singing her Song of Tree. A long, thin red root extended from the talisman and entered Seraphis.
"This soul tether will keep us connected, and you protected—but if you betray me, you will suffer worse than a thousand deaths. And once you are returned to me, my magic will decide your fate. Do not doubt me in this."
Seraphis nodded respectfully, and a portal opened behind him. It swirled slowly, waiting. Ardyn nodded. The second-in-command within the once-great Cobra Clan was now a servant of the newest Empress of Sidus Serpens. Ardyn closed her eyes even before he turned to leave, her control over him unquestioned. She slid her consciousness over the soul tether connecting her with Varric.
'My Love, my servant will handle the Stronghoods now. I will handle the things that have shaped and defined me. Thank you for your patience and your love.'
'As you wish, my Empress. We are one, and such a small matter was never an inconvenience for me.'
Atina calmly waited for her mistress, guarding her even when she knew it was unnecessary. Ardyn awoke from her trance and nodded to Atina. They moved forward without a word.
Seraphis followed his Mistress' directive without question or hesitation. As soon as he arrived at the Stronghood home, he sealed it off. Elsa appeared next to him, a small smile on her face as she looked at him appraisingly.
"Don't despair. She allowed you to live. If it were me, you would have been a spirit body serving my lowest minion." Her hands worked in unison, intricate runes tracing in the air before them. "They are free from bonds. Serve your Mistress well, or answer to me."
With that, she was gone. The entire time, Seraphis felt no fear—not until she said, "serve your Mistress well." The thought of that sent a shiver-inducing chill down his back. His eyes went back to the home. It seemed fragile and horrid at the same time—as if it were ready to topple in one moment and a place of doom in the next.
When he appeared before the Stronghoods, he saw relief and hope in their eyes. If Seraphis had feelings, he would have felt pity for them all—but feelings had always eluded him.
"My Mistress has ordered me to inform you that she will be back to handle you personally." Seraphis calmly looked to Sonia when she scoffed—she was immediately silenced by a casual look. His gaze returned to the family as a whole as he continued. "She has questions of you that she wants answered. You are now my responsibility until she returns.
She is giving you a lot of leeway and freedom, and—as far as I am concerned—to me as well…"
His cold gaze swept over them like an arctic breeze, chilling them all to the bone. "…to punish you as I see fit."
He walked to a corner of the home, elegantly wedged himself into the wall intersection, and closed his eyes.
The Stronghoods looked to each other, varying levels of dread marring their features. Michael Stronghood slowly shook his head and signaled toward the door with his eyes. They all turned as one and moved to the threshold. Once they were past it and down the lane, each let loose ragged breaths that they had been inadvertently holding.
"Thank the blessed serpents. I…" Sonia was cut off by her father's raised hand. No one spoke until they were outside the city.
"We are out and nothing has happened."
Anabel Stronghood's voice wavered as she held onto her husband for support. He nodded but did not speak. Once they made it to the first of the fields, he halted his family.
"We have made a grave error."
Sonia looked confused. "Daddy, that idiot—"
She was immediately cut off. Her eyes went red and began to water in an instant. The family watched in confusion until her eyes began to bulge, and suddenly she folded over in two, gasping for breath. Seraphis' voice filled their beings like mercury in a sensitive thermometer.
'I understand your thoughts before you do. Speak against my Mistress, and you will be punished. She said if you flee, to allow it—but I also must know exactly where you are at all times. These tethers connect us in ways you will never understand. Never think you have gone beyond my reach.'