Chapter 293: Tooth Extraction?

Right…

That meeting from over a decade ago, spanning past and present lives, seared into his mind as “agony”…

Why couldn’t he recall what it was about now?

He remembered entire plotlines of the original work, wrote them down—surely one meeting wouldn’t slip his mind…

Think harder. He had to—

He didn’t even know why, at this moment, he was fixated on that meeting’s contents. Maybe…

Because within it…

Lay some “key” that could change everything?

The image of his past self in that dim corridor faded. Will felt the crushing weight of his current helplessness return.

Then—

Eir’s voice shattered the silence.

“Young Master, Eir is back.”

He felt only a faint stir of air—no shadow, no shape in the void. Metal clattered—pliers hitting stone. Fabric whispered as she drew near.

“Eir wants to say… those words Young Master taught Eir… words Eir never forgot—”

“Because Eir loves Young Master… in Young Master’s eyes, in Young Master’s life, in this long, long night of darkness… only Eir’s light should remain…”

“Okay?”

“……”

Will’s lips parted. He wanted to answer. Instinct screamed to give Eir something—reassurance, a lie, anything to appease.

But no sound came.

“?!”

His throat felt frozen.

Gloved fingers slid into his mouth. Gentle, yet inexorable, prying his jaws wide.

Then… stillness.

The Rimefrost Phalanx. Eir’s ice magic rendered his body inert. His mouth gaped obscenely wide, defenseless.

What was she doing?

Blind. Bound. Powerless. The terrifying unknown sent his heart hammering against his ribs. Breath came in ragged gasps.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

A hand pressed against his chest. Eir’s palm circled soothingly over his thin shirt, feeling the frantic rhythm beneath.

“Your heart is racing so fast~” Her voice was a honeyed whisper. “Don’t worry…”

“This… is the way Eir can accept it best…”

Her finger traced the yielding side of his tongue. Deeper. Past molars and incisors. A sudden jab against his gag reflex—

He wanted to retch.
He couldn’t. His throat was ice-locked. Only the phantom sensation remained.

The probing finger retreated slowly, deliberately. Counting his teeth. Wisdom tooth. Second molar. First molar. Premolars… Incisors…

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Her nail lightly rapped his front teeth. Three times. Deprived of sight, the vibration echoed through bone, sharp as lightning, jolting straight to his brain.

“Now… which one to choose?” Her finger withdrew.

An unexpected pang of fear shot through Will at the loss of contact. The blindfold, the restraints, the sensory deprivation… Eir might not possess elaborate mental magic, but her crude methods were horribly effective. She controlled everything he felt.

Unlike Leah’s addictive blood or Treya’s dream-warping labyrinths, Eir’s assault was terrifyingly simple. Brutally physical. A grotesque parody of lessons he had taught her.

And now, blind and bound, mouth forced open, every nerve screamed for sensation. Craved the very touch that tormented him.

“Even Eir hesitates…”

CLANG!

The icy metal of the pliers pressed against his teeth. He flinched instinctively—a useless gesture against the ice binding him to the chair.

“Young Master. Eir heard it from the Hysterm servants… those who served other nobles…”

CLANG!

The pliers struck his lower teeth. The impact rattled his skull.

“When nobles have bad teeth… you pull them out.”

CLANG!

Metal scraped between his jaws, probing, selecting.

“But some… after the tooth is gone… can’t eat properly. They become hollow… broken. They need constant care… someone to soothe their endless cries of pain…”

CLANG!

The pliers settled. Dug deep. Gripped the root of a wisdom tooth.

Will understood.

The message was brutal, delivered with each metallic blow.

Eir sought to inflict pain. To create damage. To ensure helplessness.

Because pain required comfort. Damage required aid. Helplessness demanded support.

“This one, then.”

“Young Master, screaming in pain in Eir’s arms… Eir will feed you every bite, spoon by spoon…”

“Even the tooth pulled from Young Master’s mouth… Eir will keep it safe.”

And… to Eir… a shattered, suffering, dependent Will… was a Will who would never leave.

He sensed it in her chilling silence.

She had no intention of easing his agony.

No numbing spells. No merciful knock-out blow from her ice. Just… raw, deliberate torment.

The pliers clamped down. Crushed gum tissue. Dug into the root. Wrenched—

Agony erupted. Pure, white-hot. Blazing up from the tooth socket, consuming his jaw, his face, his mind.

He could only choke on silent screams trapped in his frozen throat.

But…

Why…?

Why did the searing pain… the anticipation of loss… the utter surrender to her cruelty…

…make him crave what came next?

“Good… very good… almost there…” Eir’s voice was breathless, fervent.

A final, sickening CRUNCH-THWICK!

The tooth tore free.

Pain flooded his mouth. The raw socket burned.

Then… cold. Sickeningly cold. Blood—thick, coppery, cooler than his body—welled up, coating his tongue, pooling at the back of his throat.

“Eir wants to hear… Young Master’s… voice…”

Her fingers closed around his throat. Squeezed his larynx.

And… sound tore free.

A raw, ragged gasp. Then a broken, animal howl of pain he couldn’t suppress.

“Ghhah…! H-Hurts… c-cough…!” Blood bubbled past his lips, dripping down his chin. The socket wept crimson.

“Yes. Eir knows. Eir understands. Eir hears you…” Her voice had smoothed, unnervingly calm now.

Her gloved fingers found the silk blindfold. Loosened it. Pulled it away.

Blurred vision swam. The dank cellar swam into focus. Eir’s face hovered close.

“Calmed down… Eir is calm now… Thank you…”

She peeled off her gloves. Reached for his face—streaked with cold sweat and tears.

Her fingertips were damp too, sweat-slick beneath the gloves. The faint, wild scent of beastkin clung to her skin.

She looked radiant. Utterly, blissfully happy seeing him like this.

Will stared at her expression.

She…

She truly, madly loved him.

This twisted, abnormal, distorted affection…

The raw sincerity burning in her grey eyes held not a single shred of deceit.

“Eir loves Young Master like this. So much. Good… Eir feels settled now. Eir can be normal again.”

“But…”

“I’m sorry… Eir… did such a selfish thing…”

“Does it hurt? It must hurt terribly… Young Master…”

Her voice cracked. Tears welled in her eyes as she reached for him.

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