Chapter 4: Communication Magic Book
After the card game with Eric, life seemed to return to a deceptive calm.
Angus cautiously observed Eric’s every move, only to find he wasn’t watching her at all.
This brought her a flicker of relief, tinged with unease.
Was Eric truly letting his guard down, or was he deliberately lulling her into a false sense of security?
Yet, her desire to contact her family never wavered.
That day, Eric was out on errands, leaving Angus alone at home.
Her heart pounded wildly—she knew this was a rare opportunity, but the fear of being caught and facing even worse consequences gnawed at her.
Her legs felt leaden, but her longing for her family and freedom ultimately overcame her dread.
She crept into the study, each step cautious, as if treading over a bottomless abyss.
The moment she closed the door, she took a deep breath, steeling herself for success.
As she rummaged for communication tools, her hands trembled uncontrollably.
Her mind flashed with terrifying images of Eric discovering her—endless torture and pain—but the thought of her unfulfilled mission strengthened her resolve.
“I must contact Father. I must!” she vowed silently.
Finally, on a bookshelf, she found the magic book she needed.
Flipping it open, she saw pages filled with communication spell incantations—she’d found the right one.
A communication spellbook was a valuable, effective tool, far too expensive for most households.
Angus had considered using the academy’s spellbook, but it required registration, and Eric would almost certainly uncover her identity.
She didn’t trust that her family could retrieve her before Eric could kill her—there’d be time for her to die several times over.
Perhaps Eric might even take her on the run, treating her as a prized possession, leading to a shameless, unbearable life.
But now, with Eric gone, he wouldn’t know what she was doing.
Angus was thrilled, following the book’s instructions and softly chanting the complex incantations.
Magical light flickered around her, gradually forming a faint communication array.
This time, luck seemed to favor her—the connection was established.
But as she eagerly shouted, “Father, it’s me, Angus!” the impatient voice on the other end cut her off: “You lunatic, what nonsense are you spouting?”
Then the connection abruptly ended.
Angus was frantic and helpless.
Why was her father acting this way?
Did he not believe it was her?
Or was a bastard child simply unimportant, even to him?
Countless speculations swirled in her mind.
As she prepared to try again, sudden footsteps approached the door, growing closer.
Angus’s face paled instantly.
She scrambled to dispel the communication array, but it was too late.
The door burst open, and Eric stood in the doorway, his eyes brimming with suspicion and anger.
“What are you doing?” Eric asked coldly.
Angus forced herself to stay calm, stammering, “I… I was just contacting a friend.”
Her heart raced like a stampede of deer, her mind racing to counter Eric’s questions.
Eric said, “Weren’t you amnesiac? Since when do you have friends to contact?”
Angus replied, “It’s a friend I just met at school.”
Eric snorted.
“Just met and you’re already so eager to contact them? Sneaking around in the study? Do you think I’m a three-year-old you can fool?”
Angus hurriedly explained, “Really, Eric, we get along well at school, so I wanted to chat.”
She silently prayed he’d believe her flimsy lie.
Eric stared at her, his gaze growing sharper.
“Fine, then. What’s this friend’s name? Do they study magic or battle aura?”
Angus’s heart tightened, but she pressed on, “Her name’s Lily, and she studies magic.”
She mentally prepared for his next questions.
Eric closed in.
“Where does she live? What does her family do?”
Sweat beaded on Angus’s forehead as she mumbled, “I… I haven’t had time to ask all that.”
Eric sneered.
“Some friend. You don’t know anything about her, yet you’re so eager to contact her. You’re lying!”
Angus rushed to say, “Eric, you have to believe me. I’m not lying. We just became friends, and I haven’t learned much about her yet.”
Eric gave a cold laugh.
“Oh? Then tell me, how did you meet at school?”
Angus’s eyes flickered.
“During a magic class, we worked on a group project together, so we got close.”
Eric crossed his arms, skeptical.
“That simple? What’s her magic level like?”
Angus bit her lip.
“She’s pretty good. The teacher even praised her.”
Eric’s gaze was piercing.
“Then bring her to the house next time. I want to meet her.”
Angus panicked.
“She’s really busy lately, probably doesn’t have time.”
Eric smiled mockingly.
“Keep spinning your story.”
Suddenly, bandages shot from Eric’s body, binding Angus tightly and dragging her mercilessly toward the basement.
As the basement drew closer, terror surged through her like a tidal wave.
She struggled desperately, shouting, “Didn’t you promise not to torture anyone?”
But her resistance was futile—Eric’s strength was overwhelming, her struggles like an ant trying to shake a tree.
The basement was dark, damp, and reeked of a nauseating stench.
Eric wrapped the bandages around each of Angus’s fingers, their rough texture scraping her delicate skin, sending sharp pain through her.
With a creepy smile, revealing a row of stark white teeth, he growled, “This is your last warning.”
Gasping, Angus shouted, “I was contacting the police to report your actions!”
Eric merely stared at her coldly, saying nothing.
Her heart raced faster, the scene eerily reminiscent of the last time.
She braced herself for death.
But suddenly, Eric spoke.
“I promised not to torture anyone, and I keep my word.”
With that, he released the bandages and walked out of the basement.
Angus collapsed to the floor, taking a long while to recover from the overwhelming fear.
Her mind was a chaotic mess, thoughts scattering like leaves in a storm.
“My God, I thought I was done for. That smile—I thought it was over again,” she muttered to herself.
“But why did he let me go? Was it really because of the card game?”
She tried to piece together her thoughts, searching for a glimmer of hope in the chaos.
“It seems the card games with Eric are working. I can’t stop them.”
Angus struggled to her feet, her steps unsteady as she left the basement.
Back in her room, she collapsed onto the bed, exhausted, still shaken by what had happened.
Yet, her resolve to escape Eric’s control grew stronger than ever.