>>5724897"No... I mean... It's not possible, right?"
"Of course it is, did you really think a couple meters of chains and a gag would impede me from seeing you? If anything, that would only spice up our encounters!" Farnese giggled as she motioned his head over to her lap, carefully caressing his head as Vlad closed his eyes again.
"Still, I can't believe that you're here... I just know that the moment I open my eyes... I'll come to terms with the fact that you're not here with me. Death has already separated me from enough loved ones, and I can't handle doing it to others on even larger scales..."
"We've both tried living in our own fantasy lands, haven't we? Though in my case, as scary as it was, you were more of a magical prince than whatever my inner world could conjure in my head. I know you lack the hatred to truly kill Griffith in the name of revenge, but you are too much of a realist to believe in any comfortable delusions..."
"For the first time in a long while, I've wanted to believe in them. Not in the one that I would wage a bloodless war, or that I would live through it, but just one where I would see you safe..."
No response came from Farnese, for once Vlad opened his eyes, only the wooden ceiling stared back at him, the lover he talked with being a mere figment of his imagination.
...
"Lock them up, keep them gagged and tied at all times, leave at least 5 guards watching over them. Keep this a secret from everyone." Griffith ordered his guards to hold Farnese and Casca in the same tower he was kept under when tortured. Though he had no intention in mangling either of them, the place was both far away from the public eye and filled with enough dead bodies and dark energy to interfere with any antics Farnese might try to do.
"Understood Lord Griffith. We haven't heard of Nosferatu Zodd ever since the fight with Ganishka and Lord Barnham. Should we send out a rescue team?"
"There's no need for it, I'm sure he'll be back eventually." Griffith knew that Zodd's fight with Barnham ended with his captain's defeat, and since Barnham ruled by might, it was possible some of his spirit brushed off onto the immortal apostle, making him choose between the obedience and safety of Falconia's easy victories, and the death of a warrior he sought after.
With that settled, Farnese and Casca woke up being completely restricted of movement and thought in the middle of the night, not that they would know of it, given how dark it was. Though quickly using her luminous body, Farnese's soul exited out of herself to telepathically check on Casca.
"Is your chest hurting?"
"No, I'm fine. What about your ring? Did they confiscate it?"
"Yeah, I'll have to look for it once we're free, but I'd rather not cause too much of an uproar while only the two of us are here."
"All of that training, just to be sitting ducks, huh? So much for being useful on the war... I've expected better from myself."