Peter P.O.V.

  With a gesture of Gehenna’s right hand, the black silhouette expanded throughout the void as it passed through Peter. He was inside one of his memories, not too long after the tutorial began. He met Tim. Peter was gathering people together for safety when it came to hunting outside of the town. Tim was problematic, always prioritizing himself over the group as a whole while out in the grasslands. They were sitting down in the inn at a table, talking about ethics and morality. Peter was trying to convince Tim that this is not the time to think of yourself.

  “I understand to look after oneself in times of crisis, but you’re not alone. We need to work together to survive this madness,” Peter said.

  “That is all well and good, but we’re all people, and people are a collection of individuals. Individuals must protect themselves before the collective, wouldn’t you agree?” Tim said.

  Outside the memory, Peter could hear whispers in Tim’s voice.

  “Being selfish is the way to go. Fuck the collective; they will only hold you back. Focus on yourself.”

  “What is that?” Peter asked.

  “That is the influence of Tim’s bloodline seeping into your subconscious,” Gehenna said.

  “Well, how do I get rid of his influence?” Peter said.

  “That is for you to figure out. I can only show you what happened to you. For you to undo the process of enthrallment, you must do it yourself,” Gehenna said.

  “Can you at least guide me in the process?” Peter pleaded.

  “Every sentient being can think. So, what is sentience? It is the ability to reason. I think, therefore I am. What is the underlying principle of those actions? It's will. You weren’t able to see what was done to you. Now you see: what will you do about it?” Gehenna challenged.

  Peter thought about the words Gehenna had said as the conversation between his past self and Tim continued, then repeated. Peter thought of many arguments against what Tim was saying; none broke the chains between them.

  “Dammit to all! I do not agree with anything he says; his opinions are not mine,” Peter thought. With that, the tendril snapped, and the memory faded.

  “What just happened?” Peter asked.

  “You exercised your will,” Gehenna replied.

  Another memory emerged from the black haze surrounding them. This one was about the distribution of the treasure chest in the dungeons: who should get what. Tim argued that the fighters should get more than the healer because they didn’t do much; the people who risked their lives should get the lion's share of the loot.

  “All I’m saying is we’ve done most of the work. Yes, the healer heals us, but without the warriors and wizards actually fighting, they would die. So with that, I believe the fighters should get the majority of the loot that drops from any dungeon,” Tim said.

  “We are all here risking our lives to get stronger for what is to come, so the loot should be distributed equally between party members,” Peter said.

  Outside the memory, Peter could hear the same whispering voice of Tim:

  “Be selfish! We are the ones in harm’s way, so we deserve the rewards.”

  Tuning out the rest of the argument, Peter focused on himself and said,

  “No, your opinions are not mine.” Peter bellowed in his mind.

  Another tendril faded from his body; there were at least a dozen more still connected to him.

  “How come there are so many threads connected to me compared to the vision you showed me of the others? It seems like you’re able to siphon the influence away easily from them,” Peter said

  “That's because you have a very strong will, and as I said before, to break the enthrallment, it’s going to be messy. The reason is that your strong will is working against you. Tim manipulated you so subtly and changed your way of thinking that this is a manifestation of your will fighting back. What I’m doing is separating Tim’s karma from you, so you have the ability to fight back.” Gehenna said

  After quite a few more conversations between Peter and Tim, Peter is now recalling the first significant evil action he has taken. Peter just stepped down as the leader and became Tim's right-hand man. A man named Arthur. Tried to tell Peter that Tim was not a good man and that what he was doing was wrong.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “Can’t you see he’s manipulating you? He’s turning the women into sex slaves and turning all the fighters into his personal guard! He’s turning you into his bitch!” Arthur yelled.

  Peter backslapped Arthur across the face, grabbed him by the hair, and dragged him out of the building they were in. He went to the town hall and yelled at someone to assemble everyone. After a couple of minutes, the majority of the town’s population arrived.

  “This is what happens to the people who defy Tim’s rule,” Peter yelled for the whole crowd to hear.

  Peter drew his sword and ran it through Arthur’s chest. Arthur’s eyes were wide in shock as the sword was yanked out of his chest. Peter, still holding Arthur’s hair as the body began to sag, used Arthur’s pant leg to wipe off the blood, then sheathed his sword and let go of Arthur’s hair, and the body dropped to the floor.

  Outside the memory, Peter was crying.

  “I do not remember doing this. The conversations I remember vaguely, but this.”

  As he gestured towards himself and the memory.

  “The reason why you don’t remember it is because it’s not you. At this point, you’re just a puppet for Tim, and I’m sorry, but the memories that are the linchpins of the enthrallment get much worse.” Gehenna said with sympathy in its voice

  By the halfway point, Peter was on the ground sobbing, hating every minute of being in this place, but knowing the only way to be entirely free was to face the manipulation with the help of Gehenna and break it by using his will at the last linchpin memory that was tied to him by the tendril. His anger and grief were not gone, but numb from the horrors he witnessed; he felt relieved that he was done breaking the last thread, and his mind was clear for the first time in months.

  Ding

  From unique circumstances and a horrendous trial, you have learned two skills: mental resistance, Common, Novice 3, and soul resistance, Common, Novice 3.

  Turning to Gehenna, Peter said,

  “Thank you for helping me; I will not forget it.”

  “You’re welcome, young man, and remember the multiverse is a wonderful and dreadful place. There are many people with good and bad intentions; the best defense is having skills to ward off or see through someone’s manipulations,” Gehenna said. With that, Peter woke up. The pedestal that upheld the orb was gone, and in front of the bed was an open door.

  Gehenna P.O.V.

  Now it’s time for the third and last of the first three troubled souls. What makes this one hard to help is how to help her cope. Getting rid of the evil karma of Tim is going to be easy, but what method would be the best to help her in the aftermath? I know,” Gehenna pondered.

  Olivia P.O.V.

  The servant was in her room in the town hall. She could hear loud noises and people shouting from her window, but that did not concern her. Her purpose is to satisfy anyone who walks into her room. The pace at which people entered her room the past couple of days was all over the place; sometimes they came one after another, and sometimes hours passed with nothing to do. Her handler kept her busy with regular workouts and times to eat and sleep. While she was relaxing in the large bed she was provided by the Lord and master of this town, a group of two men and three women walked into her room, weapons drawn and armor stained with blood. One of the women, she’s not sure which one, said,

  “Oh my fucking God, this place is a nightmare.”

  The servant got out of bed and stripped out of her nightgown. “How may I serve the Masters’ warriors today?” she said in a sultry tone.

  The three guys had their jaws dropped to the floor. One of the women smacked the three guys on the head, one after another.

  “You three get out of here; we will deal with this.” The woman said.

  But what if she is hostile?” one of the men said petulantly.

  “Then we will deal with her. Don’t go in any of the rooms as well,” the same woman yelled at them as they walked out the door.

  “Oh, honey, what is your name?” one of the women asked her.

  The servant's mind felt fuzzy as she tried to think of an answer, but none came. In response, she said, “This servant has no name; I am simply here to fill your wildest desires.”

  The two women looked shocked and appalled. The servant thinks, not understanding why.

  “Let’s just put some clothes on her, tie her up, and hopefully the leaders deliver on the promise and send her somewhere that can actually help her,” said the woman who hadn’t talked before.

  The first woman pulled out a rough brown shirt and pants, along with a pair of boots, then forced the servant to wear them. Then they bound her arms and made her wait with the three men out in the hall as the two of them went room to room, gathering all the servants in the hallway. After the hallway was cleared, there was a total of five servants plus the warriors. The warriors took them outside of town as they could hear noises off in the distance on different streets. There, they were put into a makeshift wooden area until they were all herded onto a giant ritual. The servant was towards the front, close to the platform where the six stood. She was bored and uncomfortable; this was the first time in a long time that she had worn clothes this long. After a while, the six quit speaking. There was a bright light, and she ended up in a cell with one bed and nothing else. She was happy to see that her arms were no longer tied together. Seeing nothing to do, she climbed into the bed and waited for the next visitor. After a while, she got tired and fell asleep, waking up in a void with a creature made of stone and lava flowing through it.

  “How may I serve you?” The servant said.

  The being in front of her grabbed her, had its left arm on her right shoulder, then its right arm reached inside of her and ripped out a black silhouette of her, gasping. Then, shaking, her mind became clear. Thoughts ran through her mind that were her own for the first time in months: fear, anger, hatred, remorse—all the emotions hit her at once, remembering everything that she was forced to do, coming crashing down at once. The being let go of her, waved its right hand, and the black silhouette of her... disappeared. Olivia started to sob and went into the fetal position. After an intimate moment, Olivia got a hold of herself and, when she looked around, saw a lake with a dock hanging over the shore, a tiny boat tied to it with supports. She could hear animals off in the distance and birds chirping with insects around her. Turning around, there was a log cabin that had a front porch with a couple of chairs on it, and on the right, in front of the cabin, was a statue of the being she was with in the void. Walking into the log cabin, Olivia found a spacious living room with a couch and a chair facing the TV. Then, on the right was a small kitchenette. Going past the living room and kitchen into the hallway, there was a bedroom with a nice queen-size bed. Walking out of the cabin and looking around, she saw there was no outhouse; she was standing in the front, close to the statue.

  “Am I in some kind of dream?” Olivia said out loud.

  “Yes, you are. My name is Gehenna. I am the prison that you are in, but firstly, do you know your name?”

  With a slight hesitation.

  “My name is Olivia,” Olivia said in a hesitant voice.

  “That’s good,” Gehenna said

  “Why am I here?” Olivia said

  Gehenna explained the contract and everything else the leaders decided.

  “Okay, that explains part of it, but why am I here in a cabin next to a lake?” Olivia asked.

  “I’ve dealt with many cases of trauma, sexual abuse, etc. I believe this is the best place for you to cope and understand what happened to you, and when you’re good and ready, you’ll wake up, and the door to your cell will be open. If you need anything, all you have to do is ask,” Gehenna said.

  “Thank you,” Olivia said, and with that, she went back inside the cabin. When she turned back to look at Gehenna, it was a statue again. Going through the kitchen, she found that all the shelves and the fridge were full of her favorite things—grabbing an iced coffee from the refrigerator and a Danish from one of the shelves. She was snacking on the porch. Her mind was still numb, dealing with the memories that her actions and thoughts were not her own; how thoroughly that monster dominated her. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years in this peaceful place, watching TV and engaging in any activity she could think of; this place provided. She did not wish for any company, male or female. After a long time, she finally felt like she did before the tutorial.

  “I’m ready to leave,” Olivia said

  With that, she closed her eyes and opened them. She was lying on the cell's bed. In front of her, there was an entrance.

  Ding

  From unique circumstances and a horrendous trial, you have learned two skills: mental resistance, Common, Novice 0, and soul resistance, Common, Novice 0.