Chapter 03: Marked

Author's note: I'm so sorry for the errors! Hope you all like this story.

Three days.

Three days of darkness, of hunger, of pain.

Three days of Hades breaking her down piece by piece.

Nina's arms hung limp in the chains, her legs barely able to hold her weight. Her lips were dry, cracked. Her once fierce eyes now flickered only with fear and exhaustion.

The metal was cold against her skin, unyielding, and the silence that followed was heavier than the restraints. A new day, meaning a new set of torture she's going to endure and day by day its getting worse and worse.

He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. The gesture should've been tender, but there was nothing kind in his touch—only ruthlessness.

She flinched.

She couldn't stop herself anymore.

She was scared of him.

Scared of the things he might do next.

Scared of what he had already become.

Begging is the only thing she can do. Her lines were mostly the same. For him to stop hurting her.

"Tama na, please," her voice cracked, barely above a whisper. "Hades, parang awa mo na... Hindi ko na kaya." Hades only smirk at her as if looking like he's about to do something..... ruthless.

Hades stood near the furnace at the far side of the room, a long piece of iron glowing red in his gloved hand. At the tip, a crude, unmistakable shape: a sharp, unforgiving H.

Nina's breath hitched.

She had heard the hiss of the metal entering the flames. Smelled the iron heating. Heard him hum, softly, as if this were just another routine. Not a ritual.

Her arms trembled where they hung from the chains. Her body was too weak to resist. Her voice had long since broken into hoarse whispers and begging that went unanswered.

He approached slowly, each step deliberate.

"You'll carry this," he whispered. "Even if you leave. Even if you forget what we were."

She didn't respond. Couldn't. Her lips quivered, her breathing quick and shallow. Her skin was clammy, bruised, and vulnerable.

Then the metal met her flesh.

A shriek tore from Nina's throat—raw, guttural, broken. The searing heat sliced through her like lightning, pain blooming outward in violent waves. Her body writhed in the chains, muscles spasming uncontrollably. She squeezed her eyes shut as a scream tore from her throat, echoing off the stone walls.

The room held its breath.

When he finally pulled the iron away, the shape of the H was scorched into her skin—angry, red, and permanent.

She sobbed, her strength crumbling. Her body slumped against the restraints, limp and trembling, her mind splintering under the weight of the pain and the horror.

He looked down at her with a cold finality in his eyes. Then, without hesitation, he reached out and gripped her chin—ruthlessly, unforgiving—forcing her to meet his gaze.

Her skin flinched under his touch, but she was too broken to resist.

"You're mine," he said, voice low, deadly quiet. "Now the world will know it, too."

Her breath hitched. She cried even more.

There was no cruelty in his tone. That would've been easier to bear.

This was worse—this was certainty. Possession. As if branding her had simply sealed what he believed was already his. A question echoed in her mind like a cruel whisper:

What did I do wrong to deserve this?

Just below her right breast, the angry red H was marked. And Hades... He looked amused.

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, as if the sight stirred some dark sense of pride within him.

He crouched again, his eyes fixated on the seared symbol. His fingers hovered near it, almost reverent.

"Beautiful," he murmured.

To him, it wasn't a wound—it was a signature.

To Nina, it was the moment she stopped being a person in his eyes... and became something else. Something owned.

"Xerxis stole everything from me. My family. My future. My brother."

His voice cracked, the armor around his heart momentarily slipping.

"My big brother... gone because of Xerxis."

Hades clenched his fists. He turned to Nina, eyes sharp and unforgiving.

"And now... you are the weapon I use to make Xerxis pay."

He knelt and traced the branded H on her skin. Nina's breath caught. She stared at Hades, her voice trembling but clear.

"Hades, hindi mo ako laruan. Wala akong alam sa mga pinagsasabi mo—sa mga bagay na binibintang mo sa akin. Ni hindi ko nga alam kung sino na talaga ang totoong Xerxis."

Tears streamed down her cheeks, her beautiful eyes pleading silently. Confusion tangled in her gaze, as if the weight of everything crashing down was too much to bear.

"I'm not yours," she said again, louder. "Nakuha mo man ang katawan ko, pero hindi mo ako pagmamay-ari."

Hades' eyes darkened, a flicker of something—anger, and surprised by the sudden fire in her tone. He chuckled—a low, cold laugh that echoed through the room.

 "It's cute... but pointless." he said, voice dripping with amusement. He stepped closer, looming over her like a predator savoring the moment.

"You think you're not mine? That you can resist me?" His laugh deepened, cold and unyielding. "I own you, Nina. All of you. Your body, your mind... even your will."

He reached out, tracing the branded H beneath her breast with a finger, his touch possessive.

"That mark is proof. You can scream, fight, deny it all you want."

"But in the end, you belong to me."

Nina swallowed hard, her chest tightening as his words slammed into her like iron chains. But somewhere deep inside, beneath the fear and the pain, a stubborn spark ignited.

She forced herself to meet his gaze—not with submission, but with defiance.

"Hindi," she whispered, voice shaky but fierce. "Hindi mo ako pag-aari. You can brand my skin. You can try to break me. But my mind... my soul? Those are still mine."

Hades' amusement flickered for a moment, surprised by her strength. But then his smile deepened, dark and dangerous.

"We'll see," he said darkly, leaning closer, his breath cold against her cheek. Hades lifted her effortlessly, the chains clinking softly in the silence. She had no time to protest.

He pulled down his pants and unleashed his big and hard cock. Without wasting any time, he slammed inside of her. Nina screamed by the sudden action. She can barely breathe. He's too big.

She was too tired to push him away. She had no strength left to fight.

Her body ached and trembling by his every thrust. She could barely hold herself upright, every limb screaming from the strain. There was no kindness in his touch. No care in the way he handled her. She felt it—his cold intention—for pleasure, power, possession and control.

Tears slid silently down her cheeks as her body endured what her mind could no longer process.

He wasn't just using her to fed his needs.

He was using her to make a statement: You are mine. I decide what you feel. When you break.

He leaned in close, breath harsh against her ear. "The more you resist, the more I remind you what you are, little dove."

Her lips were trembling, her body shaking and her eyes shows emotion of hate towards him. She can feel him coming, and a moment later she felt his cum inside her.

Nina lay still, her body hollow and sore, the chains cold against her skin. She didn't move. Couldn't. Her mind floated somewhere else, detached from the present—numb and drowning.

Then the sound of keys.

A sharp click.

The restraints loosened, and for the first time in days, her arms dropped freely to her sides. But there was no relief. She didn't resist when Hades grabbed her arm.

He dragged her to the bathroom without a word, like she was an object, not a person. The cold tiles bit at her bare feet. The room was clean. Sterile. Almost too bright.

He turned on the faucet. Water thundered into the tub.

"You need to be clean," he said simply, emotionless. As if this were routine.

As if she were just dirty.

 As the water continued to pour, steam curling around the edges of the room, Hades reached for her again.

His hand brushed against a bruise on her side—just a simple touch.

Nina flinched.

It wasn't loud or dramatic. Just a sharp inhale, her body tensing in an instant, like a wounded animal expecting another blow.

He noticed.

But he said nothing.

He moved to lift her into the tub, and again, his fingers grazed another bruise on her arm.

She jerked away instinctively, her eyes wide for a split second—pure reflex, pure fear.

Every mark on her body remembered him.

Her skin recoiled even when her mind wanted to disappear.

Still, she said nothing.

She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her pain.

So she stepped into the bath on her own, trembling slightly, lowering herself into the warmth that stung every open wound.

Hades stood back, watching.

For a moment, she wondered if he saw what he'd done.

If the flinches, the bruises, the silence meant anything to him at all. But he only turned and left the room, the door closing with a dull finality behind him.

And she was alone. For the first time in what felt like forever. She wrapped her arms around herself, teeth clenched, shoulders shaking—not from the cold, but from everything she could no longer hold in.

She cried again, she can't control her sobs. 

It wasn't just the pain. It wasn't just the fear. It was everything—what had been taken from her, the way he looked at her like she was less than human, the way her own body flinched as if it had turned against her.

She hated that she cried. She hated that he'd made her feel so small.

Her sobs echoed in the room, raw and uncontrollable. Her chest heaved. Her throat burned. And her tears mixed with the bathwater, blurring everything.

She wanted to scream.

To vanish.

To forget.

But all she could do was cry.

He may have touched me.

But I still flinch because I feel.

And as long as I feel, I'm not broken yet.

Hades stepped into the bathroom, eyes falling on her immediately. She didn't move. She sat still in the tub, wet hair clinging to her shoulders, her body half-submerged, her eyes tired but no longer hollow.

For a moment, he just watched her. There was no smirk. No mocking words.

"You're done?" he asked calmly, like this was just another ordinary moment in a twisted routine.

She met his gaze, even if it took every ounce of strength she had left. She nodded.

Hades crossed the room, grabbed a towel, and tossed it onto the floor near her feet. "Get up," he said.

Still, she didn't move right away. Her fingers gripped the edge of the tub tightly. Without a word, she stood.

Her legs trembled. Her body screamed and as she stepped out of the water, she did it with the quiet dignity of someone who had not been erased—only scarred.

Hades turned and walked toward the door, not even checking if she followed.

She dried herself in silence, each movement deliberate despite the ache in her muscles. She didn't rush to follow him. She took her time.

When Nina stepped out from the bathroom, he was waiting just outside the door—leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed. His eyes slid over her like he always did, like she was something he owned.

 He pulled out a shirt—plain, white shirt, and clearly his.

He held it out to her. "This is mine," he said simply, voice low and steady.

Nina looked at the shirt, then back at him. Her body still ached, but her mind was sharper than before. She took the shirt silently, the fabric heavy in her hands. It was too big, swallowing her slight frame, but she didn't hesitate to slip it over her bruised skin.

Hades watched her carefully, that same unreadable expression on his face.

"You can sleep in my bed."

The words hung in the air, surprising in their simplicity but heavy with unspoken meaning.

Nina's beautiful green eyes flicked up to his, searching for a hint—was it mercy? Mockery? A test?

He said nothing more, just waited, watching her reaction.

Nina didn't argue. She didn't resist. Her body tensed instinctively, caught between relief and suspicion.

Slowly, she nodded, slipping the oversized shirt more securely around her.

She didn't know if this was kindness... or another form of control.

But tonight, exhaustion won over defiance.

She followed him silently, every step a quiet battle between fear and something else—something like fragile hope.

To be continued....