Bloodbound Oath: Between Realms

Sollivan looked up at the cloudless sky before shifting his focus to Otieno beside him. After a few moments of silence, the priest coldly ordered, "Follow me."

Due to the well’s seal in his body, Sollivan had no choice but to comply. To avoid any unwanted pain, he reluctantly followed. Unlike usual, he showed no obedience or respect. His steps were heavy, and his gaze was filled with hatred and anger, revealing to the priest the depth of his loathing.

Even after Otieno noticed the burning intensity of Sollivan’s glare, he paid no attention and continued walking with an unreadable expression, carefully hidden. But as time passed, he began to find it difficult to tolerate, and when his patience ran out, he coldly commanded, "Lower your wretched head. If you keep staring at me, I’ll gouge out your eyes."

"Really?" Sollivan replied, quickly lowering his head, but soon sarcasm crept into his tone, and he added, "You’re so funny, you know that? Or rather, how should I describe you? You’re simple-minded and utterly dull..."

As Sollivan expressed his thoughts, Otieno interrupted him, saying, "Don’t trouble yourself."

"Your annoying words and condescending tone won’t make a difference, you know. If you’re waiting for that coward Caldwell to come save you, you’re delusional. Someone like him wouldn’t risk the lives of his followers or the stability of his tribe for you. And even if he were brave enough, he wouldn’t dare oppose the Beast Eagle Clan."

’Caldwell, so that’s the name of the foolish leader.’ Sollivan listened silently to the priest’s words, and when he finished speaking, Sollivan smirked.

At that moment, he wished he could lift his head to look down on Otieno, but since he couldn’t, he laughed loudly for a short while before barely restraining himself, then said mockingly, "I said earlier that you’re simple-minded, but I was wrong. You’re truly an idiot! I wonder how a fool like you became the High Priest." He paused briefly, then added, "Oh, I forgot! Priests are a bunch of fools, so it makes sense that the biggest trash would be their leader."

Despite the crudeness of his words, Otieno didn’t interrupt him and continued listening in silence until he finished. Then Otieno stopped walking and turned to face him with a gaze so sharp it could burn.

The sarcasm disappeared from Sollivan’s face, and his seriousness returned. His muscles tensed, and he braced himself for a physical blow, but what happened was the opposite of what he expected. He heard Otieno say in a voice filled with disdain, "Listen to me, you wretched hybrid. Your ability to breathe right now is my mercy. So I advise you not to push me to skin you alive before I transfer your blood."

"So, shut up. Close your mouth and don’t utter a word. Understood?"

Despite the seriousness of his threats, Sollivan paid no attention to what he said. A particular word echoed in his mind as he thought: ’Transfer my blood? Does he want to steal my blood and transfer it to himself or some container? That greedy bastard.’ He unleashed a string of curses in his mind, then looked at the ground with eyes filled with intense anger. But he quickly calmed down and began reviewing his memories, recalling that the priest was the only one who had acted strangely whenever he saw him.