Legend of the North

Chapter 9: One Day Later

As Cristian predicted, the group caved in within a day. Considering that none of them had ever experienced hardship in their entire life, it would have been more shocking if they could stand their ground. The moment he let them out of the dimensional space, they stared at him with a mixture of hate and fear.

“I think you all learned your lesson, but if you need a reminder, I can always send you back there,” he remarked, causing nearly the entire group to shake their heads frantically.

“We’re good,” Brayan said.

“What he said,” Aidan said.

“Then I expect you to bring me the five million in cash within the hour,” Cristian said, petting Fenrir on the head.

The group sputtered before Katie blurted out, “Are you crazy? How are we supposed to get five million in cash in just an hour?”

Without batting an eye, Cristian sent her back to the dimensional space. Jeanine screamed, nearly fainting, as she scrambled away from the empty spot Katie had once stood.

“Any other objections?” Cristian asked.

“No,” the group answered.

“Then you better get moving,” he said.

In an instant, they ran. Jagger was the last to move, giving Cristian a dark look before chasing after the rest of the group. He watched with dark satisfaction as they scurried like the rats they were.

[It seems that your plan is working, but how are you so sure they won’t bring reinforcements to deal with you?]

“Oh, they will, but I still have Katie in my grasp,” he said, checking up on her in the dimensional space.

[So it wasn’t a coincidence that you had sent her back to the dimensional space?]

“The two leaders of the group are Jagger and Katie, though Jagger is the one who takes the lead most of the time. They’re both from somewhat wealthy families and are dating each other with plans to have a marriage alliance. I’m going to take advantage of that,” Cristian said.

Katie was shouting and cursing a storm before breaking down in tears. She couldn’t believe she was being reduced to tears because of a weakling, but could she really call him that when he could do something like this? Was he even human?

“Can I have your attention?” Cristian asked, making her flinch.

She glared up at the ceiling and snapped, “Let me out.”

“Rude. Maybe I should keep you there for another day,” he threatened.

Her face paled, and she immediately said, “I’m sorry. Please let me out.”

“That’s much better, but I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he said.

Katie nearly pulled at her hair as she demanded, “Why? We promised to give you the money.”

“To make sure your group keeps their word, I told them I will keep you until I see the money,” he replied.

“What? There’s no way they would abandon me,” she insisted.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but they already left. I can prove it to you,” he said before pulling her out again.

She stumbled and nearly fell face-first but managed to catch herself in time. That’s when she saw that it really was just the two of them. The rest of the group was nowhere in sight. Seeing the disbelieving look on her face, Cristian smirked.

“I told you. They left you in my hands, so you better hope they keep their word. Now it’s time for you to go back,” he said, preparing to send her back into the dimensional space.

“Wait! Don’t send me back!” Kaite said, getting down on her knees to plead.

Watching her grovel before him was like a drug. He wanted more. He wanted her to suffer more for what she put him through in the last life. It would be easy to deal with her now that she was weak and alone. She wouldn’t be able to resist.

Cristian snapped out of it and said, “Give me a reason.”

“I can pay you more money,” she said.

“I thought you said five million was too difficult,” he said, adjusting his grip on Fenrir.

“I mean I can get you more money on top of the five million, so please just let me go,” she begged, bowing her head to him.

He took a moment to consider her offer. More money would be great, but he wasn’t dumb enough to blindly trust her. She probably planned to get backup the moment she was out of his sight. It seemed there was only one solution.

“Fine, but I’ll come with you,” Cristian said.

Katie snapped her head up, her eyes nearly popping out of the sockets. “What?”

“You’re still my hostage. Letting you leave my sight would be foolish. That’s why I’ll come with you to get the money,” he said.

This wasn’t going as planned. Katie had intended to run home to her parents and get them to help her get revenge on Cristian. Actually, now that she thought about it, this was better. Once he was on her home turf, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

Putting on a pitiful expression, she said, “Okay. Whatever you want, just don’t hurt me.”

Cristian signaled for her to move and said, “Lead the way.”

She led him to her house, inwardly cackling with glee. He was going to get his just deserts. However, she was completely unaware that Cristian had already predicted what was going through her mind and was already formulating a plan to deal with it.

With his dimensional space, he could try pulling the same stunt again before Katie had time to warn her family. Once he had her parents as hostages, the family would have to listen to his demands. Depending on how things worked out, he might be labeled a criminal to the public, but his reputation was already in the dumps anyway. It wouldn’t really make a difference, especially with the apocalypse coming up. Who would have time to chase a criminal when they will be struggling to survive the apocalypse? No, he was going to milk this for all it was worth.