Thief Of Existence

SEX

Ylis didn't even try to comfort Arian after getting the verdict in the Court of Kindness and Love. She knew that it would do more pain than comfort if she did. Words seemed to be too shallow for Arian now and it showed. She was beyond inconsolable at this point and she walked even slower, dragging on her feet. She was exhausted and cold from the cold water that clung to her body. They left footprints of water as they walked down the plain hallway. They were both quiet since both of them didn't want to talk about the trials.

It seemed all too obvious now: Arian was fated to fail all her lower trials. She should have expected it since she's on the blacklist of the Goddess of Existence after all.

The closer they walked to the end, the warmer it felt. It was hot, almost too much. Arian could feel her sweat mixing with the water from her clothes. When they reached the end of the hallway, their wet clothes were almost dry from the heat that originated behind the black iron door with bright red engravings. Ylis had kissed Arian's forehead once again and Arian felt that she was being wrapped in a cool container filled with ice. The fae's kiss had helped her reduce the feeling of the heat from her mortal body.

As soon as Ylis saw that Arian was immune to the scorching heat, she pushed the door open and Arian's eyes widened.

The room was bright and highlighted by orange and red colors. The ceilings were high and adorned with red neon lights. There was a fountain spewing boiling lava in the middle. It was bright and hot, of course, but the faes around it seemed not to mind. Around the circular perimeter of the fountain were various gambling stalls and machines. Some of them wasted hundreds of golden coins on lottery tickets, others invested their time and money on guessing games, and most of them were seated at different tables playing all sorts of card games. It was the loudest in these tables, screams of joy and misery mixed in the air. For a moment, she was confused about where she was; the place looked more like a casino than a courtroom. It was complete with all the gambling stalls and sections for betting. There was even a stage for gambles that included auctions. Arian looked at Ylis for any explanation but as usual, the fae was silent. She sighed then put her attention on one of the most crowded gambling tables. She could see three people seated there: one in the middle and the other two facing each other with cards in their hands and gambling chips in front of them; one of them was a fae and the other was a man. Arian was immediately intrigued by the handsome man with his fiery red and black hair styled up and his veined fingers carefully keeping the cards in place. He had an intense stare with his dark brown eyes. His left hand held his cards while his right hand supported the weight of his head and he softly nibbled on his fingers. He wore a flashy red suit that flattered his broad chest and shoulders and the black suit tie completed his masculine looks. He finally noticed that Arian was looking at him and he raised a brow to acknowledge her. He smirked as he continued on nibbling his fingers.

Arian couldn't deny that the sight of it was quite seductive.

"Full house!" the fae in front of him said as she laid out her set of cards. It was a full house indeed. Arian knew little about gambling but she knew that in poker, a full house can almost guarantee an automatic win. She looked at the handsome man again and he looked unbothered by it. He stood up, laid his cards on the table, then slipped his hands inside his pockets.

"Royal flush," he said in a deep voice that any woman can melt for.

Arian looked at his cards: the ace of hearts, the king, the queen, the jack, and ten of hearts.

The unbeatable hand.

The fae he was gambling with lost her mind and shrieked like a lunatic while those who were watching them clapped their hands and cheered in awe. But the handsome man wasn't paying attention to them, but to Arian. He suddenly turned into a flying ball of flames and flashed towards her direction, then he materialized back into human form once he was right in front of her. Arian just looked at him, speechless, and blinked her eyes profusely. He seemed too unreal and seductive that she couldn't understand who he was and why he was in front of her. Ylis let out an annoyed sigh. She knew everything about him and she was already immune to his charms. On the other hand, Arian was not and it was obvious with the way she fiddled with her fingers as her eyes fixated on the dashing man in front of her.