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━━━ ⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ━━━
I'd hardly made it halfway across the blood-splattered room before the king merely vanished in only a matter of seconds.
I whirled, sensing his power still overthrowing everything within the room itself—everything, except for the raging silence that took over my head, my soul.
"Ah, let's not get hasty, my dear," his voice sounded from behind me. I grit my teeth, preparing my attack—as futile as it was. I turned around, palming my knives—
I could only pause once more as I beheld him. Beheld what was in front of me
With Akaza kneeled at his side—bowing to his superior, the wielder of his fate. His eyes remained fixated upon the floor before him, his muscles utterly strained.
The demon king smiled—such a soft movement of his lips. So casual compared to the burning rage I felt. But that fire only flickered when I beheld Akaza—Muzan's hand held above him.
As though his Upper Moon Three was merely a puppet. And the king gripped his strings unrelenting.
And fear—a wave of fear settled in with that fire. Fear for no one but the demon who I'd grown to care about. More than anyone. Even... even Kumiko.
"You two have grown awfully close," Muzan mused, his voice sounding as though it belonged to a different world entirely. "I must admit, it was not part of my original plan." A simple shrug. "In the end, however, it seemed to have proved quite useful."
I was frozen, my eyes going straight for Akaza again—begging, begging him to look at me.
Look at me.
He did nothing of the sort. Had gone so utterly still in a way that reminded me of his immortality.
"Why," I breathed out.
Why, indeed. I couldn't comprehend it. Why the king of demons had bothered with me, with my family.
His smile only grew, his hand twisting ever so slightly. My eyes shot to Akaza, finding his breath hitch just the slightest bit.
As if Muzan's strings had gripped him just a little harder.
"I wonder," he drawled, watching his Upper Three, "how it was possible for Akaza to have worked around my orders to him. To keep you hidden from me, even as a demon himself. A demon who has hunted after strength for all these years..."
