The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft, golden hue across the room. Dorian lay sprawled on the bed, half-buried in the tangled sheets, his eyes lazily tracing the patterns on the ceiling. It had been weeks since Caius had first appeared in his life, and everything had changed in ways he never could have imagined.
Caius was nowhere to be seen, but Dorian knew he was close. The demon had a way of lurking in the shadows, always just out of sight, yet never too far away. It had become something of a game between them—Caius observing, Dorian pretending not to notice.
He sat up, stretching his arms above his head. The past few weeks had been... different. In a strange way, it almost felt like living again. The numbness that had once consumed him was beginning to fade, replaced by a curiosity he hadn't felt in years. And most of that curiosity was directed at the demon who had become his constant companion.
Dorian had learned a lot about Caius in the time they had spent together, but there were still so many questions lingering in his mind. Who was Caius before he became... whatever he was now? What had he done to end up cursed and trapped between worlds? And why did he need to kill Dorian to return to purgatory?
The more time they spent together, the more these questions gnawed at him, and today, Dorian decided he'd had enough of the mystery. He wanted answers.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, glancing around the room. "Caius," he called out, his voice casual but carrying an undertone of determination. "I know you're here."
There was a brief pause, then a soft rustling from the shadows near the corner of the room. Caius materialized from the darkness, his form emerging slowly until he stood in front of Dorian, arms crossed over his chest, an amused expression on his face.
"You're getting better at sensing me," Caius said with a smirk. "What is it you want, Dorian?"
Dorian hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to approach the subject. But he knew he couldn't back down now. "I want to know more about you," he said, meeting Caius' gaze with unwavering resolve. "About your past, about why you're here, why you need to kill me... everything."
Caius' expression faltered for a moment, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features. He looked away, as if considering how to respond. "You've been curious for a while now," he said quietly. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before you asked."
"I'm not letting this go," Dorian said, taking a step closer. "You're stuck with me for the next few weeks. Don't you think it's fair that I know who you really are?"
Caius let out a sigh, his shoulders sagging slightly. He turned to face the window, staring out at the world beyond. "It's not a story I like to tell," he began, his voice tinged with a weariness Dorian hadn't heard before. "But if you insist..."
Dorian waited, his heart pounding in his chest. There was something in Caius's demeanor that told him this wasn't going to be easy—for either of them.
Caius finally turned back to him, his expression serious. "I wasn't always a demon," he said, his voice low. "Once, I was just a man. A man with a family, responsibilities, and a reputation to uphold."
