A Demon's Heart.

Chapter forty: Hunter Blood

               The shrine, although being super close to the volcano's stomach and lava, was a really cold place. It was nicely decorated with a red carpet covering the floor, some wooden furniture, a Semian floor bed, some vases, and other housy things you normally find anywhere else. The floor still had the luxury of being covered in marble, and the walls were painted with amazing murals that told a story.... Watching closely the duo saw that the story in the walls were the story that Asleroth told earlier.... How he fell in love and died. It was still a better love story than....

               The shrine also had old plates and chandeliers, and had gold coins, silver coins, and other raw jewels and other valuables scattered through all the floors. "This place was a shrine to a god, until the eruption, then I took over.... It's the safest place you can be in this whole continent for now." Asleroth said, before taking some pillows from the floor and neatly putting them in his floor bed.... Ironic, since this safe haven was next to a possibly active volcano. "Please, get comfortable." Asleroth then sat on the floor and stood there, silent for a few minutes. There were books on the floor, some opened, some pages scattered, others burned.... And some full of drawings.... "Pardon the mess, in my free time I enjoy all types of art, whether they are literature or drawings, or .... Languages, etc." Mirghreel started asking about his favorite artists, and the like and had a nice and warm conversation with Asleroth, the first they ever had since ever.... Demon and Priest huh.... As Aliana was looking at the floor and he opened one of those drawing journals, and decided to look on the pages that it contained.... Some were doodles, of different animals, pretty detailed nonetheless, and others were scribbles, maybe he was also an avid scholar of the ancient....

                But others.... Were bright colors, landscapes that nobody in the room has seen but him. Some had names under them. "Firecloud Castle, Astriel", "The Meldian Sea, Conako", "Colossus, Esargosen", and.... "Coldwater, Domesia." Then she passed a few more pages, and discovered detailed drawings of wings, and the sky, the suns, the moons, and.... Angels. After one more page she encountered a hyperrealist drawing, of herself.... She blushed, he was looking at her this whole time, in silence.... Maybe he hoped to talk to her again, even if it was impossible. Asleroth took out hiss scarf, threw it on the floor near Aliana and saw her watching her drawing. "NO." He said and rapidly snatched the book off her hands.... "Ask next time would you...?" Asleroth said in an almost angry note, his tear-like scars that pour from his eyes down to his jaw line almost turned all red, but fade into blackness again.... He couldn't be mad at her, not at all.... "Sorry.... I just.... Sorry." Mirhgreel noticed this behavior strange, a demon that was more human, but that didn't feel? But still had this behavior? And more since he said he could feel when she was nearby? Fishy indeed fellow readers, fishy. "Indeed." Said Mirghreel. The other two saw confused and he just started whistling. Oops, my bad...! Hehe.

                Night fell, and the duo was feeling sleepy. It was a tiring day hiking, and they just wanted sleep. Asleroth stood up, and arranged a few pillows and blankets to the duo before—

-"Asleroth!" A familiar voice said. Piercing a sword into his stomach. Asleroth roared in pain. The sword came flying from the other side of the room, it was Angarthia. (Also, not cool, you interrupted my narration.)

-"Angarthia! This was NOT a part of the plan!" Armen screamed. There was now blood everywhere, orange blood.

-"Silence you useless dirtbag." Angarthia slapped the shit out of Armen. Mirghreel stood up, and protected Aliana, standing before her. Asleroth took the sword out of his body, screamed, and had his eyes fully covered in red, crimson red, and his scars before rapidly shifting himself to attack Angarthia. Only to be stopped, by Armen.

-"I'm sorry Asle, I want to feel...." Armen was now blood-blind, an effect that Aliana caused, the same effect that Asleroth controlled last time on Armen, but now it was unstoppable. He took Asleroth by his arm, and then got punched fiercely by the now green and blue glowing demon. The punch broke his arm, and then Armen's claws were also pierced into Asleroth's head, from his throat, right up. Asleroth gurgled and his red and orange glow faded away in orange and red blood coming from his body, his powers were failing.... "See you in the next hundred years, and you were right, I Am STRONGER." Before delivering the final blow Mirghreel tackled Armen, disorienting him and making Angarthia give reason. "No idiot, we can't wait a hundred years more!" He took Aliana and disappeared. Mirghreel stood up and followed but Angarthia banished, when he turned around, he saw a smiling Armen....

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               The smile that brought his death, when Armen had his claws enter in the chest of Mirghreel. And then disappeared.