Dark Path to Heaven [Demon Romance]

Chapter 9

Chapter Music: "Pray to God" from the BL game "Hadaka Shitsuji"

The young girl suddenly stood up from the desk where she was studying and felt a strong urge to go get some fresh air outside the building. It was around midnight and she was a little scared to wander in the campus on her own with almost nobody around.

Strange, she thought. She absolutely wanted to avoid approaching the forest because it was scary and it was about time her curse was lifted, but the urge to go was too strong to do otherwise. So, as if hypnotized, she walked down the almost empty corridors and descended the stairs, all the time wondering what she was doing exactly.

She left the building and started walking in the direction of the forest. The farther she went, the more she wanted to run away. What was that force which was pulling her there against her own will?

The air was too cold and the sky couldn't be darker while many of the outdoor lights were now being turned off one by one, few of them remaining to illuminate her path. It was normal for the campus to become darker at that time of day. What wasn't normal at all was the fact that she needed to get to that creepy place by midnight. After having entered the small forest, she couldn't help but get terrified. What was happening?

Suddenly she felt a hand being spread from behind and covering her mouth with immense force while another, holding a sharp dagger, pulled her towards someone's body. The stranger then moved the dagger so that its cold blade was barely touching her throat. Of course, all the magic spells she tried to use to break free weren't working and she was afraid she knew why. That unique cologne had confirmed her fears.

"I'd use magic but it's nicer this way, don't you agree?" she heard the hoarse whisper of a voice she knew too well. It was clear from his tone that he'd been enjoying himself a little too much.

Too terrified to move, Luna felt a chill running down her spine. Clearly, she'd been mistaken to have hoped that this man could feel anything more than hatred. Oddly enough, one perverted part of hers felt grateful that she would at least die in his arms. However, that wasn't exactly how she had imagined it.

"Now that I'm thinking about it though," the man continued as if he'd heard her thoughts, "it wouldn't hurt to play a little."

He forcibly shoved her onto the ground and, snickering eerily, he added: "I'm referring to myself, of course."

Luna couldn't escape. She felt every member of her body being stuck on the forest floor and no sound could come out of her mouth. The sight above her had left her speechless. She knew who that was: it was Astaroth, the man she believed she had fallen in love with. Nevertheless, there was one difference in his appearance: his hair was not black as she had known it; it was silver, now matching the color of his eyes. Even at such a dark place, she could spot that change. Why did he change into that? she wondered. Why does he now have that merciless look on his face? She just couldn't put two and two together.

The man was smiling widely, his eyes tainted with madness. However cruel that man might have been, she had never seen him like that. The way he looked had at last assured her that he had never trusted her. She felt as if she was now glimpsing at his pure soul – a soul devoid of anything good and bright. She was too romantic, having hoped that she could someday see a different face.

Meanwhile, he had taken another dagger out of his black coat, slightly longer than the other one, and now seemed to be deciding how to kill her.

"You can speak if you want," he said sharply, the same expression always accompanying his words. "I've isolated this area."