Dark Path to Heaven [Demon Romance]

Chapter 49

Chapter Music: "Darkness Falls" by Brandon Fiechter

Astaroth stepped foot on the holy grounds yet again. It wouldn't be more than an hour until dawn so he had to rush. And this time, just as he had expected, both Infervana and Inna were there. The two Grand Priestesses who kept the world in order had apparently been awaiting his arrival.

"Astaroth, welcome." Inna's soft voice was filled with compassion.

The demon, on the contrary, remained grim. "Drop the act and tell me if there's anything I need to know."

"Nothing at all," Infervana replied as if she already anticipated such a question.

"Not very convincing seeing you two here waiting for me."

"We only wished to confirm with you that Sophia's wellbeing is guaranteed. The only one who can harm her now is you," Inna spoke calmly, albeit ambiguously.

At the sound of these words, Astaroth narrowed his eyes. "Me? Why just me?"

The Priestess only shook her head, sorrowful.

"We don't reveal such information," Infervana commented, somewhat annoyed by the question. "You should've known by now."

But the demon, exasperated, shot her a threatening look. "I've been trying to forget all about you two until you left me no other choice. It's disturbingly obvious that you've been manipulating us both from the start. You owe me more than an explanation."

Just as the Grand Priestess was about to answer, she was interrupted by the other woman:

"Stop this at once!" Inna's once gentle voice had turned sharp and urgent but, almost immediately, she managed to regain her composure. "Astaroth, please go. We cannot do anything more. We are truly... deeply sorry."

That was it then. They would keep silent until the very end.

He only spared a glance to acknowledge her statement and turned to leave that place as well. Next objective: Revenge.

~~~

The blond-haired witch was sitting down on the forest floor cross-legged, taking in the last moments of peace in her surroundings. There was no reason to stay in the village. The locals had warmly welcomed her and offered her a new job and a residence. She was grateful to them and wouldn't let that tyrant massacre the wizard families and their property for something only she was responsible for. She knew it would mean nothing to him to destroy anything and anyone just to make her suffer.

But thankfully, I'll be the last person to die by his hand, she thought and a serene smile spread across her face.

Just then, the earth let her know that the man she was thinking of was close. Raising herself to her feet, Seraphina started looking around –a little more anxiously than she'd like– until she spotted... him. He stood still amidst the trees and flowers which had just spoken to her and she could sense that some of them had already started withering. His dark, motionless figure gave her goosebumps.

Despite his most revolting form though, his expressionless face lacked any trace of insanity, any trace of life. He was indeed a fully transformed demon. Her face contorted at the sight of his black skin and eyes, his tail, his horns, his claws, and his silver hair. Yet that wasn't the monster everyone spoke of. That wasn't a demon. That was hardly an individual. Not only did she not detect menace in his eyes – she saw no sentiment at all.

That was when her pulse really started to quicken. The cruel man she knew would never let this happen to him. Calculated rage had always been his modus operandi. The whole concept of emptiness should have been alien to him. So why did he now look so devastated? If he hadn't threatened back in the Archangel Academy, she would be sure that this person was unwilling to harm her.