hell-bound ; my inner demons

7 ; diversion

"recreation and diversion are as necessary to our well-being as the more serious pursuits of life." - brigham young

The air was heavy, although maybe it was the difference in air pressure between Daemos and Earth. More than anything, the wait itself for Asch was suffocating. Heavy breaths lingering on doomed thoughts, and an ache that didn't seem to be quenched even when I drew my name in the soil and counted the passing seconds.

It wasn't that I missed him or anything, surely not. I was just worried for the safety of my friend. Yeah, that's what it was.

Sighing as I leaned back into the grass, the individual blades between my fingertips, slightly moist from the little drizzle of rain that had poured prior to leaving the bunker. The serene environment in the supposedly dangerous forest frightened me slightly, and every breath I took seemed to shake the trees.

The forest was deathly quiet, not a soul seeming to inhabit it. Maybe there weren't many animals on Daemos. If there was monsters deep in the canopies... I didn't particularly want to know. All I know is that the cloaking spell should be in effect, otherwise Rhys wouldn't have allowed me to come outside.

Thinking about it, Asch had never specified exactly when he'd be back. That only worried me more. What if it took hours, days, weeks? Even then, would we be caught by the royal guard? Mauled by theives? Who knew if the Spectrum of Death that Leif was with would come back to retake their base? What about Dew?

I groaned, shoving my head into my hands. It was too much to think about, who to trust, what to do, where Ava is. I missed her so much, my best friend amidst all the chaos, and the only person that genuinely kept me sane throughout the hard times. It was nice to at least have a breath of fresh air though. To lie back and stay in my own head. Thank god I have some time to myself to think about it all.

Hopefully all my questions will be answered in due time.

Just as I sat up from the grass, hands soiled by wet dirt, that's when I heard it.

"You can run, but you can't hide, Prince!" A voice that made my blood run cold.

Asch and Zex were nearby.

Dashing into the trees, I did my best to make as little noise as possible. Even if they couldn't see me, that didn't mean they couldn't hear my footsteps. As I crept through the trees, I clamped my hand over my mouth.

A group of what looked to be royal soldiers, clad in golden armour, trooped through the woods. And just behind a bush, a horn peeked out.

I sprinted as fast as I could, running to Asch as I whispered into his ear, "They're to your left."

I pressed my hand over his mouth to suppress his gasp of shock, and he looked up at me, confused as he grabbed onto my arm.

"Y/N?"

"Rhys. Cloaking spell. I'll explain later." You quickly said, peeking over to where the guard was looking and pulling Asch into the next bush over.

That was when I realised he was lugging something over his shoulder. A statue? That looked really heavy and unecessary, but you didn't question it.

"I'll make noise and lure them away. You move as quietly as you can towards the base." I instructed, heart pounding in my chest.

Was I really about to act as a distraction in a dangerous situation? Distractions usually get eaten, in my experience with dogs, especially.

Ah, screw it.

"You're not going to put yourself in danger for me, idiot." Asch growled, grabbing onto me.

"We don't have a choice right now." I explained, stretching my legs as I got ready.

"Hey," Asch mumbled, and I turned to face him. "Come back to me, alright?"

I grinned at him, heart pounding in my chest. He was a dumbass, really. I was fully aware he couldn't see it, and thank the Lord for that. His face was contorted in such pain, probably because he was giving up his pride to let me help him get away. But still, it was good to know he cared.

"Got it, mister Prince of Daemos. Stay safe." I said, before letting go of him and rushing off into the bushes, stomping loudly as I ran.

"Sounds! That way!" The guards shouted, chasing after my footsteps.

Running further and further into the trees, once I'd hit a point where I thought they couldn't reach the base any longer, I slowed my footsteps, creeping slowly back towards the base, avoiding the soldiers.

The moment I felt like I lost them, the fear began creeping in like the crashing tides, overwhelming all of my senses as the adrenaline of the previous situation was leaving my body. A tsunami swallowing up a city, my limbs turning to jelly as I stumble on my feet, heart pounding so loudly I could hear it in my ears, a thumping noise that shook me to the core.

I wasn't one for exploration, much less dealing with royal soldiers in another world. Still, I was more concerned about Asch.

Finally reaching the base, I unhinged the latched door as I slipped inside, closing it behind me as I tripped on a step, sending me tumbling down the constricted tunnel, rolling onto the ground as my sides ached.

Lying on the floor facing the ceiling, the first thing I saw was a tuft of orange hair and a soft face, gasping as he looked down at me.

"Y/N!" Noi exclaimed worriedly, grasping my cheeks as he checked my arms for signs of injuries. "Asch got back a while ago, but then you weren't back yet so I was really really worried..." He said, hefting my body upright as he rushed me into a comfortable embrace.

"They're down in this creepy cave thing deep in the bunker. They're trying to defrost Lady Grandma."

"Lady Grandma?"

"Yeah, she's old... but I can explain later! Your arms are bruised, I can heal you up quickly."

With an unwavering strength, Noi picked me up bridal style, and the flush only deepened across my cheeks. His face seemed quite red too, but he puffed out his cheeks and brought me into his room. On his bed. I would've said something if this was anyone else, but Noi's sweet demeanour and kind words only etched themselves deeper into my heart.

Running gentle touches and soft fingers over the length of my arm and muttering words, he looked at me through lidded eyes, hot breath fanning my face. My arm felt a lot better, although I wasn't sure if it was the magic or just his presence.

"You're too pretty." He suddenly announced, blush spread from his cheeks to the tips of his ears.

My face heated up, most likely mirroring his. My mouth was held agape, but before I could reply, the door opened behind us, and turning around was Dew, who hadn't left his room since the incident, somehow had come to get us, scowling with furrowed brows.

"Stop cuddling and come down to the cave. Unfortunately, we're going to need to use a lot of fuckin magic to defrost this woman together."

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thank you so much for your continued support of hell-bound! my writing style has changed a LOT over the past couple of years, and hopefully i can get back into my groove. sorry if this chapter seems strange, but i'm trying something a little new. i'll continue doing my best in this series, and any feedback is appreciated! thank you so much again, your support is literally everything <3 - mira