Chapter 19: Utter Darkness
This kiss was subtly different from the previous ones.
Nelly couldn’t describe it in words, but she had never felt so soft from the inside out, her heart trembling, just from a simple meeting of their lips.
The corners of Karsus’s eyes curved. “You do like me a little.”
The morning light was dim, and his face was half-submerged in the monotonous darkness, but it couldn’t hide the obvious, childlike joy. This joy turned into a faint blush on his cheeks, adding a touch of innocence to the Demon King’s already youthful features. Could something this simple make him so happy?
Nelly was actually speechless. She lowered her eyes, neither denying nor confirming, just staring blankly at the intricate patterns on the Demon King’s night robe.
The wavering she showed was not even a hundred-thousandth of what she felt inside. She knew he had hit the nail on the head.
She did like him a little, no matter how absurd the conclusion, no matter how many reasons she had to hate him. She did hate him, but like and hate were not fire and water that couldn’t coexist. They were more like two thorny vines, intertwining in opposite directions, wrapping tighter and tighter around her heart, climbing up toward her throat, choking her until she couldn’t breathe.
She suddenly understood why she had made such a bold, rebellious move just now. She had wanted to use that method to bid a final farewell to this unwanted emotion.
But Karsus had seen through her intentions, which she herself hadn’t been clear about, and had stopped her.
The extent to which he understood her was beyond her imagination, and it terrified her.
Nelly shook her head. “I want to go home.”
The dawn sky was dim, and the room was hazy, as if filled with mist. Wisps of light and shadow seeped into Karsus’s eyes, giving that hint of red a captivating, suppressed beauty. His fingers brushed against her cheek, his tone very gentle. “I know. But I won’t let you go.”
Nelly’s lips tightened. She glared at him, her fists clenched, and said in a low, gritted voice, “You’re insane.”
He chuckled softly and leaned in to breathe into her ear. “Nelly, you’re the one who drives me insane.”
“You…” Her retort was cut off at the first syllable. She bit her lip hard, her face flushing red.
Karsus’s laughter slid down her neck.
“It would be enough to just have me, but Nelly always chooses the harder path. Restraint, distress, hatred, avoidance, exhaustion.” His voice held a bewitching magic, luring one to sink with him. “But it doesn’t matter. I will always be watching you.”
“Because a struggling Nelly is also very cute.”
※
Summer arrived silently in the Demon City.
Even in summer, Sloth, surrounded by mountains, remained as cool as spring.
Nelly sat by the fountain in the tower garden, watching a flock of ravens screech past. The envy that surfaced in her heart came and went quickly.
Another half a month had passed, and she had grown numb. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about escaping or killing him, but no matter the process, the result would only become a joke for after-dinner amusement, bringing deeper humiliation.
All options were exhausted. It seemed the only path left was death. She began to try to kill herself in every way she could think of. But the omnipresent familiars always arrived at the first moment. Even the right to die was taken from her.
She closed her eyes. The sunlight, filtering through the thick clouds, fell on her intermittently. The warmth reminded her that she was still alive.
“Nelly?”
Nelly jumped at the call.
A person emerged from behind a stone pillar, with blond hair and green eyes. It was the knight she had seen before. He didn’t say much, just walked straight up, took Nelly’s hand, and led her to the edge of the terrace. He said softly, “Pardon me.” He swept her up by the waist and, before she could react, he nimbly stepped onto the railing and leaped off.
Nelly was too shocked to move.
They landed lightly on an incredibly large eagle.
The giant eagle let out a clear cry, spread its wings, and flew, circling the border of Sloth and heading toward the royal capital, Mez.
“This is a mount borrowed from the temple.” The blond knight smiled gently and asked with concern, “Are you alright?”
Nelly shook her head haphazardly. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
“Theon.”
“Thank you, Theon.” Nelly looked thoughtfully at the shrinking fortress of Sloth, feeling a sense of unreality. The miracle she had been waiting for for so long had actually come true. She had escaped!
At that moment, a dinging sound was heard. Nelly jolted and, without thinking, swiped open the interface.
—”Welcome back, Guide No. 1028.”
“Requesting permission to use a return scroll immediately, coordinates royal capital Mez.”
—”Request processing.”
Nelly glanced back at Theon. His emerald green eyes were filled with polite curiosity, clearly very interested in the interface that had appeared out of thin air.
But now was really not the time for explanations.
—”Request…”
With another snap, the screen was once again filled with red.
Nelly felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her. Her body went limp, and her teeth chattered. She hissed, “He’s here.”
Theon already had his sword in hand. He said in a deep voice, “Hold on tight.”
The sound of flapping wings approached rapidly. Theon suddenly ducked low, and at the same time, the giant eagle abruptly changed direction, swooping diagonally. If it weren’t for Theon behind her, Nelly would have almost been thrown off the eagle’s back.
Two arrows with flaming tips whistled past them. The screaming arrows made a sharp turn in mid-air and charged straight at them again.
Theon gasped, and with a heavy press of his hands, the giant eagle let out a long screech and dived low, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Nelly had just caught her breath when she felt a sudden impact.
In a blur, the giant eagle seemed to cry out in pain and plummeted straight down.
The momentum was too strong, too fast. Nelly’s hand slipped, and she fell.
She only had time to see Theon’s blond hair flying in the air as he and the white eagle disappeared into the endless abyss.
It took her a moment to realize that she was still hovering in mid-air.
And at that moment, she finally fell.
—Let it end like this. Nelly smiled.
“I won’t let you have your wish.”
The cool voice that haunted her nightmares and reality was right next to her ear. She flinched and subconsciously tried to struggle, but her whole body was paralyzed, unable to move. She could only let Karsus hold her tightly.
The Demon King’s black wings spread out elegantly, and with a few flaps, they were back above Sloth.
“No. I. Don’t. Want. To.” At first, it was just broken, single words squeezed from the depths of her throat, which gradually pieced together into a sentence. Nelly stubbornly repeated, “No, no, I don’t want to…”
Karsus paid her no mind. She was pressed against his chest, unable to see his expression or hear his response, and she was at the height of despair.
They landed in the courtyard. The building of unknown purpose looked gloomy even at noon. Withered vines crawled up the gray stone walls, and the shadow cast by the triangular tower enveloped them both.
Karsus half-pushed, half-pulled Nelly to the front of the door. She looked up numbly. The lintel was exquisitely carved with a row of figures with blank eyes. She looked at them, and felt that they were looking back at her. They were all the same, the only difference being that they were trapped in stone, and she in someone’s arms.
The wooden door creaked open, and the faint smell of old dust wafted out.
It was pitch black in front of them, and the light from behind was not enough to see the situation clearly. Nelly was passively led a few steps forward, and then the muffled sound of the door closing was heard.
Karsus didn’t stop. He walked calmly in the darkness. Nelly couldn’t see his expression, but she could clearly imagine his face in her mind: expressionless, but his eyes under his bangs were bright, his chin slightly raised.
She didn’t know what awaited her.
They seemed to have passed through another metal door.
Karsus finally stopped. Nelly couldn’t stop in time and crashed into his chest.
His long, cool fingers brushed against the back of her neck and rested on her shoulder. A pale, dim light slowly lit up, vaguely illuminating the surroundings.
Nelly froze on the spot.
They were in the center of a huge golden cage. Bars as thick as an arm extended upward, curving into a dome where they met. The cage was fully furnished with everything one could need, except… looking around, there was no door to this cage!
Karsus stood against the light, his face hidden in the darkness, only his eyes glowing like molten red glass. His tone was very calm. “I didn’t want to do this either, but I have no choice.”
“From now on, you will live here. Only I can open the cage door.”
Nelly trembled violently. She stumbled back, shaking him off, and leaned against the edge of a wooden table, speechless.
Karsus walked closer, step by step, and easily trapped her between himself and the table. He propped his hands on either side, his upper body leaning forward. Nelly had to bend backward, her waist like a bow drawn by an invisible hand.
The handsome Demon King lowered his eyes and said softly, “It’s time for your punishment.”
The dim, white light suddenly went out, and all around was a suffocating darkness.