Chapter 174
1496words
~M e m o r y~
Darkness and unending suffering.
It was all i could feel at the moment i was lying down, the devil looking at me with amusement, he laughs as he watches my body burn continuously.
I raised a hand, observing how my flesh turns black, my fingertips slowly turning into dust. How many times has it been?
How many times i've endured this treatment?
At that point, i don't even know what's pain anymore.
My body was burning yet my mind was blank- filled with nothing but emptiness surging all throughout my every being. I didn't care if the devil was laughing at how his vessel was suffering, i only thought at that time was.
Seeing the image of a girl.
{"Christal,"} I muttered, my eyes widening.
i tried reaching to her, even if i knew she was just an illusion.
It hurts!
Despite the red flames that covered my vision, just by the thought of seeing her image within the void that i was feeling, was enough to pull me back to my senses, letting out a drop of a tear due to the pain.
Not from the pain of my burning flesh.
But to the realization, that i won't be seeing her anymore.
I cried closing my eyes, {"Christal!"}
[["My, after 8 years of pain, you still can't forget that girl?"]] The devil laughs from afar, his voice reaching to me despite our distance.
[["How upsetting."]] He groans, stopping the treatment that was burning me. As soon as it all disappeared, i fell down harshly on the ground, my cheeks damp from my tears that wouldn't stop.
I gagged, coughing out blood.
I-Is it done?
[["Tsk, another treatment failure! I have already made you experienced betrayal by your own blood, yet why is your heart still intact?!"]] He angrily stands up from his seat, the numerous souls that were swarming around me, quickly dispersed as he arrived.
He grips my chin, [["So blood isn't thicker than water after all?"]]
I was so exhausted, my body was still trembling due to the continuous trauma of healing and dying constantly. I was too out of it that i didn't dare to speak anything about him.
Whatever he was saying, didn't make sense to me anymore.
He lets go of me, my head lowering to the ground as i kneeled in position. Silence covered hell for a second, everything stopping around us for we were suddenly covered in nothing.
There was nothing around me, not even the souls or flames.
He proposes something.
[["How about this then? Let's have a deal."]]
Deal?
Still uninterested, i refused to meet the devil's eyes. I replied, {"I-I had enough of making deals, whatever it is i don't agree to it."}
I balled my fists in anger, remembering the deal i had with a witch that just played with my life in the end. If it weren't for that deal, then i wouldn't have left her in that state.
It's sickening.
I covered my mouth, gagging a bit.
[["Really? even if it's a deal to see her again?"]]
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My eyes shot open.
The first thing i saw was Christal's trembling hands reaching its way to my neck, her face filled with an expression of anger and hostility.
She wraps her hands on my neck, her fingertips grazing my neck painfully.
Despite what was happening, I stared at her in awe. Seeing her again after that nightmare that i haven't seen for years made me relieved.
It's still better to be beside you than crazily think of you.
"HOW COULD YOU! HOW DARE YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME!" She yells, her voice cracking as her tears continuously fall, she tightens the grip on my neck.
"I'll kill you! you're not Charles! Stop pretending you fucking demon!"
I smiled.
She snaps, crushing my neck with her palms, yet her action only backfired to her. She gasps in fright, coughing aggressively before pulling her naked body away from me as soon as she felt herself being attacked.
I sat up, "You can't kill me."
She holds her throat with trembling hands, "You motherfucker, what did you do to me!?"
I frowned, "We are already bounded by soul. If you try to kill me, you'll die too."
Her eyes widened in horror.
"W-What do you mean."
"Exactly how it sounds." i said, confirming her doubts.
When i observed her, i noticed how bad she was shaking. Either from anger or fear- it didn't matter to me. All i could think of was- how delightful she looked with those horrified eyes.
I pulled her wrist, forcing her body to rest on top of me. "We have completed the ritual, with this- not even death can pull us apart."
○ CHRISTAL's POV ○
I'm scared.
My body trembling, the anxiety that i was feeling worsened as soon as he said those words. Utter horror and fear enveloped my whole body, i froze on my spot before he could caress my cheeks.
W-Why is this happening?
I bit my lower lip in anger.
How could i be stupid enough to drink that fucking wine! Just how much stupid i can get?! i even let him touch me! how shameless of me, if Zyrus knew.. what would happen?
Yet even with all the complaints that were spiraling all throughout my head. I knew i would've taken it even if i were given the chance to go back in time before he offered me the drink.
After all, binding his soul to mine was an advantage to our plans.
Still.
It destroys me to think that i let somebody else than my mate touch me!
"You're beautiful," He whispers, "It's time, your coronation will finally be completed this time." He kissed the strands of my hair, looking at me with his red gleaming eyes.
Disgusting.
Charles wasn't the human i've loved nor i felt the need to understand. It was selfish i know, yet seeing how he was at the point of no return made me realize that there was no hope.
For people like us at least.
"Tell me, what do you feel about me?" I chuckled bitterly, placing my palms on his chest. "You don't love me Charles, you're obsessed with the idea of the past."
He glares at me.
"What? Hit a nerve? isn't it the truth. You kept saying you love me, but look how you're hurting me without batting an eye." I said with glowing red eyes just like his, both of our hatred to each other going in sync.
"You don't know what you're talking about," He hissed, letting me go and standing up abruptly.
I cried.
I knew what he was going through. He suffered with a disease in an early age, lost his old way of living, forced into being a devil's child- but what's worst of it was that he never actually experienced love except from our time together.
I know clearly how pitiful he was, my first love.
Yet i knew.
I fucking knew we can't go back since I've fully given my heart to Zyrus now. It's too late! It's too late to even think about anything about us right now.
I laughed bitterly, my tears falling hard. "I hate you."
"I don't mind. It's bound to happen anyways." He frowns, his face exhausted.
What?
I exhaled in disbelief.
"Now, get up my Queen. you have a coronation to attend." He turns to me, reaching his hand towards me.
I slapped it away. "I don't need you to help me,"
He pulled his hand back.
Slowly, i placed both of my feet to the ground. My thighs were numb just like how my full body was aching all over. I hissed at the pain, forcing myself to stand up. When i almost fell on my ass, he catches my waist in one hand.
"Stop acting strong, you should beg me to heal you."
Damn it, he's right.
My body isn't healing!
I growled, pushing him away. "Ha! you want me to attend to that damned coronation in this state?! what do you want after all huh?! to humiliate me!?"
He returns a blank expression.
"The soul-binding have given my control to your body, you can't heal without my permission. So don't even think about running away."
I flinched.
"I even invited your friends, shouldn't you show some courtesy, my queen?"
"W-What friends?"
He smirks. "You'll know,"
After that, he walks away, completely disappearing in my sight as i lay down on the ground. My exhausted body was running out of energy that my eyes were threatening to close. As i was about to accept all of it, my body surged into power as my regeneration ability heals every part of my body, including the exhaustion that i felt until that time.
Did he just heal me?
I frowned.
