The Demon’s Bride

The night was windy and cold, but Elise didn't feel the cold to be chilling. With Ian's hand round on her body, she felt the warmest she had ever been. The wings that were pitch black reminded her of the black feather she took from their last flight. As Ian told her it had turned to ashes, she didn't see check it. Did it really turn to ash? wondered Elise.

The position where Elise was, her hand rounded over Ian's neck and his face getting close than never before, had her skipped her heartbeat.

"How do you feel?" Ian looked down, his red eyes had always been intense while showing the brimming mischief and his whimsical acts.

"It's great," replied Elise. She looked down to see the houses looking small. Some lights came from torches in each house, looking at it the sky felt as if it had descended on the ground.

"Glad that you feel so," Ian chuckled to see Elise enjoying herself. She was scared like a kitten at first, but now she had gotten accustomed to flying in the sky that it seemed carriages wouldn't do enough for her. That was good. Like this, Elise can't enjoy going with someone else as she would keep thinking to fly with him.

They reached the entrance of the village where Elise had said. The entrance of the village holds a large entrance with the name of the village written above the gate 'Rumspariga'. 

She turned her eyes to Ian, seeing his wings had disappeared in one swift second, leaving no trace of feathers on the ground. "Do you always fly?" she asked because it's rare that Elise sees him using his wings. It was only a few weeks ago that she learned Ian had a pair of wings that were colored like the night sky. 

"Often, not always. If I don't use carriage like others, they would begin to think of me as suspicious. Not that I cared, but I told you didn't I? There are sometimes things that you don't want to miss by shortcuts," Ian smiled at her, and she returned his smile while agreeing with his idea. Sometimes flying gives them a different view of the world.

Elise was glad that she had taken the courage to agree and fly with Ian. She never knew that despite the fear of falling, there was a thrill, and the gentle air the sky had, made her feel as if in the world there was only her and Ian. It was not a bad feeling.

They walked inside the village. Elise looked around the place before she looked down on the path that was made with stones, "I don't think anyone would be awake at this time," she noted the houses surrounding them. There were no lights as if torches had been blown off so the villagers could have a better sleep without lights.

"Maybe a kind sister inside the Church would let us enter. Who knows, at this midnight, most people come for confession," Ian replied as if he had stayed in the Church before.

Elise raised her brows, feeling her question raising, "Don't most people confess in the afternoon? When the sun is still bright outside." She can't understand why the people would spend the time sleeping to confess when they could do it in the afternoon.

"Not most people are like you, Elise. Sometimes one has too many secrets they don't want others to hear which why they confess at night. For their sins, hoping that only whisper of the night would hear their words and bring their sins away," Ian pulled only one of his lips, looking amused by his words.

"But the sisters and priest wouldn't tell anyone of their sins. They held a promise to God," saying God, Elise felt a mixed emotion to the person. God was the same person who had sent her to Ian. She felt thankful but not as much knowing the former had sent her to kill Ian. 

Ian replied with a breathy laugh, "The people are afraid that someone would overhear them in the afternoon, but at night others would be busy with their affairs of sleeping. Like an example. There is a woman who slept with a man outside her marriage. She confessed her sins at night out of anxiety that her husband or someone in the village overheard her words."

"She shouldn't have done that, a marriage is a holy promise between two people," Elise said, feeling that it was wrong.

"I'm glad to know that my future bride hates cheating," Ian met her eyes and he turned to look at the Church as they arrived, "Did you remember the name of the sister who made the bracelet, Elise?"

"I think her name was Blythe, Sister Blythe," By saying this, Elise saw Ian instead of using his hand kicked the door open. The loud sound startled her and she looked around, seeing whether the villager had come out to see the source of the loud sound, but thankfully there was not.

Elise turns to the church that was dark before shifting her sight to Ian, "Do you think you could enter?" Because Church is a Holy building, Elise wondered if Ian could enter the place safely without getting wounded. She had seen priests performing an exorcism, and it seemed to her eyes that the ghost and whatever had possessed the person to suffer when entering the church or coming in contact with the holy water splashed on them.

At that time Elise was still wearing her bracelet which why she wasn't sure of it.

"Why not?" and Ian strode forward to enter the Church. He was unaffected and seeing it Elise, stared in wonder.

Ian walked past by the door, looking around, noting the candles were lit which mean there were people. It was good, or else he would have to wake the sisters up. He then turns at Elise as she didn't walk when she could, "Forgetting something?" 

"I just thought that nothing could affect you," whispered Elise, she had only seen Ian in his best condition. She had never even seen him wounded or suffer from a small injury. 

"I told you my secret, didn't I?" Ian whispered, his voice low as if reminding her so no one could overhear them, "I am immortal, sweetheart," when he reached her side, his hand settled on her lips, "This is our secret okay? Only you and I know this."

The word makes her special, and as if they were tied to something that only both knows. Elise nodded in response, receiving a sweeter smile from Ian that could almost make her drunk as though she had drunk a very potent alcohol.

"I will search the confession box," Elise suggested before she sank to the feeling on 

"Take the right one, I will check the left, there are two people in here," Ian proposed. 

Elise nodded, leaving Ian's side for a moment she looked around when she saw there to be one small confession box. A name was written above it, naming 'Blythe'. 

It was unexpectedly fast to find the sister's confession box, thought Elise. Fortunately, their luck was great at the time, Sister Blythe seemed to be inside of the confession box as lights were coming from inside the box through the small gaps created on the side of the box. 

When Elise turned around to find Ian, his red eyes stared at the altar, staring at the cross. His red eyes were burning. The other half of his face was covered by shadow while the rest tinted in orange from the flames on the candle. Elise can't help but stare at the sight in silence. It felt to her that Ian was thinking or perhaps walking on a memory lane.

She then saw him turning to look at her, "You found her?" he asked and Elise walked slowly to her side.

"She is on the third confession box. Should I talk with her?" talking before Ian might be the best, they were in Runalia, the land where mythical beings are not allowed to enter unless they have a permit from the magistrate. But they had come in silence and Ian's red eyes were a symbol that differentiates him from humans.

"No," Ian brought his index finger to his lips, "Leave this to me," wondering what he was going to do, she saw him walking casually to the confession box she mentioned and knocked on the door.