The Demon’s Bride

Elise couldn't help but smile on his words, it was embarrassing but knowing Ian was trying to cheer her up, her sadness feel as if it lessen. For the sadness wouldn't be too long before it disappeared. They hugged each other for a little longer, letting time passes as Ian acted like her pillar of comfort.

"You are warm," she whispered, her voice was calmed that told Ian her shock had passed.

"I am, aren't I? You could cuddle longer when we come back home later. The Church members would be here soon and it would be too late if they come here," Ian brushed his hand, running through her hair.

Elise, who had pulled away saw how his hand was reluctant to leave her as Ian continue to twirl her hair between his fingers, "Why would it be too late?"

"Because the Church loves to take cases from other's hands before choosing it as confidential and hiding it from people outside. By that time it would be hard to hide the things we want to search of." He looked at her hair before having to part that left a lingering feeling on his hand that wish to feel the texture again. "Do you want to stay here while I look inside or come with me?" 

Elise shook her head, taking courage for herself. She felt guilty but at the same time, although it might be wrong, she told herself she had to do that or else she would have died. 

"My brave bride," Ian gave her the praise she deserved. Not everyone could be like Elise while having a heart like her. He found everything about Elise mesmerizing. At times she could be scared, but when it was time for her to be strong, she endeavored herself to prepare herself with courage. "You can tell me if you don't want to be here anymore." and she nodded.

With the last warning from Ian that was out of concern, they move to walk down the long corridor that lead to the single room. Elise clenched her hand and Ian rubbed her fists before opening the door for her.

Before the door completely opened, Elise was suddenly remembered by the time she was captured by the Relics before. There was one more woman, did she killed her too? and she received the answer when they entered the room. 

Most things stayed the same as it was when Elise first came as she remembered. The difference being there were piles of ashes near the door which belonged to the bald man and another corpse that was burnt black, similar to how Ian had burnt her aunt's body earlier.

Elise felt her breaths forming to a large lump on the back of her throat, "D-Did I kill her too?"

Ian noted how the body didn't turned to ash, "No." and she turned her head to see how confident Ian was with his firm reply. "This person was burnt to crips by a Demon's magic. I could tell because this room reek a little of a Demon's scent. It's a scent that I know well," because the person live in his house currently, added Ian in his mind.

But Elise didn't know what Ian meant yet because she didn't know much about Demons around Ian, "Whose is it?"

"Beelzebub's," was Ian's short reply, his expression instead of thanking his friend to protect but a narrow.

"Did he protected me?" she questioned because it seemed to her that Ian didn't look pleased even though at times like these he would have smile even if his relationship with Beelzebub wasn't close, they had a closer relationship to Elise's house.

"It would be good if it sounds so, but Beel don't protect out of good will. You should ask why he is here in the first place. He was tailing you," and Elise frowned, why would Beelzebub do that? "You told me before that you saw Hallow?" inquired Ian.

"Yes, but it was only for a moment, I'm not sure if I dreamt him," she recalled to have dreamt of Hallow once before.

"No, he was certainly here with Beelzebub. Whatever those two are planning you should be careful from them. They don't seem dangerous or coming with an evil intention, but something is fishy with Beelzebub." Ian saw the way the body burnt even more horrible than the fire he used, noting it was Beelzebub's blue fire which belonged only to him out of all Demons in Hell.

But Elise wondered why despite Beelzebub being fishy Ian didn't kick him from the house. While they searched around, Elise then remembered about the casket. Opening it again to reconfirm the words she stated to her aunt that made her rattled, she wondered if she would be seeing a body of a boy but there was nothing the moment the lid was opened.

"This is the coffin that your aunt-," Ian suddenly stopped talking and she looked at him, asking why in her eyes when he grinned and added, "I mean late aunt mentioned earlier that there was a special experience that of her stored here. But seems like nothing to me." Elise then saw Ian reached out his hand to placed it deeper to the water, by the time he pulled his hand out he said to her, "I sensed a presence of someone and a rotten smell from here."

"But the boy isn't here. Did someone took the body?" The placed was filled with bodies that had met their final rest which was death. But what if this one body was truly as her aunt said bear a miracle where it could come back to life?

"Hm, I think someone did, it's impossible for a body to walk on their own after all," Ian answered with a sound answer which Elise nodded to.

"But what if it comes back to life just like my aunt said?" Then that would be a disaster, thought Elise. She shivered when thinking everyone who died would be having a second chance to live. As beautiful as it sounded, at the same time it was terrifying because there was no telling who would come back alive. 

When something that is natural like death to be played by a human's hand, it was more horrifying than blessing. Because by then humans would be defying the fate of their lives.

"That won't happen," came Ian's firm words, his gaze met hers when he said solemnly, "To come back alive it's only a human's romance, Elise. There are no human in this world who had lost their families without later thinking how wonderful it would be if their family came back alive. However, as it is said, that's a miracle that no one could do."

"But you are immortal, that is also something that is not possible," Elise wondered what was the difference when the two defy the rule of the mortal's world which also seem to work in Hell and Heaven as angels and Demon could die. Ian was an exception.

"I am different, sweetheart. I had to exchange something for my immortality. I sold my humanity to become a Demon. As for why coming back to life is impossible, it's because when a person died their soul leave their body. If one attempt to move the body, they would become similar to a doll, just a moving body as there are no souls in it," Ian said when he pulled his left hand away after dropping it to the water and wiped his hand before wearing his gloves again. "There are no one who could replicate a soul."

"Did you saw someone tried to do that?" asked Elise because Ian seemed as if he knew all about bringing a person back to life better than anyone.

"I did. Long ago," He then closed the casket, "It was a Demon named Caleb. He lost someone important to him and tried to bring the other person back to life."

"But he didn't succeed," whispered Elise and she saw Ian smiling at her when a passing pity expression passed by his eyes which was new. 

"He didn't. What happened was the person he treasured woke up with their soul distorted. The person who was brought to life then goes to rampage, eating heart of humans which in the end Caleb had to bring them death, again," Ian watched how Elise empathize with the person's death. Sweet Elise, thought Ian. She was precious as her own being. He went to rub her cheek that had her to close her right eye, "We should look around a little more before leaving."

Elise nodded, when she caught the heap of ashes in front of the door, inside her heart she told herself not to worry. What happened was because her body was trying to protect herself from danger, and if she didn't she would have been injected with a syringe, going away, she then took the syringe she recalled to have seen and picked it up to bring it toward Ian, "The Relics trying to inject me with this. I don't know what it was for."

"It doesn't look safe," Ian took the syringe to his hand and he moved the liquid to see how it was made in a soupy substance, "I will keep on this and look more into what it was." He narrowed his eyes while looking at the syringe as Elise continued to look around. Inwardly, he swore to bring the whole group of Relics who tried to put an unknown substance to Elise and made sure they all would face their fate— the fate of death for daring to touch Elise.

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There might me one extra chance chapter in a couple hours, don't forget to vote for the mass release. Our goal is 2000 powerstone ^^