The Demon’s Bride

Elise stared at the man and she didn't expect him to be there, seeing how she was alone and the table was turned as there were two dark sorcerers she noticed she was currently in a pickle. The gear in her mind begin to move, weighing her choice to fight the two, she could tell it won't be easy. She needed to stall time, "I could never guess you have taken Frank's appearance. When did you take his place?"

"I guess a week ago?" smiled the man and she felt very uncomfortable seeing her acquaintance's face was worn by someone else who wasn't them. "He was the easiest target in White Mansion, you know. Because he lived away from the castle, it was easy for me to knock and barge to his house before killing him. He also has a faint presence in the house that helped me to conflate with the servants of the castle."

A week ago? asked Elise as suddenly she realized what was wrong. It was the same time when Elise had visited the Church with Beelzebub. At that time, she saw a grim reaper with silver scythe following them. Beelzebub claimed that silver scythe symbolizes the grim reaper that would harvest a human's soul. In the carriage that day, there was not only one demon but two including her while Frank was the only human. There were signs but she couldn't see them, thinking of it, Elise clenched her hands. 

"It was my first time to ever live in a castle. Much more than what I have imagined it was truly magnanimous and majestic. I can tell how lucky the people who were sent to work in the castle," hummed the man who was still using Frank's skin.

"Sent to the castle?" repeated Elise with her brows pulling in a tight knot.

"Yes, there were that two people who we sent to the castle. Unfortunately from what I heard they died, tch," the man continued and Elise felt her heart went cold as she knew who it was. It was Carmen and Tracey, the two maids who were sent by them. They both wanted to kill her.

"You know me," Elise said in realization, seeing the man's smile widening, "You were the one who ordered them to kill me. Why did you target me?" By far the man seemed to be loose-lipped when it comes to answering her question and Elise tested the water to see how far she could go and pull the information from the man.

"It wasn't me but certainly someone from our side. If I am not wrong it was Thomas who ordered them, because the Warine Lord is an eyesore to us," and upon hearing Thomas's name, Elise saw Barner on the ground sunk in fear. It appeared Thomas was someone who Barner feared the most. "But don't worry we didn't come here to fight, lovely Lady Elise. Just so you know, Reinhard is waiting outside this barrier. He is someone strong, you see, even stronger than Barner. In actuality, Barner isn't strong either the reason why he could pull such a stunt is due to the sacrifices he acquires without it he isn't even as strong as a dog. He told me to kill you but you are such a pretty lady that is yet to ripe, I don't want to kill you now," smiled the man with an off-putting happy smile.

Elise felt shiver upon seeing the look the dark sorcerer directed to her and found what he said as strange, "If you are not here for me, what did you come for?"

"Him," the man flicked his finger toward Barner, "This dog had been making us trouble by gathering more souls than we needed almost raising suspicions to the Church. He should have known not to catch a Lord and look what he did?" sighed the dark sorcerer as he shook his head as if he was in a trouble. 

Elise frowned when she saw the man's face melted, showing his true face of a man with golden eyes and brown hair, a corrupted Angel, thought Elise. She heard a loud gasp sprang from Barner who was on the ground next to her.

"No! Colton I was doing everything that h-he told me," said Barner, making a poor excuse as he tried to shift his body position from leaning his back on the trunk of the tree forward but was unable to make it far as he fell sideways. "T-Thomas told me that he wanted souls and that was all that I did. I followed each of his words, he won't dispose me, would he?"

Elise was confused at the sudden turn but she could tell that there was someone higher than Thomas who Barner feared more, and it was possible that person might've been the one who was controlling all the dark sorcerers. 

The dark sorcerer, Colton in front of Elise set a smile, with his hand on his face he hummed in a thought as if weighing his choice that gave light to Barner's eyes that didn't stay long as almost immediately his smile fell, "No. He would."

Before anyone could react, Elise saw Colton disappeared in a wind-like movement and appeared behind Barner. She raised her hand, threatening, "Stop! Don't kill him!" There were still many things that Elise needed to know from Barner as he knew and had seen her father. She didn't want one of her last lead to find her origin to be severed. 

Colton did halt his movements because he had seen what Elise could do by turning Barner's hand to fine gray dust. He looked at her, offering a polite smile, "I can't ever deny a gorgeous lady's request like yours, Lady Elise. But I can't also allow myself to forget the mission that was given to me. It won't be pretty if I hurt you, so play with someone else, okay?" At once, the ghouls that surround the forest begin to move in a slow liquidy movement.

"I said stop!" Elise yelled, she focused all her ability on her palm, imagining it in her mind before releasing a blast toward Colton. The dark sorcerer dodges it by a hair's distance and his eyes moved to see the tree that caught the damage in his stead. In his watch, the tree turns all gray before it shattered into a bag of ashes. 

Colton watch what happened with his eyes wide before long a smile appeared on his face, "Wow!" He said in a surprised-whispered voice, awed that Elise could use her ability without the need of touching.

Seeing that she was cornered, Elise knew this was the limit for her, "Ian," she whispered before anything more went from their favor, and within a second, Ian came from above them, sending wind below as his wings moved back and forward.

His black wings were spread out and horns appeared on the sides of his head that grew in a certain height before curling. His eyes persevered his Demonic side, and when he stared at the new dark sorcerer who came, he clicked his tongue, "One ant die for another. It doesn't seem like giving others some time for rest and peace are in your book, is it," he said as he arrived beside Elise, taking his right wing to cover her back from the blind spot. "Well that's fine, I only need to set a fire to burn you all."