The Demon’s Bride

Recommended song: Copycat— Billie Eilish.

It started like an itch then a prickling stir akin to the way a spider crawled underneath the skin and the spine of the dark sorcerers who stood near the broken barrier. If they had to name the sudden emotion, it was terror. Strangely enough they didn't know what they are fear of yet their body could feel it in every fiber of their skin that they needed to run away from the place. 

It was a threat as obvious as a blade against their neck yet there was a moment of pause, or inaction, and hesitation as their mind couldn't comprehend what was going on. 

Their eyes were covered by a black feather the moment their curious gaze landed on the fence. "An Angel?" asked one of the dark sorcerer who stopped her hands from killing the person in front of her. She couldn't tear her gaze, her soul was taken by the guest that had just appeared, and the words had to be taken literally when her head all of a sudden rolled on the ground.

The soft yet crisp sound of rolling skull was unexpectedly heavy when it fell on the ground. The eyes of the woman snapped wide over the sky, showing no light as her soul had reaped by the reaper behind her.

Blood was everywhere, the vivid sickening color of red then pooled below the woman's head, accommodating the rustic fragrance as the body of the woman then followed to fall on the ground with a louder thud.

Ian's eyes had turned black leaving only his irises' claret. On his cheeks were a few drop of blood but he didn't care. Anger shimmered his blood, and his heart was strangely alive like a separate organ of his own body. He recalled his heart never been so alive until he meet Elise— and the other event which caused him to turn into a Demon.

The day he killed everyone in his land to curb and satisfy his thirst of blood and revenge.

A small smile appeared on his full lips that widened with the minute that passed. Ian was enchanting. His handsome face was what moved others and despite the blood around him, it didn't diminish his charm instead, it only turn as an accessories to bring forth the true danger of himself. He was akin to an Angel everyone wanted to see once but the price were their life.

The fierce pair of his eyes then glowered and his smile fade, "Don't run. You will regret it if you do."

"A-AHHH!!!" The dark sorcerers ran like mouse cornered by a cat when they saw the black bone that elongated from the side of Ian's head that grew and curl on the opposite sides of his head. 

It was a Demon. The Demon had came to take their lives.

On the other side of the village far from where Ian was, Elise felt her head aching and splitting to two. It hurts. It hurts but she wasn't able to do anything to stop the pounding pain. Her world was spinning over her eyes, and she couldn't see what was going on, causing her to stay on the ground, clutching to the grass below her feet to pull herself together.

"Forget it!" Reinhard clicked his tongue, at least the Demon's bride seemed to be alive, "One of you bring her unconsciousness-" a deep shiver run down Reinhard's back and he could tell without seeing how every of his subordinates also felt the horrifying chill as their backs were flattened straight.

It was the barrier that had been broken and they didn't know what had came inside. "Tsk, now! We don't have time to waste!"

The dark sorcerers hesitated but they then moved. Lady Ellen was on the end of the tree' bark. She was smiling while seeing Elise suffering in pain, her body curling. But she knew her situation wasn't less dangerous than her. She had only thought of helping the creatures who called themselves as Relics to vent her anger because only then could she push the blame to the unknown creatures if Elise ever died. But then, the damn slave killed the Relics whom she knew, causing her to be caught by the dark sorcerers. 

On second thought, Ellen didn't dislike the idea of being captured as she could see Elise heaving out blood from her mouth.

The dark sorcerer who was chosen made her way toward Elise, her fingers were squeezed to chop down Elise's neck and turn her unconscious. Hallow growled, "Don't come closer!" He bellowed but his attention was divided to the people who were trying to kill him.

"Elly!" yelled Hallow upon seeing the woman's hand falling like the blade of a guillotine. 

Elise's blue eyes snapped at the woman. Bright hint of golden spread from her pupils, changing the color of her blue irises without completely diminishing its original color. Elise took the dark sorceress by her hands, and the woman was shocked. 

"H-How can you move?" The blood on the ground was undeniably Elise's.

Elise offered the woman a smile, blood was still fresh on her lips and it tasted like iron. Elise did feel the pain but if she compared it to her childhood, this was nothing. A minute ago the pain had lessened, but Elise decided to hang her head low for another time to wait for the dark sorcerer to came near and her plan worked. 

"Thankfully you are a bad person. I won't feel guilty by doing this," whispered Elise and the woman's scream rang out the forest. 

Elise pushed herself to stand. She felt like an intoxicated person, her walk was frantically unstable, stumbling over half a step but it didn't change the fear that now crossed her eyes.

Reinhard knotted his brows when he saw his subordinates on standstill and took steps back when Elise came closer. After seeing the first woman changed to a heap of ashes, they weren't courageous enough to challenge their life.

"Take her! She is near her limit. There would be barely anything she could do!" yelled Reinhard, but he himself didn't move.

Elise's eyes that looked down snarled when she met the dark sorcerer's eyes, "Move." She ordered.

The dark sorcerers in front of her was stunned with her bright golden eyes. 

But her pain took over her and her body stumbled. Before she could fall on the ground, a strong arm took her arms. Her ears went numb and she wasn't able to hear but a soft sensation of feather brushed her cheeks, a familiar scent and warmth caress her.

She couldn't tell who this person was as her head continuously hang low, but she could tell this person wasn't Ian, the way he held her was different. She vaguely open her eyes, seeing the person's broad back and the short black hair that tapered on his fair neck.

Everything happened in second and she heard the man speak only for a few seconds before he placed her on the ground. Elise thwarted the man by his sleeve, so he won't leave. Her small action was effective and it caused the man to halt on his heels. He held her finger on his sleeve, a woeful smile on his lips which Elise couldn't see and gently placed her hands  aside.

"I'm sorry for being late. Rest for now," whispered Leviathan, his words slow and kind, and his hand landed on his daughter's head that he missed. Elise felt a surge of calm run on her body and she did feel more serene with the rub of head the man offered her, and her hands fell on her sides. Though it was still vague as if a film of a frosted glass covering her sight, Elise could see the figure of a man and the bat wings against her eyes when she squinted her eyes.

Who was that?