The Demon’s Bride

Mila who was smiling had her smile fell. "I raised you well but you can't change your innate disposition as a demon."

"You are wrong," Elise stepped closer to the woman when Mila took a step forward, she realized her legs wasn't able to move as she wanted. The black shadows from underneath Elise's feet had caught the woman's limbs, putting her on hold. 

Mila gasped trying to pull her hands only resulted for the shadows to tightened its grip. Mila's eyes quickly met Elise's, "What do you mean by wrong? I am right, isn't it? You can kill me who had been beside you since childhood. I did loved you Elise."

"But your hatred wins over your love," Elise completed. "Since both I have been a demon. You knew it so this much is to be expected. Thank you Mila and welcome to your punishment."

Elise reached out her hand while Mila screamed and struggled away to no avail. With the shadows locking her down, she could only stun on her place, experiencing the pain on her chest as Elise's black shadows turned into a sharp blade. The blade dug inside the woman's body but not to pierce the heart.

Elise could tell with the amount of power Mila had gained, killing her by a mere stab won't be enough. She could also tell that something in her snapped, causing her power to multiply rapidly. Now, she overpower Mila who had earned the power of taboo magic through her wretched rituals.

Easily, once a slit had been made, Elise pushed her hand inside the woman's chest and pulled out her heart. Mila was still alive as she watched her heart taken. As Elise guessed, taking her heart wasn't even enough.

"Let's burn it," Leviathan was the one who suggest to her. He was going to offer his help when Elise had manifested blue fire on her hands that destroyed the heart.

Mila continue to scream in agony while watching her heart burning in the fire. She reached out her hand in her screams but Elise didn't do anything. When she closed her eyes, Elise was taken back to the memories of her past. She recalled how happy she was as a child. Often time Mila would stare at her but with a smile. Only now that Elise knew the look on Mila's eyes go so much against her gentle smile on her lips.

Mila's fingers finally fell motionless after a while when her heart had completed turned to ashes.

Leviathan stared at his daughter's back. He can't tell what kind of emotions running through her mien now. However as a man who had lost his wife in front of him, he could tell how much pain she was going through at the current moment.

Slowly, he came to Elise's side. He always failed being there for Elise. He had thought that by distancing himself with his daughter, he might be able to spare her from the business of Hell. He didn't want to involve her in a world that doesn't suited her kind heart she acquired from her mother, Adelaide.

But from now on, he knew he should stay with her. No matter what was about to come if he was beside her he should be able to stop events such as this to happen.

Leviathan placed his large hand on her shoulder. Elise didn't turn her head to meet him as if she was ashamed of her own expression and gave him a nod of her head.

"I still have a few things to take care. Can you leave me for a moment? I only need time of my own," Elise said to Leviathan. 

He knew what Elise wanted and answered with a small, "Take your time but don't stay for too long outside." 

Elise brought her head softly up and down in response. Leviathan being the sensitive person, brought Beelzebub and Esther away from the garden. However, he didn't forget to keep a look around in case another danger was to come.

Now alone, Elise breathed in a shivering breaths. She crouched down on the ground again, picking the ashes Ian had to the small handkerchief she always brought with her. When she was done, she looked at Mila. The woman's eyes were closed and now she felt her soul's presence had been gone. 

Elise strengthened her heart and hovered her hand over the woman's hand. With her eyes closed, she whispered, "Show me your deepest secret."

There wasn't a lot of things Elise want to know from Mila. When she knew she had been betrayed, Elise felt pain but she didn't know who to blame. Everyone was a victim and she had no place to judge as her opinion will differ according to where the position she stood at.

Elise had only wanted to dig deeper into who had been the one to help Mila. 

Waiting for the vision to come, Elise slowly opened her eyes again to see that she had transported into the White Mansion. It was the most unexpected and Elise ventured the White Mansion by her eyes. It was the place where she had stayed for long but now it felt foreign to her as she didn't know when this memory took place.

"That's the child," said one of the maid who had been standing beside her, below the large staircase on the entrance of the castle. Elise looked at the woman, finding her voice unfamiliar but seeing the face of the woman, Elise remembered who it is as the woman was one of the few maids who once worked in White Mansion.

Elise now learned when this piece of memory came from.

It was ten years ago, when she had just came.

"That is she?" Finally, the familiar voice rang. It was Mila. Seeing the woman, Elise felt numb. She watched Mila's eyes while looking at her smaller self. But oddly, Elise couldn't find trace of the woman faking her kind smile upon calling her name.

"My name is Mila," she introduced herself to the small girl who looked frightened and tattered. Her red hair was striking while her blue eyes were vivid. "I have been told to take care of you."

At this point, Mila hadn't shown her intent on hurting her. When did it happened? Or is Mila was just excellent in hiding her emotions?