Chapter 39: A New Dawn

A gentle breeze swept past the calm river, carrying with it the lovely songs of birds. The trees swayed softly as the current caressed their branches, while the gentle morning sun rose above the distant horizon, bathing the leaves in golden light and making them glisten with fresh dew.

Sarah’s eyes opened very slowly. The first thing they met was the morning sky, blurred by sleep at first before gradually coming into focus.

"Mmm!" she moaned softly as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

She glanced around, still struggling to gather her scattered thoughts. Then, all at once, the memories of the previous night came rushing back.

They had landed here after dark, drawn to the place by the very river that flowed peacefully beside her on the right.

She turned to her left and found Zuru lying nearby, snoring as though he were engaged in a fierce competition with frogs.

Apparently, whatever horrors they had endured the previous night had done little to disturb his talent for sleeping like the world owed him silence.

A little farther away, near her feet, Skar lay fast asleep, his enormous body nestled in the grass. Each deep breath sent a faint tremor through the blades beneath him, while his massive wings rested loosely against his sides.

But it was Star who truly caught her attention.

He was already awake. More than that, he sat cross-legged on the grass, his back straight, both hands resting loosely on his lap. His eyes were closed, and Sarah needed no one to explain that he was deep in meditation.

His body was still bare, as he was only wearing what remained of his shorts. His transformation earlier hadn’t exactly been gentle on his clothes.

Sarah slowly rose to her feet. The pallor of the previous night’s ordeal still lingered on her face, and her battered body protested even this simple movement. Nevertheless, she steadied herself and made her way towards Star.

"You’re awak..."

She hadn’t intended to stop speaking, but her words came to an abrupt halt.

Now that she was beside Star, she got a better view of the rest of him. That was when she noticed the ring on his finger... it was glowing.

’Universe! No, no, no!’ After what they’d just been through, seeing this brought a huge amount of discomfort to her body.

"Star?" she called softly, lowering herself onto the grass beside him. Perhaps, if she looked sufficiently absorbed in meditation, she could pretend she had joined him for some peaceful morning reflection rather than sitting there with a heart full of alarming questions.

Star didn’t look at her. He didn’t even open his eyes. He only answered after a moment. "Hmm?"

"Is that supposed to be happening?"

Star calmly opened his eyes.

But immediately Sarah’s gaze met his, a sharp shiver seared down her spine. For quite a moment, she couldn’t look away.

His eyes were glowing crimson, and in that instant, fresh flashes went through Sarah’s mind’s eye.

Those eyes with their demonic face - The demonic markings - The evil smile - The fangs sinking into a soldier’s neck.

Sarah quickly tore her gaze away. Her heart was beating considerably faster now.

"What?" Star replied, oblivious to Sarah’s dilemma.

Sarah exhaled feebly in an attempt to recollect herself. ’It’s just Star,’ she tried to assure herself. ’The real him, with the ring on. Glowing or not, he’s still wearing it. I shouldn’t mind those eyes.’

With that thought, Sarah turned towards him, drawing courage from her own words. When her gaze met his again, her heart nearly melted with relief.

Those beautiful, azured eyes was what stared back at her innocently.

"Oh..." she murmured. She quickly shook her head. "Sorry... but your eye... Uhm... y-your, ah... Ring... Yeah, your ring was glowing."

"Oh!" Star looked down at his finger. By then, the ring had already stopped glowing. "Sorry... about that?"

Sarah nodded, but just too quickly.

Star frowned as he studied her closely. "You okay?"

Sarah forced a chuckle. "Yeah," she replied abruptly.

Star raised a brow.

"I am fiiiine," she added, her voice more cheerful this time. "I, ah, I was just worried about the ring glowing and... uhm... well... that’s-th-that’s all."

Star smiled calmly. "Hey." He raised a hand to place it on her shoulder. "Everything is al..."

"Nhhhh!" Sarah gasped loudly, jerking back so violently from his touch that even Star recoiled in surprise.

The moment Star’s hand landed on her shoulder, it was as though her heart had jumped into her mouth in pure fright.

Star quickly pulled his hand away.

He kept staring at her. Deep down, he was astounded, shocked, and speechless.

A little silence washed over them, one that was only broken by Sarah’s chuckle.

"Haha... I... Ha... Wh-what a, uhm... sharp..." She swallowed. "Sharp reflex I-I’ve got there."

"Yeah," Star replied distantly, but his eyes remained fixed on her, scrutinising her with a quiet intensity that only made her more uncomfortable. She couldn’t even bring herself to meet his gaze again.Instead, she lowered her head and stared at her intertwined fingers.

The awkwardness between them seemed to burrow beneath her skin, stirring a bitter mixture of guilt and regret. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. She knew that. Yet knowing her reaction had been instinctive did little to ease the ache in her chest.

"I, ah..." She cleared her throat nervously, then pointed backwards. "I would go and wake, uhm, Zuru."

Star forced a smile. He could only nod. He could see the tremor still running through her body. Even now that she had stood up, he could still see the fright buried beneath that giggle on her face.

For a moment, Star didn’t know what to feel. Confusion, hurt, perhaps even a little fear of his own. Whatever it was, the experience had scorched him more deeply than Dante’s flames ever could.

Meanwhile, Sarah had barely taken four steps towards Zuru when—

Pfft!

"Ah!" she yelped. Something stung her neck. Reflexively, her hand shot towards it. She felt something there and pulled it out. It was a tranquilizer dart.

"Oh no!" she murmured. The next thing she knew, the world was spinning, and she collapsed heavily onto the ground.

Star had already sprung to his feet.

"Sarah?!" He made to rush towards her, but...

Pfft!

He paused at once, and in the next instant, his hand shot forward and caught the dart in midair.

His eyes narrowed. The dart looked rather heavy. Its front was a pin, while its back was almost the size of a thumb. However, it was golden and beautiful.

Star barely had time to raise his eyes from the dart to search for whoever had shot it when its broad end suddenly spread like a blooming flower.

Tck!

A tiny mechanism launched from the pin-shaped end and nicked Star’s neck.

"Damn!"

The sting was brief, but the effect was almost immediate. A wave of dizziness swept through him. He staggered, struggling to keep his balance, before his knees buckled and he crashed onto the ground.

"Urgh!" he groaned, forcing himself to stay awake long enough to call Skar for help.

"Urgh..." He finally turned towards Skar and was about to call him, but through his blurry vision, he could see the beast.

Not because he strained his eyes, but because the beast’s body was reflecting the sunlight. It was already covered in the golden darts.

"Aw, shit!" he drawled.

Just then, people came rushing towards them. They weren’t wearing any distinctive uniforms. They were simply dressed in fancy clothes, but the lower halves of their faces; from their noses down to their chins, were covered.

Star tried to make out at least one of them, but his eyes were becoming heavier.

The last thing he heard was Zuru’s startled scream before darkness swallowed him.

...

"Hihihi!"

"Third manifestation... Soul Reaper."

"Soul Reaper Edicts: Five..."

"Your soul... is mine."

Squelch!

The sound of a blade tearing through flesh.

Blood. So much blood.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!"

"HIHIHIHIHIHHHIHIIIIII!"

"Nhhhhhhhh!" Dante shot upwards into a sitting position on the bed he lay on.

"Ah!" The sudden movement sent pain shooting through his injured body. He grabbed his bandaged stomach, wincing from the pain.

Sweat poured down his forehead and streamed along his cheeks.

His skin had turned an alarming shade of pale, leaving him looking almost corpse-like beneath the sheets.

His breathing came in short, frantic bursts, and his fever-bright eyes darted around the chamber as if searching for something that had followed him out of his nightmare.

Before he could gather himself, the door to his chambers swung open.

An elderly royal healer hurried inside.

"My lord!" she cried as she rushed over and held him.

"You must lie back. You’re putting too much strain on your wounds!"

"Ow!" the woman yelped as Dante forcefully grabbed her by the shoulder.

"I don’t care... I need... Ahh!" he cried in pain. "I need... need to fuck."

"..."

The woman remained rooted to the floor for a moment, staring at him. She had even forgotten about the painful grip around her shoulder.

She had tended to countless wounds throughout her years in the palace, from sword cuts to burns and injuries that have sent lesser men screaming like babies. But this was a first.

’His body is burning up. Signs of a high fever, but I didn’t anticipate it would be this bad.’

Putting a smile on her face and finding her best voice, she said, "Just lie back, my lord, and I..." She swallowed. "Will fuck... you."

At that, Dante’s erratic breathing gradually began to ease. Whatever twisted meaning his feverish mind had attached to her words, it seemed to satisfy him for the moment. He loosened his grip, allowing the elderly healer to guide him back onto the bed.

"That’s it," she murmured. "Easy now."

Once he was settled, she reached for a small bottle resting on the bedside table, among the medicines and instruments used to treat his wounds.

"But first," she added, "you need to drink this."

Dante looked up at her, and the woman quickly widened her kind smile. Then Dante looked down at the bottle in his hand.

Slowly, he opened his mouth.

The woman nodded. "Good, good. Here we go." She lowered the bottle towards his mouth, but before she could pour the sedative into it...

Dante struck it aside, and the bottle fell and shattered into pieces.

The woman recoiled violently, but that was only the beginning, since Dante grabbed her by the neck.

"You are an old cunt, Vehitoshi... and I will never, ever fuck you."

"G-guards! Guards!" That was all the woman could call out.

Immediately, two guards normally stationed at the front door came rushing in.

"Oh, shit!" one yelled as he rushed forward and pulled the elderly nurse away from Dante’s grip.

"Let go of me! Let go, sons of bitches!" Dante yelled, but the guards held him tight.

The woman coughed wildly, her whole body shaking. "You must restrain him!" she managed to gasp. "His wounds are severe, and this fever has clearly affected his mind. He’s delirious! If he continues thrashing about, he’ll tear his wounds open again!"

"Noooo!" Dante yelled as the guards wrestled him down.

"I am the Golden Phoenix, th

e slayer of Vehitoshi, king of the Seven Kingdoms, and I demand to fuck!"

The guards exchanged glances before quickly beginning to tie him down.

"I want to fuck!"

"Bring me Cindela!"

"I want to...

Fuuuuuuuuuuck!"