"Ow."
A groan escaped my mouth as I slid down the cold, black wall of my cell.
Naberiax wasn't joking about not holding back. The only thing I, an S ranker, could do was read his attacks and barely avoid them.
Even with Lilith's miraculous healing, my entire body throbbed with pain, the many cuts of the High Commander's sword still stinging.
Well. At least this near-death 'spar' confirmed one of my suspicions.
Naberiax is an X ranker.
That means he is in the same category as the High King, the rest of the Crowns, and even the Incarni.
Well, that was a humbling thought.
As I settled down on the cold floor, my left hand hovered over my abdomen, right where the Agony Thorn was embedded in my body.
I felt my blood flowing around the thorn, enveloping it. My lips curled into a small smile.
It is done. Ten years of agony and frustration will soon be over.
I sensed a presence beyond the wall of my cell, and my smile faded, replaced by a scowl.
It was a familiar and unwelcome presence.
I let out a sigh. It's time to continue my plan.
I really hate to do this; the thought of even doing it revolts every part of my being.
But this is necessary.
I'll do whatever it takes… if it means seeing Iris again.
"This is going to be unpleasant". I muttered, looking at the black wall shimmering and rippling like water.
Lilith stepped into my cell, emerging seamlessly as if she were part of the black stone.
Her black dress shimmered like ink splashed over her pale body, her delicate hands folded in front of her.
Her bright purple eyes, which were always filled with an insane light, were now eerily calm, just like the smile adorning her beautiful face.
For the past decade, this had been our ritual.
She'd come into my cell and talk to me like we were old friends, essentially one-sided conversations before leaving me with a lovely dose of the Agony Thorn.
And I hated every second of it.
Until I didn't, and it's not because I suddenly began to like her.
Incarni! No. That sounds like a sick joke.
You see, dear readers, apart from getting beaten half to death by the commanders, it was quite boring.
And boredom is an even greater torture.
Listening to Lilith babble about court happenings and daemon intrigues was, unfortunately, entertaining.
As a result, I've gotten to know more about the Darkling who became the queen of the daemons.
Maybe she saw something familiar in me. Maybe I was the only thing in the Abyss that looked remotely like her.
Or maybe because she chose me just because.
Whatever the reason, she talked. And I listened. And I learned.
I realized that her human appearance may not be skin deep after all.
I never imagined a daemon to have her own demons.
Perhaps I was a good listener, because by the end, she would leave the cell with a satisfied smile plastered on her face.
Throughout the many interactions with her, I realized that Lilith's obsession with me wasn't just purely from her twisted desire to turn me into her loyal dog.
No, something deeper is driving her.
And I used that to help my escape.
I played along, but not in a friendly way.
I opened up just enough. It was not kindness or even anything remotely non-hostile.
Sarcasm and biting wit were my love languages for her, letting her know that despite being extremely hostile to her, she is still quite interesting to me.
And to my fascinated horror, she loved it.
The insults, the contempt.
They just made her more obsessed with me.
Yeah, she's a masochist as well. An insane one, to be exact.
And today is one of those days.
"Naberiax really did a number on you," she quipped, her voice laced with twisted amusement.
My scowl deepened. "You think?"
She didn't respond; she only smiled as she approached me with the quiet steps of bare feet on stone.
"Well," she continued, her eyes on me like a raven with affection in its eyes, "He just amped up the intensity because you've gotten stronger," she said, sitting beside me. "This growth of yours was… quite unexpected."
As she was sitting right next to me, instead of the warmth one would expect from such close contact, all I felt was a frigid chill that emanated from her, as if her very existence sucked out every bit of warmth.
I scoffed. "Gee, I wonder. Ten years of torture can really do that to one."
"I prefer to call it taming," she replied sweetly.
Her hand rose, fingers ghosting along my cheek, turning my face to hers.
Her gaze softened.
Not with madness, but with something more dangerous. Longing.
"Mordred," she breathed, her voice layered with reverence. "I will make you a commander, give you dominion over millions of daemons. I will make you a being on par with the Incarni, someone even the gods fear."
Her delicate fingers traced my jaw tenderly, although they sent an unnatural chill over my skin.
"I will give you my power, my everything," she whispered, voice cracking. "Everything I am. Everything I have. I just… I just want to be yours. And you, to be mine."
Something in her voice caught my attention. This was different from her obsession with me.
This was something deeper.
Something more intimate and desperate.
I wonder...
Could this sadistic monster have feelings for me?
No.
I must not fall for this.
"Does that include a better room?" I asked dryly.
Her eyes lit up, and a smile graced her face.
A smile I had never seen on her face. Not a twisted smile or one with obsession.
Just pure happiness.
"For you, my love, I will arrange the finest room in the whole palace." Her gaze turned desperate, and her voice trembled.
"All I want is your acceptance."
For a moment, guilt clawed its way up my throat.
I will be using this girl's adoration for me.
That feeling vanished as quickly as it arrived.
Ten years.
This Darkling made my life a living hell for ten years.
She ripped me apart, unleashed untold agony on me, broke my body and my mind, all for the twisted love she had for me.
How dare I even think of accepting her?
Yet, I need to. It is the only way.
I needed to play the game for my escape.
"That is going to be hard, Lilith," I said slowly, reaching for her hand. "But I'll try."
I raised her delicate fingers and guided them to my lips, almost kissing them.
The act was so revolting and I strongly resisted the urge to gag.
Lilith stared at me, stunned. Her eyes were wide, and her lips parted in quiet surprise.
Then the Agony Thorn flared to life.
An agonizing spike of pain shot up into my abdomen as the Thorn unleashed its venomous pain all over my body.
I fell backward, screaming and clutching my abdomen. My body convulsed, the agony crawling through every inch of me like molten metal.
It ended as soon as it started, but it felt like a bloody long time to me.
As I was heaving from the pain, Lilith kneeled over me, pouting. "I thought this was a dream, so I needed to see if this was actually real."
"You pinch yourself for that!" I snarled at her.
She stuck out her tongue. "Oops."
She giggled, and then I saw it. She unknowingly just gave me the chance I was looking for.
I sat up and pounced on her.
Lilith let out a surprised gasp as her back touched the cold floor.
Her gaze went over to me, looming over her, pinning her to the ground.
"Oh my," she purred. "I thought we would be taking one step at a time. You're quite impatient."
She stretched out her hand and caressed my face, her touch soft yet frigid.
I saw my reflection in her shimmering purple eyes, as if they were trying to devour me whole.
Silence descended on us, only punctuated by the rapid pounding of our hearts.
They were beating together.
Knowing Lilith, she would've synced the beating of her black heart to mine.
Our breaths mingled, hers a sickly sweet combination of grapes.
And mine?
Well… I hadn't brushed my teeth for ten years.
Then again, I hadn't eaten since falling into the Abyss, so I guess my breath isn't that bad?
But Lilith doesn't seem to be bothered. Either she's into bad breath, or she's so fixated on me that she doesn't notice it.
If the latter is true, then it's good.
I'm the only thing in your mind now.
"I hate you so much," the words flowing out of my mouth revolted me, but I forced myself to continue. "But I just can't take my eyes off you."
Neither can you, Lilith. The version of me above you, in control, is the only thing you want now.
Silently, I activated Haema.
The blood surrounding the Agony Thorn immediately went to work, pushing it out of my body.
Lilith didn't notice, or maybe… she wanted to see what I would do.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and drew me closer, her crimson lips a breath apart from mine.
"That's not something you would say to Iris," she whispered with a sly smile.
My heart seared with self-hatred as I spoke my next words. "Maybe? But she no longer remembers me."
A pink tinge flushed across Lilith's pale face, and she giggled. "I doubt you can fool me with that, my love."
"I think I can," I said softly, "because you're obsessed with me."
"That's true," the obsessive glow of her eyes faded, replaced by something softer.
"I'm all yours, Mordred."
We became ever closer.
It became even colder.
The beating of hearts grew louder, fusing into a singular rhythm.
Just as our lips were about to touch, Lilith froze.
"Mordred," she said calmly. "You're bleeding."
A drop of blood rolled down her pale arm.
I met her eyes and smiled. "Yes, I am, and you know why. You can read my mind, after all."
"Clever and daring, very nice," she murmured.
"You could've stopped me," I replied.
She chuckled. "I could've… but I am curious and… my mind was just filled with you."
"Good to hear that at least that part worked," I murmured.
The Thorn, slick with my blood, floated into the air, held aloft by a sinuous tendril of crimson.
"Are you sure about this, my love?" she asked, lying there as if we were still sharing a moment.
Her dress had slipped slightly out of place, but she didn't seem to care.
I stepped back, curling my fingers around the bloody Thorn. "Pretty sure, love."
Her smile widened. She looked delighted. "I'll enjoy dragging your broken self back in here."
"I bet you will," I said, raising the Thorn.
"But first, a bit of payback."
In the blink of an eye, I plunged the Agony Thorn into her stomach with lethal precision.
She could've dodged. I know she could've.
But she didn't.
Why? Just what is she up to?
Well, let's not think about that.
And then she screamed.