241 THE WORMS OF LIES
"The Rose Demon," Colleen gasped in horror.
"Pathetic unicorn," Lillsa sneered. A thorn shot from her body, embedding itself into Colleen's chest.
"Arrrggghh!" Colleen screamed as his body convulsed and twisted.
His limbs elongated, his flesh darkened to a deep crimson, his form reshaping into a monstrous hound with powerful, gnarled limbs and razor-sharp fangs.
Colleen becomes a Hellhound of the Rose Garden all of a sudden.
"No! Colleen…." Father cried in despair.
"You're next," Lillsa hissed, sending another thorn into Father, transforming him as well.
"Dassa… save me…", Father cried for help.
However, Dassa wasn't concerned about their well-being.
"What are you doing Lillsa?! You are supposed to be with us!" Dassa asked Lillsa.
Lillsa smirked. "I was never with you… fools. I am the real Rose Demon. You were merely pawns helping me reclaim my dungeon."
Lillsa left Gomorra city with Dassa and the unicorns. Dassa believed Lillsa was an ally aiding them in recovering the Rose Dungeon.
According to her plans, she was supposed to infiltrate Sodom City by disguising as Lady Sakema of the Lotus family using the resources from the Temple of Hera. She was supposed to help them recover the Rose dungeon.
But she had been deceived. Lillsa wasn't going to help them. She was helping herself to recover the dungeon that once belonged to her.
"No, this is not possible. It's impossible that I couldn't tell that you were the Rose Demon", Dassa murmured to herself then she murmured quietly, "there is no way I couldn't hear the presence of a demon inside you…"
Lillsa laughed.
"Even if Lusifar was alive he would not find out about my true self", Lillsa replied with a smirk.
"That useless Lusifar, how can you compare that lizard with me…", Dassa cried before her rage turned toward Leo scouting around the dungeon for his presence.
"Why Leo? What have you done now?"
"I gave you a chance in your room. You refused it. Now, I'll take everything from you—including your fucking unicorns. This is the cost of betraying me," Leo stated coldly transmitting from the speakers of the dungeon.
As they spoke, more Hellhounds emerged, created from the fallen mages. They were once unicorns. They have returned to this garden and become a part of it again.
..as Hellhounds. And now they have been turned into monstrous guardians of the dungeon.
"I don't understand," Yun-Yun asked Dassa. "You already healed your unicorn friends. Why do you still seek the Rose Dungeon?"
Dassa fell silent, but Leo answered for her. "Well to be fair it's not her intention I sincerely believe… She removed their curse, but in exchange, their souls now belong to the Temple of Hera…. doing their bidding. Am I correct, Dassa or whoever you are?"
Dassa stiffened. "How did you know?"
"I knew for a long time. Firstly, it was that Special fucking Eunuch. His cockless magic codes were unmistakable. He was a unicorn once, even if he is healed now, the remnants of those codes remain on him", Leo said.
"How can you deduce about the Temple of Hera's involvement with just that one fact?" Dassa screamed to know.
"I completed the picture from you. You bear the Temple of Hera's curse too on your fucking breast," Leo replied.
Dassa's face turned crimson. Then she remembered something.
"Was that why you were touching my breasts in the inn? To check for my Hera curse?!" she yelled, fury mixing with relief.
"If not? Do you think I still crave for your bloody breasts?" he asked then hesitated before adding, "Perhaps if it was the real Dassa… but you?"
Petunia glared at Leo disapprovingly and hit his shoulder with her soft fist. "You could check her codes without touching her vile body."
"That's true but I like to be dramatic", Leo replied with an evil grin.
"You found out nothing about me", Dassa screamed.
"How did you acquire the Temple of Hera's curse?" Yun-Yun asked Dassa.
-----
[Many months ago, in a secret cell in Debauchery City]
A large man scurried through the dark passages until he reached the central cell. A woman hung against the cold stone wall, her body naked and marred by torture.
The man stepped closer. "Tell me who the man was, and I'll spare your life," he demanded.
Upon seeing him, the woman pleaded desperately. "Your Majesty, I am blameless! I have no other man. The other concubines are jealous of me and framing me!"
His expression wavered. He was Emperor Ramses the Third of Koresh, and the woman before him was his favorite concubine.
She had been accused of sleeping with a palace guard.
"How do I know you speak the truth?" the emperor asked.
"Please believe me, it's the truth", she pleaded.
"How will I know?" he asked.
Another woman suddenly stepped forward from the shadows. "There is a way to uncover the truth, my dear, but the cost is severe."
"Truly? mother, does the Temple of Hera possess such a method?" Ramses asked before quickly adding, "Then use it on Concubine Weyne."
The woman approached Weyne and forced a handful of writhing worms into her mouth.
Concubine Weyne screamed, agony twisting her features as something tore at her from within. "Argghhhh! What are these!!!"
"Worms of Lies"
The concubine cried in pain as the dark worms did their job in her body.
"What are these worms, Godmother?" Ramses asked curiously.
"These are minor demons. Spirits of demons to be precise that I've captured. They have a particular ability to extract the truth out of feeble minds", she replied.
"Really? You have a toy like that?" the emperor asked with a smile.
"Now," the Godmother intoned towards the concubine, "did you sleep with the palace guard?"
"No!" Weyne cried out. "No…" Her voice cracked with pain.
Suddenly, her skin turned deathly blue, dark veins bulging across her body. The veins pulsed and ruptured, spraying blue-black blood.
The emperor recoiled in horror at the sight.
"What happened to her?" he demanded.
"The concubine spoke the truth," the Godmother declared. "She was innocent."