As Vivia entered the Demon Realm for the first time, she was surprised to see how beautiful spring looked here.
It was starkly different from the biased rumors she had heard in her realm that said how spring withered in the darkness of the Demon Realm. But as opposed to that, soft petals floated in the air, carried by a warm breeze that smelled of blooming flowers. The trees were full of fresh green leaves and strange, colorful blossoms covered the ground.
Spring is so beautiful here, she gasped, mesmerized. Who said that it's all cold and dark here?
Breaking her trance, Vivia tilted her head up just enough to whisper, "No wonder you weren't worried about the permit."
Zerath's golden irises glimmered down at her with a smile. "I'm glad Captain Vorxath got convinced."
"What if he hadn't?"
"We would've waited outside until he was. But rest assured, I would've asked him to fetch the royal physician regardless. There wouldn't have been any delay to your treatment."
*Thump-thump*
My heart, please stop hammering like that. I'm now thoroughly convinced that I'm alive!
She threw another sneaky glance at him and memories of Zerath's words echoed in her mind.
Laws are equal for everybody and it binds the commoners and royals alike.
She found her guard dropping again. "You'll make a good king."
A spark of hope flickered in her chest and Vivia wondered about the future's possibility.
If the Demon Realm will have such a responsible ruler in the future, then is it possible that he could truly bridge our worlds one day…?
"I, too, have faith that you'll make an exceptional queen," Zerath whispered, his warm breath tickling a lock of her hair.
Vivia looked surprised for a moment and let out a chuckle. "I'm just a princess destined to marry some duke and spend the rest of my life in his mansion. The one to inherit Emberlain's throne will be one of Clairette's elder brothers."
Zerath offered her a thoughtful but sly gaze. "You're too good to simply remain as some duke's wife. We never know what our future holds."
Vivia felt as if she was being sucked in by his intense gaze. Her pulse raced with his determination and felt tempted to believe him. She tore her gaze away before she would accidentally expose her erratic heartbeats.
"A-Ah I feel so dizzy…When will we reach the physician's place?"
Zerath's lips quirked. "Soon enough."
—
The royal physician, Doloros, was a demon whose gray hair spoke volumes of the years he had lived. He applied his specially prepared ointment made out of potent medical herbs on Vivia's injuries with deliberate care while his apprentice disposed of the bloody cloth tapes that his master had used to clean her wounds.
Doloros placed two fingers on her wrist, feeling the rhythm of her beats and blood flow. Nodding to himself, he lit up a medicinal incense near her. Its fragrance gently lifted in the air which eased her strained muscles. Her breaths grew steady and feeling drowsy, her consciousness slipped away into a peaceful sleep.
As Doloros and his disciple exited the guest chamber, Zerath, who had been patiently waiting outside, asked, "How is she?"
"Princess Clairette will recover, my lord. However…"
"However?"
He knitted his brows together. "It's strange. Her wounds are quite severe. No human can survive such injuries, yet despite that she looks fine. For the first time in my life, something is beyond my comprehension."
Zerath maintained his poker face.
Because Princess Clairette is indeed no more. She is alive because she is not Princess Clairette.
But he couldn't say the truth out loud and instead said, "Fate works in mysterious ways, Sir Doloros."
He nodded slowly. "Her rhythm, too, feels a little odd. I cannot pinpoint it. It doesn't seem to be a problem, but it also feels…abnormal for some reason - as if something unnatural has happened to her."
Zerath continued to maintain his poker face.
Doloros shared a tense glance. "Worry not, my lord. The human will be fine. But you…"
"Me?" He slightly tipped his head to the side.
"I imagine the Order to be very displeased by your hasty decision to bring a human here without a permit, my lord."
Zerath smiled meaningfully. "And you say this as a member of the Order yourself?"
Doloros tiredly snorted. "I'm an old demon now, my lord. I want to hand over my knowledge to my disciples and retire to live the rest of my days peacefully. Might I humbly implore upon my lord to not bring chaos at least until I die?"
"Chaos finds its way to us one or the other, Sir Doloros. Why not embrace it ourselves?"
Doloros waved his hand in dismissal. "You young generation is so passionate. Ah, I cannot keep up with you. My bones are giving up."
"Your bones will live a long life and so will you, Sir Doloros. I won't let you bid your farewell so easily."
He harrumphed. "Please show some mercy toward this old demon, my lord."
Zerath chuckled.
"On a serious note my lord, there will be a very, very, very heated exchange on this matter."
"Only three times the heat?" He frowned with dissatisfaction.
"This is not amusing, my lord. Do not take this lightly," Doloros said in a deadpan voice.
"I'm not. But trust me. I'll somehow handle the fire spitting angry birds.
"Might I also kindly implore you to never call them fire spitting angry birds to their faces?"
"Would they dare oppose me?" He asked with an amusing smile.
"I insinuate nothing, my lord," Doloros said expressionlessly.
"As always, You're one crafty demon, Sir Doloros. I'll be honored if you would stay by my side forever."
He snorted. "Only if my lord stops stirring storms needlessly. I shall take my leave now. Let the lady have her rest."
—
Burn…It burns…
Vivia ran through an endless stretch of an inferno that burned with a hellish fire all around her. Her hands, feet, skin burned with the scorching heat tearing her apart in pain.
Where am I? Where is this place?
It hurts…It hurts so much…
At a distance, she caught the familiar apparition from before. A sad smile laced on that woman's lips, who seemed to be trying to talk to Vivia. But she could hear nothing yet again.
"Please help me…Who are you? Please help me," Vivia cried for help.
An enormous wall of fire leapt in between her and the figure as Vivia tried to chase her with all her might. The fire consumed her whole, her entire body submerging in the sea of flames as if she would soon burn into a pile of ashes.
Vivia woke up with a shrill. With drops of sweat trickling down her forehead, she found herself in an unfamiliar surrounding. The night sky swallowed her gaze as she peered out the window. Trembling, she walked toward the dressing table, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
"It's still Princess Clairette's face…" she whispered with quivering lips as tears wetted her eyelashes.
"It wasn't a dream. I'm really gone. I'm no longer Vivia anymore…"