VIOLET'S POV
The communication hourglass glowed once again.
A faint smile touched my lips as I rose from my bed and walked toward it.
It had been a while since Lydia last reported to me, and doubt had slowly begun creeping into my heart.
Would Zoah truly succeed?
Yes, he had already obtained two of the legendary herbs, Herb A and Herb B, but three still remained. And with each herb proving far more difficult to obtain than the last, hope was becoming harder to hold onto.
I closed my eyes and took a shaky breath.
Time was running out.
Every day, I could feel my powers slipping away, little by little, like water draining from a shattered vessel.
They were the only thing keeping me alive. Once they were completely exhausted, I would lose my immortality.
I would become mortal.
And then I would die.
Perhaps Zoah would return before that happened.
Perhaps he wouldn't.
The uncertainty was torture.
Obtaining the herbs was only half the battle. The other problem was far more terrifying, we weren't even certain the herbs could cure me. We were chasing a legend, clinging to a rumor because it was the only hope we had left.
Still...
I would continue holding on.
For Zoah.
For us.
My fingers tightened into fists.
And then there was Lucifer.
My father.
The Devil himself.
A being so cold that even the concept of affection seemed foreign to him.
He could sit upon his throne and watch his own daughter die without shedding a single tear.
Then again, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised.
He had never wanted me to exist.
The moment he learned he had a daughter, he murdered my mother, a human woman whose only crime was loving the wrong man.
Sometimes I wondered if it was a miracle he hadn't killed me as well.
Though perhaps what he did was worse.
He ignored me.
Neglected me.
Shaped me into a weapon.
A monster.
A perfect reflection of himself.
Lucifer believed weakness was a disease.
And according to him, love was the deadliest weakness of all.
Ironically, he had once loved my mother.
But fear had consumed him.
Fear that his countless enemies would use her against him.
So he chose power over love.
Logic over emotion.
He killed the woman he loved with his own hands.
Then he took the child she left behind and molded her into his loyal servant.
Me.
I obeyed.
I fought.
I slaughtered.
Across countless battlefields, mortals and immortals alike learned to fear my name.
Even at a young age, I became a nightmare whispered about in frightened voices.
A princess of darkness.
A daughter worthy of Lucifer.
Then I met Zoah.
And everything changed.
I still remember that day.
The Dragon God stood wounded and alone, surrounded by enemies.
I saved him.
It should have been nothing more than another battle.
Another mission.
Another life spared.
Instead...
Something awakened inside me.
Something I had spent my entire life denying.
Love.
The greatest weakness of all.
At least, that's what Lucifer called it.
My father noticed the change almost immediately.
He ordered me to destroy my feelings.
To hurt Zoah.
To push him away.
To break whatever bond had formed between us.
But I couldn't.
For the first time in my life, I felt alive.
For the first time, I wanted something other than power.
I wanted him.
His laughter.
His presence.
His warmth.
And no matter how many warnings Lucifer gave, I refused to let go.
Then came the day everything fell apart.
I was ambushed by a powerful wizard.
Under normal circumstances, I would have crushed him without effort.
But I wasn't at my best.
And he knew it.
The spell he cast was unlike anything I had ever encountered.
Dark.
Ancient.
Deadly.
Its purpose was simple.
To kill me.
I should have died that day.
I would have died.
If Zoah hadn't arrived.
The Dragon God descended upon the battlefield like divine wrath itself.
The wizard barely escaped with his life.
But the damage had already been done.
The curse remained.
The wound remained.
Death remained.
Desperate to save me, Zoah carried me to the greatest physician among immortals.
The healer examined me for days before delivering his verdict.
Only a fragment of my life could be restored.
The rest was beyond his power.
"You will die," he told us.
The words still echoed in my mind.
But there was one final possibility.
A legend.
A rumor.
Five legendary herbs hidden across Earth.
Together, they possessed the power to cure even death itself.
Without hesitation, Zoah left to search for them.
And since then...
I have waited.
Alone.
Watching my life slowly slip away.
As for Lucifer...
He visited me only once.
In secret.
No guards.
No servants.
No witnesses.
Just father and daughter.
For the first time in years.
He told me he could save me.
But his offer came with a price.
I had to leave Zoah.
Forget him.
Abandon him.
To ensure I never returned, Lucifer planned to erase every memory between us.
Every smile.
Every touch.
Every moment.
Gone.
He claimed my love for Zoah had weakened me.
Made me vulnerable.
Made me easy to defeat.
"Love is what brought you to this state," he said coldly.
"Let it go."
I looked him straight in the eyes.
And I refused.
I told him I would rather die than live in a world where Zoah no longer existed in my heart.
For the first time in my life, I chose something over power.
Over survival.
Over Lucifer.
The Devil's expression darkened.
His fury shook the room.
And from that moment onward, I ceased being his daughter.
I was no longer the Princess of Hell.
No longer his weapon.
No longer his heir.
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
But before disappearing into the shadows, he stopped.
And spoke one final sentence.
A sentence that still haunted me to this day.
"One day, Violet..."
"You will come back to me."
A cold laugh escaped my lips.
I had looked Lucifer straight in the eyes and made him a promise.
Not that I would return to him.
No.
I told him that if our paths ever crossed again, it wouldn't be as a daughter seeking her father.
It would be as his executioner.
He had raised a tyrant.
A monster.
A weapon forged in darkness.
And one day, that weapon would become his downfall.
The communication hourglass suddenly pulsed with light once more, dragging me from my thoughts.
Its glow intensified, demanding my attention.
Suppressing my memories, I stepped forward and placed my hand upon the glass.
Dark energy flowed from my palm into the artifact.
A sharp pain shot through my body.
I winced.
Every time I used my powers, I could feel my life force draining alongside them.
The curse was getting worse.
Much worse.
The image inside the hourglass shimmered before Lydia's familiar figure appeared.
"My Lady," she greeted respectfully.
I gave a slight nod.
"Report."
A smile spread across Lydia's face.
"Zoah has successfully obtained Herb C."
For a moment, genuine relief washed over me.
Three herbs.
He had found three of them.
Just when I had begun losing hope, Zoah once again proved why he was feared throughout the realms.
The Dragon God never gave up.
No matter how impossible the task.
No matter how dangerous the odds.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
Then another thought crossed my mind.
Silver.
The human girl.
My smile instantly vanished.
"And Silver?" I asked coldly.
Lydia hesitated briefly before answering.
"She initially intended to leave after obtaining the third herb. However, she changed her mind."
My eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"Partly because of Zoah."
A dark frown formed on my face.
Love.
Could she truly be so attached to him already?
So unwilling to leave his side?
The thought irritated me more than it should have.
But Lydia wasn't finished.
"There is something else, My Lady."
My attention sharpened immediately.
"What is it?"
"A necklace."
I raised an eyebrow.
"A necklace?"
"Yes. The artifact she wears around her neck possesses immense power. Far beyond what any ordinary human should be capable of handling."
Now that was interesting.
Very interesting.
Lydia continued.
"I investigated her background. Every member of her family appears completely human. No unusual bloodlines. No hidden heritage."
She paused.
"But Silver herself is different."
The room suddenly felt colder.
"Different how?"
"There is something unusual about her aura."
Lydia's expression turned serious.
"It isn't entirely human."
Silence filled the chamber.
My fingers slowly curled around the edge of the hourglass.
Not entirely human.
A powerful necklace.
An unknown aura.
A girl who had somehow appeared beside Zoah exactly when he needed help obtaining the herbs.
Coincidence?
I didn't believe in coincidences.
Not anymore.
A slow smile spread across my lips.
The kind that usually appeared before bloodshed.
"Keep investigating."
Lydia bowed immediately.
"Yes, My Lady."
"I want to know everything about that necklace. Where it came from. Who gave it to her. What powers it contains."
My eyes darkened.
"And most importantly..."
I leaned closer to the glass.
"I want to know who Silver really is."
"As you command."
The communication ended.
The glow faded.
Lydia disappeared.
The chamber fell silent once more.
I leaned back against my throne and let out a soft, sinister laugh.
At first, Silver had been nothing more than a temporary inconvenience.
A useful pawn.
Someone who would help Zoah obtain the remaining herbs before meeting an unfortunate end.
But now...
Now she had become interesting.
A mystery.
And mysteries always deserved to be uncovered.
My crimson eyes glowed in the darkness.
"Just wait, Silver," I whispered.
"I was planning to kill you later."
My smile widened.
"But before that..."
"I need to discover exactly who the hell you are."