---
I held Eve's hand, desperate to walk away, to pretend I hadn't heard him.
But his voice clawed into my heart:
"It seems Azreal won't have a savior this time. Sad, really — risking his life for someone who doesn't even care."
Every word struck like a dagger.
My body weakened, my legs trembling beneath me. A chilling realization hit: He got me.
I turned, teeth gritted, to face the madman.
Asher stood there, openly mocking, his eyes alight with cruel satisfaction.
"Good. Now I have your attention," he purred before sauntering away, not sparing me another glance.
I pulled out the vial Miss Grump had given me and pressed it into Eve's hand.
"If I find Azreal, give this to him. I must go alone."
"No!" she gasped, her grip tightening.
"I can't let you—"
"Eve. Trust me," I whispered, forcing a smile. "I need you to stay hidden... to watch over me from the shadows."
Asher's voice rang out again, sharp and impatient.
"Are you coming?"
I squeezed Eve's hand one last time.
"Trust me," I repeated.
Tears welled in her eyes, but she nodded bravely.
Turning away, I followed Asher, every step feeling heavier than the last, as if I were marching toward my doom.
---
The scorching sun beat down as we crossed the ruined city and entered a broken temple.
Inside, the first thing I saw froze the blood in my veins:
Azreal — suspended in midair, battered, broken, blood dripping from his pale skin.
I collapsed to my knees, the sight too much to bear.
"He's fine," Lucifer's cold voice echoed through the hollow chamber. "For now. Unless you refuse to do as I say."
My gaze shifted.
There he sat, draped in black like a dark king, his presence suffocating, his once-flawed face now immaculate.
"What... do you want?" I rasped.
He smiled, slow and cruel.
"Simple. You swap your soul... for his."
I swallowed hard. "And how do I know you won't betray me?"
Lucifer leaned back lazily.
"What do you propose?"
"I heal him. I watch you release him to his sister. They walk away, unharmed. Then... you can have me."
He nodded.
"You have my word."
Tears blurred my vision.
"Deal," I whispered, sealing my fate.
Azreal's limp body descended into my arms.
His faint pulse ignited a tiny, desperate hope within me.
I laid my hands over his chest, ignoring the electric jolt of contact, and let my energy flow through him. His cuts vanished, his color returned. I watched, heart aching, as his lashes fluttered.
He was alive.
But before I could see his eyes one last time, he was torn from me.
Clutching my chest, feeling the shattering of my heart, I whispered, "Goodbye."
"It's time to fulfill your end," Lucifer said, his voice slicing through my thoughts.
"How do I know you kept your word?" I demanded, hollow.
A mirror appeared before me — showing Eve and Azreal carried to safety.
And then... nothing.
"Now what?" I asked numbly.
"Now," Lucifer said, rising, "we wait for the blood moon."
He disappeared, leaving me alone with the hollow weight of my choices.
---
Eve's P.O.V.
I stood frozen, heart pounding violently.
The sun moved steadily from east to west — and still, no sign of Erica or Azreal.
Panic clawed at me.
Just as I was about to run back, a cold wind howled.
Dust filled the air, and through it, dark riders emerged on horseback.
One dismounted and barked, "Climb."
I spotted Azreal's unconscious form draped over another horse — but no sign of Erica.
Fear wrapped its hands around my throat.
Before I could resist, the man dragged me onto a horse.
We rode until they dropped us at the entrance we had first come through — and then vanished like smoke.
Erica's in trouble! Azreal can't help in this state!
I knelt on the burning ground, hastily drawing the ancient symbols Miss Grump taught me.
The sigils flared to life, and within moments, Lucca appeared, bursting from the magical doorway.
He rushed to me, pulling me into a fierce embrace.
"Why are you here?" he demanded, voice raw with worry.
"Lucca!" I sobbed. "Something terrible happened! I had no one else to call!"
He soothed me, whispering promises of safety as we carried Azreal inside.
Quickly, I told Lucca everything.
Determined, we set out — heading toward the city ruins.
As we approached, we were blocked by an invisible barrier.
Lucca's face darkened.
"Erica must be there."
"But why can't we pass?" I cried out.
Lucca's voice lowered.
"Azreal can."
At that moment, Azreal — stirring from unconsciousness — thrust his hands forward and tore through the barrier with a force that left us stunned.
Lucca answered my unspoken question:
"Azreal's power rivals Lucifer's. That's why."
Hope flared anew in my chest.
---
Erica's P.O.V.
I was led from the cold dark room, wearing a thin white dress that offered no warmth.
Before me, under the ominous blood moon, Asher approached, smirking wickedly, holding shackles.
"You look beautiful," he hissed. "I'd have liked a taste... but no time for fun."
He shackled me, trailing his fingers along my skin, making my stomach churn with disgust.
I flinched away, but rough hands forced me forward into the center of a vast field.
Lucifer awaited me — a monstrous figure in a black robe, silver hair flowing, his crimson eyes burning.
"Begin," he commanded.
A chant filled the air — voices from every direction, a tongue ancient and terrible.
Scarlet mist thickened, and beams of bloody light struck the two swords placed before and behind me — my father's Banisher and Azreal's Soul Taker.
The light seared into me.
Agony tore through every fiber of my being.
My soul — ripped from my body — was being sacrificed under the cursed blood moon.
The pain was unbearable. I felt myself slipping, falling into eternal darkness.
As my vision faded, I heard one last sound:
Azreal's anguished cry.
"ERICA!"
And then, there was only silence.
---