I stopped resisting.
Not because I wasn't afraid — I was.
But the cold air numbed me, and his grip never loosened, not even once. His arms, strong and unyielding, held me against him as we flew farther and farther from the castle. I didn't scream anymore. What was the point?
Beneath us, the world blurred — forested hills melted into rivers, then into deep valleys swallowed by mist. The sky was dark now, the kind of black that pressed against your skin like a warning. We soared over mountain after mountain until one loomed larger than the rest — jagged, ancient, and completely out of place. It didn't just stand. It watched.
He descended toward it, wings stretching wide — those massive, obsidian things that shimmered faintly with a broken sort of beauty.
Not demonic.
Not angelic.
Something in between. Something... wrong.
The entrance in the mountainside looked like a mouth opened mid-scream, carved deep into the rock. He carried me in without a word, the cold growing heavier the deeper we went. It wrapped around my bones like chains.
Inside was nothing but silence.
No dripping water. No footsteps echoing. Just stone corridors that twisted like veins through the heart of the mountain. He didn't look back as he dragged me along the smooth floor — one hand gripping my wrist tightly, like I might still try to run.
I didn't.
We reached a chamber — darker than the rest. I felt it before I saw it, the weight in the air like something watching from the shadows. A single iron-barred cell waited in the middle, lit only by faint crystal fragments glowing blue from the ceiling like dying stars.
Without hesitation, he threw me inside.
My body slammed against the cold stone, pain rippling up my spine and arms as I hit the ground. I gasped, more from the shock than the impact, and looked up just in time to see the door slam shut with a final, echoing clang.
And then… nothing.
No words. No explanation.
Just silence.
And the sound of wings retreating into the dark.
"Let me out!" I shouted, my voice raw as I stumbled to my feet.
"Let me out! Let me go!"
My screams echoed off the stone walls, unanswered.
I pounded on the iron bars, again and again, until my hands ached and my throat burned.
But nothing changed.
Eventually… I broke.
I collapsed onto the cold floor, my body shaking, the weight of it all crashing down on me. Tears blurred my vision as I curled into myself, trying to hold together what was already falling apart.
I was scared.
Alone.
Lost.
I didn't know where I was, or why this was happening. My mind couldn't hold onto anything — only fear and confusion and the ache in my chest.
So I cried.
I cried like I was made of nothing else.
Curled up on the hard stone, I prayed — silently, desperately — that someone would come. That something, anything, would pull me out of this nightmare.
That was the last thought I had before everything inside me fell quiet, and I broke all over again.
Ciel's POV – Meanwhile, at the Castle
I was surrounded.
For every fallen I struck down, two more rose in their place, claws bared and eyes burning with corrupted light.
Damn it. There were too many.
And I couldn't fight at full strength — not with the guests still inside the hall.
I gritted my teeth, fury twisting in my gut.
Serena…
They took her. I had to get to her. I had to—
"Lila!" I shouted. "Open the doors. Get these people out!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" she called back, already sprinting toward the great doors.
She slammed them open. "Go! GO!"
Panic exploded as people rushed out into the night, stumbling over each other, desperate to escape the chaos.
As the last person vanished into the courtyard, I turned back to the battlefield.
"It's over," I whispered to no one.
My hands lit with raw, blazing magic. I felt it surge through me — hot, ancient, and wild. I raised my arms, ready to unleash hell.
But before I could strike—
A sudden wave of power hit me. Heavy. Dark. Suffocating.
I froze.
And in a blink… the fallen vanished.
All of them. Gone.
Not destroyed.
Not defeated.
Just… gone.
I stood frozen in the silence, scanning the empty hall, trying to feel even the faintest trace of their magic.
Nothing.
They were gone.
"They've disappeared," a voice said behind me.
I spun around. Lucien.
Without thinking, I lunged — grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the stone wall with enough force to crack it.
"You did this!" I snarled, fury burning through me. "You're one of them, aren't you!?"
His hands clawed at mine, struggling to breathe. "No—" he choked out. "I didn't… I'm not part of this. I came here… to save Clara!"
"Liar!" I roared, tightening my grip as rage flared hotter.
"Where is Serena?!"
"I don't… I didn't take her— but I think… I think I know where she is…" he gasped, his face pale and lips trembling.
"Where?!"
He coughed violently, barely holding onto consciousness. "I'll tell you… but only if you let me go… if you don't kill me…"
"You expect me to believe you?"
"I swear I'm not lying…"
"Your Majesty," a voice called from behind me.
I didn't turn.
"Let him go," Jason said calmly. "I think he's telling the truth."
I growled but didn't loosen my grip. "You know what he is.He could be leading us into a trap."
Jason stepped closer. "Maybe. But did you see how he came in earlier? He looked like hell, Your Majesty. He wasn't attacking us — he was running, towards her."
I didn't reply. My heart was still hammering, but doubt was starting to leak through the cracks in my anger.
Jason continued, "It's not like we have another lead. We don't know where she is or how to find her. What do we have to lose?"
I looked down at Lucien. His face had turned pale, his body slack. He was nearly unconscious. I loosened my grip slowly… then let go.
He collapsed to the floor, gasping, one hand clutching his throat as he coughed and sucked in air.
I stood over him, eyes dark with warning.
"You better be telling the truth," I said coldly.
"Because if you're not… I'll finish what I started."
Lucien coughed a few more times before finally catching his breath. I watched him coldly, my patience hanging by a thread.
"So? Where is she?" I asked.
He looked up at me, eyes dark with seriousness.
"Far. Far from here. Deep in a mountain."
"A mountain?" I echoed, skeptical.
"Yes," he said. "It's their hideout."
"Their hideout?" I narrowed my eyes. "How the hell do you know all this?"
He didn't flinch.
"Because I found traces of them near a waterfall. Their energy. It wasn't well hidden. I followed it… and it led me to a mountain, the entrance to go inside was cloaked in an illusion. I saw them there. I overheard them talking. They planned to take Clara tonight."
His voice tightened.
"That's why I flew here in such a hurry. I tried to warn her, but I was too late. They were already inside."
I stared at him. His words sounded desperate… but convincing.
Could I trust him?
He was a fallen angel — the same one who had slipped into the illusion and pretended to be Clara's brother. A liar. A manipulator. But now… his eyes held something else.Fear? Desperation?
Behind me, Jason stepped forward.
"Your Majesty," he said carefully. "We could at least check it out. See if he's telling the truth."
I looked back at Lucien.
"Fine. Take us there."
Lucien shook his head slowly. "I… I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?!" I snapped.
"My wings are injured," he said. "They were already weak when I flew here, and the battle made it worse. I won't be able to fly again for a day or two."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"A day or two?!"
Panic gripped me.
"Do you know what could happen to Serena in that time?!"
Lucien looked away. "I know. But even if I gave you the directions, you wouldn't find it. The mountain is protected. Cloaked. You need someone who's seen it… someone who can break through the illusion. You need me."
I clenched my fists. I didn't want to believe him. I didn't want to rely on him.
But I couldn't wait.
"Forget it," I said through gritted teeth. "I'll find her myself."
"Your Majesty—" Jason called, but I was already lifting off the ground.
I stopped in mid-air and glanced over my shoulder.
"Watch him. Don't let him out of your sight."
"But—"
"I said stay."
Jason's voice fell quiet. I turned and flew, fast and furious, slicing through the night sky, wind howling in my ears.
I'm coming, my love, I thought, my chest burning with fear and determination.
No matter what it takes… I will find you.
Clara's POV
I kept crying.
Silent, broken sobs wracked my body as I curled up on the cold stone floor. I felt hollow. Lost. Like the darkness was swallowing me whole.
Then I heard it.
Footsteps.
Slow. Echoing. Each one louder than the last.
I froze, lifting my head, heart pounding. A figure stepped out of the shadows — tall, cloaked in black from head to toe. His face was hidden beneath a dark hood, but something about him made my skin crawl.
He stopped in front of my cell… and stared.
I scooted back, my spine pressing against the wall.
"Who are you?" I asked, voice trembling.
He stepped closer. The air seemed to freeze around him.
Then he crouched down just beyond the bars and tilted his head.
"Don't be afraid," he said, voice low and smooth like silk soaked in poison.
"I won't hurt you. I wouldn't even dream of it."
I stared at him, too afraid to blink.
"What do you want? Are you… are you the one who sent those creatures to take me?"
A pause.
Then, calmly, he said, "Yes."
My breath caught in my throat.
His gaze — though I still couldn't see his eyes — felt like it was burning through me.
"Why?" I whispered.
He let out a low chuckle — soft at first, then twisted and sharp.
"Because you, Clara…" he said, standing tall again, "…are the key. To both Heaven and Hell."
Then he laughed. Loud and maniacal. A sound that echoed through the chamber like a curse.
I didn't move.
I couldn't.
Heaven?
Hell?
What was he talking about?
I slowly slid into the corner of the cell, shaking, eyes wide, tears spilling down my cheeks. My mind spun in a thousand directions, none of them making sense.
I was scared.
Confused.
Alone.
And I had never wanted to escape more than I did in that moment.
As his laughter echoed around me like a storm, I curled tighter into myself, praying this nightmare would end.