The Devil's Temptation!

How cute.

Being a demon it was rather easy to sense fear, if one wasn’t careful at handling it but despite sensing her fears, he equally sensed something more intense which distracted him.

Was it the continuous thumping of her heart, or the mysteries behind the small crystal mark she was hiding on her forehead?

He felt there was certainly more to this girl than meets the eye, in addition to the fact he’s so forcefully drawn to her despite not wanting to breathe the same air as her.

“Wasn’t that the response you expected?” The glacier look in his eyes had changed in that capricious manner yet again as he cascaded his unanswered curiosity, making it increasingly difficult to read his true emotion as she continuously stared at him.

The viscous air could no longer be felt around him either, giving Anna a chance to eventually blink at his question.

.....

“Do I really look that scary? To the point I can be seen as the demon King?” He enunciated further while tilting his head with the same teasing look she was used to seeing play in his glimmering irises, only then did Anna take her time to register his words.

He was only messing with her.

“That wasn’t funny at all.” Her displeased tone gave away the enmity she felt, but at the same time, he was right. She weirdly expected that response because ever since she woke up in the dark woods and stepped out alive with him by her side, she had her assumptions, but always prayed they were wrong.

“I didn’t know I was making a joke.” He added with a crooked smile, but Annalise has had enough of him trying to confuse her state of mind with his words, looks and most especially those eyes of his. She was slightly afraid but even more drawn to those things she had mentioned.

Gathering herself once more while stealing a deep breath, a small smile formed at the corner of her lips the moment her racing heart finally calmed.

“Joke or not, you shouldn’t say such things, no one in their right mind would take themselves as such.” Roshan was strictly reprimanded like a mother who was reprimanding her stubborn child from going out to play.

“Why? Are you starting to worry about me? Sorry but I have no interest in receiving the care of another man’s woman.” He haughtily turned down her affection and that made Anna lose her tongue at his response.

Another man’s woman?

He couldn’t be serious, if she didn’t know him any better she would have misinterpreted his words for jealousy.

She couldn’t stand the familiarity she felt whenever he was around her and she had even more serious situations to worry about.

Getting rid of her birthmark was one thing, but proving her innocence meant another, she was basically placed between a rock and a hard stone that even if she continuously acts oblivious and thinks everything was alright with her and the world.

Nothing was.

The physician made mention of the forbidden temple and she has never stopped wishing he got enough time to explain to her how the temple could be related to getting rid of her birthmark.

If only he revealed to her exactly which book he said he found the meteor mark sign on, then it would have taken half of her stress away.

“I think this would be where we pathways, I’ve tolerated you long enough.” She admitted, whoever he was didn’t matter now, but there was a red sign in her head currently telling her to make a run for it and not just stand here falling into the temptation of his gaze.

His eyes glinted in response, before furtively shifting to study the lonely meadow and like a sly fox, he had a lethal look of mischief playing in his eyes.

“Don’t die.”

“You too.” She briskly turned around and took a different route once they reached a crosspath, she didn’t know if it’d be possible to get her crossbow and things back, or if seeing Adryan was possible but one thing was certain.

She had to get away from him.

Roshan remained at his spot, watching her slim figure fade away into the distance as she hurried by, as though she was running away from someone and it was a good choice.

The half smile on his face vanished once her presence could no longer be felt, returning to the cold glacier expression he carried and with a snap of his fingers, a dark tiny light danced at the tip, drawing a powerful energy that caused a mystic dark cloud which looked worse than a storm cloud to gather in the sky.

“Guess I’m going to be the villain in your story, Miss Anna.” He uttered with an even deeper meaning and within the blink of an eye, he was out of sight and the dark clouds immediately cleared away.

~

Riding through the oddly calm streets of Euphrasia, Adryan appeared to be discernibly lost in thoughts while another soldier riding behind him, urged his horse to move forward so he could ride beside his prince.

He understood the absence of the prince’s mind from reality, who wouldn’t when their people unknowingly die without leaving a trace of what happened, not even a disease.

“Prince Adryan, I don’t think asking the neighboring people would help matters at all.” Sir Bryan thoughtfully disclosed as he trailed beside Adryan in his horse.

“Why would you think that? The death of those people occurred during the day time, it’s impossible that not even one of them living closeby can give a little information about what happened.” Adryan candidly disagreed with his words.

“That is not my point.” Sir Bryan clarified, “Indeed it sounds impossible but the bodies, it looked nothing like what humans could do or even have the courage to witness alive.”

“We’ve arrived.” Sir Arlow quickly announced the moment they reached a square where the people of Euphrasia had gathered, disrupting the conversation between both men.

Noticing the hurled up crowds in front of them, Adryan dismounted from his horse, same with Bryan and Arlow who stood behind him, but he flicked his wrist, informing the rest of his guards to stay put and not follow.

Making his way into the gathered crowd ahead, the people immediately made a path once they sensed his approach and silence fell within the village square.

Curious as to what had caused the gathering, he approached the open space only to find indefinable dead bodies lying helplessly on the ground.

It made his eyes widen horrifically at the appalling sight. What shocked him was the fact that they were neither of the dead bodies were wounded or touched, but their body had dried up as though every bit of blood in their system had been dynamically sucked away, leaving them to look like an espalier vine on a winter

The agonizing look was sadly portrayed on their faces, their cheeks narrowed and their eye sockets were as white as ghost. It only made him shake his head in pity, unable to imagine the pain they must have passed through.

Bryan immediately reached for his side, equally staring at the dead bodies on the ground with a look of pity.

“This is what I mean,” he proceeded to say, “no human could cause this except....”

“Demons?” The question slipped out of Adryan’s mouth in full animosity as his throat went bitter, unveiling the inextinguishable hatred he had for those creatures in particular.

Bryan nodded regardless while letting out a concluding hum, “My prince, the Demon’s hid away due to the protective seal that had been intact for many years, prince Adryan, I think the fears of our kingdom might be true, the villains and ancient horrors are gradually awakening.”