The silence was absolute.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9xEp6Npm1
The darkness swallowed him, swallowed his thoughts, his pain, his existence.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzco4ZhvAI
He felt nothing.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8Dke5LV31
He didn’t know how much time had passed, seconds, minutes, hours? Or maybe he would never open his eyes again? Maybe he was gone?
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4EnkDiqp9
But then… something called him.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LqbvUCWHK
First it was a whisper, as gentle as a gust of wind, inaudible to normal ears.
Then a throbbing pain, still distant, like an echo of something that should have left him by now.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNvmMp0lxf
And finally, light.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ahh3INAiC
Not bright, not jarring. Warm. Familiar.
And then everything came back.
The pain. The loss of blood. The weight of his own body.
And someone’s hands on his face.
Soft, trembling fingers moved across his cheek, squeezing slightly, as if to call him back, not to let him go. Someone’s voice, still trembling with emotion.
“Kigami… I beg you…”
Kimoko.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qVwDapXMC
He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt too heavy.
“ Please, don’t go…”
Her voice broke, filled with despair. She was so close that he could feel her breath on his skin, feel her long hair fall over his chest, feel her holding his hand with a strength he hadn’t expected from her.
Somewhere in the distance he could hear voices. Someone was screaming, someone was running, maybe someone was fighting… but none of that mattered.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WsNaajI2A
Only she mattered.
“ Don’t leave me…”
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUhyM3mSrZ
He could feel tears falling on his skin, warm drops that burned him more than any wound.
Kimoko… was she crying?
And then his heart started beating faster.
Kigami took his first, shallow, rasping breath. He choked, and the taste of blood filled his mouth.
The air hit his lungs like fire. He moaned quietly, trying to focus his vision. Everything was hazy, but he could make out a blurred figure leaning over him.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdl4BqTUrta
Kimoko.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTt3hJzEt9
Tears glistened on her cheeks, and her fingers clutched his arms.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWC9P9ocQxO
“Kigami!” Her voice was desperate, and when she saw him move, her breath escaped her lips in a spasm of relief.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRClu67a7dw
He didn’t have the strength to answer, but he tried.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCWfXF5YhE
“Shhh… Don’t move…” Her hands, still shaking, pressed against his wound, as if she could stop the blood that was still seeping from the deep cut. “We have to get you out of here…” Then he realized something else.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVnNZjYxfx
They were alone.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFKQoZgLF5
His sister was gone.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKBqjfRYcC
“She…” he croaked, but Kimoko shook her head.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmyG2CJMMJ
“She’s gone. But she’ll come back… She’ll come back if we don’t move as soon as possible.” Her words were true. She’ll come back. And if she finds him here…
Adrenaline surged through his body, ignoring the pain, ignoring the weakness.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVb9OCPUyS
“Help me…” he gasped, trying to get up.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82G7FDquCb
“No, we shouldn’t…!” she protested, but he clenched his teeth.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlH5ZW9Mkll
“We can’t… stay…” Kimoko looked at him with pain, but after a moment she nodded.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdDnxvRSea
“Fine. But if you fall on the way, I’ll kill you.” Kigami snorted quietly, and then, with her help, made an impossible effort to stand up.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWzApsOpef
The world spun, and the shadows around him danced restlessly.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtErVGlsQ2
But he wasn’t going to die yet.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgz1q1aGp6
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK79gDaffEi
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7J0cMcrrLz
- An hour later
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYv35NNJF2
The three of them sat around a campfire, the flames dancing in the silence of the night. The lights of Amoria flickered in the distance, and the air was crisp and cool.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMrTkowWo6
Kimoko sighed, slowly running her fingers through Kigami’s disheveled hair. His head rested on her lap, and her touch seemed to bring him back to reality.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMU8EWE8ZH
The demon stirred slightly, and his eyes opened lazily. He blinked a few times, getting used to the warm light of the fire. His body ached, every breath reminding him of the wound, but… he was alive.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8yFbpPtfh
He looked up. Kimoko was looking at him with relief, although her face was still tense. He felt the warmth of her hand in his hair, and for a moment he allowed himself to close his eyes, savoring this brief moment of peace.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4pn1a1A8g
Kimoko sighed again, but this time differently.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEdEmc6oSF
She couldn’t understand it. She was so close to regaining her freedom… and yet she stayed to save his life.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Tdc7WFn5e
She didn’t know if she did it because he had once saved her, or maybe… because of something deeper.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdefmp5WTa
She squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to believe it was true, it couldn’t be true, he was her enemy.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1jdwjplpE
But her heart told her otherwise.
“You stayed with him… out of love.”
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7v3S8HB6s7
She opened her eyes, her fingers still moving gently in the demon’s hair. This time, he was the one looking at her.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWSTITAntC
“How long did I sleep?” he croaked, his voice hoarse and tired.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70ObYQPGiR
“Half an hour,” she replied quietly. “And it’s still a miracle you’re not dead.”
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqR0v6CjH3D
Kigami smiled crookedly.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vsY4DLle6
“See? I’m not that easy to kill.”
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYmjdEiLHd
Kimoko snorted, but a hint of amusement danced in her eyes.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADY5FHNtlU
“You’re an idiot.”
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjr7kHpSaVp
“But your favorite idiot,” he replied with a faint smile.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVbxG1YNlE
She sighed, unable to argue with him.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7UhWT7FHu
The night sounds of the forest could be heard in the background. Somewhere in the distance, a lone wolf howled, and the shadows of the trees moved in the wind.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzLa5AUvQS
On the other side of the fire, Estella lay curled up in a ball, breathing evenly. Kimoko guessed that she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
She felt Kigami move. His head lifted from her lap, and she could see how hard he tried to hide the pain. He carefully sat down next to her, pulling his legs under him and burying his face in his arms. Kimoko saw something more than just physical suffering in him.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCZChlcSI4
“Kigami…” she said quietly, as if afraid that louder words might hurt him.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSymjipDcd
The demon looked at her, and in his eyes she saw something more than pain. She saw guilt.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcLbOmnix9
“It’s my fault…” he finally croaked.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKSUXJLtaR
Kimoko frowned.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbFjZrvkwv
“I shouldn’t have opposed her…” his voice was quiet, as if he was speaking more to himself than to her. “I should have done what she wanted. Be her weapon.”
The words sounded empty, as if they were just a shadow of the past he had carried within himself for too long. As if he still couldn’t quite believe that he had abandoned her.
“And yet I have seen the light.”
He looked up, his eyes gleaming in the semi-darkness.
“I left.”
Kimoko was silent, waiting for him to say more.
“That’s why they’re after me.” His voice was bitter.
“Koshei, traitor.”
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaJFqsWWTK
He repeated the name as if he was trying to get used to the sound of it. As if he was weighing it on his tongue, trying to assess whether it really suited him.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sOrzwgoNS
“Traitor.” The title he had borne since the day he had turned from her.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfxFA8XJ5K
From the woman who had created him as he was. Who had molded him, forged him like a blade, whom he had served without question, until the moment he had realized he was not a sword in her hand. That he was more.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hnKZbW1TS
Kimoko didn’t understand.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1BxFioMl7
He had mentioned before that the other demons thought he was a traitor, but he had never said why. He had never given details, never let her see deeper. It was like a shadow that followed him constantly, whose presence she could feel but whose shape she could not see.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbmWmMf1Ts
And yet now…
Now he was saying more than ever. But he still hadn’t said everything. He had never said who he had betrayed.
Kimoko stared at him, waiting. She wanted him to finish. To say more.
But he was silent.
“Who is ‘she’?” she asked cautiously.
Kigami sighed, and a shadow of pain appeared on his face.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAZ7kFO9qu
After a moment, he whispered:
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cZoSF0zeE
“Felicia… The Queen of Demons.” Kimoko felt her heart sink in her chest.
Kigami looked down, as if weighing each word that escaped his lips.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7FFRLdxbM
“…And my mother.”
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDY1ILhNSOU
The girl opened her mouth, but she couldn’t get a sound out. Her thoughts were swirling.
His mother.
The Demon Queen.
He was her son. The demon prince. Royal blood flowed in his veins.
And he had never told her.
Why?
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6n4xoQhdv
Why had he kept it from her? How could she possibly believe him now? How many more secrets had he kept from her? What other lies had he told her?
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTKbkPjpUH
“That demoness…the one who attacked us,” he continued. “Her name is Nyx. But many call her Nikita. She’s my eldest sister.”
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHC6I9VE5g
Kimoko couldn’t breathe.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSGfbQJ3i1
Everything she knew about him, everything she thought she knew about him…suddenly made no sense.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQCCGOpse1
“…Will you forgive me?” His voice was barely a whisper. But she could see the desperation in his eyes. His gaze was almost pleading. Kimoko looked at him for a long moment.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYefk2U9BV
Then she forced a smile.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJCuGrIKyT
“Of course I forgive you.”
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaOWaQTEpO
She saw Kigami let out a breath of relief, his tense shoulders slumping slightly, and a faint smile appearing on his face.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYIVhPl9rJ
But she herself…
She wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0wsYlOcdr
She didn’t know if she could really forgive him for that.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyB4QRYQ39i
She looked at him and smiled back.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCl9GKTIG7H
She was lost in her feelings.
60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxfNTKNVOP
She wanted to hate him for the secrets he kept from her. For the death she almost experienced because of him, back in the city of Amoria.
But on the other hand…
She felt something completely different. And she, to wasn’t completely honest to him, he still didn’t know who she really was.
Kimoko gently leaned against his shoulder, staring at the dancing flames of the fire.
After a moment, she felt Kigami lay his head on hers.
They sat together in silence, staring at the fire, and Kimoko felt his warm breath on her hair.
She didn’t have to wait long until he fell asleep again.
She stared at the flames for a moment longer before closing her eyes.
She knew one thing.
They had to find that tree of memories and get Estella’s crystal as soon as possible.
And in the meantime…
They had to do everything they could to avoid another encounter with Nikita.
Because if she found them…
Kimoko wasn’t sure if Kigami would survive an encounter with her for a second time.
ns216.73.216.161da2
and then Add to home screen.