The Devil's obsession with the Heiress

[Music recommendation: kalandramusic - Till The End]

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Who is the Devil?

Religious texts spoke of a being whom they called the most damned of all. He was depicted as a hideous monster with horns, a tail, and tattered, bat-like wings who would claim your soul if you so much as whispered his name. Parents warned their children never to speak of such a wicked creature, who sat upon the throne of the underworld, for fear that he would corrupt their innocent minds and steal them away into the night.

Such was the world’s image of him. He was heartless, incapable of feeling pain, and thrived solely on the torment of others. A creature so inherently evil that one would need to cleanse the ground wherever he walked.

Then... who was the man Aliana was staring at now?

Because the figure before her did not resemble the devil they spoke of.

The moment Aliana had heard the strained sound coming from the far end of the vast chamber... she had moved without hesitation. Even though her body was already strained from enduring her own powers leaking from her, her mind was far more concerned with whatever awaited her.

Yet... nothing could have prepared her for what she saw when she finally came to a stop before a large, dark chamber thick with black miasma.

Cool moonlight spilled through a small opening somewhere high above, falling directly over one of the cells. With her heightened sight, Aliana immediately caught a glimpse of glowing red roses spread throughout the chamber, their intoxicating scent filling the air. They were so large and beautiful that she wondered how they could possibly thrive in such a dark, dingy place.

Then, her eyes caught the heavy iron chains that rattled with every slight movement of the figure they bound.

Slowly, her gaze followed them, and her heart stopped at the sight of the lone figure kneeling on the cold floor.

His head hung low, raven-black hair falling forward to conceal his face, while his arms were stretched wide to either side, pinned by heavy irons.

She could see his chest heaving, his muscles taut and corded with dark veins where his shirt hung open. Ragged gasps escaped him, his pale skin glistening with sweat as though he had been locked in a violent battle for hours.

At just a glance at him, tears welled up in her eyes, and she felt her heart shatter into millions of pieces at the sight of him in such a miserable condition.

"Gav..." A trembling whisper escaped her lips, barely audible even to her own ears.

"Ugh..." Another low, pained sound escaped him.

His hands, which had turned into claws, curled into tight fists. His long nails dug into his palms, and blood dripped onto the ground. He violently yanked against the chains as another burst of power erupted from him.

The force collided with Aliana’s own volatile powers, sending her crashing backwards against the wall.

She hissed as her back hit the stone. But the moment she opened her eyes, shock rippled through her.

Right before her eyes, the heavy iron bindings around him began to writhe. The metal shifted into vicious black serpents that sank their fangs deep into his flesh. Their eyes shone emerald green, and Aliana watched in horror as Gavriel’s wrists turned black where the venom seeped in.

Slowly, the dark storm of power that had been shaking the entire estate began to ebb, as if the serpents were actively feeding on his powers.

It was simply unbearable to see him like this. Even without seeing his face, she could feel his tremendous agony, leaving her momentarily numb at the dark reality before her.

Gavriel shuddered, pulling helplessly at his restraints, so lost in his own struggle that he didn’t even realise she was right there in front of him.

Tears spilt from her eyes as she scrambled to kneel on the floor on her weakened limbs as she pleaded, "Please stop..."

When Gavriel let out another groan of pain, her heart twisted painfully, and her voice grew louder, "Stop it."

She remained frozen on the cold floor, watching him writhe in agony.

When she could no longer take the sight, she stumbled to her feet and rushed forward. Her fingers curled tightly around the heavy iron bars as she screamed, "Gavriel!"

The moment she uttered his name, her own demonic powers burst out of her, shaking the ground once more. Dust and debris rained down from the arched ceiling, but she didn’t care.

Her tear-filled eyes remained entirely fixed on him, and that was when she saw his entire body stiffen in tension.

His head, which had been hanging low in defeat, finally lifted.

His eyes, which had remained shut until then, snapped open, revealing an inhuman pitch-blackness devoid of any white. His iris rolled back to the centre as his gaze found her. Aliana’s breath caught as his irises glowed bright red like two rubies catching the light, his pupils narrowed into slits, reminding her once again that she was standing before the most dangerous beast of all.

But the sight that would have made anyone else faint in terror did not frighten Aliana.

Not this time.

Ironically, the very sight that should have terrified her.... brought none of the fear it had yesterday.

Instead, she looked at him with such intense yearning that it shocked Gavriel as he finally registered her presence.

"Ali...ana..." A broken whisper of her name escaped his lips as he continued to stare at her with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe she was standing there.

"Yes... It’s me. C-Come with me, Gav..." Aliana reached her hand through the bar towards him.

Gavriel stared at her outstretched hand with a mixture of disbelief and utter terror.

For a fraction of a second, his body leaned forward, drawn by the irresistible pull of her presence and scent.

Then reality crashed back over him.

Bellarios roared to life inside him like a wild, starving beast at the mere presence of Aliana, clawing desperately against his restraints.

A ragged gasp escaped his throat as he violently yanked himself backwards, pulling against the heavy chains. The movement sent the vicious black serpents coiling tighter around his wrists, their fangs sinking deeper into his flesh. Black venom seeped through his veins once more, but he barely seemed to notice the pain.

All he cared about was putting distance between them.

"No...!" His voice emerged as a deep, guttural growl, stripped of its usual smooth composure. "Get... get away from me. Now!"

Aliana flinched at the raw ferocity in his voice, but she kept her arm stretched through the iron bars, her fingers reaching desperately towards him. "Please, Gav... I need you."

"I said stay back!" he snarled, pressing himself back into the deepest shadows of the cell where the moonlight could not reach him, in an attempt to hide his grotesque, transformed state from her sight.

The pitch-black in his eyes flickered wildly, the slit pupils dilating as he fought a losing war against his own primal instincts.

’Take her... I need her...’ Bellarios snarled inside his mind, and Gavriel knew exactly what he wanted from her.

"No! You shouldn’t be here," Gavriel panted, his chest heaving as sweat dripped down his pale jaw. Every breath he drew in was laced with her scent, torturing his sanity. "My powers... my thirst... I cannot control them tonight. If you come any closer, I will hurt you. Please... Ana, leave!"

"I am not leaving you like this!" Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks as she pressed her body firmly against the cold iron bars, refusing to give up. "I don’t care about the danger, Gav. Let us help each other! I know we can..."

"You don’t understand..." he spoke in a strained growl, battling for every thread of control.

This only agitated Bellarios further. A growl echoed inside his mind. ’You cannot keep me away from her...’

That was when Gavriel’s powers erupted in another violent burst.

But this time, before the impact could reach Aliana, Gavriel willed another barrier between them, shielding her from the force as the ground shook violently and the glowing roses shone brighter.

Another pained sound tore from his throat as using his magic against the enchanted restraints caused the serpents to coil deeper into his flesh, growing stiff under his outpour of power.

Gavriel bit his lower lip until it bled just to endure the agony, and Aliana’s heart lurched at the sight.

This was not what she wanted. She could not bear to see him suffer like this, especially not because of her.

"Stop it!" she cried as she ran to the cell door, using all her strength to rip it open.

But the barrier held firm, and she knew that the longer he used his powers to protect her, the more pain he would endure.

’What can I do to help him!’ she screamed in her own mind.

In her sheer helplessness, the whisper brushed against her thoughts once more.

’Your blood.’

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