I followed her as she walked towards the gate. My guts told me something was very wrong, but I had no idea what. As we reached the main gate there were no more guards to be seen... It was definitely weird, but I could guess it had something to do with Paimon.

When I got under the wall, I could feel something inside me. It was almost if my body had gone through a very thin sheet of plastic, but instead of me going through it went through me, scanning me all the way through. It was then that I felt it for the very first time.

It pulsated. And although it was way slower, it felt like I had a second heart inside me. I could feel a thump in the lower back of my head. Every five seconds; It pulsated, only once.

"Lue... There's something weird"

 

"What do you mean"

 

"I feel something pulsating, in the back of my head"

 

"Huh? Out of nowhere?"

 

"No... It felt like something passed through me when we reached here... Then it started beating."

 

"hmmm... maybe... Did the barrier resonate with his mana heart?"

Lue murmured, thoughtfully, and I managed to barely hear her words.

"I was a little curious before but now I have to ask. Do you even know what magic is?"

 

"Magic?"

 

"Oh fuck..."

"That's really not good..."

 

As we spoke, we could barely hear heavy metal steps and the scuffling of chainmail.

 

"We gotta go, hurry!"

Lue walked towards the wall to side and touched the black stone with her hand.

"occultatum semita revelarum et operimentum in sidia seditionis"

 

I could see the dark mist flowing from her hand towards the wall as a small version of the gate we were under appeared onto the wall.

 

"This is a safe hidden path towards the castle since they took control of the city. Once in the castle I can recover my influence."

"Come."

 

As I went through, the gate closed behind me and turned back into a solid wall. The complete darkness was blinding, and I had no idea where we were.

I could hear a very soft sniffing for a second, before being hugged tightly.

 

"I'm so sorry... I searched for you so much and for so long, yet I can't even help you properly"

 

I could feel Lue's tears slightly wetting my t-shirt. I was yet to be able to see in the darkness inside the city's solid walls, but I could imagine the face she was making... Pride itself, humbling itself towards me... How could that even happen...

It was then that I realized...

The urge inside me...

The urge to embrace her...

The urge to make her feel better...

I had no reason nor intent, but I wanted her.

I needed to take care of her;

And make her mine.

 

As my hands slid towards her back, returning the hug, a flame burned inside me.

And that very flame propelled me forward, changing my embrace from merely returning her's to one of my own.

My hand slowly reached up towards her face, drying up her tears with my thumb and making her look up towards me.

I could feel her breath on my lips. Almost touching.

 

My heart beat as fast as it could, trying to keep myself conscious among the turmoil of thoughts and feelings inside my head.

'What the fuck is happening to me' I thought as I tried to gather myself and regain control of my actions.

But just before I managed to control myself, I felt a small feminine hand reaching under my t-shirt. As her soft fingers touched my stomach my brain completely shut down. I could not thing straight, all I could think of was how to make this woman mine. Although we just met it felt as if we had known each other for an eternity. The beating on the back of my head returned as if a whole parade was happening inside my head. The deafening noise further drowned my sanity and with it the unthinkable started to happen. My vision started to clear up. Although no light was coming inside the dark precinct, my eyes slowly started to be able to discern her figure amidst the darkness around.

Her delicate figure slowly appeared in front of me. Her silky black hair, her gorgeous violet eyes, her silky white skin.

The pounding behind my head grew louder by the second, as her figure became more and more clear. The way her hair moved as she breathed, the anticipation reflected on her eyes, the passion that burned in her lips. It all became clear as day as my head started getting numb from the noise.

By the time I lowered myself to kiss her small cherry lips, I had grown completely used to the thumping noise. And as our lips connected, I found myself in yet another reality. A whole world started to unfold inside my head as my eyes closed in a long, caring, kiss. Prairies full of lavender and violets extended as far as the eye could see. And as I leaned back to breathe and opened my eyes a completely different person was now in front of me. It was still Lue, but something about her seemed completely different. She had a bright, lively aura and her face made me drunk from the happiness in her eyes and smile... What could've happened to bring such change... As she looked me in the eyes, I took a step back, completely enchanted by her beauty and as I became able to see her whole body the penny finally dropped.

She wore long white robes, made from the finest linen, her arms and neck were ornate with gorgeous golden jewelry, embroidered with amethysts. a small golden tiara held her black hair, as her bangs fell lightly over her shoulders. Lue looked perfect. And the pair of huge white wings completed her divine appearance.

As I reached for another kiss, she slid away from me through the air, I could feel something was off, she looked at me, pleading, yet I was unable to move. All I could do was look as she was taken away, into the sky, until she stopped mid-air.

She looked up as a ray of light shone on her from above, and I could only watch.

Unmoving.

As her wings were cut by a yellow light that fell from above.

As her clothes and accessories were turned into dust and flew away with the wind.

As her face was covered by an Iron blindfold as tears rolled from the side of her face and her arms raised by unknown means in a T shape.

And finally, after she was unable to see me anymore, I could only see her dry gasps as she was crucified, upside down, by stakes of light, to an inverted stygian cross, and thrown down through the clouds that made up the bedrock under the now splitting firmament .