It was cold and humid.

I groaned as I opened my eyes slowly. My head hurt and my body felt as if it was made out of lead. I blinked a few times to reassure myself my eyes were open after seeing nothing but darkness greeting me.

“I…” my voice was raspy. I cleared my throat and tried to sit up. My hands slipped on the wet surface I was lying on and my head hit the ground as I fell back. I groaned in pain. “What the…?”

My memory was beginning to clear. Images flooded my mind one after another.

The viscount acquiring that demonic form.

Mathias piercing him with a sword.

Gale losing his leg.

The viscount taking me prisoner despite the fact that he should be dead.

And then, the two of us soaring to the sky, and my nerves hitting their maximum point as I fainted…

I tried to sit up again, this time being more careful. As the minutes passed I could see better, but just partially. From what I could gather this was… a cave? It was completely closed off. The walls shone a slight blue from some kind of mold growing on them. The rock at my right curved and from there I heard the sound of flowing water. From my left, a cave extended beyond, completely silent. There was no sign of the viscount.

I bit my lip. What should I do? I was trapped in a cave not knowing where direction to go, and worst of all, not knowing where my enemy was. That the viscount was nowhere to be seen, instead of appeasing me, just rattled me even more. Where was he? What was he doing? What was he planning to do with me?

One thing I knew for certain. If I stayed here without moving, sooner or later he would come for me or I would be trapped here forever. In other words, the least I could do was choosing a path and trying to find my way out. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I chose the path to the right, from where I could hear the water.

With my left hand against the wall, I walked slowly, being careful not to slip. As I turned the corner of the cave, I saw what looked like a small stream running along the opposite side of the cavern. There was even more mold here, so the walls shone an even brighter blue. On the far right, I saw light, although weak. A small passage was there. Biting my lip, I decided to walk towards it, kneeling so I could pass through it. The small stream continued alongside me, wetting my clothes. Once I reached the other side, I slowly stood up; looking around to make sure it was safe.

Then, I gasped in surprise.

The cave opened and extended till it formed a clearing. The farthest part was open at the roof, letting the moonlight enter to illuminate a small lagoon formed from the water of the stream. Steps made of stone drew a way to a small construction in the middle. It looked like a pagoda, with its slipping ceiling and sturdy columns. It was open, with no walls surrounding the inside, from where I could see some kind of table and other structures I did not recognize, among them what looked like a statue of… something resembling a person.

Further, more steps leaded to the other side of the cave, where there was a small piece of dry land disconnected from the rest of the cave. There were a few trees, with their willowy branches touching the sandy ground, and just next to them… more steps, scaling the wall and leading outside!

My heart skipped a beat after seemingly finding a way out from this place. At the same time, my mind was wary. Where was the viscount? He couldn’t just have left after bringing me all the way here. Something was up. I just didn’t know what.

What should I do?

I had two options. The first one was staying here until the viscount decided to come back from wherever he went off to. The other was stepping into what could possibly be a trap and doing my best to be prepared for it. None of the options were to my liking. However, my body urged me to walk, to do something, and so, I walked to the edge of the lagoon.

I was very careful as the steps were wet and the flat surface didn’t provide me with enough friction to keep me from slipping. There was a separation of water between each step, and although I could swim just well enough, I wasn’t very enthused with the idea of falling into a body of water that I couldn’t see the bottom of.

When my feet finally landed on the pagoda, I took a long moment to make sure there was nothing lurking or hiding behind the columns or lonely table and statue. My hand reflexively went to the dagger at my hip, feeling its hilt to reassure myself that if the viscount or something else suddenly appeared, I could at the very least defend myself.

Maybe it was my imagination, but I could swear the very air inside the pagoda was different from the air in the rest of the cave. It was wet still, yes, but also more… oppressive. Cold.

I gulped, walking ahead until I reached the other end, where the set of steps leading up to the small portion of land on the other side waited for me. I let myself smile as I took a step forward.

I was yanked away, my world spinning and my head colliding against a hard surface. When my eyes focused again I wasn’t surprised to see the viscount, his face showing signs of fatigue while blood continued to pour from his mouth. Instinctively I tried to sit up, only to discover my arms and legs… they were tied up and pulled so I couldn’t move.  Moving my head from side to side as I struggled, I discovered I was tied to the hard table in the middle of the pagoda, and a small part of my mind wondered how the viscount got me here so fast.

The bigger part, of course, was desperately coming up with different plans to get free and kill that bastard once and for all. There wasn’t much to say about this situation at all. I knew from the beginning it was suspicious I couldn’t see the viscount anywhere when I first woke up, and I guess it was better now that he finally showed himself than waiting with bated breath for him to appear.

Now if only I could undo these ties…

“It’s useless. Just give up and it will be easier on you” the viscount took a hold of my chin, turning my face until I could only see him. I narrowed my eyes and continued my struggle, just so he could see I wasn’t going to do what he told me, and he sighed, shaking his head sadly. “Do whatever you want then.”

“What do you want with me? Why did you bring me here?” I demanded as he stood up straight, looking down on me with calculative eyes. Instead of answering me, he remained silent for a long moment, before connecting his eyes with mine. I couldn’t help but flinch under his stare. I might not be that good at sensing mana yet, but even I could see he was in a lamentable state. Maybe, just maybe… I would be enough to kill him?

“I never thought… it would become this difficult. I wonder if it was you, the reason everything went awry” he murmured, as if talking to himself. He shook his head then, letting out another sigh. “No matter anymore. What’s done it’s done.”

He brought his left hand to my forehead, causing me to wince upon contact with the scorching skin. Strange, I thought his skin would be cold, freezing cold, with how fast life was draining from his body. Was it a last ditch effort from his body before the inevitable end?

He pulled his hand away. “This place” he begun, while still looking attentively at me; “it has been used for generations by my family… the now called De la Rosa Viscount House. Truth be told, we had been here for millennia before the founding of this kingdom. For thousands of years, my family has been taking care of this… thing” he placed his hand over his stomach, looking down at himself with a frown. “The reason eludes me. I was just told it was my duty to ward the world from it… by offering my body to it until the next generation could take care of it.”

“You mean… one of the nine demons?” I asked, curious despite myself. He shook his head.

“It’s not one of the generals… this thing has probably been here with us long before the legendary wars between humans and demons. But… its nature it’s so similar to them” he closed his eyes for a moment that I took to twist my right hand here and there so the ties around it would loosen. I stopped immediately when he opened his eyes again. “When I was fifteen my father brought me here… tied me to this same table and performed the ritual… my mother’s blood, as well as my father’s seal… and it was complete. I was the new holder of the demon. And I had the next thirty years or so to have another child that could take over my role before the seal broke.”

I blinked, taking in his words. “Wait…”

“I prepared Mathias his whole life, the same way my father prepared me, to pass on the demon attached to our family… but he ruined it all when he killed his mother” his eyes took on a hostile look, anger emanating from him. “He has no idea what he did by rejecting to fulfill his role. He would be the cause for this demon to get free and destroy the world… and he didn’t care” he laughed, though it was a hollow sound.

Meanwhile, I was stunned. So… this was the reason the viscount wanted to revive his wife? It wasn’t because he loved and missed her so much he was willing to sacrifice a small girl, or even his own child, for it? That… that… just made much more sense, honestly. I was also slightly surprised at hearing again that, indeed, Mathias was the one who killed his mother.

“Then why… if it’s such a dangerous thing, would Mathias refuse to become the new holder? Why did he kill his mother?” I asked, both because I truly wanted to know and because I wanted to distract him enough so he wouldn’t notice my attempts at getting rid of my ties. It’s getting loose! It’s getting loose!

“I don’t know…” he answered. “It’s too late now, though. The ritual has failed. Marie’s body is completely burned, and…” he leaned closer, his face getting uncomfortably close to mine. “There’s not enough time left for me. A new vessel is necessary.”

The tie on my right hand loosened completely. In a split second, I reached for the dagger at my hip and repeatedly stabbed the viscount on the neck. More blood spilled on me, on my clothes, on my face, but I continued, viciously, until the man’s body lost its strength and his head landed on my chest. I breathed hard, the dagger at the ready in case he moved, my other hand loosening the ties binding it. I wasn’t going to lower my guard like last time just because he had a seemingly fatal wound on him.

But it was useless, as his hand quickly took the dagger from my hand, pinning my wrist to the table again, all without lifting his head. I yelled and fought, all in vain. He raised his head and looked at me impassively, amused. He scoffed.

“I didn’t think you would be so naïve.”

“I’m not going to become your vessel! I don’t want anything to do with you or your stupid demon!”

“Consider this your punishment, for thwarting the ritual of false life before” his mouth formed a cruel smirk. “It would have been more merciful giving your life then, than becoming the new demon holder. Without the proper ritual, and you not having my blood, at most, you will have five years before the seal completely breaks. I advise you to have a child before then, or pass on the demon to someone else unless you want this thing to tear apart your body and be free to destroy the earth.”

“Damn you! Let me go!”

“No.”

He leaned down, covering my mouth with his. I screamed, feeling his teeth sinking down on my lips, blood trickling down my chin, both his and mine. I instinctively swallowed the excess blood when it threatened to overflow and drown me.

I felt his hands moving down my body, not in a lewd way, but with a purpose. He pulled the shirt up, touching my skin directly, and when he reached my stomach; his fingers drew a pattern around my navel with the sticky blood from his fingers. I immediately felt light-headed. I stopped fighting, my vision becoming foggy as well as my senses.

The viscount pulled away. “This is not a ritual. It’s a clandestine way of passing off the demon to the new vessel. You will find more detailed information in my office. Go look for it. With that thing within you, you will be able to open the strongbox without a problem.”

“…I… you…” I was breathing hard.

“The energy produced from the transfer should be enough for Ezekiel to locate you, and if not him, his apprentice” he placed his hand on my forehead, sweeping away the sweat that was forming there. Little by little, I saw his demonic form disappearing, leaving behind only a broken, dying man. Although I wanted to swat his hand away, I couldn’t move.

My vision blackened completely. I heard a dry thump next to me, which I assumed was the viscount’s dead body falling to the ground. With a shaky, final breath, I also surrendered to the darkness.