Devyn's heart skipped as the girl's announcement reached his ears. A small smile tugged on the human's lips, wanting to be seen as soon as possible, but one glance from the emyr told Devyn he should hide his excitement at the avex's wakening. The monir did not skip a beat in rising from her chair and rushing up the stairs. The girl was hasty to follow the monir, while the emyr slowly stood to his feet. Devyn looked towards the stairs eagerly as he saw the two females disappear onto the third floor. The human, too, stood to his feet and began to walk around the table towards the mouth of the dining room.

"Where do you think you're going?" A rough voice stopped the human in his tracks. The emyr moved from his chair and came to stand before Devyn, blocking his path to the stairs. "Did you really think you would be able to work your witchcraft on my son now that I am here? I don't know what you did to ensnare the avex, but rest assured, he will be cured."

Devyn looked at the emyr stunned. Me, a witch? That's absurd! The human swallowed as he looked up at the demon towering over him. The emyr stood so tall that a shadow was cast onto Devyn. His eyes were a lighter grey than his son's, and Devyn saw them as creepy and vile. There was no warmth or kindness in them. They were cold and unforgiving. Devyn's longing to see Denzyl overcame the shock and fear the emyr instilled, and the human addressed the emyr without being told to speak. "I am no witch." The sentence was short, but they were the hardest words the human had ever said.

Devyn's illegal response sparked a flame in the emyr's cold eyes. "How dare you!!" A backhand with the force of a gale storm sent the human flying across the room and crashing into the wall. Devyn coughed as he caught his breath before struggling to lift himself onto his hands and knees. "Guards! Take this slave back to the hold!" The emyr's voice bellowed through the residence with a deep hatred.

Devyn's bruised body throbbed with pain, and a warm sensation brought the human's hand to the back of his head. Devyn retracted his hand to see blood covering his fingers. The human shook his head as his vision began to blur. Before he knew it, rough hands were grappling his arms and pulling him to his feet. The guards began dragging the human out of the room before hurried footsteps could be heard racing down the stairs.

"Stop this!"

Devyn looked to see the monir walking towards him. She brought her hand behind Devyn's head, and gasped when her hand was covered with blood.

"Klein! What have you done?!" The woman walked over to her husband with fury in her eyes.

"He's a human, Ilya!" The emyr roared.

"He is-"

"Don't give me that crap, Ilya! I don't want to hear it!" The man threw his hands in the air and released a dramatic huff. The emyr thought for a moment before coming to a decision. "Fine. Take it to whatever room you were keeping it in. However, it is not to receive treatment. It broke the law, and should be punished for it. It is up to the human whether it lives or dies," the emyr concluded his verdict with a hateful glare towards the wounded human before storming up the stairs.

The monir let out a relieved sigh before addressing the guards holding Devyn. "Take him to his room," the woman paused and pursed her lips before reluctantly adding, "and don't let anyone in until he has recovered."

"Yes, Monir," the guards bowed before ascending the stairs with the limp human between them.

The two demons set the human on the stone floor just in front of the room's entrance before shutting the door and locking it. The sound of the door locking brought the human back from the rim of unconsciousness. He brought his hand to the back of his head to check the flow of the bleeding. It had slowed but had not stopped. Devyn looked around the room in search of any sort of medical assistance. A box the same shape as the medical kit under the couch in Denzyl's home caught the human's eye. It was shoved under the bed and was stationed towards the center of the space.

Devyn stretched an arm out and began to pull himself towards the bed. His chest screamed with pain as he slid across the polished stone. The area where the mark was on his back began to burn as the pain in the human's body increased with every second. Devyn ignored the burning sensation in his shoulder as he reached the bed and stretched his arm into the space as far as he could. The tips of the human's fingers brushed against the box as they struggled to get a grip. Desperate to stop the bleeding from his head, Devyn pushed his shoulder under the rim of the bed until he was finally able to grasp the box.

Devyn let out a breath as he retracted his arm and brought the box out from under the bed. The human opened the box and fumbled around for the gauze. As soon as he found the soft material, he placed it against the back of his head and applied pressure to the wound. Devyn gasped as pain shot through his head at the sudden pressure but did not remove his hand. When he felt the gauze begin to get soaked through, he added another piece on top of it. Devyn kept adding piece after piece until the bleeding had stopped.

Once the bleeding was under control, Devyn applied some ointments and creams before placing a bandage over the area. Devyn did not know if he would be able to position the full wound under the medium size bandage as he did not have a view of the back of his head, so he placed the largest bandage over the pained area.

Now that his head was taken care of, Devyn lifted his shirt to check his chest and abdomen. There were no large, open wounds, but new bruises had begun to form and his body hurt with every touch and movement. Wanting to stay as still as possible to refrain from worsening his injuries, Devyn lied down on the floor and remained in the fetal position as he let sleep overtake his exhausted body.

TIME SKIP: 4 HOURS

Devyn woke to a throbbing pain in his side. The human grasped his side as he sat up. Devyn let out a groan as his bruised body hated the movement. What should I do? The floor was too hard to lie on for an extended amount of time. That probably just worsened the bruises on that side. I can't really climb onto the bed right now. What to do...Ah! Devyn began to scoot across the floor as an idea entered his mind that could relieve him of some of the pain.

The human gasped from the pain as he struggled to the bathroom. In this moment, he was grateful he did not close the door when he exited the bathroom. Devyn brought himself to the edge of the bathtub before gently lowering himself step by step into the warm water. The remaining cuts stung as Devyn immersed his body. There were no herbs or healing properties in the water as the tub had already drained and refilled itself as it does after each use. The clear water brought on a pink tint as the human's blood-soaked clothes began to bleed into the bath.

Devyn was careful to keep his head from getting wet, so the water came up to his collarbones as he leaned against the side of the in-floor tub. The hot water enwrapped the human's body and ushered Devyn into a incoherent state where he drifted back and forth from consciousness. The human remained in this state for two days before he had healed enough to remain conscious for a certain amount of time which ranged from twenty minutes to one hour.

Devyn was able to stand on the third day, and he made his way to the bed during one of his windows of consciousness. He did not notice the tray of food and water sitting in front of the door during his staggering walk from the bathroom to the bed. Still wet, the human managed to crawl under the blankets before he slipped back into the black. 

Devyn woke at the end of the third day to a parched throat. He slowly sat up and looked around to find a tray stationed before the bedroom door. The human carefully slid out of the bed and walked over to the tray. Devyn sat down next to the tray and instantly downed the cup of water. He took two bites from the bland, cold porridge before abandoning the tray and returning to the bed. Devyn had been careful to sleep on his side, so the wound on his head was able to heal some. Devyn repeated the cycle of sleeping and getting up to drink some water and eat a bite or two of porridge before returning to the bed.

By the fifth day, Devyn was able to think clearly and walk without staggering and wobbling. Realizing he had been in the same blood-stained clothes for five days, Devyn took a bath and changed into a fresh pair of clothes. The human's heart skipped as he felt the fabric from the shirt fall onto his shoulders. He grabbed the front of the shirt and let his fingers run down the soft fabric. It was the same size and fabric as the shirt Denzyl had dressed him in when he brought him out of the hold. A lump formed in Devyn's throat as he thought about the crimson-haired demon. How was he? Was he recovering well? When could he see him? Would he die by the emyr's hands if he snuck into the third floor to see Denzyl?

Devyn swallowed dryly and tried his best to put those thoughts behind him. What was important in that moment was to survive. If he wanted to see Denzyl again, he would have to survive and stay alive as long as he could. Determined to hold out for as long as possible, Devyn adjusted the mouth of the shirt so that it wouldn't fall off his shoulders before slipping on the pants.

Not knowing where to put the blood-stained clothes, Devyn folded them and left them on the floor of the bathroom. Devyn then gently removed the bandage from his head. Using the mirror above the sink and the mirror stationed on the wall in the bathroom, Devyn was able to look at the back of his head at a distance. The wound was healing nicely, so he exited the bathroom.

The human let out a sigh as he looked at the trail of blood he had created from the front of the door to the bed. Devyn wet a hand towel in the sink and wiped up the dried blood. He then went over the trail again with soap before wiping it again. A stain remained on the stone, but Devyn was too tired to scrub the floor for hours.

A knock on the door brought the human's attention to the room's entrance. The door opened, and Betti poked her head inside. She smiled at Devyn softly when she saw him sitting on the floor with a blood-stained towel in his hand.

"How are you?" She asked kindly.

"Fine." Devyn managed a small smile when he realized the demon maidservant was genuinely concerned for him.

Betti nodded before saying what she came to announce. "The emyr is away on a business trip. The monir was wondering if you felt well enough to have lunch with her."

Devyn mulled over the information before nodding, "I will be down in a moment."

Betti smiled and nodded before retreating and closing the door. Devyn let out a breath before slowly standing to his feet and walking to the mirror. He had not realized how small he had gotten. The shirt that used to be too long and just a little big now swallowed him. Devyn lifted the shirt to reveal the bruises covering his body, both the old and new. Some were still a darker color while others were turning green and yellow.

Devyn took a breath before leaving the mirror and exiting the room. Devyn descended the steps to find the monir sitting at the table. She was alone. The monir looked up and smiled at Devyn as he entered the room. She motioned for him to sit in the chair he had sat in during dinner. A plate of porridge with small bits of sausage and a cup of milk was awaiting the human as he sat.

"How are you?" The monir inquired softly.

"Better," Devyn answered truthfully.

"That's a relief." The woman checked the back of Devyn's head before nodding in satisfaction at its stage of healing. "Omo," a gasp left the woman's lips as she studied Devyn's skinny body. "Have you not been eating the porridge?" The monir asked with true concern.

Devyn let out a small, shy laugh. "I...um...I was a little out of it."

"I see. But you are better now?"

"Yes, Monir."

"Then, I will ask for a second bowl."

"Oh, there's no need," Devyn politely refused. He doubted he could even finish the first one.

"No, I insist. Go ahead and eat." The monir did not allow Devyn to say anything else as she quickly stood and exited the room.

Devyn watched her leave before turning to the bowl of porridge sitting in front of him. The human picked up the spoon and began to eat. He did not realize how hungry he was until he tasted the first bit of sausage. His mouth began to water, and he found himself eating another bite. He had taken his fourth bite, when the closing of a door caught the human's attention. Devyn set the spoon back in the bowl and looked up to see a pair of feet descending the stairs.

Devyn held his breath as he watched the man land on the second floor. He stood to his feet when he saw Denzyl enter the room. The human left his chair and walked around the table to stand several paces in front of the crimson-haired demon. Denzyl stopped in his tracks when he saw the human standing still before him. Devyn did not realize the monir had returned and was standing just behind him with a smile on her face. His gaze was fixed on the demon in front of him. Denzyl had his hands in his pockets, and he was standing comfortably. There were no scars to be found. He was completely healthy.

Devyn's heart skipped when he locked eyes with Denzyl. Denzyl paused and gazed at the emerald eyes looking back at him. He looked the human up and down before a smile came to his lips. Devyn could not help but smile back as the crimson-haired demon began walking towards him. But to Devyn's shock, Denzyl walked past him with a stranger's gaze. Time seemed to slow as Devyn felt the warmth of Denzyl brush past him. The human reached out for the demon as Denzyl walked by, but his hand could not leave his side. He could not reach the man who had already gone away much farther than any of the two had suspected.