|Ch.25

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A forest of darkness was it. Massive trees as if they were waiting for a second for you to make a mistake so they could swallow you down into the depth of their darkness. Heeseung was terrified as he looked around,cold sweat dripping down.

"Forgive if I made you uncomfortable,sir"

He wasn't alone. A man with wings as large as a six feet tall man,horns of a devil. Of course he is a devil. Heeseung knew that much. But who is he?

"Wh–who are you? Why did you bring me here?",Heeseung tried to put on a facade of bravery. But he was absolutely mortified.

"My name is Nine. I'm lord Storm's guardian. Please follow me close from now on. And I again,I apologise for bringing you here without your permission"

The devil started walking ahead,Heeseung was still flabbergasted. Nine,Heeseung's eyes flickered into a recognition. He had heard that name from Storm himself and read it in the book too. Storm's one and only trustworthy person. Storm trusts this man thus he didn't see a reason to be suspicious of him. Even though he literally kidnapped him in the middle of the night. He would address the crime later on,he thought and followed the devil closely.

After few steps,Nine disappeared into thin air.

Heeseung stood there,jaw opened.

"Did he just ditch me here?"

He looked around to see if he was around but no.

"Come forward,sir. Don't worry,I'm right infront of you",Nine's voice came from just ahead of him,and it sounded like he was almost close to his face but where?

The story he read was from Gabriel's view point so he did not know what was going on in this forest. Frankly,the forest creeped him out. It was as if all the bad luck in the world gathered into one place. Even taking a step forward made him think twice. Would he die if take a step forward?

"We need to get to my lord Storm. Please,trust me and come forward"

Storm. Yes,he needed to see him. That's all what matters now. He came here for the devil. So why is he scared of death when Storm himself is his death?

Heeseung took a step forward. There,he saw Nine standing right infront of him.

"It is an invisible veil to keep this place safe",Nine said. The devil had no expression.

Behind him,Heeseung noticed a massive and gigantic castle. It was as if it was engulfed in dark clouds,everything was dark. Castle walls were black,pitch black. And to go to the castle,there was a bridge. A rocky bridge and under it was a river flowing with dangerous tides. If tides were not enough to scare him,then there were spiky rocks under the bridge waiting for to fall into their deaths. Because anyone who would pass through this freaking bridge would definitely fall into their deaths. The bridge had no FENCES! There were no fences to hold onto. It would have been fine if the bridge wasn't so narrow!!

Who would even cross this freaking bridge? The wind blowing around it would definitely knock you down if you didn't slip by yourself.

"I'm not crossing that thing",Heeseung was firm in his decision.

Nine gave a slight bow,"As you wish"

And suddenly he was high in the air in Nine's arms. Nine was flying towards the castle with Heeseung in his arms.

To say Heeseung was embarrassed would be an underestimation. He went from snow white to red tomato. The flight didn't last much longer because Nine landed right infront of the gates and put him down.

"That was....not cool",Heeseung was still dumbfounded.

Nine ignored him and touched the gate with his palm. The gate opened automatically.

"Welcome to the Moon castle"

"Moon....castle?"

Heeseung had chills on his spine for some reason. The name was ordinary but the vibe was not ordinary at all. It felt like all the nightmares are inside this place. Now that he looked around,it definitely felt like a dream mixed with a nightmare. It was a terrifying beauty. Everything was black. From flower pots to water fountains,everything was shiny black! They glistened under the moonlight which gave him the feeling that he would be cursed to eternity if he were to ever touch them. The rocks underneath them were also black.

The water in the ponds were like shining water from heaven yet they were accidentally placed in the devil's home. And not to forget all the creepy plants around the castle,he felt like they were staring right at him.

"In any case,please don't look at the trees directly",Nine warned.

"W –Why?",Heeseung was quick to look away.

"They are here for protection. But it doesn't guarantee your safety in here. If you look at them straight,they would suck your soul dry"

Indeed,horrifying. He felt like the hell had planted itself in here.

"D –Did you grow them here?"

"No. My lord's father planted them to protect his son"

Heeseung was surprised. Storm had been bitching about his father for a long time,telling him how he wished to kill him. So,it was strange to hear that his father would do this for him. Did he love Storm or not?

"Follow me",Nine entered the castle after opening an iron door. When he opened the door,it seems like he had to put all his strength into opening the door. He could see Nine's veins popping out of his neck.

"Why is it hard to open the door?",Heeseung mumbled subconsciously.

"The door can only be opened by a person of strength. A normal person cannot open it. Entering this place is instant death for a person with no strength"

Heeseung stopped.

Nine looked back slightly over his shoulder,"It's fine for you to enter"

"I'm not strong"

"Come in now",Nine entered without answering him.

Heeseung immediately stuck closer to Nine,if anything happens,he could throw this devil as a shield. But when he entered,he was left confused yet amazed. It was nothing like he expected.

It was a beauty beyond words. Though everything was black,there was a shining light around everywhere,like moonlight even though Moon wasn't even in the sight. It was enough to see around. The marble floor was black but it reflected his own self. The couches around them were all looking cozy and comfortable. But apart from couches,there were nothing to see more. No paintings,no pictures. He could see a staircase that leaded to upper floors. And some hallways lead to who knows where.

"He is in the third floor. Let's go",Nine went to the staircase and Heeseung followed while looking around. With every step they took in the staircase,a magic white light would appear so they can step on the stairs safely.

While they were going up,he could see almost nothing due to the darkness,he could see some rooms,hallways and yes. He couldn't see any specific details.
So,he decided to focus on the stairs which was less terrifying to his poor heart. But little did he know what he was about to face.

"Sir,I must say this beforehand",Nine spoke.

"Yes?"

"My lord had lost all the mana in his body. He was worse than what he was before. I don't know how he was in your world but don't expect that person you had seen before"

"What do you mean?"

Nine was silent. He was silent until they reached the third floor.  And he entered a certain hall way. Then a living room. It was different from what he saw in the downfloors. There were some glass cupboards with plants,and book racks attached to walls. The marble floor was white in here. And there were couches too. But what was surprising was how large the windows were. The windows had no glasses. A slight warm breeze entered through the windows,swaying the white translation curtains. He could see the sky with a lot of stars.

And there was a room in the corner of this hall. It was closed shut.

"He is in there",Nine said.

Heeseung looked at him,"What do you mean earlier? What's wrong with him?"

Nine looked straight into Heeseung's eyes,"He is a devil. Don't forget that."

Heeseung squinted his eyes,more confused. Of course he knew it.

"Lack of mana had drove him insane....just don't die",that's all Nine said before proceeding to walk towards the door. He grabbed a hold of the handle and looked at Heeseung. "Ready?"

Heeseung didn't want to think anymore but he couldn't kill the chill in his spine or the sick feeling in his stomach. He felt dizzy for some reason. An urge to run away. But this is Storm.

Yes,Storm.

He didn't know why but when he thought of him,he gets this sudden courage to go through anything. So,he stood infront of the door and let Nine open it.

When the door was opened,he entered. The room had no walls. But he could slightly see his own reflection,meaning there was a glass wall surrounding the room. The room was messy. Everything had shattered,more like someone had destroyed them. And in the middle of the room was a bed.

Heeseung stood still. The first thing he noticed was this large pair of shiny raven wings. They were massive. So massive that even Nine couldn't compete with this size. His heart dropped to his stomach.

The door behind him shut closed.

It was Storm. He was back facing Heeseung on the bed as he sat still.

"Storm",a whisper left from Heeseung's mouth as he stood still.

A low growl was what he received in as a reply.

Heeseung wanted to take a step but he was terrified that he was petrified. He knew Storm was a devil but had he known about Storm's wings? No! Because Storm had never reveal his wings in the novel!

Did lack of mana bring back his wings? Heeseung knew that it was a possibility. Because to hide wings,Storm needs mana. Now since he no longer have mana,his wings are out.

"I —it's me,Heeseung"

A big mistake.

Storm slowly looked back, his red eye was glowing brightly. And there were black veins running through his neck and face. Lips pale as white.

Suddenly,Heeseung couldn't breath. His knees gave up. It was the Pendragon aura seeping through his uncontrolled eye! Heeseung was on his knees,unable to look up,like a sacrifice delivered in a plate right to the devil's feet.

The murderous intentions filled the room. It was so dense that Heeseung knew he was a step away from the death door.

He needs to move!

Or else he is going to get killed!!

He tried getting up but he couldn't! All muscles are locked.

Get up Heeseung!! Get up!

And he heard it. The bed creaking. Storm had got out of bed,making his way towards him.

Move!

Move!

Heeseung,move!

Lee Heeseung you piece of crap! Get up!!

Do something!!

Anything!!

Storm's feet was right infront of him now. He could hear Storm's growl as if he was starved for thousands of years. He is literally starving for mana.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

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