Chapter 200: Blood Shed
HAPPY 200TH Chapter!!! {≥≈≤}
...
Lilith stared in disbelief, her heart racing as her eyes remained glued to the man in front of her, smiling like the devil himself.
How... how did this happen? How could the demon take over Hades? Everything had been going according to plan. She had unlocked her inner powers, yet now, it all felt meaningless.
She had only learned how to rid him of the curse. She had no idea what to do about the demon completely taking over the prince. Her horrid dream, all the terrible things she had seen, it was all going to happen. And she couldn’t stop it from becoming reality.
Feeling a tear land on the back of her hand, Lilith lifted it and wiped her cheeks aggressively. She refused to let this lowly demon succeed in his plans. She was going to save Hades and the people of Valyron, no matter what it took.
Determined, Lilith slowly rose to her feet, her fists clenched tightly by her sides. "Bring back the prince. Return to the hell you came from," she shouted.
Zal’s smile broadened. "Unfortunately, I cannot do that. Your dear prince is gone forever, and I am here to stay... for a very, very long time. You should start getting used to me." He turned, pointing his finger at the people around him. "All of you... and I might just grant you an easy death."
"The only person dying will be you," Lilith declared.
Zal turned his attention back to her, his eyes slowly scanning her from head to toe before resting back on her face. "Now I see why that fool fell for you. A truly beautiful woman. Keep your pretty lips sealed, and I might spare your life as my mistress."
Lilith’s jaw tightened, fury rising within her but before she could respond, someone else beat her to it.
"You will speak to the lady with respect."
Zal turned his head toward the voice. Viktor.
"Ah... the fool’s dog. I am disappointed to see that you aren’t quite impressive. I’ll definitely kill you."
"Don’t.."
"I don’t know who you think you are," one of the nearby guards cut in, drawing his sword, "but in Valyron, we respect the nobles. Return to where you belong or face my wrath."
Zal’s smile broadened even more. "Interesting. Very interesting. Please, show me this wrath of yours."
Before Lilith could stop the guard, he charged at Zal, swinging his sword. The demon caught it effortlessly with one hand.
The guard quickly recovered from his shock, applying more force down the blade, but the demon didn’t budge. Instead, the sword snapped in two.
Zal held on to one half of the broken sword, catching the guard off guard as he grabbed the man by the hair and pressed the blade against his neck.
Viktor stepped forward, panic in his eyes. "Don’t kill him. Let him go."
Zal turned his gaze to him. "You don’t sound convincing enough. I want you to beg me to spare his pathetic life."
Viktor swallowed hard.
"Come on, do it. Beg me," Zal urged, pressing the blade deeper against the writhing man’s neck.
"You don’t.."
A scream tore from the man’s throat as Zal sliced open his neck and let him go. He collapsed to the ground, gasping and pressing his hands over the gaping wound. The demon lowered himself beside him, still holding the blade. With a swift motion, he gripped the man’s hair, turned his head, and drove the broken sword into his eye, killing him instantly.
"See? This is your fault. If only you had begged me like I said," Zal murmured, the same menacing smile plastered on his face.
Most of the onlookers recoiled at the gruesome sight, stepping back in horror. A few guards moved to charge at Zal, but Viktor stopped them with a hand gesture. "I’m going to fucking kill you," he growled through clenched teeth.
"Sure you will," Zal replied sarcastically, raising his blood covered hand. His eyes lit up as he licked the blood, a streak staining his nose and mouth. A pleased sigh escaped his lips. "I can’t wait to taste all your blood," he added, tilting his head toward Lilith. "Especially this one."
Suddenly, black dust swirled around Zal, spiraling faster and faster. They all watched in silence as the demon vanished, the black particles dispersing into the air.
A moment of silence passed before chaos erupted. Servants and guards scrambled away in fear, some tripping over themselves as they sought some where to hide. Only Viktor, Charlotte, Lucian, who still stood frozen at a distance and Lilith remained. Her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed to the ground.
Lilith panted, her breaths shallow and erratic, as she wiped the sweat from her face with trembling hands. Her eyes lifted when she felt a gentle hand wrap around her arm.
"Are you alright?" Viktor asked softly.
Her lips trembled as she shook her head. "It’s all over, Viktor. We’re all doomed," she whispered, her voice heavy with pain and guilt.
"That’s not true, Lilith. We’re not doomed," he said firmly. "As long as we have each other, we’ll find a way out of this. We will defeat that demon and we’ll bring Hades back."
"How do you know this?" she asked, barely audible.
"I just do." He offered her a reassuring look and gently pulled her to her feet. "This isn’t the time to sulk. We need to prepare. We need to start planning now."
He supported her as they walked toward Lucian, who stood stiff and pale, as though the life had been drained from him.
Viktor let go of Lilith’s hand and placed a firm grip on Lucian’s shoulder. "Lucian, don’t look like it’s all over. It’s far from it. We can’t fail Hades not again. We must save them all. Don’t give up. Please."
Lucian’s throat tightened, and a choked sound escaped him. "I... I’ve failed him. Just like I failed his mother."
"No," Viktor said, his voice calm. "You had no control over what happened to them. But you do have control over what happens next. You can help save him. And we must begin as soon as possible."
"Viktor is right. We must save Hades," Lilith said, her voice steadier now. "I have no idea how we’ll do it, but we’ll figure it out together. You’ll truly fail the prince if you sit back and do nothing."
Lucian drew in a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "You’re both right. We must send that demon back to the depths of hell."
"Now that we’re all back on our toes," Viktor began, "I think the first thing we should do is take care of that body."
Their eyes turned to the corpse lying lifeless on the ground, eyes vacant and mouth ajar.
"He should be given a proper burial," Viktor added solemnly.
"I’ll inform his family immediately," Lucian said with a nod.
"Very well. I shall escort the ladies back to their chambers."
Lucian gave a respectful bow before walking away.
"Let’s head back to the castle," Viktor said, and they all began making their way back in silence. When they arrived, Viktor led Lilith to her chamber first, then escorted Charlotte to hers.
Charlotte sat on the bed, still visibly shaken by what had transpired earlier, Viktor quietly poured a glass of water and handed it to her.
"Thank you," Charlotte offered a tight smile as she collected the glass with shaky hands, bringing it to her lips to take a sip.
Viktor watched her closely. "Are you alright?" he asked, noticing how slowly she drank the water.
Charlotte nodded. "I’ll be fine."
"You should rest," Viktor said. "I’m going to sweep the castle for the demon. It’s not safe for anyone to wander around while he might still be lurking within the walls."
Charlotte placed the glass on the bedside drawer. "Why don’t you ask the guards to do it?"
"I don’t want anyone else getting hurt."
"What about you?" she asked, her voice rising slightly. "You saw what he did, how he murdered that man brutally. What if he does the same to you?"
"Don’t think too deeply about it. I’ll be fine. Nothing will happen to me." Viktor offered her a reassuring smile before turning toward the door.
As he opened it, a hand gripped his arm, halting him. He looked back and found Charlotte standing behind him.
"Please... be careful," she said, her brows furrowed in concern.
Viktor smiled gently. "I will. Keep your door locked and wait for me, alright?"
"Alright."
He placed his hand over hers, comforting her with a slow stroke of his thumb across the back of her hand. After a moment, they both let go, and Viktor stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Charlotte locked it immediately, then returned to sit on the bed as the day’s events kept replaying in her head. She could feel fear rise from deep within her, she could tell that something terrible was about to happen. She could only pray that they would be able to stop it from happening.