Chapter 92: Devoured By Darkness
Pain was the only thing Lirian knew.
It had settled deep into her bones, wrapping around her like a second skin.
She was laying on the cold stone floor, her body battered heap, her breath too shallow.
The scent of blood—her blood—covered everything, mixing with the sickly-sweet burn of incense.
Her outfit was in tatters, soaked through with sweat and crimson, clinging to her like a shroud.
Her arms felt too heavy to lift, her back was torn raw from the repeated lashes.
And yet, she had not given them what they wanted.
She had not broken.
Not yet.
Gabriel...
She forced herself to focus on his name, to picture his face.
The way he always stood in front of her, protecting her.
The way his voice calmed her when the world spun out of control.
Where was he?
Would he come?
The door opened, cutting through her fevered thoughts.
Heavy boots crunched against the stone floor, slow, long steps that made her stomach tighten.
’Meylo...’
She felt him before she saw him, his presence was like a cold hand wrapping around her throat.
But something was different this time.
The energy itself seemed to shift, thickening with an unnatural aura.
The torches dimmed, their flames shrinked as if afraid.
And then, a voice.
Not Meylo’s voice.
Something darker.
"Mine."
Lirian’s breath hitched as a deep, rasping whisper slithered through the chamber.
It didn’t come from Meylo’s lips—it came from the air around him, from the shadows twisting unnaturally at his feet.
Meylo’s body jerked unnaturally, his head snapped to the side, his mouth parted in a sick grin.
But his eyes... they weren’t his.
They were pits of hungry black, voids that swallowed all light.
"She resists," the voice crooned, vibrating through the stone walls. "She suffers. How delicious."
Lirian shuddered.
This... this wasn’t just Meylo anymore.
Something was inside him, something ancient and starving.
Meylo—no, the thing inside him—crouched beside her, lifting his head like a predator studying prey.
"So much power," the voice purred. "Locked inside such a fragile shell. How long will you last, little bird?"
She clenched her jaw, refusing to give it the satisfaction of an answer.
Meylo’s body jerked again, his limbs twitched as if something was trying to move inside his skin.
His fingers flexed before reaching out, pressing against her chest.
And then—
"Aaaaah!" Lirian screamed.
A new kind of pain came through her, worse than the whips, worse than the mana extraction.
It was as if her very soul was being gnawed on, like invisible fangs sinking into her essence.
She writhed, her nails scraped against the floor, her vision flashed red.
The demon inside Meylo sighed in pleasure. "Ahhh... you taste of light."
Lirian gasped, trying to push back, but she was too weak.
She could feel it now—something slithering through her veins, reaching deep into the last reserves of her mana.
No.
She wouldn’t let it take her.
With the last of her strength, she gritted her teeth and slammed her hand against the stone.
A faint pulse of energy crackled from her palm—a desperate, pathetic attempt to shield herself.
The demon chuckled. "Still fighting? Even now? Oh, how I adore your suffering."
Meylo’s body twitched violently, his jaw cracked unnaturally as the entity inside him twisted his spine.
He let out a distorted laugh, his voice was sounding with something inhuman.
"Come now, child. Let me in."
His fingers dug deeper into her chest, siphoning the golden light from her core.
"Agh..." Lirian choked back another scream, she felt her limbs after another stingy pain tore through her.
She could feel it now.
It wasn’t just taking her mana.
It was devouring her.
This thing—this thing—wasn’t just some magic-sucking parasite. It wanted her very existence.
Lirian’s breath hitched as a vision went through her mind—an endless abyss, filled with whispering voices, all calling her name.
A place where she would be swallowed whole, where nothing of her would remain.
She thrashed wildly, her body acted on instinct.
"Get out!" she rasped in a raw voice.
Meylo’s lips pulled into a smile. "But I’m so hungry, little bird. Won’t you feed me?"
The black pits of his eyes bore into hers, and suddenly—
Memories slammed into her.
Not hers.
Meylo’s.
Or rather, the thing inside him.
She saw centuries of darkness.
A being trapped in nothingness, clawing at the edges of reality, yearning, hungering.
It had no form, no name—only a need to consume.
And now, it had found her.
A perfect vessel.
A perfect meal.
Lirian’s body spasmed, her scream teared through the chamber as the entity’s presence pushed into her, forcing itself deeper, trying to make room within her soul.
She was slipping—
Her consciousness fraying—
No!
She had to hold on.
But her body was failing.
Her mana was nearly gone.
Her strength was leaving her.
And Gabriel—
Gabriel wasn’t here.
A tear slid down her cheek, mixing with the blood on her face.
Was this how it ended?
Alone?
The demon inside Meylo let out a pleased hum. "You taste of sorrow now. Even better."
Darkness crept at the edges of her vision, her body sank deeper into the cold embrace of the stone floor.
No more mana.
No more strength.
No more hope.
Her fingers twitched.
Her lips parted.
And in the quietest breath, she whispered—
"Gabriel..."
The demon stilled.
A pause.
Then—
A low chuckle, evil and knowing. "Ah... waiting for your knight, are you?"
Meylo’s body shuddered violently as the entity inside him surged, its blackened veins bulging beneath his skin.
He leaned in, his breath ghosting against her ear.
"He won’t come in time."
Tears burned her eyes.
She wanted to deny it.
Wanted to believe Gabriel would storm through that door, sword drawn in his hands...
But...
What if he didn’t?
What if he couldn’t?
The demon exhaled in satisfaction, pressing its palm against her once more.
"Now, let’s finish this, shall we?"
Lirian gasped as the last of her mana was ripped from her core—
Her body was shaking—
Her vision went white—
And then—
Everything stopped.
The room fell silent.
The pulsing altar dimmed.
The torches lightened up.
Meylo’s body jerked backward, his hands snapped to his throat as if choking on something.
His eyes—still black, still void—widened in surprise.
The demon inside him let out a low hiss.
Lirian, barely conscious, forced herself to lift her head.
Something had changed.
Something was wrong.
Meylo stumbled back, a look of confusion—of anger—crossing his twisted features.
His fingers flexed, as though something had slipped from his grasp.
Lirian didn’t understand.
What had happened?
She hadn’t done anything—
She had nothing left.
And yet...
Somewhere deep inside her, something moved.
Something else.
"Guaaaah!" Meylo’s possessed body let out a guttural growl, his eyes narrowed on her.
"What did you do?"
Lirian’s lips barely moved as she whispered—
"I... don’t know."
The demon bared its teeth.
And for the first time—
It looked afraid.