𝕊𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕕 𝔸𝕨𝕒𝕪 | 𝚂𝚞𝚔𝚞𝚗𝚊 𝚁𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚗, 𝚂𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚞 𝙶𝚘𝚓𝚘

𝟚.

He stood there standing for a few seconds. He was much taller than me.  I could see on his face thinking hard about how to handle that.

In a hesitant gesture, he turned his back to me and squatted.

"Get on." he said. His voice was serene, smooth.

There wasn't any hostility from the way he addressed me, not like Sukuna. For the first time from the moment I met the King, I felt safe even if I knew he'd kill me without blinking if his master ordered him to.

I nodded and hopped on his back. He slowly got back up and followed his master. He flinched when I wrapped my arms and legs around him. I rested my chin on his right shoulder, sighing. I was cramped all other my body from the stress. A rebel strand of his hair brushed my nose and I sneezed.

"Are you ok?" the young man inquired, startled. He shifted his head to take a look at me.

"Your hair just tickled my nose, that's all." I took a moment to appreciate the beauty of his eyes. They were of a clear shade of blue. His immaculate hair was falling on his face.

When he shifted his head back to the back of his master, I could have swore I saw him smile.

The main hall was amazingly spacious. We made our way through corridors after corridors. My ride didn't seem tired to carry me around like this, his steps were as light as they were when he picked me up earlier. I was dozing off on his shoulder when their voices snapped me out of it.

"Meleia, she said it is urgent."

"...then, take her to the slave quarters, I'll see her after."

Sukuna disappeared in a flash and I was left with his servant.

He turned around and walked back from where we came from.

"What's your name?" I asked. I felt freer to talk if Sukuna wasn't listening.

"People here call me Ren." he continued walking and passed a door leading to an inner court.

"Where are you taking me?" I whispered.

"Can you walk?"

I nodded. He let me down slowly on the ground, still holding my arm.

"I think I can walk if there aren't any more stairs." I said, smiling at him.

"I'm taking you to the slave quarters, this is where you'll live."

"Will you be there too ?" I innocently asked. I really felt safer with him around.

He chuckled. "I live in the castle."

We arrived in front of an old traditional japanese house. I gasped.

There were people, and there were monsters. I started to go backward. A girl had the half of her face ripped apart and vines growing from her skull. A little boy didn't have legs, he had 4 arms and was creeping on the ground.

Ren grabbed me by the arm and faced me.

"I would have thought." he whispered to himself. "You know nothing about this place, don't you ?"

I shook my head. He sighed.

"Curses live here, along with a very few of your species." Your species? wasn't he human too?

"I don't understand this place." I said, looking away, trying to make sense of all of it.

"Everyone here serves the King, and in exchange they are offered shelter."

I slowly started to understand why this place existed. What is a King without subjects?

Ren bent over me and took my necklace in his hand.