Dim, cold fire burned in the snake-like woman's eyes, the determination was equal to the thirst for blood. Her forked tongue flicked in the air, her eyes locked onto the hatted female like a snake watching a mouse. (Y/N) could hear Ghirahim's warning in her head, telling her to return to the castle as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, she could only teleport so far, she would have to run first and this woman could clearly run fast. They both remained still, watching the other to see who would flinch first. Making her forget was not possible as she had to be closer to her, that was a risk that (Y/N) was not willing to take.
"You do exist after all. In a world you don't belong in and live, Compassion Spirit." the woman's voice was sickly sour, the name of the spirit was bitter on her tongue. (Y/N) slowly stood from her crouched position, her eyes not breaking from the stare, not allowing the woman to claim the split-second chance to attack.
"You can. . .see me?" (Y/N) asked, the woman released a husky chuckle of sorts.
"Not used to being seen. I've learnt about you. You like being invisible." the snake woman took a step closer, making (Y/N) take a step backwards, ready to bolt if she attacked. "If you come with me, you can help others. My master needs your help." she said in a disturbingly soft voice. The Spirit knew better though. This woman was dark, twisted. Finds joy and satisfaction in killing, hurting innocents.
"No. I will not help you." The thin smirk that held the woman's lips dropped and disgust with annoyance replaced it.
The woman took another steps closer and spat a pale green liquid at (Y/N)'s eyes from her fangs. (Y/N) turned her head low, blocking the venom from getting in her eyes with her wide-brimmed hat which gave the woman the opening she needed. (Y/N) looked up, a sword's blade aimed at her chest, her own daggers clashing against the sword. A hiss of annoyance left the snake woman and she brought her leg around to kick (Y/N)'s knee, the spirit flipped over the woman and landed with ease only to have the whip-like tail wrap around her ankle and trip her. The grass slightly softened her fall but not much. (Y/N) rolled out of the way of the incoming strike, her daggers sliced against the woman's cheek and jumped back onto her feet. The snake woman hissed again, her forked tongue flicking in the air as she brought her weapon to her lips and licked it, her venom coated the blade's edge, making blocking more important for (Y/N) now. She lunged at the spirit, slashing every which way at inhuman speed, giving the girl little time to dodge. The blade sliced against (Y/N)'s side, cutting the clothing and flesh easily and allowing the venom to gain access to her bloodstream faster. Sharp, piercing pain stung the wound whilst the burning from the venom scorched around it. A pained gasp escaped through her gritted teeth as she clutched the wound, falling to one knee from the pain. The snake woman chuckled and slowly approached, admiring the pain her venom was causing as if it was art.
"You should have just agreed, spirit. It would've been less painful." her clawed hand gripped (Y/N)'s shoulder and the hatted girl quickly turned, her dagger digging into her abdomen. A loud screech was heard as she released her grip on (Y/N) to hold her own wound. Using her distraction as an advantage, (Y/N) teleported herself to the castle.
The burning in her side began to spread with the pain as she leaned against the stone wall for support, her vision slowly blurring an spinning.
"Ghirahim. . ." her voice was strained, laced with pain, as she tried to shout for her friend. "I need help. . ." her body felt heavier with each step she took. Her muscles ached, blood burned her pale skin, causing a thin layer of sweat to drip down her face. Her right hand was now coated in blood as well as her clothing, her legs wobbled with each step until she could no longer hold her own weight and collapsed. Her vision going dark before she hit the ground.
The air was thick, tense, difficult to breathe. Darkness consumed her vision, blinding her. The heat in her blood and pain in her muscles was fresh, she couldn't move through. She couldn't feel anything, no floor, no walls, as if she was floating. Where was she? Despite the pain, she felt weak. Were her eyes open? She opened her mouth slightly and felt something. Heavy weight filling her lungs at sudden speed, ice coldness prickling her throat. A series of coughs tried to escape her but they couldn't, trapped in her throat. She couldn't breathe. Why couldn't she breathe?
Her eyes snapped open, the series of coughs finally escaping her throat unlike before. Chest and throat burned and ached from the coughing, her throat felt rough like sandpaper, A gentle grip held the back of her head an a smooth yet cold surface was felt against her lips.
"Drink." she did as told and a refreshing, cool liquid rushed down her throat. Once she finished, a low sigh left her lips. She blinked a couple of times to allow her vision to clear up. Looking to her left, she saw Ghirahim holding a small cup. Relief washed off of him when she opened her eyes.
"Thank those above she still breathes. Worried I was too late. Eyes shut, skin death's pale, she is naturally pale but this was too pale. Please, don't die." (Y/N)'s voice was a little rough as she spoke, his thoughts were loud for her. He helped her sit upright in the bed. Before she could say anything else, Ghirahim wrapped her in a tight yet gentle hug, not wanting to harm her further. His face was buried in her (H/C) hair, his snow-white hair slightly brushed her right shoulder.
"I thought you were dead. You weren't even breathing when I found you." the faint hum of fear seeped through the walls around his heart. She listened carefully, it was singing, scared and frightened. He was scared of her dying.
"Am I too late? Is she dead? I don't want her to die. Taking all my energy to save her, the wound is bleeding. The blood stains my gloves but my hands are also stained. Red doesn't look good on her. The cut has poison, no, venom, I need to stop it." Ghirahim pulled away but kept his hands on her shoulders, staring directly into her eyes. She actually only noticed that her wide-brimmed hat was not on her head as usual, instead it sat on the drawers on the other side of the room.
"What happened?" he asked her, his gaze bore into hers.
"Cold, reptile female. Fiery eyes that casted ice. Snake soul and appearance." A low growl ripped from the Demon Lord's throat, indicating he knew who she was talking about. Dull anger erupted in his chest, growing into a ball of flame. White lips pulled into a snarl. The light of his anger blocked out anything else he was feeling, thoughts filled with shouts of rage. (Y/N) placed her hands upon his, breaking him from his anger. Her pale index finger traced a small circle on his hand, listening to the fire calm and relax, shrinking into a small, dim glow.
"I am sorry I scared you." she said, her tone was more softer rather than rough. The dark glare that held Ghirahim's dark brown eyes evaporated into a soft look, the snarl faded.
"No, I'm sorry. I should have been faster." he said, appearing to be blaming himself for her getting hurt even through her was not there. The door opened and one of the boboklin stood there, Ghirahim threw a glare at the creature, it spoke in a language that (Y/N) could not understand. A sigh left the white-haired demon once the boboklin stopped talking.
"Stay here and rest. I'll be right back." he seemed to order but his tone gave the impression that he was being almost caring. He rose from the bed and left the room.
When he left the room, (Y/N)'s (E/C) eyes moved to her side where the wound was. Bandages covered the wound to help it heal, the burning venom had no trace in her blood anymore. She wondered how long had he been by her side as she slept. It was strange but oddly nice. He seemed, no, he was worried about her. He tried to hide it but he couldn't, it slipped through the faintest of cracks in the walls. Parts of himself that he always sealed away, pushing them deep down and pretending they do not exist. Why does he torture himself so? Even through he will not admit it, he needed her help. And she was going to help him whether he liked it or not.
Standing up, she walked over to her hat and placed it carefully on her head. hiding most of her hair. Her (E/C) eyes moved to the slightly opened window and she took a seat on the windowsill, her back was against the wall with her right leg pulled up to her chest. The sun was climbing up the blue, cloudless sky, the breeze was more harsh today, trees swaying quicker than normal. A bird suddenly landed on the ledge with her, a crow. Its coal black feathers had a small shine to them from the sun, highlighting a deep blue shade in the blackness.
"Hello, Mr Crow." she held her hand out and stroked the bird's feathers. A small squawk was heard, it brushed its black beak against the girl's knee, its way of saying Hello. A loud slam of a door scared away the crow and drew (Y/N)'s attention to the path. Her brow furrowed in confusion and worry, the snake woman that attacked her, poisoned her, hurt her stormed out of the castle. Why was she here? Was Ghirahim okay? Slipping from the windowsill, the girl walked quickly from the room to find Ghirahim. The Demon Lord was found in the throne room, a dagger embedded into the door in front of him. Sticking to the shadows, she slowly, cautiously approached him. He was muttering insults to the snake woman. Her hand landed on his blood red cape that draped over his shoulders, the fabric was comfortable and well-taken care of.
"I thought I told you to stay in the room." he said in a slight annoyed tone at her disobedience. She didn't look up at him. Her eyes were locked on the cape, tracing the diamond patterns on it. Her thumb brushed over the fabric,
"She hurt me. Pain burns my blood by her poison. Burns the fire and boils my blood, muscles weak." she muttered to herself rather than Ghirahim. Ghirahim shook his head a little then pulled her into a hug. It was a quick hug.
"I will not let her hurt you again." he said. He pulled away and placed his lips against her forehead gently. "I promise to keep you safe, or I shall be trapped within my sword for eternity." he whispered, dark eyes shut as he spoke. He opened them and looked into her. "Now you are safe." (Y/N) nodded slowly then lifted her pale hands to the sides of his head. He watched as she lifted herself to his forehead, placing her lips on his forehead gently as well.
"I seal this promise to protect you from pain, harm and sorrow. I will not make you forget or I shall be trapped in the Fade." (Y/N) sealed her own promise to Ghirahim. A whisper of shock left from him at her promise. He felt. . . warm at her promise and the kiss she gave him sent a small, but nice, shock to his heart. Maybe she was not the trickster he believed she was.
Thank you for reading this chapter, I'm surprised I've reached the amount of reads that I have. Thank you so much for this, please leave feedback as it helps me write and know that people actually like my story.