Legacy World 4.9

"When's the soonest we can leave?" Vanora got straight back to the topic at hand.

"Tomorrow morning. Have a proper rest now. It's getting late and you probably had it rough for a long time, didn't you?"

Vanora held his gaze that was one of sincere concern.

/One moment he's all playful and the next he can be so serious. It's kind of amazing how his emotions can swing from one to the next so quickly./

She looked down at her tea and took another sip before talking. "... You probably had it rough till now too, didn't you?"

Vlad caught on that she subtly confirmed his question. He smiled bitterly when answering her question. "Yeah, it wasn't easy but I don't matter. What happened to you? How and why did you change into a demon?" He sounded so soft and gentle like he was trying to coax a wild animal out of its home. His fingers lightly touched her hand that was still holding onto her cup.

She very calmly withdrew her hand and placed it on her lap before replying in a dry tone. "I was collateral damage of a fierce battle between an angel and a demon. That demon's consciousness was still intact and it communicated with me to eat his meat and drink his blood, and I did."

Anger bubbled up within him but relief cooled it down almost instantly. It was complicated but it surfaced on his face as only a frown. He hated that the demon made her undergo a transformation that risked her life, but he knew that it was what gave her a chance to survive and meet him. /Now that I'm here, any demon that threatens her life is a goner./ He made a silent oath.

Meanwhile, Vanora continued talking in the same dry tone. "So here I am learning to be a demon. Talking about that, how exactly do I start seeing the colours of a person's emotions? All I see now are still transparent wisps that looks like smoke."

Vlad's shoulders sagged imperceptibly. He knew that that was not all there is to her story and that she was deliberately changing topics. /I'll just wait for her to be ready to open up.../

"Just think of wanting to know how I feel. It's as simple as that. If you don't see colours, you're just still adapting to your new powers."

"What about absorbing it?"

"Just think of wanting to consume it too. Intuitive, right?"

"It is." /So it's all about diligence and time now.../

Vanora wasted no time and wondered about Vlad's emotions. As easy as it sounded, the colours did not appear just like that. She felt a little strain in her eyes as if it was adjusting itself to be able to see something that was supposedly imperceptible.

Her brows gradually knitted together and her eyes turned redder by the second without her awareness. Vlad could easily tell what she was doing.

After a minute passed, the pain in her eyes grew intense but she could finally see the wisps taking on a very faint hue. /Just a little more!/ She gritted so hard that her teeth began to hurt too. Just then, everything turned dark and she felt the warmth of someone's hand against her eyes. "Don't rush. Don't push yourself so hard. You'd only hurt yourself. You have time so go at your own pace."

His stern voice conveyed his worry and anxiety.

/Unfortunately, I do not have the time like you think./ Vanora thought to herself but nodded anyway.

Vlad removed his hand slowly and Vanora blinked away the sudden brightness that filled her vision. When she looked fine again, Vlad asked, "Ready to turn in for the night yet?"

/Already? There must be something else I can do./

Although Vanora had not said it out loud, Vlad could tell what she thought. She fidgeted and looked so uncomfortable with the idea of turning in so early. He sighed helplessly then gave a wry smile. "How about I tell you about the colour of emotions that you could absorb?"

"Sure." Vanora listened with rapt attention.

"You can absorb almost any shade of red. From an orange-red shade to the darkest shade of red. The only shade that does not belong to you is crimson red which represents sexual desire. That's for demons of lust to feast on."

"Since you're a demon of no particular sin, do you not feed on any or do you feed on all kinds?"

"I feed on all kinds."

"How exactly did you become such a demon?" Vanora was curious about the backstory of such an overpowered character. It was not documented in the world book.

His smile turned dark and bitter as he seemed to recall a painful past. "Due to certain circumstances, I ate strong demons of each sin."

Vanora's eyes lit up like she got a brilliant idea.

Vlad's smile dropped and he told her sternly, "DON'T be getting any funny ideas now. It's a wonder how I survived it. Any normal demon would have died from the pain and suffering you'd have to go through, much less a normal person."

"Oh..." /I guess this is part of how the world fills in the missing details of the book./

"Don't worry about not being strong enough. I promise to protect you always. No matter who or what threatens you." He smiled gently while he tousled her hair.

Vanora rubbed her nose lightly while she retorted in a soft voice, "I don't need to be protected."

He grinned in satisfaction. "Of course, I know you'll keep working your ass off and that you'll only grow stronger over time. Now, you've just become a demon, learnt a lot, fought with me, and then learnt some more. You've done plenty for today. Can you please sleep now?"

Vanora pursed her lips. Although he had just showered her with compliments, she did not feel good about it at all. It sounded more like he was placating a small willful child. "Yeah..."

They headed to the bedroom together, but Vanora stopped at the doorway. She scanned the entire room but could find only one giant bed on a very low bed frame. It was big enough to fit five people. The only other furniture in the room were a large wardrobe, and a large desk with a comfy arm chair. This was not a space for two people to live in. At least, not for two people with the current relationship she shared with Vlad.

Vlad turned back and noticed that she did not show any intention of stepping in. "What's wrong?"

"You take the bed, I'll take the floor."

"You really think I'll let you do that? We'll sleep on the bed together."

[He didn't even have the decency to offer to take the floor?!] BaoBao exclaimed.

/He's a demon. And the strongest Lord here. He can and will do whatever he wants as long as he feels like it and no one will have an issue with it. There would be no other reason why he'd hound Angela like he did in the book./

Vanora ignored him and turned back to the main room with the intention to sleep on the cushions they were sitting on earlier. However, Vlad held onto her wrist firmly. "Please! I- I..." His voice dropped to a whisper. He dropped his gaze to the floor. "I can't even remember when was the last time I had a good sleep. But earlier in the day when I was with you... I fell so soundly asleep that I didn't notice you leaving my side. I feel like it may have to do with you. So... Please."

Vanora silently stared at him and felt her heart squeeze a tiny little bit. The great demon lord was currently looking so pitiful, despondent, and vulnerable in front of her. Moreover, he did not demand for her obedience. He asked her nicely. She began reconsidering their sleeping arrangement.

Vlad felt her gaze burrow into him once again. He fidgeted uncomfortably, then peeked and looked at her with puppy dog eyes. "I promise not to do anything to you."

/If I go along with this, I won't be indebted to yet another person. At least I can do something for him, unlike how it was for LongFei./

"Fine." She finally replied.

His face brightened like the sun. He dashed off to the left side of the bed to fluff the pillow then pulled aside the blanket for her. Vanora raised an eyebrow then walked to the right side of the bed to do everything by herself. She got into bed and closed her eyes. /BaoBao, wake me up if he tries anything funny./

[I will!]

Vlad's shoulders sagged when she cold-heartedly rejected his intentions but his spirits quickly rose again after she laid on the bed. He got on the bed the same time as her and laid on his left side so that he would be facing her. Even though she kept her back towards him, Vlad felt more than happy with the current arrangement.

Vlad stared at her for a long while, deep in thought. He recalled the scene when he saw her eyes turning red from the strain she was putting it through.

When he realised that she was not letting up despite the strain on her eyes, he checked in with her emotions. What he saw confounded him. Her aura was still red with black swirls in it but it was now so faint and dim. This told him that it was controlled and suppressed. Even so, she did not stop trying. He knew then that it was not a desperate or emotional attempt at becoming stronger, but a mindless pursuit.

He felt an inexplicable sadness. /If this was the way she had been living her life, she had been living life very recklessly. Her body could have given up on her and broken down anytime. Does she not care about herself? Why does she treat herself so carelessly?/

On the other hand, Vanora was still wide awake and aware that he was staring hard at her back. /What's he doing? Wasn't his purpose to sleep?/ She decided not to care about him any longer and have an earlier night so that she could start her day earlier.

When Vlad saw that her breathing became slow and steady, he inched closer to her, careful not to shake the bed too much. When he was about an arm's length away from her, he grabbed onto the hem of her top and sighed in relief. A black rose appeared on the back of his palm and he fell asleep soon after.

While the two slept peacefully, BaoBao was left confused and puzzled by Vlad's actions. He had been alarmed when Vlad moved closer to Vanora. He was ready to wake her up before Vlad could touch her. Then, seeing Vlad fall right asleep after holding onto the hem of her shirt completely stumped him. [What just happened?]

Unfortunately, BaoBao could only wait till the next morning before he could get any answers.

Vanora yawned and opened her eyes to find the sky outside the little window close to the ceiling as dark as ever. There was nothing in the room that helped to keep track of time so she had no idea how long she has slept for.

/How do they live with no sense of time?/

[You've slept for around 8 hours.] BaoBao diligently relayed to her.

/... That's quite long./

[Perhaps your body was indeed worn out after everything that happened?]

She pushed herself up and swung her legs over to get off the bed but felt her shirt pulled by something. She looked back to identify the source of her inconvenience. Her heart did a little somersault to find him much closer to her than she last remembered.

The sight of him holding onto her like this while he peacefully slept led to a short flashback. When they were younger, Erica would often hold onto the hem of her shirt wherever they went. Whenever Erica slept together with her because she was scared of the dark, this was exactly how Erica would hold onto her too.

Vanora stared at him helplessly and her heart warmed. /Just like a scared child.../

[Scared? What does being scared have to do with this?]

/I suppose it gives people some sense of security that there's someone there, that they're not alone./

[I see... So seemingly meaningless actions do have some purpose.]