Invitation

An impregnable darkness blanketed every corner of the room until nothing could be seen but a pair of vicious eyes staring back at Kalliope. It was at this moment when their eyes clashed, a chill-inducing aura seemed to have struck her soul, sending a dreadful shiver down her spine.

It might be a baron class Gozurak, but a low-rank demon was still a demon. The ominous premonition and the scent of death that lingered in its presence was enough to make every hair on Kalliope's body stood up. Its diabolical eyes were akin to a cold blade hovering across her slender neck.

Even though Kalliope remained poker face, in reality, her heart was pounding urgently. The reason she came this far wasn't because she was curious.

She simply needed power.

And not just any power, but one that held no restriction like what earth magic had. She needed the strength to hurt, to induce pain, and eventually death to exact her vengeance.

So, despite her noisy heartbeats, Kalliope did not waver. In fact, her desire doubled as she looked straight at the demon. She wanted this fear that she was feeling to be hers to wield and directed to her enemies.

But, to do so, she couldn't show any weakness or she wouldn't be able to overpower the Gozurak. She wouldn't be able to make the demon kneel.

"My…" a deep magnetic voice that was capable of enchanting any mortal beings echoed within the darkness. "I thought it was a weak rabbit, but turns out to be a serpent with a vile tongue."

Kalliope raised her brows at his insult. What a clever way of wording. Serpent as in Serphent, eh?

It wasn't surprising to Kalliope how the demon knew of her origin. After all, this Gozurak used to be Dozahr's little pet. It must've scented the likeness in their blood and magic essence.

The corner of her lips lifted sinisterly as her eyes flickered in golden hue. With a flick of her fingers, the hidden door slammed shut and the blood-curdling darkness devoured her whole, leaving not a speck of light within the room. Not even a shadow.

"And it turns out the rotten fruit has a sleek tongue. I didn't know," Kalliope folded her arms over her chest as she leaned against the cold wall. "But being a smart-mouthed rotten apple seems to have only gotten you chained like a slave."

It was common knowledge that a devil's spawn was born out of a corrupted tree on an accursed land. A Gozurak grew inside a womb that looked similar to a fruit.

"What a mild achievement, Little One," Kalliope continued.

Following that, the temperature around them suddenly dropped. And there was a freezing chillness in the air as Kalliope's breath turned into a white mist. The floor started to crack in ice and it slowly spread out towards the ceiling.

Kalliope rolled her eyes.

"Don't hurt yourself," she advised as she advanced towards him.

As the ice reached before her, it suddenly blasted towards Kalliope like a big splash of water crashing a boulder. In that instance, a magic crest flashed in front of Kalliope, conjuring a dark violet flame to challenge the ice.

The enchanted fire forcefully drove back the ice, devouring it whole in an eruption of powerful mana. Then, from the curtain of fire, Kalliope walked out with grace as though the confrontation was a mere child's play.

Meanwhile, the demon took a direct hit at his spirit core since Kalliope had brutally smashed his ice magic with concentrated mana. Of course, the Gozurak was no challenge towards Kalliope who was known as the top three best sorcerer.

"I told you don't hurt yourself. It's such a waste of energy when you have so little of it from all the torture," Her voice was soft and held a hint of laziness while still sounded playful. But, it was more of an alluring playfulness than a naughty one.

"Besides…" Kalliope walked to the back of his chair while her hand gently ran across the metal chain before locking on his shoulder. She bent down to his ear, whispering, "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to entertain."

Then, she slowly moved away. A daunting smile fleeted across her lips. "I'm sure you must be bored after being enslaved for...how many days...months...or years?"

"In any case, let me entertain you with a story." She sat down on the chair's arm.

The Gozurak scarlet eyes followed her every move. They were dripping with murderous intent - a heavy thirst for her soul. After all, it had not fed for quite some time.

"Now…" Kalliope cleared her throat before she started, "Once upon a time, there was an ugly black rotten tree."

"It was not only ugly but also smelled like dead rats that were left for days. Eventually, the tree bore fruits that were just as rotten as it was. Then, one day, as the fruit ripened, a serpent just as black as the fruit slithered towards it and opened its little mouth that slowly got wider... until it swallowed the whole fruit."

"End of story."

Kalliope smiled sweetly at the Gozurak who was staring at her with narrowed eyes. He was growing impatient towards this little minx. Ignoring the demon's contempt, Kalliope continued.

"Now allegedly, there's a message somewhere in there. I'm not quite sure what it is, but you're a clever one with that sleek tongue of yours. So, I believe you can help me think it through."

The Gozurak scoffed right away. His eyes flashed with menace as he spoke with arrogance despite having no advantage in the present, "You're right. I'm not stupid enough to not know there isn't a choice."

He might've been degraded by those witches. Robbed of his confidence and dignity as a demon. But regardless, his ability to look into a person's true nature remained unchanged. At first glance, he knew right away what she was after. It was the same as anyone else.

He sneered inwardly. To his kind, there was no difference between sorcerers and humans. Both were nonetheless mundanes, a race which existed beneath them.

Kalliope raised an eyebrow. She chuckled softly. "Silly! Of course, there is a choice for you to pick. The first one, you remain as a slave and the second, you become a servant."

"Do you hear yourself? What's the difference?"

"Tsk tsk!" Kalliope waved her index finger. "There is a difference. A slave is forced to serve while a servant willingly serves."

He let out a mocking laughter before he sneered, "What makes you think I will willingly serve you? Either way I would end up being used."

A deafening silence dawned between them. But, it was only a brief quietness before the demon felt something warm on his face. Kalliope cupped his jaw with one hand and forced him to look at her.

His demonic blood-colored eyes gazed into her rose-colored ones. There was but a short distance between them. He could feel life breathing out of her. But, there was nothing more alive than the darkness in her eyes. It somewhat captivated him. More so when he heard her voice that echoed in a whispering temptation.

"You're a demon aristocrat. Have some dignity," she said. "At least with me, you may have a chance to be free."

Her eyes glimmered too beautifully for him to resist and every word evoked greed, desire, madness, that once existed.

However, there was a confusion in his gaze as he looked at her unswervingly. Kalliope chuckled at the sight and couldn't help finding him rather lovely. The corner of her lips arched. Tipping his chin, the young witch breathed an invitation.

"Here, in front of you, lies an exquisite meal."

And that was one single invitation that would bring about the thunder and hurricane that would forever change the skyline.