The Haunting Shadows

Ezrahl was known to be fairly meticulous.

His attire would always be neat and proper as if put together by careful consideration. Not even one hair of his would be out of place. Inside the castle of wild wolves, and hot-blooded warriors, Ezrahl was like a graceful prince.

However now, his dark robes were a dishevelled mess. His raven hair fell above his eyes.

His reps were somewhat red, and the fair skin of his neck bore the shadow of scattered kisses.

Aesther blinked her eyes dumbfoundedly.

Her heart swelled with a nostalgic heaviness. The memories of their previous life, the hatred, the obsession, all of it came flooding down inside her heart. Their whispers were haunting in the silence that settled.

Neither Ezrahl nor Aesther said anything.

They quietly continued their way. Remaining in such a place for too long can easily prove to be very fatal.

Her eyes wandered around the forest, skimming over the densely packed forest and its darkness. There was nothing to see. The scenery kept repeating itself, occasionally carrying some remnants of random ruins.

Aesther felt as lost as she could feel. Her mind was sunken in distant thoughts.

She despised Ezrahl from the bottom of her heart. The rage was barely contained, she knew it could easily devour her. She knew she will not hesitate to silence his breaths if the chance presented itself.

All the pretences she put were merely there for Aesther to keep her bloodlust in check. She hated him so much it hurt.

But at the same time.

Her darkest nights, and her darkest sins… have all been for him.

The dim cold in her eyes deepened as she absentmindedly watched Ezrahl. His long black cloak gently swayed with the wind.

Aesther wondered how he could remain so calm when he left her heart restless with such ease. How dare he remain so stoic after sending her mind into oblivion of painful memories?

As if sensing her watching him, Ezrahl glanced back.

His steps slowed down. The dark gaze held her cold one for a moment too long as Aesther playfully smiled, licking her softly aching lips.

"Have you never kissed before?"

Ezrahl frowned a little, and indifferently glanced ahead as if she was just a small bug not worthy of his words or attention.

She chuckled, but her sound faded away as her eyes paused over him.

There was a very light, but clearly visible redness on his neck.

Aesther stared for a few moments, but then, averted her gaze. She smiled to herself and suddenly found the tree leaves to be very fascinating.

One year remained before the calamity which was going to change everything.

Just a year before the world to see the devil hiding inside Ezrahl.

'I know what you are,' Aesther silently said, closing her eyes as glimpses of her stained past flashed through her mind, 'then why do you feel so different?'

In the future when she cursed herself and the fates a thousand times, as Aesther exhausted herself to the point of collapsing, as she bled and struggled to bring him down…

She had often wondered how she missed the signs.

Ezrahl had always been a monster.

He was just pretending to be his quiet innocent self. She believed that the subtle dangerous signs slipped by because she was too much in love with a wicked man…

Aesther opened her eyes, and as she silently glanced at Ezrahl, she was seeing him just as her heart remembered.

Just how it wasn't supposed to remember…

She creased her brows together and stopped walking.

Ezrahl didn't.

There was a giant shadow looming over the trees up ahead. It was too dark to see anything clearly, but the foggy mist of the forests surrounded the shadow as if it was a tall mountain.

"I thought we were returning to the inn," Aesther said, raising a brow.

Ezrahl stopped as well, but instead of explaining anything, he dropped a nonchalant "Quiet."

She was not sure what to feel. The winds were frosty and cold. It was not the best time to be in wet clothes.

But above all, the silence of the forest was unnerving.

If Aesther had ascended her magical cultivation to the level of a knight, she would easily be able to sense any unusual aura in the forest.

"Tsk," her face was grim, "Something's very off, but I can't understand it."

"Nether mana," Ezrahl murmured in a low voice, "It's highest here."

Aesther folded her hands, her voice displeased, "You brought your luna straight in the mouth of danger. How very considerate, Sir Dragomir."

He was quiet for a moment.

Then, in a calm voice, Ezrahl replied.

"It was not me."

"Wha…" her words trailed off in the air.

That was when she noticed how the winds have gone silent for a long time. The coldness increased rapidly with each passing moment, but even the low sound of the wind was no more.

As she took a few steps over the crisp grass, no sound came.

The silence was deafening.

Abnormal.

"Psychosis…" she whispered, feeling a bitter aftertaste, "Dark magic. But how did you not notice?"

It was one of the psychic magic forms where the conscious and subconscious minds of a person are subtly separated in a way they no longer remain aware of reality.

The mist could cause such an effect.

However, as the dragons were known to be best practitioners of psychic magic, Aesther could not understand how Exrahl could not catch up on such a low-tiered psychic effect…

The mist was something he should be able to easily overcome.

"Unless," Aesther murmured, walking up to him.

All of sudden, the forest appeared too dark.

"There is something other than the spirits here."

Something much more powerful.

And fatal.