Eventual Slumber — Domain Of The Demon

Levi clenched his fist, reassuring himself that even after death, he had secured a future for his mother and best friend. A small smile tugged at the corner of Levi's lips.

Then, he took off after Vlad.

With a powerful stomp, he shot through the streets. Yet, no matter how fast he ran, Vlad was able to stay ahead.

Was it because Vlad wore brand new shoes while the soles of his own were practically begging to be released from their misery?

Levi snorted.

Eventually, after a good sprint, the two finally came to a halt before a rundown, two-storey building. The windows had scrap metals welded to form iron bars, rusted yet sturdy. And just behind these protective rusty bars were curtains that swayed gently.

Vlad stood still while Levi stepped forward, knocking twice on the burglary gate used as a door.

'One… Two…'

Knock!

He added one final knock. Almost instantly, the curtain behind the bars moved aside with a gentle swoosh, revealing a woman.

Levi blinked, his dull green eyes widening. On a closer look, one could see his pupils reflecting her face—his mother. She wore a simple white, slightly worn-out gown that flowed down to her ankles.

As she slotted the keys into the lock, twisting and turning it to open the door, Levi noticed something missing.

The dagger he had given to his mother wasn't in her hand.

His gaze dropped to her waist.

Usually, when she didn't hold the dagger, it would be strapped to a brown leather waist belt he bought for 20 coins!

Even the richest folk in the slump town would never waste such an absurd amount on a belt!

That kind of money would be better used on food or drugs.

"Mom, where is the dagger?"

Li Ling blinked before revealing a soft smile. "There was no use bringing it. I heard your knock, after all."

Levi furrowed his brows. "I could easily feel your presence behind the curtain. You never held the dagger."

His voice became sharp.

Levi felt Vlad's palm on his shoulder, causing his eyes to narrow, but when he turned back and met his mother's gaze, the sharpness in his gaze softened.

"I have made soup," she said simply, smiling at her eighteen-year-old son, who had been forced to mature far too soon to survive this world.

"Soup!"

Vlad's eyes grew wide. One could almost see him drooling with the current expression on his face.

Levi, on the other hand, felt his heart squeeze, causing him to grimace. "S… soup. I hope you didn't use the meat."

His voice was soft, almost begging.

"What's the kind of soup that isn't prepared with meat?" Li Ling scoffed and pushed the door open.

Vlad rushed into the building. Levi followed him immediately, worried that Vlad would dive into the meal.

"Don't you dare touch the spoon!"

When Levi rushed into the living room, he found Vlad seated on the ground, his backpack beside him and a spoon in his right hand.

"I said don't touch the spoon!"

Pa!

Li Ling smacked the back of his head.

Levi almost died out of rage while Vlad snickered, clearly enjoying his misfortune.

_____

Levi sat quietly, watching his mother smile and laugh as she chatted with Vlad over their meal.

Although sitting on the ground and eating from a small stool wouldn't have been the norm seven years ago, time and suffering had made them adjust.

"Ahh… open your mouth." 

Li Ling hovered a spoonful of soup before Levi's mouth, coaxing him with sweet words until, eventually, he gave in and opened his mouth.

As he lowered his head to continue eating, Levi caught Vlad staring at him knowingly.

A quick elbow to Vlad's knee sent him puffing out his cheeks, his eyes bulging out.

"Sheesh, fighting on the streets has really made your blows pack a punch." He grimaced, his face slightly flushed red.

Levi snickered, only to freeze when he caught his mother looking at him. 

"You told me you'll quit."

Levi maintained eye contact for seconds, yet it seemed like hours. In that brief moment, the weight of everything crashed down on him—the leering voices of lustful men in the town, the financial situation and his mother's illness, which was like a ticking time bomb, all flowed through his mind.

But he would never quit.

That was the only way to make money without bootlicking those lords of the citadel or ending up working in the coal mines.

His pupils flickered toward the crimson text silently hovering there. A message like this was a death sentence. Dozens in this town had received it, gone to sleep… only to never wake up again.

With a quiet sigh, Levi rose up. He could feel his mother and his best friend—no, his brother in all but blood—watching his back as he walked away into his room, shutting the door behind him.

Vlad turned to Li Ling.

"He'll stop," he said, flashing a warm smile.

From inside his room, Levi could still hear Vlad's and his mother's voices. He sat on the floor and leaned against the door as the sunlight from the window shone on his face.

Time trickled by, and the bright, sunny sky became dark. Stars littered the sky, but the moon hid behind the drifting clouds.

The living room was silent. Everyone had gone to their rooms.

Levi rose to his feet and rummaged through his room for a pen he had bought from Gao Lei months ago and then left the room. After scribbling down his instructions on how they should spend the last 70 coins, he tucked the paper under the leather pouch filled with coins.

He spent his savings on stocking the house with enough food. This 70 coins would come in handy with little yet critical expenses.

Then, he turned, stepped back into the room, and shut the door—but didn't lock it.

In the room, he leaned on the window sill and stared at the desolate street. 

With each passing moment, Levi's eyelids grew heavier.

Eventually, his thirst for sleep consumed him whole and his eyes closed.

_____

Levi's eyes snapped open when he heard a calm sonorous voice narrating a scene as he lay in a field. Each word that fell into his ears breathed life into his surroundings, weaving a dream which was situated in ancient China, one of the towns under the Wu dynasty, to be exact. Villagers, possessed by evil spirits, had turned aggressive and went about killing the innocent.

Then the voice stopped.

Levi found himself standing in an alley.

His frame remained the same, but exhaustion gripped him. His joints ached, his legs felt heavy and his ancient-style clothing clung damply on his skin from a mix of sweat and early morning fog.

A sound reached his ears—the drag of chains scraping against the ground. 

At the alley's entrance, a woman came to a halt, staring ahead. Levi didn't need to see her face to feel uneasy.

The broken chains dangled around her wrists and ankles and her skin was pale and shrivelled. A low growl escaped her lips, making Levi take a cautious step backwards.

Unfortunately, after taking that step, he discovered that he was at the dead end of the alley!

Grr!

The woman wore a strange outfit—a top and trousers, like a man. She had long, wet black hair draping over her shoulders. She stood eerily still, staring ahead for what seemed like forever. 

Then, all of a sudden, her neck snapped toward the alley.

Her crimson eyes locked onto his being—no pupils, just pure, endless crimson.

Roar!

Usually, due to the fact that the brain couldn't ascertain a dreadful level of fear in dreams, it usually came to an end at this very moment, but this time it didn't.

Because this wasn't Levi's dream anymore… 

It was a trial!

This was the domain of the Demon!