Chapter 35 - The Terrifying Demoness

Sid stood frozen, unable to move a single muscle. His eyes locked onto the cloaked demon seated on the ominous throne. He didn't know how or why, but something was holding him still — like invisible force paralyzing his entire body. An overwhelming fear gnawed at his core, and his instincts screamed one thing: Run.

Desperate, Sid summoned every ounce of his energy. He tried to wrap his entire body in it, hoping — even just faintly — that it would allow him to break free and move. Just one step... I have to escape. His will blazed like fire under pressure.

To his surprise, he managed to twitch his fingers. Then slowly, painfully, his arms began to shift. A moment later, his feet followed — just slightly, but it was enough.

A faint glimmer of shock flickered in the cloaked demon's eyes. Momentary, just before it transformed into a sinister smile of amusement.

With a graceful yet menacing wave of its right hand, black chains materialized beneath Sid's feet. In an instant, they wrapped tightly around his ankles, coiling upward with eerie precision — waist, arms, and finally, neck.

The chains tightened, squeezing the breath from his lungs. He gasped, struggling against them, but the more he fought, the more they constricted. Pain followed. Every breath became harder to take.

"Stop your futile struggle, or you'll suffocate and die."

Realizing the warning was not empty, Sid gritted his teeth and reluctantly stilled. The pressure around his neck eased just slightly.

Even with effort, he forced out words between ragged breaths.

"What... do you want?"

The cloaked figure tilted her head, her voice now teasing and cold.

"I don't know yet... but I'm about to find out."

With that, her left arm rose — and in the next breath, a surge of violent, foreign energy burst from her palm and enveloped Sid. It slithered into his body, violating every inch, then dug deeper — to his very soul.

AGH! Sid's body convulsed, twisting under the agony. The energy rampaged through him, inspecting, probing, leaving nothing untouched. And as it reached his soul, the pain magnified tenfold. It felt like he was being torn apart from the inside.

After what felt like an eternity, the energy slowly retreated. Sid's body sagged in the chains — pale, sweat-drenched, and trembling. His strength was drained, and his limbs hung limp. He felt hollow.

Then, without warning, the figure reached up and removed her hood.

What was revealed underneath was the withered face of an old demoness. Deep wrinkles etched her skin, and her cheeks were deeply sunken — yet her blood-red eyes burned bright, sharp and intelligent. There was a faded allure in her features, enough to tell she had once been seductively beautiful in her prime.

She smiled — not just with her lips, but with her whole being.

"I've been waiting for you for a very long time."

Her tone was hoarse and brittle, yet filled with eerie satisfaction — like a dying soul who had finally grasped a thread of fate she'd clung to for a lifetime.

Then, with deliberate slowness, the demoness stood up from her throne.

Her body trembled slightly as if age had worn her strength down, but there was still an unsettling grace to her movements — the grace of a predator who had seen centuries pass.

She raised her right hand and waved.

The chains dissolved, clattering into smoke.

Sid collapsed to the floor with a thud, landing on his butt as he gasped for air.

Every muscle screamed in protest. His energy was spent. His limbs numb. All he could do was sit there, panting, watching her.

The demoness began to approach.

Her steps were slow, deliberate, echoing across the dark stone floor.

Fear surged through him once more.

Despite the pain, Sid instinctively crawled backward, desperate to get away. His palms scraped against the floor as he pulled himself toward the wall. When his back finally hit the cold surface, he froze — cornered.

The demoness continued forward, shortening the distance between them.

Sid's eyes grew heavy.

The last thing he saw was her towering presence looming above him…

And then, everything went black.