Page 29 of Demon's Prey

My breath catches. Claudia sits on a bench, her golden hair shimmering in the strange light of this realm. She's braiding the hair of a young demon girl, her fingers moving with practiced ease. The sight doesn't make sense. The girl can't be Claudia's, and yet...

I lean closer to the window, drinking in the scene. Claudia's face is relaxed, a small smile playing on her lips. She looks... happy. Content. It's a expression I haven't seen on her face in years.

Movement catches my eye. A tall, imposing figure approaches - Saturus. My fingers curl into fists, ready to leap out and confront him. But then he does something unexpected.

He leans down and kisses Claudia. It's not rough or demanding, but gentle. Loving. Claudia's smile widens as she returns the kiss.

My heart shatters.

This can't be real. It has to be some cruel illusion, a trick of this demon realm. But as I watch them share that intimate moment, a cold realization settles in my gut.

Claudia isn't a prisoner. She's not being held against her will.

She's happy here.

My vision blurs as tears well up, distorting the idyllic scene before me. Claudia, my sister, the one I've searched for endlessly, sits there looking... content. Happy. As if she's found a new life, a better one. One that doesn't include me.

My hands tremble against the carriage window. "She's found a replacement," I whisper, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "She's forgotten about me."

The thought is a dagger to my heart, twisting and splintering what's left of it. After everything I've endured, every sacrifice I've made to find her... and she's moved on without a second thought.

I turn to Dazirus, my voice barely audible.

"I don't want to see her anymore,” I say. “Take me back."

His crimson eyes flicker between me and the scene outside, a frown creasing his brow.

"You should speak to her," he says, his tone uncharacteristically gentle. "You've come all this way."

I shake my head violently, feeling hot tears spill down my cheeks.

"No, I can't," I choke out. "She's happy. She doesn't need me."

The words hang in the air, heavy with finality. I've never felt so alone, so utterly abandoned. Without another word, I turn away from the window, away from the sister who no longer needs me, and curl into myself on the plush seat of the carriage.

14

DARIZUS

Iwatch Narina from the corner of my eye as our coach rumbles back towards my mansion. Her shoulders slump, eyes vacant. The sight of her like this... it twists something inside me. Uncomfortable. Alien.

I've seen countless souls in despair. Humans, demons - their anguish usually amuses me. But this? This feels different. Wrong.

My hand instinctively reaches for the sealed necklace in my pocket. The artifact's magic is contained, dormant. Yet these emotions persist, gnawing at me.

"Narina, are you well? Is there anything you need?" I ask, my voice gruffer than intended.

Narina doesn't respond. Just keeps staring out the window, lost in her own world of pain.

I clench my jaw, frustrated by my own concern. I don't…should not…care about the feelings of some human girl.

But as I watch a tear silently track down her cheek, that heavy feeling in my chest intensifies. I want to reach out, to comfort her somehow. The urge is so strong it startles me.

"She's not wearing the necklace anymore," I think, frowning."So why do I feel this way?"

The question haunts me as we ride in silence. Could these emotions be... real? Not just some magical influence, but genuine feelings?

The very idea is absurd. Terrifying, even. I'm not supposed to care. I'm not supposed to feel this... protective.

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