Page 116 of Demon Monster's Little Human

Her voice is raw, as if she’s breaking apart just speaking.

"You can’t save me, Dain."

A growl rips through me.

"The hell I can’t."

I take a step closer to her, but the abyss shifts.

A force slams into me, trying to shove me back, rejecting me from this place. The darkness is sentient, clawing at my skin, whispering in my ears.

"She made her choice. Let her go."

"She is not yours anymore."

"Leave, and be free."

I roar, baring my fangs.

"You think I’ll just let you have her?"

The void laughs, but Liora’s expression changes.

The glow in her eyes falters.

She stares at me as if she wasn’t expecting this, wasn’t expecting me to come for her.

As if no one ever has.

"You don’t understand, Dain."Her voice wavers."The artifact... it won’t let me go. It’s feeding on me. I can’t?—"

"Bullshit."I take another step forward, my claws curling."You think I came all this way just to hear you give up?"

The darkness rips at me, but I push forward.

"You wanted to save me? Then let me return the damn favor."

Liora shakes her head, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"I don’t want you to die for me."

"Then stop making me chase you into the depths of hell."

She lets out a broken laugh, but I see the flicker of hope.

The darkness recoils, shrieking.

It’s afraid.

Because it knows.

I will not leave here without her.

I will destroy anything that tries to keep her from me.

The void trembles, Liora reaches for me.

Her fingers brush mine.

---