Page 111 of Demon Monster's Little Human

The thought shreds through me.

No.

No, there has to be another way.

But deep inside, I already know the answer.

If I don’t kill her, the artifact will take her. And if it takes her, it will never let her go.

I clench my fists, breathing heavily. My heart pounds, my wings twitch, my fangs ache with the choice before me.

I have two options.

Find another way to end this or end her before the darkness can take her.

A gust of wind slams through the stronghold, and in the distance, I feel her.

Liora.

She is calling me.

The bond, though weak, flickers back to life, a desperate pulse against my chest.

She is still fighting.

I take one last look at the ruined stronghold, the bodies, the artifact writhing with hunger.

After that, I move.

I fly.

I will come to her and end this.

47

LIORA

The air in the ruins is overflowing with something unseen, pressing against my skin, suffocating. I wrap my arms around myself, trying to steady my breath, trying to ignore the way my hands tremble.

The whispers are louder now, curling around my skull, seeping into my veins.

It’s time, Liora. Time to choose.

Amara stands before me, or perhaps it’s only an illusion, a remnant of something that once was. Her form flickers, barely solid, and yet when she speaks, it feels as though her voice is inside me, wrapping around my ribs like a cage.

“Tell me the truth,” I demand, my voice hoarse, raw. “No more riddles. No more lies. What did you do? What did you sacrifice?”

Amara’s gaze softens, her lips parting as if she wants to reach for me, to comfort me. But she doesn’t. She never does.

“The artifact did not just bind Dain,” she says. “It bound me, too.”

My chest tightens.

She takes a step closer, the edges of her figure fraying like tattered silk. “I did not reincarnate naturally, Liora. My soul was trapped. Torn apart over and over.” Her expression twists, something pained flickering behind her eyes. “And each time I returned, the seal weakened.”

I shake my head, refusing to accept it.

“The artifact doesn’t just seek power,” Amara continues. “It seeks me. It needs me to surrender, to give in so that it can fully possess me.” Her voice wavers. “And if I die, it will finally be able to release all of its power.”

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