"Ack! Don't come any closer! Stay away!"
Duke Reinhardt crawled backward across the blood-soaked stone floor, desperately trying to put distance between himself and Lucien. His hands shook violently, slipping in the deep red pools beneath him. His breath came in short, broken gasps that rattled in his chest.
Behind him, the great hall of his ancestral estate had become a complete nightmare.
Fresh blood covered the marble tiles, splashing against the high stone walls and painted tapestries. Broken wooden furniture and shattered glass lay scattered across the entire room. And among the wreckage lay the lifeless bodies of all his servants and his three sons from the eldest to the youngest.
Velos.
Josiah.
Damian.
Every single one of them had fallen beneath Lucien's merciless blade.
Lucien stood several steps away, completely still amid the devastation. His brilliant white hair was stained with splatters of dark crimson. His ceremonial silver clothes were torn and ruined. Dark, corrupted veins crawled out from beneath his high collar, spreading across his neck like living black vines beneath his skin.
But most frightening of all were his eyes. They were no longer the calm, icy blue eyes of the revered Holy Knight. Now they glowed with a deep, unnatural violet light that burned through the dim room.
Reinhardt stared up at him in sheer horror, his voice cracking into a high scream.
"You demon!" the Duke shrieked. "The Church and the Emperor will never let you get away with this!"
Lucien slowly tilted his head to the side, watching the old man writhe on the floor. A faint, cold smile touched his pale lips.
"If I tell the High Council of the Church that I executed you because you were practicing forbidden dark magic in secret, they will believe me without a second thought."
He took another slow, deliberate step forward, the heavy soles of his boots squelching against the bloody floor.
"And when their investigators search this place, they will find the Whisperer of the Shadows hidden beneath your floorboards."
Reinhardt's face went completely pale, all the color draining from his skin in an instant.
Lucien's smile widened, though his eyes remained dead and cold.
"You remember it, don't you?"
He stopped directly in front of the crawling Duke, looming over him like an absolute shadow.
"I remember threatening your youngest son, Damian. I told him never to bring dark magic anywhere near Cassian when you sent him to plant that cursed artifact in the Crown Prince's dorm room for your petty vengeance."
Lucien slowly lowered his long sword until its cold steel tip almost touched Reinhardt's trembling throat.
"Once the royal investigators find that cursed artifact here in your private hall, who do you think they will believe? A dead traitor, or the Holy Knight who fulfilled his duty as a holy sword of the empire?"
Reinhardt's mouth trembled, his lips covered in cold sweat.
"You're insane..."
"Perhaps."
Lucien's glowing violet eyes burned even brighter through the shadows of the hall.
"But I am not the one who decided to play with dark magic, and then expected the rest of the world to forgive me when things went wrong."
Reinhardt turned his head toward the lifeless bodies of his children lying across the room.
"You killed them!" he sobbed out, his voice filled with overwhelming grief. "My children! They were completely innocent!"
Lucien's cold expression didn't change at all. Instead, he walked even closer.
"You're right," his voice became frighteningly calm, flat and devoid of any human warmth. "I did kill them."
"You monster!"
"This is exactly why I came here tonight." Lucien slowly raised his heavy sword above his head.
"A rat like you couldn't keep your mouth shut. You told the barbarian about my past, didn't you?"
His grip tightened around the leather hilt until the dark veins on his hands pulsed with violent magic.
"You thought that holding that knowledge would protect you from me mhm?"
A sharp, lightning-fast slash followed.
*SLASH!*
Reinhardt screamed in agony as his left arm was completely cut through.
"You were wrong," Lucien said flatly, stepping closer as the old man clutched his bleeding shoulder.
"You can curse me."
*SLASH!*
Another strike cut cleanly through his right arm. Reinhardt collapsed face-first onto the bloodied floor, screeching like a dying animal.
"You can threaten me with the Church."
*SLASH!*
Another precise blow severed the muscle of his leg, pinning him flat to the stone.
"I don't know how you found out, but you can tell the grand priests everything you know if you want to."
Reinhardt lay collapsed against the stone floor, weeping and screaming through the overwhelming pain, his body thrashing weakly in his own blood.
"But you will never use my past against me to get to Cassian again," Lucien whispered, stepping directly over him.
Dark blood dripped steadily from the tip of Lucien's sword, clicking rhythmically against the floor.
Reinhardt looked up through a film of tears and terror, his voice reduced to a broken raspy whisper.
"The gods are watching you, Lucien Arden!"
Lucien's face remained completely empty, showing neither joy nor anger.
"Then, let them watch all they want."
"The gods will never forgive you for this massacre!"
Lucien slowly raised his sword high into the air, the violet light from his eyes reflecting off the polished steel.
"Then they can judge me when I eventually meet them."
The heavy blade came down with absolute force.
*THUD.*
The strike silenced Reinhardt completely and his severed head rolled away across the slick stone floor, coming to a rest against the base of a shattered pillar.
Silence immediately rushed back into the ruined hall.
Lucien stood completely alone in the destroyed hall surrounded by four noble corpses and their countless servants. He slowly flicked his wrist, shaking the thick blood off the length of his sword before sliding it back into its sheath.
Then, a sharp, mocking sound broke the quiet.
Laughter.
It didn't come from inside the room, nor did it come from anywhere outside the estate.
It came from deep inside his own mind.
["My, my..."]
Jerga's smooth, oily voice slid through Lucien's thoughts like a cold snake crawling through grass.
["The pure Holy Knight certainly knows how to make a grand entrance."]
Lucien squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing his throbbing temples with a gloved hand.
"Not now, Jerga."
["Oh, don't be shy with me now!"]
Jerga chuckled darkly, his voice echoing against the walls of Lucien's skull.
["You just brutally slaughtered an entire noble family, and now you're worried about talking to me?"]
Lucien's jaw tightened until his muscles hurt.
"You know why I did it."
["Do I?"]
A short pause followed. Then Jerga's voice became almost playful, full of fake innocence.
["And what about those poor children? Were those young boys your enemies too?"]
Lucien's cold expression hardened even further.
"It is better to remove every single possible threat for vengeance in the future before Cassian returns to the capital."
["How noble of you."]
"I won't allow anyone to hurt him ever again."
["Of course, of course,"]
Jerga laughed softly, the sound vibration lingering in Lucien's chest.
["Or perhaps you simply wanted to feel more blood on your hands."]
Lucien stared down at the dark stains covering his own hands. His breathing gradually became heavier, his chest rising and falling fast.
"You wanted the blood," Lucien hissed internally. "You were driving the urge."
["I did enjoy it, yes. But be honest Lucien, you also wanted this just as bad."]
"You've had enough for tonight."
["Have I really?"]
Lucien let out a heavy, exhausted sigh.
"Accept this massacre as your last indulgence. Once Cassian returns, I will shut you out of my mind completely."
A sudden silence fell over his thoughts.
Then, Jerga laughed again—a deep, low rumble that sounded wrong.
["Mhm."]
Lucien frowned, his eyebrows pulling together in the darkness of the hall. Something about the way the demon chuckled unsettled him deeply.
"Don't."
["Don't what, my dear host?"]
"Whatever you are thinking right now, don't even dare to do it."
["I'm not thinking of anything at all."]
Lucien narrowed his eyes, his voice turning dangerous inside his head.
"Jerga."
["Well, since this bloodbath was my little reward..."]
The demon's tone suddenly dropped its playful edge, turning terrifyingly dark and heavy.
["So why don't you let me step out and enjoy the taste of it properly?"]
Lucien hesitated. The battle had drained his holy energy, and the heavy dark magic was pressing hard against his mind. He sighed, rubbing his forehead before gripping his sword.
"No funny business."
["Of course."]
The answer came far too quickly.
Lucien should have known better than to trust the creature. But the sheer physical and mental exhaustion of the dark transformation had already begun clouding his judgment.
"Fine," Lucien muttered, lowering his mental guard. "I'll give you a few minutes."
["How generous of you."]
Lucien closed his eyes, allowing his conscious mind to relax and slowly descend into the quiet dark of his inner self.
Then—
["You really are an absolute idiot, Lucien."]
Lucien's eyes snapped open inside his mind space.
"What?"
Jerga's wild, mocking laughter suddenly exploded through his entire nervous system.
["How many times must I teach you this simple lesson?!"]
A thick wave of suffocating dark mana surged violently through Lucien's physical body, locking his limbs in place.
"Jerga!" Lucien screamed out in his mind, trying to pull his control back.
["Never trust a demon!"]
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
["No!"]
The light of the real world vanished instantly.
["You wanted to borrow my power to bring back your little prince, so there you have it!"] Jerga roared with laughter as he tore through the final barriers of Lucien's mind. ["Now you can finally experience what it truly means to share your body with a demon!"]
Lucien fought back with everything he had left. He used his holy mana, his willpower, and his mind, fighting harder than he had ever fought in his entire life to regain control of his body.
But Jerga had already thrown the heavy iron gates shut from the inside, trapping Lucien in the deep dark below.
["Sleep well, my precious Holy Knight."]
Lucien's final, desperate thought was the memory of Cassian's smiling face.
Then, everything went pitch black.
*****
Two days later.
Lucien woke with a violent, air-starved gasp.
His body jerked upright in the bed, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. Holy mana immediately burst out from his body in an uncontrolled wave, rattling the glass windows of the room.
"Cassian...!"
His breathing was ragged and shallow. A blinding headache throbbed behind his eyes, making the room spin around him.
For several long seconds, he had no idea where he was or what day it was.
Then he looked down at his bare chest.
Thick, dark demonic markings were etched directly into his pale skin, crawling up from his ribs and winding around his neck like permanent ink. His veins pulsed with a faint violet hue beneath his skin.
Lucien stared down at the corrupted marks in utter disgust and horror.
"Jerga..." he called out internally, his voice trembling.
No answer came.
He closed his eyes tight, searching the dark corners of his mind.
"Jerga? Answer me!"
Nothing. Total silence.
Lucien slowly exhaled a long breath, his hands shaking against the silk sheets.
"He's asleep..." he whispered to himself. "For the moment."
Then, he felt a soft shift in the mattress beside him and realized he was not alone in the room.
"Husband."
Lucien froze completely, his entire body going rigid.
He turned his head slowly.
And there...Ruby was lying on the pillow right beside him in his private bed. She was propped up on one elbow, her eyes quietly watching his face.
Lucien stared blankly at her.
Then he looked down at himself under the sheets.
Then he looked back at her face.
"What the hell...?" he gasped, his voice trembling with horror.
Ruby smiled softly, reaching out to tuck a strand of golden-brown hair behind her ear.
"Good morning."
Lucien immediately pulled the heavy blankets aside and threw himself out of the bed, stumbling backward onto the cold floor as he pulled his trousers on.
"What happened here?!" he demanded, his voice sharp and panicked.
Ruby pulled the white covers up around her chest, watching him with an amused smile.
"Oh, please don't play that silly game with me now. You know exactly what happened." She let out a small, satisfied sigh. "You were rather affectionate these past two nights, I must say."
Lucien's stomach dropped into a cold, endless pit.
"Jerga..." he whispered under his breath, closing his eyes tight as pure anger burned through his chest.
"That absolute bastard..."
Ruby watched him from the bed as he frantically gathered his scattered clothes from the wooden floor.
"You have been disappearing a lot lately, Lucien."
Lucien completely ignored her, shoving his arms into his shirt sleeves.
"And you keep coming back looking different every time," she continued, her voice trailing off as her eyes swept over the dark marks on his neck.
She tilted her head to the side.
"And when you come back like this..." Her smile became much softer, almost gentle. "...you actually look at me."
Lucien stopped moving completely, his hands frozen on the buttons of his shirt.
Ruby's expression changed. The confident smile faded away, leaving something raw and deeply vulnerable underneath.
"I liked that," she whispered softly into the quiet room.
Lucien looked away from her, turning his eyes toward the closed door.
"Ruby."
She waited silently, her eyes fixed on his back.
"Whatever happened while I was with you these past two days was not me," Lucien said, his voice cold and flat.
"I was not myself at all."
The harsh words struck her like a physical blow. The pain showed on her face immediately, her smile vanishing completely as her cheeks paled.
But Lucien did not stop.
"I am sorry for what happened in this room."
Ruby lowered her eyes to the white sheets, her lips pressing into a thin line.
"But do not mistake what happened for something it wasn't," Lucien continued firmly, pulling his belt tight around his waist. "My heart belongs to someone else, and you have always known that as well."
He pulled his thick tunic over his head, hiding the dark demonic markings on his neck.
Ruby's fingers tightened violently around the fabric of the blanket.
"You still love him that badly?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.
Lucien said nothing. He simply stood there near the edge of the bed, his silent stance giving her the absolute truth.
Ruby swallowed hard, a painful lump forming in her throat.
"Even after he left you behind?"
Lucien finally turned his head to look directly into her eyes.
"Especially after he left."
Ruby's eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she refused to let them fall.
Lucien turned away from her completely and walked toward the heavy wooden door of the chamber.
"Walk away from me, Ruby," he said quietly, his hand resting on the brass door handle.
She whispered his name, her voice small and broken.
"Lucien..."
He stopped moving, but he did not turn back around.
"If you keep hoping for something I can never give you, you will only end up hurting yourself more in the end," Lucien said, his voice flat. "And I have already caused you more than enough pain in this short time we spent together."
He pulled the heavy door open.
"Do not let that *part of me* use you again."
He stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him with a sharp click.
Ruby remained sitting completely alone on the massive bed. Her proud posture slumped.
For the first time since their arranged marriage, she looked far less like a triumphant noble wife and more like a woman who had finally understood that no matter what she did, she could never make his heart belong to her.
Outside in the quiet stone corridor, Lucien walked quickly away from his private quarters.
His pale face was dark with anger, his boots clicking heavily against the floor. He could already feel the dark spirit stirring again somewhere deep inside the back of his mind.
A faint, teasing whisper brushed against his thoughts.
["Leaving your poor bride so soon, Holy Knight?"]
Lucien stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the empty hallway. His hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.
'Jerga,' he thought furiously, his mental voice sharp as a razor.
["Oh, don't worry yourself,"] the demon chuckled softly, sounding thoroughly pleased with himself.
["I'll behave now. I've had my fun."]
Lucien's blue eyes narrowed dangerously.
'You had better stay quiet, or I will find a way to rip you out of my soul completely.'
["Is that so?"] Jerga's voice turned mocking, dropping into a slow, teasing tone.
["But I really do wonder..."]
Lucien stood frozen in the drafty hall.
["When your precious Crown Prince Cassian finally returns from his 'long trip'... will you tell him everything that happened while he was gone?"]
Jerga let out a low, amused laugh that rang in Lucien's ears.
["All the brutal killings of young noble boys... the cheating in your marriage bed... well, technically she is your legal wife, but still. I just can't help but wonder... how the hell will he feel once he finds out about all of it?"]
Lucien went completely still, his entire body locking up in the middle of the hallway.
The demon's question struck deeper than any steel blade ever could, piercing right through his defenses and cutting straight into his heart.
He turned his head slowly to look toward the large glass window at the end of the corridor.
Beyond the thick glass lay the endless sky and the distant lands of the empire. Somewhere far beyond that horizon was Cassian.
His Cassian.
Lucien's expression hardened into cold, unyielding stone.
"I will," Lucien whispered aloud into the empty corridor, his voice quiet, flat, and absolute.
"I will tell him everything the moment I see him."
He took a deep breath and continued walking down the stone hall.
Behind his calm, emotionless face, however, something fundamental had changed forever.
The Holy Knight had finally returned to his body. But the demon had not left, and the dark rot had already taken root deep within his soul.
And far below his conscious thoughts, Jerga was still smiling.
["How incredibly bland of you, Lucien... I can't even tease you a little bit without you being so serious."]
*****