The Demon's Bride

Chapter 361: Sneaking In The Wood-II

A/N: I am down with illness and fever. So today I might only upload one chapter, sorry everyone TT

After supper, Elise left the dining room, taking a light reading about the rest of Demons, noting she couldn't find anything similar to Ian or about Demons that had feathered wings like he did. She wondered if the reason why Ian's wings were feathers like angels was because he was once a human. Or maybe there was another reason?

Was it possible that Ian also had some secret in his birth. But if so, he must be thinking and have done some research of himself.

"Thinking of something else when I am next to you, how daring," Ian remarked, and Elise gasped because she didn't expect him to appear next to her while she was walking when she had seen him leaving after the supper to take care of some cases that appeared with a magistrate knocking the castle's door.

"What was it about?" Elise questioned, seeing him smirking.

"About some agreement of dispute of land from the man who I killed last time during when I invited guests to our castle," Ian reminded Elise of the time the castle invited people. It got a question to appear in Elise's mind when he had brought about it again.

"There's a question that I have," and Ian's red eyes that peered to her moved when he tilted his head to allow Elise to carry on, "Did you invite those people only to have me see you kill someone?"

The tug of his smile widened, and Elise could see Ian looking proud that she had found out his little intention of that day, "Not to see me kill him. To warn you. I want you to know the consequences of staying with me. I want to tell you that I am not sugar and I am not white or black. I am pitch black, a person with a sin and I am not a saint you are Maroon think I am. Do you know why I had asked you whether you would still love me even if I don't look like the way I am now?"

Elise didn't understand this part of Ian's statement. However, there was a hint she took that appeared as if he was warning her so she won't get close to him. As if before Ian had tried pushing her away from him. "I don't," Elise replied, she thought Ian was testing or jesting her again like he always did.

"Because soon you might see me looking very different than how I look now," Ian said, revealing what he hadn't told her yet and only mentioned in hints. "Like a monster that would leave you with sleepless night of nightmares. Every Demons assume a human's body and this is my appearance that I have since I was a human, but there is another appearance that I have which is my Demonic side. It will come out if I am triggered by my emotions, I always put them in control but with you," Ian stared deeply to Elise's eyes causing her to feel shivers on her spine, her body trembled but not in a bad way. "I always lose my control."

Elise folded her thought and organized them. She noticed how Ian's eyes would change at times and his horns appearing only in a few occasion which mean that was one step for him to transform into his Demonic side which he described earlier.

With more days she spent about Ian, it seemed the amount of days weren't enough for her to completely know about him Ian was transparent to her, always answering what she wants and hope to know. Only problem is he loved to tell her things in small bits, and waited for her to question it herself. She decided to take the role he gave, questioning again until she hit a wall, "How do you look like in your Demonic side?"

"Hm, like a beast, tall, large, burning in red from flames and my scales glowed brighter than any flame you could find in here. My horns grew larger than what you have seen, and I also have a tail. I look completely different than I am. You wouldn't want to touch me when I am in that state," Ian explained as Elise tried to form an image in her mind based on his description.

"Why not?" Elise asked, catching him smile.

"I don't want you to burn to death," his answer was simple but felt to Elise as if it had a double meaning.

Having already read the book about Demon, a faint frown came on Elise's forehead, Ian had set forth a detailed appearance of his demonic side, but she didn't remember seeing it anywhere in the Demon's book. "Gabriel asked you about your Demonic name. Can you tell me what your name is? Not the name which if I could use to take control but the Demon's name you inherited from Caleb."

Ian had the instinct to tease her by questioning Elise, but seeing her straightforward that looked burning with the want to know his name. His smile widened, and he decided to answer her seriously, "Diablo. Demon of the Fallen."

"Of the Fallen," Elise repeated, coming to stop on her heels as they stopped in one of the hallway where the left side of the hallway were windows. The sky had turned darker faster as it was still early in Winter Season, "What does that mean?"

"I cannot die. That's what it means, of the fallen mean Demon who died, according to Caleb it was because the first Diablo tried to die only to fail as he had the same curse which I have now where I cannot die. It was also the reason why Caleb asked me to kill him after inheriting his power to me along with the curse." Cursed, thought Elise she recalled of this and that was also the reason why Ian had never faltered and avoid battle, because he knew he would never lost. Elise wondered why Diablo has curse? In time with her question, Ian spoke, "Did the book you read spoke about Demons having curse?"

Elise moved her head left and right, "The book didn't speak about curses. Are all Demons curse like you?"

"Yes, all of them. Beelzebub too. He was cursed to never find emotion. Even if he felt attached to someone his heart will feel empty. That's why he is also called as Demon of gluttony. He is hungry for more things in order to fill his heart. I heard the previous Beelzebub was far worse with his hunger than Beel," Ian explained with a hum.

"But why are they cursed?" Elise inquired next, she knew there must be reason for the Demons to be cursed, "And by whom?"

"Heaven's punishment, that's what it was," Ian answered, shifting his eyes from the moon on the sky before looking at her again. "Demons are strong for their own good and the only thing that could destroy them in the past are their curse. While it doesn't kill, it can also drive many Demon to madness, like Caleb did or the previous Beelzebub did. Beel was the one who killed the previous Beelzebub before taking the position."

Elise had only heard of how Demons are evil and they are beings who walked to the wrong path, whispering and teaching immoral and sinful ways to humans. What Elise found now was, unlike how most people thought about Demon, they are somewhere similar to humans, they are cursed, punished, and they could also succumb to madness due to their emotions. "Is there no way to break the curse?" asked Elise, causing Ian to raise his eyebrows. "I mean curse can be break, was there no method to do this instead of killing the previous holder?"

"As far as I am aware, it never happen before," Ian said, watching his bride looking away. He knew what Elise in mind, she had always thought to find solution that could possibly help others. Ian had his own thought regarding being against of the idea of helping others. He didn't see the point of lending a hand to the Demons in Hell that were also cursed like him. Elise had only seen the 'good' kind of Demon like Beelzebub who had been tamed which why she had the luxury to think about others. But Ian who had came in Hell know how the true Demons were like.

Ian didn't want to stop her, however, being kind was one of Elise's quality. He will teach and lead her with his knowledge but washing her thoughts and idea to live wasn't something he wanted to do. Ian want her to grow while still having her own ideal.

"If there were, most Demons would be here in the mortal world creating chaos, it's not a good thing to unbind their curse," Ian explained Elise the consequences.

But Elise didn't want to break other Demon's curse. She was worried about Ian whose curse was to never die. While the curse could be considered as a luxury or boon, Elise knew she didn't have a long lifespan like him. She was worried that if one day were to come where she died, Ian would need to suffer like Caleb did.

"But there must be a way," Elise murmured. She had read a book about cursed before. It was said that all curses came with a result and consequence. The person who put the curse could receive some backlash and curse isn't everlasting, it will break if the requirement to unbind the curse is fulfilled. Which means there must be answer to the curses the Demons have.

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A/N: Demon's Bride in fact is a book about curses and people who are curse, finally getting to this part makes me excited, lol~~ Don't forget to vote-~