The sacrifices continued. The rituals repeated. But they meant nothing to him.
They were all the same...until now.
The woman before him slept without trembling. Her breathing was soft, steady, as if she had not descended into Hell, but into a dream spun from golden light.
Her hair flowed like melted starlight, pale gold that shimmered with the gentlest motion of air. Delicate strands fell against her cheek, framing a face that looked carved from moonlight. Her long lashes, the color of frosted honey, trembled slightly as if whispering secrets to the silence. Lips faintly pink, closed gently like a flower bud in slumber. Her skin glowed faintly under the low candlelight, untouched by sin, unmarred by sorrow. Innocence. It clung to her like a second skin. Luxion studied her quietly.
She was... beautiful.
No, not merely beautiful. Ethereal.
Still, something inside him stirred. With a sigh, Luxion leaned back, closed his eyes, and allowed himself to fall into thought. The darkness of his own heart greeted him like an old friend.
Few minutes later.....
Rustle
Esther opened her eyes slowly, her lashes fluttering like a moth caught in fragile wind. Her vision was blurred, head pounding with a dull ache. Every muscle in her body felt heavy, as if she'd been asleep for years. She sat up, holding her temple, brows furrowed in confusion.
Where... was this?
The scent of incense lingered in the air, mingled with something faintly cold like winter frost. As her vision cleared, the world around her sharpened into view. And then she saw him.
A man, impossibly handsome, sat with his head resting against his hand. His face, though carved with a sense of aloofness, held no malice. Pale skin like polished jade, silver hair that fell in elegant layers across one eye. His long lashes cast shadows across sharp cheekbones. He looked like a painting—one of those divine emperors from forgotten myths.
Power radiated from him in quiet waves. Cold, unreadable... yet strangely divine. Esther's eyes widened.
Is this... heaven?
Did I die?
Is he... an angel?
Without realizing, her feet moved on their own. She rose from the bed, her legs unsteady, and slowly dropped to her knees in front of him, staring at the man as if caught in a trance. She hesitated, then reached out gently and tapped his shoulder. "Angel... wake up!"
The man didn't stir.
Esther blinked, lips pressed in slight confusion. She tapped him again, this time a bit firmer. "Angel... is this heaven?"
Luxion's brows twitched slightly. A groan left his lips, low and almost reluctant, as if he had been pulled from the depths of ancient thoughts. He lifted his head slowly, his lashes fluttering open to reveal black eyes.
"Huh? What?" His voice was deep, husky like thunder behind silk.
Esther tilted her head. "Angel, is this heaven? Am I in heaven?"
He stared at her blankly for a second... then blinked.
"Angel?" he echoed, incredulous. "Did you... call me an angel? Did you touch me?"
Esther nodded innocently. "Yes. I thought I was dead, but this doesn't look like heaven... it feels too normal." She looked around with wide, curious eyes. "Did you save me? Am I reborn? B-but I'm sure I... I died..."
Fragments of memory returned. Her eyes became dull. The pain in her chest, the feeling of her breath leaving her body. She lowered her gaze, her fingers trembling slightly. Luxion stared at her in stunned silence.
She had touched him.
She had looked into his eyes.
She hadn't screamed. She hadn't cried.
And worse—she had called him angel.
For centuries, every bride sent to him had collapsed in fear. The moment they saw the infernal aura that wrapped around his form, they had either fainted or tried to escape. Even those who dared touch him were burned instantly, turned to ash by the weight of Hell's curse.
But she...
She touched him like it meant nothing.
No fear.
No hesitation.
His thoughts scattered like ashes in wind. His eyes trembled with unfamiliar emotions—shock, confusion... and beneath it all, something far more dangerous:
Hope.
Esther tilted her head, puzzled by his intense stare.
"...Can you answer me?" she asked softly, her voice like a breeze over water. "Who are you? Where am I? Am I reborn? Or... did you really save me?"
Luxion's lips curved faintly. A rare, barely-there smile appeared on his cold face.
"You are dead," he said quietly. "Now... a soul. And I... am Luxion. Devil. This is Hell."
Esther froze. Her eyes widened, lips parting in disbelief.
"Y-you're joking, right?" Her voice trembled. "Devil...? Me... in Hell?" She looked at him again, shaking her head. "But you don't look like a devil. You don't even have horns!"
Luxion chuckled lightly, a sound so low it almost didn't exist. "Horns? You mean... like this?"
With a snap of his fingers, shadows slithered across his temples, and in the next moment, two obsidian-black horns spiraled upward from his head, elegant, sharp, majestic.
Esther gasped. She couldn't believe what she heard. Her body trembled in fear. She stepped back while looking at the devil in front of her. Luxion's face dropped. He dismissed the horns with a wave of his hand. His voice, though deep, came out low and hollow.
"Are you scared of me?"
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips, muffled as he turned away and covered his face with one hand.
"Of course you are. What was I expecting?"
His voice cracked at the end, a pain he didn't know still lingered slipping through.
Esther felt bad. Though, she was scared of him, she didn't feel any threat for him. Instead, she felt calm in his presence. She walked towards him and tapped on his shoulder lightly.
"I.. I am sorry... I didn't me.. mean to hurt you."
He turned slowly to look at her. She was trembling. Yet, when he offered his hand, she reached out and placed hers in his palm.
His eyes widened.
"You're brave, sweetheart."
Esther blinked.
"Am I really dead...? And why do you keep calling me your wife?"
Luxion led her to sit on the bed once more. The mattress dipped beneath her weight as she sank into it, still dazed.
"You're dead," he said plainly. "Judging by your confusion..., I believe you were sacrificed without your knowledge. To be my bride. Now we are husband and wife."
Esther's pupils contracted. She stiffened. Her hands clenched at her sides. She rose to her feet, her breath ragged, her voice shaking.
"Wh.. What? A sacrifice? Bride? What.. what did you gave them in exchange of this sacrifice?" She almost shouted while trembling. She couldn't believe her family sacrificed her to devil. Why? Was it necessary?
Luxion eyes softened. He held her hands and squeezed them.
"They must've got what they asked during ritual. I don't know what they asked for. The sacrificial ritual is an ancient ritual. According to it, I won't know who will be sacrificed... whether its free will or without consent, what the person who initiated the sacrifice wants. Some sacrifice willing while others are manipulated"
"How many wives you have?" Esther asked.
"Only you"
"But you said-" Before Esther can continue, Luxion interrupted softly.
"I know I said, countless woman were sacrificed but they died within few minutes. Because they got scared of my aura, those who touched burnt to ashes. You won't believe the cruelty of humans, even little girls, baby to old woman were sacrificed just for greed. They were taken to the karma court before they can even see me." Luxion eyes darkened.
"Honestly.." He continued "You are the only one who didn't get scared of my aura and who was able to touch me."
"What will happen to me?" Esther asked in monotonous voice.
"You are my wife. You will rule hell with me."