Esther's legs gave out. She collapsed onto the floor, her slender frame trembling uncontrollably. Her lips parted in disbelief, but no words escaped, only silent gasps of air as the truth struck her again and again like crashing waves.
Her own family. They had killed her... with their own hands. Till the very end, not a shred of love remained. All those smiles, the warm touches, the final farewell... It was all a lie. A perfect, cruel performance. Just to make her more enticing to the Devil.
Just to sell her soul in exchange for something...something she would never know. Her shoulders quivered as she buried her face into her hands. The pain... it was too much to bear.
Luxion panicked. He didn't know what to do. The mighty Devil who ruled Hell, the one feared by everyone suddenly found himself kneeling before a broken girl. His movements were awkward, hesitant, but still he reached out and gently placed his hand on her head.
He had never comforted anyone before. Perhaps only the souls of little children who wandered into the Underworld lost and confused... but a woman? A bride? Never.
Yet, something inside him ached at the sight of her tears. He could feel the depth of her sorrow-raw, unfiltered grief. And though he longed to pull her into his arms, he dared not. Not without her permission. So he could only pat her head... lightly, as if trying to anchor her back to the world.
Minutes passed...
The sobs quieted. Esther slowly lifted her face. Her eyes, once filled with light, were now empty and hollow.
"Can I go back... to where I came from?"
Her voice was barely a whisper, yet each word stabbed through Luxion's chest. He froze. For a moment, he forgot how to breathe. The fragile hope that had bloomed within him just moments ago shattered like thin glass. A sad, self-mocking smile formed on his lips.
"...Do you detest me that much?" he asked softly.
"I'll let you go. In the end... I am the Devil. No one... will ever want to stay with me."
He stood up and walked toward the window. He spoke again, his voice low and cracked.
"I can't send you back to your previous life but I can exchange your soul."
His face was expressionless, but inside, his heart twisted. He didn't understand why. Why this girl made him feel like this. Why, for the first time in his immortal existence, he didn't want to be alone. As if he finally found a missing piece in his life. He wanted to hold her forever. He wanted to lock her with him in hell. But... He doesn't want to evil man she will hate forever.
"Angel."
A soft call reached him from behind.
Luxion turned. Esther stood, still trembling faintly. She stepped forward and gently held his hand. The warmth of her touch startled him. She wasn't running away.
"...What happened?" he asked carefully.
She bit her lip, fingers fidgeting.
I agree that I am scared of you a little. You are the Devil everyone is scared of yet your aura, your presence doesn't scare me. I don't know why? Maybe because you look different from what I read in books, you act different. I don't sense hostility in your eyes or because I was sacrificed by my own family. But, I'm just scared a little. Won't you give me a chance to get over it?"
Esther asked while fidgeting with her fingers. Luxion smiled and patted her head. "Okay. Take all your time, sweetheart."
Luxion suddenly stiffened as he stared at the girl before him. A realization dawned on him. His throat bobbed. His pale fingers twitched. He abruptly turned away, ears tinted with a faint shade of red.
"...Esther," he said with a strained voice, avoiding her gaze. "Can you... wrap the blanket around yourself? Your dress is... inappropriate. If I keep looking at you...uhm.."
Without finishing the sentence, he swiftly walked toward the bed, picked up the blanket, and gently draped it over her slender shoulders. His movements were quick but careful. Still, in that brief moment, he couldn't help but notice how utterly delicate she looked. Wrapped in a thin gown, her skin seemed to glow like polished jade, fragile and cold to the touch.
Esther blinked in confusion. She lowered her eyes, glanced at herself then froze. Flustered, she tried to cover herself better. But before she could, she looked at Luxion with an almost accusing expression.
"...Why do you like such clothes?" she asked, her tone embarrassingly honest.
Luxion paused, stunned.
"...Me?"
"Yeah." Her eyes were round with innocence. "It's the first time I wore something like this. My mom said it was for ritual. But it's so uncomfortable. My skin is showing—look!"
She loosened the blanket slightly and pulled at the sheer fabric, showing the pale skin beneath. Luxion's breath caught. He turned away so fast his hair flicked.
"A-Ah, baby—please stop," he stammered, clearly flustered. "Let me give you something else to wear. This... this is too tantalizing!"
Esther realized what she had just done and gasped, horrified. She quickly hugged the blanket to her chest and turned red from ear to neck. A white gown with floral patterns materialized before her, soft and elegant like moonlight-woven silk. Luxion flicked his fingers and stepped toward the door.
"I'll wait outside," he said, voice still shaken.
Moments later, a light tap landed on his shoulder. He turned—
And froze.
There she was, wearing the white gown, its hem flowing like morning mist around her feet. Her long hair fell softly over her shoulders. His heart skipped. Luxion wordlessly followed her back into the room.
"Angel..." Esther sat on the bed, her tone uncertain. "If I'm a soul... then how can I touch things? Wear clothes? I thought souls were transparent, floaty and... white?"
Luxion chuckled at her confusion.
"Because you were sacrificed to me completely," he explained gently. "Your physical body came along with your soul. Since you're no longer alive in the human realm, I called you a soul."
She nodded slowly. Then, her expression shifted. She clenched her fists, eyes hardening beneath her soft lashes.
"Angel... I want to go back to the place I came from."
Luxion's expression stiffened.
"I'm not running away," she quickly added. "I accept my fate. But..."
Her voice cracked.
"I want revenge."
She raised her eyes to him.
"They ridiculed my love, my yearning... my heart. They killed me after I gave everything for them. I just-" she swallowed her pain. "I want to take revenge. Not out of hatred. But for myself. For my dignity... for the little girl inside me who only wanted to be loved."
Luxion moved. He sat beside her and gently took her hand in his.
"...Will you tell me what happened, darling?"
Esther took a deep breath and narrated the day she was sacrificed. The lies. The warm breakfast. The blindfold. The chanting. The ritual circle. Her family's voices echoing in her ears. The knives. The betrayal. Her blood on the ground.
Luxion's eyes grew darker with every word.
By the end, his pupils were glowing deep crimson, like a blood moon hanging over a battlefield.
"What?" he growled, voice low and shaking with fury. "They... killed their daughter? With their own hands? How dare they?! Parental love is supposed to be the purest of all... What kind of monsters are they? Humans are getting crueler as days are passing. How can someone commit such disgusting sin? But then, its not first time I witnessed something like this."
His entire body emitted a dangerous aura. A chill ran through the room.
"I'll kill them," he snarled. "Let me go to the mortal realm and end them myself."