The Shadows Within Me

Once at the end of the corridor, I was met with a pungent smell of rotting flesh. Dried blood was at every step, which must've been with Finn, who insisted I change. He even made me wear tall leather boots.

This room was stuck in the horrors of the past as new ones formed within the rusty cells. I had never seen a starving demon before. They were close to skeletons, as the red bindings that held them in place were probably made of Finn's blood.

Most of them were crazed by hunger, but some were lucid as skeletons lay everywhere I laid my eyes on. They were probably humans used to feed the demons to keep them away from the curse's madness.

Most of it wanted to make my stomach turn instead of allowing it to sink in. My hold on Finn's hand was unyielding as he didn't stop for a moment. The thing in the furthest cellar was a skinny man who was starved and deprived of ever seeing the sunlight.

His matted hair, as dirty as it was, had red hints, which gave me a clue as to who he was. Chills ran down my spine when those yellow eyes set on me.

"Ah… If it isn't the king of nothing, coming to see me again." Ageth smirked, tugging on his binds. "It's been so long since you last visited me. I've been so lonely."

Oh my god… This is... I always wondered if they somehow perished in the miasma, but it seems they were…

"How nice to see you're still sane even after being starved for a thousand years. It really seems those close to the source have difficulty losing their sanity once regained." My demon's voice was devoid of all warmth.

However, his hand hadn't let me go.

Why do you torture yourself by keeping this man here? Is it because he can't die? How… horrible.

"No matter how much you starve me. You'll never let me lose myself; if you do, you'd be truly alone, having nothing to hate or blame." The red-haired male cackled.

His voice left me with hair on the back of my neck, standing as everything in me told me to run from him, but if I had allowed myself to fall, I would have denied everything Finn was.

This is your darkness, part of you, and I can't… I won't run!

This was his monster, and I couldn't turn away from him. I held his hand tightly, trying to get him to look at me, but he didn't. This demon had shut off all his emotions to deal with this unforgivable man.

I tugged on his sleeve slightly, finally turning his lifeless eyes toward mine.

Ah… it…

My heart ached to see him like that. Ageth also found me in his sights with that simple action.

A wicked smile rose on his lips. "A human girl. Is she my meal after all these years?"

His words caused Finn to snap back onto him.

"No, she's nothing of yours." His voice was devoid of warmth as a red aura started seeping out of him before pooling on the floor.

Taking a whiff of the air around us, a broken maniacal laugh came from the dreaded king.

"Oh! Oh! She reeks of you! A new lover! Finally, over little Lillia? Oh, how sad that would've made her. She was fond of being your world." He snickered.

It wasn't long until his jaw was gone, prompting blood to splatter all over the cell's wall. However, that broken laughter continued. This sick man was insane before the curse ever took hold of him.

"How many holes will it take for you to croak finally?" Finn huffed, holding my hand in his hand.

Even though he faced the monster who made them all, his hold on me was gentle. He never forgot I was in his grip.

Finn… You don't deserve any of this.

"Even if I die, I'll always live in you, haunting you for the rest of your life." Ageth declared, turning every clock in my head to full throttle.

It was probably true. This madman would always haunt Finn's waking moments, yet I...

"No, you won't!" I spoke up, taking a step towards the cell.

The steel was rusted and broken in places; time hadn't been kind to this place.

"The little human talks; how adorable!" Ageth mocked me.

I smirked, grabbing onto the bars of the cell. "For someone who used to be king of an entire nation, you sure are tiny."

"Child, why don't you come closer? I'll show you how tiny I am. I might even show you a better time than that coward of a king before I kill you." He leaned into his binds to get closer to me.

Instead of feeling intimidated, I couldn't help but feel something new within me.

This man…

Before that formed, a hole had opened up in Ageth's chest. Blood gushed out onto the floor as his mouth gargled as he struggled to catch himself. Finn had ripped out the man's lungs, which sprayed on the wall behind him.

It took him a couple of minutes to heal, but once he did, the mad king laughed until he couldn't take it anymore.

"Finn! You're feisty as always! Why didn't you show that side of yours that day?!" Ageth kept going.

"Shut up!" The demon king seethed.

However, I grabbed his hand before he could enter the cell, pulling him to me. When he turned to me, I leaned onto his lips, claiming them for myself. Even as he lost himself in the anger, they still felt as warm as ever.

For a moment, I held him captured before tugging away slightly.

"That look on your face. It isn't the right one. No, it isn't the one I want you to have." I simpered, grabbing onto his cheeks.

You deserve to smile alone, even if all you will bring me is heartache.

"Sylvia, I…" He whispered, leaning into me again.

"Hah, poor Lillia is probably crying in her grave." Ageth scoffed, rolling his eyes.

I know you don't deserve an ounce of my breath. Even so…

Pulling away from Finn, I turned towards the red-haired demon. Tugging my bag that held a sleeping Solas closer, I stood firm.

No man will ever make me crumble again. Not you or… If I must do this alone, I will. Even if… it's harder after having Finn.

"You know what's the best part about being dead?" I scowled.

"Go on, enlighten me, little girl." He smirked.

"The dead don't want or wish for anything. They're just gone like dust in the wind. So, your daughter isn't thinking about anything at all. She simply just doesn't exist anymore, and by the end of this, I'll make sure Finn, or anyone, never thinks of her or you ever again." I announced.

There wasn't an ounce of fear in me. Not when his face turned warped with anger instead of amusement. His daughter was still his child, something he cared for to a point.

I guess even tools create emotional attachments to their owners. Pitiful king…

"And it seems you've met your truest fate for someone who deserves eternal suffering," I smirked.

Who knew a king could be so insignificant?

His ego was brittle. That was how all big egos were. And I wanted to shatter his.

"Little girl, watch your words. These chains may bind me, but I have a good memory." He growled, a red aura spilling out of him.

"Hm? Should I be scared? A king like yourself, who used to be so strong, is now nothing but a prisoner. Your entire legacy is a joke." I scoffed, grabbing onto the bars.

His eyes glowed brightly.

Even though this is a fitting end for you, Finn can't…

"Traedan will soon fall to the miasma you set in this world, and what's best is the people you set out to destroy. They're the ones who will hold all the power in the end." I smirked, watching his eyes dilate as my words hit his ego out of all things.

The man was chained by binds that couldn't be broken easily, and if he did…

"Fathal will survive on top of all the corpses of Traedan. Much like you, everything you build will wither like a dying tree. You're nothing but a disgusting piece of shit. An insignificant bug that accomplished nothing but the destruction of his kingdom." I jibbed, allowing my hands to fall to my sides.

My voice was devoid of emotion as I knew this monster had to be slain for Finn to be free. Much like…

My father… I never wanted to hurt you, but you gave me no choice. Now… This man… is worse than you in every way. He deserves nothing more than…

"Fucking whore, I'll kill you!" Ageth snarled, slamming his binds only for them to cut deeper into his skin.

Eternal pain is too good for you when…

Even starved as he was, the demon wanted to reach me. His strength was increased thanks to the anger surging within him, yet I had him right where I wanted.

Fear won't rule over me. You won't derail me. After all, you're just another sad man who didn't get their way, and for that…

"No, you won't. You'll rot here until you're no more until the end of time, but if you stay like this, then…" I trailed off, shifting my gaze to Solas, who nodded in response.

"You… Bitch! I'll make you into my little whore before I eat you alive!" Ageth snarled, emitting that same malicious aura Finn usually had when enraged.

The sudden surge of the wicked mana allowed him to break his bindings, letting him charge toward me.

"Sylvia!" Finn reached for me, yet I wasn't scared of the rushing demon.

No, he was slower than the ones in the cave. I felt no fear of the coming threat, just pure determination as something within me swelled to the point of eruption. Behind him, I could swear I saw the goddess Serena staring back at me again.

He hit a wall that shimmered upon impact as my flesh was out of his reach. Instead of yanking away, he appeared to be sucked into it, leaving him unable to move from where he was.

"I'm so glad I finally got to meet you. With you, I can finally end part of this nightmare once and for all." I announced, triggering pulses of white energy to emanate from me.

Within my hand, Twilight appeared shimmering brighter than any star above, and with a swift swing of the blade, the man known as Ageth was sliced in two. The blow caused him to crash onto the floor, screeching in pain.

Like the demons inside the cave, his wounds were not healing as he was being purified. The energies around me slowly dissipated, along with the blade in my hand. I didn't see when Solas stood between me in Finn as he had prevented the demon lord from coming to my aid.

"What did you do, Sylvia?" His voice cracked, alerting me to his emotional state.

This man meant so much to him as he probably kept Finn grounded in what he needed to do. Turning to him, I unwittingly sent another wave of pure light energy through the catacombs, purifying all the demons within these dreadful walls.

Finn and Solas were the only ones who stood free of the gentle light that cleansed the unending nightmare from this castle. The screams of all the demons who were part of the assault in this kingdom filled the air as the air became clearer from the rotten smell.

Their sounds died along with the light, leaving behind Ageth's decaying body. His screams soon died, too, as his body became nothing but spheres of light.

"I think it's time you stop torturing yourself, Finn." I glanced at a stunned demon.

I never act like you thought I would, so this shouldn't be new to you, but…

"What?" He mumbled, shifting his eyes around the place as all the horrors were gone.

Every nightmare ends eventually, and this is…

Finn's eyes reflected an array of emotions for the first time since I came into this world.

Reaching my hand out to him, I simpered. "Finn, leave your past behind. Let's move to the future together."

When he winced before shaking his head, prompting my heart to drop.

Ah… How careless of me. How can you forget the past when your sister is a prisoner in that crystal? I must look like a crazy girl.

"I mean, if you want to move with me. It doesn't have to be with me or right now." I let my hand drop, along with my gaze.

Even so…

"Even if you don't want us to be end game, I can't get rid of..." I trailed off, grabbing onto my lower abdomen, which had been tingling the entire time.

You'll probably be hunted and sought out if you come to this world. They'll try to use you or kill you, but I… I can't kill you, not when you come from the man I adore, even if he doesn't want it.

"I'm sorry for being selfish. If you don't want anything to do with it, that's fine. I'll raise it by myself as best as I can." I felt my voice break.

Forcing my gaze back at the demon king, he appeared lost, alerting me that I was probably crashing his world.

All you wanted me was to be your wife for a ritual, but here I am, pregnant with a child you never asked for. Not that I did either, but… I just can't…

"I promise, if I'm a bother, I'll disappear when I free you from all this. The last thing I want is for you to see me as a burden!" I wanted to cry, but I was holding the tears from falling.

Finn shook his head, clenching his hands into fists. A second later, I was in his arms. His entire body was shaking before he buried his head into my bosom, leaving me stunned where I stood. He was like a small child in my arms.

The once unmovable demon shrank, tears visible in his eyes. It wasn't long until I enveloped my arms around him. That was when I noticed my body was still giving off a soft hue, and my holy magic was in full splendor.

"No, don't go anywhere. Stay with me forever, my light." His voice was fragile.

Instead of saying anything else, I held him close as we found comfort in each other's warmth. What the future awaited us was unknown, but I knew that I was determined to change this world.

Failure isn't an option for you and the life growing within me.