New Goddess, Past Demon (5)

For half a year, Liliath wept in the corner of the room. Even after tears had dried, she continued to sit there, burying his head in her knee. One of her signature poses she would make when she was embarrassed. I didn't think this would be where it originated from..

"Want popcorn?" Bleu held a paper bag to my face, the kind with white and red alternating strips.

"Seriously.. way to ruin the mood," I took a piece and tossed it into my mouth either way.

Fucking hell this 3D movie is immersive as heck. I don't need to wear any sort of 3D device nor do I need special headphones. The sound quality is beyond stereo and 4D since it's an accurate spatial replay of the scene.

That said.. It's also depressing as fuck.

A drama? What bullshit is this? To me, Liliath's past makes no absolute sense! It's not even logical.

In reality, many things should have gone wrong, things shouldn't have been so smooth sailing. Liliath should've noticed the tracking spell being placed on her before she escaped to Javiel's castle. Javiel should have also been less trusting of Liliath's proposal. Not to mention the trap set up to bind Javiel. How exactly could one hide from a demon lord's superior instincts?

The worst of all was the crappy twist in the end where Liliath's father just HAD to betray Liliath's expectations. I get all the political bullshit and fear of the peace treaty being broken but-- can't they at least sit down and have a proper discussion for fuck sake?

"That's just how dramas work don't they? If not it would just be a plain boring story" Blue chucked a popcorn into her mouth.

"Haahh.. you're right but still.."

There's a lot of missing portions to the recount. I got to see Liliath's world to an extent and I must say, despite the dullness of the mood, the world was incredibly colourful. The environment is vibrant, most leaves change to the appropriate colour shade depending on the season. Green and pink for spring, yellow and white for summer, red and orange for autumn, blue and white for winter. A lush world brimming with vitality.

And the Liliath's past merely showed a snippet of it since Liliath was holed up inside the castle for most of her life.

Speaking of which. I've realized a crucial point here. Sorry, not 'a', but multiple points. I should address it here.

"Bleu, does Liliath have minor autism or ADHD?"

If you compare Liliath and Javiel, things become clear. The way Liliath views and interacts with the world isn't normal, and I suspected it to be attributed to the fact that she's a demon lord but-- Javiel is as normal as one could be. He has a fucking harem for fuck sake.

Which leads me to the second point-- Liliath rejected me last time wasn't it? There's really no such thing as a special requisite to accept another person's feelings.

"Perhaps it's a mix of both. You're actually right, it might just be the case," Bleu bumped her fist into her palm.

"Now I really wonder if Liliath is just.. trying to force a favor onto me.."

From the way she acted. Javiel must have been her first love, and till this point it's unclear if she still holds any feelings for him. Liliath never talked about Javiel. She probably hinted at it once or twice at most but it was almost too subtle for one to catch unless they knew about her past

I was surprised to find that Javiel was actually a pretty good guy, contrary to my initial guesses. I guess I've really messed up judging a book by it's cover..

"Oh, prepare yourself Noel before you judge the book by the cover again, the next few will be the last bits of her history. But it's also one of the worst. How about you go have a rest before finishing it?" Bleu took a sip of her soda.

"Nevermind. Let's just get along with it.."

Hah.. I didn't think something this fake could actually be Liliath's past-- it's so unreal. I find it hard to believe honestly… but in the first place. I create this right? I had no control over it but I was the creator of it. I created the mess Liliath had to face, and the existence of thousands of lives that had to grovel through the imminent war. Salvery runs rampant and Liliath's world and there isn't anything even close to human rights.

"Noel, dont butter yourself in self sabotage. It's not going to help."

"I know.. couldn't help it.."

"Now isn't that a wonderful fit? Liliath is an S, you're an M."

"That's if Liliath is going to be with me in the end.."

"..." Blue narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything.

"You already know what I mean by that. Just continue with the story-- how long have I been here? Half a day now?"

"To be more accurate, not even a second has passed since you arrived here."

"In the real world that is.. Bleu?"

She held me in her embrace, the smell of butter and sugar from her hair.

"Hey. Life is a journey, embrace it. The hardships, the pain, the doubt. It's a mystery to why I even exist in the first place but one thing is for sure, my role is to guide you on this journey. You can do it Noel, don't give up. You can doubt yourself, hurt yourself, give up on others, give up on yourself. But remember that in the end when nothing matters anymore-- the only step left is to just move on."

"That's deep.."

That's a regurgitation of my personal philosophy slapped right across my face. WOw.

"Yes it is. Hopefully you'll be able to bear what's to come. I'm serious when I say the last few scenes are going to take a toll on you-- on the way you would view Liliath in the future."

"..."

Got it. I'm ready.

The sound of keys shuffling inside a keyhole could be heard. Liliath raised her head to peek at the direction with her red lifeless eyes.

The door opened and the person who appeared was Valentine.

"Liliath!" She rushed over weeping, holding Liliath in her arms.

Liliath remained indifferent.

"Demon Lord Javiel wants to see you."

"Ane-sama.. h-he's dead."

"He's not.. quick, I need you to follow me. The situation isn't safe," beckoning her eyes, Shea came into the room cautiously and broke the collar off Lilith's neck with a special magic tool-- she was free.

What? There's such a convenient time in the market? Wouldn't the slave industry sizzle into nothing at this rate?

"Shea?" Liliath who was still dazed looked at her confused. "Why? I betrayed you.."

Shea didn't answer and merely sent Valentine a glance with both of them nodding. Valentine carried Liliath on her shoulders, Shea guarding them while they made an escape. The stench of blood filled the room, the guards dead on the floor, some of their heads separated from the bodies with arrows stuck to their flanks.

"Why arrows? This is suspicious.." I tried to kick one of the corpses but my leg just went right through.

"You'll know soon enough. Come on, they're leaving us behind the dust," Blue implored, gesturing with her hand.

We followed Valentine and Shea out the dungeon-- the castle riddled with corpses took me by surprise. The fuck is this?

"To continue from this point on. Demon Lord Javiel didn't die, but was forced to become a slave to the kingdom. The treatment he got-- was less than satisfactory. Eventually, he managed to thrown off some guards and remove the slave collar as he made an escape with the aid of another demon lord."

"Male or female?"

"I didn't think you would be interested but to be honest, it's a pair. They swore loyalty to Demon Lord Javiel and didn't go on with the contract to become the true demon king and queen. The culture is that the first pair to make it becomes the leader among demon lords. They decided to leave that position to Javiel."

"There's some logic to that.."

He built a nation after all.. gotta commend him for that.

Liliath continued to be bobbed up and down Valentine's shoulders as they made their escape out of the capital. Shea had to behead a number of assailants and guards along the way, shrieks resounded through the not-anymore-silent night.

Breaching the wall, they made it to a carriage out of sight from normal view. It was at a spot in a deep secluded forest, the carriage stationed close to the lake that looked to be glittering under the moonlight.

Valentine place Liliath down on the floor as she caught her breath.

"Thank you Valentine. It must have been hard," Shea shot a sympathetic look towards her.

"Take care of her please, I'll deal with the corresponding effects as in the deal."

Demon Lord Javiel is.. why is he just standing there? I turned my head to the carriage to see Javiel with another person I don't recognize. Another demon lord? He has horns?

"The person beside him is Ruff, the other demon lord that helped him escape."

"I'm sorry for everything, I didn't mean to betray you all.. I-I just wanted to help," Liliath started to weep. And it stung my heart.

"It's alright now Liliath.. the demon lord you protect you.." Valentine bent down to console Liliath.

Click*

"Eh?"

"Fool."