Chapter 73

[Third Person's PoV]

While Sherry clung to Shadow crying, Shadow grabbed her head and brought her closer to comfort her.

Above her Shadow waved his hand as all the flames surrounding them simply disappeared.

Due to her emotional distress and all her shredded tears, Sherry simply fell asleep with hands still holding onto Shadow not wanting to let go.

Shadow shook his head at this and sigh, he picked her up and as he did he returned to his regular attire. He sat at the couch and laid Sherry's head on top of his lap letting her rest.

Even though she was asleep, she started breathing heavily, whimpering, afraid. Cid started to pat her head and used his magic to calm her down.

Her breathing soon returned to normal, to which Cid decided to manipulate her dreams so as to not have any nightmares.

While Cid was patting Sherry's head, Cid just spoke out loud. "And where do you think you're going" as he made a grabbing motion towards the vice-principal's body.

Cid willed it to come before him… it was the vice-principal's soul with a tranced look.

Cid snapped his fingers bringing him out of the trance state, Lutheran started looking around, "Wasn't I dead? Is this heaven?"

Cid full on laughed at that "Ha! I doubt that if heaven was a place you would be welcome. And yes you're still dead"

"But…. How? What's going on?" He asked, confused, while looking at his see through hands.

"I stopped you from moving on, did you really think I would allow you to have a peaceful passing?" Cid said without looking at him.

Lutheran then started shaking in fear "Wha- What are you going to do to me?"

Cid pondered about it for a while "I don't know to be honest, I could reconstruct your body, you know bring you back to life, probably throw you in front of a few horny men and let them have their way with you.

Or I could rebuild you, mess with a few nerves making your skin 100 times more sensitive making it so every step you take is excruciating.

It's all in the air honestly" Cid said shrugging his shoulders.

Lutheran started shaking in fear and tried turning around to run away but no matter what he did his body wouldn't obey him.

Cid finally looked towards Lutheran for the first time since bringing him forth with eyes glowing purple with power.

Lutheran felt the fear of true death for the time. Previously he came to peace after dying at the hands of the little girl he raised, something within him told him that he would pass on into the afterlife.

But not this time… this time if he died he would be dead.

There won't be an afterlife, there won't be no reincarnation, there will be no vengeful spirit, no soul… he would be completely destroyed down to his very core.

Cid gave him a sinister smirk when he saw him shaking like a leaf. "Wanna know something fascinating. The soul feels pain deeper than the body because it echoes with the anguish of existence, carrying the weight of emotional scars and existential torment far beyond the limits of flesh and bone.

Meaning When your soul is attacked, your very existence is threatened… Now isn't that wonderful, if I attack your soul you simply stop existing. You will feel the pain and torment of ceasing to exist. What better punishment than Eternal Oblivion.

Tears unwillingly poured from his eyes, he wanted to scream and shout and let it all out. He wanted to stay dead like how he was before any of this happened, he wants to pass on already is it too much to ask. He started asking himself.

Cid then surrounded Lutheran soul with his black flames engulfing him completely. But he didn't die or dissipate, no, no, no, no, no, that would have been far too quick for Cid's liking.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Cid kept burning Lutheran soul just to the point it was about to break apart and be plunged into oblivion, but he would heal it back up and repeat the process. Until he got bored of all the screaming for an hour and let him sink into oblivion.

After a while Sherry started to wake up, as she got up from Cid's lap she rubbed her eyes, but there wasn't any emotion on her face for a bit before her face grew red after remembering her falling asleep while standing up and holding onto him.

And seeing how she was getting up from his lap she could already deduce what just occurred.

"Sorry" She mumbled.

While Cid just patted her head "Don't worry about it…"

Tears softly streamed down her "W-What am I going to do now?" she choked out.

"How about joining me?"

"Where?"

"For You to know about that, you must know something. As you're already aware your father wasn't a go–"

"DON'T CALL HIM THAT! HE'S NOT MY FATHER!" Sherry snapped hearing the person that killed her mother be referred as her father.

Realizing at who she screamed at she lowered her head and clenched her hands into a fist and bit her lips until they bleed "I'm sorry please don't leave me, please don't leave me, please don't leave me, please don't leave me, please don't leave me, please don't leave me, please don't leave me, I'm sorry, please don't leave" Sherry kept repeating over and over again with hollow eyes.

Cid sighs and puts a hand on her head once again and uses his magic to calm her down. "Better?" he asked to which Sherry nodded.

Before Cid went on with his explanation Nu appeared with a tray and put it on the little table that was in front of the couch where they were sitting.

"Two hot chocolates, just as you requested my lord." Nu said, putting the two cups that were on the tray in front of Cid and Sherry.

"Thanks Nu, you are dismissed for the moment" Cid said while nodding to her appreciative and with a small smile, to which she returned, she bowed down and disappeared from where she was standing.

Cid took the cups from the table and handed it to Sherry "Here this should help feel better" Sherry, although shocked at what she saw, wondered who that was and why they called sir lord. She took the cup and took a sip of the hot chocolate.

"Hmmm, it's sweet and it tastes good, just like the sweets from before" She muttered, finally smiling for the first time since she woke up.

Cid drinking his cup finally started his explanation "You see Sherry, as I'm sure you're aware, the vice-principal isn't considered a good man, *scoffs* hell I wouldn't even consider him as a man.

For you see he was part of this organization, an organization that has been controlling this word from the shadows.

They are known as the Diabolos cult, and based on the name you can already hypothesize who they "worship", right?"

Sherry nodded her head "The demon Diabolos…"

Cid nodded and continued, he then went on to explain, what they do and how they do it. With every new fact Sherry's eyes widen in shock and her mouth hangs wide open.

"The funny thing about the vice principal, he wasn't part of the main leaders of the organization he was a subordinate that joined for power" Cid finished while calmly drinks his chocolate.

It took a few minutes but Sherry started to understand, She then looks at Cid in confusion "I'm sorry if this comes off as rude but I want to know, how do you know all this, why did F- the vice-principal call you Shadow and why did that woman call you lord" Sherry asked looking at him expectantly and a little shine in her eyes

'It's nice to at least know her thirst for knowledge and learning hasn't been affected' Cid thought.

Cid then gave Sherry a smirk "I have been saving the girls from the fate of the magic overload or in other words from demon possession, and ever since then they have decided to serve me and view me as their leader. Together we stop the ploy of the Diabolos Cult from the shadows away from the public. As you can guess they know me as Shadow, their leader, the more members we cure the more that join the cause of fighting against them."

Cid then stood up and extended a hand towards Sherry "Well that's just a really shortened version of it. You previously said that you don't know what to do, so how about I give you something to do, Join Me" Cid said as he wrapped himself with his slime suit while still extending his hand.

"Join Shadow Garden, become a member. You don't have a place to belong to anymore? Then welcome Shadow Garden as your new home, a new place for you to start anew… What do you say Sherry Barnett"

Sherry slowly took his hand as she said "It's Sherry now… just Sherry" she said while shaking her head.

Her eyes grew watery and with a happy smile she said "Thank you for taking me in"

Shadow smirked and pulled her closer "You haven't seen anything yet… Let me take you to your new home."

Both Sherry and Shadow then disappeared from where they were standing leaving the entire room completely empty.

They reappear in the sky much to Sherry's horror, she clings to Shadow screaming while they float in the sky and closes her eyes too scared to look down.

Shadow then pointed downward and showed Sherry the illuminating city below, Sherry peaks from her closed eyes and eyes them completely seeing the city beneath her.

"Woah" She said softly enamored with the view.

Cid nodded his head as he announced

"Welcome Sherry to your new home. The city that thrives in the Darkness and Shadows… The Hidden City of Nightingale."

–The End–