Dreams Bound in Silver Chains

Ru was looking for the source of the clapping sound. He was walking in the big room of the golden palace, among the red tulle that moved with a light wind and the lamps whose flames danced.

"Who are you? Why are you applauding me?"

At that moment, a cool weight settled on his back and shoulders. He was so scared that it was as if his soul had flown out of his mouth.

"I'm amazed by your imagination," someone said as their icy breath blew into his ear.

Ru could see hands wrapped around his body, silver hands with blue veins.

"Prince," he hissed.

"I have a name, Lirui. It's of incalculable worth name. Or should I say there was?" the Prince said, wrapping Ru tightly with his rapidly maturing body.

"Oh, don't tell me that something like this has happened, Sultan," Ru said, who quickly grew into an adult in the Sultan's arms.

"Although we have been in similar situations, it cannot be the case that you have been completely victorious over me," the Djinn Sultan said.

"Now, all of a sudden, how would you find me?" Ru asked, shaking from head to toe.

"As long as you remember, I remember too, precious slave," the Djinn Sultan said.

"The slave part is just speculation," Ru said breathlessly. "We must be careful when we rewrite the past."

"Oh right. Let's write the past in terms of the present, 'Dear thief'," the Djinn Sultan raised his hand, and created a huge mirror across them.

"I guess I stole your name," Ru said, swallowing hard and avoiding the mirror.

"My name is my existence. You stole my existence," the Sultan said, the light from his eyes reflecting from the mirror and hitting Ru's face.

"I didn't do this on purpose," Ru said, finally facing the mirror as he tried to escape from the Sultan's grasp.

The Sultan he saw in the mirror was the kind of man he wanted to look back on with pleasure. This tall, well-built man with a big and tough temperament had a distinctive face and blue eyes as deep as the sky. His long, straight blue-black hair and beard reflected all the lights of the night. His silvery nakedness, detailed with muscles and veins, was covered with ornate jewels.

"Even though my existence is half, I can feel it, only with you," the Sultan said, making Ru feel that he was getting hard.

"We don't have to do this, let's just stop here," Ru said with fear as he watched his clothes turn into butterflies and fly away.

"You are the one who reminded me of this desire if you are aware," the Sultan said.

"No, it's not me," Ru protested. Then suddenly he said, "Maybe it's me."

As Ru curled up in place and pretended to turn to the Sultan, the hands holding him loosened for a moment. He seized this opportunity and escaped from the Sultan's grasp.

He tried to move away from the Sultan. But the Sultan was too quick. He caught Ru by the waist and pulled him close. Ru's back was pressed against the Sultan's chest, and he could feel the Sultan's hard dick pressing against his ass. Ru shivered as the Sultan's hands roamed over his body, touching him in places that no one had ever touched him before.

"You're mine now, Lirui," the Sultan whispered in his ear, his voice deep and husky.

"Oh, where did you get that from?" the purple-haired and slant-eyed girl asked, who appeared in the mirror.

Ru screamed so loud that his dream was torn right in the middle.

"Good job. Take a look at what you've done," the girl said, pointing at Heise, who was split in half with the mirror. "You've turned the sorcerer into an origami figure."

Ru still thought he was naked and was trying to hide his body with his hands.

The girl had to remind him of the situation. "You're wearing a Victorian suit, the kind worn to funerals. So you're not naked, silly."

Ru's cheeks flushed red as he quickly adjusted his posture. "I—I know," he muttered, though he was still rattled by both, the dream and the surreal situation unfolding around him. He straightened his suit, trying to mask his vulnerability, but his eyes darted back to the mirror, catching glimpses of the torn sorcerer in the reflection. The sight made Ru's stomach churn.

The girl looked in his direction and said, "Heise deserved it. It's okay if you don't fix him, but if you want you can."

"Okay," Ru said, still unable to speak or look at his enemy.

The girl stood before him with amused detachment and tilted her head. Her slanty eyes gleamed mischievously as if she knew every twisted thought running through his mind.

"Don't you remember me? It's Misha."

While his heart was pounding excitedly, Ru frowned and said without looking at the girl, "What is this now? After killing my friends, you decided to be friends with me?"

"I don't understand you?" Misha asked, in a confused tone.

Ru clenched his fists and spoke through gritted teeth, "That giant demon you sent to punish me killed my friends."

"His name was Tamale and he couldn't have killed your friends on purpose, Lulu. Besides, I wasn't the one who sent him, he ran away," Misha explained.

"After all, your Tamale killed my friends," Ru said.

Misha breathed out in distress and said, "If your friends are human, Tamale, as a demon, has killed them. That's just the way our nature works. And I want to remind you that Amunet killed Tamale because of you. If you had escaped, no one would have died."

"But Misha, you told me on the phone..."

"Lulu, I sent you my fashionista besties. So you killed them with your guitar. And of course, I hate you because you stole my Seneca's heart."

Ru's fists clenched tighter, his jaw locking as Misha's words sank in. His pulse throbbed in his ears, and the anger simmering beneath the surface started to bubble over. "So, that's it? My friends are dead because of your runaway demon, and all you care about is your twisted games?"

Misha rolled her eyes, a mocking smile pulling at her lips as if Ru's outburst was the most predictable thing in the world. "Drama-king, yes, that's exactly what you are. Always whining, always looking for someone to blame." She sighed dramatically, flipping her purple hair over her shoulder. "So exhausting."

Ru's breath hitched, rage building as she brushed him off so casually. "What the hell is that attitude? You walk into my dream like it's nothing. You destroyed everything and stand there like it's just some joke?"

Misha's amused expression shifted slightly, her eyes narrowing, but her voice remained as light as ever. "Lulu, my flower, I didn't destroy anything. I ended your pathetic little nightmare. And I did it to save you—not you exactly."

Ru's frustration broke through as he finally met her gaze, his green eyes blazing. "Save me? Are you crazy? You don't care about saving anyone!"

Misha stepped closer, her playful demeanor darkening slightly as she spoke. "I didn't save you, idiot. I saved Seneca's heart. I can't let it get dirty because of some fool who doesn't even know how to protect his mind from a genie."

"I couldn't understand how the genie had infiltrated my mind," Ru murmured.

"And from a sorcerer, of course. At the same time, I saved the genie from the sorcerer, which is very strange," Misha thought with voice.

"Now I understand, Heise must have entered my mind and summoned the genie to me," Ru said.

"The genie sexy," Misha said.

"So... have you seen... everything?" Ru stammered.

Misha put her hands behind her back and shook her body mischievously as she replied, "If I hadn't seen it, I probably wouldn't have intervened, right?"

"But..." Ru blushed and couldn't speak.

Misha grabbed Ru's chin and turned his head towards hers. Her smile faded, and for the first time, slant eyes grew serious. "If I hadn't come, the Jinn Sultan would have raped you because of Heise. So you owe me, my flower."

"But why?" Ru growled, his voice lowering, the bitterness clear. "Why mess with me? What's your game?"

Misha took her hand away from Ru's face softly. "You don't get it, do you?" she said, almost a whisper. "I saved you because you carry the heart. I saved you because Seneca cares for you."

Ru's chest tightened as he stared into her violet eyes, trying to process her words. "What makes you think King Seneca cares about me?"

Misha tilted her head, her mischievous glint returning, as if the conversation amused her. "If he wanted, he could kill you like all the other Rui."

"Is that why you don't just take the heart from me?" Ru asked, his voice edged with sarcasm.

"Where's the fun in that?" Misha's smile widened, her eyes glinting with twisted delight. "Besides, watching you squirm is much more entertaining, Lulu."

Ru narrowed his eyes. "I can laugh if you want. I guess it's funny or something."

Misha chuckled softly but then shifted her tone. "I'm not the one who decides whether you live or die," she said, her head gently on Ru's chest. "King Seneca is. And he's here."

The conservatory's glasses rattled, the pool's water churned, and the icy floor cracked. Even the air seemed to shake under the weight of the earthquake. It was evident that the world was being torn apart, not by Ru's demonic heart, but by something far more ancient and powerful.

"The apocalypse has begun," Heise declared, who escaped from the mirror that turned to dust.