Part 5

“Why didn’t you say I could wait here…?”

Knight muttered to himself as he emerged from a room hidden behind the throne room pillars. He had followed Lavri into a room, who then plucked a transparent crystal from the plethora adorning the walls, before following her back to the throne room. That was it.

Lavri giggled at Knight’s annoyance as she walked towards the raised black-stone, missing the canape she was laying upon.

Knight followed suit when the strange silence suddenly hit him. He forced his gaze to Iroha…

‘…She went with Cerrin?’

There was no one to be seen where the canape stood atop the red carpet. That meant no Iroha.

‘…Comes to get me but doesn’t wait…’ Knight thought as he stepped onto the pedestal, with Lavri poking a finger in a small indentation at the centre.

After a few seconds of poking, Lavri straightened and gazed at Knight, muttering, “I wonder…”

“W-What? Don’t just stare at me,” Knight blushed, stepping back to the edge.

Lavri giggled in response before she too stepped to the edge of the pedestal. Her tail then took the clear crystal from her soft hands.

Knight could only wonder why she didn’t use her hands as her tail stretched to the indentation, placing the crystal inside.

The next moment, there was-

“Light?”

Knight murmured, apparently being the only one harbouring surprise.

The cracks in the pedestal glowed with a faint light, seemingly urging Knight and Lavri closer, illuminating the platform with a crimson, phosphorescent glow. It seemed to originate from the crystal that was now glowing red.

A few seconds passed when a sudden clang of steel coursed through the throne room, falling into Knight’s ears and slashing his thoughts.

“Argh!” Knight cried, sinking to one knee as he clenched his head with his only hand.

His mind has stopped. No coherent thoughts could form. Nothing but the odd word. His mind had been sliced into emptiness but-

“KHCTXXCVLQQXXVTXKCHVX-!!”

-It was suddenly filled with incomprehensible noise, filling and frazzling his mind. Knight couldn’t even form noise in pain. All he could do was clench his throbbing shoulder.

“What’s wrong, dear?”

However, the noise frazzling his mind was dispersed by doting words.

“Huh?” Knight let out as his ability to think returned. “N-No…I’m fine.”

“Hmmm, are you really, I wonder?” Lavri asked with her finger touching her lips. “Well, It’s open.”

“Huh?” Knight let out a noise in confusion. ‘What’s open?’

Lavri then proceeded to walk towards the centre of the platform but-

“-Eh?! When did that happen?!”

Lavri was heading to the centre, but she was also heading downwards.

The floor had opened up, with floating stone stairs making a path to whatever hid underneath. The same red phosphorescent glow emitted from underneath each floating stone, faintly illuminating the corridor the stairs led to.

“Wait, where the hell has the floor gone?” Knight questioned as he cautiously followed Lavri into the hidden space.

“Hmm, if you look at each stone you should notice,” Lavri informed, sinking into the near-darkness.

“…The hell does she…wait.”

A fairly strong glow was emitted out of one stone. Except it came from the top, not underneath.

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“That…was the crystal you placed, right?” Knight asked as he walked down the stairs.

“Mhm, make sure you don’t step on it, okay.”

“Huh?! I already have. Shit! What’s gonna happen.” Knight shouted.

“Hmm, I guess you really are then,” Lavri muttered to herself as she waited for Knight.

“Huh? What’d you say? Somet’ bad gonna happen?”

“Ah, no no,” Lavri giggled. “It’s fine.”

“…Then why tell me then?” Knight muttered as he reached Lavri and followed her down the dark corridor.

Knight wasn’t sure, but he guessed that the crystal somehow morphed the stone-floor into this staircase. “Magic huh.”

“I guess it is technically,” Lavri smirked. “Albeit ‘cursed’ magic.”

“…What’s up with all this cursed shit?” Knight muttered, getting further and further away from the faint crimson glow. “Uh, you gonna tell me where the hell we’re going?”

“Hmm, scared of the dark, I wonder?” Lavri giggled as she mocked Knight.

“What? ‘Course not,” He spoke somewhat truthfully.

“No need to worry then. I won’t harm you, Cerrin would be mad,” she giggled teasing Knight with her rosy tail.

“That…doesn’t sound definite…”

“Well, I’m not sure I know anyone who would just follow me into the dark alone. With no weapons at that…. Actually, there are a lot of lustful and desperate men,” She spoke, muttering the last part to herself.

“Eh? What’s that supposed to mean?!” Knight asked. ‘Though…she isn’t wrong. What the hell am I doing?’

“Aww, ignore lil’ old me. I’m sure Cerrin soothed your worries.”

“Right…”

* * *

“Here we are,” Lavri said as she came to a halt.

“Huh? It’s literally pitch black. How can you even see?”

“You don’t know much about this world, do you?”

“Eh…uh…yeahhh. Can’t really remember much before a few days ago.” Knight spoke, exaggerating his memory gap.

“Oh, I see. Well, pretty much every demon race can see nearly as good in the dark as they can in light.”

“I see…Wait, is it not that hard sleeping then?”

“Err, we don’t need sleep. All we need is to feed off mana."

“What…that doesn’t sound-”

A dull click coursed through the tunnel and a crimson glow erupted from all around the pair. But-

“Shit!” Knight cried in pain, sinking to one knee before clutching his limbless shoulder.

“KHCTXXCVLQQXXVTXKCHVX-!!”

The same incomprehensible noise that frazzled his mind returned but it quickly faded.

“Oh gosh, are you okay, I wonder?” Lavri asked, helping Knight his feet.

“Um...what?” Knight mumbled, his head still frazzled.

“Huh? Oh, never mind. Shall we go in then?”

“Eh…go in-? Ohhhh.”

Directly ahead of the pair was an opened door, illuminated by a crimson glow seeping through cracks in the wall.

Knight couldn’t help but gulp as he walked in. Goosebumps covered his body, his hairs stood on end; he felt an itch under his skin. Something was not right about the room but…

“…It’s normal.”

Knight vented his surprise. It wasn’t exactly normal, with a magical looking glow seeping through the cracks, but there was nothing off. Just a sword stand holding a simple sheathed sword.

“Huh?!”

Actually, it wasn’t just a simple sword. It was a katana.

“A katana!” Knight cried as he rushed over.

“Oh, you know of them?” Lavri asked with a surprised look.

“What? Of course, I do,” Knight said, admiring the black handle, lined with crimson string.

“Strange. You don’t seem to know anything about demons. How would you about a weapon unique to us?”

“Huh? I uh… just remember that I lived in a country that created katanas.”

“What?! I thought you were from the abyss or….” Lavri cried before catching herself. “Anyways…take it.”

“Huh, seriously?”

“Yeah, that’s my nice gift. Every time you slay your foes, you’ll remember me," Sh said with a warming smile.

“Uh…yeah. Doubt I’ll be slaying anyone unless it’s some magic sword," Knight replied with a dead stare.

“Hehe, don’t be so pessimistic. Although it is not a magic sword, I guess you could say it’s a cursed sword.”

“…Again with that? I don’t trust it. You think I’m just gonna grab a cursed sword?”

Oh, are you actually thinking, I wonder?”

“…”

“Heheh, I’m only teasing you. You are right to be hesitant, but you are different from everyone else. I would even go as far as to say that you are special.”

“Me, special? I don’t even have magic,” Knight snorted.

“And that's why you're special.”

“Huh?! How’s that special? I call it a sick joke,” Knight spat, ‘Seriously, transporting me to some fantasy world literally filled with magic and I have none? Fucking joke.’

“Well, you wouldn’t have met me. If you did, you certainly wouldn’t be here. If you were, you wouldn’t be able to wield the blade given to my father by the Great Dragon.”

“…True. And don’t you mean Elder Dragon.”

“Ha, no I do not. The Elder Dragon is hailed as a God by its children, yet my Grandfather is treated as a mere myth.”

‘That did not explain my question….’ Knight gutted. "Wait, Grandfather?"

“Oh, all demons call him that. Anyways, do you now understand that you are special?”

“I guess… though not in a good way,” Knight muttered.

“Good my dear, Now, will you take the sword, I wonder?”

Knight hesitated before answering. Despite being amazed by its beauty, something felt off. It was a black katana, engraved with eight different crimson symbols.

“I…guess.”

Knight gulped as he carefully touched the handle. Nothing happened. He slowly wrapped his fingers around it. Nothing happened. He lifted it from the katanakake. Nothing happened.

“Woah, pretty light. Guess I was worried for nothing.”

Knight pushed the sheathe off with his one hand and-

“ARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHH!”

Black flame exploded from the sword, erupting the sheath off and shooting into Knight's limbless shoulder. It latched onto the shoulder and suddenly-

“What!”

The flame shot outwards, forming a black arm that snatched the katana from Knight. It then swivelled it around, ready to pierce Knight’s own shoulder.

“What the fuck is it---------------”

Suddenly, Knight was silenced and collapsed to the floor. The katana had pierced his flesh and bone before the black flame dispersed and dropped it to the floor. Yet, no scream came from Knight. His whole body was silent.