The feeling sent chills down to my spine and at last, I realized. This frosty and distant indifference of the damned thing was far more dangerous than its burning rage.

At first, I was so frightened that I thought I would definitely die while it was raging with what felt like fire inside my head. But now, feeling this cold apathy, I just felt that it was just furious before, not murderous.

Now on the other hand, I could not feel anything when the demon said it won't kill me yet. I knew that I was no different than an insect that it may step on without guilt and remorse during a casual stroll. This was literally mind-blogging and even more so when I think about the fact that it may be listening to this thought process too. I tried to school my thoughts again and endure the feeling.

‘Ok! Just ask anything you want. I am going to answer.’ I yielded at last.

‘What happened to the man?’ it asked immediately.

Now that was just expected. The first thing the damned thing asked was its contractor. ‘It must be wanting to finish the job that it started.’ I thought. Alas, there was no need.

‘Dead!’ I thought and “You have killed him.” answered the question aloud. Then remembered the scene that haunted me in my sleep last night, all night long, and couldn't help but think about it again. ‘For Gods and Goddesses sake… Lightning and thunder accompanied by purple flames… Just what the hell are you?’ I thought. But that wasn't the question I should ask at this point, isn't it? The question was, ‘What had possessed me to try to contract something that is capable of doing that?’

‘Breathe. Relax. Don’t let your thoughts start to wander around.’ the thing said again. It was like a mantra at this point. ‘Empty your mind. Focus your thoughts.’ it talked in my mind as if to make me lower my guard. 'Was that how it read my mind though?' I thought involuntarily. Making me relax and lower the defenses of my mind? Then, suddenly its tone got frosty again, almost icy. ‘NOW ANSWER. HOW MANY DAGGERS?’

‘DAGGERS?’ I asked, stunned for one moment while still looking at the one it is holding in its hand against my throat. ‘Was it asking about the daggers on me or should I count the ones in my backpack too?’ I thought involuntarily.

‘HOW! MANY! WEAPONS! ARE! THERE! ON! YOU!’ It growled in my mind.

Now, that was a good question. ‘I- I don't know.’ I stuttered. Wait! Was it possible to stutter without talking? Whatever… I tried to recall the exact number but in the end, just couldn't. Thus, “I don't know. Never bothered to count.” I answered aloud without stuttering this time or at least I think I didn't stutter.

‘STAY! STILL!’ It ordered and once more started to touch my body. This time almost in a sensual way but the feeling in my mind was anything but sensual. It grabbed my tied hands with one of its own and rubbed the palm of its other hand over my body, removing daggers and throwing them away as it found them. I was also curious and started to count with it, also thinking about their places.

Just like that, probably because it was reading my mind, it found them almost too easily. One on the right ankle, one on the left calf, three more remaining on both tights apart from the one it removed initially, and I don’t know how many more were there on my belt. The funny thing was, these were just the ones on me when I think about it. My backpack should have contained at least twice the number of it. Interestingly, there were two more that it couldn’t find, especially at places it didn’t have searched, which made me relieved that it didn’t touch those places.

Immediately then, I remembered that the dammed thing can read thoughts and started to count the twelve constellations and their domains, hoping to distract it from my real thoughts. ‘Just how can I keep secrets from this thing when it is literally inside my mind?’ I scoffed internally. While I was counting the constellations, the demon started to tie me with a long piece of rope it found out in the open. First my legs, then calves and thighs…

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After it made sure that I can’t move anything lower than my neck, it finally stopped moving and took a long and deep breath. 'What kind of fate does wait for me at the end?' I thought now that I can't even move my fingers but stayed silent as usual. 'Not that I can do anything about it.' Then it conveyed a simple question into my mind. ‘WHERE?’

“Where?” I murmured aloud too, absentmindedly. Then the meaning dawned upon me. Without even realizing the gears in my mind were already turning fast. ‘There was not a single thing on you. Just clothes, nothing else. I haven't taken anything. I don't know where are your belongings Please bel-’ I started, then the damn thing stopped me from thinking further.

‘SILENCE!’ It growled in my mind and released its grip with a violent push. It stood up, thankfully removing itself from my back. Then left me there, lying on my chest, and walked outside of my sight. It was walking here and there, inside and outside, rummaging through my belongings, or what was left of them after the treachery of two certain backstabbing worms robbed me blind.

As I was waiting, and trying to watch it from the corner of my eye, I tried to talk to it in my mind but got no answer. ‘Are you listening? Not bothering to answer?’ I thought but still got no answer.

Soon it entered my line of sight again, holding its boots in one hand and socks in the other making me realize what was it searching for. 'I can't believe it.' I groaned. I removed its boots and socks while I was searching it last night but naturally never bothered to put them on again. These should be the belongings it was asking for. 'Stupid' Stupid' Stupid!'

Then it sat on the stone elevation that served as the bedding area of the temporary encampment and started to wear its socks and boots. It didn’t remove its eyes from me for a single moment throughout the entire process, ‘It didn’t even blink.’ or so I thought.

After finishing wearing its boots, it started to collect everything inside the cave towards the entrance. Two backpacks, one satchel, and two sacks. It searched the insides of them Yerlik knows for how long, and then it came to me and grabbed my nape.

‘DON’T MOVE!’ it warned me a little bit more strictly than was necessary at this point. 'I can't move a muscle even my life on the line you know that you made sure of it, right?' I sighed internally. Then it grabbed my nape and yanked me up on my feet while still holding my tied hands.

I just felt like I was the scrawny little girl from all those years ago at that moment. Alone and weak, and without any power even over her own fate. I spent years, grinding, simply not to experience the same feeling of despair. But in the end, here I was. It only took one wrong decision to fall into that state again. 'Why do these things always happen only to me? Did I live in vain for all those years? Was my struggle meant nothing in the grand scheme of things?' I thought absentmindedly. It took all my willpower simply to not start weeping like the little girl I once was at that moment. Exactly at that point in time, the damned thing murmured something, and the coat that hugs and ties me came loose all of a sudden.

I stood frozen for a moment while panic grabbed my feeble heart again. ‘Why does it remove the coat?’ I thought, but the answer was not that hard to imagine. ‘Not to stain it with blood obviously.’

I stood there with a blank mind, something that I was trying to achieve but couldn’t, even when my life was on the line just a moment ago. Ironically as soon as my demise was imminent my mind was finally blank. I stood there without moving while it untied the long sleeves that binds my hands and removed its coat from me, just to put it on itself.

The time was crawling while it reached toward the ground but while I was waiting for the dagger that is going to slit my throat the damned thing put a backpack on my back. “Huh?” I exclaimed and blinked after what felt like years. Thus, my mind finally started working again. ‘Is that all?’

While I was trying to contemplate what was happening it tied my hands at my back again, with a piece of rope this time instead of the coat. Then, it started to untie the ropes that bind my ankles, calves, and thighs. It used the same rope to tie a long leash around the ties on my wrists.

I tried to ask questions both silently and not so silently but the damned thing didn't answer alike all the while. Without further ado, it shoved me out of the cave and stopped for a moment to take the other backpack. It put the satchel and sacks on me too and we started to walk, with me being in the front and it, a few steps behind. 'So, am I the porter right now?' I thought incredulously.

The gears in my mind were on overdrive, my thoughts were all over the place but it didn't speak. Maybe it was listening my thoughts maybe it wasn't but I was wise enough not to ask anything after that first question was unanswered.

We walked in silence for a short amount of time and only after I stumbled the third time did the damned thing grab my nape and talked again. But the only thing it said was ‘CAREFUL!’ and that was all it took me to forget what was I dealing with and go nuts.

‘It is too hard to walk tied and overloaded like this, you know? I hardly even keep my balance let alone walk but you are pushing me, keeping a pace that even trained rangers would find hard to cope with. Just-’ I was grumbling internally but suddenly stopped after hearing its voice, icy cold this time, in my head again ‘Slow Down!' it said, ‘Relax and organize your mind.’

Keeping my mouth shut was easy enough, I was trained to do so even. However, keeping my mind shut was almost impossible. The more I kept my mouth shut the more my thoughts wandered. It was almost like a reflex to let one's thoughts loose and burst like that after a long and silent walk. Alas, I tried to keep my facade this time and thought only one thing after schooling my mind again. ‘Where are we going?’ and added aloud. “Destination?”

‘High ground.’ was all got as an answer. ‘As high as possible.’