“Erm…” Kaniel muttered as he turned his head back and smiled at Lumine, awkwardly. The vampire tilted hers in confusion.

“I think I’m lost…” the lord admitted.

Lumine had been under the impression that the man was a genius. To come up with such a groundbreaking plan that would shake the whole empire, to intimidate his conversers by his mere gaze, and to be so well-spoken. Surely, then, he would remember the castle's interior by walking along it once. Yet, not only were they circling around, but the lord also went to the lower floors. Couldn’t he at least remember that his room was on the uppermost floor?

She took the lead. The lord stuck by.

“Why are you so…” Kaniel whispered beside her. Silence.

“...so silent?” he finally asked. “Are all the vampires this way?”

Lumine spoke with a voice soft yet cold as a glacier, “I dislike unnecessary talk.”

“How did you get to The Surface?” he followed.

Didn't he hear her? Why ask stupid questions when she so plainly and straightforwardly points out that she dislikes them?

“I got summoned,” she said.

“Wow, unbelievable.” he raised his voice, speaking sarcastically. “Who could’ve thought so?!”

Annoying. Lumine chewed her lips while on her way. “Just ask what you want to know. I’ll answer everything. Don’t ask abstract questions.”

Fairly simple. She detested empty talk and people who’d waste everybody’s time—

“Is it true that you only sleep once a year?” the lord asked innocently.

“No. Every eight months for a month.” Her expression contorted.

“I’ve read that the vampires have fangs protruding through their mouths even if it’s closed. Is that untrue?”

“No. I’m a half-vampire, half-succub.” Her long lashes twitched.

“Unbelievable! You must have wings if you’re a succub, then.”

“No. Not all succubi have wings.” Her pale lips tugged down at corners.

“That being said… they say succubi are the most alluring creatures for men. You don’t even look very feminine to me, though.”

“No. Just like humans, not all succubi have the same physique.” Her jaw tightened as her hand rose to rest at her cheek.

“What no? I didn’t even ask a thing this time.”

Lumine was exasperated. Not even a minute, and she was already done talking to this man-child. Why couldn’t everyone appreciate silence for what it was?

“Why do you want to stalk after me?” the lord asked after a pause.

“I don't understand,” she said.

“Don’t lie. I know you've voluntarily opted to become my valet,” he said, his voice lower, chilling. “You've been staring at me for a while now. At the dinner, especially. Were it Zara, I'd have joked and said, ‘Why, am I this handsome?’. But you’re mature, aren't you? What did you find so captivating in me?”

The shadows clawed at the stone walls as Kaniel and Lumine moved through the torchlit corridors. Kaniel’s boots struck the darkened passage. Lumine glided with her silhouette barely disturbing the gloom. Her long hair swayed and caught the occasional lick of orange flame.

“I just find you interesting,” she said.

Lumine regretted her choice of words, yet there was nothing else she could say. It was really that simple. At least, that’s what she thought at the moment. She hoped that the lord wouldn’t pressure her with the why.

“That's all?” Surprisingly, he didn’t.

“It is,” she affirmed.

“Is that why you're on The Surface?”

The two began to ascend the staircase as the stairs narrowed by each step.

Lumine nodded. “I'm the daughter of a traveling merchant. Traversing through the lands of Hell with my father since my childhood, I’ve seen different cultures, people, and views on life. You could say that the spirit of exploration is ingrained in my blood.”

“Exploration…” the lord muttered to himself, lost in thought. “But Hell is big. That is not enough of a reason to take such a risk and form a contract with an unknown being from The Surface, no?”

Peiros Continent and the massive wasteland were located on The Surface. Everything above, the lands and the oceans, was The Surface. Beneath the surface, deep underground, were various dungeons and labyrinths that made up a large chain, referred to as The Abyss as a whole. The Abyss was the most mythical and mysterious part of the world, which the scholars argued was ninety-nine percent of it. Finally, under the hellish abyss was the real Hell, wherein demons resided.

Together, they made up the planet, namely, Origin.

Even if one had millions of years of lifespan, it wouldn’t be enough to explore every corner of Origin. As such, there was no reason for someone with a keen desire to explore to leave Hell, as Hell itself had many unexplored areas.

“Well, indeed,” Lumine agreed. “The exploration was more of an excuse for an escape. My father wanted to sell me to a young master from a prestigious sect.”

The lord scoffed. “Why would someone even want to buy you?”

Lumine twisted on her heel to face him, glaring.

“What? You gotta be honest with yourself,” he said, pointing at himself. “Even my chest is bigger than yours.

She sighed, too low on energy to argue. “You’ve asked me all the useless stuff, but it didn’t cross your mind to ask me how I’m even able to live under the sun here…”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Oh,” the lord lifted his brows as his eyes brightened with sudden realization. “So you have an affinity with light.”

“Correct.”

Elementalists, just like the other three main paths—Mages, Warriors, and Crafters—were divided into different classes. Spiritualists, Enchanters, Summoners, and more. But they were also tuned to one of the six primal elementals—Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Darkness, Light. If one matched the best with fire, per se, it’d be said that that person has an affinity with fire. All the elementalists had a single affinity, the primal elemental they were most familiar with.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Aren’t vampires the opposite? Like, vampires usually have the most affinity with darkness. They abhor light.” He tilted his head to the side.

“Exceptions happen,” Lumine said.

“I can clearly see that.” His lips curved into a knowing smile as his eyes darted to her chest momentarily. “Washboard.”

Washboard? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Why was the lord so mean to her? Then again, the rumors of him were far worse. Still, that didn’t excuse him being an asshole.

“Dickhead,” she said.

Kaniel grinned smugly. “There you go. You finally show your true colors,” he said snarkily. His eyes narrowed, the corner of his brow lifting. “You do realize you haven’t called me a lord since the beginning. Not even my name. Just nos and nods and yeses. Actually, no yeses. Only nos. As though I were talking to a wall.”

Lumine turned to face him and bowed. “Forgive me, my Lord,” she said sarcastically.

“Well, fuck you, Lumine,” he said. “The first thing she calls me is a dickhead…” Stepping beyond the last stair, he took the lead and moved toward his room. “Do you even have friends?”

Lumine pouted. So what if she didn't? If one is alone, that doesn’t necessarily make them lonely. Since when was being alone even a thing to be looked down upon?

Just before saying another no, though, memories crossed her mind. “I guess I do have a friend.”

“Oh?” the lord exclaimed, surprised. “Interesting. How did you two get to meet?”

“Well…” Slenderly, Lumine raised her gloved hand, a finger touching her chin as her crimson eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “It all started when I first went into a local library…”

“A book lover, aren’t you? Of course. The introverted are into that,” he said mockingly. Kaniel knew the best since he himself was among that kind. But he had to annoy Lumine for her to talk more openly, didn’t he? “So? Did you find a fellow book enthusiast?”

Her gaze softened. “Miss librarian offered me a wager for my knowledge of Hell. She put one of her books on the line.” Her lips pressed into a faint line, the corners barely down, giving her a rare glimpse of contemplative warmth. “Since then, we’ve played around twenty games, if my memory doesn’t betray me. I already have a neat collection of books. Linda was her name… I think…”

Kaniel was stupefied. It took him a moment to figure out whether she was trying to crack a joke or was serious until he became one hundred percent sure that she was serious indeed. “Poor Linda…”

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said. If a friendship required such qualifications, then maybe even his brother could be considered a friend to him.

Though, now that he got her to talk, he could finally ask what he wanted. Such were introverted people. Talk to them as a stranger, and they can barely form a sentence. Get to know them, and they won’t stop blabbering. Still, he hadn’t gotten her to that phase yet.

“I have two questions I want to ask,” he said.

“Go ahead,” Lumine responded.

That wasn’t just a nod, so Kaniel considered it a win in his book.

“Why do you find me interesting?” he asked.

Lumine’s normally impassive face tightened. She raised her hand to her temple, fingers pressing in the hope of coaxing clarity from her mind. “You don’t seem evil to me. Yet your actions are. Usually, people such as yourself have some goals for which they would sacrifice anything. They either wither like fireworks or get their names written in history books. It isn’t fun being you. But it’s fun looking after you.”

Her brows drew together just above the bridge of her nose. “Was I spot on?”

“No,” the lord smiled weakly. “You missed.”

“I don’t believe you,” she said. Her lips parted as she tilted her head to the side, her gaze drifting off to be lost in the corridors of her own thoughts. “But I guess I’ll figure it out for myself.”

Her fingers moved from her temple to her chin, tracing a line along her jaw before coming to rest. “Anyhow, what’s the second question?” She pressed her thumb to her cheek while her index finger tapped thoughtfully.

“It’s nothing,” he said as the two stopped before the door that led to his room.

“You have to ask,” she nudged his shoulder. “Now that you’ve got me all curious.”

The corners of her mouth turned down as she shifted her weight from left to right.

Kaniel sighed tiredly. “It’s not that deep. I was just wondering what you think of the exploration.”

“Exploration?”

“Well,” Kaniel pushed open the heavy wooden door to his room, its iron hinges groaning, reluctant to grant him entry. “You’ve said that you have the spirit of exploration inside of you. What do you mean by that?”

“That wasn’t something to be taken at a literal value,” she said.

He remained standing in the doorway, one hand gripping the handle, his other hand loose by his side as he watched Lumine. “So? What's this exploration thing?”

“How do I explain it... Well, let's just say there's one more reason I’m interested in you.” Lumine’s gaze lifted to meet his. She pointed at them. “Your eyes.”

“My eyes?” Kaniel raised a brow.

“I’m a huge fan of The Hero,” she said. “I’ve been trying to decipher his tales since my childhood. Long story short, you’ve probably read it yourself many times, haven’t you? This has something to do with The Demon King.” The light from the hallway illuminated her pale features, her crimson eyes thoughtful.

She continued, “The first thing that’s said about him in The Hero’s Epoch from the perspective of onlookers is—darker than the starless nights. Now, it could be said that the words were used metaphorically. But I beg to differ. The Epoch is an inheritance left by The Hero, after all. There wouldn’t be any unnecessary words.”

Kaniel leaned his shoulder against the doorframe and folded his arms. A patient stillness. Amusement touched his lips and flashed in his eyes as he listened.

Lumine pointed a finger at him, her eyes hollow. “Your eyes. They’re darker than anything I’ve ever seen. When I first read The Epoch, I thought, well, what can be darker than the night itself? I couldn’t imagine it. Yet your eyes are somewhat darker.”

“It is interesting and all,” he said. “But how is that related to the spirit of exploration?”

“That’s the neat part,” she said smilingly. “It's not.”

Kaniel formed a question on his face.

“I want to be like Hero. Any lofty convictions and ambitions are insignificant without power. They’re insignificant under the imposing shadow of evil. It’s a common saying that the only way to defeat evil is greater evil. But The Hero was a variable. He was kind, merciful, and selfless, and yet he was still the strongest and won at the very end,” she explained.

“That still doesn’t explain it,” the lord said.

Lumine’s usually icy eyes softened. “I still don’t know the answers. I’m observing the world and doing my best to explore both it and myself to reach light. To put it simply, I’m trying to find light in those eyes of yours. That’s where my answers lie.”

Kaniel gave an empty laugh.

“That’s also a miss,” he said, lowering his eyes, his smile weakening further.

“They say there is light at the end of the tunnel, but if—

if life were but an endless corridor devoid of any perceivable or imaginary light—

any light—

would you still—

would you push ahead?” His voice was weak, somewhat frantic.

Lumine's composure faltered. She opened her mouth, hesitated, and then shut it again, the words failing her.

Kaniel stepped into his room, swinging the door close with a thud that left Lumine in silence, her expression unreadable.