♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ 1100 Years Ago ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

‘How long have I been in this forest? A week? A month? A year? Does it even matter?’ Azanor thought to himself as he laid on the grass. His red eyes were dull, resembling the appearance of a dead fish. He held no passion, no ambition, no will to do anything.

He thought he would feel better after leaving home, he could no longer stomach the way of life of a Demon. He had seen life through the eyes of a mortal… A full life, full of love and dedication… And he could not unsee it.

To some extent, he wondered if he was even Prince Azanor anymore… Was he Victor now?

No… Victor was not a scumbag like him… It would be an insult to think that… At least that is how Azanor felt.

‘I ate his soul, nothing more… I could never dream of becoming someone like him… No matter what I do, no Demon has a soul. If we did, we could see it… We… We…’ Azanor trembled, gripping Victor’s cane tighter. His existential crisis had not gotten better, if anything, it had progressed to more and more severe.

There were many times he contemplated ending it all… But he had no soul, there was no afterlife for him… And that fact terrified him.

It was ironic considering that people who felt like how he did now... Were the ones that were always the most tempting to prey on… The most satisfying…

Yet now he understood them.

He had held so much contempt for mortals… And now… He envied them… He wanted nothing more than to live like one… But that was impossible. Who would be crazy enough to befriend a Demon?

Not to mention, even Azanor himself believed he did not deserve a chance to prove himself. Not after all he had done. He was a cruel beast. Nothing more…

To some extent, he even doubted what he was feeling was genuine. Perhaps after seeing Victor’s memories, he understood proper emotions well… But did he even actually feel them? Or was he just fooling himself that he had them? He had no idea.

Azanor was so preoccupied with his thoughts, just watching the light leaking through the waving branches and leaves of the trees that surrounded him… He did not hear anyone approach.

The bright rays of light that seeped down were suddenly obstructed by a face. A blonde Elf woman was leaning over him.

The way the light hit her hair almost made parts of it look golden. Her long pointed ears were elegant, perked up as if to show her attentiveness. Her eyes were as blue as the sky and were narrowed slyly. Almost as if to emphasize this woman was bad news, her soul shined with equal curiosity and mischief unlike any he had seen. Then there was her coy little grin…

She was definitely bad news…

“Oh my, a Demon. Well, aren’t you an uncommon sight? You look at the border of tears too… What are you doing here?” The woman asked curiously.

Azanor frowned, glaring at the Elf that had so rudely interrupted his self-loathing.

“It is none of your fucking business… And if you are here to ask me for a deal then you may as well go. I don’t make those anymore. So, scram.” Azanor sneered out, attempting to muster as much anger as he could, but he could barely even manage that. He just lacked the will to do anything.

His words practically went in one in and out the other, it seemed. Rather than leave, the Elf only looked more curious.

“Don’t make deals anymore? If I didn’t know any better… I would almost think it is a new tactic to get my soul… Reverse psychology is quite the effective method of manipulation, or so I’ve read… But even if a Demon tried their best, I don’t think your kind could fake such a miserable look. What the Hell happened to make a Demon look like you do? I’m not looking to sell my soul; I am just curious.” The Elf questioned, taking a seat as she spoke.

Azanor frowned, glaring at her a little.

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“Didn’t I tell you to go?” Azanor snapped, his voice cracking a little. He was in no condition to deal with this.

“If you want me gone so bad, make me. I just think it would be interesting to talk to you. It isn’t every day you meet your kind… And even rarer to see a high-ranking Demon… Much less in your current condition… And I am a sucker for knowledge… And that includes knowledge of all kinds… Even if it can sometimes get me in trouble.” The Elf stated without fear, a bit of a smirk forming on her face as she shrugged.

Azanor perked up, eyeing the woman with disdain and suspicion. He studied her more closely, wondering how she could guess his rank so easily. He found himself paying more attention to her. The Elf woman was clearly a High Elf… The type he knew to be haughtier than the rest. They liked dressing in bright colors… Yet the wizard robe she wore was elegant yet pitch black.

Azanor had also never heard of an Elf with piercings, they were too proud of their ridiculous ears… Yet she had earrings on. It looked like she had fashioned the skulls of two small creatures into earrings. Strong makeup was also unheard of for her kind, yet she wore black lipstick and dark eyeshadow.

‘Great, she is one of those magic weirdos… One that looks even stranger than normal... Just my luck.’

He could not muster the energy to make her leave… And it seemed she expected as much.

“I already told you that I don’t want to make a deal. I don’t want to know anything about you. Just go. You won’t change my mind by talking to me.” Azanor snapped in annoyance.

The Elf woman laughed, clearly not taking him seriously.

“And I told you, I don’t want a deal. I promise. Lying is exhausting, I wouldn’t lie. Especially not to a Demon, I’d be outclassed. No, I just want to talk to you. You look like you could use someone to talk to… Not to mention, as I said… I’m curious.” The Elf woman responded with a grin.

Azanor glared at her. He would be lying if he said he was not lonely after being alone for so long… Not to mention… This is the first time a Mortal has ever spoken to him like this… She seemed so relaxed, like she was in no danger at all… Then again… Even in his current state, he could sense her Mana… It was almost oppressive. He was not entirely confident he could beat someone like her… She was strange… In many ways.

So, despite the fact she was a total stranger… He spilled everything that just happened. He refused to look at her as he spoke and instead, he just ranted. During the whole thing, she just listened to him. She did not interrupt him once.

Once Azanor finished, he looked at her, realizing how attentive she was being.

“Well, that is everything… I… I guess… I do feel a bit better… After that… I haven’t talked to someone else in a long time…” Azanor muttered more to himself than her.

“Thank you… I guess… I know you are just treating me like a test subject… But… It was nice to be heard… I couldn’t be honest even with my own family about what was going on… They would never understand… I suppose you got what you wanted, didn’t you? I’m sure your wizard friends will be thrilled to learn about how much of a mess I am. I am sure you will tell them.” Azanor sighed with a follow-up, looking at her skeptically.

At this, the Elf woman laughed, her laugh was coy and full of amusement.

“You think someone that would be willing to talk to a random Demon in the woods has friends? Really? No… I don’t, not to mention I wouldn’t share this with someone. Me knowing is enough… To be honest, you are weird for a Demon. Though… Considering what happened, that makes sense. A Demon who wants to live like a mortal… That is so… so… Interesting. Do you want help with that?” The Elf woman questioned with a small grin.

At her offer, Azanor was shocked. He had never been offered help like this… By… Well… Anyone… There had to be a catch… After all, why would she care about his problems?

“What’s the catch?” Azanor questioned with a scowl.

“Hm? Do you think I’m a Demon or something? There is no catch. I don’t need anything… I just think it would be good for you to have someone show you how to live. Clearly, you have no clue how to do that… Unless... Don’t tell me you intend on just laying here for the rest of your life? That is a very long time, you know?”

“Of course, I know! But what are you even suggesting?” Azanor questioned, feeling frustrated with her.

“Come with me.”

At the preposterous suggestion, Azanor finally found the energy to sit up and directly glare at her.

“Are you crazy!? I am a Demon! That whole story could have been a lie… You… You would travel with a Demon?” Azanor asked in shock. His eyebrows narrowed. He was not sure what to make of her words.

The Elf woman laughed.

“Are you worrying about me? That’s cute. I will have you know, you are in more danger here than me… I am quite good at Dark Magic… To be honest, I would have been better off born as a Dark Elf, but what can you do? I am traveling with my brother to find Tomes or any other Magical Texts. I ditched him earlier, but I’m sure we can find him. As a fellow strange person, I want to help you.” She responded simply.

Azanor frowned, unsure of what to think. She was indeed strange… For all he knew, she may be planning on imprisoning him and then just studying him… But… It wasn’t like he had any other purpose in his life… He had nothing else to do… No other lifeline… So… As bad of an idea as it may be, he decided it was his best option.

“I suppose… I will come… I’m… Azanor…” Azanor responded unenthusiastically as he stood up slowly. It was a bit of a struggle considering how long he had been lying there.

“You can call me Evesorane. Come on…” Evesorane stated with a grin, a playful look in her eyes.

Evesorane seemed to look quite mischievous.

“Oh, I can’t wait until he sees you. Zelphar is going to flip!”