Bound to the Demon Lord ✔️

Chapter Five

Phoebe found herself sitting by a tree, overlooking a beautiful meadow filled with sunflowers. The sky was cloudy and overcast, and she could hear children laughing in the distance. But her focus was on a flower crown she had in her hands. It was rather large, much too big for anyone she knew. Yet, she couldn't stop working on it, hearing someone humming as she easily weaved the stems together.

Then she realized her hands were not her own. Her skin wasn't nearly as pale, and she didn't have such well-manicured nails. She couldn't find any freckles either. Not to mention the beautiful white dress she was wearing wasn't something she ever owned. But she didn't pull up her hands to inspect them, instead continuing to work on the flower crown with her selection of sunflowers, pink tulips, and white roses.

"Sera."

She looked over her shoulder to find the Demon Lord approach. He stared at her curiously, his eyes flickering from her face to the crown in her hands. Instead of jumping to attack him or trying to run away, she brought up a hand and gestured for him to approach.

"I had wondered when you would be joining me," she said, in a voice that wasn't her own. There was a slight accent to it, and her voice was of a higher octane than hers. "A demon lord's work is never done, is it?"

He chuckled and took a seat beside her. "Says the saintess."

She laughed too, weaving together more flowers into the crown. Then she leaned against his side, allowing him to gently wrap around her and pull her closer. "The Temple wants me back this week. They say I should be the one to conduct the ceremony for the future emperor's coronation. Perhaps give some blessings, I'm not sure."

His expression hardened. "Damn bastards are abusing your generosity."

"The people are anxious about the new emperor, that's all. He and the Temple haven't always seen eye to eye, so they thought-"

"They thought to parade around your 'close' relationship and get the people excited."

She paused, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. His expression was darker now, and she could see the rage and jealousy swirling in his eyes. But instead of being frightened or concerned, she laughed. Then she leaned up and kissed his cheek, much to his surprise.

"My sweet Krios." She took her now finished flower crown and placed it onto his head. He blinked, confused and stunned while she just giggled and held his face in her hands. "I've already told you – His Highness and I are only friends. My heart is yours."

He coughed, an embarrassed look coming over his face as he avoided her gaze. But he didn't remove the flower crown, nor did he try to pull her hands away. He just sat there, looking a little sheepish while she planted soft kisses across his face. She even giggled when both of his arms came up to hold her and pull her into his lap.

Then the scene slowly faded away, blurring until everything disappeared. Soon Phoebe found herself standing in complete darkness. Looking down at her hands, she found that they were once again hers, freckles and all. She even grabbed her hair, pulling it in front of her to see that it was still ginger.

She looked around, but everything around her was pitch black. She couldn't hear anything either. Just where she was now? Even when she tried to cast a light spell, the darkness remained. She couldn't hear anything either, except her own heartbeat. With no answers, she forced herself to walk forward in search of a way out.

What was happening to her? All of these visions, these memories... They weren't hers. She knew they weren't, but they were still so familiar. Like something from a dream she had forgotten long ago.