Bound to the Demon Lord ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Six

Phoebe found herself lying down in a large grassy field. The sky above her was bright blue with clouds passing overhead. A gentle breeze brushed against her skin. She knew this place. A sense of comfort came over her before relaxing into the grass. Her mind felt clear. Her mark no longer ached. Everything made sense.

She turned her head to the side. Lying next to her was Seraphine, who laid on her side to face her. But she was not transparent this time. Her entire form was opaque, and she could now make out all of her features. Her lovely face, her light blonde hair that curled around her pink cheeks, the small mole right below her left eye, the bright green eyes that were identical to hers – it was like she had fallen out of a painting.

Seraphine smiled as Phoebe rolled over to look at her directly. It was such a gentle and serene expression, making her smile too. She didn't resist when the saintess reached out to touch her cheek.

"So you finally remember it all," she said with a giggle.

Phoebe laughed softly. Indeed – she remembered everything. Her skull no longer felt like it was going to be split in two whenever she tried to recall the memories. They flowed through her mind naturally, as if she were recalling her own childhood. She could remember many past lives, but Seraphine's was the clearest. All of Seraphine's memories, her feelings, her thoughts – she knew it all. Every single one.

Her smile then faded as a somber realization dawned on her. She watched Seraphine closely, who just continued to smile at her. Though her smile slowly grew forlorn, even guilty. Yet, she didn't remove her hand from Phoebe's cheek.

"You killed Edward."

Seraphine's smile looked even more remorseful as she nodded.

"But... you didn't mean to."

"No." It was so soft that she almost didn't hear it. "I didn't."

Phoebe closed her eyes as the memory flowed through her. Edward had pinned Seraphine down, screaming at her to love him, to be with him. He tore at her clothes, demanded her acceptance and her love. She had struggled, screaming and pleading for him to stop, to see reason. But Edward had turned into a shadow of himself, no longer the dignified and sweet friend she had known her whole life.

Seraphine had only meant to push him away. But in her terror, she had used too much mana to shove him off of her. Edward went flying through the air only to slam back against the altar. The back of his head had hit the sharp edge of it and pierced his skull. Before Seraphine could even collect her bearings, Edward had slumped to the floor, already dead.

"He died because of me," Seraphine said softly, her smile fading. "I... I just wanted him to stop. I never meant to..."

The rest of the memory soon followed. Seraphine had been crying hysterically, begging Edward to wake up and fruitlessly trying to heal him. She hadn't even noticed that Krios had stormed into the temple; their bond must have called him to her. He had seen the state she was in, and knew what Edward had done. He could also quickly figure out what she had done in turn.

There had been little time to provide any comfort though. Guards had entered the room and saw the emperor lying dead. They had just assumed Krios had killed him. They attempted to kill him, despite Seraphine begging for them to stop. No one listened to her, and Krios just grabbed her and made an escape to the Underworld.

Even without Seraphine's memories, Phoebe knew how the rest of the story went. The realms plunged into war. It was violent, chaotic, and no one was winning. People were dying left and right, both sides relentless and unyielding. The humans wanted retribution. The demons just wanted to survive.

Phoebe locked eyes with Seraphine, her expression filled with regret. "You couldn't forgive yourself."

"Everything had been my fault," she said, her voice cracking. "I... I was the saintess, but I killed someone. I killed my friend. And Krios took the blame for it. And all the fighting, everyone dying... It was my fault. I had to stop it, stop everyone from hurting each other."