Daevas -I- ✔️

Chapter 3.3: Knowledge

Ari struggled in vain against his tight restraints; his hands bound tightly behind his back, the rope digging into his skin. Darkness surrounded him. The only audible sounds were short, haunting screams and the unsettling gurgle of blood filling throats, distorting voices into guttural and choked tones. He pressed his face against the floor, shutting his eyes tightly to ward off the haunting images. He had anticipated this, but nothing could prepare him.

After a moment, silence descended. Ari, left alone with the echoes of his own breath, felt his heart drumming loud in his ears. Footsteps echoed on the creaky wooden floor, steadily drawing nearer to him. As the door swung open, Ari flinched instinctively.

Candles flickered to life, revealing the room's grim surroundings. The figure bent down beside him which made Ari turn his head away, suppressing his fear. All that filled his senses was the pungent scent of iron—blood.

"Ari," Auovin's voice sang.

Ari clenched his teeth, biting down on his bottom lip, and shut his eyes tight. The demon's hand jerked his head back toward him, leaving a chilling smear of blood on Ari's face. The cold sensation made his skin crawl, but the demon paid no heed to his discomfort. Ari understood that Auovin relished witnessing his suffering and pain.

"Do not be so angry, Little Ari," the demon whispered, his tone carrying an unsettling intimacy, as if speaking to a lover. "Do not act as if this was unexpected."

Ari opened his eyes to the familiar sight of molten, honeyed eyes that had become a constant presence over the long weeks.

"A few rocks and pebbles would not keep me from taking back what is mine," Auovin declared, turning Ari's head from side to side. A lump grew in Ari's throat, and he swallowed hard as one of Auovin's hands left his chin, trailing down his neck.

"Oh, what is it? Do you think I had killed them all? No," Auovin shook his head, "I had not. I am not a monster."

"Then Freir and Rein—"

An amused smile stretched across his face, causing Ari to gaze with morbid fascination at the demon's long, pointed fangs before meeting his assessing eyes.

"I cannot say the same for Cyrus," the demon remarked. Ari's face paled, and the demon burst into laughter, a chilling sound that sent shivers down his spine. Ari felt the weight of the blood soaking into his shirt, and he glared into the demon's eyes.

"Yes, that is it. Hate me, loathe me. Wallow in your own self-pity." Auovin's grip on his chin tightened. "Or become someone strong who can do more than just hate. If you want to kill me... become someone who can."

Auovin sat him up, pushing him against the wall. Ari attempted to turn his head away, tears welling up in his eyes. As he blinked, they trickled down his cheeks. Auovin's thumb brushed one cheek, both of them wiping away his tears as soon as they fell which made Ari break out into a sob. Ari did not know why the demon liked to torture him this way, like this.

"To throw away their lives for someone like you... truly, you must be special. Precious," Auovin mused and said, "I did not kill them."

Ari's eyes widened as Cyrus entered the room, tossing two people inside.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Ari asked, exasperated.

"You are weak, and I hate weakness, especially from someone like you, " Auovin replied, wiping away Ari's tears. "This is weakness."

"Killing them—killing everyone here. You have done nothing but murder—"

"Do not be so angry because you are the hunted and not the hunter. When you hunt deer or eat fish, it is the same."