Contract Marriage With The Demon King

Aria's eyes snapped open in the dark. Something was wrong. A low, horrible moan came through the thin walls of their tiny apartment, making her heart race. She'd been hearing that sound for weeks now, and each time it got worse. "Lila?" she whispered, sliding out of the narrow bed they shared. The wooden floor was freezing against her bare feet as she hurried toward her sister's room. Moonlight streamed through their cracked window, throwing weird shadows everywhere that made her skin crawl. *Please be okay, please be okay,* she thought desperately, reaching for the door handle. The metal was ice cold. But when she opened the door, her world shattered. Lila was convulsing on the bed, her whole body shaking violently. But that wasn't the worst part. Black veins were spreading up her left arm like poison, pulsing under her pale skin like they were alive. "Oh god, no..." Aria's knees almost gave out. "This can't be happening." Those weren't normal veins. They were *moving*, crawling under Lila's skin like some nightmare creature was eating her from the inside out. Lila's eyes, which used to glow with that gentle light all Light Bearers had, looked dim and cloudy now. Every breath sounded like a fight she was losing. Aria dropped to her knees beside the bed, her hands shaking as she touched Lila's face. Her sister's skin was cold as stone. "Lila, wake up. I'm here," she whispered, trying to keep her voice steady. "Everything's going to be okay." Lila's eyes fluttered open slowly. The bright, clear eyes Aria knew so well were now covered with a silver haze that made her look... wrong. Like she was already half gone. "Sister..." Lila's voice was barely there, just a whisper of air. "It hurts so much..." Those words hit Aria like a punch to the chest. Without thinking, she pressed both hands against Lila's chest and closed her eyes, pouring all her healing energy into her sister. Golden light flowed from her palms—the same warm, soothing light that had healed dozens of people before. But something was terribly wrong. Instead of healing Lila, the black veins got darker. They seemed to *eat* her light, swallowing the golden glow like it was nothing. The veins pulsed faster, spreading further up Lila's arm. "No!" Aria pushed harder, ignoring the burning pain in her chest from using so much energy. "I won't let this thing take you!" But the more light she gave, the worse Lila got. Her sister arched her back in agony, horrible sounds escaping her lips that made Aria want to scream. "Stop... please, sister, stop..." Lila begged, tears streaming down her face. "It's getting worse..." Aria yanked her hands away, staring at them in horror. For the first time in her life, her healing power—the gift she was so proud of—had made someone worse. Had hurt the person she loved most. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she sobbed, tears blurring her vision. "I don't know what's wrong. I don't know how to help you." Lila lifted one trembling hand, and Aria grabbed it immediately. Her sister's fingers were so cold they felt dead. "Don't let me die," Lila whispered, her cloudy eyes locked on Aria's face. "I'm not ready. There's still so much I want to do with you. Remember how we used to sit in the garden behind our old house? And all those stories you'd tell me?" Every word was like a knife twisting in Aria's heart. She squeezed Lila's hand tighter, as if she could somehow keep her sister's life from slipping away. "I promise," she said fiercely. "I'll do anything to save you. Anything." But before Lila could answer, her eyes closed and her body went limp. Her hand fell slack in Aria's grip. "Lila? LILA!" Aria shook her sister frantically, but there was no response. Lila was still breathing, but barely. Each breath was so shallow and weak it might be her last. *No, no, no, this isn't happening.* Aria pulled Lila against her chest, soaking her sister's blonde hair with tears. Hair that used to shine like sunlight now looked dull and lifeless. "I won't let you go," she whispered into Lila's ear. "I won't let this darkness take you from me." Outside, the night was pitch black—not a single star in the sky. Even the wind sounded sad, like the whole world was mourning with her. Hours passed. Aria never moved from Lila's bedside, watching every tiny change in her sister's face, counting every shallow breath, memorizing every detail in case... *No. Don't think like that.* When the first hint of dawn crept through their little window, Aria felt sick. Light was supposed to bring hope to people like them—Light Bearers were literally named after it. But now the morning glow just made everything worse, showing how pale Lila had gotten and making those black veins look even more terrifying. Aria looked up at the brightening sky, her chest burning with determination and desperation. "I swear," she said out loud, her voice rough from crying. "I swear I'll do anything to save her. I don't care what it costs. Even if I have to sell my soul to the devil, even if I have to give up everything I am, I'll do it." The wind picked up suddenly, rattling their window and scattering leaves outside. For just a second, Aria felt like something had heard her. Something cold and ancient and powerful. *Good,* she thought grimly. *Let them hear me.* She didn't know that her desperate promise had just reached ears she never could have imagined. Didn't know that somewhere in the darkness, something was already stirring, already planning to give her exactly what she'd asked for. All she knew was that she wouldn't let Lila die. No matter what she had to sacrifice. Aria held her sister closer, whispering promises and prayers into the growing dawn, completely unaware that the darkness was already listening—and getting ready to answer. ------ Aria barely slept that night. When the first rays of sunlight crept through her bedroom window, she felt nothing but dread. The light that used to make her feel hopeful now just showed her the horrible truth she didn't want to face. Lila was dying. The black veins crawling up her little sister's arm had spread to her shoulder overnight. They pulsed under her pale skin like some kind of poison, moving slowly but steadily toward her heart. Lila's breathing was so shallow it barely moved her chest, and each breath sounded like a struggle. "No, no, no," Aria whispered, pressing her lips to Lila's forehead. Her skin felt ice cold. "I can't lose you. I won't lose you." She carefully lifted Lila from the bed, shocked at how light she felt. It was like the sickness was eating away at everything that made her sister... her sister. Lila's eyes, which used to shine so bright with her Light Bearer gift, stayed closed. Her eyelids fluttered weakly, like a dying butterfly. Aria's heart pounded as she rushed through the village toward Master Elias's house. The morning mist hung between the small houses, making everything look ghostly. A few neighbors were already up, and they watched her pass with sad, worried faces. "Aria, sweetheart..." Old Martha from the bakery hurried over, tears already in her eyes. "How's little Lila doing today?" "She's going to be fine," Aria said, trying to keep her voice steady even though her hands were shaking. "Master Elias will know what to do. He has to." Martha looked at the black veins now creeping up Lila's neck, and her face went white. Aria could tell she'd heard the old stories about this kind of sickness. Stories that never had happy endings.