Creatures of the Ice

Ninth Ice

Ninth IceCreatures of the Mist

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##### Ninth Ice #####

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Would you like a taste of ice cold darkness?

“Treason? Against what, exactly?” The Devil asks.

“You know what I am talking about. The co─”

A knock at the door pauses me.

“Yes?” The Devil asks as he fixes his gaze on his double-doors.

“It’s me,” Abel answers from the other side of it.

I am still in my wizard form. So I quickly approach the small skull and change myself to the demon form, my skin turning blue and my breath becomes icy in seconds. Right at the slim chance, the door slams open by itself with a loud bang. I know for once that it is not Abel who opens it, but The Devil. Abel will not dare.

“Is she alright?” Abel asks.

“For you to ask such a question to me is just simply ridiculous. You know what I am capable of, so saving her life is just a simple thing for me. Take a look by yourself, if you don’t believe me,” The Devil replies in a monotone.

My partner just stands there, in front of the room, looking hesitant. He raises his gaze, and our eyes meet. He does not look very pleased, but something wondering in his eyes. The problem is just the fact that I can see him, but he cannot. There is a thin layer of darkness that separates this place with the corridor outside; a completely different dimension. Only if he crosses the border that he can see me. And my heart will pound if I am still in my mortal form. But I just do not think that I can control this coldness of me that much better to face him. So before he steps ahead, I beat him to it by stepping out first.

“Frost.” He still looks surprised to see me.

I close the double-doors behind me even though I know that our conversation will not be missed by The Devil nevertheless.

“Why did you do it? And what did you give in turn for my recovery?” I ask him, eyes looking straight into his.

“I....” His lips are shaking when he tries to speak. “You already know why I did it. I found you dying on the graves. What else do you expect me to do? Pretending that you were not there and missing the pain in your expression?” He lets out a sad chuckle. “I do not regret saving you, even for the price that I have to pay in return.”

“What is it?” I press.

He looks at the ground. “Nothing you should be concerned about.”

“You used it to save me.” Of course it matters. But what would The Devil want from his subject? Surely it must be something that he cannot just take from him to wait until this chance to take it away from Abel. Whatever it is, surely must not be something small. “If you don’t want to tell me, you do know that I can find out about it myself, don’t you?”

In an instant, Abel’s head lifts up. But I already turn away from him to go back to the room behind. My hand reaches for one of the handle, though he stops me from swinging the door open by pulling me backwards, and I let him do it.

He sighs before looking at me, and then reveals to me about the exchange.

Abel cannot stop me from going into the cave-like chamber this time, because my emotion and instinct leads me too fast for him even to catch. I barge in the room and make the double-doors parts slam as loud as before. My brain already sets the target, and it does not take hard for my eyes to find the figure, sitting on his high blood-red chair. I call my dark shadows, but icy chills come out instead, hitting him like it is nothing. I am nothing compare to him right now, and an easy, emotional rebel. But that does not matter. Once he takes away what is his from me, I will be as lethal and undead as he is.

“I see you’ve found what you want to know. But it seems simply knowing is not enough. So, what do you want, Arsene?” He asks using my real name, not afraid of being heard because in this dimension, there is only him and I. “Your parents? Isn’t them who you were after when you made a deal with me? Or perhaps you want to avenge for your partner instead? Even though that is really out of the loop.”

“Stop trying to make me confused. You can’t always get away,” I hiss through clenched teeth, trying my best not to launch at him right at the moment ─ because if I did, there would be a lot of pain coming up.

“Oh yeah? Why don’t you try, then?” he says in a very provocative way, teasing me at the same time despite knowing perfectly why I have not attack him yet. “Come on, Arsene. Make a choice. It’s not every day that I offer something free.”

“Free? I’m not stupid like most of your victims. You’re not the only one who can break this contract. We both know that it is not the trespassers that you really after. And I am not afraid to use my real powers. I’ll come down as a wizard, if I have to, but not before I get what I want.”

“And what is that?” He smiles evilly.

“You already know.” This time I join him smiling.

I wake up the next morning to find myself back at my apartment. There is a bell at the door, and I know that I am the only one that resembles a human enough to have the door opened. A human who stands at the other side of the door would have flipped if it were a Flinch who opened it, so I drag myself up from the bed and out from my room to the front door. But both my eyebrows rise by surprise once I see who is at the other side.

There is a pair of white shoes, follow by a pair of jeans standing straightly. His light skin radiant and smooth underneath his light, clean shirt. The skin of his neck surrounded by the edges of his hair flows down from the crown of his head as white feathers. His lips are a thin red line. And his crystal blue eyes glow so captivatingly saddening.

“Valline.” His name slips from my lips into a whisper.

Without any warning, he closes our distance by pulling me into a hug, our bodies colliding against each other. His nose breathing in and out from my neckline fast, as if he were in a fury or something. But I am sure it is not because of that. His hands are tight around my waist, suppressing his hard chest against mine. And I feel like home more than ever for some reasons. Both of us enjoy the moment, until reality pull us back into its cruel distinction.

“Arsene.”

When he pulls away enough to stare into my eyes, it feels almost unbearable to look into that blue abyss of loneliness in his eyes. But the beauty draws me in instead, wanting to keep raving into that raciness.

“H-how did you get here?” That is the first question that comes to my mind once I can pull myself from awe.

“I have been looking all over for you,” his tenor voice sweeps over me, for some reason giving me shivers this time. “You have no idea how hard the things I have been through to get here.” There is a relief in his tone, I recognize this time. “Hard work and a lot of patience, Arsene. You have no idea how freaked out I was when I found out that you were gone.”

“Is that why you are wearing that human outfit?” I cannot help but ask about his clothing style. I never saw him in human’s clothes before, but it matches him somehow. It makes him look.... off from the supernatural realm.

“Yes. And I can’t put how grateful I am of finding you. I─ What is that?” His eyes looked into the distance inside my apartment, straight towards the windows of the living room. “I was something gold moving from there,” Valline says.

Probably Flinch, flying around the air outside with his giant form. “My roommate, I think,” I answer him.

“Roommate?” Valline sounds irritated by my answer, which is totally unlike him. But it is him who is standing in front of me ─ I can sense the powers tingling from underneath his skin; bright and white.

“Long story short, I found a pretty rare type of fish that can talks, which happens to actually be a dragon who has lost his master recently. So I took him in and made him my familiar.”

He looks at me in utter disbelief, which I understand because this must be a lot to take in. But I keep a straight face, and he knows that I am not the type to joke around. But for some reasons, it feels fun watch lots of different expressions coming from his face. It makes me want to─

Before knowing it, I already locked my lips into his, driven too much by instinct. It does not take long before Valline recovers from his state and kisses me back. Difference from our first kiss, back when I was about to die at the underwater prison, he tastes much more ecstatic now. One contact from our lips, and I just want more. So I deepen the kiss, and he does the same. His hunger for me matches mine.

The longer we kiss, the stronger I feel. Valline must have felt the same way as well, because the next thing I know, he starts biting my lower lip ─ not in a harmful way like how a tiger pounces on its prey, but more like a kid licking his candy ─ slowly but lovingly. The action makes my veins shiver. In a good way. Valline bites my lower lip again, and I almost moan without control, before he inserts his tongue right into my mouth.

It is hard to concentrate after that moment. I can feel darkness pounding to devour me, but it is an unnecessary desire. Although the ignited feeling of Valline’s tongue inside my mouth makes it hard to focus, but I think I can manage doing it slowly.

My sight is almost completely framed by moving shadows, but I take control back of my powers quick enough so that only my eyes go completely black like ink.

That is when I blink. I even cannot remember when I close my eyes. Everything of my senses work differently since Valline appears. Too relaxed... too low-guarded. I see the color in his eyes, and his taken-over white eyes are the opposite of my black ones. Knowing that he is enjoying the kiss eager enough to make himself almost flush out ─ despite the danger that it might possibly bring ─ creeps a smile into my lips, somehow.

And I opened my mouth wider so that his tongue can travels deeper, tasting sweeter and more intoxicating than anything I have ever tasted or smelled.

This totally worth for the wait since the ball.

I hate to break the kiss, and Valline looks like he does not like it as well, but we have to talk. And then we can kiss again, perhaps. If he wants to.

“Why did you leave your castle?” he asks in concern.

“I cannot tell you. I have my own personal reasons. But no matter how lame this sounds, please just wait for me. I will explain everything to you once I have finish this matter.”

He nods in understandingly, which I am grateful.

“What I can tell you right now is that I cannot go back yet. I have to stay away from any civilization for the safety of every single soul. This matter is dark, not something that I can get anyone who asks to be involved with. So I really regret this when I say that you cannot stay for long. At least for the moment.” I reach down and hold his hands in mine, smooth to the texture and white as snow. “I am really happy that you worried about me enough to find me here. So I can only promise you this: As soon as I am done, I will find you instead.”

I offer him a smile, and he slowly returns it. He looks as angelic as ever, smiling so happy and free like this. A beauty I want to hold on and keep by my side for eternity, as long as I can spend it.

Valline leans in for another kiss. I close my eyes and let his taste devour me.

So lovely, the scent.

Hell feels differently anew when I visit it again tonight. It is not because there is a sign that something might happen after this, or it is just a slightly lower temperature than before. Perhaps seeing Valline has make me more cautious and aware of my demonic acts. I might look flawless, but it will not guarantee that he will not freak out once he sees me like this. I cannot let that happen, though, whether I really want to be honest or just blur these all out. I have a contract to keep in mind. And it will end soon.

Abel and I come to The Devil’s castle like usual, although usual does not involve not saying a word to each other. The Devil gives us our next targets, which fortunately, are our last targets. Rtona’s rebellion has made it official for us to go on to partners again. So Abel excuses himself and the two of us go out from the castle and through a portal to Earth, getting ready for hunting again.

There will be twelve demons to kill, and I can see that it is going to be a m******e. My demonic self is itching to commit the murders by the thought of it only.