Contract Marriage With The Demon King

Chapter 3: Forbidden Pages

The village of Luminspire was dead quiet at midnight. The only sound breaking the silence was Lila's harsh, shallow breathing. Each breath was getting weaker, and those horrible black veins were crawling up her neck like poisonous snakes, heading straight for her throat.

Aria sat next to her sister's bed, staring at Lila's pale face. God, she used to be so full of life. Now she looked like she was already half-dead. Every labored breath felt like a knife twisting in Aria's chest.

Three days left.

Master Elias's words wouldn't stop echoing in her head: "Only pure darkness can fight darkness." It should have sounded like a death sentence, but right now? It was the only hope she had left.

Moving as quietly as possible so she wouldn't wake Lila, Aria got up from the chair and walked to the corner of the room she'd been avoiding for years. There it was—Mom's old wooden chest with all those intricate carvings worn smooth from age. Elena's final gift to them, and the one thing she'd made absolutely clear they should never touch.

The chest had always been locked tight with a small padlock. The key was hidden behind their family photo, and for years, Elena had been crystal clear about one thing: "Never open that chest, sweetheart. There are things Light Bearer children should never know about."

Tonight, that warning felt more like an invitation.

Aria's hands were shaking as she grabbed the small key from behind the photo. The metal felt ice-cold against her skin. When she turned it in the old padlock, the click sounded way too loud in the midnight quiet.

Dust flew everywhere when she lifted the lid, swirling around in the flickering candlelight. The smell hit her immediately—musty and old, but with something darker underneath. Something that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Inside the chest, several medium-sized books with black leather covers were stacked neatly. Each one gave off a different vibe—some felt cold as winter, others seemed to buzz with restless energy, and one... one felt alive.

That's the one she picked up.

Chronicles of the Dark Realm was written in gold letters across the pitch-black cover. Even after all these years, the gold still shimmered like it had its own light source. When Aria's fingers touched the cover, she got this weird feeling—like the book somehow knew who she was.

Her heart was pounding as she opened to the first page.

"For those who can't find answers in the world of light, remember that darkness always comes with a price. But for those brave enough to pay it, nothing is impossible."

A soft moan from Lila made Aria look up. Her sister was tossing and turning in her sleep, her face twisted in pain even though her eyes were still closed. Those black veins had reached her jaw now, spreading faster than ever.

Aria turned back to the book, flipping through page after page. Dark illustrations covered every sheet—supernatural creatures, ancient rituals, and most interesting of all, a portrait of a man with sharp, dark eyes that seemed to radiate power even from paper.

"Kieran Shadowmere, absolute ruler of the Nyxareth Kingdom, known as the most powerful Demon King among all dark sovereigns. Unlike other demons who live for blood and destruction, Kieran is famous as 'The Dealmaker'—the one who makes contracts with desperate mortals."

Aria's pulse picked up as she read the next part:

"Unlike other dark rulers, Kieran Shadowmere has a strange sense of honor when it comes to his contracts. He always keeps his promises exactly, giving you precisely what the contract says—but the price he asks for always equals what you're requesting."

The next page had records of past contracts:

"Year 1247: A farmer named Marcus wanted his drought-dried land to be fertile again. Kieran made it happen—the soil stayed fertile for decades. In return, Marcus lost the ability to feel happiness forever."

"Year 1398: Lady Catherine wanted eternal beauty to win Duke Aldrich's heart. Kieran gave her a face that would never age. But everyone who fell in love with her would die within a year."

"Year 1456: A mother named Sarah begged him to heal her dying child from a mysterious illness. Kieran healed the kid—but Sarah had to take the child's place with the disease, and it would last ten times longer."

Reading these stories made Aria's blood run cold. Every single contract ended in tragedy, even though technically Kieran always kept his word. He gave people exactly what they asked for, just not the way they expected.

But what kept her reading was the line that ended each story: "The petitioners never regretted their decisions, because they got what they wanted most."

She devoured page after page, completely absorbed by these stories of unlimited power and terrible prices. Then she hit a section that made her stop breathing:

"Shadowblight: The Darkest Curse from the Realm of Death"

"Of all the curses in this world, Shadowblight is the deadliest and most mysterious. This curse doesn't just kill your body—it turns a Light Bearer's soul into a vessel for darkness. The only way to cure Shadowblight is with equal dark power—power that only the highest-ranking supernatural beings possess."

"Kieran Shadowmere is the only known being who can completely cure Shadowblight, bringing victims back to their original state without any side effects. However, contracts for Shadowblight healing always demand the highest price—something equal to the soul being saved."

Aria's hands were shaking so hard she could barely hold the book as she read the final section:

"For those who want to make a contract with Kieran Shadowmere, the journey to Nyxareth Kingdom must be made with pure intentions and real desperation. He won't respond to half-hearted calls or people who are just curious. Only those who truly have no other choice will be welcomed into his palace."

"But be warned—once you cross Nyxareth's borders, there's no going back until the contract is done. The kingdom will change every visitor, even if they make it out alive."

Aria slowly closed the book, but her eyes stayed glued to that shimmering cover. In the silence of the night, she could hear her own racing heartbeat mixing with Lila's increasingly uneven breathing.

She looked over at the bed where her sister lay. Even in the darkness, she could see the black veins had reached Lila's cheeks now. The face that used to glow with Light Bearer warmth now looked like cracked porcelain, fragile and ready to break.

"I'm sorry, Lila," Aria whispered, her voice barely audible in the midnight stillness. "I'll sell my soul if it means you get to live."

She stood up and walked to the bedroom window. The night sky looked darker than usual, like even the stars were hiding from what she was about to do. But in the distance, toward the north where Nyxareth Kingdom was supposed to be, the sky had this weird shimmer—like an aurora, but too dark to be beautiful.

Aria went back to Lila's bedside and sat on the edge of the mattress. Carefully, she touched her sister's cold forehead. Lila didn't react at all, lost in sleep that looked more like a coma.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning," Aria whispered while gently stroking Lila's hair. "I'm going to bring back medicine for you. I promise."

Those words felt like a sacred vow—one that would change her destiny forever.

That night, Aria didn't sleep at all. She spent the hours re-reading the *Chronicles of the Dark Realm*, memorizing every single detail about the journey to Nyxareth and what she'd need to prepare. According to the book, the trip would take three days on roads nobody used anymore, through dark forests and rocky mountains guarded by supernatural creatures.

But she didn't care about any of that. All that mattered was saving Lila.