The Infinite Night

Chapter 18: Sweet 18

As they continued their journey, Tassa noticed that Nia'le kept looking at her. Curious, she asked him why he was staring.

Caught off guard, Nia'le quickly looked away and denied it.

"I wasn't staring at you."

However, Tassa wasn't convinced.

"I know what I saw, and I saw you looking at me."

Nia'le felt a little flustered and replied, "I did not. Besides, this is an imaginary world. You're probably just imagining things."

Nia’le asked her why she assumed he was staring at her in the first place. He even teased her, asking if she thought she looked like a goddess that he would be left in awe just by seeing her. Then he brushed it off, acting casual and denying that he had been looking at her at all.

Tassa pouted, clearly annoyed.

"What a weirdo," Tassa muttered as she watched him walk away.

Meanwhile, the girl they were trying to rescue remained sealed by a demon. She lay unconscious inside a massive chained seal, trapped and unable to escape.

Back in the real world, Ayamani transported their physical bodies to the mansion. He quietly apologized to Quart for something only he seemed to understand. Then he preserved their bodies to make sure they would remain alive until they returned from their dangerous journey through the mysterious Wring Righ.

As Nia'le and Tassa walked through the strange realm, they discovered that anything they imagined would instantly appear. Food, clothes, crowns, riches—everything materialized before their eyes.

Remembering the dandelions, Nia'le imagined a huge field of them for Tassa. Instantly, a sea of dandelions spread before them.

"This is a field of dandelions, Tassa," Nia'le said.

Tassa smiled, picked one, and made a wish for her freedom before blowing the seeds into the air.

Nia’le felt a twinge of sadness, but wanting to cheer her up, he took advantage of the magical atmosphere and offered her his hand.

"Would you like to dance?"

But Tassa shook her head.

"We still have to find the girl. We should hurry."

Nia'le smiled.

"It's only a minute. Besides, you won't feel any hassle. Trust me."

With a thought, he imagined Tassa wearing a beautiful modest dress. Her hair was tied up like a princess's, with a blue flower decorating it. A royal-blue gown flowed around her, matched by glittering four-inch heels.

Seeing his effort, Tassa smiled and imagined Nia'le wearing a sharp black tuxedo.

Not wanting to be outdone, Nia'le created a bouquet of eighteen red-scented roses. He bowed gracefully and presented them to her.

"Would you dance with me?"

Although she was still focused on their mission, Tassa smiled warmly.

Nia'le gently took her hand and said,

"That Grim Head may not know, but I do. Tassa, happy late eighteenth birthday. Come on, let's celebrate it together, my debutante girl."

"Actually, Ayamani did greet me, but it's not him whom I—"

"Shh!" Nia'le interrupted. "Forget about Xart for a second, okay? Now, do you want to dance, milady?"

Tassa's smile slowly faded into thought. Memories of dancing with Xart resurfaced in her mind.

Holding the edge of her dress, she hesitated before admitting,

"No. Actually, you remind me of him."

Even so, Nia'le guided her into a dance.

Together, they moved through the air as countless dandelion seeds swirled around them like tiny stars.

Tassa closed her eyes and quietly whispered,

"Hope it won't end."

As they danced, she felt a familiar warmth from Nia'le's presence, one that strangely reminded her of Ixartxist's smile.

When she opened her eyes, she found Nia'le looking at her with a gentle and familiar expression.

For a brief moment, Tassa's heart softened, and she smiled sweetly back at him.

Their dance continued as they traveled toward the place where the sealed girl awaited.

The glowing dandelions illuminated their path like tiny celestial lanterns, creating a beautiful contrast to the danger that lay ahead.

And so, within the magical realm of Wring Righ, Nia'le and Tassa continued their journey—blending wonder, determination, and a fleeting moment of happiness as they searched for the imprisoned girl.

In that brief moment

Nia'le and Tassa suddenly stopped when they came across a massive barrier covered in thick fog. It was hard to see through the mist, but they could make out the figure of a girl—the one Ayamani had told them about. She was unconscious and bound by enormous chains, trapped within a powerful sealing spell.

Even though she wasn't awake, Nia'le kept calling out to her, hoping his voice would somehow wake her up.

Tassa rolled her eyes and told him to take the situation more seriously.

"I am serious, Tassa," Nia'le replied.

Still unconvinced, Tassa shook her head.

"Then stop calling an unconscious person, will ya!"

Defending himself, Nia'le explained, "I was just trying to let my voice resonate in her subconscious. Perhaps it could break through and awaken her."

Tassa dismissed the idea and focused on the chains around the girl.

"Your voice won't reach her; that chain is a sealing spell. It looks like this demon expected someone to come and rescue her. That's strange. Could this demon be related to time? Are there entities with dominion over time?"

Nia'le stared at the chains for a moment before replying.

"If he is, then it's useless to help this unfortunate girl. If that demon already knew what's gonna happen in the future, then he already set everything up, so we can't take his food away from him."

A feeling of defeat crept into his voice.

"We are already here, Nia'le! You're not planning to chicken out and leave her here, are you?" Tassa asked in disbelief.

"Actually, I am," Nia'le admitted.

Tassa stared at him in shock.

"Nia'le, shut your big mouth! Stand there and do something!" she snapped angrily.

Rolling his eyes at her scolding, Nia'le decided to act like a drunken fool. He waved a hand dismissively and said,

"Who cares about her anyway?"

Then he casually leaned against the mysterious barrier.

Ignoring Tassa's warning to be extra careful, Nia'le soon learned how dangerous the barrier was when it suddenly electrocuted him. Even though he didn't have a physical body, he still felt the burning pain.

Tassa quickly ran to him and asked if he was alright.

"The barrier can hurt you. I forgot to tell you about it. My demon expert friend, Suman, warned me about it. He said it can kill humans and also hurt the soul of anything that touches it," Tassa explained, sounding regretful.

Lying on the ground in pain, Nia'le groaned.

"How could you sabotage me?"

"I'm so sorry, Nia'le," Tassa replied, realizing that her mistake had hurt him.

"Don't worry. I'm just going to focus on getting my strength back," Nia'le said, trying to encourage himself.

Tassa, however, shook her head.

"It's not possible. The barrier contains a powerful spell, so I doubt it."

Even so, Nia'le tried to gather his strength. Just as Tassa predicted, the barrier resisted his efforts.

Eventually, he gave up and sat behind a large rock beside Tassa, waiting for his strength to recover naturally.

While resting, Nia'le decided to ask Tassa about demons.

"Tassa, have you met many demons?"

Tassa looked down and held the fabric of her elegant gown before answering.

"I've met plenty of demons, to be honest. You've been to the Infinite Night, right? Every corner and every step is filled with demons. Not the fallen ones, but the created ones. There are so many of them that you can't even count."

"The made ones?" Nia'le asked.

"Yes, the made ones," Tassa confirmed. "Fallen demons can create apprentices, or more likely minions. Sometimes they trick people into trading their lives for their desires, and other times they create them from their own bodies. They use spells to bring them to life and send them to do their bidding."

Curious, Nia'le asked another question.

"What about the souls of dead people? Do they stay in the Infinite Night?"

Tassa shook her head.

"When you die, the Grim Reaper takes your soul to another dimension known only to them."

Nia'le frowned.

"So those people who claim they're possessed by dead souls?"

"It's a deception," Tassa explained. "When you die, your spirit leaves your body and this world. Demons can pretend to be the dead and ask for help, but their powers are stronger in some places and weaker in others."

"In which places are they strongest?" Nia'le asked.

Tassa shrugged.

"Why ask me? I'm not a demon. Maybe you should ask Ayamani."

Nia'le nodded.

"Yeah, if he would actually listen. Anyway, Tassa, have you ever encountered Ixartxist?"

"No, I haven't. Xart warned me not to seek too much information about that demon. Otherwise, I might end up in serious trouble where he can't save me anymore."

"Well, he's not even here. He actually abandoned you."

"No, he didn't!"

Nia'le folded his arms.

"Who is this Xart anyway? Family? A lover, or...?"

Tassa suddenly blushed and placed both hands on her cheeks.

"A lov... er? No... Well, he could be, but no. If he wanted to, is he going to, but NO! Nia'le, stop it!"

She waved her hands wildly in embarrassment.

Nia'le rolled his eyes.

"What an insignificant answer."

Tassa immediately pointed a finger at him.

"Let me get this straight, Nia'le. You are the one who asked me who my Xart is! Not me!"

"Yeah, but you don't need to act like a total moron or something."

"Moron?"

"Yeah, it means a dumb person," Nia'le explained.

Tassa folded her arms and snorted.

"Who asked you anyway?"