Chapter 4 : Touch of Fear
1025 Words
Arin woke to a strange, heavy warmth pressing against him. The chamber walls glowed faint red, shadows curling like smoke as if they had moved while he slept. A dull ache pulsed in his muscles. The stone floor had taken its toll.
His eyelids were heavy, his thoughts foggy.
I’m still here…
He had hoped—prayed—that it was a nightmare.
A knock sounded.
Arin jerked upright, heart racing. “W-who’s there?”
The door opened softly. A maid stepped inside, her movements graceful but stiff, eyes carefully avoiding Arin’s.
“You are awake,” she said. “Good. Your schedule begins now.”
“Schedule?” Arin repeated, confused. “What schedule? I don’t… I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
The maid placed a folded set of dark servant clothes on the nearby table.
“You will change into these. I will escort you.”
“But—” Arin rubbed his face. “I don’t even understand where I am. No one explained”
“You will be taught what is necessary,” the maid said calmly. “Nothing more.”
Her tone shut down every question.
She placed a tray of food beside the bed, but Arin stared at it uncertainly. The smell was rich, unfamiliar—strange spices and something metallic.
“Is that… safe for humans?” he asked cautiously.
The maid hesitated.
“It will not kill you.”
Not the reassurance he hoped for.
Arin sighed shakily and got ready. The clothes were simple but comfortable, though the fabric felt strange against his skin. When he caught his reflection on the polished crystal near the door, he barely recognized himself.
They walked into the hallway. Arin tried to memorize where they were going, but the palace corridors twisted endlessly like a maze. Dark stone. Glowing runes. Silent figures passing by.
Some demons glanced at him once and looked away.
Others stared longer, eyes filled with disdain.
One whispered loudly to another:
“Why is a human walking freely?”
“The Alpha must be in a mood.”
“It won’t survive long.”
Arin’s throat tightened. He walked faster to stay close to the maid.
“I really don’t know what I’m doing,” he whispered.
“I don’t know these rules. I don’t know where I’m allowed to step. I don’t even know how to breathe here”
“Do not speak so much,” the maid warned quietly. “Demons do not like noise.”
Arin snapped his mouth shut.
They descended to the servants’ floor. It was nothing like the dark elegance above—it was loud, busy, alive with movement. Humans, lesser demons, and unknown creatures worked in synchronized chaos.
The maid handed Arin a cloth.
“You will begin with cleaning.”
“But I’ve never—”
Arin swallowed.
“I don’t know what to clean. Or how. Or what not to touch”
“Observe. Then copy.”
She walked away before he could say anything else.
Arin approached the long table uncertainly. A young girl noticed him staring helplessly and whispered:
“Here, just wipe in circles. Like this.”
Arin tried. His hands were shaking, but he followed her movements.
“You’re the new one, right?” she whispered again.
“The human from the upper wing?”
Arin nodded timidly. “I didn’t ask to be there. I didn’t even know where I was going. I don’t know anything here”
“Don’t say that too loudly,” she warned. “If a demon hears you complaining, they’ll say you’re ungrateful.”
Ungrateful for what, Arin couldn’t imagine.
He reached for a silver container on the counter, thinking it was cleaning powder.
A hand smacked his away.
“That will kill you!” an older servant hissed. “Demon ash is poison to humans.”
Arin stumbled back, heart pounding. “I—I didn’t know. I don’t know what anything is—”
“You must learn fast,” she said sternly. “Or you won’t last.”
Arin nodded, swallowing hard.
Minutes turned into what felt like hours. His back hurt, his wrists ached, and his mind spun with fear. Every time a demon walked behind him, he froze. Every mistake earned him a sharp warning.
He wiped his forehead, whispering,
“I don’t belong here… I don’t know how to live here…”
Another servant overheard and whispered:
“No one does at first. But you have it harder.”
“Why?” Arin asked shakily.
“Because Kaelith brought you,” she whispered. “And now everyone is watching.”
Arin’s blood went cold.Then suddenly, a heavy shadow fell over him.
Arin turned slowly.
A demon towered over him—tall, muscular, with smoke-black skin and burning crimson eyes. His horns gleamed like polished obsidian.
“So this is the human,” the demon growled. “The one the Alpha kept alive.”
Arin stepped back instinctively. “I—I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just trying to— I don’t know what you want me to—”
“You humans are all the same,” the demon spat. “Weak. Confused. Useless.”
He grabbed Arin’s wrist.
The pain was instant and fierce. Arin gasped.
“Let—let go—”
His voice broke.
“I didn’t mean anything—I don’t know why you’re angry”
“You disgust me,” the demon snarled. His claws glowed red with magic.
“One hit. That’s all it would take.”
Arin’s heart pounded so violently he felt dizzy.
“I—I’m trying—please—I don’t know—”
The demon raised his clawed hand. Heat surged. Magic crackled.
Arin shut his eyes, bracing for pain.
And then the temperature in the room dropped like ice water.
The demon’s hand froze mid-air.
Every servant fell silent.
Someone whispered, trembling:
“He’s here…”
Arin opened his eyes slowly.
He saw the demons bowing.
He felt the shadows tightening.
He sensed an overwhelming presence behind him
Alpha King Kaelith had entered the hall.
- Writer
