SOLD TO THE DEVIL 👿

Chapter 4

"Be careful," Lucifer said, and disappeared.

Adelaide immediately ran as fast as she could, her heart racing with fear. She bumped into Tatiana, who grabbed her arms. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you," Tatiana asked, concern etched on her face.

Adelaide was breathing heavily, her chest heaving. "Are you okay?" Tatiana asked, her voice softening.

Adelaide didn't answer. She pulled away and ran inside their room, Tatiana following close behind. Adelaide sat on the bed, her body shaking with fear. "He saved me," she muttered.

Tatiana's expression was confused. "Who saved you? Talk to me."

Adelaide shook her head. "Let's forget about it," she said, lying down.

A DARK PLACE

A woman's maniacal laughter echoed through a dark, eerie room. Adelaide was trapped, running around in circles as the woman cackled with glee.

"Please, let me go! What do you want from me?" Adelaide begged, her voice trembling with fear.

The woman's expression turned cold. "Before you regain your powers and your birthright, I'll kill you. You'll never achieve it."

Adelaide's eyes were wide with confusion. "Power? I don't understand."

The woman's smile was cruel. "Sorry, but you'll understand before you die."

"Who are you? Let me go! Leave me alone!" Adelaide snapped, but the woman just laughed.

"That position belongs to my daughter, and I'll make sure she gets it by killing you and exacting my revenge," the woman growled, her eyes blazing with hatred.

The woman's hand stretched out towards Adelaide, and she felt a searing pain in her chest. She fell to the ground, coughing up blood.

ADELAIDE'S NIGHTMARE

Adelaide's eyes snapped open, and she was gasping for air. She was coughing up blood, her body wracked with pain. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to breathe.

She felt herself falling off the bed, her body convulsing in agony. Everything went dark, and she lost consciousness, her body limp and lifeless.

Tatiana woke up to a blood-curdling sight: Adelaide lay on the ground, her body covered in blood. Tatiana's heart sank as she rushed to her side. "Adelaide!" she called out, but there was no response.

Tears rolled down Tatiana's cheeks as she pleaded, "Adelaide, please wake up!" Moonlight appeared beside her, and together they carried Adelaide's lifeless body.

As they walked into Lucifer's path, he demanded, "What happened to her?"

Tatiana's voice trembled. "We found her like this, this morning."

Lucifer's eyes turned dark red with rage. "Don't ever cry on my front," he growled, his voice low and menacing.

Before Tatiana could apologize, a heavy wind blew her against the wall. She screamed in agony, clutching her back. "Aaaaagghhhh, my back!"

Lucifer ordered the guards, "Take the body away."

As they carried Adelaide's body, Tatiana pleaded with Cheng, "Please don't let them throw her away. I'm sure she's still alive."

Cheng's expression softened, and he told the guards, "Take her to mother. Tell her to treat her."

The guard hesitated, "But boss said we should take her away."

Cheng's eyes turned black, and his voice dropped to a growl. "I know I'll talk to brother. Take her to mother and tell her to treat her."

The guard apologized, fear evident on his face, and carried Adelaide's body away.

Cheng turned to Tatiana and smiled. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. You're so beautiful."

Tatiana smiled back, and Cheng introduced himself. "I'm Cheng."

As they chatted, Tatiana mentioned Lucifer's intimidating demeanor. Cheng's expression turned somber. "He's the boss, but he's also caring and protective... especially to those he loves."

Tatiana's eyes widened. "Really?"

Cheng nodded. "Yeah. He lost his childhood love while gaining his power, and it changed him."

Tatiana's eyes sparkled with curiosity, but she knew she had to leave. "I have to go before I get punished."

Cheng's smile returned. "It was nice meeting you, Tatiana."

I can help with editing the story. Here's a rewritten version of the scene with improved grammar, character development, and pacing:

"Mum, how is she?" Cheng asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Her spirit is being caged by a witch, spiritually," Maltida replied, her expression grave. "It's a spiritual attack, and it needs to be cured spiritually. I'm not sure we can do that without risking war."

"A war?" Cheng's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Maltida's voice was firm. "We're not helping her, Cheng. We're not ready for that kind of war. She's just a common slave, after all."

Cheng's jaw clenched in frustration. "But, Mum, shouldn't we help her? We can't just leave her like this."

Maltida's expression didn't soften. "I said no, Cheng. Let's just forget about her."

Cheng's face fell, but he knew better than to argue with his mother. "I'll take my leave, then," he said, turning to go.

As he walked out, he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to see Adelaide, to make sure she was okay. He thought back to a conversation he had overheard between Narmada and a physician...

FLASHBACK

"You have a power that you don't know about," the physician said.

"What power?" Narmada asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"The power of a goddess," the physician replied. "Narmada, you are a goddess."

Narmada's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Really? But how can I use my power?"

The physician's expression turned serious. "I don't want to talk about it again."

FLASH END

Cheng's mind snapped back to the present. He needed to know more about this power. Maybe it could help him save Adelaide.

Later that evening, Tatiana approached him. "How is Adelaide?" she asked, her voice soft.

"She's facing a spiritual attack," Cheng replied. "It's hard to cure."

Tatiana's eyes filled with pleading. "Please, Cheng, you guys have to help her. Nothing is hard for you to do."

Cheng sighed. "I wish I could, Tatiana, but this is different. It might bring war, and my brother wouldn't like that. He'd be mad at me if he found out."

Tatiana's face fell, but she refused to give up. "What war are you talking about? I know you have spiritual power, Cheng. You can help her. Please, Cheng, please."

Just then, Pistol spoke up. "You can help her, Cheng. I'll make sure there's no war."

Cheng turned to her, surprised. "Pistol, it's not that simple. It's might bring—"

"I know what you're saying," Pistol interrupted. "But I'll take responsibility. I'll make sure everything goes smoothly. She's my friend, Cheng. Please, save her life."

Cheng thought about it, weighing the risks. He wanted to save Adelaide's life, but he knew his brother wouldn't agree. "Pistol said and walked away, leaving Cheng to his thoughts.

"Are you going to help or not?" Tatiana asked, her voice laced with impatience.

"Let me see if I can," Cheng replied, before leaving her and heading to Lucifer's chamber. Not finding him, he breathed a sigh of relief. "This is the right time," he said to himself, before sneaking out and mounting his horse.

The horse galloped fast, carrying Cheng to the forest. He dismounted and started walking, his heart pounding with anticipation.

"How is she doing?" Moonlight asked Tatiana, who was sitting beside Adelaide's bed.

"She's not fine yet," Tatiana replied, her voice sad. "But I think she'll be fine. Her condition is really serious."

Moonlight's expression was callous. "I don't think she'll survive it. Let them throw her away."

Tatiana's eyes flashed with anger. "Are you serious? You're supposed to be praying for her, not wishing her dead."

Cheng, meanwhile, had reached a tree and looked around cautiously. Seeing no one, he entered the tree and began to search. He spotted a woman with her back to him and Adelaide's spirit locked and tied up.

"So she's the witch who caged her," Cheng said, his heart racing.

He snuck closer to Adelaide's spirit, using his power to open the cage. He saw the spiritual rope binding her and used his power to burn it. Carefully, he moved Adelaide's spirit, trying not to alert the woman.

The woman suddenly turned, and Cheng disappeared into the wall, holding his breath. She didn't see him and continued with what she was doing. Cheng seized the opportunity, sneaking back to Adelaide's spirit and using his power to free her.

As they made their escape, the woman turned again, but Cheng was ready. He made Adelaide's spirit fall to the ground and followed suit, pretending to be unconscious. The woman didn't notice anything and continued with her dark magic.

Cheng stood up, his power still flowing, and carefully made his way out of the tree with Adelaide's spirit. They disappeared, and he mounted his horse, the animal galloping fast as they rode back to the castle.