Chapter 33

Deritz’s soft mutter, carried through the rain, reached Talli’s ears so clearly, and his red eyes almost made Talli stop breathing.

She felt her heart racing.

Fear and the cold rain mixed together, pounding against her, disrupting the rhythm of her heartbeat.

…She needed to leave here quickly.

As she thought this, the Crimson Witch’s magical mark sent her out of the dream. Her vision darkened, and she fell into the void.

As Talli’s consciousness left, the butterfly on the back of the young man’s hand fell like a snowflake, losing its life.

…It died.

Deritz composed his expression and silently withdrew his hand.

The first little butterfly he encountered in the wasteland had died in this relentless storm.

—

Talli spent longer this time than she had the last.

She sat in the underground maze of the temple, gasping for breath, her whole body feeling as though it had just been dragged out of a turbulent stream, her back soaked.

The storm had left a deep impression on her, too unforgettable. That feeling, so real, was even more overwhelming than when she first encountered the Four Horsemen in the temple.

An endless wasteland, torrential rain, a night with heavy dark clouds, ancient creatures rushing like a flood, the tragic fate of the authorities who died after losing the game… and that young man, Deritz, with his ruby-red eyes.

Those eyes had left such a deep impression on her that even though she couldn’t remember his face due to the taboo, she still found it hard to forget those red eyes.

Talli sharpened the flint in her bag. This time, without the help of Dusk, it took her about three or four hours to make her way out of the underground maze.

By the time she emerged, it was already dark, the evening twilight deepening.

She looked up at the bright moon and thought of the day she nearly died at the mouth of the ancient creature. The fox leapt out and swallowed the moon. On that evening, Dusk had also had those red eyes, like a red moon descending, protecting her.

…Well, she’s about to leave soon, so she might as well go see him again.

Say goodbye this time.

After this farewell, they might never meet again. He would stay in the Lord of the Abyss’s palace, as his beast, while she would return to the imperial capital, becoming his Fred family’s second miss, and eventually walk up the altar.

Talli took a detour and passed through the busiest market in Abyss City at night on her way back. While browsing the stalls, she found a beautiful pair of ruby earrings.

They seemed perfect for Dusk.

Talli kept looking at the ruby earrings. The stall owner, seeing how much she admired them, smiled and said, “Since you like them so much, why not buy them? These rubies were mined from the black sea bottom in the northern Abyss, extremely rare. This is the only pair I have, and if you don’t buy them now, you’ll miss your chance.”

Talli asked, “How much?”

The stall owner quoted a price.

She had only recently won a box of gold for winning a chess game. Although the price was a bit beyond her expectations, it was still affordable for her.

The stall owner noticed her hesitation and asked, “Is something wrong, customer?”

Talli replied, “The person I want to give it to is male. I’m not sure if he would like it.”

The stall owner, skilled in business, suggested, “Add a little more money, and I’ll make it into a men’s version for you.”

Talli thought for a moment and agreed.

Taking advantage of the time, she wandered around the city again, replenishing the food and water she would need for her journey back. As the late-night market was about to close, she went to the shop to pick up the ruby earrings. The stall owner was happy as he packed up and, noticing she was about to leave, reminded her, “Customer, I see you’re human, right? Although the magical aura in our city is faint, it’s not nonexistent. If you’re done sightseeing, it’s best to leave as soon as possible.”

Talli thanked him, saying, “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

She paused for a moment, then suddenly realized it was already past midnight.

She would be leaving today.

She thought to herself, today she would say goodbye to Dusk.

—

Meanwhile,

Deritz’s consciousness, which had been sent to follow Talli through the temple’s dream exchange, returned to him.

Just like last time, what he saw was Talli’s past in the modern world. Her emotions were quite flat, and most of the time, there were no fluctuations in her mood. Despite the external noise, Talli was still able to hold firm to her beliefs and ideals.

A very unique human.

In this dream, Deritz’s consciousness was attached to a small animal… He didn’t even want to admit that it was a dog. In a shop full of dogs barking “woof,” Talli seemed to be choosing a puppy she liked. Most of the other dogs were shameless, sticking out their tongues and wagging their tails, and in this group of dogs, Deritz quickly lost his competitive edge.

Talli, in front of him, picked up another cute and enthusiastic dog, its tail wagging the hardest.

Although Deritz didn’t know what Mustafa had felt back then, he thought, at this moment, he might have understood a little bit of it.

From behind a cage that looked fragile enough to be torn apart, Deritz glared at the girl holding the puppy, smiling brightly under the lights, seemingly very happy.

Did she like all small animals?

If that damned fox hadn’t died, if he hadn’t lowered himself to possess that fox, would it have been brought back by Talli and given its own name?

Deritz couldn’t quite understand his feelings, but he felt irritated.

The smile of the girl with the dog was too annoying to him.

Deritz closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, in the dimly lit hall, his gaze had returned to its usual indifference.

…He had almost forgotten his original purpose.

He had come to the human world to find the immortality spell stolen by the Undying Knight. Before going to the human world, he had consulted the Crimson Witch, and that’s when he had noticed the girl with the black hair and purple eyes. He had to admit, she had indeed captured his interest.

At that moment, the more rational she was, the more he wanted to destroy that rationality.

He wanted to see the pain in her expression.

However…

As Deritz’s gaze remained composed, the door of the hall was knocked and pushed open.

The Lord of the Abyss entered, his voice faintly coming through the black mist: “Your Highness.”

Deritz raised his head.

“That human girl is back. She says she wants to see you.”

Saimond saw his lord silently sitting on the chair by the window. Most of his face was hidden in shadow, and the only visible eye was lowered, as if he was quietly contemplating something. He didn’t get up nor respond, and his occasional blinking seemed like a fleeting shift in the shadows, brief as an illusion.

Saimond didn’t dare to speak or urge him. He waited patiently as Deritz finally stood up from the chair and passed by him.

Then, he raised his hand and patted Saimond’s shoulder, murmuring something in his profile.

Saimond, who had just relaxed, felt as though his heart had sunk too deeply.

“…”

He spoke with some difficulty, “I understand, Your Highness.”

—

Talli was guided by a servant of the palace to meet Deritz.

She walked through a long corridor, ascended two flights of a long spiral staircase, and saw the Abyssians ahead, enveloped in black mist. She asked, “Are we there yet?”

The mass of black mist ahead stopped.

Talli sensed something was wrong and took a few steps back.

The black mist on the person suddenly began to writhe, spreading out in all directions like swirling black smoke. The figure then rapidly expanded, growing dozens of times its original size, turning around and charging toward Talli!

Talli sidestepped and pulled out her crossbow, aiming it at the beast.

A sharp, piercing roar assaulted her ears.

Her arrow struck the right side of the beast’s face. She saw it scream, raise its tail, covered in sharp spines, and whip it with great force. The wall beside them collapsed, dust filling the air.

Talli turned and ran up the stairs!

As she loaded her crossbow, she tried to use her magic to enhance it. Her magical seal had only just been lifted, so she wasn’t yet fully accustomed to using her magic, but the elven chieftain had told her that filling the Goddess Crossbow with her own magical bullets would increase its power.

The Goddess Crossbow was originally a sacred relic of the elven race, and Talli’s magic, derived from her elven bloodline, was highly compatible with the crossbow. There was no rejection, which relieved her.

However, in the brief moment that followed, the beast’s long tail whipped toward her again, smashing the stairs behind her! Talli, quick on her feet, grabbed the handrail, her body hanging in mid-air. She turned, firing a magical bullet at the beast.

“Roar—”

It seemed that Talli had shot the beast in one of its eyes. The creature was in unbearable pain, shattering the surrounding walls and parts of the ceiling. Debris fell everywhere, and Talli barely managed to dodge while trying to grab the handrail and climb the remaining part of the stairs.

To her surprise, the handrail was on the verge of breaking and snapped off completely.

Talli didn’t have time to open her backpack, and just as she was about to brace herself for the impact, another beast with a flat mouth and long, powerful limbs charged out. It slammed into the other side, and Talli found herself landing on its back.

There was someone else on its back.

“Dusk?”

Talli was shaken, her head dizzy. As she sat up, she noticed the beast had smashed through the wall blocking their way ahead and was still charging forward. The long-tailed beast behind it saw this and quickly changed direction, following them relentlessly!

The young man sitting on the beast’s back had blood at the corners of his lips, looking like he had been injured. With a long sword, he pierced the beast’s back, and Talli guessed that this was what had driven the beast into a frenzy.

She could barely handle one beast, and two was out of the question.

Talli didn’t ask him any unnecessary questions. She simply grabbed the young man’s hand and said one word:

“Go.”

The two hands, clasped tightly around the sword’s hilt, carved a deep gash into the beast’s back. The beast halted and let out a furious roar. Taking the opportunity, Talli pulled Deritz off the beast’s back, without hesitation, and sprinted toward the upper floor!

The beast’s offensive power wasn’t particularly strong, its advantage lay in its speed on flat ground and its large impact force, making it suitable for a front-line assault. However, its limbs were a weak point, and it wasn’t good at climbing stairs. It also had no wings to fly. Talli quickly pulled the young man ahead, leaving the beast behind, but the vibrations from the pursuing beast made her realize that the second beast was right behind them!

They were almost at the top floor, and any further up would leave no space for her to escape.

Talli looked out the window at the end of the corridor.

The chase had lasted the entire night, and the twilight had faded outside. Dawn was breaking, with orange light spilling across the horizon, and the soft warmth of the rising sun was about to cover the abyssal land.

She raised her hand, aimed at the window, and fired a magical bullet, shattering the glass.

“Dusk,” she called out.

Although no further words were spoken, she knew there was no need for them at that moment.

The ground trembled from the pursuing abyssal beasts behind them, and ahead was the first light of dawn, piercing through the heavy clouds.

Talli cast a floating spell on the parachute and tossed it to the young man. Just before they reached the window, the young man caught her with his right hand, leaped out, and they soared down.

The beast’s massive teeth clamped together behind them.

Talli held onto the young man’s waist, feeling the descent slow. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the horizon more clearly, the bright light streaming through the gaps in the clouds. Beneath the light, the Abyssal City looked peaceful and flourishing.

Talli felt dizzy and wiped her forehead, finding her palm stained with bright red blood.

It seemed she had been hit by debris earlier.

Breathing heavily, she felt slightly out of breath. She buried her head against the young man’s chest, and once her heartbeat calmed down, she weakly spoke between breaths, “…Dusk.”

“Mm.” He responded.

Talli clutched the fabric of his chest, her voice trembling: “Can I trust you?”

She was likely affected by the dark, abyssal magic surrounding them, as she appeared dazed, her eyes half-closed, curled up in his arms. Her body temperature was rising, and the strands of hair on her forehead were soaked with blood, creating an unstable and uneasy atmosphere.

Deritz lowered his gaze to her for a moment, then slightly shifted his focus away.

The floor was very high up, and the parachute, to support the weight of both of them, had been enchanted by Talli with a floating spell, causing their descent to be slow and gradual.

He remained silent for a long time, as if waiting for their fall to finish.

After a while, he finally spoke: “Yes.”

Talli seemed to have been waiting for just that one word.

Upon hearing his affirmation, she finally relaxed. She hadn’t slept for two days, was unsure of what had happened in the temple, had fought through the night after returning to the palace, and those who were injured were more easily influenced by dark magic.

She looked extremely exhausted but forced herself to lift her eyelids.

Her violet eyes stared intently at him, reflecting his somewhat disheveled face and the rising sun behind him.

“Then, Dusk, bind with me.”

Talli said, “After you become my beast, I’ll be able to take you away from the Abyss. I’ll also help you retrieve the power you lost.”

A red magical circle glowed brightly in the sky, emitting a flash of light before quickly vanishing. The contract was complete.

When she had asked him earlier, she had said, “Can I trust you?” rather than, “Can you trust me?”

Gaining her trust was not an easy task for Deritz. During the long years of struggle against other powers on the wasteland, he had never experienced this feeling.

When a snake dons a sheep’s skin, it always makes it easy for others to trust it.

But with Talli, he spent unexpected time and effort.

The young girl’s head rested against his left chest, her arms around his shoulder. Her erratic heartbeat and scorching body temperature transmitted through his clothes to him.

Deritz landed, one hand supporting her leg, while he carefully packed the parachute. He then held her, walking through the outer wall. No one stopped him.

He left the palace and walked into the crowd of Abyssal people, heading toward the city gate.

“We will both leave here.”

The magic energy, having seeped in during her injury, caused her body temperature to rise. Talli began muttering incoherently, her mind clouded.

“Mm,” he replied, agreeing with her, “We’ve already left.”

They had already left the palace.

They had already left the wasteland, filled with constant gloom, decay, bloodshed, and betrayal.

They had already left those long, endless hundred years.

Talli, however, didn’t hear him speak. She continued muttering to herself, her weak voice almost like a faint breath:

“… Leave here, leave this illusion, leave the capital… Leave this world, and return to where I belong.”