Layla choked as she struggled from the tight grip on her neck. She moved was kicking in the air when she realized she had been lifted. Her hands were trying to grab something to hold on to as she refused to die yet. Getting strangled by the nobleman who managed the dungeon was one of the daily doses of ‘punishment’ she’d get after becoming completely useless since her eye was severed and her face was scarred. After all, her young mind made her realized that the place just above the cold and dark cell was no paradise but a dining hall for people hungry for sin. And Sir Gary happened to provide what they needed--- immorality.
“Ah, what a waste. You had a pretty face before, and I was expecting you to bring me a fortune,” Sir Gary said regretfully. “Now that you’re ugly, you deserve to get more scars. You have to give back at least after I provide you shelter and food all these years!” He slapped her face with his thick and heavy, rough palms, one after another u
Zev rubbed his forehead while looking at the sleeping lady who seemed to take her time on the bed despite getting strangled earlier. He was amused at how she could stay asleep after what he had done to her.‘Terrific,’ Zev thought, praising the lady’s stupidity. ‘She would have been killed in her sleep and she had no idea about it,’ he added as he gave her a scrutinizing look. After contemplating to whether sleep by her side like the previous night and maybe spend the entire night planning on how to punish her once she woke up or find another room to sleep. He didn’t even need to sleep at all but he had nothing to do yet. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with his ‘guests’ as well. What Zev wanted to do was to see the little lady who was still recovering from fever suffer from his unreasonable tasks.“Little Layla, when will you wake up?” He asked her as he sat on the bed next to her. The white-haired brushed a few strands of hair from Layla’s face
Layla woke up to the tight voice murmuring beside her. She couldn’t comprehend the words someone was telling her. She found it weird. Usually, she would be able to hear even a small sound coming from afar. She didn’t open her eyes yet as she felt dizzy. Her thoughts were muddled and just like falling in the endless spiral well, she felt terrible. All she cared about was to keep herself warm. She ignored the hustling as she roamed her hands to find something warm… something she could hug to ease the cold.“Hmm…” she hummed when her hands came across a wall radiating with heat. It was firm and hard but was comfortable. Layla pulled herself closer and rubbed her cheeks. How she loved the cozy sensation.“Do you want to die?” It was that familiar voice again. Layla didn’t mind what it said and decided to enjoy the homely treat. She was about to drift back to her deep sleep after getting h
The savory smell of roasted meat enveloped the dining hall. It was the first thing that caught Layla’s attention as she walked past the kitchen while looking for her master. She didn’t expect to see the table filled with food. There were fruits in the basket, cooked meat, and even a glass of fruit juice. Her eyes form into a heart-shaped like as she tried her best not to drool in front of the food.“You’re here,” Zev mumbled as he put down his glass of water. “What are you waiting for? Dig in,” he ordered which sounded marvelous in Layla’s ears.The young lady excitedly slumped on the chair with her watering mouth. The view in front of her was appetizing and too good to be real. She spent a few minutes staring at them while quietly praying they wouldn’t disappear or that she wasn’t dreaming. After all, she couldn’t imagine having to eat such delicious food.“Are you going to eat or not? You’ve been gawking at them for too long alrea
The soft cushion made Zev feel comfortable while sitting. He had the urge to sleep but knowing he shouldn’t she changed his position. It was all thanks to Layla who kept him wide awake almost the whole night. He was lucky to get a nap in the dawn when she was finally sleeping soundly. He found out that if he wanted to have a good sleep, he should be sleeping away from her.Speaking of which, Zev was also asking himself why he let that troublesome lady stay close with him. He shouldn’t mind it when it comes to other things but sleeping. He may seem the type to have anything he wanted but ever since he was cursed, he lost interest in anything aside from freedom. He hadn’t slept with anyone else before too. That night when he met and exchanged a few dialogues with Layla, was that same night when he fell asleep with someone beside him, and she was a woman. How rare was that?However, he wouldn’t deny that the lady’s presence was somehow soothing his rag
The wind was blowing gently and it wasn’t helping Layla at all. She hadn’t realized how scary it was to be standing on the cliff. Jumping off could even lead to her death. But there was nothing she could do as it was her master’s order. Well, she could choose to disobey which she wouldn’t ever do unless she wanted to waste all her efforts to get him to trust her. The last time she did it was out of determination to survive. She was driven by her desperate will to live that she was able to jump from such heights. Layla may not admit it but she was more than happy to find out she was alive after her epic escape from her pursuers that day.“Do you need a hand?” She heard him say. Layla shook her head. She might be able to survive before through sheer luck and knowing that luck could be all used up anytime, the young lady didn’t want to bet her life with it. “We’ve been here for a few minutes now and you haven’t jumped off yet. Did you change your mind?”
*cough cough cough*Layla’s hard coughing could be heard throughout the kitchen. She was sitting on the chair while hugging her knees. She wasn’t trying to boast something earlier when she decided to jump off but the consequences were somehow intolerable. The young lady realized she might catch a cold again.“Truly, regret is always in the end,” she whispered, wrapping the blanket tightly around her. She was grateful when Zev took her out of the water right after she fell on the river. She didn’t stop sneezing until they got home and even started to cough.‘Ah. This isn’t the first time I coughed but the I’m feeling a little better right now,’ she thought. Why wouldn’t she feel like that when someone was there to take care of her? Actually, Zev didn’t mean to take care of her at all. He just happened to promise a treat so he was doing his best to cook something.Layla watched her master focusing on a book he was hol
Since they’re up to compete with each other, Zev suggested that they’d go on their own. Layla agreed with him and got to choose which way to go. She headed straight ahead from where they were standing and Zev took a turn on the side.‘I should find the target first. The earlier I start, the better,’ Layla told herself as she roamed her eyes around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her delicious meat.Her thoughts were filled with roasted meat as she subconsciously drooled while walking aimlessly. She had a satisfying lunch just a couple of hours ago yet she couldn’t help but crave food. She was enjoying herself as she imagined having dozens of serving when suddenly, Zev’s face appeared in her mind. ‘Ugh! Why would he pop up like that!’ She rolled her eyes in frustration when her festive imagination was ruined.“All right. I should focus now. I need to win this bet. Not only I’d get to eat more meat but I’d get a wish granted as well. Th
The breeze became colder. Zev was patiently waiting for Layla who had gone hunting for her dinner. It had been a few hours and the sun was about to set yet there was no sign of the young lady.‘Is it that hard for her to hunt something? I should have taught her how to hunt birds first,’ Zev thought as he leaned his back on the tree trunk. In front of him was a pile of unconscious boar he caught in a swift attack earlier. He stared at his loot blankly. A few decades ago, he would be contented to eat boar’s meat during his meal. Until he was cursed by the deity. He couldn’t get satisfied with the animal’s flesh. Although he could still eat them, they wouldn’t be enough to fill his hunger. And that’s when he started to prey on humans. Especially those hunters whom he would encounter back then. His life completely changed when he started to find pleasure in human flesh.“Master!” It was Layla. She was running out of breath as she ran towards him with a
A Hundred years had passed, and the world remained the same, except for a fact that humans learned to accept other races. The evolution of man went steadfast as new species kept increasing, adding up to the mass number of population on earth. Humans were never be on the top of society neither on the bottom. They continued living a fair life just in the past. However, other races excelled in different fields, contributing their knowledge and skills towards the greater future. Those with powers stood atop, and those with the lowest contribution remained below, though they kept a fair share of respect that everyone deserved to have.The society was composed of three major casts that dominated the world after coexisting for centuries:Shifters were known to be highly skilled and intelligent. Since their body and mind functioned a little more advance than humans, they led the society, holding the most power among the races. There were three sub-races among shifters
“NO!”Zev cried as he watched Layla end her life. Her beautiful yet sad smile remained on her face as she chose to end everything with her. Zev’s world seemed to stop when he saw her lifeless body fell on the ground. He couldn’t move an inch, but he knew once he gave up, it would be really over.“Layla!” Victor cried and rushed towards Layla’s dead body. He cradled her in his lap with tears in his eyes, flowing endlessly like the stream. “Don’t die, please. Don’t die! I’ll listen to whatever you say, just don’t die, please.” It was a rare sight to see the vampire lord crying for someone else’s life.It was only a few minutes ago when Zev was still fighting against Victor and Layla’s sudden decision to stop their battle by taking her life brought them back to senses. She had already decided to do it beforehand, Zev could tell she had other reasons. Judging by how she chose the right time to take action and caught both of their attack
“Awoooo~!”Layla snapped back to reality when she heard Zev’s howling. She was certain it was him. No one but Zev could make sure intimidating howl. She turned to face the direction where the alpha kept fighting the vampire lord. They were both filled with bruises and cuts which healed immediately anyway. Knowing how both vampires and werewolves could heal themselves during the battle, knocking either of them would be challenging.“I should do something,” Layla said, determined to stop the battle. Even after what Darius said, she couldn’t just let her sacrifice be in vain. She hoped that Zev would keep his words, and she trusted him, however, she couldn’t be too certain about Victor. The latter might do something that could lead the alpha to kill him. Besides, Darius also mentioned Victor’s plan. It wasn’t like he was still into taking her away from Zev, but what Victor said when he chall
The chaos continued.Layla stood in the middle while everyone around her fought until their last breath. Her mind was telling her to do something to stop them, but she couldn’t even take a step. After using up most of her life force in that one spell, she expected to get weak. It was her negligence to think about the consequences once those who already died in battle come back alive. Layla certainly didn’t expect them to continue the battle which already costed them their lives. And just when she was willing to sacrifice and take all the blame, they all started to waste the second chance she gave.‘No, this is not good. If this continues, the forest will fall ruined again.’ Layla wandered her eyes around to find anyone who could help her stop the battle. But to no avail, everyone seemed busy throwing their lives away. “Don’t… Zev, you promise… Don’t fight,” she whispered while reaching out her hand towards Zev’s direction.“Layla!”
“Since you’ve already returned to the realm, I’m expecting you to come back once you settled everything on earth,” the king of deity told Layla. “In any case you changed your mind about something, you should come and let me know about it. You’ll never know, I might grant you a wish,” he added before sending her back to earth to complete what she had started.“Aw!” Layla groaned when she felt something hard hitting her head. She opened her eyes to see Levius glaring at her. “Levius?” The name naturally came out of her mouth as if she’d known its owner. ‘Where am I? I was just talking to the king…’ Layla rubbed her forehead and looked around. “I see… So, that’s what happened,” she mumbled to herself.“What are you even doing down there?” It was Lucian again. His voice couldn’t get any louder. “His Majesty is gravely wounded, and you’re just still in a daze! What kind of lover are you? Get up and do something usefu
“How stubborn. This young deity seems not satisfied with what you’ve arranged for her fate.”“Now, don’t start blaming me here. It took me a few decades to have them meet each other. I’m doing the best I can!”“Yeah? But you chose a hard path for our little deity. She was sincere with her feelings and the werewolf guy loves her. They deserve to be happy!”“Well, why don’t you leave them alone? Maybe they’ll find happiness when they no longer love each other. Sometimes, I think it’s all because you let them fall in love, that’s why they have to suffer.”“Nope, it's not my fault. They love each other and I love them too. I made sure to strengthen their bond no matter how difficult their life would be. Just like what I have said, you should be generous enough and let them be together as much as they want!&rdq
The dire situation they were in made Layla give up on questioning Zev’s sheepish grin. She wanted to hear the story behind his mischievousness while they were supposed to run for their life, chased by a tornado which came out of nowhere. Well, she guessed it was all Levius’ doing. And just like that, Zev glided in the air in his robe with her in his arms. They might be in a dangerous situation, but Layla couldn’t suppress the excitement she felt as they were running away.‘This feels so good. If only he carried me like this before when he sprinted back to the mansion after hunting wild boars, I might have fallen in love with him earlier,’ Layla thought with a wide smile spread on her face.“Go faster, Zev! Levius’ minion is getting closer!” Layla yelled and Zev did what he was told.They headed to the forest, which no longer looked like one. The trees were all burnt,
Layla’s scream was dissolved in the air. Time seemed to stop for her when she saw how Zev received the impact from Levius’ attack. Her heart stopped beating for a second before the basement blasted into smithereens, leaving her and Levius on the safe side while the others who were caught up with the explosion ended up severely injured.“Zev!” Layla shouted. The smoke was too thick, and she couldn’t see anything. “Levius! Let go of me! I said, let go of me!” She struggled in his hold, but her effort was pointless. Levius turned a deaf ear on her and continued shooting the same energy call, causing the earth to rumble because of its powerful impact.She tried to warn him, but failed. It seemed like Levius was using some spell that made them invisible somehow. Zev knew she was there but couldn’t hear her at all. And even with how loud she screamed, he didn’t show any reaction and was still c
“Just like I expected, the fire didn’t spread near the mansion. It would be the safest place to gather everyone and discuss the plan you proposed,” Zev said when they reached the estate. Layla just nodded her head as a response, even though she knew he wouldn’t see it.A loud crash on the door caught everyone’s attention in the living room. Layla didn’t miss the fierce glance in Lucian’s and the other’s eyes when Zev bolted inside the house by bumping, breaking the huge and thick wooden entrance.“Your Majesty,” everyone said in chorus as they bent down all at the same moment.Layla moved down from Zev’s back and awkwardly bowed her head. She was too embarrassed to look at anyone.“You just came back in time,” Lucian muttered as he stepped forward. He threw Layla a quick glance but ignored her when she tried to look back at