Drinking

I handed the bottle of alcohol to Kiara, she took it with an ease that unnerved me, tipping it back in one smooth motion. Her throat bobbed as she drank, and in seconds, the cup was empty.

I stared, waiting for the inevitable reaction—the grimace, the shudder, perhaps even a cough. But instead, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, turned to me, and grinned. "Wow, this is amazing. So good and strong. Pour me four more."

I blinked, utterly dumbfounded. "What?" I managed, my voice caught somewhere between disbelief and admiration. "You… want more?"

Kiara nodded eagerly, her eyes gleaming with challenge. "Four more, Lucius. Don't hold out on me."

My confusion deepened. This was no ordinary drink—it was strong enough to make seasoned warriors, like Ryder and Asha, balk after a single gulp. Even I didn't finish it in one go. Yet here she was, a slip of a woman from a different world, demanding more as though it were fruit juice.

"Not even my generals can handle this," I muttered, half to myself. "And you're… smiling?"

"Are you going to pour or what?" she teased, holding her cup out to me. Her confidence was maddening.

I smirked, finally shaking off my surprise, and poured another round. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

She lifted the cup, but before drinking, she paused and looked at me with a mischievous glint. "Tell me, what's on your mind, gorgeous devil?"

I nearly choked on my drink. "What did you just call me?"

Her grin widened. "Gorgeous devil. It's what I've decided to call you. You've got the whole 'dark, brooding, and handsome' vibe going on. It fits, doesn't it?"

I rolled my eyes, fighting a smirk. "That's… creative, I suppose."

"Oh, don't act like you don't like it," she teased. "You've been smirking since I said it."

I couldn't argue with that. "I said 'gorgeous,' and you added 'devil.' So technically, it's your nickname for me."

She laughed, the sound light and unrestrained, filling the quiet rooftop. Despite myself, I found it infectious. For a moment, the tension of the upcoming ritual faded, replaced by an odd sense of camaraderie.

"So," she said, setting her cup down, "what do you want to talk about, devil?"

I leaned back, the weight of the conversation settling in. "The broken tool has been fixed. The ritual is the day after tomorrow. Everything is ready."

Her smile faltered, just for a second, before she plastered it back on. "Finally," she said softly, almost to herself. "Finally, I get to leave this world. As crazy as this experience has been, I'm ready to go."

There was something bittersweet in her tone, a mix of relief and longing.

"Crazy doesn't even begin to cover it," she continued, her gaze drifting to the stars. "In my 23 years of existence, I never thought I'd end up in another world. One moment, I'm living my life, and the next, I'm here. Teleported"

"Transmigrated," I corrected automatically.

"Whatever," she said with a wave of her hand. "It's insane. But I have to admit, it's been… magical. Like proof that there's more out there than we realise. I mean, people in my world dream of experiences like this. If I could, I'd write a blog or sell the story to a movie director. They'd eat it up!"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Don't get ahead of yourself. You won't remember any of this once you leave. The ritual will erase everything."

She looked at me, her expression serious for the first time that night. "Maybe I won't remember," she said softly. "But my soul will. Deep down, I'll know I lived something extraordinary."

Her words lingered in the air, heavy with unspoken truths. For all her bravado, I saw the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, the same uncertainty I felt every time I thought about the ritual. Would it work? Would it change anything? And more importantly, was it worth the cost? Earlier prophetess Kim had mentioned performing sorcery comes with a consequence I wonder what this time's own will be.

Kiara's POV

I didn't know whether to feel good or bad about the thought of returning to my world. For weeks, I had imagined myself leaping with excitement when the day finally came, but the truth was… I didn't feel excited. Not really. Instead, there was this gnawing sadness, like a small voice whispering that I was leaving something unfinished.

Maybe it was just nerves, or maybe it was the effect of the drink loosening my guard. Either way, my emotions were all over the place, and I couldn't tell which way was up. Ever since they told me I'd be transmigrated back, I'd done everything I could to push the thought aside. It was easier that way, especially with the distraction of this world's starry sky and the BA—their ridiculously strong alcohol.

I turned to Lucius, who was quiet beside me, his expression as unreadable as ever. His sharp features were illuminated by the faint glow of the moonlight, making him look even more like the dark, brooding ruler he was. Yet there was something softer tonight, something almost human.

"How does it feel," I asked, breaking the silence, "ruling this entire kingdom without your wife?"

His head snapped toward me, and for a moment, I thought I'd crossed some invisible line. Maybe I had. But instead of the sharp retort, I expected, he paused, his gaze shifting back to the stars.

"It feels… hollow," he said finally, his voice low but steady. "At least, it did at first."

I blinked. I hadn't expected him to answer, much less so honestly. Encouraged, I pressed on. "What about now?"

He exhaled, the sound more tired than anything else. "Now, I've learned to live with it. You have to, when you're king. The kingdom doesn't wait for you to grieve. It doesn't care about your pain. It just… moves forward, and you have to move with it."

There was something achingly familiar in his words. I didn't rule a kingdom, but I knew what it was like to push through pain because life demanded it. It was the same in my world, wasn't it? Bills didn't stop piling up just because you were heartbroken.

I studied him, this "gorgeous devil" who wore his crown like a burden. "She must have been someone special," I said softly.

"She was," he replied, his eyes distant. "Strong, stubborn, and infuriatingly good at proving me wrong." A faint smile tugged at his lips, and for a moment, I caught a glimpse of the man behind the title. "But she was also kind. Kinder than I ever deserved."

My chest tightened at his words. It wasn't just love I heard in his voice—it was guilt.

"What about you?" he asked suddenly, turning the spotlight on me. "How does it feel, knowing you'll go back to your world?"

I hesitated, unsure how to put my jumbled thoughts into words. "It's… complicated," I admitted. "I thought I'd be excited, you know? To go back to my life, my friends, my world. But now…" I trailed off, searching for the right words.

"But now, it doesn't feel as exciting as you imagined," he finished for me.

"Exactly," I said, surprised he understood. "It's like there's this… sadness, or maybe it's regret. I don't know. I just feel like I'm leaving something behind."

He nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "It's because you are. Even if this world isn't yours, even if you don't belong here, it's left a mark on you. And you've left a mark on it."

The weight of his words settled over me, and for a moment, I didn't know what to say. He was right, of course. As much as I wanted to go home, I couldn't deny that this place had changed me.

We sat in silence for a while, the stars above us and the faint hum of the night filling the gaps in our conversation. It wasn't an awkward silence, though. It was the kind that felt… comfortable. Like we'd said what needed to be said, and now we were just sharing the moment.

"You're not what I expected," I said finally, breaking the quiet.

He arched a brow, a hint of amusement flickering across his face. "And what did you expect?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "Someone colder, maybe. Less… human."

He chuckled softly, the sound almost foreign coming from him. "You're not what I expected either."

"Oh? What did you expect?"

"A nuisance," he said bluntly, but there was a teasing edge to his tone.

I laughed, the sound bubbling out before I could stop it. "Fair enough. I guess I've lived up to that, haven't I?"

"More than you know," he said, but there was no malice in his words.

For the first time since arriving in this strange world, I felt a strange sense of connection. Not just to Lucius, but to this place, Like I was supposed to be here.

And for the first time, I didn't want to leave just yet.