Following a sharp crackling sound, snakes flooded in and pierced the black clouds.
The black clouds swung wildly.
"How come there are so many people impersonating the Heavenly Demon?" Kasia frowned as if she were unbearably dissatisfied. Come to think of it, Huan Sukothai, the King of Toads, had also called himself the Heavenly Demon and forced her to obey.
"I won't fall for it anymore." Shed found the real Heavenly Demon and smiled while recalling the man. Ohjins curly, black hair and decadent appearance had convinced her that he was the Heavenly Demon shed been seeking.
"How dare such lowly creatures try to impersonate Ohjin" She would kill every one of them with her own hands. Haa. She sighed and raised her arms, summoning shadow snakes from the nearby darkness. The snakes ate up the surrounding light and flooded toward the black cloud like a tidal wave.
Hmm A low sound flowed out of the black cloud. Yeah so thats what happened. As if he understood the whole situation, the black cloud burst into a low laugh.
Shhhhkkkkk!
The shadow snakes rushed in and instantly surrounded the dark cloud. Though it was in a gaseous state, the shadow snakes were able to directly strike at the soul.
Disappear, the cloud said. With that single command, the snakes melted like snow and vanished.
"What?" Kasias eyes widened in disbelief.
As I expected, should I say? A low laugh came out of the black cloud. I'm glad I have backup measures.
Backup measures? Kasia faltered and stepped back from the ominous foreboding running down her spine.
Come here, Kasia, the dark cloud called her.
Even though she tried to resist, her legs followed its command. Ah, eugh.
The formless, dark cloud reached out to her. Though it had no hand, she was able to recognize its movement for what it was. The night has come.
Click
Kasia froze as if a switch had been flicked. Her dull eyes stared into empty air. The previously clear night sky was covered in darkness.
Night makes you think of many things. The black clouds, or the Heavenly Demons, voice reverberated in the darkness. The anger, sadness, desire, and memories that I wanted to forget. The Heavenly Demons hand graciously stroked her cheek. Do you remember what happened that day?
Even in the thick rainforest, she felt a biting cold. Her teeth chattered together while her face paled. She recalled a snowy, white garden and laying on an endless field of snowit was the memory of being thrown away.
That day, I picked the stars from the night sky and gave them to you, the black cloud said.
Oh how could she have forgotten that the stars on the left side of her chest were his gifts to her?
What can you give me? the dark cloud asked as it gently enveloped her body.
Her mind felt numb, Kasia felt that the darkness was the most comfortable thing in the world. "Every thing," she murmured. "My everything to you, Heavenly Demon"
You don't have to give everything. Like flowers blooming and withering, the black clouds rolled back. I only need one favor from you the devil in the sky whispered in a sweet voice.
It was likely. "B-but" Ha-eun gulped and looked at the starstone in Isabella's hands. Since theyd received equipment from her, they had transferred all authority over the Thousand Curse Dragons body to Isabella. She was already in debt of more than twenty thousand dollars, so she couldn't accept the starstone.
"Oh my, why are you like this now? Its upsetting" Isabella sat next to her and smiled. She hugged Ha-eun's shoulder as the other woman could not take her eyes off the Thousand Curse Dragons starstone and whispered in her ear, "We're one family now, right?"
"What?" In the blink of an eye, Ha-eun, who never had a family to speak of, looked perplexed.
"Ha-eun What do you say in Korean? Oh, sister-in-law! You're my sister-in-law, aren't you?"
"I I'm not your sister-in-law," Ha-eun timidly refuted, but her gaze did not fall away from the large starstone.
Isabellas smile deepened as she looked at how enamored Ha-eun was with the starstone. "It's true that you became a 10-Star but there's still a long way to go, right?"
It was as she said. It was true that Ha-eun reached the same 10-Star rank as Isabella. Even though they were both 10-Star, the gap between Ha-eun and Isabella was the difference between the sky and the earth.
For Awakeners, a "Star" was like a weight class. Even if they had the same heavyweight physique, wasnt there a huge gap between a beginner, who had just started working out, and a professional with a champion belt? Naturally, that gap got wider in the higher ranks.
"This starstone it will help you grow a lot, right?" Isabella asked.
"Yess."
Isabella looked at Ha-eun, who was slumped and slurring the ends of her words, in delight. "Ha-eun, I've never been to an amusement park." She stroked her lips and looked at Ohjin. "I want to go to an amusement park with Ohjin tomorrow. Will that be okay?"
"Ugh," Ha-eun grumbled.
She didnt even have to say, Just the two of us, for it to be obvious.
"You didn't forget the promise you made, did you?" Isabella asked.
Ha-eun pursed her mouth tightly and avoided Isabella's gaze before giving Ohjin an anxious look and sighing. "Okay, you two can go."
"Oh yeah!" Isabella jumped out of her seat and clenched her fist in victory. "Ah" She coughed awkwardly after a moment's silence. "I'm sorry, I'm a little excited." She sat back in her seat, blushing.
Ha-eun glared at her and said, "Don't forget, Ohjin is my lover."
"Of course, I know!" Isabella nodded, desperately trying to hide her smile.
"Ah, my head." Ha-eun sighed deeply and glared at Ohjin. She couldnt say anything to Isabella since she had received so much, so she turned her anger on Ohjin for no reason. "You're the most problematic thing ever."
Though he suddenly became the target of her anger, there was nothing he could sayit was his fault for not distancing himself from Isabella.
"It's okay for you two to go out and have fun, but" Ha-eun continued, glancing at Isabella's pale pink lips. "Kissing is not allowed, got it?"
"Hehe. Of course!" Isabella jumped out of her seat and readily agreed before hugging Ohjins arm and bashfully smiling. "Did you hear that, Ohjin? Let's have fun together tomorrow!"
"Okay" How could he argue in such a situation? He sighed slightly as he looked at Isabella, who was as excited as a child the day before a field trip.
She clasped Ohjin's arm, and her eyes glinted. 'If kissings not allowed'