Chained Hearts: From Slavery to Sovereignty-Chapter 137: Heart of the Demon Realm

Cassian groaned.

His throat felt dry, his head heavy, and everything around him was spinning—like he had been tossed through a storm and dragged halfway back again. His body ached in strange places, and his limbs felt oddly light, like they didn’t belong to him.

What the hell happened...?

He blinked slowly, his vision blurred and flickering between dark shadows and soft light. He could feel warmth under him, something like velvet cushions beneath his back. But his mind was foggy—everything felt like a half-forgotten dream.

He sat up with a low grunt and immediately regretted it.

A sharp wave of dizziness hit him, making him grip his forehead tightly.

"Ugh... my head..."

And just as he was about to fall back onto the pillows, a cheerful, high-pitched voice rang out beside him.

"Ah! You’re awake! Do you want some water?" freёnovelkiss-com

Cassian’s eyes snapped open.

His head turned sharply—and what he saw made him jerk so hard he almost fell off the bed.

"W-What the—?!"

He nearly screamed.

The girl standing beside him shrieked at the same time, the glass in her hands slipping through her fingers. It hit the floor with a thud, rolling away as water spread across the polished black stone tiles.

For a second, they both just stared at each other in wide-eyed horror.

Cassian, still clutching his head, looked completely stunned.

The girl looked even more terrified—like he was the one who’d jumped out of nowhere and scared her.

Her large eyes shimmered like red rubies, and her cheeks were flushed with soft crimson. Her skin was a gentle shade of warm brown, with faint reddish hues glowing beneath it like embers. Two small, curved horns poked out from her fluffy black curls, and her pointed ears twitched nervously as she backed away with her hands raised in surrender.

"I-I didn’t mean to sneak in!" she stammered quickly. "I was just curious! Don’t eat me, mister human!"

"...What?" Cassian blinked.

He had no idea what was going on. Was he still dreaming? Or had he lost his mind?

"W-Wait—where am I?" he asked, looking around in confusion.

The room he was in was... strange.

It was beautiful, yes—but not in the way any human palace or noble’s home would be. Everything felt... otherworldly. The bed he sat on was massive, shaped like a blooming flower with layers of soft golden petals.

The ceiling above was decorated with shifting constellations—stars that glowed and moved as if alive. The walls were smooth, made of obsidian and carved with patterns that shimmered faintly in silver-blue light.

And even the air smelled different.

Sweet. Heavy. Like some strange mix of moonflowers and incense.

This is not a human place, he thought.

His hand moved to his arm—and he pinched himself.

Hard.

"Ow."

Okay, definitely not a dream.

Cassian’s eyes darted back to the girl, who was now crouched behind a pillar, peeking out with wide, watery eyes.

"You really are human..." she whispered, placing both hands over her chest like her heart was about to burst. "I-I’ve never seen one before... Father always said humans were scary! Are you gonna turn into a beast and burn me with holy light?"

"...What?" Cassian said again, completely lost.

"I heard humans do that! Especially to little demons like me!"

She sniffled, trying to hide further behind the pillar.

"I swear I didn’t mean to scare you! I just... I snuck in to see what you looked like. Everyone was talking about the ’human’ who was brought here by our Supreme Lord. But I didn’t think you’d be so scary up close!"

Cassian’s lips twitched.

He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or groan. His head was still spinning, but now there was a tiny, shivering demon girl talking like he was the monster under the bed.

"Okay. First of all," he said, raising a hand, "I’m not gonna burn you. And I’m not some holy light warrior or whatever you think I am."

The girl blinked, still half-hiding.

"You’re not?"

"I literally just woke up and almost screamed because you were standing next to me with a glass of water."

Her eyes widened, and then she peeked out just a little more.

"...Really?"

"Yes."

"...You’re not here to eat little demons?"

"No."

She stepped out a bit more, her bare feet pattering softly against the stone floor. Her dress was simple, a soft orange fabric that floated around her knees, and a little golden bell jingled around her neck as she moved.

"Are all humans like you?" she asked, tilting her head.

Cassian frowned. "I don’t know what you mean by that."

"You’re weird," she said, smiling a little now. "But not scary. Just grumpy."

Cassian sighed.

That part, at least, was fair.

He leaned back against the bed’s frame, trying to gather his thoughts. His mind still felt fuzzy—he couldn’t remember how he got here. The last thing he remembered was that coffin... the Demon of Lust on top of him... that teasing voice...

Then the explosion.

That man with the cold voice...

And then nothing.

He blinked, glancing around the room again.

"Where is this?" he asked. "What... realm is this?"

The girl’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. "This is the Inner Palace of the Crimson Crescent Citadel! In the Demon Realm!"

Cassian’s entire body went stiff.

"...Demon Realm?"

She nodded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Mhm. That’s where you are now. You were brought here after you fainted!"

Cassian looked down at himself, now fully clothed in unfamiliar silk robes, his boots gone, his sword nowhere in sight.

"...Brought here by who?"

The girl giggled. "By our Supreme Lord, of course. Everyone knows him. He’s the one who rules the demon world...The most powerful demon."

Cassian’s blood ran cold.

He remembered now—that was the voice.

The one who shattered the coffin. The one who held him close and threaten that demon of lust, "If you can survive this, then come to me."

"...He brought me here?"

The girl nodded. "He never carries anyone. But he carried you."

Cassian sat very still.

His hands slowly curled into fists in his lap. His heart beat louder than before.

He wasn’t just in another place. He was in another world. And somehow, without ever remembering how... he had ended up in the heart of the Demon Realm.

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