Tyrant's Obsession With The Heiress-Chapter 85: The Story Behind The Devil’s Curse [2]

All his life, Orpheus had only ever known bloodshed and hardships. Life in the Frosthowl Peaks was certainly no paradise, nor did he ever know a parent’s love.

He only worked towards one thing, and that was to become a man feared even by the gods.

Yet all of that had changed within the blink of an eye. The dreams and goals he had were crushed in a single moment because of the very weakness his father tried to train out of him.

It was too late to regret any of it, too late to look back and change any of it.

Orpheus’ soul now stood in the space between life and death, where one’s soul would be stripped bare for reckoning. It was where he should have waited until a representative of either heaven or hell would come for him.

He had no doubt he would be condemned to Hell for the bloodshed and cruelty he brought upon others under his father’s teachings.

He stood in the space where darkness surrounded him. There was no light, no shadow, no sign of life, but the space was cold like the Frosthowl Peaks.

There was an iciness, something that chilled his spirit beyond what it could feel after death.

While there was nothing surrounding him, he knew he certainly wasn’t alone. There was something watching him from the darkness, letting out faint growls now and then.

"Are you the demon that has come to take my soul?" Orpheus asked, showing no fear since he had already tasted death.

Great shame hung upon his shoulders and his death had torn down his strength and pride. It was humiliating to know he would never see the light of the world again, nor ever pick up a blade or ride a horse to complete conquests.

Whatever it was, it let out a hoarse and screechy cackle that would make one’s ears bleed if they listened for too long.

"I am no demon," the nameless thing spoke, only lingering in the darkness but never truly coming forward to reveal itself. "And I have no name."

The way it spoke sounded like bones crushing, a dark way of speech that was enough to chill Orpheus more than the cold peaks he’d lived in for the entirety of his life.

By instinct, he reached for the claymore on his back, realising that it was no longer there and that he had no way of defending himself.

"Then what are you?" Orpheus asked more firmly, still standing as guarded as possible. "And why have you come? Are my sins so heinous that neither heaven nor hell has come to claim my soul?"

The nameless thing cackled again, this time stepping out into the space in front of Orpheus. Its body ignited with a white glow, showing the features of a beast that was mangled beyond recognition.

It looked like something between a wolf and a horse but also had a scaly body. It was marred and deformed in places with a face that would bring any child nightmares for the rest of their life.

Orpheus stood there horrified, never having seen something so unholy in his life before. Even demons were far less hideous than whatever this thing was.

"I am the Pale Beast," the creature answered, gnashing its jagged teeth together.

The Pale Bast, a thing neither god nor demon, was imprisoned in between the planes of existence for committing acts so foul that its name was erased from history.

At first it was buried in a tomb so dark that it would never come to light, but its bindings were too weak.

It rose again and nearly brought about an era of extinction; hence, the gods banished it to the space between life and death, where it would forever remain imprisoned.

"In my time, I have consumed entire cities through despair alone," the Pale Beast related, shifting its body in a way that made its bones creak. "And now I dwell in this icy rift."

Orpheus wasn’t quite sure what she should have done, and being nothing more than a soul, he stood no chance against such a creature.

How foul was it that the Gods wouldn’t even want to imprison it in Hell or Heaven?

"I have watched you die." The Pale Beast circled him. "You did not use the fire in you; why? No, you couldn’t. Your fire has never listened to you since birth, little king of ash and fire."

Orpheus’ gaze narrowed, not fond of the fact that the Pale Beast seemed to know about the life he lived.

It was true that his Crimson Brand magic mark had never obeyed him. In childbirth, the mark appeared by burning itself into his skin and throughout his life, his own fire had tried to burn him alive in his sleep many times.

He never understood why something passed down to him rejected him so severely, but it was pure torture.

His fire could not kill him nor leave any burn marks, but it had always tried to set him alight when he was vulnerable. Hence, he never used his magic to fight or defend.

"And what of it?" Orpheus laughed bitterly. "Have you come to gloat about my failures? About my defectiveness?"

The Pale Beast, with eyes white like soulless orbs, regarded him for a moment.

"You do not deserve to die so weak, little king of ash and fire," the Pale Beast stated. "But you may rise again...if you surrender the warmth that makes you human."

Orpheus stood stunned, trying to understand what the mangled creature was saying.

"And how would I accomplish this?"

No one ever had second chances at life, but could this have been an opportunity? Yes, this was a chance to set things right and live the life he strived for.

He knew nothing of this creature, whether it was deceitful or truthful. All he knew was that if it was a chance to become stronger and take his revenge, then he would pay any price.

Warmth of a human? That had no place in the steel hearts of Van Merikh men in the first place. If the creature wanted it so badly, it could have it

A/N: Hi all! Thank you for reading this far. I will be setting some milestones to achieve in exchange for bonus Chapters!

Milestone 1: 50 cumulative PARAGRAPH comments = 1 bonus Chapter

Milestone 2: Massage chair gift/Luxury car gift = 2 bonus Chapters

Milestone 3: Magic castle gift = 4 bonus Chapters + 2 regular Chapters