Ol’gaz struck Florian, hurling him against the wall. In an instant, the demon was standing right before Florian, its eyes wild with madness and fury. This was the mont Florian had dreaded most. But when it finally ca, he found it disturbingly mundane.
Ol’gaz was terrifying, yes, but Florian had reached a point where fear of the demon no longer gripped him. The only thing that mattered now was keeping his sister safe. And if that ant making an uneasy alliance with the emperor’s right hand, then so be it.
The absence of fear on Florian’s face unsettled Ol’gaz. The demon recoiled, its form twitching as it peeled itself off the boy. Florian, unfazed, adjusted his clothes as though nothing had happened. Ol’gaz sneered, a wide, malicious grin stretching across the boy’s face—its face.
It was unnerving, but Florian had begun to dissociate from the demon as Ol’gaz took on a more physical form that mirrored his own. The effect was paradoxical: the more the demon manifested as a tangible presence, the less Florian feared it.
What Ol’gaz had intended to be an intimidation tactic only served to make Florian more indifferent to its presence.
"I see now," the demon growled, its voice dripping with venom. It clasped its hands behind its back and began to circle Florian slowly, each step asured, predatory.
Though Ol’gaz’s tone remained eerily calm, fury churned beneath the surface. The demon had thrived on Florian’s weakness, feasting on his fragile mind. The boy’s vulnerability had been Ol’gaz’s lifeblood. Had Florian found the strength to resist from the start, the demon would never have gained this much ground.
Ol’gaz was so close—so close—to manifesting a physical body of its own. To sever its bond with the host, to consu the boy entirely, reclaiming the full power it had long been denied. It couldn’t—wouldn’t—let Florian sabotage the plan now.
"You thought you could fool , didn’t you? That false confidence... it must have co from that delusion," it hissed, its words laced with venom.
But Ol’gaz was wrong. Florian’s waning fear wasn’t the product of arrogance—it was the result of a desperate, burning desire to protect Riona.
The demon misunderstood entirely. It believed that by shattering the boy’s efforts, by showing him that all his struggle was in vain, it could crush his resolve. But it couldn’t have been further from the truth.
"I could feel it," Ol’gaz continued, its voice dripping with mockery. "Even though I didn’t search for it, didn’t pry, I knew exactly what you were doing. The veil you put up was too thin. It couldn’t keep out."
Leaning in closer, Ol’gaz made sure Florian felt the weight of its presence, as if to remind him who he was trying to deceive. The demon wasn’t going to tolerate this challenge.
This boy had to be taught a lesson—a harsh one—so he wouldn’t make the sa mistake again. It wasn’t that Ol’gaz couldn’t handle it. The demon simply couldn’t stand being underestimated.
"Why are you trying to save a world that doesn’t even care about you?" Ol’gaz began, its voice smooth and insidious, the words designed to isolate Florian, to make him feel utterly alone.
But it was far off the mark.
"This world hates you, and you hate it. I know you hate it!" The demon’s words ca faster, almost frantic. Even if it couldn’t find proof of Florian’s hatred, Ol’gaz would weave the lie into a reality, hamring the idea into the boy’s mind.
The truth was, Florian had once hated the world—back when he was bullied, abandoned, cast aside by everyone around him. But as ti passed, he realized that it wasn’t true.
It wasn’t hatred he had felt. He only wished for a place where he and Riona could live in peace, free from the hatred of others, away from those who would harm them.
"Listen, child," Ol’gaz continued, its tone shifting to sothing more intimate, almost conspiratorial. "I don’t trust the emperor either. We’re one, after all. What you feel, I feel, and vice versa. The only reason I cooperate with him is because he holds the power on this earth—the power I need to make my mark in this world."
Make my mark... The words echoed in Florian’s mind, sounding almost noble in their simplicity.
But Florian wasn’t fooled. He knew the truth. Ol’gaz wasn’t speaking of honor or legacy. It intended to rule, to dominate every living being on earth, to make them bow before it, to control them as it pleased, feeding off their despair.
"Don’t make laugh! Like you said, what you feel, I feel. Don’t act like you don’t expect to read your mind too. You’re always talking about how we can rule the world, about how the world doesn’t need , how Riona looks down on . But I see you too, just like you see . All of it—it’s your tricks," Florian shot back, his voice sharp and unyielding.
His expression was one of defiance, a stark contrast to the boy who had once been consud by fear and uncertainty. It was the first ti since Ol’gaz’s seal had been broken that the demon saw this new side of Florian.
The demon had never expected this—never thought Florian capable of such a look. He had always believed the boy only knew fear, sorrow, and submission. To see him standing there, resolute and defiant, was sothing Ol’gaz hadn’t anticipated.
"And your tricks no longer work on ," Florian added.
Ol’gaz finally revealed its true color. Angry at Florian’s defiance, it bared its fangs and shoved the boy to the wall again.
This ti, the demon didn’t throw him. It kept its hands on Florian’s neck and pressed on it. It growled. Its face was nacing as if it could kill Florian at any minute. It would if it could—but it couldn’t.
Florian smirked. "Go on. Kill . I’d rather leave this world with you than have you rule over the world with your personality."
That did it.
Ol’gaz might not be able to kill him—but it could tornt him until he wished he were dead instead. It delivered blow after blow. Hit his stomach, his face, his chest. Florian coughed up dark blood and had his face battered and swollen. His previously clean face was now filled with bruises, open wounds, and dripping blood.
Instead of begging for rcy or trying to flee, Florian simply took it all. His body slumped against the wall, broken but unyielding, and he laughed—a dark, defiant sound. Blood dripped from his mouth as his lips grew wider.
"Is that all you can do?" he taunted.
Reviews
All reviews (0)