The Damned Demon

Chapter 757  I Will Never Give Up

Not too long ago,

The cool air of Lori's cave brushed over Asher as he sat there, his head bowed in silence. The darkness from the cave's entrance seemed to swallow him whole.

He ran a hand through his long moon-white hair, trying to collect his thoughts, but all he could hear was the pounding of his own heart, the weight of his actions pressing down on him like a heavy stone.

He had come here hoping to find Lysandra, hoping that she had managed to evade Drakar's pursuit and would be here, waiting for him. He had to find her. He couldn't let her die, not after everything that had happened between them.

But to his dismay, she wasn't. He had told her to come here if she needed refuge, knowing the dangers she constantly had to face.

But the silence of the cave, and the absence of her presence, told him what he feared the most—she was still out there, somewhere, trying to stay alive, hiding from Drakar's wrath.

Asher let out a deep sigh, slumping back against the rocky wall, his mind a tangled mess of worry and guilt other than the matter regarding Lysandra.

The choices he had made haunted him, the words Rowena had said to him echoing in his mind like a constant reminder of his failings. "You betrayed me…" Her voice, sharp with hurt and anger, cut through him with every repetition. He had tried to explain, tried to make things right, but nothing could erase the hurt that he had caused.

He knew this day would come, but he always hoped it would be after he had taken care of Derek and saved his kingdom. Then…he would have let Rowena judge him for everything he did. He never planned to save himself from her judgment because he deserved it. Yet now he felt he never should have been afraid of her judgment but should have told her everything, especially after he had fallen in love with her.

Instead, he kept lying to her, and she trusted him blindly despite her own doubts. She never deserved that.

But he couldn't afford to dwell on it. Not now. Not when his kingdom was at risk.

His mind shifted back to the task at hand. This cave, near the Inferna continent, was a perfect vantage point for watching Drakar's movements. If he could stay hidden, observe the movements of the Draconis army, maybe—just maybe—he could sabotage their plans, weaken their forces, and buy more time for his kingdom. His kingdom needed him, even if Rowena had rejected him and resented him. His duty as a protector wasn't over and his people must be waiting for him.

However, on his way here, he never saw any draconians, and it could only mean that they had yet to leave their continent, making him wonder why Drakar would waste time.

Yet, no matter how much he tried to focus on the kingdom's survival, the knot in his chest wouldn't loosen. The guilt and worry was suffocating. What if it was too late? What if Rowena already hated him beyond redemption? Even if he somehow managed to let her know the entire truth behind his actions, why would she want to stay with someone who once took away a lot of people she cared about and broke her trust? Worst of it…his people will hate him once she announces his exile to them.

He couldn't help but remember the demons he killed as Cedric and recognized some of the places the moment he woke up in his kingdom; many demons he killed were from his own kingdom, making him feel even more guilty, not towards just Rowena but his own people. They were all fighting to survive, and yet he slaughtered them all, even those who begged for mercy due to his own hatred towards demons at that time.

He could only imagine Rowena's hatred towards Hunters or humans when he himself was like that at that time.

He clenched his fists, the pain of his regrets piercing him deeper with every thought. But no matter what, even if it cost him his life, he would save his kingdom. He would make things right.

"HISSSS!"

A sharp hiss jolted him from his thoughts, the sound slicing through the stillness like a blade. His eyes darted upward as the unmistakable form of Lori descended from the skies, her massive serpentine body with an iridescent sheen of dark purples and black shimmering in the crimson light.

Lori landed gracefully, her massive tail coiling around her as she quickly reduced her size, her enormous form shrinking until she was almost as tall as Asher.

"Lori?" Asher didn't know whether to be surprised or not to see her come after him this quickly.

Her dark purple eyes glinted with annoyance, though there was a hint of concern beneath her sharp expression,

"I knew it! That you would be here," she hissed, her voice sharp as a dagger, "Why did you ssssuddenly dissappear?? You have any idea the commotion your disappearance has caused back in your kingdom?" Lori's long, forked tongue flickered in and out as she stepped toward him, her anger mixing with a strange undercurrent of worry.

Asher's expression grew doleful, the weight of the moment pressing down on him as he mumbled, almost to himself, "So she already announced to everyone?" The thought of Rowena revealing his disappearance to the world shocked him more than he cared to admit. He had expected the news to be kept quiet or her to give herself some time to think before doing something like that. But the reality stung. Despite everything, though, Lori had still sought him out. He hadn't expected that, not after everything that had happened.

Lori tilted her head, her serpentine eyes narrowing in confusion, "Huh? You knew ssshe was going to announce you disappearing? And here I thought you were planning to do something important, instead of hiding in my old home for no reason."

Asher blinked, a sense of unease creeping up his spine as he looked at her, his voice slipping into a quiet, uncertain tone, "Wait a minute. What exactly did Rowena announce?"

Lori's confusion deepened, but she didn't hesitate to answer, "She announced that you sssuddenly disappeared for some duty to be fulfilled elsewhere. Everyone's ssshocked and confused. You know, because you are the king who just vanished when the war had already started."

Asher's eyes widened in surprise. His breath caught in his chest, "So she didn't tell our people that I was exiled?"

Lori's expression shifted from confusion to outright bewilderment, "Exsssiled??! What in the name of the devilssss are you talking about? Why would your own queen and wife exile you?? You can't be a traitor, are you? Secretly helping the draconians or some backhanded shit like that?" Her voice was filled with genuine disbelief, her serpentine face inching closer as she gave him a mock skeptical look.

Asher sighed deeply, shaking his head, "Not that kind of traitor," he muttered. His gaze dropped to the ground, the weight of his own guilt heavy in his chest, "But I betrayed her trust. I did and hid things from her... hurt her in a way I never intended. I hurt her too much."

Lori's eyes gleamed with curiosity and disbelief, leaning forward as she flicked her tongue out, "Oooo? You really did? What kind of thingsss exactly?" Her voice was laced with bubbling curiosity as she pressed further, her serpentine face almost sticking to his.

Asher's eyes darkened, a somber expression overtaking him. He gently pushed her head away, his tone firm but tinged with sorrow, "It doesn't matter anymore. She'll never forgive me."

Lori hissed in disappointment, pulling back slightly, though her eyes never left him, "Fine, if you want to be all ssssecretive," she said, but then narrowed her eyes, a flicker of understanding in her gaze, "But in the little time I've known you, brat, I am sure you are not one to hurt those you love on purpose. You might be cunning, licentioussss, but you've got some honor in you. Even when you fought against me and tricked me into seeing my worst nightmare, you didn't take advantage of my weakened sssstate to kill me or loot my precious treasures. Any other soul in this world would have done so, including me."

Asher blinked at her, unsure of where this was going, but Lori wasn't done, "That kindness and warmth in your heart," she continued, "that's why so many women get attached to you—including my humble self, who only wants a seed from you." She grinned slyly, making sure the idea was still fresh in his mind, and went on as her grin faded, "So whatever went wrong within love land and the young queen, it should be resolvable if she truly loves you as well. Which sssshe does, from what I've seen."

Asher wasn't expecting such a candid and encouraging response from Lori, and he stared at her for a moment, his heart unexpectedly warmed by her words. A brief, sad smile tugged at his lips "Thanks, Lori. I'm flattered you have a good opinion of me, but... it's complicated." He ran a hand through his hair, his voice growing more serious, "I didn't say I would give up. Once this war is over, I will do everything I can to win back her love and trust... I have to."

Lori let out a satisfied hiss, her eyes gleaming, "Sssss, that's a good brat. Now, what do you plan to do? You didn't even leave a message for your women before leaving, did you?"

Asher's face tightened. "I thought they would know through the announcement... but I couldn't..." His voice trailed off, fearing their reaction to the truth.

It was one of the reasons he couldn't tell them anything. He was hoping Isola would help them handle it in his stead, but Rowena... she probably wouldn't want to see him lingering around for even a second longer."

"...But why are you here?" Asher muttered, his voice laced with confusion as he looked at Lori, "When Rowena exiled me, she didn't want any of our people to follow me."

Lori grinned widely, the mischievous sparkle in her eyes unmistakable, "Ssss, good thing I'm not a Bloodburner, but a free and majestic serpent and...your partner," she said, placing a cowboy hat atop her head with a playful wink.

Asher's lips twitched upward despite himself, a soft chuckle escaping his throat, "Alright, partner," he said, the warmth in his chest spreading as he played along, "If you insist on tagging along, let's focus on lowering the numbers of those draconians before they reach my kingdom's gates. I have yet to see any movements from them. So you should check on our kingdom's borders just in case. You are the only one I can now contact."

Just as the words left his mouth, a faint glow emanated from his pocket, and the Whisper Stone began to pulse with a dark red light. His heart skipped a beat. He pulled it out quickly, his eyes widening as he saw the familiar markings.

He answered the call without hesitation, and then, her voice, weak and urgent, echoed from the stone, "Asher... help..." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

His voice cracked slightly as he recognized the voice instantly. "Lysandra!"