The elevator groaned as it descended into the lower levels of the outpost—deep beneath the frostbitten earth, where the walls were lined with reinforced obsidian and the air was thick with containment seals. Only the worst of the worst were kept here.
Shinomiya stood beside me, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. The cold around her intensified the deeper we went, frost creeping along the steel walls like veins of ice.
"You sure about this?" she asked, not looking at me.
"Nope," I said, cracking my neck. "But when have I ever been?"
She sighed. "That's what worries me."
The elevator hissed open.
We stepped into a corridor lit by pale blue lights. At the end, a single containment cell pulsed with crimson runes. Inside, something moved—slow, deliberate, almost… elegant.
The cell door slid open with a low hum.
We walked in.
And she smiled.
---
The Demon
She was no longer the formless clay mass the scouts had described. She had evolved—rapidly. Now she stood tall, statuesque, with obsidian skin that shimmered like polished stone. Her eyes were molten gold, slitted like a serpent's, and her hair flowed like black ink suspended in water.
She was beautiful.
Terrifyingly so.
"Shigen," she said, her voice a velvet purr that echoed in the chamber. "We finally meet."
I blinked. "You know my name?"
She tilted her head, amused. "Of course. I've been watching you since the moment you lit the forest in blue."
I scratched my head. "Right. And you are…?"
She placed a hand on her chest and bowed slightly. "You may call me Azael. I am the last of the Immortal Brood. And I've chosen you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Chosen me for what? A demon prom date?"
She chuckled, a low, sultry sound. "To form a pact, of course. A bond of power. Of purpose. Of… intimacy."
Shinomiya stepped forward, her voice sharp. "Cut the theatrics. State your terms."
Azael's gaze didn't leave mine. "I want his heart."
I blinked again. "You mean metaphorically, right? Like, 'I stole your heart' kind of thing?"
"No," she said sweetly. "I mean your literal heart."
"Ah," I said, nodding. "Well, I was using it."
She smiled wider. "Not in the way I will."
Shinomiya's hand twitched near her blade. "You're asking him to die."
"I'm offering him eternity," Azael replied, her tone still calm. "I am immortal. If he gives me his heart, I will house it within me. In return, he will share my immortality. Our lives will be bound. Our power, fused. He will become more than human."
I looked at Shinomiya. "So… pros: I don't die. Cons: I give my heart to a demon who talks like a seductive librarian."
Azael giggled. "You flatter me."
Shinomiya's eyes narrowed. "If either of you steps out of line—if I sense even a flicker of betrayal—I will freeze your soul solid and shatter it myself."
Azael turned to her, smiling. "Oh, Captain. You're welcome to try."
Frost bloomed across the floor.
I raised a hand. "Ladies, please. Let's not turn this into a turf war. I'm still sore from yesterday."
Azael's eyes softened. "You're amusing, Shigen. I like that. Most humans scream or beg. You? You make jokes."
"Yeah, well, humor's cheaper than therapy."
She stepped closer, the air around her humming with restrained power. "So… will you give me your heart?"
I looked down at my chest. Then back at her.
"Will I still be able to eat spicy noodles?"
"Yes."
"Still get drunk?"
"Only if I let you."
"Hmm. That's a dealbreaker."
She laughed again, genuinely this time. "You're delightful."
I glanced at Shinomiya. She didn't look delighted.
"I'll allow it," she said coldly. "But I'm placing a seal on both of you. If this pact goes sideways, I'll know. And I will act."
Azael bowed. "Fair."
I exhaled, rubbing my temples. "Alright. Let's do this before I change my mind."
Azael's eyes gleamed. "Then come here, Shigen. Let me show you what it means… to share a heart."
---
We sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor, backs pressed together, the air between us humming with ancient energy. Azael's skin radiated a strange warmth, like obsidian left out under a blood moon. My breath slowed. My mind quieted.
Around us, Shinomiya stood watch, arms folded, her eyes sharp and unreadable. The chamber was sealed, runes glowing faintly on the walls as the ritual began.
Azael's voice was low, melodic. "Close your eyes, Shigen. Let your Yen flow. Let it spiral inward."
I did.
We chanted in unison, our voices weaving through the air like twin threads of fate. The room darkened. The torches dimmed. The world narrowed to a single point of heat in my chest.
We descended through the circles of cultivation—one by one. Each layer peeled away something: fear, doubt, memory, pain. By the time we reached the Ninth Circle, I felt hollow. Weightless.
Then she moved.
Azael turned, straddling me from behind, her hands sliding across my chest. Her fingers glowed with a deep crimson light.
"Are you ready?" she whispered.
"No," I said. "But I'm already here."
She smiled.
And drove her hand into my chest.
There was no pain. Just pressure. A strange, pulling sensation. Like something sacred being unraveled.
She withdrew her hand slowly.
In her palm, my heart pulsed—glowing faintly, still beating.
Then she opened her mouth.
And swallowed it whole.
---
The Stillness
I collapsed.
My body hit the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. Shinomiya shouted something, but it was distant—like she was underwater. My vision blurred. My limbs went numb.
Then… silence.
And then…
A breath.
I sat up.
Slowly. Calmly.
No gasping. No panic. Just movement.
Azael turned to me, her eyes wide with wonder. "You did it," she whispered. "You're still here."
I stood, brushing dust from my pants. My face was blank. My eyes distant.
Shinomiya stepped forward, cautious. "Shigen?"
I turned to her. "Yeah?"
"You okay?"
I blinked. "Define 'okay.'"
Azael laughed, delighted. "He's still funny. I was worried you'd lose that."
I cracked another joke. Something about how I hoped she didn't get indigestion from my heart.
She laughed again.
But I didn't.
Not really.
Not inside.
Shinomiya frowned. She stepped closer, placing a hand gently on my chest.
Then froze.
Her eyes widened. Her breath caught.
"Shigen…" she whispered. "Your heart. It's not beating."
I looked down at her hand.
Then at Azael.
And for the first time in my life…
I didn't feel anything at all.
[End of Chapter Five]