Chapter 61: Chapter 61
Sensing her prey’s pain and fret, the woman’s lips stretched into a wicked smile, revealing a set of decayed grey teeth, amused with the futile attempts of the fly trying to escape her creatures’ grip, her chest rose in victory and pride, for she knew that the prey she got this time was not like any other.
This particular prey had something particular about him, he was a young man, full of life, he smelled so manly, so sharp and masculine, exactly the way she liked them, she was getting very tired of the boring intruders who would have been already dead, this one was the change she was craving, but there was something else about him, something palpable even from such distance, dark like her days, sharp like the canines of her pets, and cold like the depths she lived in, the thought of the rare combination made her mouth water with all the things she planned to do to her little toy after she is done asking him questions and feeding her curiosity.
Eren watched as the strange woman’s lips stretched to form the most sinister smile he ever saw, one which made the most vicious of demons look like the frailest princess when compared to this maleficent woman, especially when he noticed her eyes which were hidden behind the long, tangled silver locks.
It wasn’t the greyish lips nor the greyish teeth behind them, and not even the sickly pale skin that made the alarming bells ring inside the shadows lord’s head, it was her eyes, or more accurately, her empty sockets, ones that reminded him of arid caverns.
The woman was bad news, Eren concluded as he kept on watching her carefully, the same way he used to watch the predators of the dark forest when he was a deranged child, evaluating the situation he was in, it didn’t take him more than a second to know that the odds were against him, the woman was emitting a very strong aura, one which was so similar to Sara’s, but still different as it lacked that warm glow his fair lady had, let alone the way she stood which contradicted the way she looked.
A corpse with the pride of a queen!
No, not a queen, Eren thought, the silver hair might have been a coincidence, but the aura wasn’t.
“You are a Goddess!” Eren breathed the words steadily, hiding his agony, he was too proud to show weakness in front of one of his enemies, even though the excruciating pain was only escalating in its intensity with his pierced lungs.
Pain, however, wasn’t all what the shadows’ lord felt, for he was also surprised and confused, if the woman was indeed a Goddess as he predicted, then what was she doing there, and why did she look like a beggar who was starved for centuries.
“We have a smart one today I see!” Eren watched as the greyish lips spoke the words with that smooth voice, knowing that he wouldn’t have believed that such voice came out of such hideous creature if he didn’t witness it with his own eyes.
“So, you are…” before he could finish his sentence, the grip tightened around the shadows lord’s body again, making him gasp in pain, only for the woman’s lips to stretch even further, enjoying his agony.
“Did that hurt?!” Eren held back the curse, even though he wanted to do nothing but to tear the woman’s limps apart, he chose to remain calm, holding back his animalistic vengeful instincts to leave the room for his sane side.
Even though the woman was making him suffer, she didn’t plan to kill him, not yet, if she wanted to she would have done it already, Eren concluded, and with the all odds against him, he knew it would be in his best interest to stall the situation a bit further, maybe obtain more information or at least learn the woman’s motives and the reason she was there and not at the center with the rest of the Gods.
“Who are you?” He asked again, knowing that the woman wouldn’t be pleased, but a question was the best way to get her to talk instead of standing in the middle of the creatures like a proud bitch!
“I am the one who is going to ask questions here! And you are going to answer!” the woman tutted, her lips curled but she didn’t go beyond that.
“What if I don’t?”
“You die!” she shrugged, pain and death threats always worked for her, no matter how tough the prey was, or pretended to be.
“Is that so?” Eren’s chuckles were deprived of humor, “I have already prepared myself to die the moment I left my lands, so you better find something better than my life to negotiate with, because I am not afraid to die!”
“Brave! I like you!” the woman said, and the shadows lord detected the seduction in her voice, the air around her changed, her body took a different stance, one filled with feminine pride, not hiding her curiosity and interest.
It was a strange behavior, creepy even, but might be useful.
“How about an answer for an answer? It wouldn’t hurt if I am going to die anyway!” Eren’s voice was both calm and suggestive, he already tried to break free from the tight grip but he couldn’t, the blood loss drained his energy and left him very weak, whilst his enemy was radiating with power, he knew his chances were very slim if things came to a direct combat, but maybe a combat wasn’t needed.
The woman was strong, maybe one of the strongest opponents, but also the most arrogant and proud, yet not the sanest.
“Sounds fair!” the woman said with pursed lips, she knew what her prey was trying to do, after all, she could sense life leaving his body, there was no escape for him and they both knew it, he was trying to stall, which didn’t matter much as there was no way he was going to escape her clutches.
Nor did she plan to let him, the woman thought while licking her lips, he had answers to her questions, and he had an amusing attitude that entertained her, something she didn’t feel in centuries.
“My name is Eren Salvatore, and I am the lord of the dark forest!” the woman’s lips stretched as surprised expression settled all over her face,
“A demon lord in the forbidden sea?” when she didn’t receive an answer, the woman shook her head, knowing what was her prey waiting for. “My name is Ayartma, and as you predicted, I am a Goddess!”
“A Goddess in the forbidden sea?!” Eren threw back her question to her, making her chuckle, she was enjoying the situation, he knew it, not only did the air change around her, but the creatures were not biting on him as hard as they did before, only enough to keep him in place.
“What is a demon lord doing in the forbidden sea!”
“I came to kill the Gods!” Eren answered truthfully, knowing the huge risk he just took, but if his conclusions were right, then the Goddess with the strange name did not share the kindest relationship with the rest of the Gods, it was the only explanation for her ragged appearance and her being in the sea instead of the center with the rest of the Gods.
Eren remembered a particular figure from Sara’s dream, Historia, how glorious and divine she looked, unlike this Ayartma, her empty sockets were another clue, and the fact that she smiled instead of killing him when he told her his intention was another.
“Interesting!” Eren’s fears were almost extinguished and his doubts were confirmed with that one word which was followed by the loosening of the grip, the woman was confident of herself and strength, not afraid of him, and at the same time, interested to know his whole story, especially if it included killing the bastards who betrayed her.
“What do you mean by interesting?”
“I believe we can be of some use to each other, but first, I must assure that you are reliable and strong enough, So, how about you join me in my humble place?!” the woman said before the grip tightened around Eren’s body once again and started dragging him down, beneath the surface of the water and deep into the sea.
Eren tried to hold his breath as long as possible, but with the tight hold and the pierced lungs, he couldn’t resist the basic instinct of breathing and inhaling, a big mistake for all what entered his lungs were the salty water of the forbidden sea.
the pain was beyond belief as his lungs burned with the unwelcomed intrusion and so did every single cell in his body, the lack of air wasn’t his only tormentor, but also the seawater that dissolved his magic, preventing him from healing properly, the water felt like lava scorching his insides, the agony intensified with each passing second.
But even when he was suffering, Eren didn’t allow himself to lose his focus, he kept his eyes open despite the burning effect of the sea salt, witnessing the place the creepy woman was taking him to.
The creatures dived and dived, to the depths of the sea, too deep for the sun light and warmth to reach, the water was cold and dark, and dead, nothing indeed lived there, not even the smallest of fish nor the tiniest of plants.
This place could have been his heaven, only if he could breath, Eren thought as the creatures took him to the bottom of the sea, his eyes were perfectly able to see in the dark and the cold wasn’t much of an issue, but the weight on his joints was crushing him, and so was the burning in his lungs, however, his suffering came to an end when the creatures reached what looked like a small mountain under the sea, one with a cave entrance on the bottom of it.
Once the creatures’ feet hit the bottom, they freed the shadows’ lord who quickly regained control over his body, turning to the woman, he noticed that she was standing by the entrance confidently and effortlessly, as if she was standing on the shore without the tons of the water weight on her shoulders, holding on to the little life left inside of him, Eren pushed himself toward the entrance, knowing he could be going to his own death.