Dawn came too soon.
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Kimoko opened her eyes, feeling the chill of morning on her skin. The fire had long since died out, and silence still reigned around them. Kigami sat leaning against a tree, staring into space. He wasn’t sleeping.
The moment the girl stretched lazily, the boy turned his gaze in her direction. His gaze was different than usual, unreadable, full of something that made Kimoko feel a strange pressure in her stomach.
Without a word, he handed her a piece of torn paper. Its edges were wet with a golden substance that almost resembled blood.
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“What is this?” she asked, frowning.
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“Read it,” he replied quietly.
With trembling fingers, she unfolded the scrap and ran her eyes over the uneven letters.
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Dear Kimoko and Kigami,
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Don’t look for me. You’ll be better off without me.
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My lies are too much for you to bare.
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Estella
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Kimoko froze.
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“ It’s impossible…” she whispered, clutching the parchment in her hand. “She wouldn’t have written that.”
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Kigami looked at her grimly.
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“Because she didn’t write it.” His voice was icy. “It’s Nikita.”
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Kimoko’s heart sped up.
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“Nikita…” she repeated, tightening her fingers around the paper. “Why would your sister take her?”
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The demon raised his gaze, a stern seriousness lurking in it.
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“Because he doesn’t know that Estella doesn’t have the crystal.” His voice trailed off. “And I don’t even want to think about what he might do to her if he tries to find out… It’s all my fault.”
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Kimoko frowned.
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“How is it your fault?”
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Kigami sighed heavily, clenching his fist.
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“In Nikita’s eyes, anyone who sticks with me becomes her target.” He looked away. “And Estella… is one of the Vorthakai quadruplets.” She participated in our mother’s imprisonment.
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Kimoko held her breath.
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“So if Nikita wants to free Felicia… Estella is her key to the information about her brothers.”
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A heavy silence fell. Kimoko felt something rebel inside her. She couldn’t let Estella be used for something she didn’t even understand.
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“We have to find her.” Her tone left no room for discussion.
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Kigami looked at her with a shadow of doubt in his eyes.
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“It won’t be that easy. Nikita works fast. If he already has her, then…”
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“So what?” she interrupted him firmly.
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The demon hesitated, then clenched his jaw.
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“…This could end badly.” he finished quietly.
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“So we don’t have time to waste.” Kimoko stood up, but Kigami grabbed her wrist.
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“You know… After the last time we met her… I don’t stand a chance against Nikita.” Kimoko crouched down next to him, gently placing her hand on his knee.
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“Are you afraid of her?” she whispered.
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Something in his eyes changed. Kimoko wasn’t sure if it was because she had figured out his emotions or because he trusted her. As if her words had snapped him out of some kind of trance.
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After a moment of silence, he answered almost silently:
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“Yes… I am.” He closed his eyes, as if it was hard for him to admit it. “I’m afraid that it’s too late for her. I’m afraid that this time Nikita will really kill me.” Kimoko held her breath. She had seen their fight. She knew that Kigami had no chance against her. But she also knew that leaving Estella to Nikita’s mercy was not an option.
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She slowly lifted his head, forcing him to look at her.
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“Hey… No matter what happens or how this ends. I will always be there with you.” His lips twitched in a faint smile. Finally, they both stood up, and Kigami brushed the sand off his robe.
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“So what are we waiting for?” he said, a bit of his old strength returning to his voice. “We have to find Nikita and save Estella…”
“…again.” The demon rolled his eyes at those words.
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Kimoko nodded, feeling a new determination ignite in her heart. She could see that shadow in Kigami’s eyes, the fear he barely allowed himself to show. But now, though it was still there, it didn’t rule him.
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“First, we have to find out where Nikita took her,” she said, frowning. “Do you have any ideas?”
Kigami ran a hand through his hair, thinking hard.
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“If he still believes Estella has the crystal, then he must be holding her somewhere and trying to extract information,” he said slowly. “He knows about torture.”
Kimoko clenched her fists. She didn’t want to think about it, but she knew she had to.
“Is there a place she could hide?”
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Kigami narrowed his eyes, as if considering all the possibilities.
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“There are two places I can think of,” he finally said. “One is the ruins of an old temple on the border of the northern wastelands. She used to use it to conduct her… experiments.”
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Kimoko swallowed hard.
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“And the other?”
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“The Keep in the Valley of Shadows.”
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“Sounds just as friendly as the first option.”
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“It sure does, but not really.”
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Kimoko turned her gaze toward the horizon. The sun was slowly rising over the forest, painting the sky with shades of orange and pink. She knew they couldn’t waste a moment.
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“Which place are you thinking of?”
The demon hesitated for a moment, but then shook his head.
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“The Keep. If she really wants to get something out of her, she’ll need a place that’s sufficiently isolated and well-secured.”
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Kimoko bit her lip.
‘' What if you’re wrong?’’
‘‘What if we waste time and she’s at the temple?’’
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“Then we’ll have a problem.”
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There was silence.
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“That’s a risk we have to take,” the demon finally said, pulling his hood over his head. “Let’s go.”
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Kimoko looked at him for a moment longer, then nodded.
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“We have no choice.
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- At Estella’s location
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The goddess opened her eyes, her eyelids were heavy, and the taste of blood in her mouth was unbearable. Despite this, her stance remained unwavering. She pulled hard on the chain that held her to the wall. Estella quickly dropped to her knees, and her fingers began to run along the links of the chain, hoping to find a weak point that she could break. However, her desperate attempt was interrupted by the sound of heels clicking on the cold, stone floor.
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“Oho, dear bunny, you didn’t plan to leave me so soon, did you?” a familiar, slightly mocking voice rang out.
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Nikita stepped out of the shadows. This time, Estella could get a better look at her stance and face. Her complexion was pale, like Kigami’s, and her crimson eyes reflected her cold personality, her demonic heritage. Dark, curly hair hung freely just above her waist. In the candlelight, Estella noticed that the demoness had golden streaks in her hair. But it was only when the woman threw off her long, dark cloak that the goddess caught her breath.
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“It can’t be…it can’t be real…” she mumbled, looking at Nikita’s four slender but clearly strong arms.
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“Something wrong, bunny?” Nikita tilted her head, her crimson eyes gleaming in the darkness.
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Estella clenched her jaw, ignoring the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.
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Nikita smiled mockingly, slowly approaching. Her lower pair of hands rested loosely on her hips, while her upper one lifted slightly, grazing the air with her nails.
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Estella clenched her fists, although the shackles meant she could do little.
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“It can’t be true. My eldest brother would never…” but she fell silent mid-sentence. She saw something familiar in Nikita’s face, her smile, her style of speech, even her sword at her belt, made Estella’s thoughts haunt her.
Estella tried to stay calm, even though her heart was beating faster and faster. She knew that something monstrous, yet so close to her, was lurking in Nikita. The demoness wasn’t here just to torment her. She wanted something that Estella didn’t want to give her, couldn’t give her. Her crystal.
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“Why are you holding me? What do you want to know?” Estella raised her head, even though the shackles still held her back. She wanted to be strong, but she didn’t know how much longer she could hold out in this situation. Her breathing was fast and shallow, and she felt as if she was suffocating.
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Nikita only smiled, and her four hands began to gently move in the air, as if she were playing with invisible strings in the air.
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“I want to know about your brothers, Estella,” Nikita replied calmly, as if it were something completely natural. “I want to know where they are and where I can find their crystals.”
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“And yours… I know you don’t have it…” she added, her words sounding with a disturbing certainty.
Estella looked at her in shock.
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“How does she know?” she thought, feeling her heart beating faster and faster.
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The goddess spat golden blood from her mouth and then licked her cracked lips. Her gaze did not leave Nikita’s cold eyes.
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“I will never tell you anything, I would rather die,” she drawled, feeling determination growing inside her.
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Estella noticed a drastic change in the eyes of the woman standing before her. Nikita grabbed her sword with one of her lower arms, and Estella saw its glow from the corner of her eye.
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“Oh, Estella… Do you really think you have a choice?” Nikita asked, the scent of her perfume filling the space as she came even closer. Her voice conveyed irritation. “Know that I will do anything to find out. And believe me, you have no idea what I am capable of when I really get angry.” Estella felt her heart beat faster and anger begin to grow inside her. She couldn’t let Nikita win. She had to find a way to escape her grasp before it was too late.
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