Aria knelt on the red ground, with her head lowered and her hair covering her face. The surroundings was tinted red and the sky grey. She felt like she was the only one left in the world. Everywhere was so dry. Her face pale and lips and throat were dry.
"Aria..." she heard her name and lifted her head immediately. "Aria...." the voice came again. That very familiar voice.
"M-mum?" she stood up to her feet slowly, and the voice called out to her again. Aria looked around desperately and then her eyes caught Amaya. She was wearing a black and white hanbok dress, and her black hair reached her waist. Amaya smiled, and opened her arms for her.
Aria was flooded with emotions, her eyes brewed tears. Her legs took in and she was running to her.
"Mum, you came back" she said as she was about to hug her mother, but instead she hugged nothing. Just plain cold air.
"Mum?" she called, perplexed.
"Hahahaha...." Aria heard a loud hysterical laughter, but there was no one in sight. "You thought she came back? You must be so delusional. Hahaha" Aria kept looking for who had the voice, but there was no one. It was like the sky was speaking. Her heart shuddered in fear and goosebumps crawled up her skin.
"She would never come back to you. Your mother left you... your father abandoned you. You are all alone...."
"Stop it. I'm not alone" she uttered, speaking to whom she wasn't sure of.
"You are..." the sky grew darker , and the area got more red. The place was just scary like the path to hell, she was scared.
"I'm not. I--I have friends" she managed to say between her fears.
"You're right. You do have friends, but not for long. They would all leave you... You're meant to be alone in this world."
She fell to her knees, crying, "You're wrong... They would never leave me"
"Stop being delusional, human. No one loves you...they would all leave you...."
"Stop it..."
"They would abandon you. You'll be alone for the rest of your life..."
"I.. I don't want to be alone.." her voice hoarse, her breathing ragged.
"Then, you have to leave this world. And the only way is by dying"
"I don't want to die either"
"You want to have fun being alone then, and perish in your misery? With no one to love you?" she kept on crying, her hot tears burning her face. "In this world, human...no one loves you. You're not loved"
"T-that's not true. I have friends who love me. R-ryan loves me" she sobbed, refusing to accept.
"Hahaha, you mean the half breed? What are you thinking? That he, a half breed demon, loves you? You're so pathetic. He doesn't. He's just with you because he wants something from you...."
"YOU'RE LYING!!" her voice roared out to the dark sky like that of a demoness. Her eyes blazed, she refused to accept it. Ryan was nothing but her saviour, someone who loves and cares for her. He's wrong!
"Denial. I get it. But believe me, he doesn't love you. No one does. They all need something from you, and once they get it, they'll leave you. You. Are. Alone"
"I'm not... I'm not " her voice now was barely a whisper as she kept her head low and breathed heavily through her mouth.
"I can help you, human... They are many ways to die. Slow and painful...quick and less painful. Choose one and escape living in misery"
"I don't want to die, I won't die" her willpower was strong, but her body weakened.
"When you're tired of living in your delusional, pathetic life... I'll be be here waiting for your decision to end your life"
"I don't want to die... You're wrong, they all love me..." the red ground broke as she uttered those words, and she was now on the sea of fire. The weather grew hot but she was still shivering badly. Her skin burned from the hotnees of the surrounding and she cried out.
"Someone, save me!"
*..."..*...*...*
Ryan's eyes opened at the way his arms shivered, and the heat that penetrated his skin. He lifted his head up, moving a little. Only to find Aria shivering to her bones and burning. She was sweating and it was so damn hot.
He moved her slightly "Aria? Aria, are you okay?'
"I'm not alone" came as his reply "I don't want to die... I won't die..."
His heart sank at her words, and she kept on repeating it. His eyes brewed tears just staring at her, and then he began to shake her to wake her up.
"Aria? Aria... Aria"
"Save me..." she muttered again "I don't want to die..."
"Aria, open your eyes. I'm here..." she shook her violently this time and screamed out her name. Her eyes flung open and gasped heavily for air. He rose her up and wiped her wet face worriedly.
"Are you okay?"
"R-ryan... S-save me.... I don't want to die..." He placed her head on his chest and rubbed her back. She was hot, but he managed.
"It's okay. It's just a bad dream" he told her, and it pained him to even say that.
"I'm not alone..." she muttered again, as if telling whoever it was that Ryan was by her side.
"It's okay. I'm right here, Aria. I would always be with you. I would never you" he told her as he continued rubbing her back and hair. She sniffed and clutched his shirt as she buried her face in his chest. He's wrong! Ryan loves her. He does!
Ryan kissed her hair and massaged her hair before she slept off, when her body temperature reduced back to normal and her breathing evened. Ryan can't explain how scared and angry he was right now. If not that she was asleep and needed him, he would barged into the demon world right now. Whether in exile or not, he doesn't care - like right now. He was so bloodlust that the demon within him begged to be released and feast on those demons torturing his woman. WHY? WHY THE HELL ARE THEY DOING THIS?!!
He so badly wanted to kill. He just wanted to kill. But with Ari in his arms, the raging demon managed to still have his rationality within him. He laid her gently back on the bed, but her clutch on him was so tight that he could hardly remove her hand. Thus, he could only go against his bloodlust and lay by her side.