The atmosphere inside the mirror hall changed.
It grew heavier.
So heavy that even breathing felt difficult.
The air pressed down on Elias's chest, making his heart pound wildly. Fear wrapped around him from every direction, mixing with countless questions he didn't know how to ask. His mind felt crowded, loud, yet completely empty at the same time.
The dark Elias sat calmly on the throne, watching.
Waiting.
Elias's hands trembled. His whole body shook, but somewhere deep inside him, a small spark of courage refused to die. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to look up.
"Who… who are you inside my mind?" Elias asked, his voice shaking but loud enough to echo. "Why are you making me do things I could never imagine… not even in my worst dream?"
The dark Elias smiled.
A slow, confident smile.
"Making you?" he repeated softly. "We haven't even started yet."
Elias froze.
His breath caught in his throat.
"What…?" he whispered.
Anger suddenly burned through his fear. It wasn't strong, but it was real. Elias pushed himself to his feet, his legs barely holding him.
"I'm not like you!" he shouted. "And I will never do what you want me to do!"
The smile vanished.
The dark Elias lifted his head.
His eyes met Elias's.
Serious.
Cold.
The moment their gazes locked—
Pain exploded inside Elias's body.
His chest tightened violently.
His mouth opened—
And blood poured out.
Elias dropped to his knees, coughing, choking, vomiting blood onto the stone floor. The sound echoed horribly through the hall. Dark red splattered beneath him, spreading fast, soaking the ground.
His hands shook as he tried to support himself, but more blood spilled from his lips.
The floor was soon stained completely.
Elias's vision blurred.
The dark Elias stood up from the throne and stepped forward slowly, his footsteps calm, controlled.
"Only I decide what you do," he said coldly. "And what you don't."
He stopped in front of Elias.
"Your life," he continued, "is nothing but a thread in my hand."
Elias lifted his head weakly, tears mixing with blood on his face.
"One small scratch," the dark Elias said quietly, "and you die."
Elias stared up at him from his knees.
Fear filled his eyes completely.
His body shook.
And for the first time—
He truly understood how powerless he was.
Elias stayed on his knees.
Blood still dripped from his mouth onto the cold floor, his body trembling uncontrollably. Tears burned in his eyes, fear and pain mixing until he couldn't tell them apart anymore.
With a broken voice, he whispered—
"Who… who are you…?"
The dark Elias didn't answer right away.
In the blink of an eye—
He was suddenly there.
Too close.
So close that Elias could feel his breath.
Their faces were inches apart.
Elias gasped, his heart pounding violently as fear froze his body. He tried to pull back, but his muscles refused to move.
The dark Elias smiled.
Slow. Cruel. Confident.
"Me?" he said softly.
His eyes locked directly into Elias's, piercing deep into him.
"I'm God."
Elias's eyes widened in pure shock.
"G-God…?" he whispered, his voice barely existing.
"Yes," the dark Elias said calmly. "A true God."
He straightened and began to laugh.
Not a normal laugh.
It was loud. Sharp. Terrifying.
The sound echoed violently through the hall.
The mirrors around them began to tremble. Cracks spread across their surfaces, glass creaking loudly as if it might shatter at any moment. The entire room shook with every breath of his laughter.
Elias cried out, clutching his head.
"Stop!" he screamed, covering his ears. "Please—stop! It's too loud!"
But his voice was nothing.
A drop of water against an endless storm.
The laughter only grew stronger.
Elias felt like his ears would burst. His skull throbbed painfully as the sound crushed him from all sides. Fear gripped him even tighter.
They'll hear this. They'll find me. They'll kill me.
He looked around desperately, expecting guards, alarms—anything.
But nothing happened.
No footsteps. No voices. No reaction from Sancthorn at all.
That realization scared him even more.
How… how can no one hear this…?
Suddenly—
The laughter stopped.
Silence fell like a blade.
The dark Elias's face turned serious.
Cold.
Terrifying.
"I am," he said slowly, each word heavy, "the Demon God of Lust."
The words echoed softly through the broken mirrors.
Elias stared at him, frozen.
Fear flooded his body completely.
A god.
A demon.
Inside him.
And watching him with a smile that promised nothing but destruction.
Elias's body started shaking.
Not from cold.
From fear.
His blood felt frozen inside his veins as the meaning of those words sank in.
A demon god.
Inside him.
With a trembling voice, barely strong enough to form words, Elias asked—
"B-But… why?"
"Why are you inside my body…?"
His knees felt weak. His hands shook uncontrollably as he looked at the being wearing his face.
The dark Elias smiled.
Not wide. Not loud.
A calm, knowing smile.
"Because you are special," he said softly. "And every king needs a loyal pawn."
Those words hit Elias hard.
Pawn.
His chest tightened painfully.
"Special…?" Elias repeated weakly. "I'm not special. I'm not strong. I'm not important. You could've chosen someone else—someone a hundred times stronger than me."
His voice cracked.
"Why me…?"
For a moment, the dark Elias simply watched him.
Then he shook his head slowly.
"No," he said firmly. "You were the only choice."
Elias felt his breath catch.
The air felt heavier again, pressing down on his chest.
"I don't understand…" Elias whispered. "I don't understand anything you're saying…"
The dark Elias stepped closer.
"Now listen carefully," he said, his voice lowering. "We are one now."
Elias's eyes widened.
"And from this moment," the demon continued calmly, "you will do whatever I ask."
Fear wrapped around Elias completely.
But deep inside—beneath the terror, beneath the despair—something stubborn still lived.
Elias clenched his fists.
With every bit of courage he had left, he lifted his head and said—
"No."
The word echoed weakly, but it was real.
"We are not one," Elias said, his voice shaking but firm. "And we never will be. I would rather die than become what you want me to be."
The mirrors trembled faintly.
The dark Elias stared at him.
His smile disappeared.
And for the first time—
Elias felt something far worse than fear.
He felt that he had just angered a god.
The dark Elias tilted his head slightly.
A slow, amused smile returned to his face.
"Oh?" he said calmly. "You think dying will fix everything?"
Elias didn't answer.
His chest rose and fell unevenly. His mind felt empty, exhausted.
Then the dark one continued—
"And what about the reason you came here in the first place?"
Elias froze.
"Do you really want to die," the demon asked softly, "before doing that?"
Elias's eyes trembled.
"What…?" he whispered. "What do you mean…?"
Before he could step back—
The dark Elias lifted a finger.
And pressed it gently against the center of Elias's forehead.
Between his eyebrows.
The moment their skin touched—
The world shattered.
Elias's vision exploded into light.
Then fire.
Screams filled his ears.
Not echoes.
Real screams.
People were running everywhere—men, women, children. Their faces twisted in terror. Some cried. Some begged. Some fell to their knees, praying desperately.
Buildings burned.
Flames climbed the walls like living creatures. Smoke swallowed the sky. The ground shook beneath his feet.
Elias stood there—
In the middle of it all.
People ran past him, pushing, screaming, reaching for help—but none of them saw him. None of them stopped.
The air smelled of ash and fear.
He saw hands reaching out.
He saw eyes filled with desperation.
And he couldn't move.
"I—" Elias tried to speak.
No sound came out.
His chest tightened painfully.
Tears filled his eyes.
One by one, they fell.
Silent.
No sobs.
No screams.
Just tears sliding down his face as his body went completely numb.
He felt empty.
Hollow.
As if something inside him had cracked open.
The vision continued—endless chaos, endless suffering—and Elias stood at the center of it all, powerless.
Alone.
Then—
The flames vanished.
The screams faded.
Darkness rushed back in.
Elias collapsed to his knees, breathing hard, his heart pounding wildly.
Tears still streamed down his face.
He didn't know what he had just seen.
But he knew one thing—
It wasn't a dream.
And it wasn't meaningless.
Whatever the demon had shown him—
It was connected to him.
And that terrified him more than anything else.
Elias's body felt completely numb.
Not from pain—
But from fear.
From helplessness.
His knees pressed against the cold floor, yet he barely felt it. His chest ached, his throat burned, and his mind struggled to hold onto a single clear thought.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
Tears clung to his lashes.
His voice came out broken.
"What…" he whispered painfully.
"What do you want from me…?"
The dark Elias smiled.
Not wide.
Not loud.
Just a thin, knowing smile—like someone who had already won.
"Now you're talking," he said calmly.
He stepped down from the throne, his footsteps echoing through the mirror-filled hall. Every step made the air heavier, pressing down on Elias's chest.
"Don't worry," the demon continued. "It won't be painful."
His smile widened slightly.
"In fact…"
"It will be fun."
Elias flinched.
That word—fun—felt wrong. Twisted. Dangerous.
The dark one circled him slowly, like a predator walking around trapped prey.
"You see," he said casually, "every god needs a name."
He stopped in front of Elias.
"From now on," he said, voice calm but absolute,
"You will call me Lyris."
The name echoed unnaturally in the room.
Lyris.
The mirrors reflected it.
The air accepted it.
Elias swallowed hard.
His heart pounded violently.
Before he could speak—
Lyris leaned closer.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Now," he said softly, "let's move to our real decision."
Elias's breath caught.
"What… decision…?" he asked weakly.
Lyris smiled again.
Slow.
Cruel.
"Why not start," he said lightly,
"with something familiar?"
His eyes glinted with dark amusement.
"Like Alessia's panties."
The words hit Elias like a blow.
His eyes widened in shock.
"N—No…" Elias whispered, shaking his head. "Don't… don't say that…"
Lyris straightened, clearly amused by his reaction.
"Oh?" he asked. "That bothers you?"
Elias's chest tightened painfully.
Fear, shame, confusion—all twisted together inside him.
"This is just the beginning," Lyris continued calmly.
"You will understand soon."
He turned away, walking back toward the throne.
Elias remained on his knees, trembling, staring at the cold floor—
Knowing with terrifying certainty—
Whatever Lyris wanted from him…
It had already begun.
And there was no easy escape anymore.
*****