"Why? Why? Why? How did you find out? Why you, you stupid idiot? I... No one can know this secret...
I... Mom told me to keep it completely confidential, but here you are, talking about my secrets so calmly. I-I have to get rid of you.
I'm sorry, Grey! No, Alex, I'm sorry."
Even as Lily tried to strangle him, Grey could tell she wasn't using her full strength. Her sharp nails dug into his neck, her hands pressed against his throat, but deep down she was still hesitating.
The succubus was far stronger than him. If not for her doubts, Grey would have lost his life in an instant, without even understanding how or why.
Despite belonging to a demonic race, Lily was still just a little girl who had barely turned ten, and Grey was her friend, her cellmate, the one whose suffering she had watched for the past three months.
And he was supposed to become her first victim. Could Lily really stay calm?
He might have been unbearably irritating and unpredictable, a complete lunatic, but they had gone through a lot together. Killing him turned out to be far harder than she had imagined.
Gasping for every breath, Grey looked straight into Lily's violet eyes. There was no rage in them, only fear and confusion.
Noticing her emotions, he stopped resisting and raised his hands in surrender.
He hoped Lily wouldn't be cruel enough to deny him a chance to explain.
It was another risk, but Grey believed he knew the girl well enough. Despite her prickly nature, he was certain that deep down she was kind. As paradoxical as it sounded, considering she was trying to kill him right now.
To his relief, his instincts hadn't failed him.
Even though Lily's sharp nails were still digging into his skin, her grip had noticeably weakened. Enough for Grey to finally draw in a life-giving breath of air.
Gathering the last of his strength, he rasped,
"Lily... I... I'm not your enemy... I'll keep... your... your secret... safe..."
His words seemed to cut through the haze of panic clouding Lily's mind.
"How... how can I trust you?" she whispered in a trembling voice, where deadly resolve, fear, and a faint trace of hope mixed together.
Struggling to steady his breathing, Grey forced out,
"Because... I have secrets too. And I trusted them to you... along with the escape plan."
Hearing that, Lily loosened her grip but didn't pull away. Trying to sound serious and threatening, the girl continued her interrogation. In the darkness of the night, her violet eyes seemed to search for the slightest sign of deceit, glinting with a dangerous light.
"That's not enough, but I'll hear you out. Tell me everything," she demanded, "When and how did you find out?"
Grey understood that not only their escape, but his life depended on his answer.
He was grateful for his restraint, the dagger in his bottomless pocket remained untouched. If this could be settled with words, no one would have to die today, his secrets would stay his, and there would be no trouble with the overseers. Even working together on the escape was still possible.
He had to be careful with his words. He needed to tell the truth to restore the fragile trust between them. He needed to calm Lily and assure her that her secrets were in safe hands.
But the moment he started speaking, logic slipped away.
"What do you mean, how did I find out? Isn't it obvious, you damn psychopath?" he blurted out, not holding back his irritation in the slightest. After all, this crazy girl had just tried to strangle him. He had every right to be angry. He definitely did.
"You've got horns on your head. Purple hair, wings on your back, and of course, a tail with a heart at the end. Even a child would figure out you're a succubus..." In a burst of anger, he blurted out everything that came to mind, but immediately cut himself off, realizing he had said something completely absurd.
If everyone could see all that, would Lily have reacted so aggressively?
"Stop talking nonsense! I can still get rid of you!" Lily hissed through clenched teeth. "No one can see my true appearance through my mother's masking magic." For a moment, she froze, as if struck by a sudden realization.
"Wait... Alex... Greyrot... Grey... You... That can't be true!" she exclaimed, unable to keep her composure.
A tense silence hung in the air.
Grey could physically feel a headache coming on. His heart, already pounding like a drum, now seemed ready to leap out of his chest.
Lily stepped back and stared at her cellmate with disbelieving eyes, where shock and... curiosity were mixed together.
Her reaction did nothing to calm Grey.
"Should I get rid of her?" the treacherous thought flashed through his mind, but just as quickly was pushed to the back of his consciousness.
Over the past three months, Lily and Sheryl had become the only people he spoke to for more than a few words.
How had his identity been exposed?
It was definitely that old monster's fault. That bastard had introduced him by his real name.
Grey refused to believe it was his own incompetence. God forbid the blind old man or Aunt Morgana found out. They would eat him alive.
Letting out a long sigh, Grey decided to see his role as the peacemaker through to the end.
"Well... I guess now that we know each other's secrets, there's no reason for violence. Peace! Friendship! Bubble gum! And all that... I hope you'll keep my secret, and I'll keep yours."
"Wait... Not so fast! This... this... is it true?! You're the Harbinger of Night and the Child of Prophecy? How is that even possible?" Lily exclaimed, still unable to believe her own conclusion.
"Shhh, Lily. Have you lost your mind? Do you want our secrets to become known across the entire Cloaca?!" In a panic, Grey pressed a finger to her lips and started looking around. It was rather hard to ignore the pleasant sensation at his fingertip. So soft and velvety.
After making sure everyone was asleep, he continued, "Let's swear to keep each other's secrets. No one else can find out. No one. I repeat, no one except you and me. Deal?"
Lily nodded meekly.
Even though Grey couldn't see her expression in the dark, he let out a breath of relief.
Too bad he didn't see how the bold girl had slightly blushed from embarrassment and shame.
Not wasting any time, he grabbed her hand and hooked their pinkies together.
"Repeat after me," Grey ordered in a serious voice.
"I make a pinky promise to keep this secret safe. If I lie, I'll swallow a thousand needles, I swear!"
Confused, Lily still repeated after him.
Only after hearing her repeat the words of the promise did Grey realize how ridiculous his behavior was.
Did that oath really mean anything? How was he supposed to make sure she kept it? And where had that strange ritual even come from?
His thoughts were interrupted by Lily's laughter, which she was unsuccessfully trying to suppress.
"Ahahaha. What was that? Some secret binding magic of a creature of darkness? Why did it look so childish?"
"Give it a rest, Lily," Grey brushed her off. "Just think of it as an ancient tradition. Whatever oaths we make to each other now won't be worth anything when we're backed into a corner. In the end, all we can rely on is mutual restraint and a shred of trust."
"Good that you understand. I'm still a demon, and as everyone knows, witches and demons can't be trusted."
"I'll keep that in mind next time. Damn it, what's wrong with this conversation? Can we finally get back to the escape plan? What do you think?"
"Alright, alright. I always knew you were a bore," Lily began. "I don't understand where you're planning to get sleeping poison for the guards. And how are we supposed to reach our mothers without being noticed?"
"It's very simple. You know that here on Pratos, anyone who doesn't want to be eaten alive has to keep a small patch of verbena? Well, in our camp it grows along the fence."
"So what?" Lily raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Hm," Grey rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If you think about it, that bastard Harmon protects us from vampires like a shepherd protects his sheep from wolves."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Sooo... I don't think that matters. Get to the point, Grey."
"Ah right, the point is that because of its proximity to the magic barrier, the verbena has turned into a subspecies, Dream Verbena. If we make a tincture from it, we'll get a powerful sleeping agent. With it, the guards' attention will be scattered all night, and we'll be able to slip away unnoticed. I'm even thinking of making a laxative to increase our chances, but I'm missing a few ingredients..."
Lily grimaced. "Ugh, spare me the details. What about getting to our mothers?"
"That part's simple," Grey said confidently. "Every city is full of street kids. We just need to hide our faces, and no one will pay attention to three children."
"And what's to stop someone from grabbing us and selling us again?"
Grey shook his head. "It's not that simple. Even if the authorities don't care where slaves come from, they do care that the citizens feel safe. Who would want to live in a city where you could be turned into a slave at any moment? And don't forget, street kids are usually under the protection of local bosses. So we're unlikely to run into trouble."
Lily nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Give me a few days to think it over. Don't worry, I won't turn you in to the guards. I just need to decide if I'm ready to take part..."
"Alright," Grey yawned, suddenly realizing how exhausted he was. "We should've gone to sleep a while ago."
"Yeah, you're right," Lily agreed, also feeling the fatigue after the tense conversation.
She hesitated for a moment, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, held herself back.
————
A gloomy, overcast day had settled over the camp.
The sounds of wooden weapons clashing and the sharp cracks of a whip cut through the air, forming an oppressive symphony of the slave camp.
Hidden in an inconspicuous patch of shade, Grey watched the combat slaves train, yet his eyes reflected doubt and unease.
He kept recalling the events of last night. Every breath, every word Lily had spoken echoed in his mind.
Grey felt cold sweat run down his back.
"Why am I the only one who can see Lily's true nature? What does she look like to others? What has she done? How did it all lead to my identity being exposed? Am I really a 'creature of darkness'? I thought it was all nonsense... No, that doesn't matter. Can I trust her? What if she turns me in?" These questions twisted through his mind like venomous snakes.
No matter how hard Grey tried to think, he couldn't find answers.
He clenched his fists.
"It's pointless to dwell on it. Do I even have a choice? I'm still a cripple. Without magic or allies, I'll rot in this slave camp forever.
The only thing that matters is the result. Lily isn't stupid. She knows what's good for her, so she'll agree. And if not... well, I've just learned her weakness, and besides, I have other cards to play...
Mutual restraint, huh? I hope the Blind One's advice works..."
The boy's eyes turned bloodshot.
He still couldn't remember what had happened before the teleportation. The fragments of memory promised nothing good: a bloodstained spear, his sister's scream, his mother's blurred face.
He had his suspicions, but his mind refused to accept them.
"To hell with all of this," he snapped inwardly. "Time is passing, and there's no news. I had to act, and I did. Now or never. I regret nothing."
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As promised, I'm posting the next chapter as soon as possible.
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Thank you so much for staying with me.