"Wha?"
The young witch's lips parted in shock. What kind of cheesy romance novel did this demon take that line from? She knows there's one out there somewhere.
"I... I'm not really... I mean..." He fumbled over his words for a bit before clearing his throat and lifted his hands, showing her his shackles.
The chains are still shiny silver, and upon closer inspection, runes are engraved into them.
"I was chained here for more or less a century, but I still look the same as the day one." The monster explained, and he bit down on his lower lip when he paused to look at her.
"More or less a century?" She snorted. "It's almost three centuries, good sir."
His red eyes switched from nervously eyeing to frowning down at her like she's a scum of the earth. "How do you know?"
"How do you know it's 'more or less a century'?" Xiao asked back. Maybe if she poke at him enough, he'll get angry and end her. "After all, you don't have a clock nor a calendar."
Silence came over them once more. The birds outside as chirping, and one of his eyes twitches in what seems to be annoyance and anger. Ah? Did she hit a sore spot? She hopes she did.
"Neither do you." He snarled back, but she felt no malice behind his voice. "What kind of Monastery student are you? You have no watch, no spare potions, no back up wand?"
"You went through my stuff." Xiao deadpanned, but she couldn't help but grin. "I'm one of the top ten, so I don't need a back up wand, thank you very much."
His frown deepened, and he pointed at her messenger bag. "Makes sense. You're not one for carrying a lot of things."
"Does the idea of change ever cross your mind?" She rested her head on her hand. "Potions are outdated. But who are you to talk? You haven't been anywhere for almost three centuries."
His fist clenched, rattling the chains enough for her to notice. Come on now, one hit and she's sure to collapse.
Instead of harming her, he took in a deep breath and lifted his head to the sky. The morning sun light rained down on him as he's basking in it. His ashy skin seemed to lightened, giving him a more humane look.
"Has it really been that long? I lost count on the sun after the twentieth year." He mumbled enough for her to hear. "I thought my name was erased from history."
"I don't know your name." Her finger fiddled with the strap of her messenger bag. "But I did an essay on the Silverin temple. Figured you'd still be here."
"And you want me to kill you?" His head snapped back down to meet her.
"Wasn't planned, but this is a beautiful place to die." Xiao shrugged, and she watched his face morphed into another reaction of confusion.
"Hell, what's with you and death?" He growled. "If you want to die so much, then get out of here."
"Really?" She clicked her tongue and tilted her head. "I thought those who come in here don't make it out alive?"
"I don't kill people anymore." He sighed and ran his fingers through his jet black hair. The chains clinging along the movement, but he looks like he's used to it.
"Anymore?" The young witch kept to her plan of annoying him. "Take my humble soul as the last one then."
"No." The answer came quicker than she thought, and by this point, she expected him to be snapping at her, but he doesn't. "I need you alive."
Her lips parted a little. Ah, she needs to drink water since her throat is horribly dry. However, she's face to face with another person — or demon — who wants to use her.
"You can use me when I'm dead. I have enough of people throwing me around." Xiao closed her eyes and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"These shackles were forged by the strongest of wizards they could trap me in here." His voice is low, and she slowly opened her eyes back up. "Their goal is to make me suffer in loneliness. Making me immortal while being here forever sounds about right."
He reached for her messenger bag, but she pulled it into her arms. He's seen enough of her stuff.
"You said you're top ten." The demon gave her a half smile, is he trying to boost her ego? "For a little one, you must be powerful."
She still couldn't process the fact that he's using flattery on her. "What... What are you asking me to do?"
He gave her a smile, showing off his teeth. "I'm asking you to release me from these chains, of course. You're powerful, your magical power capacity is as grand as the Monastery's Abbot who locked me in here, I can feel it when I hijack your wand so you wouldn't die."
Ugh, that smile.
"Flattery doesn't work on me." She rolled her eyes to stop herself from memorizing every detail of his face.
"Not flattery here, just truths." With a voice like his, he can make stupid sentences sound legit. "A prodigy would be wasted if you die so soon, little one."
The demon leaned a bit closer to her, and his hand suddenly grabbed her chin. Once more, she's forced to look at his face.
"You don't want to be a slave to your family, correct?" She could feel his breath on her face, and instead of pushing him away, she stared into his eyes. "A person who's bound to the confinement of social status."
A shiver ran down her spine as he leaned in closer, their noses a few inches apart.
"Get me out these chains, and you'll be free." A finger gently pushed her hair behind her ear. "Once I'm king, I will give you what you deserve. Name it be freedom, riches, resources? The ability to travel the world? The map to strange places? The entire Monastery?"
The young witch stayed still as his lips went to her ear. "Once I'm free, I'll have the world in my hands, and I won't forget to share it with you."
"Then, you should know how to get out of here." She bit back, and a chuckle rumble out of him. He's so close, and yet she couldn't see his face.
"My little witch, of course, I do." He purred, and Xiao felt her cheeks began heating up. "I need your help to do so."
"And?" She whispered back. "It would take a long time to release you, right? I'm only a student."
"Yes, a student who has a lot to learn." He moved away from her her, but only far enough that they're face to face again. "I will instruct you through this, don't worry."
"How long will it take?" Xiao looked into his red eyes once more. She shows no fear, and he's talking business.
"You're graduating in three years." He calmly explained. "Between your work at the Monastery and coming here to break me out once in a while, I'd say two years at most, unless my formula doesn't work, then we need to craft another one."
Three years. She has three years until she has to marry a man she never met. The demon promised her two years.
The young witch has no doubt about him being powerful once released, because even though they erased his name from history, the impact that he's made were evident.
She bit her lip nervously, her mind moving a mile a minute, going from the fact that this monster just casually convinced her to let him out of his prison to the fact that he looks kind of cute when he's eagerly waiting for her response.
He wants to give her life purpose, and that purpose is to serve him before she can have the world in her hands.
"And if I say no?" Her voice is barely a whisper. "Would you kill me now?"
His face fell once again, and he gingerly patted her head. Her black eyes looked up at him. What's that for?
"If you don't accept the deal, then you're free to leave." He kept his voice stern to intimate her, yet his eyes said otherwise. "Go die somewhere else. I don't want to clean after your corpse."