A satisfaction arose from deep inside as she felt something unlike anything she has in her life. Her chest tightened in a deep anticipation for the ecstasy to come. all of it converging into a heat, a tight embrace and then... She woke up.
Kalika felt cold with something soft and straw-like against her back and the covering of a blanket draped over her. She felt drained and exhausted and could smell something musty in the air. Suddenly she heard the splashing of water being squeezed into a bucket.
Kalika looked to her side and found a child maid squeezing the water from a rag, "R…Rhonda…?"
"What happened…??"
The maid girl turned around, revealing her two pink eyes. The girl looked on in confusion before calling out to someone in the demon language.
"Wait, she isn't Rhonda."
Kalika looked around to find That she was in her old cell from a long time ago. Little had changed aside from a few more rust stains and the bigger cluster of hay she was laying on. It felt like she was stepping back in time over eighteen years. It almost felt nostalgic yet wrenching to return to her old cell after all these years.
Feeling the wall, Kalika mustered what little strength she could to sit back up to no avail, she felt nauseated and faint. The little maid rushed to settle her down back on the bed of hay. She tried ignoring the little girl but found herself being overpowered by her.
Rakon soon showed himself, despite the broken horn and huge scar on his bare chest she could tell it was him. And just by feeling his overwhelming presence, she could tell that he was no mere clone.
"
The little maid girl quickly gathered the bucket and rag, leaving the two alone. Kalika sat herself up, the blanket fell and she quickly picked it up in a fluster, covering herself back up. Realizing her situation, she lowered her head in complete shock and embarrassment.
There was a tense silence between the two, it became more awkward with each passing second. And it did not help that Rakon fidgeted with his hands. Even he was at a loss for words.
"W-where's Rhonda?" Kalika finally broke the ice.
Rakon cringed. "She's dead. But you already know that."
Hearing this, Kalika grasped her blanket. No response given. No tears shed. Instead, a continuing ever-growing silence. It felt as though a connection had been severed and all feelings she once had with Rhonda were now gone.
A terrifying question then passed through her mind. For the first time in her life there was a question she did not want the answer to. The more she thought about this question, the wetter and more flushed her face became.
Rakon noticed this and answered this unspoken question, giving the answer they both already knew.
"You only have yourself and the succubus maid to blame… If I knew that lousy maid had kissed you earlier before you forced yourself on me… Then perhaps… This could've been avoided."
Kalika slowly lowered her head hearing this.
Rakon sighed. "Still… I'm surprised how overpowering that maid's power was… But what happened, happened. just be happy that you got to enjoy yourself."
"E-enjoy myself!?" Memories of that night began to flood back. "How could I enjoy myself? This isn't what I wanted!!"
"Then please tell me. What were you expecting when you tried escaping last night then?" Rakon questioned, with a slight irritation.
Kalika grasped her blanket much more tightly. Tears started to stream down her face. "I…I… I wasn't expecting this!" she squeaked.
Kalika started to cry much more uncontrollably. "I hate you… I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"
"I don't…. I-I don't-…!" Kalika's voice was breaking. She found herself unable to finish her statement.
"What is it?" He questioned, much more harshly.
Kalika's eyes puffed and her face became a flush red as she thought of the worst case scenario. A thought felt truly embarrassed and horrified to utter.
"What is it!?" Rakon pried, with his annoyance becoming much more palpable as he averted his gaze.
Kalika continued to sob. With slow determination Kalika finally uttered her thoughts in the silent room. "I. I-I don't want to give birth to... A-a demon…"
Rakon was surprised to hear such words coming from her. "You're being hysterical." He said plainly. "For what it's worth, Demons and humans are unable to bear children together. So don't get too excited."
Kalika continued to sob, wiping her eyes as she did.
Rakon let out a long sigh. He looked back and sat himself on the hay across from Kalika, leaning his head against the wall.
After some time of waiting Kalika's crying ceased. She slowly glanced back and forth from Rakon to the hay bedding, her lips still trembling and too embarrassed to look at him. Slowly, her heart started to pound as her face continued to glow red with her thoughts of the night lingering.
"You're better off forgetting what happened here," Rakon suddenly said.
"Huh?"
"What happened, should never have happened. as good as our time felt. I don't have any intentions of using you in such a way when you're my contracted slave."
"You're far too important for that." he finished
Kalika found herself becoming a much deeper crimson. She quickly sheltered herself in her arms and legs, even more embarrassed. "H-how can you say that with a straight face. I-It's embarrassing."
Rakon gazed back at Kalika looking at her white strand mixed with her blonde hair and the small and tiny blue bruises riddled on her body.
"What did that lousy maid do to her…?" Rakon quietly growled.
"Master Rakon." Gaz peeked his head, whispering to Rakon. "Should we prepare the woman for departure now?"
"No! Now leave!" he hissed.
"As you wish." Gaz bowed before leaving.
Rakon took a deep breath, calming himself down.
"I couldn't do it…" Kalika suddenly said.
"Hmmm?" Rakon turned back to Kalika with a raised brow.
"I-I don't get it. This time I tried to escape but…"
"That's because you're still under the penalty from the first contract." Rakon said.
Kalika looked at Rakon a little confused with some tears still in eyes.
"I don't expect you to remember, but when we agreed to that contract privately, you refused to follow through just like this one. Your penalty that was agreed upon, was that you'd lose your will to leave this castle… if you ever tried to escape… Of course, that didn't stop you from trying in the end…"
"Is that so…" Kalika became sad upon hearing this. "So, all this time… I… I never had a chance. Even if I wanted to… I…" Memories of when Tilus mentioning the contract to Kalika passed through. She didn't think much of it at the time but now a guilt was rising within her.
"If only I-…"
Kalika expected to feel a crushing pit of regret or a crushing guilt.
However, what she found instead was an unexpected numbness. all her feelings drained from her very body and fell limp to the ground.
"I'll give you another week to collect yourself." Rakon suddenly said.
"Mourn if you want. But when the week is up, I'll be bringing you with me back into the pit. So don't expect to see me until then." Not long after he got up from the hay bedding, beginning to leave the cell.
An intense adrenaline shot through her as she panicked. "H-h-hey. Hey wait!!" Kalika reached her hand out to Rakon, even to her own surprise.
Rakon stopped. "What is it?" He asked, sending a curious glance her way.
Kalika didn't respond; she remained silent, still confused by her own reaction. She wrenched her fingers in, unsure what to make of the situation. "I… I don't know…"
"If you don't need me, I'll be leaving. I'll be having you pick you up later. Goodbye, Kalika." With those last few words, Rakon finally left.
Kalika couldn't help but watch on, and felt disoriented as he left her sight. She held tight to herself, a futile attempt to comfort herself as she waited all alone in the cell. All the while, Rhonda's last words continued to repeat on and on.
Kalika is left to stare on, devoid of the emotions she would expect from herself.
"W-why am I-... What's wrong with me?"
********
Rakon, traversed through the dungeon corridor with Gaz alongside him, giving his specially designed robe. "
Rakon held his head in frustration. "
"
Rakon ignored Gaz's crude joke. Suddenly he stopped, smashing his fist against the stone wall. Gaz could tell that he was seething in rage just by the intense aura he emanated.
"
"I should have been able to resist… But…" Rakon balled his anger continuing to leak through.
"
Rakon quickly calmed himself. "
Suddenly pain surged through Rakon.
"AARRGGGHHH!!"
He arched his back falling to his knees, alarming Gaz. "Master Rakon!"
"
"<'The King's curse' is taking effect…?>" Gaz looked on, astonished by what he was seeing. "
Rakon ignored him, getting back to his feet. "" Rakon took a breather and watched his hands until they returned to normal. He gave out a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
""
"
Rakon attempted to conjure a ball of fire within his hands and as he did, the ball of fire quickly shrank involuntarily. "Tch."
"
"
"
Gaz became flustered, hearing a hint of hostility from Rakon.
"
"
With his new task at hand, Gaz began to trek in the dungeon in search of Bjorn. "
"
Both Florin and Valam followed far behind trying to catch up to Daji. Gaz after a few seconds decided to ignore this, opting to continue his tasks at hand.
"
********
Back with Kalika she was leaning herself onto the cool stone wall with her mind adrift. Her thoughts were a maze, turning corners between the muddied life she was living and a life that seemed so simple to her that had long passed.
Slowly the memories of everyone she knew who died in the invasion resurfaced. The memory of Captain Leo, Grimwald, her adopted father and even her once human sister Lillian.
thoughts of Tilus and Rhonda surfaced as well of times that she should look back fondly upon but felt nothing for. They all felt gray, and pointless.
"Did all of them… really mean nothing to me?"
Out of nowhere she felt an overwhelming malice approaching. The sound of someone storming down the dungeon hall is heard. And the familiar voice of an angry woman.
"
The next moment Daji appeared before Kalika. She gripped the cell bars tightly in hand glaring at Kalika and grinding her teeth. Without hesitation Daji ran in kicking Kalika's face into the wall.
Daji mercilessly killed Kalika, stomping on her head until it was paste. She grabbed Kalika's shoulder, watching her as her head was pieced back together, reviving her from the dead.
"
Daji threw Kalika's body at the wall, and seeing her fully revived, began her onslaught, killing Kalika. Revive after reviving, Kalika is pelted with Daji's blood spears with little disregard with the three people watching. And as she did, she screamed to Kalika to die in her native demon language.
Florin and Valam along with a child maid carrying fresh clothes witnessed the horrible deeds being done. After a few minutes both Florin and Valam finally intervened at first trying to reason with Daji before having to pull her away completely from Kalika.
"W-why????"
The child maid could only look on in shock and horror by what just took place. Kalika shuddered trying to recover from the sudden animosity.
"I never wanted this… I never wanted any of this…"
She watched Daji kick and scream, her rage uncontrolled.
"W-why is everything so complicated?"
"
The maid quickly approached Kalika with clothes in hand, still shaken. She dropped the clothes in front of Kalika and ran off, terrified to bear witness to anything else.
After a little while, Daji was finally able to calm herself a little. The intense Gaze of Valam and Florin fell on Kalika, waiting for her to change clothes as Daji paced back and forth in the hall.
"
Kalika was brought out from her stupor and Valam had to parrot Florin's statement. Although she couldn't understand some of what they said, she understood what they were implying.
She quickly got dressed into a new prison uniform and was forced to follow them. By the look of things, they all looked very displeased escorting her back into the prison. With Daji's glaring daggers, Kalika was sure she would lash out like earlier at any second.
Just as Kalika thought they finally made it to the prison; they pushed her to keep heading down. She listened, heading deeper into the dungeon until they reached a chain of iron doors. She recognized this place as the solitary prison she was put in after her first escape attempt.
Passing through the doors she was greeted back into an old home. Looking in she found that it looked much grimier than when she left it. In it, it had blood splatters scattered throughout the cell. stains on the stone floor and what seemed to be torn off pieces of clothing.
Without warning Daji pushed Kalika into the cell hard. She tumbled to the dirty cell floor, feeling the unnaturally moist floor. And not long after the large Iron door was slammed shut.
"
With those words said the three ladies left Kalika, slamming every door as they did. A minute after they left, Kalika slowly sat herself on the floor. Not moving an inch she glanced around the cell, and the more she did that, the more of a feeling of emptiness consumed her.
She leaned her head onto the ground.
"I hate demons…I HATE them!"
strangely enough as she uttered those very words, she felt all emotions and meaning leave them. They felt like meaningless words, spoke out just to fill an empty void of who she was.
"I… I Can'-.... I won'-...." Kalika started choking on her own words. "I…."
Kalika rolled to her side, curling herself in the fetal position. She tried to hug herself for comfort but found none.
As far as she was aware, she was trapped in a block of stone with no warmth to show. Only an icy pit of despair that filled her very soul.