Somewhere in Koorselian
Alice and Luke trudged down the rugged mountain path. Her sapphire blue eyes glared at the man in front of her. In a fit of frustration, Alice hurled the bag she was carrying at Luke's head, but it missed.
Luke turned, his gaze flat and unimpressed. "Could you call me in a normal way?" he complained, picking up the discarded bag.
Alice's eyes burned with anger. "Why are you making me carry your stuff?" she snapped.
Luke looked puzzled. "Why not?" he replied nonchalantly.
Alice ground her teeth. "How can you make me haul your things?!" Her eyes flared with a murderous intensity. If she had her powers, she would kill this demon now.
Luke sighed and stepped closer to Alice. "Just because you're a woman, don't expect special treatment," he said, draping the bag around her neck. "Keep walking." He resumed his descent down the mountain.
Alice's gaze could have set him on fire. "I will kill you!" she threatened.
Luke glanced back at her, a smirk playing on his lips. "Good luck, angel without magic."
Alice muttered under her breath, "God, forgive me..." She glared at Luke again. "You bastard!"
"Watch your language," Luke warned as he continued walking away.
---
Heavania, House of God
Shie entered the House of God, taking in the unusual somber atmosphere. She walked through the corridors until she stood before God. "What's happened?" she asked.
God looked at Shie. "The Holy Angel... she's gone," she murmured.
Shie glanced around, ensuring they were alone. "I warned you not to trust that rabbit."
Tears streamed down God's cheeks. "I couldn't help it..." she whispered.
Shie sighed. "Let her go."
God clutched her chest. "It hurts," she said, tears falling from her fading sapphire eyes. "I can't live without her." She tried to stand but collapsed. "It hurts so much. I don't want to lose her."
Shie crossed her arms. "Luchia is gone. Accept it." Her eyes looked down on God. "How can a God be this weak?"
God sobbed uncontrollably, her hands clutching her chest. "I'm sorry. Forgive me. I couldn't rid myself of my greed. It hurts so much."
Shie knelt before God, lifting her chin. "How can you ask me to respect you when you're like this?" Her sharp eyes bore into God's. "Acting this way in front of a being as pure as me? You're a mere imitation." She released God's chin and stood up. "Your angel is with the Demon King." With that, Shie walked away.
God's eyes widened. "The Demon King? Why?"
Shie stopped and smirked. "Why do you think?"
God's heart stopped for a moment. "Is this..."
"Congratulations, you're now part of the rabbit's wicked plan," Shie said before disappearing into the dark light.
God gritted her teeth, her sapphire eyes blazing with anger. "Viosa!" she called, but there was no response. She realized she was ensnared in the rabbit's trap.
---
Koorselian, Human World
The sun was at its zenith. Alice and Luke had been walking since morning. Alice's legs felt stiff after three days of walking with only brief rests from dusk till dawn.
"We'll rest here," Luke announced, dropping his belongings and sitting on a rock. He took out a water pouch from his bag.
Finally, Alice could rest her legs. Her breath was heavy, despite only descending a hill. She realized just how weak the human body was. "Give me my powers back!" Her eyes were sharp as she watched Luke drink from the leather water pouch.
Luke paused and smirked. "You realize how weak humans are?" He tossed the pouch to Alice. "Still want to be human?" he mocked.
Alice caught the water pouch and drank every last drop. "Crazy man! He could keep his powers, but why can't I?!" she muttered in frustration.
Luke sighed, crossing his arms. "For your information, I don't have my demon powers right now," he corrected her. Alice's sharp gaze did not soften. "I'm used to a human body. I've always left the kingdom and lived as a human for a long time," he explained, picking up his belongings.
Alice's eyes widened. "No!" she shouted.
Luke looked at her in confusion. "What?"
"We just rested! I'm still tired!" Alice complained, standing up and glaring at him. "I don't want to walk anymore! I'm exhausted!"
Luke sighed and put his belongings down. He walked towards Alice. "Alright," he said.
A smile bloomed on Alice's face. "Thank you---" she stopped when she saw Luke walking away. "Where are you going?" she asked.
Luke turned back. "You can rest all you want, but after that, you'll carry all my stuff." He continued walking.
Her sapphire eyes widened. She gritted her teeth. "Unbelievable! You're really a demon!"
Luke turned back again. "Yes, I am. The Demon King, to be precise."
"Heartless!" Alice yelled.
Luke sighed. "That's because I'm the Demon King."
Alice's eyes bore into Luke. "I'll kill you when my powers return!" she seethed.
Luke smirked. "Can you?"
Alice's blood boiled. "Damn you!"
"Watch your language," Luke reminded as he walked away again.
With no other choice, Alice glanced at the items on the ground. "Fine, I won't rest anymore! Help me!" she called to Luke.
Luke sighed and walked back, picking up the items. "Are you sure?" he asked, his tone mocking.
Alice stayed silent. "Better to keep walking than to be your pack mule," she muttered, resuming their descent despite her aching legs.
During the journey, Alice grumbled whenever they passed someone. Luke greeted them with a smile, but Alice stayed away, knowing her cursed energy would harm anyone who came close. This was Luke's doing, swapping her holy power for a curse.
When she saw Luke smiling at a passing woman, Alice muttered, "Such a hypocrite."
After the woman left, Luke looked at Alice. "Did you say something?"
Alice sighed deeply. "Nothing." She resumed walking, knowing Luke wouldn't give her any rest if she resisted. It was his way of punishing her.
Night fell, and they found a cabin to rest in. Both of them dropped their bags on the floor.
Alice had been silent throughout the day. She didn't even express relief when they finally rested. Luke, noticing this, looked at her curiously. "What's wrong?" he broke the silence.
Alice glanced at him but ignored the question, continuing to rummage through her bag.
Luke, feeling uneasy, walked over. "Hey, what's wrong? If you keep silent, I won't know what you want!" he complained.
Alice looked deeply into his eyes, but still said nothing.
Luke sighed. "Fine, if you keep this up, pack your things. We're continuing." He began packing her scattered items.
Alice remained silent, looking down. "Demon," she muttered softly.
Luke turned. "What?"
Alice's eyes were sharp. "You're a demon!" she said angrily, standing up. "How can you make me walk for four days and rest only when you feel like it?!" Her voice broke as tears welled up. She was truly exhausted, emotionally and physically drained since meeting Luke. She just wanted to disappear.
Luke stood up quickly. "Why are you crying?!"
Alice wiped her eyes roughly. "I'm not crying!" she snapped. "Crazy, heartless man! How can you make me walk so much?!" Despite wiping her tears, they kept flowing, her emotions overflowing.
"Calm down!" Luke tried to soothe her.
"Calm down?! You want me to calm down when you're the one who did this to me?!" Alice stormed out of the cabin. "Fine, if you want to continue, no rest! I'll follow you till my feet rot and I die on the road! I'll follow you, demon!"
As she walked away, her numb feet caused her to stumble, but Luke quickly caught her, helping her regain balance.
"Hey, come on, I didn't mean it like that..." Luke panicked, seeing Alice so emotional.
Alice pushed him away. "Let go!" she yelled.
Luke released her. "We'll rest. You're not well," he decided.
Alice glared. "Not well? Since when have I been well?! Since meeting you, I've never been well!"
"Complain all you want, I'll listen," Luke offered himself as a punching bag for her frustrations.
"It's pointless to complain! I've been complaining for four days about being tired, and you never listened!" Alice raised her dress, showing her swollen, reddened feet. She removed her sandals and threw them at Luke's face. "Look at my feet! Did you ever listen?!"
Luke was silent, staring at her feet. "Alright, that's my fault. I'm sorry."
Alice gritted her teeth. "Of course, it's your fault! Who else's?!" She huffed and stomped back into the cabin, sitting on the floor, refusing to look at him.
Luke sighed. "We'll start traveling again when you feel better," he said.
Alice stayed silent. "Just kill me," she suddenly said.
Luke froze. "Hey, I know you're mad but—"
"What's the point of living? My task is to kill the Demon King, but look at me, I'm enslaved, and my holy power is sealed away. Just end it. What do you want from me?" Alice's voice broke, filled with despair and frustration.
Luke clenched his jaw. "Alright, it's my fault. I betrayed your trust, but I didn't mean to destroy your dignity or anything like that," he tried to explain, but Alice remained silent. "I'm sorry," he repeated, his voice softening.