The Price of Freedom

Birds chirped, singing softly together with the woodland insects. A gentle breeze brushed against his face as he walked along the long slope that resembled the spine of the earth, toward the silent hill where he had left Valeria.

The hill rose almost high enough to touch the sky. Anyone standing at its peak could oversee the vast forest beneath, making it a perfect throne for Valeria, who wished to watch his battles from the best vantage point without interfering.

Sometimes, he came there to keep an eye on his prey. On other days, when longing pierced too deeply, he howled into the sky calling for the fading silhouette of a woman, like morning mist slipping away.

His footsteps now swayed unsteadily.

Not because his body was tired, but because his heart wrestled with itself. He kept trying to convince himself that he was not entirely responsible for the sea of blood whose scent still lingered like morning dew.

When he finally reached the peak, a vampire girl greeted him with a teasing grin.

"Are you satisfied? Or… perhaps the opposite?"

The wolf said nothing and lowered his gaze to hide the storm of emotion beneath his expression.

"Just like an innocent maiden. You are far too easy to read, little wolf."

Sirius only turned his head away, refusing to respond. "So... Lady. Will you fulfill your promise?"

"Oh, of course. I am someone who always keeps her word." Her fingertip moved slowly, beckoning him. "Come here."

Like a well trained hound, instinct guided his feet forward. He allowed her to stroke the area between his brows. There was a faint comfort when her hands brushed through his fur. Yet the comfort felt hollow, like a dog that had lost his master.

"It is alright... do not be sad." Her fingertips caressed his head gently. "I do not know what you seek, but I promise to help you find it, sweet wolf."

"Now then, enough pleasantries. Let us release your bond."

Valeria gently pushed his head away.

She then bit the tip of her finger and extended her hand. Blood flowed from her fingertip like a waterfall and pooled into the shape of a glowing star formation with Sirius at its center.

Valeria closed her eyes. A chant in an ancient tongue slipped from her lips, soft yet carrying weight deeper than stone.

In a land without a ruler.

A soul was chained by fate.

Forced to wear a crown he never chose.

Yet ancient blood was offered.

To the stars resting upon silent soil.

Whispered incantations awakened

and fractured the chains that bound him.

A fallen land was sacrificed.

Its people forgotten.

The crown abandoned.

The shackles shattered.

The king regained his freedom.

Yet remember this.

The land will never forget.

It will summon the slain.

It will hunt the king,

who forsook his duty.

Four verses had been spoken. The star formation shone brightly, glowing with brilliant violet, tearing through the usual colorless silence of the forest.

An ethereal chain appeared around Sirius’s body. Yet he felt nothing. Slowly, the binding chains eroded under the violet radiance.

Within seconds, the chains broke apart, dissolving like dust carried away by wind. Only after the light faded did he find himself standing face to face with the vampire.

"How does it feel?" she asked with a small upward curl at the corner of her lips.

Sirius stretched his neck, and a cracking sound echoed. "It feels... no different."

Valeria covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Of course, fool. The dungeon never gives or takes from you. It only chains and feeds you. Once freed, you neither gain strength nor lose anything."

A soft breeze drifted by. His black fur swayed, as did Valeria’s white hair. They stared at each other in silence, and for the first time, they both took a deep breath.

A small act, yet one that eased the heavy weight pressing their minds.

"Now you are free, but I expect you have not forgotten your promise, sweet wolf."

"Promise… yes. Of course. I never break promises."

Sirius lowered his head.

The word echoed in his mind. Like stepping out of a lion’s den only to fall into a crocodile’s jaw. He had escaped the chain of the dungeon king, only to become bound by a pact to fight for the demons.

A promise was a promise. He had no intention of breaking it. Besides, he had made up his mind long ago.

Leave the dungeon, find his beloved, and create a place where they could return together. Though deep down, he doubted life would unfold as smoothly as he hoped.

Perhaps even...

Sirius shook his head quickly, refusing to let that thought take shape.

He looked up at Valeria with steady eyes. "Lady, what shall we do now? Should we destroy the nearest town?"

"Pfft..."

Valeria covered her mouth, yet laughter still burst through. "What is this? Suddenly so enthusiastic."

Sirius frowned. Truthfully, he had spoken without thinking. There was no intention. Just a thought slipping across his tongue.

Valeria wiped away a tear forming at the corner of her eye. Though her laughter quieted, amusement lingered in her voice.

"Charging blindly is not war. It is stupidity. Ahahah."

Sirius tilted his head, confused. What was so amusing? Why did she laugh at something so simple? He had never met a girl with humor as strange as Valeria’s.

After calming herself, she looked at him again with a steady gaze and a slight curl to her lips.

"Listen carefully. War requires preparation. Meticulous preparation. Without it, countless unnecessary casualties will occur. We must also avoid needless destruction."

"Then... what must I do now?"

Valeria shrugged. "Nothing. Our preparations are not complete. For now, let me take you to my castle in the underworld, where demons dwell. I will also help you learn this world slowly."

Sirius nodded. His shoulders lowered.

She was right. Everything in this world felt foreign. He needed time to learn and understand it. Perhaps with time, he would discover the path that led him back to the one he sought.

Valeria then tossed a small orb from her pocket. A portal with swirling red light appeared where it fell. Sirius stared silently.

"That..."

"You have seen one before, have you not? Ah, that boy escaped earlier. Of course you have seen a demon teleportation portal."

Of course he remembered.

His failure to reach the portal was burned into his memory like a wound that would take a long time to heal.

Valeria stepped forward. Half of her body passed through the portal before she extended a hand toward him, her lips curved in a sweet smile.

"Come along, little brother. Let your beautiful elder sister take you home."

Sirius frowned slightly. He disliked how she treated him. Perhaps his age was still very young among demons, but his soul was far from childish.

Even so, he nodded and followed her.

The moment he stepped forward, the air changed. Every sense awakened, overwhelmed by unfamiliar sensation.

Before he could understand it fully, his body disappeared into the red shimmering light.

He vanished into the unknown, leaving the forest silent behind him as though he had never existed.