n

n

nArgh...heuk...

nWith the burning and agonizing pain deep in her stomach, some sort of smoke started appearing around the corner of Marinette's deep purple eyes.

nBiting her lip enduring her pain as she held on tight to her father putting all of her guards up as she heard the rustling sound coming from the other side of the hut's door.

nThe door was slightly opened, the sound of the door rang to Marinette's ears, she gulped staring with the shiver all over her body.

nSoon she got goosebumps when the first thing she saw coming out of the door was the sharp ax.

nShe looked around grabbing for some rocks, any sort of weapon to protect herself from the enemy.

n

"Who are...you?

" the rock in her palm dropped back down to the ground hearing the voice of the person grabbing her right hand while bending his knees.

nShe let out a scream with her eyes widening as if a grim reaper appeared in front of her to devour her life. With the sharp jawline and the sharp frightening eyes, he was almost identical to the northern emperor.

nHer lip bled as she shook off that big and rough hands with her lip shaking as she creep away from that man.

n

"Who are you???!!! Get away!!!!

" she panted after, her pain inside her body already reached its limit to the point she couldn't even properly. She had to inhale air from her lip at the same time to get enough air for her body to function.

n

"Young lady, your wound...we need to treat your wound. And that old man too.

"

n

"No...go...go...away...

" that man glanced to his ax seeing how frightened Marinette was just by looking at his eyes. He dropped the ax on the ground, but that didn't seem to convince Marinette, he sighed and threw it in the bush with roses beside his house.

n

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I was going to go chopping some woods earlier.

" Marinette took a look closely at that man's face, although his face was very similar to the emperor's, but his tone was lighter and gentler, and his face was also similar to the grey-haired woman who Marinette hates.

n

"Please...treat my father first...

"

n

"But you look much more in pain--

"

n

"Just treat him first!! I won't forgive you if something happens to him.

" Marinette grabbed the sharp rock beside her clenching it tight as she slowly got up with the support of that old man, the old man carried duke Jellal onto his sofa in the small hut.

nThe small hut was plain and simple but the view outside the window was gorgeous with the beauty of the small waterfall. It has the smell of wood inside the hut with the furniture made of fine wood. The wall was made of logs tied together, there was a little ladder leading to the upper floor.

nMarinette put her hand on the small table to stand properly while watching the old man applying herb on duke Jellal's eyelids wiping away his black blood.

nHuff huff...

nMarinette kept taking a deep breath, as minutes passed by, Marinette started to notice her belly was getting bigger and there was some sort of movement inside her stomach causing her to worry with cold sweat.

nShe glanced to the other side of the house, there stood a large bookshelf with many books, magic books at that.

nAnd if you looked closely at the other side of the house, there was a small door fitting for a human to walk in and out, it was a wonderful kitchen with many herbs put in a basket.

n

"Your father doesn't have much physical wound, but his life isn't threatening at the moment.

" the old man talked to her, Marinette started at his back listening to him, to his calm voice as he wrapped the bandage around the duke's small cut here and there on his body.

n

"So just at the moment?

"

n

"I take a look at his pulse, his magic energy is messed up. It went crazy wild.

"

n

"Do you know how to fix it...?

" Marinette asked with an indifferent voice taking the book from his bookshelves to that man, putting the book describing the death roses magic right in front of him.

n

"...since you're some sort of magician yourself?

" she continued with her judgemental eyes staring deep into his eyes.

nThat man showed a slight smile on his face taking the book from Marinette then opened it to the page at the middle of the book with many red marks on it.

n

"I'm not a magician, young lady. I'm just into research, and among all magic, death roses magic is the most interesting.

" a smirk appeared on his face, Marinette reacted too slow to what came after that smirk causing her to faint with one hit behind at her nape.

nThe curtain of the window was closed, the darkness fell down on Marinette as her eyes closed to the complete darkness.

n

"Kyrana, these people can make roses!!

"

n

"I'll go and cut some wood to cook your favorite food then we'll make this guy create a rose crown for you, what do you think??

"

n

"Ahaha, I'm going now. Watch the house for me.

"

nIt was a one-sided conversation from Marinette's perspective, before she fell unconscious, she couldn't notice the presence of the other 'person' that old man talked to. It was the sound of the closing and locking door which Marinette heard in the end.

n'...*sigh...'

nDark Magic: Devil Spawn

n

"Save...save~save...we save our lady~our lady~

" the little devil made from the shadow, the result of Marinette's dark magic beforehand, the precaution in case something like that happened, the cute black devil with yellow eyes glowing came to drop a little of dark liquid on Marinette's forehead.

n

"Light magic...light magic~make our lady better~heal...heal~heal~

" the black liquid when came in contact with Marinette's nape shone bright white casting all of the devils away, Marinette grabbed the sofa and made herself up from the wooden floor.

nHer eyes turned cold as she walked slightly to the window watching the old man chopping down wood near the waterfall.

nShe got shiver all over her body when not a single soul except her and the duke in the house.

n

"Who was that man talking to??

" the chill came down to her spine as she grabbed the duke's hand looking around the house.

nHer heart started racing out of fear, even her eyes which could see souls didn't even see some sort of nonhuman in the house.

nShe had no choice but to find out more about that man, she decided to climb up to the upper floor, the little room under the roof full of accessories and the gift which was unwrapped.

nLetters fell down to Marinette's feet, she grunted when she curled her body to fit in that little room.

n

"Who is Kyrana??

"

nMarinette sat down, she groaned when her stomach was even bigger than before. She started to doubt if Marinette was pregnant or something.

nShe shook her head throwing away all of those stupid and foolish thoughts picking up one letter after another.

nHappy birthday, my little sister. You said you love fireworks, right?? I will take you to the festival this year. I heard there was some sort of game there too, maybe your big brother could win that game and win you a teddy bear, what do you think? Anyway, my sister is growing, I'm delighted to see how grown-up you are. Happy fifth birthday, Kyrana~ it was a birthday letter.

nIt was the same content wishing happy birthday to the same person who was his little sister with the name Kyrana. Every year without missing, there was a letter each year wishing that person happy birthday.

nMarinette could already guess what was inside the unwrapped box in front of her, there were so many crumbled pieces of paper lying down on the floor, it was the draft of the letter.

nMarinette's eyes turned a bit soft seeing how much effort that man did just for a piece of letter.

nMarinette read it all to the last letter which was written,

nI bet you even have grandchildren now, my little sister. Happy birthday this year too. I really want to see you, I bet you have white hair now right as you grow old. I have a few strands of white hair here and there on my head too. And I'm single this year...this old little brother can't seem to find any woman in this lonely forest. I hope you'll visit me soon... there was always a sentence of wishing for his littler sister to visit him at the end of every letter.

nShe couldn't believe it when her finger slid to the wet spot of the letter, it was her tears. She was reminded of how she read her father's suicide letter.

nShe wondered what he was feeling at that time when he was writing her the letter, blood was thicker than blood, even when she was in another world. Her heart still can't make her hate him, he was the only father for Sun-hee.

n

"Father...

"

n

"Young lady!!!!!! If you don't come out in the count of three, I'll kill your father right here!!!!

"

n

"???!!!!

"

nMarinette threw the letter across the floor without reading whose name was written at the back of the letter...'From Adira'

nTo be continued....!

n