The Damned Demon

Chapter 782: Raised To Protect You



The night air was cool and heavy with the lingering scent of blood, sweat, and smoke. In one of the makeshift camps near Nightshade Castle, Merina sat on a low wooden bench, her shoulders sagging with exhaustion, her eyes staring blankly at the flickering embers of a dying campfire.

The soft murmur of other survivors filled the air, some whispering in grief, others tending to the injured.

She had spent the last few hours patching wounds, ensuring food and water were available, comforting terrified refugees who had lost everything.

But now, in the silence of her own thoughts, the weight of everything was settling upon her like an unrelenting storm.

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, burying her face in her hands.

Ceti, Master... where are you? Why haven't I seen you two yet?

Her heart clenched with dread, but she shoved the fear down, refusing to entertain the worst possibilities.

But before she could drown in the spiral of her thoughts, a streak of blood-red lightning suddenly flashed through the camp.

A loud crack! of splitting air sent the camp into a brief panic, but before Merina could even react-

She vanished.

One second, she was sitting on the bench, the next-

Merina staggered forward, her boots pressing into damp earth. Her head spun violently as if she had been tossed through a storm. Her vision blurred, her senses scrambled, and her body felt weightless for a moment before reality snapped back in place.

She gasped and quickly recovered her senses, her sharp eyes darting around.

Where was she?

The bloody moonlight barely pierced through the canopy of twisted, blackened trees, their gnarled branches stretching out like skeletal fingers. A thick, eerie mist hung low to the ground, swirling around her boots as if it had a life of its own.

Her breathing was ragged, but a presence behind her sent a shiver down her spine.

Slowly, she turned around.

A tall, imposing woman stood before her, draped in the soft glow of the moon, her silky white hair cascading down her back like a river of silver light.

She was built like a warrior-toned, strong, yet graceful. Her blood-red eyes, which should have been cold and terrifying, instead held warmth, a strange melancholy gentleness.

Merina's breath hitched.

"Luna..." she whispered, her voice trembling with realization.

Her lips parted slightly, emotion surging through her, "It's really you, isn't it?"

Her body moved instinctively, her heart swelling with gratitude, "I never got the chance to thank you for saving our lives... including our queen."

She lowered her gaze in respect and began to bow deeply-

But before she could, Luna stepped forward swiftly, her hand gently pressing against Merina's shoulders, stopping her.

Merina blinked in surprise.

"You never have to bow to me," Luna said, her voice low and filled with unspoken sorrow, "Nor do I deserve your gratitude."

A flicker of pain flashed in Luna's eyes.

Merina tilted her head slightly, "You shouldn't say that. It's the least I should do. Even Ceti, who is now sleeping inside you, would agree."

Her expression softened, and she hesitated before asking, "Can I... see her?"

Luna's body tensed slightly, her breath hitching as her fingers curled at her sides.

"I..." Luna pressed her lips together, her eyes trembling.

Merina noticed how Luna's face subtly twisted with a deep, quiet pain.

Something was wrong.

"I am so sorry..." Luna murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Merina's heart clenched.

"Why... why are you apologizing?" she asked, her voice beginning to tremble.

"Please... don't do that..."

Luna inhaled shakily and finally spoke the truth.

By the time Luna finished, Merina was frozen.

Her eyes wide, her lips slightly parted, her breath stolen from her chest.

Luna had told her everything.

That she was her daughter. That Ceti was her twin sister. That their father, in an act of desperation, had merged them into one body to save them both.

And that now-

Ceti was gone.

Merina gasped, her legs buckling beneath her, her body collapsing to the cold earth.

"No..." Her voice was fragile, shattered. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"My daughter..."

The world around her blurred as a deep, crushing pain clawed its way into her soul.

She had lost her child.

She had failed to protect her.

Luna watched in silent agony, guilt burning in her chest as she saw the pain she had inflicted

on her mother.

"I am sorry," Luna whispered, her voice thick with emotion, "I never foresaw this."

She slowly kneeled before Merina, lowering her head in shame.

"You have every right to hate and resent me," Luna said, her voice barely steady.

"But I promise... I will make sure you and Kookus never know hardship for the rest of your lives. I will fulfill my sister's wishes, even if I can't bring her back... or replace her."

Merina's tear-filled gaze slowly lifted.

And what she saw-

Was not a warrior.

Not the future Moon Guardian.

Not a stranger.

But her daughter.

A child who had sacrificed everything for the people she loved.

A child who was just as lost as she was.

Her heart ached, but amidst the unbearable sorrow, a quiet warmth stirred within her.

With trembling hands, Merina dragged herself forward and pulled Luna into a warm embrace.

Luna's body stiffened in surprise-

But then she melted into her mother's arms.

"How can a mother ever resent her daughter?" Merina whispered, her voice breaking.

Luna's eyes widened.

"I should be the one apologizing," Merina murmured against her hair, gently stroking her

back.

"For never knowing about your existence. For not being there when you needed me. You kept us all safe—including Ceti―for all these years. If not for you, we wouldn't be alive now." She pulled back slightly, cupping Luna's face in her hands, her dark blue eyes filled with love

and sorrow.

"So don't ever think I would hate you, my daughter..." She let out a broken, tearful chuckle, her lips trembling, "Even if we never met before today, I... I will love you with all my heart." She pressed her forehead against Luna's, her tears mixing with hers.

"It isn't your fault... and Ceti would tell you the same. I know she wouldn't want you to keep

hurting."

Merina's voice faltered, her heart clenching, "I-I am the one responsible... for not being

strong enough to protect you both..."

Luna's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her throat tight, her breath ragged.

"That's not true..." Luna whispered, shaking her head.

Her arms tightened around her mother, as if she were afraid to let go.

And for the first time in forever-

Luna felt safe.

It was the second time she felt she was loved. The first time was when Ceti made the decision

to sacrifice her life after learning the truth. Despite never talking to each other, she felt Ceti's overwhelming love for her at that moment.

But the void in her heart left behind by Ceti was eating away at her. All this time, she and Ceti were one. And now...it felt as if a part of her died and Merina felt the same.

The mother and daughter held onto each other-two souls reunited by pain and love.

Few hours ago,

"Eradicator?" Asher's voice cracked with disbelief as she stopped in front of him, her

imposing frame casting a long shadow, "How...?"

"Are you alright, Your Majesty?" Eradicator asked, her voice calm but firm, carrying a stoic undertone that mirrored her nature while carefully observing him.

"I... I'm fine," he muttered, his voice hoarse. He exhaled sharply before looking up at her with

a baffled expression. "But wait... how are you here?"

Eradicator remained stoic, her voice calm and unwavering as she spoke, "The queen told me

to find you and ensure that you do not return."

Asher's breath hitched for a moment, "She told you to do that?"

A strange mixture of emotions churned within him.

Had Rowena really ordered Eradicator to ensure his absence from the battlefield? Did she

truly hate him so much that she didn't want him back? Or was she trying to protect him?

He couldn't tell.

But if she didn't care... why would she let Eradicator go? Someone like her was too valuable to let go.

He swallowed his thoughts and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Did she say anything else?" His voice was lower this time, cautious, hesitant. "Anything about why I left?"

Eradicator shook her head, her crimson-slit visor unflinching.

"No."

She paused, then added in the same impassive tone, "But I would have followed you even if

she had not given such an order. My sworn duty is to protect you and keep you safe. It is what I

have been raised for, Your Majesty."

Asher's lips parted slightly, his expression softening at her unwavering conviction.

A small, faint smile tugged at his lips-but only for a moment.

Something wasn't adding up.

He furrowed his brows, recalling the utterly impossible circumstances under which she had

found him.

"Wait..." he muttered, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "How did you even find us? How did

you bring us out?"

His mind flashed back to the underground ruins-the depths of darkness, the inescapable chasm, the crushing, cursed air that nearly killed Lori.

Even he, with all his power, couldn't fly out of there. He had tried and failed. More than once.

And yet, Eradicator had appeared there as if it were nothing and even brought them out.

His chest tightened as he fixed his gaze on her.

"We were trapped deep underground," he continued, his voice laced with confusion and

unease. "It was an ancient ruin... a place even I didn't recognize. And yet I saw you down there

-how did you find us?"

Eradicator remained silent for a moment, her crimson visor locked onto him.

Then, she spoke.

"Because I can track you no matter where you are."

Asher's breath hitched, but before he could interject, she continued.

"And because..." she hesitated for the first time, before her voice lowered slightly, "I have

known that place since I was born."

Asher's entire body stiffened. His heart skipped a beat.

"What?"

Eradicator's tone remained calm, but there was something deeper now, something unspoken,

"Before I took the oath to protect the Bloodburn Kingdom," she said, her voice unwavering,

"my first oath was to keep you safe." Asher's jaw tensed, confusion flashing through his mind like a violent storm. "W-What are you talking about?" he muttered, his voice dropping into an unsteady whisper.

"You only became my protector after Rowena ordered you, right?"

The silence that followed was deafening.

And then-she shook her head.

"No."

Asher felt his pulse quicken.

"I waited and trained for over 100 years," she said, her voice like cold steel, "to be prepared

for the moment you woke up. To make sure I was strong enough to guard your life."

The weight of her words slammed into him like a boulder.

Over 100 years?

Asher's breath caught in his throat as realization dawned on him.

"No..." he whispered, his eyes wide.

There was no way.

Eradicator, the woman who had always stood behind him, who had always shielded him from

harm, who had always been silently watching...

She had been waiting for him? Before he even woke up in this life?

His mind reeled, scrambling for an answer, for some kind of explanation.

"Perhaps it's time I told you everything," Eradicator reached up without hesitation-

And removed her helmet.

The moment the heavy, dark metal was lifted away, Asher's breath left him.