บท 389: [75.4] A Pure Soul Hidden in the Darkness

Lovi stared at him for a while before nodding quickly, "Yes. I want to go home."

As the two left the room, Asmonious paused to go back to Lovi's father. He bent down and whispered with a smile not quite a smile, "Today, the daughter who you abused took pity on you… But I warn you. I'm not as kind as her. I will leave you with a curse this time, but if you dare do anything to any human or demon again, I will end your life without hesitation…. I won't allow you to harm another life ever again."

Fear reflected in the man's eyes as he stared back in horrified silence.

Asmonious motioned to the shadows where hundreds of orange eyes were staring down at him, "I will be watching… At all times."

The man broke into sobs of fear, holding his legs while Asmonious strolled out of the room with a smile on his face.

When he met up with the two in the hall, they looked at him as if they wanted to ask, but with his forced smile, they decided not to. As they went to leave, Asmonious suddenly stopped and looked down the adjacent hallway.

Lovi followed his gaze, "What is it?"

He pursed his lips and didn't answer. Turning down the hall, he followed it until it led to a storeroom. Bale and Lovi followed after him, curious by his reaction.

Lovi looked around, "It's just a storeroom."

"Wait…" Bale sniffed the air with a frown, "I know this smell."

Bale followed it around until he came to boxes. He moved them to the side, revealing a trap door. Lovi and Bale both looked over at Asmonious who frowned. He stepped over and pulled on the door with force, revealing a ladder leading down into darkness.

Lovi took a few steps back, "Don't tell me we are going down there."

Asmonious hopped down and Bale looked at her with a shrug. He jumped down and she let out a groan. She used the ladder to climb down and found it led to a room underneath the house. It was illuminated by magical lights, leading to a stone door.

Asmonious glanced at the other two before pushing it aside, revealing a room. They stepped inside and were stunned.

The room was simple, with a single bed and a few toys scattered around. In the center of the floor, a teenage boy was staring back at them with wide eyes. He looked similar to the man they had just seen, but he was far more handsome. His entire being seemed to radiate with a dazzling light, entrancing anyone who would look at him. When he blinked, his golden eyes sparkled and when he tilted his head, his brown hair shimmered.

But what was most surprising was the pair of horns on his forehead.

A piece of bread hung from his mouth as he stared back at the three who were just as surprised as he was.

"..."

He started munching on the bread while staring back at them. He swallowed and tilted his head innocently, "You're not my father."

Lovi blinked in shock, "F-Father?"

He pursed his lips, "Who are you?"

Bale waved, "Hi. I'm Bale."

He waved back, "Hi! I'm Koale."

Lovi held the wall in shock, "Oh… Oh my god. Do I… Do I have a brother?!"

Asmonious nodded at him, "You can call me Moni."

He waved at him with a grin, "Hi Moni! I'm Koale."

Asmonious looked around, "Why are you in this room?"

"It's to protect me. Father said the outside world is filled with monsters and scary things. He said I will die if I step outside so I must always do what he says and stay here." Then a flash of realization came over him and he looked at the three suspiciously, "Are you monsters?"

Bale shook his head, "Nope."

Lovi held her mouth, "I'm going to puke…"

Asmonious answered, "We are demons."

Koale looked at them curiously, "Demons? What's that?"

Asmonious looked awkward, so Bale answered by pointing at his forehead, "Demons have horns. Like you."

Koale reached up to feel the nubs of his horns, "Oh? Oh! So that's what they are."

Bale strolled over and plopped down in front of him, "How long have you been down here?"

Koala tilted his head in confusion, "Down here? Hmmm. I don't know. But before that, I was in this wooden thing. It made a lot of noise so I was scared… Um… Before that, I was in another room like this one. Before that…. The same? I think."

Bale asked gently, "Have you ever been outside?"

He shook his head quickly, "No. Father said outside is dangerous. He said I can only stay here."

Asmonious glanced at Lovi, "Did your father have more children other than you?"

"He had… A few. But they always had fates similar to mine. None of them were treated-" She looked around the room as if not knowing what to say, "-As well as this."

She looked back at Koale who was staring at her with clear, golden eyes.

She stepped over to him, scratching her head awkwardly, "Um… Hello. My name is Lovi."

He grinned at her, "Hello! My name is Koale!"

"Yes, I know… Um, so Koale… I am your half-sister."

He blinked in surprise, "Really?"

She nodded.

He reached out to her but she leaned back in surprise. He furrowed his brows as he brought his hand back, "I see. I didn't know I had a sister… I thought I only had Father. Are the rest of you my sisters?"

Bale's face twitched, "Moni and I are men, that would make us brothers."

"Ah. I see, so we are brothers."

Asmonious smiled faintly, "Not through blood, but we are now."

He looked around at everyone, "I only ever spoke to Father, but this is nice too. Can you stay a bit longer? I want to know more about my new sister and brothers."

"Instead of us staying-" Lovi spoke with a bit of hesitation, "Do you… Want to leave with us?"

He glanced at her, "Leave? But Father told me never to leave. I will die."

Bale spoke, "You won't die. He was lying to you."

"Oh…"

Asmonious asked, "Do you want to leave?"

"My Father-"

"Ignore what your father wants. I'm asking you."

He thought about it, "Leave?... I don't know… Is it dangerous?"

"Well… It can be dangerous, but-" Lovi pointed at Asmonious, "-With big brother by your side, you don't have to worry about a thing."

Asmonious looked at her in surprise.

Koale shifted in his spot, "Well… I am curious. But Father said not to ever leave."

Bale interrupted, "Actually, your father said it's okay to come with us."

Koale blinked, "Oh? He did? Okay then! Let's go!"

He stood up with a naive smile and waited for the three of them. The three looked between them and showed him the way out.

Lovi whispered between Asmonious and Bale, "Isn't this technically kidnapping?"

Bale whispered back, "Couldn't you say this is saving him from a kidnapping?"

Lovi thought about it and shrugged, "I guess…"

As Koale walked down the halls, he stared at everything as if mesmerized, "Whoa… So this is outside?"

Lovi shook her head, "No. We are still inside the house."

"When do we get outside?"

"...Soon."

They led him out where he stared around in awe, "Woooow! What is that!?"

They all followed his finger to the night sky.

Asmonious raised an eyebrow, "You mean the moon?"

"That's the moon? Cool! Oh!! What's that over there?"

"That's an unconscious guard."

"Oh!!! Cool… And that?"

"A tree."

Bale leaned over and whispered to Lovi, "I'm a bit nervous for him. He seems a bit too pure and trusting."

Lovi pursed her lips, "I know what you mean."

"What's that?"

Asmonious answered patiently, "That's a rock."

"What's that?"

"...That's a bug."

"OH! What's that?"

"...Another rock."

Lovi and Bale both exchanged an anxious look. Asmonious held out his hand, "Shall we go back now?"

Koale smiled at him as he took his hand, "Where are we going?"

Asmonious was a bit surprised to see another demon cling to him without any sense of fear, "We are going to our home on the mountain."

"Is there a moon there too?"

"...Yes."

"Cool! I want to go!!!"

Lovi and Bale walked to Asmonious and reached out to hold his arm. In the blink of an eye, they were back on the mountain. As the two were holding their stomachs, Koale was running around in circles, "That was fun! Super fun! I want to do it again! OH! Look! Moon! You really do have one of those here!!! Oh! What was that again?"

Asmonious answered, "A tree."

"Those are here too?"

"They are everywhere."

"Wow… Amazing."

Lovi scrambled over to Asmonious as they approached the courtyard, "What are we going to tell Master? We can't just stroll in with a new demon and not expect her to have questions!!"

Asmonious answered, "We can tell her he just showed up-"

"Tell me what?"