Garden Of Poison

Emily, feeling breathless, leaned against Raylen. She didn’t know what Nathaniel had done to her, but something felt strange, prompting her to close her eyes for a brief moment.

"Princess?" Raylen called out to Emily, his voice filled with gentleness as he noticed her wheezing. He set her down on the ground, allowing her to lean against the wall. "You crossed the line, Nathaniel," he said, turning his gaze on his fellow archdemon.

Nathaniel recovered from the shock of witnessing Emily shatter into fragments of ice, only to see her whole again a moment later. He inquired, "Crossed the line? I believe that’s what you are doing, coming between Emily’s and my union."

Raylen’s eyes narrowed, displeased with the words that Nathaniel spat. He remarked, "I don’t think you are thinking clearly anymore, because there is no union between the two of you. Have you forgotten that you rejected her and chose Layla as your soulmate?"

"Which your father clearly didn’t approve of, Raylen. The Devil showed me that maybe Layla was not my true mate, and I had to go to my actual soulmate." Nathaniel raised his hand, which clenched into a fist. "An eye for an eye," he added ominously.

"If you don’t like your eyes, you should have said so earlier," Raylen retorted, cracking his knuckles. "Unfortunately for you, my wife loves my eyes, and if there’s anyone who can have them, it is only her."

Nathaniel knew that if he was to take Emily, it would be over Raylen’s dead body, and he was ready to kill the Archdemon. Not only that, but Raylen’s death would bring him the glory of defeating the Devil’s son.

As anger and madness continued to escalate within the tower, Emily blinked, and in the very next second, an explosion rocked the tower, its walls crumbling and dust billowing everywhere. To shield herself from the blast, she instinctively raised her hand to conceal her face behind it. After coughing and eventually lowering her hand, she noticed an ice-like sphere that had formed around her, reminiscent of the barrier that had protected her earlier.

Another blow resounded, and Emily’s gaze moved in its direction to catch a glimpse of sparks emitting from behind the still-settling dust.

Raylen and Nathaniel found themselves locked in fierce close combat, their fists and legs flying at each other with intensity. On one side was the Archdemon determined to protect his soulmate, while on the other side was the Archdemon consumed by grief, seeking compensation for his profound loss.

"Emily’s soul belongs to me! It was destined for me, and I will use it how I see fit!" Nathaniel declared, only to receive a forceful punch squarely to his face in response.