Even the Devil Regrets it - Chapter 97

“How do you even pray?”

Anita asked with a serious expression on her face.

“I have no idea.”

Lochlan answered with a puzzled look. He had never done it before, so how could he know how?

He hadn’t expected anyone to respond seriously to his words. That only meant they were all feeling desperate.

“But who do we even pray to?”

To a god? Albert swallowed the rest of his question, and his shoulders trembled slightly.

The three of them let out another long sigh. All they could do now was hope that Juliana would come back.

None of them had ever wanted something so badly in their entire lives.

“Juliana.”

She slowly blinked at the sound of Braeden’s voice calling her.

She couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality, and she was too uncertain to move.

“Juliana.”

He called again, his voice filled with longing as he reached out his hand toward her. Juliana, as if drawn by some invisible force, reached back.

But before their hands could touch, a deafening noise filled the air, and the icy cliffs of the mountain began to split apart. The ground cracked violently, separating them.

A deep, wide canyon opened between them, impossible to cross.

Even though she wanted to go to him, she no longer could. Juliana cried out his name with all her strength.

“Braeden!”

Tears fell from Braeden’s eyes. Red tears, like blood, streamed down from his crimson gaze, dripping onto the snowy ground.

Where his tears landed, the earth began to shake. It split open and erupted with blazing red lava.

The lava spread across the land, consuming everything in its path. The world burned, filled with screams and cries. Juliana watched the chaos and shouted through her tears.

“This can’t be right! It’s not supposed to end like this!”

With a sudden gasp, she woke up. Her breath was heavy, and her back was drenched in cold sweat. The sheets beneath her were damp.

“It was just a dream…”

Tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She let out a long sigh and covered her face with both hands.

At that moment, there was a gentle knock at the door.

Juliana got out of bed, fixed her clothes, and opened it.

“Can we talk for a bit?”

Enoch stood outside, holding a cup of warm milk.

“Yes, of course.”

“Drink this first. When you’re ready, meet me downstairs.”

He gave her a calm smile and walked away.

Juliana blew softly on the milk and took a sip. Her body, still trembling from the nightmare, began to settle.

When she met Enoch downstairs, his expression was more serious than usual.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“You had a dream, didn’t you?”

Juliana’s face darkened as the memory returned to her.

“You know a lot, Enoch. You always have. But you’re not telling me everything, are you?”

Enoch smiled gently before replying.

“There is a right time for everything. I called you here because your time has come.”

“Then please tell me. What is really going on? And what do I need to do?”

Juliana remembered the way Braeden’s face twisted in pain in her dream. Just thinking about it made her heart ache as if it were breaking into pieces.

And then there was the world on fire.

It was only a dream, thank goodness. If it had been real, the world would already be gone.

“I want to help him. I don’t want him to die.”

Her voice was filled with emotion, far more than usual. Enoch saw it and gave her a bittersweet smile.

“I failed once already. I told myself I wouldn’t interfere with demons, no matter what they did. But the world ended because of that. Just like in your dream.”

“Then that really happened?”

“It happened not long after you died.”

“Then my coming back to life…”

“Was the will of the gods to stop the world from ending again.”

Juliana stared, stunned, as Enoch gave her a small wink.

“Saving him and stopping his rampage is the same goal I’ve had all along. I want to see him stay in control too.”

Juliana had never imagined that her return had a greater purpose. She blinked, still caught in her thoughts.

“You believe I can stop him from losing control.”

At her words, Enoch let out a soft laugh and leaned back comfortably in the sofa.

“There is nothing stronger in this world than love. I believe more in that than I do in your abilities.”

Juliana thought over what he said, then met his gaze and asked clearly,

“Tell me what I need to do.”

“Do what your heart tells you. You love him. If you act out of real care for him, then whatever you choose will probably be the right thing.”

After speaking, Enoch took a pocket watch from his coat and checked the time.

“You should go now. Time flows differently here compared to the outside world.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Atlante appeared, carrying Juliana’s hat in his beak as if he knew exactly what was needed.

Enoch smiled warmly and reached out his hand toward him.

Without hesitation, Atlante flew up and perched on Enoch’s arm. Enoch stroked the top of his head gently and said,

“You too. Do what you feel is right. I’m not going to force the burden of the Tear of the Divine onto you. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself unless you choose to.”

You say that, but do you know how scary that sounds?

Atlante grumbled, and Enoch chuckled quietly.

“Go now, before it’s too late.”

He stood and walked them out, seeing Juliana and Atlante off.

“Will I ever see you again?”

Juliana asked with a hint of sadness in her voice. She had grown attached to him.

“I am always with you, Juliana.”

As soon as Enoch said those words, the sanctuary around them vanished without a trace.

Juliana stood still for a moment, holding her small bag. Then she straightened her back and set her jaw with determination.

“Let’s go, Atlante.”

It was time to return. Time to go home.

Plaurus was still wandering the world. He had lost count of how many times he had circled it.

And yet somehow, he ended up right back where he started. In the north.

“Damn it. If this keeps up, I really am going to be erased.”

A demon afraid of dying. He could hardly believe this was his reality. It was pitiful and humiliating.

Maybe I really should have stopped playing with fire.

He regretted his past decisions.

Plaurus, the demon who could freely control flames, had once hidden among humans and earned their favor using his fire.

A long time ago, fire had been vital to human survival. They had seen it as sacred.

But over time, humans learned how to control fire themselves. They no longer saw it as sacred.

Plaurus, who had once gained their favor through fire, could no longer impress them. So he began to entertain himself in other ways.

He started playing with fire, literally.

Although calling it “playing” didn’t really fit, considering he caused fires large enough to burn down entire cities.

Once he got a taste for it, Plaurus set one fire after another. Unfortunately, one of those fires burned down Braeden’s territory.

“I didn’t even know whose land it was!”

How was he supposed to know that the Archdemon Belial was living like a human? If he had known it was Belial’s land, he would have stayed far away.

In the end, he was caught on the spot and sealed inside a mirror. That was three hundred years ago.

Surely that was enough punishment by now.

Trying to calm his anger, Plaurus groaned and held his head in frustration.

“What am I supposed to do now?”

With the slave mark burned into him, he couldn’t run away.

Damn it. Seriously.

He muttered curses under his breath, but then froze when he caught sight of someone.

Silver hair, deep green eyes and a proud, straight posture. A mysterious presence that clearly set her apart from everyone else.

He narrowed his eyes to focus, then suddenly jumped with excitement.

“I found her! I finally found her!”

He was so happy that he spread his arms and ran toward her.

It was an unsettling scene. A demon with the body of a man and the head of a leopard running like a child across the open ground.

Who are you? Stop right there!

Atlante spread his wings wide and stood protectively in front of Juliana. His eyes were sharp, and it looked like he would peck without hesitation.

Plaurus stopped in his tracks.

“It’s me. Come on, you remember me, right?”

Only then did he realize how different he looked now. He quickly changed into his flame form.

“You’re…”

Juliana’s eyes widened as she recognized him as the demon from the mirror.

“Come on, we have to go. Do you have any idea how hard your master has been looking for you?”

Master?

Atlante tilted his head in confusion.

“Yeah, that happened somehow. But never mind that. The important part is, if I don’t find you, I’m going to disappear. Being stuck in that mirror for three hundred years was bad enough. Now I might be erased completely!”

The little flame demon dimmed as he circled around Juliana in a sulky spiral.

“That kind-hearted (grumpy), sweet (infuriating) demon is in such a pitiful (deliciously satisfying) state. It’s too sad (too funny) to even watch.”

The moment the slave mark was placed, Plaurus lost the ability to speak badly about his master. Every insult came out as a compliment, all by itself.

Kind and sweet? Do you really expect us to believe that? What are you hiding?

Atlante stared hard at him. The strange words only made him more suspicious.

This isn’t what I meant! I want to insult him so badly!

Plaurus screamed silently inside, his thoughts completely trapped by the spell.

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