Money Loving CEO's Detective Lover

The leaves crunched under their feet as they made their way towards their destination. The sun was directly above their heads, shining brightly but there was barely any sunlight at the place they were at. The thick trees loomed over them like monstrous shadows which were stalking them at every step. 

A dense forest lay ahead devoid of any sounds. Not even the sounds of insects nor the chirping of birds could be heard. Animals avoided that place like a plague and dead carcasses of many creatures lay around them as they ventured deeper into the forest. The little sunshine which followed them had disappeared, leaving nothing but an ominous darkness.

"How much further, master?" Anna asked.

Anyal did not reply to her but kept on walking ahead. His eyes were fixated on his goal which was not far away. Moving aside the vines in his way, he slowly approached a place within the deepest part of the forest.

Anna was curious about what her master was searching for but did not dare to question him again. If Anyal did not reply the first time around, it was wise not to ask him that question again. They kept on walking until he held up his hand, motioning her to stop. She abruptly halted and stared at the place they had reached.

It was a large clearing in the middle of the forest but the trees above completely blocked all light from entering. Still, the outlines of pillars were visible. A large stone foundation lay in front of them with several broken walls. It looked like an old fortress which had been left abandoned. The roof had completely caved in with stone slabs scattered at random places. A strange smell of mould and fungus lingered in the air along with a faint scent of…

"Sulphur," she muttered. 

"This place…" Anyal began. "This is the place where it all began."

He looked lost in his thoughts as he reminisced the things he had lost in this very place.

"Is this...is this from where she was taken, sir?" Anna whispered.

Anyal slowly nodded his head. "Unlike the likes of you, Ahin was not a worshipper of the Devil," he revealed. "She was simply a person who made a deal with him to defeat her younger brother in war."

"For power?" Anna asked.

"For the greater good," Anyal stated. He walked towards a large slab and jumped on it. Anna watched as he elegantly sat on the stone, still staring at the ruins of his beloved Ahin's home. 

"Her brother was a cruel tyrant who had killed many people in his quest for power," he went on. "Ahin watched helplessly as he was favored for being the Emperor simply because he was the male heir. The Emperor knew of his son's deeds but overlooked all of them for the sake of his lineage. Ahin was cast aside, humiliated and forgotten until she decided to raise an army of peasants against the Crown Prince. Once she started the rebellion, a civil war broke out between the siblings…"

"But the Crown Prince used underhanded methods to win. He knew that his sister was popular so he bribed her officials to kill her. Luckily for her, a shaman who was loyal to the people warned her on time and she was able to save herself. That was when Ahin finally decided to make a deal with the Devil…"

"But that cost her her life," Anna whispered. 

"It did," Anyal said in a morose tone. "She called him and promised that if he helped her to kill her brother, she would sell him his soul within a year. The Devil agreed and they made the pact. To help her, I was sent to kill her brother. And I did. I killed him without mercy and also stayed by her side to make sure that she was not going to run away. She couldn't have anyway."

"Did she try to run?" Anna asked.

"No," Anyal revealed. "She didn't. She was ready to give up her soul but before that, she was determined to make her country a prosperous one. Within a few months of her ascending the throne, she transformed the country from a poor one to one with great economic power. She was almost unstoppable in her goals and I was there to help her until it was time for her to go to hell."

His eyes went completely white while his mind drifted back hundreds of years ago when he stood by his beloved, watching her smile widely as she helped people without any hesitation. In his entire existence, he had never seen someone who accepted her fate with such grace and yet, went on to complete her work. Ahin's smile was etched in his memory, never leaving nor letting him live. 

Was it the intense feelings a demon felt or was it obsession? He never knew. 

"Everyday, I watched her grow," he whispered. "I watched her shine, knowing that it would all be gone within a few months. She just wanted her people to be happy before she left."

"But whispers began to echo in the kingdom as rumors of her involvement with the dark arts were spreading. The remaining comrades of her dead brother were fueling the rumors and began to brainwash the peasants against her. You see, in those days, people were afraid of the demons. We were the creatures of the dark, evil and corrupted. They feared us so anything related to demons was blasphemy for them."

"Meanwhile, I was planning my own move," he stated. "On how to escape the contract.You see, it's not easy to escape the contract with the Devil."

Anna read through his words. "It's not easy but not impossible either," she guessed.

Anyal's lips curved into a smile. "It's not impossible," he affirmed. "I'll come to that in a while. So you see, I was trying to break the contract but it was nearly impossible at that time. Ahin tried to stop me but I was determined. It became an obsession for me because I couldn't let the woman I love go to hell. I've seen hell. I was created there! The horrors are unimaginable for anyone and to see a pure soul like Ahin go there…"

He clenched his fists and snarled. "I couldn't let her suffer," he whispered. "So I tried to take her and hide. We hid here until I could find a way out…"

"But on the last day of the year, the people of the kingdom gathered around this place and demanded for Ahin's head," he said in a bitter tone. "I'll never forget that night. The Empress they had once loved was now being labeled a witch and sorceress. I grabbed Ahin and we ran but the exits were all blocked. Some people put salt around the place, making it impossible for us to leave. I held her in my arms as she trembled in fear. Never had she thought that the people she fought for would kill her…"

"They burst into the fortress. I fought back but they had holy water and salt which paralyzed me. One of her brother's supporters was a demon exorcist. He forced me into a salt circle and poured holy water on me. But he did not fully exorcise me from the body I was occupying at that point. Instead, he shrouded me with a holy cloth and charms, while forcing me to watch as they burnt Ahin."

Anna was visibly uncomfortable to hear her master's story but Anyal continued with his tale.

"I watched her burn," he said in a hoarse tone. "I heard her screams which haunt me to this day. She used to claim that people had goodness in their hearts but at that time, I was wondering who the true demons were. Us, who simply follow orders of others? Or humans who have the willpower to choose their actions?"

"As she was burning, I saw a shadow approaching her, slowly extracting her soul. The shadow whispered the curse into my ears. I won't have my own body anymore and Hell was closed for me. I'll roam around the Earth, fixated with my obsession but will find no solution. I'll suffer all eternity for Ahin. That's my curse. But there is a way to break the contract between Ahin and the Devil. It took me centuries but I finally found that one key which could break this contract for once and for all."

"Do you know why this red moon night is special?" he asked Anna. "And why am I determined to have this little girl for the ritual? Her father could open the portal too, right? But why this girl?"

Anna slowly shook her head.

"This girl is a special one," he revealed. "The powers of a Seer and a Transporter. It's rare to have this combination. Only one person before her possessed both these powers and she was one of the most powerful shamans to exist on this earth. It was her power which had been bestowed to two families who had served her with utmost loyalty. And now that this girl possesses both the powers, she can change the course of all dimensions if she wanted."

"What my old master seeks," he went on. "Is someone as powerful as her. To escape from the Devil's contract, you'll have to offer him an even bigger prize. The souls of humans are worth nothing to him. They're mere servants in hell. He keeps them as his slaves and nothing more. Once the gates of hell open, many souls will escape for sure but they'll eventually be caught. Might take years but they'll be sent back to hell. So even if Ahin escapes, she'll be caught and taken back."

"So…" Anna began. "You'll make a deal with the Devil! Give him that girl in return for Princess Ahin's soul!"

"The red moon night is the only time when one can directly make a deal with the Devil," Anyal revealed. "The eclipse will weaken the gates. And once I pull out Ahin from there, I'll hand over the girl to the Devil. That'll complete my mission…"

He turned to Anna with a threatening look in his eyes. "It'll be your only chance too," he warned. "To break your own contract. I only agreed to add your soul to be freed as well because you've proven yourself to be a worthy servant. But if you fail, your soul will be gone within this month. After all, you have made a deal too."

Anna gulped nervously. "I won't fail you," she promised. 

"You better not," he stated. "Now, it's time for you to pay our little friend another visit."