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Apollyon has returned

Lilith was struck with awe at the sight of a towering man reclining upon the rugged rock. Her mind buzzed with uncertainty, contemplating whether this enigmatic figure was ensnared by the eternal embrace of death or merely enshrouded in a profound slumber.

The man possessed a complexion as deep and rich as the night, his features a symphony of strength and elegance. His brows, sharp and defined, framed eyes closed in tranquil repose. A chiseled jawline led to a nose so finely crafted that it seemed the work of a master sculptor. Whispers of such men had often graced the narratives spun by storytellers in the town square.

"Hey! Are you awake?" Lilith's voice, soft as a whispering breeze, danced on her lips as her finger delicately prodded the man's arm. Her open palm ventured forth in an attempt to brush away the curtain veiling his closed eyes. Yet, as her touch met his skin, a revelation emerged like a distant lightning flash—his serenity remained undisturbed, untouched by her presence.

Outside the cave, the heavens roared with the ominous timbre of an approaching tempest. The resonating thunderbolts mirrored the turmoil in Lilith's chest. The primal fear instilled by thunder had been her constant companion since childhood. Regret wrapped its tendrils around her consciousness—returning to this hill had been a reckless decision, she conceded to herself.

Lilith's gaze wandered and saw the stalactite hanging directly in the middle of the chest of the man.

"What could this be?" Lilith's voice, a soft murmur of wonder, graced the air. Her curiosity, already piqued by the slumbering enigma before her, surged to greater heights upon the discovery of a solitary pearl adorning the tapered end of a stalactite. The pearl's iridescent shimmer seemed to hold a secret whispered only to those who dared to seek it.

Her fingers tingled with a mixture of trepidation and fascination, yearning to make contact with the pearl. But a cruel truth stood before her—her stature, though spirited, was hindered by her modest height, preventing her from reaching the precious jewel.

Yet, resolute determination burned within Lilith's gaze. Unyielding in the face of challenge, she scoured her surroundings for an alternative path to grasp that which had ensnared her curiosity. And there it was, a slender ledge extending along the man's right side, a lifeline of rocky ridges beckoning her ascent.

With a heart steadfast and fingers gripping the raw textures of the rock, she embarked on her precarious journey. Each ledge she conquered was a testament to her unwavering resolve. With a balletic blend of grace and grit, she ascended, closing the gap between herself and the captivating pearl until her fingers brushed its luminescent surface, a triumphant smile illuminating her face.

Lilith's excitement was abruptly curtailed as her index finger made contact with the pearl's surface. A jolt of searing pain shot through her, startling her to an instant withdrawal. A smattering of crimson droplets descended, each finding its place like a morose offering upon the center of the man's chest. In her surprise and discomfort, her grasp faltered, the basket slipping from her hand, its contents spilling as if in sympathy with her predicament. Glimmers of teardrops mixed with the rain outside as she descended, her cries a symphony of both physical and emotional distress.

Yet, as the final echoes of her anguish subsided, a tremor rippled through the stillness. The man, once ensconced in eternal slumber, stirred. His eyelids quivered a prelude to an awakening that defied the confines of time. A tenebrous chest now bore a faint trace of her sacrifice—the blood that had kissed it with a painful secret. The elixir of life met the epitome of stasis, a narrative woven by destiny itself.

The golden-red eyes, akin to molten embers, fluttered open, revealing an awareness that had long been denied. Apolloyn, the Lord of Devils, rose from a torpor that had lasted millennia, shackles of a sealing enchantment shattered by fate's capricious hand. His head turned slightly to the right, drawn to the reverberation of a sound that echoed through the chamber—a resounding thud that accompanied the spectacle of his awakening.

Apollyon's gaze shifted from his own awakening form to the young girl who had unwittingly roused him. As her consciousness ebbed away, he lowered himself to his knees, his towering presence softened by a touch of concern. His hand, infinitely large compared to her delicate frame, gently reached out to her, bridging the expanse between their worlds. With a tender caress, he mended the injury that had befallen her finger, his touch radiating an otherworldly warmth that held both healing and enigma.

His fingers continued their dance, moving to grace the canvas of her neck. A symphony of magic unfolded as a flower-shaped mark bloomed upon her skin, a testament to their newfound connection. A smile, rare and profound, touched Apollyon's lips as he beheld the mark—a mark that bound their fates inextricably together.

"Lilith," his voice, a melodic whisper, hung in the air like an ancient promise. "We shall cross paths once more in the tapestry of time. Bound by the threads of blood, our destinies entwined."With those words, Apollyon turned, his majestic form silhouetted against the cave's mouth. He stepped onto the threshold of the world he had re-entered, leaving behind a slumbering Lilith, the girl who had unwittingly set him free.

Emerging into the tempestuous night, raindrops embraced him like long-lost friends. His arms extended to the heavens, an embrace that welcomed both the rain's baptism and the rebirth it symbolized. A smile, a cascade of emotions in itself, graced his features, marking the return of the enigmatic being known as Apollyon.

"The long wait is over," he declared, his voice carried by the wind. "Apollyon has finally returned!"


Lilith's eyes pried open, and she sucked in the air. She immediately stood up and found the man was no longer present in the cave. Lilith looked at her finger, which was healed. She clearly remembered that it bled a lot after she touched the mysterious pearl on the stalactite.

Lilith looked at the basket and found the black flower was no longer present on the ground. She searched for it for a while, but she could not find it.

"I must leave. Father will get angry." Realizing she must return home, Lilith retrieved her fallen basket and hurried out of the cave. The storm had abated, leaving behind a serene evening sky and the remnants of heavy rain. As she ran toward her house, a mix of emotions welled up inside her, the encounter with Apollyon etched deeply into her young mind.

"Father!" Lilith gasped, reaching the door of her house. She got confused when saw some people in the front yard of the house.

Lilith walked in and looked at their gloomy expressions. The basket from her hand fell as she saw her father's corpse on the ground. Lilith ran to him and put her tiny hands on her father's cheeks.

"Father! Father!" She patted them. The pale complexion of his father told everything, but the little girl wasn't ready to accept it. Lilith found the strange bluish mark on his father's neck and wondered if it was poison. "Father, I-I will treat you," she murmured and got up to run inside her house when a man the same age as her father's, stopped her.

"Lilith, your father is no more," said Joseph. The women from the neighborhood who had gathered in the house began crying.

"Father is sleeping. His body has been poisoned. I need to treat him," Lilith said when Joseph got on his knees. He held Lilith's tiny arms gently and shook his head.

"He is no more. We called another doctor earlier, but he was already..." Joseph could not complete his words as his voice choked.

Lilith heard the cries of the people and turned to look at her father. Tears streamed down her cheeks. It should not have happened. Lilith began to weep badly, and her painful cries hurt everyone present in the house. Joseph hugged Lilith as he tenderly caressed her head.

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