Despite trying to act all welcoming, the girl didn’t buy it. She didn’t trust him, and so, even though she was very, very hungry, she didn’t move.

Instead, all she could think about were:

’What does he want with me? Why’d he bring me here? Can I escape him? This weapon doesn’t seem to work on him, so he must be a very powerful Magus from the kingdom.

’Could he be one of those who are called the ten pillars of the Goddess Tatyana?’

Her heart was beating loud enough that she could hear it in her head, and both hands holding the weapon kept trembling. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The man, who seemed to have an air of casual indifference, turned to the meal on the nightstand and said, "I know you want it, so just come and—"

"Do I?" The girl was like a stubborn cat refusing to be lured by a treat. "Know me so well, do you?"

The man frowned. "Well, you are going to have to eat something sooner or later."

She narrowed her eyes. "I don’t know who you are, and I trust you even less."

"I already told you." The man let out a short, amused puff of air. "I’m a God. An all-powerful one, mind you."

She arched a brow. "And I’m supposed to believe that crap? Aren’t Gods supposed to look..." She paused as she realized that she did not actually know what a God was supposed to look like. After a second, she added, "...Godly?"

The man smiled and gestured to his mundane appearance with a flourish. "Well uh... I can’t exactly show you my true nature. If a mortal like you were to see that, you would die. And I don’t exactly want that. Not after I went through all the trouble to find you. So you are going to have to settle for my avatar."

The girl seemed lost in thought for a moment, but doubt was still clearly written on her pretty face. With her eyes still fixed on the man, or God, or whatever he was, she took a few steps to the balcony.

When she got there, the scent of freshly blooming daffodils hit her. Looking around, she could see that she was indeed in what looked like an obsidian castle.

Far beyond the castle walls, she could see a grayish-white temple that was collapsing at that very moment. But all around it lay a beautiful field of daffodils.

Apart from the fact that there were so many ravens flying around, she could also see that there were lots and lots of people in those fields of daffodils. Some were laughing, others were playing around, while the rest tended to the flowers.

The scenery was so beautiful that the girl was in awe. However, she immediately noticed that although these beautiful people looked human, she could see from those nearby that they had long, pointy ears.

Many meters beyond the temple, the girl could see the most beautiful city she had ever seen. It was a soaring metropolis of white stone and elegant, impossibly tall towers. The buildings were joined by high, arched bridges that looked like ribbons of marble suspended in the air. And at the borders of the city was a mountain range that obscured her view beyond.

This wasn’t a place she recognized, so she immediately turned around to the man in the room, who was watching her with a quiet, knowing expression.

"This isn’t Xinthrea," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of the wind.

The man stood up, and as he began walking toward the balcony, his clothes changed to a long black robe that revealed his broad, scarred chest and made him look like a lord for the first time since she met him.

"You are right," he said as he stopped and admired the glimmering spires of the city. "This isn’t Xinthrea. Neither is it the realm you know of."

He paused for a bit before adding, "This is my realm, my world, and my sanctuary."

Slowly, he turned to look at her. Her black hair was swaying in the wind, and it reminded him of his ravens, so rather than address her as Miss none of your business, he continued. "Tell me, little raven. Isn’t my world beautiful?"

"Tsk." The girl clenched her fist and her entire body trembled. "Why did you bring me here? You should have just left me to die. That was the one decision I was able to make for myself after a long while, yet even that was taken away from me too."

She stared at the man with murder in her cold blue eyes for a few tense seconds, and then she eventually turned around and began heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Away from this place," she replied, but just as she opened the door, the man spoke in a serious tone.

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you."

The girl halted. As she turned back to him, he added as he began slowly walking towards her.

"There are beings who reside and roam in this castle that are more evil and horrifying than anything you can possibly imagine. They can make death look like child’s play, so trust me when I say you do not want any of them to take interest in you."

He had barely finished speaking when the girl felt eyes from beyond the dark hallway suddenly lock onto her.

The hairs on her body all stood on end and a cold shiver suddenly ran through her spine. In her entire puny existence, she had never felt a presence so ancient and predatory. It was as if the shadows themselves had grown teeth, and she suddenly felt dread like never before.

And then, a voice suddenly sounded that vibrated through the floorboards and deep into her chest.

"Foul."

A wave from the voice, which came from the depths of the castle, sent a pressure that began to rush through the halls toward her, but just as the invisible force was about to bowl her over, the God finally reached the door and shut it. And the terrifying presence was instantly cut off, leaving the room in a heavy, startled silence.

At that moment, the girl felt her body go weak and she dropped to her knees, looking deathly pale from the horror. At this point, she no longer had any fight left in her.

Seeing her crumble into a heap of trembling limbs, the man crouched beside her and gently tilted her chin up to face him. Then he asked, "Are you alright, my little raven?"

The girl, who was now filled with sorrow, replied with a question. "Am I a prisoner here too?"

The man shook his head. "No. I give you my word on this day that I will never treat you like a caged bird. I will never, ever force you to do anything that you do not want to do."

He paused, and for the first time, his jovial expression suddenly became somber. "And... I also believe that... even the next version of me will keep to this promise."

"Then..." the girl trailed off, her voice cracking as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "What do you want from me?"