Lord Shadow

He pretended not to hear and she pretended that he was asleep. She wanted all of his love. It is a reasonable claim to make for lovers.

But, one part of his heart has always been on Katarina. The connection between him and Katarina is of magical nature. It is unlike the feeling he felt for Sofia.

Sofia….is a person who he had known. Someone he had known out of familiarity. His first love that he could not realize when he was in high school

There is a sense of nostalgia, and a connection between him and those past moments. Their meeting was a series of coincidences that piled up and become fate.

Familiarity that breeds affection. Affection that birthed love. And before long, naturally he fell in love with her, even without meaning to

Loneliness. Familiarity. Affection. All of these affect his feeling toward her until it is what it is today.

Katarina on the other hand, is like those encounters in some romantic stories.

He met her trapped inside an ice cave and the moment they look at each other eyes, something in their hearts sparked.

And both of their hearts wanted each other, the moment their eyes meet each other.

If they never met before, then it would be fine.

But once they met each other, they could not withstand being apart each other, like it never knew how much it needed the other before that moment.

Like fireworks.

Three days. That is all it took for him to fall in love with her and her with him. If this is not magical, then what is?

They have some similarities. But they also have a lot of differences. But this differences did not push them away from each other.

Instead, it pulls them even closer. This kind of love…he had never ever thought he could experience it

What do you call this love that started with one look?

What do you call this kind of love that when you look at each other, everything falls away, fade into obscurity, and only you and her exist in that time and space?

When they look at each other, even if the world is falling apart, they feel that it would be alright as long as they have each other

When they meet each other, it was like there is a feeling that all this time, they were waiting to meet each other

To love someone that loves him back. Is there no greater happiness then this?

This kind of love…. what kind of love is it?

And he could not just turn it on and off as he likes.

But, that is what she asks of him.

One day…she said…One day, he had to make a choice. He just did not know that one day….is today.

She could not be hurt again. That is what she said. She once felt how painful it is to see the person she loves, love another person.

Azief know her story. In all of its gory details. It would be a lie if he said he did not feel jealous.

Because unlike Sofia, Azief was a big ball of depressing air in the past. He never felt that he was worthy of anyone.

Everyone around him seems to move forward.

He is the only one that look like he sat in the same place. And as years passes, it even appears that he regressed.

He did not date any woman because of this inferiority complex. In the life before the Fall, he did not want to be responsible for another person because he knew he could not keep up to the task

Azief wanted to be rich in the past.

Because he felt how it is to live a life of poverty. He wanted to love. But he does not want the person he loves to live in suffering with him

No one could understand this until they themselves live a life of poverty. Until you had to begged your friend for money so you could eat for the day.

Azief wanted to be rich because only then he could make sure that the person he loved would live a good life. Azief did not want to love someone and make that person miserable by loving him.

So, Azief had never had any experience before meeting and dating Sofia. And he knows now. That love is not that simple. And it is not easy.

Sofia is someone that he just couldn’t let go. Was it fate that they met each other in that mall? Was it fate that they stay together?

Or was it simply his stubbornness that keep this fate intact?

Even though, he likes to pretend to be this badass character during the initial Fall, when he saw her in that mall, he keeps risking his life for her, regardless of what his mind is telling him

She was his first love.

And men rarely forget their first love. Rarer still, to make it work.

But while she was his first, he was not her first.

So, he felt quite jealous about this.

But each time, he holds her, all this jealousy fades away. Because the one holding her hand and caress her hair is him.

But, there is also this difference between them. Azief felt the beauty of love when he is with her. Everything is new for him

But, she knows that love could also very much hurt. Azief could not have thought of it but apparently Sofia loves him more than he loves her.

If love could be quantified, then Sofia is confident she loves him more. And that, in the game of love make her the weaker one.

She even wished that Azief would be the old Azief she knows. The Azief that the world knows and the Azief that she knows is two different people.

It is like the difference between Heaven and Earth.

And as time passes by Azief become even more different. This is not only on appearance but also in demeanor.

If in the past the badass persona is simply an act, then now, it is no longer an act. Azief truly had become the strongest badass motherfucker alive

Because she loves him, she felt even more insecure. Who knows what is going on her mind when she told him to make a choice?

That matter was unresolved. That night, there is no answer coming out from Azief mouth

But, when Sofia went to that hill Azief could feel this in the bottom of his heart, the premonition of something sad would happen if he goes there.

He then knew, that Sofia wanted him to give her the reason to leave. He could not understand her. So, like most time, he avoids that place. Sighing he then said to Sasha

‘Let her be wherever she wanted to be’ Sasha shakes her head and then said

‘This would not work. Sina would not agree to come with me if this is the case’ Azief think for a second and then he said

‘She would understand. Tell her, I know how to handle this. I think Sofia would also not object to it. And if you could…tell Sofia what she is doing is unnecessary’

Sasha sighed and then she said

‘I don’t think she would respond fondly to that kind of comment’ Azief smiles bitterly. Of course he knows that she would not like to hear it.

‘She is forcing me to choose. Knowing full well, that I have no choice. She wanted a reason and she wanted me to give that reason to her’

There is silence inside the throne room and moment pass. Sasha did not say anything as she let Death Monarch settle whatever he wanted to settle in his heart.

Then after a few more moments of silent, Azief then said

‘I would be leaving most of the internal security of Pandemonium towards you. Unless there is truly something that would threaten Pandemonium or the world, do not disturb me’ Sasha nodded and said

‘I would make sure those noisy minister would not send a memorial trying to discuss thing with you. And would you not mind me appointing some of the officials to oversee the reconstruction program?’

Azief thinks for a moment and nodded

‘Do it. And….’ Azief hesitated before saying.

‘Don’t die’ he said with a trace of gentleness in his voice.

Sasha only smile and nodded. This is the way Death Monarch show his affection to his subordinate. Not honest at all, she thought to herself.

Then she slowly retreated back from the throne room. Azief took a long look at Sasha before he got up from his throne and take a step forward.

The space contorted and become distended before he completely disappears from the area of the throne.

Sasha raise her head and see there is no one on the throne. She frowned. Thunder booms on the sky outside and rain falls down.

The thunder flashes only for a momentary moment and the rain falls in a drizzle. Sasha took a moment and thought to herself

‘What is the limit of the world? And what is his limit? Even if he did not want to be a threat, even if he wanted to be peaceful, how could anyone trust him when he holds all the cards?’

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