Kimoko and Kigami moved quickly through the dense forest, the tension between them almost tangible. Each step felt heavy under the weight of what was at stake. Kimoko’s thoughts raced, one after another, circling Estella’s kidnapping and the unknown horrors she might now be experiencing. Despite her haste, she couldn’t help but glance at the demon beside her. His sharp features remained impassive, but in his eyes she saw something else, a silent storm raging beneath the surface.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeWsHg2zDb
They had to find her. There was no other way.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQbtpUK5bw
The sun had risen fully now, casting long shadows through the trees as they approached the Valley of Shadows. The cool morning air bit their skin, but neither of them slowed. If Estella really was in this stronghold, their mission would take everything they had.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVJaSZx6gG
“Do you think we’ll make it in time?” Kimoko asked, her voice confident despite the fear that was slowly building inside her.
Kigami didn’t answer right away. Instead, he quickened his pace, lost in thought. The truth was, he didn’t know. Nikita was a demoness like no other, merciless, cunning, and unyielding. And yet, something inside him wouldn’t let him give up. Estella had always been more than just an ally. She had become family, in a way that went beyond blood. And he wouldn’t let her fall into Nikita’s hands.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIPcSteRu4
“I don’t know,” he finally admitted quietly. “But we’ll try.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKILvVQSzA0
Kimoko nodded, feeling a fire of determination ignite in her chest.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLRsNz4h5e
“It’s all we can do.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5MTVJy7XH
Meanwhile, within the cold, stone walls of the Keep, Estella sat motionless, leaning against the wall. Her wrists were raw from the chains that bound her. The silence around her was oppressive, broken only by the distant howl of the wind as it squeezed through the cracks in the fort. Nikita had left her for now, perhaps preparing for the next stage of her sick game. Estella’s thoughts were racing. Every second spent in this place made her chances of escape less likely. But she wasn’t going to give up. Not without a fight.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDq5zUHjGNM
She could feel the sting of her bloody fingers as she gripped the chain links tightly. Her body ached, but she refused to show weakness. She had survived worse. She would survive this.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJnL4MDIHo
Then she heard a soft sound, the soft clicking of heels on stone. She tensed, but didn’t look up. She knew who it was.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1uhZcl3nv
Nikita’s voice rang through the air, cold and mocking, as always.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUXXaYPXJC
“Are you comfortable, Estella?” she purred.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJKvjabeKW
Estella clenched her jaw, anger flaring inside her despite her fatigue. She refused to acknowledge her, even though she could feel the demoness’s gaze piercing through her.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9lgmA38Gl
“I won’t tell you anything,” she said sharply. “You’re wasting your time.” Nikita laughed softly, stepping into her field of vision.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8ThH9jG8Q
“Oh, I’m not wasting anything. You just don’t realize how much more you have to lose.” Estella lifted her chin, though her breath caught in her chest.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dvd7KRjOb
“Do whatever you want. I’ll never give you what you want.” Nikita’s crimson eyes flashed, and for a split second Estella thought she saw something more than simple malice in them.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDtpkPmdmL
“We’ll see, right?” the demoness replied, her four hands delicately adjusting the hilt of the sword at her belt.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0471V1Dx2b
Estella gritted her teeth, bracing herself for what was to come. And yet, deep inside, she felt something new, a spark of hope. Maybe, just maybe, there was still a way out of here. She just had to hold out long enough.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzu90difw6
Kigami and Kimoko reached the edge of the Valley of Shadows as dusk fell. The landscape before them was as ominous as its name suggested ,dark, twisted trees seemed to lean over crumbling stone paths, and in the distance, the Keep loomed like a dark sentinel against the sky.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpQgUeVa07
Kimoko glanced at the demon beside her, her resolve hardening.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ihMb5HxZo
“We’re close,” she whispered.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡno5EG6qG5o
Kigami nodded, his gaze narrowing as he focused on the Keep.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0ZHAMMxgJ
“We must act quickly.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspGgmLFP4v
They both knew what dangers awaited them within. Nikita was no ordinary foe. But they also knew they couldn’t leave Estella in her hands.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡta2wOG2Ztd
Kigami stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his side.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4yBkX5syY
“Let’s end this,” he said.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRwi9gUk2Q
Kimoko and Kigami stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the grim keep. The stone walls, covered with vines and shrouded in mist, seemed as inaccessible as Nikita herself. Faint torchlight’s could be seen moving along the walls amidst the darkness – guards.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZrESXpgZ8
Kimoko narrowed her eyes.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTQS5mQeUo
“We won’t get there just like that,” she said quietly.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9k3TADKIQ
Kigami looked away from the fortress and at her.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXValXMLDu
“Do you have a plan?”
Kimoko bit her lip, analyzing the terrain. There were few possible paths. The main gate was out of the question – too well guarded. Climbing the walls? Risky, but possible. But something else caught her eye. To the left, in the shadow of large rocks, she noticed a smaller side tower, with a partially collapsed roof.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChDUDQyuV0
“There.” She pointed. “We can try to get inside through that tower. If we move carefully, we can get in.” and if everything goes well, we’ll bypass most of the guards.’’
Kigami frowned.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡordrMD7Pj6
“What if it’s a trap?”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoj1F63jbw
“It’s still better than going in through the main gate and asking for death.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTV9ZIKHPTN
The demon sighed heavily, but agreed with her.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GRdrDQdiQ
“Fine. Let’s do it.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEBG0rBzRl
Estella felt time slow down. Every second spent in the dark dungeon was torture, but not just because of the wounds. Nikita had been toying with her, waiting, testing her limits.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡld03jZf2Ci
Now the demoness stood before her, playing with the ring on one of her fingers. Her four hands moved lazily, but any of them could reach for a weapon at any moment.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgtkXCD5V8
“You know, Estella, I wonder…” Nikita tilted her head, her crimson eyes gleaming in the semidarkness. “How long will you last?”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jqfGsMnCh
Estella didn’t answer. Her lips were chapped and blood had dried on her chin, but anger still burned in her eyes.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshuAKE1xcd
Her heart pounded. She couldn’t let herself be provoked.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIizdcULDa
Nikita crouched in front of her, looking into her eyes.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8pAyHsYS2
“But you see… I have time. You… not necessarily.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqVYqjfYFe
Estella gritted her teeth. She had to think. She had to find a way…
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJO6JutYzW
And then she heard something else.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4CdcHFDHw
A quiet, distant sound.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDg6JKuTFa
It didn’t belong to Nikita.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5KtybX7HL
Kimoko and Kigami moved in the shadows, keeping close to the walls. The guards were moving, but their attention was focused on the main entrances. This gave them an advantage.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWn5wuH6jI
Climbing up to the collapsed roof of the side tower was more difficult than they expected. The stones were slippery, and some cracked under the pressure of their hands. But eventually they reached the edge.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dW7vbZjXM
Kimoko leaned out carefully. It was empty inside. The stairs led down towards the interior of the fortress.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJzUJ0QbcJ
Kigami looked at her and nodded.
“Let’s begin.” They set off silently, ready for anything.
The stairs creaked softly under their feet as they slowly descended. The air smelled of damp and old stone, and shadows danced across the walls, quivering in rhythm with the crackling torches. Kimoko tried not to think about what they might encounter. She had one goal – to find Estella and get her out of here.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLj9hwOZ35B
Kigami walked ahead of her, his silhouette almost completely blended with the darkness. The demon moved silently, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. His senses were strained to the limit, ready to detect even the slightest movement.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxukuhTDs7
“Do you hear anything?” Kimoko whispered.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvM67BjzKpo
Kigami stopped for a moment and narrowed his eyes, then nodded.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKEr5qHdhw
“Guards on the lower level. Two, maybe three. If we continue down this corridor, we can bypass them.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mTircoI95
Kimoko looked in the direction he had indicated. There was a narrow passage between old columns, hidden in shadow.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVpAUVeAcn
“We’ll try,” she said, following him.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSh0XjJYCs
They moved cautiously, ready to spring into action at any moment if they were discovered.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhf53kudYVw
Estella counted the seconds in her mind.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHVPcdBZ0Y
She heard something.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjE8tKeewhR
The sound of footsteps—light, careful, completely different from the heavy, military boots of the guards. Her heart began to beat faster. Could it be possible?
If this was a trap, she had little left to lose. But if it was… them?
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxjiBwWGyi
She couldn’t risk waiting.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBqyz82uxU
For the past hours, her hands had been shaking with pain, and the chains had been nearly impossible to break. But now, with a new spark of hope, she gritted her teeth and tried again.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEwLyQeV0T
Metal creaked, and cold links cut into her skin, but Estella focused on one thing: free herself before it was too late.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYktp8PjneO
The shadows in the hallway began to move.
And then she saw them.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNr4chGi7L
Kimoko and Kigami.
Estella’s eyes widened, but she didn’t make a sound. Her friends moved quickly and silently, and as soon as their eyes met, she knew—they had a plan.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNvMBYKNzv
Kigami gestured for her to stay put while Kimoko pulled out a knife, ready to open her shackles.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6NBP2LQl1
They were here.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRucUPtSnzs
They really were here.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAf8CgNdXR
And then they heard the guard shout.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8rSB0vPHZ
“INTRUDERS!”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11U494JOuN
Estella’s heart sank.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfPWt9iffX
Their time was up.
ns216.73.216.25da2
