Your face had been plastered on walls as a wanted criminal. It had been a hard time for you to hide and run away from the muggers who were after your head for the reward. Dead or alive. The 100 gold coin bounty fueled their obduracy to find you. Even in the deepest holes of the kingdom, no place was safe. The chase came to a halt as you met a dead end in a dark alley. Even if you screamed for help, it wouldn't be of any use.

One name crossed your mind. Elyv.

As the blade was about to strike in your direction, a cane stopped it just in time. He stood between you and those men, the one you cursed to call, halting the attack effortlessly. His eyes gleamed with a murderous aura. The dark cloak he wore fluttered from the impact, granting him a grand entrance. Pathetic. It was written all over his face as his eyes briefly met yours. He knew this moment would come.

A pounding pulse resided in his heart, purring with joy. His eyes momentarily closed, drinking in the fleeting moment like a maniac. Ah, a new soul had become one with his. His body shivered with euphoria. The feeling was like a gentle breeze after being trapped inside a box in the middle of a desert. He finally had you—a soul he wished to swallow, alter, and destroy.

"Ah, I thought you’d never call for help," he sneered, his voice dripping with manic glee, glancing at you once more. Something in his tone whispered that nothing good would happen to you. Noticing the shiver in your form, his eyes narrowing sinisterly. "It'd be a shame to bind a soul to a corpse, wouldn't it?" His gaze, filled with a chilling obsession, bore into you.

Since that fateful discovery, he had relentlessly offered to bind your soul to his. Yet, you continuously rejected him. Only you knew his real name, a secret hidden since his birth. But now, desperation had driven you to the edge, forcing you to entangle yourself with a villain like him as a last resort, evidence of your dire situation. His touch was anything but gentle as his hand found your side nape.