The cavern, unlike the tunnels the duo used to come here, was lit. Purplish light emitted from the nebula-like gems engraved in the walls and ceiling of the cave.

The floor of the cave was plain- unnaturally so, and so were the four walls. It was as if someone grinder the whole rough surface of the cave and made it as smooth as it looked now. On the whole hall sized cavern, there was nothing but two pieces of furniture- a bed made of stone, and a throne-like chair- which was also made of stone.

But the size of the bed and the chair made the whole hall look as if it were just a small room. They were huge.

The bed was empty. The chair, however, was occupied.

A gigantic man was sitting on it. His legs were as thick as giant hundred year old tress. His hands which were hanging from the front of the armrest were large enough to hold entire carriages in them. His shoulders were broad- broad enough to hold the entire sky from falling.

Beast skin enshrouded his entire body. But even the hides were so perfectly designed and tailored that a king could wear it on his day at the court and garner the same respect from his subjects. The fashion emitted an aura of royalty, and of course- authority.

But none of these were the points that were most eye catching about the gigantic ‘man’. His hair was grey, with a few strands of black. And beneath the long hairs was a face which was… faceless.

He had no mouth, no nose, no eyes. Only ears. What replaced those missing organs was skin- smooth skin, devoid of a single dent or scratch. It was as smooth as the smooth floors and walls of the hall.

Adrian smiled, while Irene was expressionlessly confused.

“Me? Demon?” She could not help but ask.

“Ohohoho! You don’t even know what you are?” The being’s voice was archaic, and full of authority. But his tone also had hints of benevolence as he looked at Irene. “But I can’t blame you. This world- the existence of demons is too sparse, and so is their history. I am sure there are beings who died a demon but never knew.”

Irene turned to Adrian, prompting the being to turn as well.

“Missy, seems like you trust this human. But I don’t. Everyone says that the demons are worst of races, but little do they know that the worst of humans exceed even the worst of demons.”

Irene stayed silent, wanting an answer from her all-knowing mentor.

Adrian sighed and craned his neck up, looking right into the imaginary eyes of the giant. “#&@&#@&£@”

The giant’s body jerked. But it composed itself in a second.

“Ohohoho!” The being turned back to Irene. “I thought I found myself a disciple. But looks like you are already taken.”

Irene gave up and took a step back. The only thing she could do was having a proper question and answer session with her Royal Tutor once this was over.

“Why this world?” Adrian asked. “And don’t you dare lie. I know your true name.”

“Tsk.” The being clicked its non existing tongue. “How come ‘they’ let a cursed being like you escape?”

“Heh. You are talking as if you are not a cursed being itself- a demon that could manipulate space as if it belongs to you. Yours is the only species ever to truly escape away from ‘them’.”

“And you… now make us one of the only two species. And you talk as if it was easy to escape from them.” He sighed. “You have no idea what I had to sacrifice to come here. On second thought, I am sure you have the idea.” He turned to Adrian.

Adrian forced a smile. “The sacrifice you made… it’s nothing compared to mine.”

The being nodded. “Yes. You might have the ability to bring the whole demon race down to their knees, but it’s not the best when it comes to escapism. Else, you would not have been the first ever of your type to escape.”

“And I have an interesting news.” Adrian’s smile returned to its regular state. “A ‘seamstress’ also ‘tried to’ escape.”

The being’s body jerked again. “Has it become easier to escape from that hell?” The being asked in doubt.

“You are a cursed one yourself.” Adrian shook his head. “You should know better than to underestimate them- each one’s better than the other. But of course- I am the best of them all.”

“Where is she? The seamstress.”

“It’s a secret.” Adrian winked.

“Anyways, I might not have your powers, but I know that you are not here to have a conversation. And don’t start about ‘Become my subordinate’ or anything. I want to spend my retirement in peace.”

“Don’t worry old man,” Adrian said. “I know that you can not move from this spot anyway.”

“Tsk. So, you just want me to use my powers, right?”

“Indeed.” Adrian nodded.

“But you should also know that I am a demon. And forget about blackmailing me with the true name stuff.”

“I know my race more than anyone… literally. We will go with the good ol’ way- a deal.”

“That’s more like-“

“But I want a ‘Cursed One’ discount.”

“…”

******

Adrian and Irene went out of the cave. She waved her hand at the gigantic being one last time.

On the way, Irene turned to Adrian, her gaze piercing through even Adrian’s thick skin.

Adrian gave up with a sigh. “Okay. Okay. One question at a time.”

Irene contemplated for a moment and asked, “That faceless monster… who was that?”

“A demon- one of the most powerful types. He escaped from the so called ‘homeland’ and escaped here to Ervilia.”

Irene nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. But that was only the first of the series of question in her mind. She turned to Adrian again.

“And you? Are you a demon too?”