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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAS61tTZETpz
They had to find her. There was no other way.
90Please respect copyright.PENANASKUHwzI4zY
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANATrkISVNvk7
“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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAdVgWIURg6T
“I don’t know,” he finally admitted quietly. “But we’ll try.”
90Please respect copyright.PENANA2yPfbitQar
Kimoko nodded, feeling a fire of determination ignite in her chest.
90Please respect copyright.PENANANnegOrNxiC
“It’s all we can do.”
90Please respect copyright.PENANAUWoKjIMNuM
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANA9yGReoOVpW
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAJWDxSbzPTy
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANArw5THYq9IY
Nikita’s voice rang through the air, cold and mocking, as always.
90Please respect copyright.PENANApkF546e8qg
“Are you comfortable, Estella?” she purred.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAK6mXlvQYTF
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAMatyi2eroB
“I won’t tell you anything,” she said sharply. “You’re wasting your time.” Nikita laughed softly, stepping into her field of vision.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAtUgrBcdfKc
“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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAmLG8dmj3pr
“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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANA0AubOzDtdS
“We’ll see, right?” the demoness replied, her four hands delicately adjusting the hilt of the sword at her belt.
90Please respect copyright.PENANA439rx1SwUG
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAppW4QYTbCB
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAJVbEDWO8vF
Kimoko glanced at the demon beside her, her resolve hardening.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAEJEprxdNmw
“We’re close,” she whispered.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAQ7KljpWtIU
Kigami nodded, his gaze narrowing as he focused on the Keep.
90Please respect copyright.PENANA5WVXgDBTMG
“We must act quickly.”
90Please respect copyright.PENANA9aG6ZwojoG
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAavKE8XukT4
Kigami stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his side.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAOmFKGnJH2k
“Let’s end this,” he said.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAu50mlzU8Gk
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANA8dK1suFz36
Kimoko narrowed her eyes.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAdrqxQnI69G
“We won’t get there just like that,” she said quietly.
90Please respect copyright.PENANA2O5O8QNuc5
Kigami looked away from the fortress and at her.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAnGtOH1mtd4
“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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANA3UGrbY2GBB
“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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAaoZ6TJbbPR
“What if it’s a trap?”
90Please respect copyright.PENANAJQjuBjxtS8
“It’s still better than going in through the main gate and asking for death.”
90Please respect copyright.PENANA4xuhWWIOVS
The demon sighed heavily, but agreed with her.
90Please respect copyright.PENANARGijBHXjUz
“Fine. Let’s do it.”
90Please respect copyright.PENANADtE50BlzVc
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANABgqTXrzpzQ
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAyXeTPe8Vtv
“You know, Estella, I wonder…” Nikita tilted her head, her crimson eyes gleaming in the semidarkness. “How long will you last?”
90Please respect copyright.PENANAS6KxzAfTdv
Estella didn’t answer. Her lips were chapped and blood had dried on her chin, but anger still burned in her eyes.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAPrieLWgivf
Her heart pounded. She couldn’t let herself be provoked.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAOXrluhNLC3
Nikita crouched in front of her, looking into her eyes.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAUYrm7aReLv
“But you see… I have time. You… not necessarily.”
90Please respect copyright.PENANA5g6mKV4V16
Estella gritted her teeth. She had to think. She had to find a way…
90Please respect copyright.PENANAz9HCHMuYR9
And then she heard something else.
90Please respect copyright.PENANArMpEuP1fSU
A quiet, distant sound.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAntczTG85hW
It didn’t belong to Nikita.
90Please respect copyright.PENANARMb8JncHo6
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAaRE3zPvsKv
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAszqQlJuoaJ
Kimoko leaned out carefully. It was empty inside. The stairs led down towards the interior of the fortress.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAgKapHqSbJA
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAB4YurOM5KN
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAvauMlzxWgW
“Do you hear anything?” Kimoko whispered.
90Please respect copyright.PENANARtN6NK3tRI
Kigami stopped for a moment and narrowed his eyes, then nodded.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAvzCVS2biBq
“Guards on the lower level. Two, maybe three. If we continue down this corridor, we can bypass them.”
90Please respect copyright.PENANAbvSJAN0bKw
Kimoko looked in the direction he had indicated. There was a narrow passage between old columns, hidden in shadow.
90Please respect copyright.PENANA1K6LqKLb9f
“We’ll try,” she said, following him.
90Please respect copyright.PENANATXsCIWys3R
They moved cautiously, ready to spring into action at any moment if they were discovered.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAB8Ok2zkLvt
Estella counted the seconds in her mind.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAcUQ5YOKALk
She heard something.
90Please respect copyright.PENANANDzxaCvOzj
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?
90Please respect copyright.PENANAm3zq1yPyyI
She couldn’t risk waiting.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAdIfH6pgZUR
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANA7MC1uNulfz
Metal creaked, and cold links cut into her skin, but Estella focused on one thing: free herself before it was too late.
90Please respect copyright.PENANANPusBFxA1V
The shadows in the hallway began to move.
And then she saw them.
90Please respect copyright.PENANApKOkNpYJOp
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.
90Please respect copyright.PENANASHgk7C9f7H
Kigami gestured for her to stay put while Kimoko pulled out a knife, ready to open her shackles.
90Please respect copyright.PENANA2xuiDF4VgU
They were here.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAcRWMP3Xsua
They really were here.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAyrTwkVYpYa
And then they heard the guard shout.
90Please respect copyright.PENANAXzyLR2NZxg
“INTRUDERS!”
90Please respect copyright.PENANAcXJRF60j3l
Estella’s heart sank.
90Please respect copyright.PENANACdYBlXy7pD
Their time was up.
ns216.73.216.206da2