Chapter 273: 150:

Things happened too fast, and now Irene found herself in a completely new world. This place looked like nothing she had seen before. Not even close. It felt like she was in a bubble and the world inside the bubble was the color of a rainbow, and outside the bubble, the sky was a beautiful turquoise blue. The sky in this world was water with fish and other sea animals swimming in it.

It was strange, yet mesmerizing. Completely taken by this world, she forgot about the male behind her until he spoke.

"You seem to like it." He said.

His voice startled her, and she turned around to look at him. His appearance shocked her even more. She found herself stunned, staring at this creature she had never seen before. He was tall, broad shouldered, and his aqua blue hair fell over the white shirt he wore like the waves of the ocean. His skin radiated like the white of the moon and his eyes. She tried to find the color, but it shifted between different shades of blue and green. He was strange and stunning.

What was he, she asked herself instead of who?

Irene's lips parted to speak, but her mouth ended up falling open without a word.

The man smiled at her reaction. "I haven't introduced myself. I am Euphorion." He told her. "A water demon."

Water demon?!

She had never seen one before. So this is what they looked like and it explained why this place looked the way it did. She was in the ocean, and this was not how she imagined where they lived. She thought they swam in the water, living like fish.

Euphorion pressed his lips into a thin line. It looked like he was forcing back a smile.

Was he an ancient?

He could read her thoughts. Oh no!

"We can swim and breath in the water but this is where we live." He said. "It is inside the ocean but not in the water."

How confusing, she thought. How was that even possible?

She shook her head. That was the last thing she should think about. Why was she here, and what was happening?

He was about to answer her unspoken question when two other creatures like him appeared from nowhere. One male and female. The male was bare chested and his lower body was covered with what looked like fish scales in the color of pink and purple, just like his hair. The female was also covered from the waist down but with green fish scales. On her upper body only her breasts were hidden behind white shells and her shoulders and back with her long red hair.

Again, Irene was fascinated by these creatures.

They bowed. "My Lord. Welcome back." They said.

"Thank you. I have a guest with me." He turned to Irene.

Both of them shifted their gaze to her, and she knew they sensed something they didn't like. "Yes. She is originally a witch. But she is a demon now." He told them. "She will be staying here for a while. Prepare a guest room for her."

As soon as he spoke to them, they showed no more sign of dislike. They took his ordered and left. Irene remained quiet the whole time. This was a lot to take in.

"Come with me." said the man whose name she already forgot. She had never heard such a name before.

He led the way, and she followed him. "Euphorion." He said as they walked, reminding her of his name.

Yes, that was it, she thought as she looked around. Above her head she could still see the ocean, and she kept staring. What did it look like during the night? And how come the water wasn't pouring inside?

As they walked, she saw a few homes scattered around. The water demons, all of them fascinating to her, would look their way as they passed by. Some would nod to greet Euphorion.

The homes were beautiful, painted in white and soft hues of pinks, purples, blues and greens.

They came to a path made of marble stones that led to a castle. Irene was used to seeing castles made of dense colors, mostly a grey or brown and made to protect against invaders. This castle looked like it was built in to welcome everyone. Again painted in the same white with the soft pinks and blues. It gave her a feeling of safety and calmness, but also joy.

When they came to the large entrance, he motioned for her to walk in. There were no guards anywhere, like how it usually was in castles, but this man was probably no royalty. She guessed that he was just wealthy enough to live in a castle. Could they even be wealthy here? Maybe he was powerful enough to get anything he liked.

Water demons and how and where they lived were a mystery to most.

Irene felt almost blinded when she walked inside. Coming from Lothaire's dark castle into this bright interior made her feel like she woke up in heaven after having a dark nightmare.

These halls were large and bright. Enormous windows stretched to the roof and green curtains hanged on each side. Green plants grew on some walls and others were painted in beautiful, bright colors. The halls were divided by pearls handing from the roof like curtains and Euphorion would remove them with his hands and hold them away until she entered. The floor was an ivory color and shining. It felt slightly slippery as she walked. This had to be a dream.

They came into an open space. This part of the castle had no roof, and she could see the ocean above. There were two couches facing each other, placed with a table in the middle. The couches were dressed in white fur and the table was decorated with emerald crystals and white pearls.

"Please sit." Euphorion told her.

Irene felt like a lost child, relying on a stranger who was offering her sweets while leading her away from her home.

She sat down and Euphorion sat on the other couch. "What would you like to drink?" He asked.

"Who are you? And why am I here?"

He nodded, as if he had been expecting her to want answers first. "Well...I am Zamiel's friend and you are here because this place is safe for you."

Irene was confused. "It is Heaven who needs to be in a safe place."

He smiled. "Heaven is safe with her mate and you are safe here."

"And why is this place safe for me?" She asked.

"The devil can't find you here. The water kingdoms are hidden from the land demons." He explained.

"Is Heaven here too?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Heaven is on land with her mate."

"Then what is the purpose of bringing me here if Heaven is till on land? I am in no danger." Her voice got a little louder. She was panicking.

Euphorion looked at her intensely, his eyes narrowing. "The devil doesn't want Heaven." He told her. "The devil wants you."