Garden Of Poison-Chapter 270: River of the past

The once-dark clouds that filled Emily’s mind with gloominess and uncertainty no longer bothered her. Instead, her heart fluttered with joy as she walked beside Raylen as they made their way back to the castle.

As they left the town, Emily couldn’t help but feel the heat in her cheeks. And while the townsfolk watched them for as long as they could, eager to catch a glimpse of the new couple, her attention was stolen by the Archdemon. When she heard a small flick of metal, her eyes moved to him, watching him as he skilfully ignited the end of a cigar between his teeth.

Her hazel brown eyes observed the graceful motions of his cheeks hollowing as he took a drag from the cigar, and there was something elegant and sensual about the way he did it that made her stomach flip. As if sensing her gaze, his icy blue eyes snapped to meet hers.

When Emily turned her gaze forward, pretending as if she weren’t openly admiring him, Raylen withdrew the cigar from his lips and exhaled the smoke in the opposite direction, all while keeping his eyes fixed on her. He offered,

"Want to try a puff?"

"I think I am fine. I have never understood the allure of smoking," Emily responded. Not until now, she whispered to herself in her mind.

Raylen felt content and reassured by the fact that the smoke had little to no effect on Emily, as if its association with Nathaniel had been completely erased. He said, "It will warm you right up."

"Is that why you smoke?" Emily inquired as they left the town behind and entered the forest path.

A slightly wicked smile appeared on Raylen’s lips before he nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and replied, "You aren’t far from the truth, Princess. Also, you won’t truly know until you try. After all, I am an archdemon, and you hail from an archdemon bloodline. Smoke is what makes up a demon—fire, smoke, and ash."

"You are like a devil whispering on my shoulder," Emily murmured, earning a chuckle from him. She said, "I cannot believe you used to walk this far when you were young. Didn’t you feel cold?"

Raylen’s eyes, which had momentarily fixated on Emily’s delicate lips, tore away to look into her eyes as she turned her face to him. "The cold doesn’t bother those whose hearts are hollow. Besides, I was waiting for my princess."

"I didn’t even exist when you were young," Emily pointed out to him.

"And that is why it was cold back then," Raylen remarked, sending a wink her way. "But do you know that some earthlings have lived previous lives before returning to the living realm?"

His words piqued Emily’s curiosity, prompting her to inquire, "Do you believe I have had past lives before this one?"

"You want to take a look?" Raylen asked, his footsteps pausing in the middle of the forest, which had transformed from green to white due to the snow adorning its leaves and branches.

"If it is possible." Emily felt a surge of excitement in her stomach. "Have you ever glimpsed into your past?"

Raylen raised his hand in a circular motion, and soon, a black portal materialised before them.

"What is this?" she asked in surprise.

"You didn’t think the place to view the past would be found in the living realm, did you?" Raylen inquired before raising his hand.

"What about Julia?" Emily didn’t want to leave Julia here, knowing that Logan could attack the castle and harm the people residing there.

"Logan won’t dare step anywhere near the castle, believing we are interrogating her right now. Plus, he must still be trying to grasp why you vanished from right before him," Raylen reassured her, and she placed her hand in his, feeling him envelop it with his own. "Here we go."

For the first few seconds, Emily was greeted by nothing but darkness. Her free hand reached out to grasp nothing but air, and she felt the air turn chilly around her. When her footing finally connected with hardened ground, the darkness dissipated, and she could finally see her surroundings.

"This..." Emily was left momentarily speechless as she gazed at the trees around her.

"Yes, it is a copy of the living world. Just much darker, quieter, and devoid of life," Raylen remarked, taking a deep breath as if he had missed the place.

To Emily, it felt as if she had closed her eyes, and within the span of a blink, the snow had vanished and the atmosphere around her had turned gloomy. She looked up at the starless sky, where it seemed as if night was ever-present.

"Answering your earlier question, I don’t have a past," Raylen replied as they began to walk in the now snowless forest. "It must be because I am the Devil’s son, which is why I don’t have a past life but possess an everlasting one."

Once they walked past a dense thicket of trees, Emily’s eyes finally fell upon a river, but they weren’t alone, as a line of souls stood before it. Her eyes widened, and her heartbeat quickened at the sight. She inquired, "Are we in Hell?"

"Not quite. It is a transitional realm for souls moving from the living world. To determine the severity of the punishment that needs to be handed down to each soul, they are made to immerse themselves in the river before their transgressions are recorded. Pay them no mind," Raylen said, leading her to the river’s edge. He added, "When I first came here, I took a dip out of curiosity to see what the River of the Past would reveal. You know what to do."

"Master Raylen!" one of the guards greeted him.

When Emily heard about the possibility of learning about potential past lives, she thought it would be through a simple touch or spoken words, not by dipping into dark water. She cast him an apprehensive glance, as she had always been uneasy about the idea of ghosts.

"Ray Ray..."

Raylen, who had earlier released her hand, gently reclaimed it before leading her into the river. As she stepped into the water, Emily soon found herself submerged, the water reaching above her head. However, to her astonishment, she could breathe without any discomfort or choking sensation.

As silence wrapped around her, Emily’s hand tightened around Raylen’s, as if she didn’t want to part from his side and be lost. Gradually, the sight before her changed into black and white, and she witnessed glimpses of her past lives. To her fascination, there wasn’t just one but two of them, and it interested her to no end.

In her first life, Emily was a horse. She blinked in disbelief. Her owner was a small girl whom she let ride on her back. She died in an avalanche. In her second life, she was starkly different from her current self. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment when she witnessed herself drinking liquor and engaging in street fights, beating someone using whatever objects she could find as weapons. She then went on to have children. However, before she could catch a glimpse of who she was married to, Raylen abruptly pulled her out of the river.

"I think that was good enough?" Raylen asked, and Emily nodded in agreement.

"I think so," Emily replied, realising that neither of them had emerged drenched from their immersion in the river.

They stepped out of the portal they had entered, greeted by familiar light and snow around them once again. Emily murmured,

"I never imagined I would have a past life as an animal." And as a horse, out of all the possibilities. She decided to steer clear of discussing her second life, feeling Raylen staring at her with a quiet intensity. She laughed. "I wonder if Niyasa was ever a parrot if she had past lives," and she suggested, "We should go before Julia wakes up."

But when Emily took two steps forward, Raylen swiftly caught her hand, causing her to turn around before she found herself pinned between him and a tree. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she stared back at him. He brought his hands up, cradling the sides of her head, and closed the distance between them before pressing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. The usual tenderness she was beginning to become familiar with was laced with a sense of urgency as he deepened the kiss.

Emily’s eyes fluttered closed, and her hands, which had initially come to rest on his chest, glided upwards to wind around his neck, pulling him closer to her. His own hands moved to her neck, keeping her in place. Her heart shuddered when his lips peppered kisses down her jawline and then trailed to her neck.

"...!" Emily gasped when she felt Raylen nip at the sensitive skin on her neck.

"Did it hurt?" Raylen asked, his voice husky as he heard her breath hitch. In the next second, he languidly traced his tongue along the spot where he had bitten her.

Without having to look at him, Emily could sense he was jealous of what they had glimpsed earlier while in the river. It only stirred her emotions, causing her to clench with a mixture of desire and tension. He raised his head, meeting her gaze, their breaths mingling in close proximity. There was a light pressure on the sides of her neck, which came from the firmness of his grip.

"We should probably stop, lest I lose myself in wanting to devour you." His voice, like a velvet caress, carried a promise of passion and restraint, leaving Emily breathless and yearning for more.

As Raylen began to step away, he felt a gentle yet firm tug on his coat. He turned around to find Emily holding onto it. His head tilted slightly, his piercing blue eyes locked onto hers, and he watched her with a mix of curiosity and intensity as she asked,

"Why don’t you?"

Raylen couldn’t help but notice a subtle flush of colour in her cheeks, and he couldn’t resist teasing her. "Little Red?" he asked, a playful glint in his eyes, though they had darkened with desire. Her question was obvious, and he responded, "Because you are mine, and not just anyone."

Emily mustered the courage to voice her desire, breathing out, "Then don’t treat me like others. Treat me like I am yours."

At that, the last strand of patience snapped within Raylen. He closed the distance between them once more. His hand, poised like a predator’s claw, rose to delicately tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. However, instead of dropping his hand back to his side, his fingers wove through her hair, the touch gentle before he tugged on it, exposing her bare neck to him.

Raylen murmured in a low, seductive voice, "Let us hope you will be as brave as you are now when you let your voice out."