Deathly Bliss

The two purple-skinned monsters from before walked toward the man and kicked him.

"Get up, moron! Hope you understood what the king told you," one of the monsters said.

The man slowly got up, and the monster chained his hands again.

"You will stay in prison while we make preparations for your departure," the monster said as he and the other began walking back toward the circular platform, with the man following behind.

"Can't believe we have to make arrangements for an ugly and disgusting human," the other monster muttered in disgust.

The two monsters and the man stepped onto the platform, and it began descending back toward the prison.

As the platform was lowering into the snowy sky, one of the monsters muttered angrily to the man,

"I expected you to just die in that throne room. How can a lowly human like you be of any worth to the king?"

The man suddenly smiled and said,

"You monsters talk to me like you're some superior species. Your entire kind is cleaning the floors of the prison."

Both monsters looked at him in rage and disbelief.

"You've suddenly grown a big nerve, boy. What the hell did our king give you to boost your ego that much?" the monster asked angrily, grabbing the man by the neck.

"Something worth more than your entire slave kind," the man replied with an evil grin.

The monster was now shaking with rage.

He extended his nails.

"Ignore this idiot! We'll be punished if something happens to him! The king has use for him!" the other monster warned.

"See? You can't even act on your own accord! You're nothing but a fucking slave!" the man exclaimed with a laugh.

"Shut up!!" the monster yelled before slashing the man's face with his nails.

The man's face got sliced into three parts and his corpse fell onto the platform.

"W-What have you done!? We're dead meat now!" the other monster exclaimed in fear.

Suddenly, the man's corpse burst into a bunch of butterflies, and with a golden light, he was revived right there on the platform—unchained.

As both monsters looked at him in shock, the man kicked one in the chest, knocking him back into the other.

The man quickly jumped off the platform, which was still halfway up!

"See ya never, fuckers!!" the man screamed with a laugh as he began falling through the snowing sky.

The monster who had killed him opened his wings to fly after him, but the other one stopped him and said,

"Let him play. Where's he gonna go from here?"

"But we'll still get punished if this bastard disappears!" the monster said angrily.

"He won't go too far. His guide is about to pay him a visit," the other replied with a smile.

As the man crashed into the snow, his guts and brain splattered across the ground.

He was immediately revived a few steps away.

"That was way more painful than I thought," the man muttered with a gasp, rising to his knees.

He got up and began running in the direction opposite the prison.

"Man, fuck their world, fuck these monsters, and fuck that creepy-ass guy with chain hair!!!" the man screamed as he ran deeper into the snowstorm.

"I've earned my freedom! I ain't becoming anyone's errand boy now!!" he yelled angrily, still running.

He was shivering and sneezing. The cold air pierced his lungs and blinded his vision, but he didn't stop.

He kept running.

When he got tired, he walked.

He stumbled, crawled—but he kept moving through the snowstorm.

After about thirty minutes, he crawled near a big round pile of snow.

Placing his head on the pile, he sat and tried to sleep.

He began shivering and sneezing wildly.

He could barely breathe from all the snow in the air.

He tried his best to fall asleep but couldn't due to the extreme cold.

Frustrated, he got up and kicked the pile of snow.

"You're in a snowstorm wearing a T-shirt. Not the best condition for sleeping, you know?" came a charming voice.

The man looked around nervously, instantly on high alert.

He heard footsteps and turned in that direction.

The steps grew louder and louder.

From the fog emerged a tall man with purple hair.

He had a charming, pale face with purple eyes. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and a big, creepy smile stretched nearly from ear to ear.

He wore a black fur coat and black pants.

The man stepped back nervously as the purple-haired guy got closer.

"No need to be scared, boy. Name's Larkwing, and I'm your guide. Now, why don't you come here? A hug will warm you up nice and well," Larkwing said, opening his arms and stepping forward.

"Fucking creep!" the man grumbled before bolting in the opposite direction.

Larkwing sighed as the man ran.

Then he dashed forward, catching up within a second.

He grabbed the man's shoulder. The man turned and threw a punch.

Larkwing stepped back, dodging effortlessly.

"I warned ya!" the man shouted angrily, dashing again and throwing another punch, which Larkwing dodged with ease.

"Don't stress out your lungs here, dear. This cold air'll shred them," Larkwing said, still smiling as he evaded another strike.

The man screamed and charged, trying to tackle him.

Larkwing stepped aside and tripped him, sending him flat on his butt.

"Score!!" Larkwing cheered, then kicked the man square in the nuts.

The man's mouth opened in silent agony—and he passed out.

Larkwing sighed, grabbed the man by the hair, and began dragging him.

"I really wanted a day off, but since you've caused such a mess, we'll have to start the job right away," he muttered.

He dragged the man toward a big black wagon.

Tied to the front were two black horses with long hair covering their faces.

Each had three red eyes and two black horns.

They also had giant wings sprouting from their backs.

Larkwing opened the passenger door and threw the man inside.

The interior of the wagon was warm and cozy. Red wool carpets covered the bench and floor.

Larkwing climbed into the driver's seat and took the reins.

"Rest well for now, boy. Who knows when you'll get to sleep again," he said with a grin, glancing back.

The two horses spread their wings and charged ahead.

The wagon galloped through the snow, then soared into the sky.

Higher and higher it rose—until it disappeared into the fog.