Asgorath
~DISCLAIMER~
This story officially belongs to my imagination & it's only for entertainment purpose.Poster used in this book is created by M.Characters in this book are imaginary and have nothing to do with real life.This book is only available on wattapad. If this book appears somewhere else please inform me via wattapad.If you feel uncomfortable while reading this book, please leave. And lastly, if i make any insensitive mistakes please inform me instead of reporting my account.
~Enjoy your imaginary moments while reading this book~
The weather was sullen, the sky heavy with clouds that threatened rain but never delivered. Dry leaves scraped across the cobblestones, whispering with each gust of wind. Somewhere in the darkness, owls hooted from the gnarled branches of an ancient oak, their calls echoing through the still night.
The Grand Library of Transylvania was always a little too quiet for Mala’s liking. Silence could be a comfort in the daylight… but tonight it clung to the air, dense and watchful, as if the shadows themselves were holding their breath.
She pushed her cart toward the back shelves, muttering,
“Two more trolleys, then I can go home and eat cold pizza like a civilized adult.”
Halfway through shelving, she noticed it.An odd, black book wedged in the history section, it's spine cracked with age, etched in faint gold runes that shimmered like they had their own light. Dust clung to it in clumps, thick enough to choke on.
“Okay, you don’t belong here”
Mala said, slipping on gloves to pull it free. The leather was cool against her palms. It had no title just strange symbols that seemed to shift when she stared too long.A prickle danced along her neck.
Inside, the ink curled across the pages like vines, twisting in an alphabet she didn’t recognize. One page in particular seemed… fresher, the ink darker.Mala hesitated for a moment as her grandmother’s voice echoed faintly in her mind:
"Curiosity is the first step to trouble, Mala"
But she was already reaching for it.Against her better judgment, she read a few lines aloud, tripping over the alien syllables.
~Kareth vel orain, ashen var’thul,
Nareshka mor veyr, tal’gath un drohl~
Translation:
"By shadow’s crown and midnight flame,
I call the one who knows my name."
The lights flickered.From the far end of the library, a loud thump echoed. Mala froze on spot and looked to her left.
“Probably… the boiler again,” she whispered, though the boiler wasn’t anywhere near that section.
The air turned cold. A faint whisper so faint she wasn’t sure it was real brushed her ear.
"Mala..."
She snapped the book shut. “Nope. Nooope. We’re not doing haunted library tonight.”
~Things are about to change~
Mala didn't wanted to stay in library but the weather outside and the exhaustion from her double shift hit like a freight train. She curled on the break room couch and drifted off.
A few minutes later when she opened her eyes, she wasn’t alone.A tall figure stood in the center of the room, framed by the dim yellow light. His features were too perfect like an artist had drawn every sharp line and flawless angle with cruel precision. Pale skin,raven hair that gleamed in the light. And eyes...deep,blood red,locked on her.
“Holy Guacamole!” She scrambled upright so fast she nearly fell off the couch. “Who the hell are you?!”
The stranger tilted his head, voice low and smooth.
“You summoned me.”
“Summoned? I work in a library.W-we check out books, not people.”
“You spoke the Binding Verse,little mortal” He nodded toward the black book placed on sidetable.
“The royal incantation of my realm.My name is Asgorath, King of the Demon Realm. And You—” his gaze swept her lazily.“—are mine,even tho you are Not as magnificent as i expected”
Mala blinked,confused “Pardon?"
His crimson eyes gleamed. “I am your betrothed until, the bond is broken.”
Mala’s jaw dropped. “Betrothed? What the-That’s medieval nonsense.”
“Demon realm nonsense,” he corrected.
“We take such pacts Very seriously.”
She half-laughed, half-groaned.
“I don’t even have a boyfriend in real life and now I’ve… accidentally… summoned… one? A Betrothed?
That’s not happening. I’m just a library girl, with questionable caffeine habits."
His lips curled just barely. “Mortals usually summon me for power or love.Last time, I was summoned in 1697 to distroy the most feared demon hunter "Alexander Helsing".For what purpose you summoned me?,little mortal”
“Power or Love? Yeah, no. I can barely keep houseplants alive.And about summoning you,I didn't, atleast not willingly"
~You’re not like the others who call me. They all want something. You just… read.~
He followed her wherever she went in the library, his footsteps soundless yet impossible to ignore. No matter which aisle she moved to or how many shelves she hid behind, she could feel his gaze clinging to her...steady, unblinking.
Mala tried to focus on her work, sliding books into place, dusting spines that hadn’t been touched in years. But every time she glanced up, there he was. Pale, perfect features framed by that inky fall of hair, watching her as if he were memorizing every movement.
It was… unsettling. The kind of attention that prickled down her spine and made the air feel too warm. And yet, underneath the unease, there was something else.Something that left her cheeks flushed and her heartbeat skittering. His eyes roamed slowly over her small, chubby frame, lingering in a way that made her want to shrink away and lean closer all at once.
Each look was like a phantom touch, leaving shivers in it's wake.Mala told herself it was just nerves. But deep down,she knew it was him...Asgorath,folding fear and something dangerously close to desire into the same breath.
~I will follow you,my little mortal.Like a shadow that knows no light, like a raven that always finds it's way home.~
As she came down from ladder,all of sudden the lights above crackled, buzzing like angry hornets. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Mala saw it,a shadow sliding along the wall, rippling like liquid darkness.It moved wrong. Too slow. Too deliberate. And it didn’t belong to her Or him.Her pulse spiked. “Uh… w-what’s that?”
Asgorath’s head turned sharply, his crimson gaze snapping to the wall. The red bled away, swallowed by pools of pure black.
The air seemed to warp around him.In the next heartbeat, his perfect human form tore open.Black wings burst outward with a sound like ripping cloth, claws catching the light in wicked arcs, fangs bared in a predator’s snarl.
He moved without hesitation, stepping in front of her. His massive wings curved around her like a living shield, their edges glinting like obsidian blades.The thing in the shadows let out a muffled, inhuman scream.A sound that seemed to scrape against the inside of her skull,before dissolving into nothing leaving only the faint smell of sulfur.
Mala’s wide brown eyes peered up at him through the narrow space between feathers. “You...You’re…terrifying.”
Without turning, his voice was calm, almost dismissive.
“And you,You’re too sensitive,my little mortal”
She opened her mouth “I’m—” but the rush of fear finally caught up to her. Her knees buckled, the world blurring into darkness.
Before she could fall, there was a swift rustle of wings and a blur of motion. Asgorath spun, catching her effortlessly in his arms. He cradled her like something breakable, the tips of his claws angled carefully away from her skin.
For a long moment, he just looked down at her sleeping facepeaceful now, despite what she’d just seen.The corner of his mouth almost softened into something that wasn’t quite a smile, but close enough to be dangerous.
~You’ve drawn the eyes of my enemies now,my little mortal.They will not be so polite as I am~
Over the next 2 hours,she learned few things about Asgorath.
1. He could vanish and reappear anywhere in the room.
2. He refused to eat her emergency instant noodles with jar full of kimchi.
3. He had a dry, cutting sense of humor that somehow made him funnier than most humans she knew.
4. Whenever he felt an unusual energy,dragon like scales would appear on his neck or back of his hands.
But the creepy wasn’t done. Twice, she caught flickers of movement in the stacks.Dark, spidery shapes just at the corner of her vision. Both times, Asgorath was at her side instantly, a low growl rumbling from his chest.
“You attract attention now,” he warned. “There are those who would tear you apart to break our bond.”
Mala swallowed hard. “oh”
His gaze lingered on her longer than before.
“You’re not afraid of me,are you?”
“I am, a little ” she admitted. “I’m just… also very tired.”
Something softened in his eyes, but only for a second.He lean down to her face level and whispered to her.His words and possessive tone didn’t fail to send a shiver down her spine.
"No one will ever dare to touch you as long as I'm here,i promise"
~With the flow of time...you'll get used to it,my little mortal~
By 4 a.m.She was slouched against the wall, eyelids drooping.Guess one hour sleep wasn't helping.
“You’ll go back to your realm now, right?” she mumbled.
“I could,” he said quietly. “But the bond would remain. You’d still feel the pull and so would I.”
Her chest tightened unexpectedly. “And what if...we break it?”
His head bolted up,his eyes darkened for a split second but soften instantly on seeing her flinch.
“I...I will vanish,Forever.Along with the book.”
She hesitated. The sensible thing would be to end it now, forget this ever happened. But the thought of him disappearing left her oddly hollow.
“Then maybe… we don’t break it. Not yet.”
The corner of his mouth lifted,just slightly. “You are strange.”
“You have no idea,” she murmured, already half-asleep.
~Maybe I didn’t mean to summon you. But I’m starting to think you were supposed to show up anyway.~
At dawn, she felt something warm brush her forehead before the air shimmered and stilled. Her eyes flutter open as she sat up while stretching her limbs lazily.When she woke, the black book lay closed beside her, it's leather warm.Memories from last night replayed in her head like a fantasy movie. She tied her hair into a soft bun. While lost in ocean of her dreamy thoughts,she gently grazed tips of her fingers on her neck where Asgorath left his mark,a mark of their bond.And faintly, almost like a whisper from a dream echoed in her head.
"Call me again, Mala"
She smiled despite herself. “Yeah… I probably will.”
~We will meet again,my little mortal~
_______________
THE END?
Thank you for reading One-shot "Asgorath" by M :)
