in the devil world

Chapter 2: In the Devil’s World

Pain was the first thing Alice felt when she returned to consciousness.

It wasn’t sharp or sudden—but deep, lingering, like her body had been dragged back from the edge of something final. Her fingers twitched weakly against soft sheets, a stark contrast to the cold, unforgiving ground she last remembered.

For a moment, she didn’t open her eyes.

She was afraid to.

Afraid that if she did, she would find herself back in that mansion… back under their control… back in that nightmare.

But the silence felt different.

No tension. No whispers. No looming presence waiting to break her.

Slowly, cautiously, Alice opened her eyes.

The ceiling above her was unfamiliar—high, elegant, adorned with subtle golden designs. A chandelier hung above, dimly lit, casting a soft glow across the room. The air smelled faintly of something clean… expensive.

She blinked.

Where… am I?

Her gaze shifted, taking in the surroundings. The room was vast, decorated with a mix of modern luxury and dark tones. Velvet curtains framed tall windows. A fireplace flickered quietly in the corner.

This wasn’t a hospital.

This was something else entirely.

“Awake?”

The voice came suddenly.

Deep. Calm. Controlled.

Alice’s breath caught as her eyes snapped toward the source.

He was there.

Sitting in a chair across the room, one leg crossed over the other, his posture relaxed yet commanding. He looked exactly as she remembered—sharp features, dark eyes that seemed to see through everything, and an aura that made the entire room feel smaller.

Dangerous.

Her heart began to race.

“You…” her voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper.

He didn’t move immediately. Instead, he studied her, his gaze unwavering, almost as if he were analyzing something rare.

“You survived,” he said simply.

Alice swallowed, trying to sit up. Pain shot through her body, forcing her to wince.

“Don’t,” he said, his tone firm but not harsh. “You’re not strong enough yet.”

She froze, unsure whether to obey.

Then, reluctantly, she relaxed back into the bed.

Silence stretched between them.

“Why…?” she finally managed to ask.

One word. A thousand questions behind it.

Why did you save me?

Who are you?

Where am I?

He seemed to understand.

A faint, almost imperceptible smirk touched his lips.

“I don’t usually pick up things from the street,” he said. “Consider yourself… an exception.”

Alice frowned slightly, confusion flickering across her face. “I’m not… a thing.”

His eyes darkened, amused. “No. You’re not.”

The way he said it made her chest tighten.

There was something about him—something she couldn’t explain. He wasn’t kind. He wasn’t gentle. And yet… he had saved her.

“Who are you?” she asked, gathering what little courage she had.

For a moment, he didn’t answer.

Then, slowly, he stood.

Each step he took toward her felt deliberate, controlled. Powerful.

When he stopped beside the bed, she could feel his presence more intensely than before.

“Benjamin,” he said.

Just one name.

But it carried weight.

Alice felt it instantly.

“And you?” he asked, though his tone suggested he already knew.

“Alice…”

His gaze lingered on her face, thoughtful.

“Alice,” he repeated, as if testing the sound of her name.

A strange silence followed.

Then—

“They tried to kill you,” Benjamin said, his voice cutting cleanly through the air.

It wasn’t a question.

Alice’s expression faltered.

Memories rushed back—the glass, the burning in her throat, the cold smiles on their faces.

Her hands clenched the sheets.

“…Yes.”

No denial. No hesitation.

Something in her had changed.

Benjamin noticed.

“Family?” he asked.

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

“…Stepfamily.”

He nodded once, as if that explained everything.

“And they think you’re dead,” he continued.

Alice looked up at him sharply. “How do you—”

“I make it my business to know things,” he interrupted smoothly.

Of course he did.

Someone like him… he wasn’t ordinary.

Alice hesitated before asking the next question. “Where am I?”

Benjamin turned slightly, glancing around the room as if seeing it for the first time.

“My world,” he said.

That didn’t comfort her.

At all.

A flicker of unease crossed her face, but she quickly masked it.

“I should go,” she said suddenly, attempting to push herself up again.

This time, she ignored the pain.

Benjamin’s expression hardened.

“Go?” he repeated.

“Yes,” she said, her voice trembling but determined. “I can’t stay here. I don’t even know you.”

He let out a quiet, almost amused breath.

“You’re in no condition to go anywhere.”

“I’ll manage—”

“You’ll collapse before you reach the door.”

His words were blunt. Unapologetic.

Alice hated that he was probably right.

Still, she refused to back down completely.

“I don’t belong here,” she said.

Benjamin tilted his head slightly, studying her again.

“Then where do you belong?” he asked.

The question caught her off guard.

Where did she belong?

Certainly not in that mansion.

Not anymore.

Maybe… she never had.

She had no answer.

Benjamin seemed to notice the shift in her expression.

“Exactly,” he said quietly.

Silence fell again.

This time, heavier.

More real.

“You have two choices,” he continued after a moment.

Alice looked up at him warily.

“You leave,” he said, “and whatever started this… finishes the job.”

Her breath hitched.

“Or…” he paused briefly, his gaze sharpening, “…you stay.”

“And do what?” she asked.

Something dangerous flickered in his eyes.

“Survive,” he said.

The word sent a chill down her spine.

But beneath the fear… something else stirred.

Anger.

Pain.

Betrayal.

“They tried to erase you,” Benjamin added, his voice quieter now, but no less intense. “Are you going to let them succeed?”

Alice’s grip tightened on the sheets again.

Her mind flashed with images—her stepmother’s smile, her stepsister’s cold eyes, the moment they watched her collapse without remorse.

Her chest burned.

Not with poison this time—

But with something far stronger.

“…No,” she whispered.

Benjamin’s lips curved slightly.

Not a smile.

Something darker.

“Good.”

Alice looked at him, really looked this time.

At the man who stood before her.

A stranger.

A danger.

A savior.

“Why are you helping me?” she asked again, softer now.

This time, Benjamin didn’t answer immediately.

His gaze lingered on her, unreadable.

Then, finally—

“Because,” he said, his voice low, “I want to.”

That answer should have unsettled her.

And it did.

But strangely… it also gave her a sense of something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

A chance.

Outside, the city stretched endlessly, alive with secrets and shadows.

And somewhere within it—

A war was beginning.

Alice didn’t fully understand it yet.

But she would.

Because the girl who had once lived quietly in a gilded cage…

Was now standing at the edge of a world ruled by power, danger—

And Benjamin.

And this time—

She wouldn’t be the one who lost.

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