Deception in Demeria

When I was little, my mother used to tell me stories of the stars. She would tell me that they were watching over me, and that if I stayed good, I could one day travel among them. It was a nice thought, and it kept me out of trouble for quite a while.

But as my teen years approached, I started to see the world in a slightly different light. My mother always told me not to take life too seriously; that it would all be over before you knew it anyway. That was her way of dealing with her own issues, and I think on some level she wanted me to be more like her. But from a young age, I had always been a very responsible person. The need to know everything that was going on around me drove me to go against what my mother believed in.

I went into town with Willem every day after school and pushed myself to do things I wasn't comfortable with just so I could keep up. It wasn't fair to him, but he accepted my quirks because he loved me. And because he had no idea what else was out there.

When the stranger came into town about two months ago, I immediately took notice. He was attractive in a rugged way: tall and muscular with dark hair and eyes that seemed to bore through you when he looked at you. He wore loose-fitting clothes reminiscent of the middle ages, which made him stand out even more than he already did amongst the other women who'd dressed in more modern styles for their daily shopping trips.

He didn't say much at first; just stared at people with this look on his face that somehow managed to convey both disdain and raw hunger at the same time. His posture gave away his arrogance, yet he never acted aggressive towards anyone in any way - which was strange enough on its own given the fact that he stood out so much right away (no one else dressed like him). And then there was his laugh... deep and guttural, often followed by an audible sigh as if something had just been realized and wasn't very happy about it anymore.

That got my attention right away - his laugh sounded like someone was being tortured right next to him and he didn't care about it anymore! In fact, it's probably safe to say that his laugh sounded exactly like how I imagine the devil's might sound in certain situations... only somehow twisted even further in ways that couldn't possibly be possible according to our current understanding of reality. And again there were times when his laughter turned into a sigh - but this time it sounded like he had just finished torturing someone horribly yet hadn't gotten anything more out of them than what you'd expect from someone who is clearly broken beyond repair after such an experience... but still found himself vaguely amused nonetheless because somewhere inside him there's still hope for something better; although no longer particularly confident or willing to take matters into his own hands anymore...

Anyway, Willem worked at the local store and we ran into each other on most days when we'd go shopping together after school ended. We got along great; sometimes having conversations that lasted hours on end while other times remaining quiet while walking side by side in total sync with each other (almost as if we were one person). We had saved ourselves for each other without ever making any sort of promise about waiting until marriage first... because we knew for a fact we'd end up together eventually anyway: it never even crossed our minds otherwise! Whenever we were together, it felt like nothing could separate us ever again!

One day when we happened upon Astarius while wandering through town, Willem decided to say hello while he waited for me at a nearby bench where we planned to meet later on once I finished my own errands nearby (which didn't take long). After he left though, Astarius sat down next to me instead and said hello while staring off in another direction seemingly ignoring everything around him (aside from the occasional glance towards me whenever Willem walked by). It took all my effort not to get uncomfortable at this point: Astarius' stare sometimes felt so intense that I wondered if there were two different people behind those eyes instead of just one! And every time Willem passed by us another time or two before finally leaving us alone together suddenly made me feel relieved - as if Astarius' presence somehow drained my energy away rather than replenishing it!

After Willem left us two alone together though, something happened between us that changed everything...