MMORPG: Rebirth as an Alchemist

Desira's laughter echoed ominously, her obsidian eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure as she reveled in the suffering of Ren and the others. 

The air around them was thick with malevolence, and Desira wore a sinister smile as she declared, "How amusing it is to witness your feeble struggles. I won't kill you, not yet. No, first, you shall taste the sweet liberation of corruption. Only then will I consider ending your pitiful existence."

Ren and the others were still paralyzed and in pain, and could only glare at Desira

As Desira continued her gloating, a sudden shift in the atmosphere caught her attention. The mist-laden air seemed to shiver with an unspoken tension. The corners of her lips twitched in curiosity.

Unexpectedly, Azazel, who had been seemingly lost in his own thoughts, slowly stood up. His eyes, once vacant, now held a spark of lucidity. 

With a newfound determination, he turned to face Desira, his gaze sure and confident.

"Desira," Azazel declared, his voice resonating with an unexpected clarity, as if he had finally regained his scattered thoughts and wasn't affected by Desira's status effect.

Desira's amusement faltered for a moment as she regarded Azazel with a mix of surprise and irritation. "What? What is it? I won't fall for you again you know. No matter what you say," she defended, her arrogance gone for a moment. 

Ren and the others stared at Desira with deadpan faces. On the other hand, Evie and Elena appeared utterly clueless about the unfolding events.

"What? What? What's going on?" Elena exclaimed, her senses tingling with the awareness that something was amiss. "I can sense that something is off. What did we miss?"

Vivi took it upon herself to enlighten them. "Ah, you see to make this narrative short . . . Desira has been harboring feelings for Lord Azazel for hundreds of years. However, Lord Azazel remained oblivious to it until just now."

"Hmm . . . so all of this is a lover's quarrel," Evie stated matter of factly, seemingly nonchalant.

"NO ITS NOT!" Desira screamed, her face turning various shades of red, a mixture of embarrassment and frustration.

Azazel was undeterred, and continued, "I know why you're mad!"

Desira's mouth clamped shut and her face reddened even more. "Mad? I am the mistress of this domain, and my actions are justified. There's no madness in my intentions."

"No, Desira," Azazel insisted, his tone unwavering. "You're mad because I haven't notice your true feelings! This realm you've created, this isolation you enforce — it's not born out of power; it's born out of loneliness and frustration because of me."

Desira gasped and smoke rose from her head while she reverted back into her normal self in a snap. She fidgeted side to side and her palms went to her cheeks. "N-no . . . W-what are you talking about?"

Azazel took a determined step forward, his gaze unwavering as he addressed Desira with newfound resolve. "This time, I won't waver, and I acknowledge your feelings. Stop this and let us out!"

Desira's face flushed an even deeper shade of red, her eyes swirling with a mix of emotions and heat. "W-wha... W-what are you saying now?! All this time... all this time... I... I..."

As the two engaged in a tense conversation, Ren and the others watched with rapt attention, each one unable to resist offering their own commentary.

"So smooth," Evie chimed in, a hint of amusement in her tone.

"Keep it up, and this might work," Elena added, nodding approvingly.

"He should have said that long ago," Ren commented, his expression couldn't be bothered. 

"Keep it up, Lord Azazel!" Vivi cheered, her enthusiasm evident in the support she offered to Azazel's newfound assertiveness.

"What an idiot. Who would fall for that?" Lorelai remarked with a sigh.

Desira's face underwent a drastic transformation, her expression turning lovestruck and vulnerable. "Lord Azazel..."

Lorelai couldn't resist sticking out her tongue in disgust. "Apparently, she's more of an idiot for falling for that. She even started calling him lord."

"Shut up. This might work, and we could finally get out of here!" Elena retorted, her tone filled with a mixture of desperation and optimism.

Desira found herself torn between defiance and a flicker of hope for a second chance at her affection for Obsidian X, and she hesitated for a moment. 

The mist-laden air seemed to hold its breath, awaiting her response.

It was true that she had yearned for Azazel's affection since the day they had met. 

However, the demon lord remained oblivious, as if deliberately avoiding her. 

Over time, as corruption took hold, her affection for him had transformed into anger and loneliness. 

Unknowingly, she sought the company of others to fill the void in her heart, but it was never enough. 

It couldn't be enough. 

What she desired and luster for over hundreds of years was Obsidian X, for Azazel's love. It was the very essence of her being.

Was she finally going to get his affection? Was this the fulfillment of the desires that her heart had yearned for over the years?

Ren and the others were still paralyzed and in pain, but they still observed this unexpected turn of events with the expression of a gawker. 

They wondered if Azazel's words had the power to penetrate the darkness that ensnared Desira's heart.

Were they about to witness a confession?

Ren and the others could feel the anticipation building, a sense that they were on the verge of being released from this jail-like prison.

"Go on, Azazel. A little more, and we will be free," Elena urged.

"Be a man and get it over with," Ren commented.

Evie hummed with a stoic expression. "Love solves all problems."

It's the root cause of all problems, though. Ren mused to himself.

Lorelai shook her head in disapproval. "If she's going to get soft with just a little coaxing from a man, then she's hopeless."

"Shut up, Lorelai!" Elena retorted.

Ren and the others held their breath for the decisive moment. Desira was softening, and a little push from Azazel could definitely coax her into letting them out.

Azazel took a deep breath and, with a serious face and voice, declared, "Desira, I love you too!"