Villain MMORPG: Almighty Devil Emperor and His Seven Demonic Wives

Villain Ch 1084. A Bird In A Cage [Part 1]

Allen's eyes scanned the ruined pavilion, taking in the cage, the altar, and the crumbling stone pillars. There was something wrong. The fight was over, but the melody was still there.

"This doesn't make sense," Zoe muttered, her tentacles coiling around her as she stared up at the half-destroyed roof. "We took down the boss, but the music is still playing."

Shea nodded, her expression serious. "Yeah. That's weird. It should stop when you defeat the main source of the curse, right? Why is it still here?"

Jane frowned as she waved her staff, dismissing her summoned minions. "So no one's going to talk about the loot?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "We defeat a boss monster, and all we get are a few measly coins. That's it?"

Bella laughed, shaking her head. "What did you expect? He's a priest. Of course, he's broke."

Larissa glanced at her. "You didn't get any items?"

"I got it. But I expect to get more coins," Jane huffed.

Vivian glanced around. "Broke or not, the melody hasn't stopped. That's not normal. Something else is going on here."

Larissa, who had been examining the altar, turned to the group, her blood tendrils receding as she crossed her arms. "It's not over yet. This wasn't the source of the curse. Zorath was just a puppet in this whole thing."

Allen's gaze remained fixed on the fallen remains of Zorath. He stepped forward and raised his hand. 'Contract.'

The remnants of Zorath's body glowed with an eerie light, and slowly, his form began to reassemble. His broken figure rose from the dust, and within moments, the once-dead Cursed High Priest stood before Allen, now bound as his servant.

[The contract is completed!]

[Cursed High Priest Zorath is your servant now!]

Zorath's hollow eyes stared blankly ahead. But even as the priest stood there, now under his control, the haunting melody continued to play.

"It didn't stop," Shea whispered, her gaze flicking toward the source of the music. "That voice... it's still here."

Alice frowned, her hand resting on her hip as she surveyed the area. "If Zorath wasn't the source, then who—or what—is still singing?"

"My opinion is still the same." Jane crossed her arms, her brow furrowed in thought. "The voice doesn't sound hostile. It's sad. Lonely, even. But why would a cursed place like this have something like that?"

Bella kicked a piece of debris across the floor and sighed. "Great. So we've got no real treasure, a bunch of sad songs, and a priest with a whip who was clearly out of his mind. This place is a real gem, isn't it?"

Zoe rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smirk. "Hey, at least we're not drowning in more undead. I'll take sad songs over endless waves of skeletons any day."

Before anyone could respond, Zorath's voice echoed through the pavilion once more, but this time, it was different—stronger, angrier. "The ceremony hasn't started yet! Who gave you permission to sing?"

They all froze. The voice wasn't coming from the undead priest that Allen had just contracted. Zorath, now Allen's servant, stood motionless beside him, his hollow eyes staring blankly ahead, mouth closed.

Allen prepared for his skill. The girls exchanged glances, equally tense, preparing for whatever might come next.

Then, from the stairwell below, they heard the sound of footsteps—heavy and deliberate, like someone walking with purpose. They turned toward the noise, weapons raised, ready to attack or defend themselves.

But what emerged from the stairs wasn't an enemy.

It was Zorath!

Not the decayed, undead version they had just fought, but a younger, living Zorath. His robes were clean, his face full of life—though twisted in anger. He stormed up the stairs, his eyes blazing with frustration as he muttered to himself. "The ceremony hasn't started yet. Who dares to defy the sacred rites?"

The group tensed, but something was off. Zorath didn't even glance at them. His furious gaze remained focused on something ahead of him, completely ignoring their presence. His footsteps echoed through the pavilion as if they weren't even there.

Larissa was the first to speak, her voice low. "He can't see us. This... this is a memory."

Allen lowered his sword slightly, watching Zorath as he moved past them, his movements agitated. "It's a flashback," he muttered. "We're seeing what happened before all of this."

Zorath reached the center of the pavilion. The structure, which had been crumbling just moments ago, now appeared restored to its former glory. The once-damaged pillars stood tall and unbroken, the cage in front of the altar gleaming as if newly built.

"What the hell is going on?" Bella whispered, her eyes wide as she took in the sudden transformation.

Jane's expression softened. "This is the beginning of it all," she said quietly. "This is what led to the curse."

Zorath, his expression twisted with fury, stormed toward the large cage in the center of the pavilion. The shimmering metal bars gleamed in the light of the restored structure, and as he neared, the haunting melody grew louder. He reached the cage and gripped the bars tightly, his knuckles white with anger. Inside, the source of the singing was revealed—a siren, slumped on the cold floor.

The group's eyes widened in shock. It wasn't just any siren.

It was Shea!

But this version of Shea was different. Her wings were broken. One wing had been completely cut off, leaving only a jagged stump, and the other was mangled, its feathers missing or twisted in grotesque angles. Her face, normally lively and confident, was pale and gaunt, streaked with tears that fell silently as she continued to sing.

The real Shea, standing among her companions, gasped. "What… What is this?" she whispered, her voice trembling. Her eyes were wide, frozen in disbelief as she looked at the weakened, imprisoned version of herself.

Jane, standing next to Shea, turned to her, her eyes filled with compassion. "So… this is your backstory?" she asked softly, her voice filled with both awe and concern.