Ćḥąpŧęř ¹
"They are marching toward Gehenna, Your Majesty. If you fail to reach an agreement shortly and refuse to accept the terms they demand, they plan to strike. Every weapon on the list I provided is in their possession."
My father stared at Damien, as if refusing to believe the man standing before him.
"How do you know this?"
Damien kept his gaze locked onto my father's eyes—eyes that were terrifying even for a demon.
"Visions, Your Majesty. The visions I receive are an inheritance from my Azazel mother, as you well know. I witness the turmoil and events unfolding on the angels' side through the eyes of a celestial maiden. Whether this girl truly exists in reality, I do not know, but for years, nothing I have foreseen has ever proven to be a mere delusion. Every single one was true."
My father’s harsh glare did not soften. It never would toward Damien anyway; he had harbored a deep resentment for him ever since Damien became my lover years ago. He intended for me to inherit Gehenna as its sole ruler should anything happen to him. He approved of neither marriage nor love.
Even so, he gave a stiff nod of dismissal.
"I shall conceive a plan. You may leave."
Without a second word, Damien turned and walked out.
I cast a brief glance at my father before following right behind him.
Together, we walked to the summit of the castle. To the terrace that overlooked the sky and Gehenna—our noble hell.
Hell was not a crimson pit of roaring fire and brimstone, as mortal creatures called humans believed. Nor was it a prison where demons were kept captive. This was our sole kingdom. Our home.
I could never comprehend why mankind grew so hostile toward the demon race. We were not destroyers. We never interfered with humans. Yet, they blamed us for every misfortune that befell them.
Centuries ago, Lucifer had lived among humans.
He spoke to them of love, but they only heard seduction...
He showed them beauty, but it became their sole obsession...
He wished to give meaning to their lives. For that reason alone, he defied the Above's decree to stay away from the beings known as mankind.
Now, I understand the reason behind that decree all too well.
Lucifer could not endure the centuries of resentment and humiliation. He sought to sever himself forever from mankind's ingratitude and the shallow lovelessness they created. He directed his steps toward the dark temple in the heart of Hierapolis, within the lands of Phrygia. There stood the Gate of Hell, which the mortals called the Ploutonion, opening into the deepest recesses of the earth.
He walked straight into the heart of that ominous, toxic vapor drifting from within, which would instantly ash any living thing. He was far too noble to stoop to hanging himself or drawing blood with a mortal blade; thus, he chose to surrender his breath to the ancient, lethal exhalation of the underworld. As his physical form slowly dissolved in the pitch-black darkness of the cavern with the poison filling his lungs, he took with him the pure light and love he had brought into the world.
Leaving humanity behind, abandoned to the dark and smoky solitude of their own making, he silently faded into nothingness...
That was the Satan they so fiercely hated. Lucifer... The Morning Star... destroyed by the wrath of humanity.
"What will happen when they strike? Is there a countermeasure in place, or is he brushing it off by merely saying he will think on it?" Damien asked, pulling me from the dark thoughts where I had drowned in our race's sorrowful past.
"What?"
He stepped closer to me. With his long fingers, he gently tucked a stray lock of my dark hair behind my ear.
"The Ancient Lord Asmodeus, my love..." he murmured. "I believe your father is just dismissing me. He does not believe my visions."
"I don't think he entirely believes you either," I said half-heartedly. "Even so, I am certain he will take precautions. This is the last remnant of Gehenna left in our hands. He would not want to lose it."
"You are right... The Above wants to wrench even this away from us. They believe we deserve nothing, nowhere. They want us to lose everything and cease to exist. And Asmodeus has grown so frail... Our annihilation seems nigh," he said with a faint sigh.
I placed my palm tenderly against his cheek. My delicate fingers caressed his skin.
"Do not despair... I will make him believe you. I can persuade him... We have nothing left but Gehenna. We will not lose it."
Damien pulled away from my lips slowly, clutching his head as if in sudden pain. It was always like this when a vision took hold of him.
"Damie... What do you see?..."
"Vespera... They are coming... They are here."I kissed him again. I did not know why I did it. It was a foolish outburst of solace and terror. He returned the kiss, his arms wrapping around my waist once more.
Yet, this time, our kiss was shattered by a deafening, earth-shattering roar that echoed through every corner of Gehenna. The angels must have breached the outer walls. It shouldn't have been this fast... In the blink of an eye... The Above shouldn't have been this merciless toward us...
𝔈𝔫𝔡 𝔒𝔣 ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 ¹
